Chapter 41

"Do you have a lot of luggage?"

"...Why do you ask?"

"You have to move rooms later. If you have a lot of stuff, I was thinking I could come help."

"Don't come. I don't have much luggage."

When awakeners living in center dormitories formed pair contracts, they had to combine their living spaces. Simply put, it was cohabitation. It would allow for a somewhat upgraded lifestyle compared to his current tiny room.

Though he hadn't mentioned it, Nain had disliked going into his cramped prison-like room and would often wander around outside until late evening to pass time. It meant he hadn't been pacing around the center for no reason.

Ash's hand on the armrest was slowly creeping closer. No, what are you doing... When Nain gave him a reproachful look instead of words, Ash smiled as if he'd been waiting and asked.

"Can I hold your hand?"

"No."

At the unhesitating refusal, Ash frowned and spoke sullenly.

"I asked beforehand like you wanted."

"So I'm answering, aren't I? I said no."

"Not keeping even one promise... Why are you being like this? What else... do you want more? Or are you angry at me?"

"It's not that... Please consider the time and place."

"This is a contract violation."

"There was no such violation clause in the contract. And you didn't even read it anyway."

"I didn't read it because I knew all the content."

Just then, the playing video stopped. When Nain looked up, the education supervisor sitting in the front was gritting his teeth and said.

"You two in the back, even if you're not listening, please be quiet..."

"..."

Nain blushed and nodded, while Ash didn't change expression at all and played innocent. The children giggled and looked back at them. To think he'd live to be ridiculed by kids less than half his height. Despite being scolded together, Ash seemed to find something amusing and kept poking at Nain's nerves by fidgeting beside him.

"No matter how I act, you just have to not fall for it."

"Don't talk to me."

"Don't tell me you're not confident?"

"Ah, I said don't talk to me."

Though he lowered his voice even more than before, Nain's pride wouldn't allow him to be warned once more.

"If you let me hold your hand, I won't talk."

"..."

"Hand."

He boldly held out his palm as if it had been entrusted to him. This was 100% satisfying his ulterior motives. He didn't know for sure, but it seemed likely. However, there was no choice—Ash was really the type to keep bothering him with talk until the education ended. Nain gave up and placed his hand on his palm.

The promise was kept. Instead of talking, he did play around kneading his hand for the entire hour. He even wrote some letters with his finger on Nain's palm. Unfortunately, Nain couldn't understand words written on palms. But thinking it was probably nonsense anyway, he ignored it.

The future already felt hopelessly dark, so Nain just kept sighing.

* * *

The area where awakeners mainly received training had a complex building layout and was very large in size. Therefore, saying it was too far to walk and unnecessary, Ash used his ability without even seeking Nain's consent.

Thanks to that, they moved a 30-minute walking distance in 1 second, but the accompanying side effects remained. The nausea was twice as severe as when using spatial transfer scrolls.

At least in the morning there had been nothing to eat, but now it was right before his lunch had fully digested. Eventually he found the nearest bathroom and threw up everything he'd eaten. Ash, who was the cause of Nain's condition, helped him by patting his back as he retched. Nain came out of the bathroom staggering with a much paler face.

"Are you okay?"

"No, I'm not okay. I feel like throwing up."

"Still?"

"...Ah, just don't talk to me for a moment."

He was still dizzy. The man in front of him sometimes appeared to split into two or three people. While Nain closed his eyes tightly and calmed his stomach on the spot, Ash muttered in a puzzled voice.

"Why is your motion sickness so severe?"

After some color returned to his face, Nain arrived at the guiding room with Ash's support. The moment they opened the door, the Guides inside looked up at the two of them.

"...?"

But despite it being midwinter, the atmosphere felt colder than outdoors. Perhaps he wasn't the only one who felt it, as Ash also hummed in a gentle tone.

"The atmosphere is fucking murderous."

"..."

Nain stepped one step away from him as if he wasn't with Ash. He could feel how the Guides were glaring at Ash with all their might as if he were their enemy. Not stopping there, Ash looked around the room and muttered that they'd fixed it quite seamlessly. Seeing him say it himself, the rumor that he had destroyed this place a few years ago seemed to be true.

'Understandable to avoid him...'

He was the Guides' number one target to avoid. Nain thought himself pathetic for having felt sorry for such a guy until a few days ago.

"Nain, welcome!"

"Hello."

The one waving her hand enthusiastically above her head to welcome Nain was Leon, who belonged to the center's Public Guide Team 2 and was Ched's older sister. She, whom Ched had personally introduced, was only meeting Nain for the second time today.

'Isn't she being too welcoming?'

It was nice, but he remembered she wasn't this type of personality last time. The Leon from then had been a very calm woman. Unlike her hot-tempered and active younger brother Ched, Leon had been cautious and polite, but for some reason today she was acting intimately like a ten-year friend.

Leon ran up to Nain and firmly grasped his hands. Her brown eyes were moistly wet.

"You must have suffered a lot emotionally?"

"What?"

"I'll introduce you to a lawyer I know, so let's start preparing an invalidation lawsuit for the pair contract."

"Ah. I already received someone's business card."

But where did the business card go? Leon smiled brightly as she watched Nain fumble through his pockets.

"That's great. I'll help too!"

"Crossing the line in front of the person involved."

Ash said with a smile. His expression showed he was looking at something trivial. Since Ash didn't hide his uncomfortable feelings, the people watching couldn't help but feel anxious and restless.

But Leon wasn't an ordinary person either. She looked straight up at Ash and chuckled. It was a sneer.

"Ah... where is that dog barking?"

She made a gesture of picking her ear with her pinky finger. Having rolled around the center for several years and adapted to all sorts of eccentric Espers, she was, contrary to her appearance, strong-willed enough to be second to none at the center.

Even while taking the two into the individual guiding room, Leon treated Ash like a transparent person until the end, not even treating him like a human being. Only Nain, caught between the two who had suddenly started a battle of wills, was on pins and needles.

"This is your first time guiding, right?"

Leon asked. When Nain nodded with an embarrassed face, she smiled gently and reassured him.

"Don't worry, that's why I'm here. I should be able to help you sense the wavelength."

Leon sat next to Nain and naturally interlaced her fingers with his hands. Even though Leon held hands without saying anything and Nain remained still without hesitation, Ash chuckled as if incredulous.

Unlike Ash, whose mere finger brushing made him feel strange, her contact felt nothing and was just comfortable. Now Nain thought he understood a little. The difference between physical contact aimed at guiding and skinship with ulterior motives.

"Let's do this calmly. If you're impatient, even what should work won't work. Think of Guides as a kind of psychic ability user. Nain, try to concentrate as much as possible and keep your mind at ease."

Now close your eyes. Leon whispered gently. As Nain gently closed his eyes following her instructions, Leon raised her opposite hand and flipped off Ash with her middle finger. Ash looked at her with disdain as she picked a fight out of nowhere, and Leon even waved her raised middle finger around.

"From now on, I'll catch and draw out the guiding wavelength. Breathe comfortably with your eyes closed."

Leon spoke in a still soft and calm voice, contrary to her current actions.

Just because someone is a Guide doesn't mean they can freely do guiding from the beginning. Like everyone, the first start requires help from others. The method of another Guide catching the wavelength and forcibly drawing it out to help develop a Guide's ability was often used.

'Piece of cake.'

For her, an experienced Guide, drawing out a new Guide's wavelength was nothing. Leon concentrated and tried hard to find Nain's wavelength. How much time had passed like that?

"...?"

Something was strange. Even when the flustered woman opened her eyes slightly to check the measuring device monitor, there was no change at all in the guiding intensity.

"It doesn't seem to be working well. Don't you know how to do it?"

At Ash's drawling and teasing tone, Leon's eyebrows twitched. Just shut up. It wasn't enough time to concentrate without being left alone, and now provocative words. Couldn't that bastard be taken somewhere?

"Ah. Is it because the person helping has terrible skills?"

Ash was freely mocking an A-grade Guide to her face.

'That really...'

Leon quietly frowned. No matter what anyone said, she was a capable Guide. She needed to flatten that rude bastard's nose, but no matter how much she concentrated, she couldn't catch even a faint energy.