By Zephyria 
Seeing Vasily’s expression freeze coldly actually made me relax. After facing Huai Yan, meeting the relatively familiar Vasily made me feel at ease, and I even felt glad to see him.
To think the day would come when I’d be glad to see Vasily.
I could no longer deny the fact that Vasily felt more comfortable than other Espers. It seemed that spending six years together had made me accustomed even to his foul temperament.
“I can’t wait half a year. Can’t we just remove it?”
Vasily frowned, staring at the nape of my neck. At the look in his eyes—as if he were about to slice open my skin and rip out the suppression chip right then and there—I instinctively covered the back of my neck with my hand and took a step back.
The Attending Physician shook his head firmly and pulled up two images on the monitor.
“There is almost no change compared to the first examination. You can think of the suppression chip as having become nearly one tissue with the nerves.”
“…”
“It seems that Guide Kwon Gi-dam-ssi either has a constitution that doesn’t respond well to the medication, or the effect is appearing slowly due to the heat generated by the suppression chip.”
Vasily fell silent after hearing the explanation. I also kept my mouth shut, as I had a suspicion about the cause.
Even though the number of guiding sessions had been limited to four times a week, it was common for us to exceed the set time or cross the line. Just a few days ago, hadn’t we spent the night together, swept away by the atmosphere?
I vowed to strictly control the intensity of the guiding starting today. If I avoided unnecessary contact and proceeded with only the minimum amount of guiding, the suppression chip wouldn’t have a chance to get hot.
Thinking that I should also tell Vasily to avoid Gate conquests as much as possible, I glared at the tiny suppression chip in the photo, attached to the white nerves as if they were one body.
“I will look into other methods, so please continue to visit weekly as you have been.”
In the end, there was no good news for either Vasily or me. I would have to continue suffering from headaches and medication until the suppression chip was removed, and Vasily would be unable to receive proper guiding despite having a Guide with a high matching rate right in front of him.
After receiving the injection, I left the lab with a throbbing sensation in my neck.
I went down to the parking lot and got into the car. A heavy atmosphere flowed through the vehicle. Since we had just heard bad news, there was no way the mood would be bright.
Leaning back into the seat, I looked at the road outside the window. It seemed Vasily intended to go straight home.
I took out my smartphone to check the time. It was an awkward time for dinner. If I went home now, I certainly wouldn’t be able to rest properly and would have to come back out again for dinner.
In that case, it was better to kill some time and go home after eating dinner. I made a suggestion to Vasily, who was driving, without saying much.
“Esper Vasily-nim, let’s wander around a bit more and go back after having dinner.”
“Are you okay with not eating porridge today?”
“Porridge… I think I’ve had enough.”
Having eaten only the porridge Vasily brought me for two straight days, I wanted food I could actually chew. Since I’d even had porridge for lunch today, I was now sick to death of the sight of it.
“I understand. Then what do you want to do until then?”
“Hmm…”
I pondered for a moment.
A cafe came to mind first, but the sight of two dark-looking men sitting side-by-side in a cafe wouldn’t be a very pleasant sight. Especially if the other person was Vasily.
Furthermore, reporters who were keeping their eyes peeled for evidence to support the dating rumors would not miss such a scene. I was certain a reporter would swarm us in less than ten minutes.
Just as I realized there was nowhere suitable to go, a cinema sign hanging on the exterior wall of a building caught my eye.
A movie.
I didn’t think many people would be watching movies on a weekday afternoon, and since the interior of the theater would be dark, it would be difficult to recognize Vasily. If we watched a movie for about two hours and then came out, it would be dinner time.
“How about watching a movie? I think there’s a cinema over there.”
“Sounds good.”
Vasily nodded readily. He immediately turned the steering wheel and entered the building’s parking lot.
As expected, the cinema was empty. I saw two employees waiting at the ticket booth hurriedly whispering to each other upon spotting Vasily, but since I had expected that much, it wasn’t a problem.
I led Vasily to the kiosk.
On the screening list, there was one children’s animation, two romance movies with a cheerful vibe, and one action movie featuring foreign actors.
‘A romance movie with Vasily? I’d rather be killed twice.’
Without hesitation, I pressed the action movie.
And the moment I tried to assign seats, I noticed something strange. The movie was starting in ten minutes, but no one had booked a ticket.
Is the movie that bad? Even for a weekday afternoon, this is a bit extreme.
For a moment, I had an ominous feeling, but thinking it was better to watch a boring action movie that might make my eyes close than to sit side-by-side with Vasily watching a romance movie, I bought the tickets.
As I checked the printed tickets, I felt a stinging gaze from somewhere. Turning my head, I saw the employees in the distance staring at Vasily and me with sparkling eyes.
“The staff have been staring only at you since a while ago, so why don’t you go buy some drinks while you’re at it, as a way of greeting them?”
“If Guide Kwon Gi-dam wants that.”
Vasily obediently left to buy drinks. I watched his back as he strolled leisurely toward the counter, then turned my gaze to the interior of the cinema.
This was my first time coming to a cinema since becoming an adult. For someone like me, who might be dragged into a Gate at any moment, survival training was important, not something like watching movies.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that while serving as Vasily’s Guide, I had been completely detached from cultural life. Although I knew to some extent about the events that would happen in the future, I knew nothing about movies that would be released or songs that would become popular.
Perhaps that was why, even while living the same day after returning to the past, I wasn’t bored at all. Everything was new and interesting to me.
I felt as if I had finally regained a normal life. To think that my life, which I thought would end with nothing but entering and exiting Gates, returned to normal only after I died once. It seemed someone who designed my life realized their mistake and restored it to its original state.
A short while later, Vasily returned with drinks. However, he was also clutching popcorn that I hadn’t even asked for.
“Do you like popcorn?”
“I don’t particularly like it, but the staff recommended the couple combo.”
So, he bought it immediately with the intention of teasing me.
I sighed upon discovering the employees watching Vasily and me with heartwarming gazes. Because of the dating rumors, the entire nation was misunderstanding our relationship.
I probably won’t be able to escape this cycle until the suppression chip is removed and the proper matching rate is announced. Even if I denied that we were in a romantic relationship, no one would believe me, so I didn’t even have the energy to explain.
Half a year. Recalling what the Attending Physician had said, I popped a piece of popcorn into my mouth. As soon as it touched my tongue, the sweet scent of caramel spread throughout my mouth.
“Enjoy the movie!”
I showed the ticket to the employee, who was sending an overwhelmingly warm gaze, and entered the theater.
The theater was empty, just like the cinema entrance. All the seats were folded up, and the upbeat advertisement songs flowing from the speakers erased the silence.
Until just before the movie started, no one else entered. We really were going to watch the movie just the two of us. I took a long sip of my drink and asked Vasily.
“Do you like watching movies?”
“I’m not sure. It’s been too long since I’ve seen one.”
I nodded at Vasily’s answer. Maybe that’s why the movie industry collapsed. For people who enter and exit Gates every day, reality is more like a movie, so there would be no reason to specifically visit a cinema.
The two of us sat in the dark, spacious theater, quietly waiting for the movie to begin.
But… doesn’t this feel like a date for some reason?
Usually, I felt nothing even when we were alone, but suddenly a strange, fluttering feeling arose. I became acutely aware of Vasily’s large hand resting on the armrest and the faint, cool chill emanating from right beside me. It seemed my mind had turned strange because of the recent dating rumor articles.
Fortunately, the movie soon began, and the stray thoughts vanished from my head. I focused on the movie to avoid falling into strange thoughts again, but…
Why are they fighting so poorly?
I almost wanted to enter the movie and fight in place of the protagonist. While I was thinking that, the protagonist was stabbed by a dagger flying from the right and collapsed.
Having spent six years living and breathing with monsters in the Gates, it seemed that ordinary action scenes felt frustrating. Of course, Vasily would be even worse. To an S-class Esper, a situation where someone struggles against a mere human might be difficult to comprehend.
I stole a glance at Vasily, but he was simply staring at the screen with an expressionless face. Every time the screen flashed, the lines of his face were clearly revealed.
I think watching Vasily’s face is more interesting than the movie.
The actor was on the handsome side, but compared to Vasily, he looked ordinary. My theory that Vasily should have been an actor was further reinforced. Then, no matter how unfunny or boring the movie was, he would sweep up all sorts of awards and receive rave reviews from critics.
While I was in the middle of admiring his face, the corners of Vasily’s mouth suddenly curved upward. Did a funny scene appear? Just as I turned my head to check, a quiet voice flowed from his slightly parted lips.
“You’re going to burn a hole through my face.”
“…I was just looking for a moment.”
Pretending to be composed, I shifted my gaze back to the screen. The protagonist, who had been rolling around in the middle of the enemy camp until a moment ago, was now meeting the female lead and kissing her passionately.