Chapter 28

He didn't show any signs of it in front of him, yet why was he going around spreading such nonsense behind his back? He was a man whose thoughts were incomprehensible.

"Don't tell me you've decided to do this work?"

At the worried question, Nain firmly cut him off.

"Of course not. What Guide work."

"I thought so."

The Esper looked happy for some reason. My goodness, such deep consideration... Nain felt grateful to the Esper who worried about him. Humanity welled up in his heart.

"Then what's really going on between you two? I heard Ash has been coming to work here every day lately, is that also true?"

Nain thought seriously. What kind of relationship did he and Ash really have?

'Benefactor?'

This seemed right for now. From his perspective, at least. But it was almost certain that Ash didn't think of him so simply.

'Nain, I'm going to borrow this.'

'Why?'

'Thank you.'

'...Excuse me, Esper-nim. I never said I'd give it to you.'

'I'm just borrowing it for a moment.'

'Ash. ...Wait a moment. Don't disappear. Why are you getting up? Finish talking before you go.'

'Well, I'm busy so I'll be going.'

Whenever it seemed like he was saying something difficult for him to hear, Ash would often use his ability to escape. He was completely unreasonable.

'Now that I think about it again, I'm getting a bit angry. Did you entrust it to him?'

Unlike his first impression, Ash had become somewhat stronger in giving the feeling that he couldn't be reasoned with. It was perhaps natural that the description "unique personality" was added. None of the items Ash had borrowed had been returned even once. Most were things that didn't matter whether he had them or not, so he hadn't asked for them back, but still.

After much deliberation, Nain courageously spoke.

"I think I'm being bullied."

"That's it!"

"..."

The Esper snapped his fingers as he spoke. Looking at him rejoicing, Nain thought.

Is that it? Seeing his lack of empathy, could he be a psychopath?

"Thanks, Nain."

"..."

This bastard definitely needed to be isolated from society. To think there existed a crazy person in this world who would say "thank you" to someone who courageously confessed to being bullied. Could something like that be cured even with effort?

But he could understand why the man had said thanks shortly after. When the man returned to several Espers who had been clustered around the medical ward entrance, they pulled money from their pockets with faces like they'd eaten shit and handed it over to him as if throwing it.

"Nain, thank you!"

The man who had become rich turned around and waved the crumpled bills, shouting that he'd treat everyone. Only then did Nain realize that those bastards had been betting on him. He smiled back at the man while muttering internally.

'Trip and fall.'

The man really did fall on his butt after not even a few steps, having walked without looking ahead. Heaven had not yet abandoned him. Nain offered a prayer of gratitude to heaven for granting his small wish after so long.

* * *

Ash really bothered Nain all day long, going on about being friends. Even when he begged, saying he understood and would be his friend so please get lost, Ash shamelessly stayed glued to his side. There were some unsettling things that bothered him, making it hard to think he was just bad at making friends.

He didn't stop there but unilaterally engaged in bartering acts, exchanging Nain's belongings for snacks he brought. It was so-called extortion. After being almost forcibly robbed of his belongings, Nain minimized bringing personal items when he came out of his room.

"Excuse me."

"Could you call me by my name?"

"Ash."

Only then did he show a satisfied expression.

"Don't you have training schedules or something?"

Get lost. Nain wrapped those words in nice language and said them indirectly.

The medical ward was a place where sick people came. But he couldn't understand why Ash, who was perfectly fine except for his broken arm, came here. At least he could stop driving away patients who came in!

Only Ash frequented this place shamelessly. He had never once seen this person, who was supposedly an Esper, go to training.

At those words, Ash suddenly hunched his shoulders and muttered gloomily.

"I'm also a patient... When I woke up this morning, I felt a bit dizzy. I'm originally of a sickly constitution."

"..."

"You look like you don't believe me. It's true though."

'Would I believe you?'

Sickly? Even a passing dog wouldn't laugh at such words. Maybe if it was his first appearance, but lately Ash ate well, slept well, and loafed around. Despite that, the fog hadn't disappeared, but it was tremendous progress compared to the beginning.

The dark circles under Ash's eyes had almost completely disappeared and his skin was particularly glowing. It was a face that could shoot a pictorial right now. How was this the face of someone who was sick? He was already saying with his face that his condition was at its peak.

"What training can I do with this arm? I'm a patient so I need to rest until I'm completely healed."

"...Will you go to training when you're completely healed?"

I see. The arm is the problem... I need to make it heal quickly so that man will get busy and I'll be less bothered. As Nain fell into deep thought, Ash grumbled beside him as if feeling wronged.

"Why do you keep trying to kick me out? Be a little nice to me. Don't you feel sorry for someone who's desperately trying to figure out how to become close?"

But it had little effect on Nain, who was lost in other thoughts. Nain, who heard his words in one ear and let them out the other, recalled the magic potions he had. Coincidentally, he had several spare bottles of <Magic Potion That Heals Broken Bones at Once> that he had submitted as an assignment last semester.

'This works out well.'

He thought he should pack the magic potion when he returned to his room tonight and feed it to Ash tomorrow.

"When are you going to make me your friend?"

Ash grumbled.

"We're already friends, aren't we?"

"Don't joke around. What kind of friendship is this? The first thing you do when you see my face is make an expression like you're annoyed to death, Nain."

He grumbled.

'Ah. So he does know.'

The man wasn't completely clueless after all.

"Why would I make such unproductive jokes?"

Nain asked with a puzzled face. He was more puzzled about why Ash thought they weren't friends. If knowing each other's names and meeting this often to talk wasn't friendship, then what was it? Nain's category of friends was very broad - he tended to think they became friends if they knew each other's names and exchanged greetings.

Ash looked up with a slightly surprised face, then asked with an expectant voice.

"Is there something after friends?"

"Breaking off the friendship."

"..."

This time, slightly displeased eyes returned. Even though this wasn't a win-or-lose fight, Nain felt an inexplicable sense of victory. He felt very satisfied, as if he had gotten one over on the man.

"That aside, why do you go around saying 'my Guide' to innocent people?"

"...Does that reach Nain's ears too?"

Wow, news travels fast. Even though he was caught spreading false rumors to the person himself, he wasn't surprised at all and remained leisurely. Nain was on the verge of exploding with anger. Nain muttered sullenly.

"I'm not a Guide. Please don't spread false rumors. I suffered for an hour yesterday because of that..."

As soon as the group of Espers who had bet on him left, an HR team staff member came running and took over the baton. Though they wouldn't even come near when Ash was there, they somehow knew when he left his seat and immediately took turns bothering Nain.

She removed the word "my" from "my Guide" and thought Nain had decided to become a Guide. And she showed enthusiasm, saying she'd help him go through the Guide registration process. For Nain, it was extremely bothersome, enough to raise his blood pressure and make him grab the back of his neck.

"Is it that hard?"

"More bothersome than hard."

"What should I do? Should I tell them nicely so they won't bother you?"

"..."

Nain felt a chill for a moment and shut his mouth. While Ash certainly maintained reasonable boundaries in front of him, if the rumors were actually true...

"Who is it?"

"It's fine."

Nain said curtly. He didn't want Ash to get deeply involved in his affairs. He didn't want to get unnecessarily close to him.

"If anyone bothers you, tell me anytime. I'll make them disappear so they won't be seen."

Ash joked with a bright smile. He seemed completely unaware that he was the one bothering him the most. Or maybe he knew and was doing it on purpose. Nain sighed.

"Ash, please do some work yourself."

"I'll take care of it."

"Yeah right..."

"Strange. No one interferes with my schedule... Why does Nain step forward to say things even the center doesn't say?"

He indirectly told him not to interfere with his business. But Nain was no longer someone who would be intimidated by such words from Ash. Nain glanced at him sideways and answered.

"Can't you see I'm working hard?"

"You were working?"

"Don't interfere and go do your own work."

"Nagging..."

Stop saying things. Ash grumbled complainingly. He didn't seem to have any intention of listening to Nain's words.