TGIC Ch 106

Chapter 106

Each time Vasily exhaled, our bodies shifted faintly where they overlapped. Even his cool skin, at first startling, quickly became familiar.

Throughout the guiding, my eyes kept drifting to the bandage wrapped around his shoulder.

I didn’t know whether he had restrained his power to manage his condition—or to avoid pushing me into overexerting myself. Either way, the fact didn’t change: he’d been injured because guiding had fallen short.

If removing the suppression chip would take six months or more, we couldn’t keep doing this at every Gate.

Maybe it really was best to contact Huai Yan.

Since discovering that Vasily’s blood could calm the suppression chip, the overheating problem was solved—but the root issue remained. The matching rate drop meant guiding still barely registered.

If anyone could safely remove the device embedded at my nape, it would be the one who built it: Huai Yan. He’d have seen plenty of cases with side effects. Surely something like mine wasn’t unique.

“When will you come for guiding next?”

“I probably won’t be able to come out until the raid ends. We’re heading for the deep zone now.”

“How much longer?”

“Hmm… two days?”

That was faster than expected. The words slipped out of me.

“I heard it would take at least a week…”

“We agreed on injections every Friday, remember.”

So he’d pushed the pace for that.

Cutting a week down to five days was no small feat. Then again, this was Vasily. No wonder the Espers who came out by day had looked exhausted—keeping pace with him alone would drain them.

Even though it was late, I couldn’t seem to stop talking, probably because it had been a while since I’d seen him. After days of holding my tongue, having someone to speak to felt… strange.

Still, looking at how tired he was, I held back. As soon as my voice faded, his eyelids slid closed.

So I had been keeping him awake. But he was the one who’d started this, so I set any guilt aside.

As soon as Vasily left for the Gate, I wheeled the cot back to the Guide waiting tent.

I was leaning more and more toward getting the chip removed as soon as possible. Digging into my suitcase, I pulled out the card I’d tucked away—Huai Yan’s. Good thing I’d saved it.

I keyed the number into my phone—then paused.

Was he still in Korea?

I glanced up at the pale sky. It was the kind of early hour only the very diligent would be awake. Would he even pick up?

The ring tone went on for a while. As expected—no answer. I was about to give up and send a text when a voice came through.

— 喂 (wèi)?

Chinese. I didn’t know what it meant, but context suggested he was asking who I was.

“Hello, Esper Huai Yan. This is Guide Kwon Gidam.”

— Who… ah! The Guide who was with Vasily?

He remembered me quickly; his voice brightened as he switched to Korean. After trading brief greetings, I cut to the point.

“I’m calling because I have questions about the suppression chip.”

I summarized my condition: that the chip had adhered to the nerves at my nape and was difficult to remove, and that as a result I was suffering from daily overheating.

He fell quiet, considering. Then:

— I’ve seen similar cases. We usually removed it easily, but Guides have weaker bodies than Espers, so it might be a little different.

“So removal is indeed difficult…?”

— Don’t worry. Even if we can’t take it out immediately, we can stop it from functioning. That would resolve it.

If that was possible—

Hope flared through me, warm and sudden.

If the chip stopped operating, the matching rate would return to normal. With no overheating, the adhesion wouldn’t worsen. I could wait for the adhesion to subside and get the surgery later—slowly, safely. And shutting down the power should be simple and quick.

— The technician can’t leave China, so you’ll have to come in person. Is that alright?

“Can I come with Esper Vasily?”

— If Vasily agrees, sure.

“I’ll discuss it with him and call you back.”

— I’ll let the technician know to prepare.

I hung up, my face lighter than it had been in days.

If Vasily came with me, there’d be nothing to worry about. He wouldn’t let Huai Yan try anything, and if anything did happen—he’d resolve it.

Once we took care of the chip in China, a little sightseeing with Vasily might not be so bad either. I’d traveled abroad countless times before the regression—but never had the leisure to actually enjoy a trip.

I was a little uneasy about the fact that Vasily had attacked Huai Yan before… but if I explained properly, he’d understand, wouldn’t he? Removing the chip was for his sake. Refusing that would be stranger.

“When Vasily gets back, I’ll look into flights.”

What should we do in China? I didn’t know how long he could be away from Korea, but if we were going, I wanted to make the most of it.

We’d see the famous sights, eat well, maybe drink a little. With that decided, I spent the day on my lagging phone, excitedly searching up places to visit.

As the raid dragged on, groups of Espers came out once a day to receive guiding together. Of course, Vasily wasn’t among them. I’d been told he might not come out again until the end, but I still wandered among the returning Espers, just in case.

On the fifth day, it truly ended. Word of the clear sent a ripple of energy through the site. I packed up early and waited for Vasily.

Then, from the distance, a figure walked out of the Gate. That familiar, striking silver. Recognizing him instantly, I strode toward the Gate.

“Esper Vasily!”

He stopped in front of me, mouth curving softly when he saw my wide smile.

“Good news? You look unusually welcoming today.”

“I’m just happy to be going home.”

It felt like I’d been too eager. Realizing it a beat late, I coughed to cover the embarrassment. Two days of planning a trip had clearly put me in high spirits without my noticing.

I glossed it over and changed the subject.

“Where are the others?”

“They were too slow, so I left them.”

Very like him.

We left the site ahead of the rest—when dozens of exhausted Espers poured out at once, the place would become chaos, and it was better to avoid it.

We drove down the mountain.

Past the rough terrain, we finally hit the highway. I glanced sidelong at Vasily behind the wheel, then ventured,

“Esper Vasily, I’ve found a way to neutralize the suppression chip.”

“Really? That’s welcome news.”

His interest sparked at once.

“They can cut the power. If the chip stops operating, the adhesion won’t worsen, and I can get surgery later.”

“How do they cut the power?”

“I was referred to a technician by the person who built the chip. But…”

I watched his face and continued, carefully,

“The builder… is Esper Huai Yan.”

The air froze in an instant. Swallowing, I checked his reaction. Vasily’s face had gone glacial.

“Did I just hear a very unpleasant name, or did I imagine it?”

He muttered low. Ice crept outward over the steering wheel, proof of his mood.

“Wait. Let’s pull over and talk first.”

In a hurry to avoid an accident, I urged him off the road. Thankfully, a rest area sat just ahead, and we eased into it. I steadied my voice and continued.

“I ran into Esper Huai Yan by chance and spoke with him. He noticed the chip during the West Sea raid briefing and said he wanted to discuss it.”

“You met him alone?”

“When you attended the meeting solo…”

“So then.” Vasily’s voice ground down, as if confirming some suspicion.

“Forget whatever you discussed with him. I’m not taking that offer.”

“But waiting half a year is too long. Can’t you consider it—just a little?”

“Hah. I’d rather wait the six months.”

“That’s far too long!”

“I went twenty years without a Guide. You think I can’t handle six months?”

He stared at me, ice-edged and humorless. I didn’t back down.

“If you come with me, that should settle the problem. What, exactly, makes it impossible?”

“What’s the problem? Everything.”

It was like talking to a wall. Did he even want proper guiding?

He couldn’t see the effort being made for his sake. Instead, he dug in stubbornly. The excitement that had been bubbling in me as I’d waited for him—eager to go to China together—evaporated in an instant, leaving the air around me stark and cold.