TGIC Ch 32

Chapter 32

Vasily looked at me with a slight smile.

Damn it, he really has been suspicious since last time. I forced myself to put on a calm expression and feigned ignorance.

“I don’t know.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I’m just an ordinary guide. What could I possibly know?”

“Hm…”

An invisible tension crackled in the air. As no further conversation passed between Vasily and me, an Association staff member, sensing the mood, resumed the meeting.

I snorted inwardly as I watched Vasily turn his gaze listlessly back to the screen. As if I’d fall for your scheme so easily.

So the reason he brought me to the meeting was because he suspected something from what happened last time. Everyone else probably thought it was just coincidence. But of course, his intuition had to be annoyingly sharp…

I rubbed the back of my neck, deciding I needed to be even more cautious going forward. Being found out as someone who had returned from the past would be just as dangerous as having my suppression chip discovered. If I didn’t want all my efforts until now to go to waste, I needed to lay low for a while.

And I hadn’t given up on what was going to happen inside the gate.

‘A mutant gate? I’ll just go myself.’

Of course, I had no intention of doing something as crazy as entering the gate. I planned to use Vasily.

If I were dispatched as a temporary guide to a gate, Vasily would follow me there. Then he’d naturally enter the gate himself, and with an S-class Esper participating in the raid, everything would be resolved.

Whether it was an E-grade or an A-grade, it made no difference if Vasily was involved. He’d just have a bit more of a hard time. It meant I could solve the problem without lifting a finger.

“The meeting will conclude here.”

As soon as the meeting ended, people began rising from their seats one by one.

I also shot up the moment I heard it was over. The sheer relief of finally being freed from Vasily’s lap made my chest swell with emotion.

I rubbed my sore backside, swallowing tears. Sitting on those cold, firm thighs for two hours had been excruciating. I had kept shifting my position throughout the meeting, but every time, I’d make eye contact with Vasily, doubling my embarrassment.

And on top of that, being in contact with Vasily had my suppression chip acting up. If there had even been a break, I would’ve rushed to take medication, but the meeting continued nonstop. Since no one else left in the middle, I had to stay seated as well.

“Guide Kwon Gidam, what are you doing now?”

“I’m going back to the Guide Association to… huh!”

I gasped mid-reply to Vasily’s question. It suddenly hit me that I hadn’t informed my team leader about attending the meeting. Damn it! I had just skipped work without notice!

This was all Vasily’s fault for dragging me into the meeting room. I had gotten too used to attending meetings back when I was his guide and forgot that I had a different job now.

Wailing internally, I grabbed the hem of Vasily’s clothes and stammered,

“Va-Vasily Esper-nim. About this… to my team leader…”

“Don’t worry. Your name was listed as a meeting participant, so you don’t need to return to work this morning.”

“Really…?”

Suddenly, Vasily looked like an angel. I gazed at him with eyes full of emotion—only for my expression to go cold again as I remembered he was the root cause of all this.

“Would you guide me in my private room for the rest of the time?”

“Well, I suppose…”

There was still about an hour left before lunchtime. Even if I returned now, it was an awkward time. I figured it might be better to just kill time in Vasily’s private room and nodded.

Just as I was about to follow Vasily and change locations, someone approached us.

“Is this the guide?”

I turned my head and saw the S-class Espers who had attended the meeting. One specialized in electricity, and the other in poison. Including Vasily, there were three S-class Espers in the country.

“Esper Vasily, I heard a rumor you got a guide. And you didn’t bother to share such good news with us? How disappointing.”

“I normally wouldn’t attend such a boring meeting, but I just had to see who this new guide was. My curiosity wouldn’t let me sit still.”

The Espers spoke mockingly.

Now that I thought about it, aside from a few items mentioned at the beginning, there hadn’t been much substance to the meeting. It had felt more like a routine monthly report. That’s why I’d thought it strange that all the S-class Espers had shown up.

…Could it really have been because of me?

I had no idea how far the rumor had spread that I was Vasily’s guide. At this rate, I’d be unofficially treated as his guide. I furrowed my brows and let out a long sigh.

“I didn’t know you were all so interested in me. Too bad I’m not into Espers. I’d appreciate it if you could mind your own business.”

“And I can’t stand lunatics like you.”

I casually watched them insult each other like I was eating popcorn—completely unfazed.

Vasily didn’t get along with the other S-class Espers. But then again, it wasn’t just Vasily. Most S-class Espers couldn’t stand each other. Whether before or after my regression, they’d start brawling whenever they met… Was being S-class inherently tied to having a terrible personality? Honestly.

“So, what rank are you, Guide?”

I was watching their argument with a sigh of resignation when the question was suddenly directed at me.

“A-rank? If I don’t recognize your face, maybe B-rank?”

“I don’t think that’s any of your business.”

As soon as the Esper showed interest in me, Vasily answered on my behalf, effectively blocking any further attention.

I stayed silent behind Vasily, not feeling the need to speak up. If I returned to being an S-class guide someday, we’d cross paths again. But until then, it was better not to get involved. Dealing with Vasily alone was already more than enough.

“Seeing how possessive he is, I guess you really are his guide.”

“……”

The atmosphere was turning chilly. If this kept going, they might actually fight…

Having all three S-class Espers gathered in one place was an extremely rare occurrence. If these monsters started fighting here, the Association building would be reduced to rubble.

It was probably best to step in.

As the mood grew more hostile, the staff members on standby began to stir, ready to intervene. Unless someone was dying to see a snowstorm, lightning strikes, and toxic rain falling from the sky all at once, this was the time to clear out. I grabbed Vasily’s arm and pulled him out of the meeting room.

Once outside, Vasily returned to his usual self. The cold air around him had completely disappeared.

“Aren’t you a bit too old to be reacting to such petty provocations? Act your age, will you?”

“Hmmm…”

“Come to think of it… how old are you exactly, Vasily Esper-nim?”

“Ugh, I just used my ability and now my head… Guide Kwon Gidam, will you please guide me quickly?”

Blatantly dodging the question, huh.

Vasily pretended to be dizzy and leaned heavily on me. The sudden weight of his large body threw me off balance. He was so damn heavy that I almost snapped at him to walk properly, at which point he straightened up again.

As soon as we reached Vasily’s private room, I began guiding him.

“What did you do over the weekend?”

“Well… not much. I stayed home and worked out a bit.”

“You must like the place. If you want, you can keep living there.”

Vasily kept chatting away, and I answered each question as I continued guiding. It seemed he had no intention of falling asleep during this session.

I, on the other hand, was exhausted. That pointless meeting in the morning had drained all my energy. I let out a small yawn and relaxed my body, and Vasily noticed it and fell quiet.

I kept my eyes closed throughout the session, but the suppression chip kept throbbing, so I couldn’t fall asleep. Still, even just resting my eyes for a bit helped ease the fatigue.

“Guide Kwon Gidam, would you guide me again this afternoon? I’ll submit a request for designated guidance.”

“No, thank you. Taking too many breaks wouldn’t look good, so I’ll return to work this afternoon.”

Just before lunchtime ended, Vasily asked if I could guide him again, but I declined and left. The suppression chip heating up like it was about to explode had me on edge, and more importantly, I felt I needed to put some distance between us.

At this rate, it really would become an accepted fact that I was Vasily’s guide. But I was only a temporary guide—I had no intention whatsoever of becoming his full-time one.

It was a little late, but from now on, I needed to draw a clear line. Come to think of it, I still didn’t know why Vasily was so fixated on me. Shouldn’t he be losing interest in an ordinary C-class guide by now?