By Zephyria 
When I returned to the news channel I had been watching, the scene had already switched to a panoramic view of the Gate.
Despite leaving me behind, Vasily was sitting leisurely in the middle of the site, taking a break. I didn’t like the sight, and I stared at the screen with a dissatisfied frown.
[In particular, Esper Vasily officially announced last night that he has found a Guide; however, as no Guide is visible on site, it is presumed that he came to this Gate alone.]
“They’re making me out to be the bad person who’s just resting at home alone…”
Who was the one who went to the Gate without a word?
If I had known an S-Class Gate had appeared, I would have naturally followed him. And I would have provided as much guiding as possible before he left for the Gate. Since I had plenty of experience entering Gates myself, I knew very well that S-Class conquests were tricky.
I glanced at the live broadcast indicator floating in the corner of the screen. Vasily didn’t look particularly busy… so a quick phone call should be fine.
I picked up my smartphone and dialed Vasily’s number.
The camera caught Vasily pulling his smartphone out from inside his jacket. The moment he confirmed my name, the ringing stopped, and Vasily’s voice came through the phone.
Guide Kwon Gi-dam? You’re actually calling me first. What’s going on?
“Are you at the Gate right now?”
Oops, I’m caught.
Vasily smiled faintly on the screen. Hearing the low chuckle over the receiver, the anger that had been surging in me dissipated with absurd ease.
How did you know? Did the association contact you?
“The moment I turned on the TV, your face was plastered all over the screen, Esper-nim.”
Hmm… Ah, that.
Vasily looked around, spotted the camera, and his eyes curved into a smile. For a moment, I forgot it was through a screen and felt as if our eyes had actually met, causing me to gasp involuntarily.
I tried to keep it a secret… but I guess I was found out sooner than I thought.
There was no way you could go to an S-Class Gate quietly. I buried my face in my palm and let out a deep sigh before asking.
“Why did you leave without saying anything? If I had known, I would have at least given you some guiding yesterday.”
I’ll receive guiding after the conquest is over, so Guide Kwon Gi-dam, save your strength.
“Is it okay for you to go in without guiding? If you need it, I’ll go there right now.”
I gauged Vasily’s condition through the screen. Since the suppression chip was gone, light physical contact should have provided some guiding. And occasionally… we had kissed.
Are you worried?
“Worried, my foot… Just don’t go into a rampage again. I don’t want people misunderstanding that you rampaged because you met an incompetent Guide.”
That won’t happen, so rest easy.
I wondered how he could be so confident without knowing when the conquest would end.
I remained silent for a moment before speaking.
“…You’ll be able to come out tomorrow evening.”
Vasily paused. After a moment of silence, he slowly curled the corners of his lips, as if he had realized the meaning of my words.
I knew Guide Kwon Gi-dam had regressed, but hearing it directly is even more surprising.
“You won’t get an answer even if you ask about other things.”
Am I still on the screen?
“No, it switched to another scene a long time ago.”
That was a lie. Vasily’s face, still smiling brightly at the camera, was reflected on the screen.
Really? That’s a shame… I liked it because it felt like I was facing Guide Kwon Gi-dam and having a conversation.
I continued the lie that he was no longer visible until the end. If I admitted that I was watching the expression he was making right now, I felt like I would have to acknowledge the fact that he truly liked me.
I’ll be going now. See you tomorrow.
“Don’t come back injured. I absolutely hate guiding a patient.”
I’ll try.
After hanging up, I leaned back weakly against the sofa.
“Sigh…”
Even after the surroundings became quiet, my mind was turbulent. This was all because Vasily had gone and made some useless confession.
Now, the screen truly switched back to the news desk, showing the announcers relaying the situation.
[It seems Esper Vasily’s expression has brightened significantly, hasn’t it?]
[Since he has a high matching rate with the Guide he’s dating, I think anyone would be happy.]
[Is this the power of love? Haha.]
“Power of love, my ass…”
I grumbled as I listened to the nonsense. This was exactly why I wanted to get the dating rumors taken down quickly. People would link everything about Vasily to the emotion of love and spout strange things.
[Now, we will guide you through the conquest schedule and on-site precautions announced by the association. Entry into the Gate is scheduled to begin in one hour…]
I continued to watch the news pouring out information about the Gate, and after confirming the sight of Vasily entering the Gate with other Espers, I turned off the TV.
I didn’t know much about the current S-Class Gate either. Even Vasily, who usually took me into Gates with him, had left me behind, likely thinking it was too early for me to enter an S-Class Gate.
Instead, I remembered that when he came out of the Gate, he had held me more violently than usual.
“…Was Vasily injured back then?”
Well… my memory of that part was blurry. Only the sensation of his member thrusting roughly into me and the look in his eyes—as if he were about to devour me, having lost all reason—remained vividly etched in my mind.
Regardless, I knew very well that Vasily would need guiding when he returned, just like back then. It would be better to prepare in advance so I could guide him the moment he stepped out of the Gate.
Since we always did the guiding in Vasily’s room, there was no need to worry about the location. Vasily would also prefer his own room, as he would likely fall asleep as if collapsing after the guiding was over.
I got up from the sofa and entered Vasily’s room.
I found and took out some gel from the drawer, and I also set aside some condoms that I wouldn’t even use. Since guiding wouldn’t be over in a single day, I prepared plenty of bottled water to prevent dehydration.
“It feels really strange to be preparing for guiding with my own hands…”
Muttering to myself, I quietly closed the door and left the room. Now that all the preparations were complete, it was time to wait for the conquest to end.
* * *
Arriving at the site, I stared at the Gate visible in the distance.
Having tossed and turned the previous night and being unable to sleep today—spending the whole night just lying on the sofa with the news on—fatigue poured over my eyelids. At this rate, I’d be lucky if I didn’t collapse in the middle of guiding…
A large yawn escaped me involuntarily.
A camera was rolling right next to me, but it was fine. I had my face covered with a mask and my hat pulled down low, so no one would know it was me.
While blending in with the crowd and scanning the site to grasp the atmosphere, a familiar figure caught my eye in the distance.
The Attending Physician was here too. Originally, I planned to check the location in advance once Vasily came out of the Gate and wait for him at his car, but the moment I spotted the Attending Physician, I changed my mind.
“Doctor.”
“Who… Ah, Guide Kwon Gi-dam-ssi?”
As I approached the Attending Physician and lowered my mask slightly to show my face, the doctor’s eyes widened in surprise. Then, fearing that my name might have been overheard by those around us, he hurriedly lowered his voice and asked.
“If you’ve arrived, you should have gone inside. Why are you out here?”
“I stayed quiet because I thought it would get noisy if news of my arrival spread.”
“Let’s move for now. If you go in with me, you’ll be able to enter the Guide waiting area without identity verification.”
I nodded and headed inside the civilian restricted area with the Attending Physician.
“Ah, so Esper Vasily came to the Gate without a word?”
“Yes. I thought he was just going out for a bit… but I found out through the news.”
“No wonder… I thought it was strange that the Guide didn’t come along.”
Drinking the warm coffee provided by the association, I vented my grievances to the Attending Physician. As we sat inside the tent to avoid the biting wind and talked about Vasily, time flew by.
While the Attending Physician stepped away for a moment due to a call from another team, I looked around. Besides the doctor and me, the pair Guides of all the Espers who entered this Gate were gathered here, making the place crowded.
Normally, it was rare for so many Guides to come to the site. Since the Gate that opened this time was S-Class, it seemed everyone had gathered to provide guiding as soon as the conquest ended.
Some of them must have been waiting since yesterday. Everyone is suffering so much because an S-Class Gate opened in the dead of winter.