By Zephyria 
“Why are you requesting guiding from me? Couldn’t you just receive it from an assistant Guide?”
Unable to hold back my curiosity any longer, I finally asked. His body, which had remained motionless throughout the guiding, reacted slightly.
“The assistant Guides are busy lately.”
“More urgent than guiding an S-class Esper?”
“I wonder.”
Vasily answered meaningfully. His tone betrayed a clear intention not to give a straight answer.
I stopped prying and shut my mouth. Not only did I have no desire to know the details of Vasily’s circumstances, but I didn’t want to risk irritating him by asking further.
After a moment of silence, Vasily spoke up.
“How did you know I didn’t have a Guide?”
“I searched for it on the internet.”
“Next time you’re curious about something, just ask me directly. You can even call me. Oh, should I give you my number?”
“I don’t need it.”
I scoffed inwardly. Not only did I not need his number, but there was absolutely no way I would ever contact him first.
“Ugh…”
Suddenly, my head throbbed. I felt a pain as if needles were wandering through my skull, stabbing my brain.
I thought it would pass soon, but the symptoms grew worse. Heat starting from the back of my neck spread throughout my body, and my head began to pulse.
I was clearly cold from hugging Vasily’s chilled body, yet it felt as if heat was boiling inside me. It was as if cold and heat were colliding. Dizziness washed over me, and a sharp ringing pierced my ears.
Beep beep beep.
Just as my condition was deteriorating further, the alarm I had set on my smartphone went off. As soon as the cheerful sound echoed from my pocket, I pushed Vasily away without hesitation and stood up.
“Is it over already?”
“Yes. The guiding ends here.”
Vasily wore a look of disappointment. He seemed to want to talk a bit more, but even as he did, my headache was intensifying. Leaving him behind, I hurriedly exited the guiding room.
As soon as I returned to my desk, I took a red pill from my bag and swallowed it.
“Haa…”
Only after taking the medicine did I feel my condition gradually stabilize. Feeling a sense of relief, I released the tension that had left me rigid.
Ever since having the suppression chip implanted in my neck, these symptoms often appeared when I performed too much guiding. It started with a burning sensation at the back of my neck, followed by severe headaches, fever, and a heavy feeling in my body.
However, today the symptoms appeared quickly despite the fact that I had guided less than usual. The reason was clear. It must be because I guided Vasily.
Rubbing the back of my neck, I felt the hot, clumped flesh. Confirming the presence of the suppression chip brought relief, but I couldn’t keep enduring like this every time.
An unidentified pill of unknown composition. A suppression chip that overloaded the more I guided.
If this situation repeated, I would be the only one suffering in the end. I had to make Vasily lose interest in me as quickly as possible. Rubbing my tired eyelids, I sank deep into my chair.
* * *
The next day, Vasily visited me again. Moreover, he had applied for every single designated guiding session from morning until afternoon.
I frowned as I looked at Vasily, who was nonchalantly waving his hand in the guiding room.
“Aren’t you busy?”
“I usually am, but my schedule happened to be open, so I came. Are you not glad to see me?”
“….”
Lacking even the will to answer, I let out a deep sigh and sat opposite him.
Regardless, how did he apply for this many designated guiding sessions? Designated guiding can only be requested once a week, and for only one hour.
Yet Vasily had applied for it three times in the morning and five times in the afternoon. He had requested designated guiding eight times in a single day. Was this also a privilege afforded to S-class Espers? I knit my brows.
To think I’d see Vasily’s face as soon as I clocked in. Despair washed over me as I realized I had to be with the culprit who caused my death until the end of the workday. I would at least have an hour of freedom during lunch, but it seemed highly likely he would follow me even then.
I guess I can’t go to the cafeteria today. I contemplated a lunch menu to eat outside, but then I decided against it, thinking it might be better to starve than to eat in front of Vasily.
“Shall we start?”
He opened his arms and tilted his head. I stared at him with weary eyes before glancing up at the ceiling.
Perhaps because of my reaction yesterday, the CCTV was functioning normally today. It was somewhat reassuring, but I couldn’t let my guard down completely.
“You remember the precautions, right?”
“Hmm… I wonder.”
“Just know that if you violate them, you’ll be asked to leave. Now, I’ll begin the guiding.”
I hugged Vasily, who nodded silently.
The soft fabric of a suit touched my fingertips. Along with the firm muscles felt through the clothes, a familiar chill seeped into my body. As I took a deep breath, a cold scent with a refreshing quality flowed deep into my lungs.
Everything that should have been familiar felt strangely foreign. Was it because this was the first time I had simply hugged him without doing anything else? And the fact that the guiding wasn’t painful.
“….”
“….”
Silence fell. Unlike yesterday, no conversation followed. Only the ticking of the clock’s second hand echoed in the stillness.
‘It’s too quiet.’
I thought silence would be good, but instead, it was uncomfortable. Because I was hugging Vasily, I couldn’t tell what expression he was making or what he was thinking, which made me anxious.
Could it be… that he noticed I used a suppression chip?
As my thoughts spiraled, my head began to throb. No, it wasn’t because I was thinking too much; seeing as I was running a fever, it must be because of the suppression chip.
It had only been an hour since the guiding started, and I was already in this state. I grew anxious, not knowing when my condition would worsen.
“…I’ll take a ten-minute break and then we’ll resume.”
In the end, I couldn’t hold out and stepped out to take my medicine.
After swallowing the pill with cold water, I felt a bit better. I would be able to rest once lunch break arrived, but a sigh escaped me at the thought of having to endure the afternoon like this.
Dragging my heavy body back into the guiding room, I found Vasily on the phone with someone.
“I’m warning you in advance. Don’t do anything useless.”
It seemed like an important call, so I tried to step back out, but Vasily signaled me with his eyes to come in and sit. Seeing that, I unconsciously walked in and took my seat.
When I looked up, Vasily was wearing a satisfied smile as he looked at me. In that moment, I realized what I had done and was horrified. I had acted habitually without thinking. My body had responded obediently to his direction first.
I clenched my fists in disgust. While I was trembling with shame, Vasily looked quite pleased. At that sight, I started to bolt from my seat to go back outside, but Vasily finished his call slightly faster.
“Sorry, it was an urgent call.”
“If something urgent came up, you may leave.”
“Fortunately, that’s not the case.”
Tsk, I clicked my tongue quietly. My attempt to kick him out had failed, and just as I was forced to start the guiding again…
Gurgle.
A loud sound echoed from my stomach. I wanted to believe it wasn’t mine, but the source of the sound was certain. My face flushed hot. A chuckle escaped from between Vasily’s lips.
“Shall we go have lunch?”
“I don’t wa—”
Gurgle. My stomach made a loud noise once more.
Unable to hide my embarrassment, I wiped my face with my hand. In front of a madman who killed people on a whim, my stomach had absolutely no sense of tension. I had intended not to eat lunch, but it seemed my stomach was determined to roar several more times if I continued guiding until the afternoon.
In a state of resignation, I nodded.
“…Fine.”
“Is it okay if I choose the place?”
“Do as you wish.”
Vasily stood up with a smile.
I left the guiding room with him. As I walked side-by-side with Vasily through the association hallways, I felt gazes from all directions.
Looking around, I saw people whispering and staring at us. Only then did I realize. I was not Vasily’s Guide, as I had been before the regression. To them, the sight of me walking with Vasily must have seemed incredibly unusual.
“…Could you please walk a little further away from me?”
“Why?”
“People are staring.”
“Isn’t that a good thing? Everyone is desperate to seem close to me.”
“….”
Surprisingly, this wasn’t narcissism but an exaggerated fact, leaving me speechless.
That might be true for people who didn’t know Vasily’s true nature, but since I knew exactly how devoid of personality he was, I didn’t want to be associated with him.
I wanted to tell the whole world about Vasily’s true self. It was almost a regret that in my previous life, I had failed to reveal the truth until the moment he finally rampaged in a Gate and died.