TGIC Ch 11

Chapter 11

“Then, see you next time.”

After dropping me off in front of my house, Vasily left. I stumbled inside and collapsed onto the bed with a groan.

“Ugh…”

Sinking into the soft blankets made me feel slightly alive again. Having been tormented by Vasily all day, I was overwhelmed with a fatigue no different from having gone through a gate.

After catching my breath for a moment, I picked up my smartphone. As soon as I opened the internet, I saw an article on the main page stating that Vasily was going on an overseas business trip.

So that was the reason he said he wouldn’t be around for a while.

I momentarily sank into old memories. I had followed him on that business trip too. As I recalled my first overseas trip, a shiver ran through my body. If I remembered right, we stayed for about a month… It had been the horrific and hellish prelude to a tragedy.

I really did make the right decision by using the suppression chip. If I hadn’t, I would’ve probably left overseas with Vasily by now.

The fact that I wouldn’t have to see Vasily for a while was honestly welcome news. Just the thought of being able to go to work without stress from tomorrow lifted a weight off my shoulders.

 

It had been just over a week since Vasily left for his business trip.

I had been doing very well during that time. My expression brightened at the thought that I wouldn’t have to see Vasily’s face for a while, and people who ran into me kept asking if something good had happened.

As they said, a smile never left my face.

After a month-long business trip, a C-rank guide like me would naturally be forgotten. The thought that I had finally escaped from him left me feeling light-hearted.

And just then, a gate opened in a nearby area, and it was my turn to be dispatched. Since Vasily was overseas, there would be no unlucky encounters like last time. This time, it was practically a vacation!

Or so I thought, as I headed toward the gate…

“It’s been a while. Didn’t you miss me?”

Why was Vasily here?

The moment I saw him casually greeting me, I couldn’t keep my expression in check. I quietly checked the date.

It had only been just over a week since Vasily left. I clearly remembered the first overseas trip being about a month long—was my memory mistaken?

“Did you already come back from your business trip?”

“You even looked into that? Our guide-nim must be really interested in me.”

“How well do you think we know each other to be calling me so familiarly already?”

“I thought we’d gotten pretty close. Was I wrong?”

Vasily’s shameless reply made a wave of exhaustion wash over me. I pressed between my brows, trying hard to compose myself.

No matter how I thought about it, I couldn’t figure out why Vasily was here. To prevent a repeat of last time, I had even checked the Esper participant list and confirmed that his name wasn’t on it.

While I was trying to sort through the confusion in my head, Vasily approached and asked,

“You’re here to do temporary guiding, right?”

“…Yes.”

The corners of Vasily’s lips lifted into a sly smile. A bad feeling crept over me.

“I’m also participating in this gate raid, so I guess I’ll be one of the guiding targets. You don’t mind guiding me, do you?”

As expected, my bad feeling was right. I let out a deep sigh and resigned myself. I had thought I could finally rest, but it seemed I wasn’t destined for a lazy life.

“Aren’t you departing soon?”

“That’s true, but I’m not feeling very well right now.”

“You look perfectly fine to me.”

“Not everything can be judged by appearances. If I enter the gate like this, I might make a mistake again from not being able to control my power…”

Vasily looked pitiful as he slightly lowered his eyes. I had no choice but to nod. Judging from his attitude, if an accident did happen—intentional or not—the blame would fall squarely on me.

A lowly C-rank guide couldn’t possibly defy the words of a mighty S-rank Esper. All I could do was pray that Vasily would hurry into the gate.

As we entered the temporary waiting room, the eyes of the guides resting there all turned toward us. I awkwardly looked around and led Vasily to a corner of the tent.

“Then, let’s begin the guiding…”

When I sat across from Vasily to begin the guiding, his face looked remarkably refreshed. It looked far healthier than mine, which was worn out from fatigue and work. That alone made me feel sour.

He was definitely lying about not feeling well. I frowned and asked,

“Are you really not feeling well?”

“I am. It’s been a long time since I received guiding.”

“If you’re that desperate for guiding, why not just find a guide already?”

“I’d love to, but it’s not easy to find one.”

At least in this regard, Vasily and I were in agreement. I genuinely hoped he would find a guide as soon as possible. Only then could I remove the suppression chip inserted in the back of my neck.

The suppression chip embedded in my neck still felt incredibly uncomfortable. Not to mention the mysterious pills I had to take every day. Everything about it was unpleasant and stressful. I sighed deeply inside and began the guiding.

The moment I touched his body, a cool sensation seeped into me. On top of that, a chilly breeze slipped through the gaps of the tent, making me shiver. As I endured the cold and continued the guiding, Vasily suddenly asked,

“What are you doing after the gate raid?”

“I’m going home.”

“Want to have dinner together?”

“No.”

“Cold as ever.”

Without a word, I turned my head away to avoid Vasily’s gaze.

Although I acted indifferent on the outside, I was still uncomfortable talking with Vasily. Before the regression, we had barely spoken. We had a terrible relationship from the start.

Unlike now, where we talk more often, the difference was that I still retained six years’ worth of memories. Memories of that hellish time, where every minute and every second had been unbearable.

Maybe my prayers had been answered—about fifteen minutes into the guiding, a call signal came from outside the tent. I felt relieved at the thought that I no longer had to force a conversation with Vasily. I stopped the guiding and tried to push him away, but he didn’t budge.

“Esper Vasily, aren’t you going?”

“On second thought, I don’t think I’m needed for this gate.”

“…That can’t be right.”

“If a D-rank gate falls apart just because I’m not there, that would be the bigger issue, don’t you think?”

He had a point…

Vasily’s name wasn’t originally on the list. He must’ve used his S-rank privileges to follow after he found out I’d be here. So like he said, there shouldn’t be any issue with the raid if he didn’t participate. He seemed fully aware of that as well.

But…

If you don’t go into the gate, that’s going to be a problem for me!

Gate raids usually took at least half a day. If I had to stay with Vasily for that long, my illegal suppression chip would be pushed to the brink. Not to mention, I hadn’t even brought today’s dose of medication. If I kept guiding him for over an hour, I might pass out like last time.

“If you’re not participating in the raid, I’m under no obligation to guide you.”

“Hmm…”

“I’ll continue guiding you once the raid is over, so please head out now.”

I quickly pushed him out before he could stall any longer. Vasily stared at me for a long time with a face full of dissatisfaction before reluctantly standing up.

“So annoying…”

“Please just go.”

With one final push on his back, he left the tent, albeit grudgingly. Only after Vasily was gone could I finally breathe again.

Ha… I already felt completely drained. And that was just from a bit of guiding. After the raid, I’d have to deal with Vasily all over again.

I thought he’d forget about me once he came back from his overseas assignment, but he returned before even getting the chance to forget. It seemed like my entangled fate with Vasily couldn’t be easily severed, even after regression.

I gulped down water to release the accumulated tension. With Vasily inside the gate, I thought I could finally relax a little. As I wiped the water from my lips with the back of my hand and turned around, I saw the eyes of the temporary guides sparkling as they looked at me.

…Looks like I won’t be resting in peace after all.

 

Because of the monster escape incident, I became famous—and even got mistaken for Vasily’s guide.

After Vasily left, a crowd of guides swarmed around me, bombarding me with questions, leaving me no time to rest. Just when I thought the explanations were finally over and things were settling down, I heard the gate raid was finished.

Which meant Vasily would be coming out any moment now.

“Haa…”

I let out a deep sigh, my face worn and weary.