TGIC Ch 62

Chapter 62

Maybe I’ll secretly take a look at what it says.

I’m not stealing a glance—just briefly skimming it. I gently lifted the document on the very top, only to find it was an ordinary exclusive contract.

“……”

No wonder it had been spread out like it was meant to be seen. I had hoped it was a confidential file, but my interest quickly vanished.

Since I still had time, maybe I should just fill it out and submit it. It was paperwork that had to be submitted to the Association anyway, so it was better to get it done in advance. I picked up the pen that had been conveniently placed next to the documents and began writing.

Flipping through the thick stack one sheet at a time, I filled out the contents and signed where needed. From the exclusive contract filled with clauses I needed to follow, to the nondisclosure agreement requiring complete silence about anything I learned on the job. Forming an exclusive partnership with an S-rank Esper meant there were countless obligations to abide by.

Before the regression, when I first signed this paperwork, I had written my name with a pounding heart. That was back when I didn’t yet know Vasily’s true nature and was brimming with enthusiasm. It was only after narrowly escaping death multiple times because of Vasily that I came to realize how gravely mistaken I’d been about this contract.

I finally signed everything to the very last page. Now, it was time to submit the documents to the proper department. I got up from my seat and headed for the door, but before my hand even reached the doorknob, the door opened, and there stood Vasily on the other side—our eyes met.

“Guide Kwon Gidam, where are you headed?”

“I was going to submit the paperwork that was on the table.”

“Just leave it there. The department will come and pick it up.”

“Understood.”

No need to deliver it in person, then. I nodded and turned back, but Vasily continued speaking.

“And here, take this.”

He handed me a sheet of paper. Was there more paperwork I needed to complete? Tilting my head in curiosity, I checked it and saw that it was a substance analysis report.

“The results are already in?”

“Yes. The analysis just finished.”

Apparently, the analysis of the medicine I had sent in for testing two days ago had already been completed.

I examined the report Vasily handed over, but it was full of technical terms I couldn’t decipher. When I looked at him, eyes filled with confusion, he explained further.

“The monster blood in the medication had its toxicity removed, so it shouldn’t be a problem. However, a highly addictive narcotic was detected. It’s a potent drug usually used only by Espers.”

That made sense. The suppression chip was originally designed for Espers, after all.

Since it was an illegal chip, the medicine must have been tampered with to prevent people from quitting it.

For an ordinary person like me, it sounded dangerously risky. If the drug was strong enough to addict even Espers, then it was bound to be even more harmful for someone like me. With long-term use, I might even suffer from withdrawal symptoms.

The person who made it probably never imagined a Guide would take it. Even I couldn’t be sure what side effects might emerge.

Staring uneasily at the test results, I heard Vasily speak again.

“Now do you understand? When you go home, get rid of the medicine immediately.”

“…I can’t.”

I shook my head firmly, and Vasily looked at me like I was a drug addict.

“Why not?”

I closed my mouth and looked away. The situation was complicated, and there were things I couldn’t explain to Vasily, so it wasn’t easy to speak up.

But since we were alone now, and since we’d be spending a lot of time together going forward, there would come a day when I’d have to explain. It was better to clear things up now than to let misunderstandings pile up.

After a long hesitation, I finally opened my mouth.

“The implant in my neck is an illegal suppression chip. Because it’s not a certified product, it overheats and gives me severe headaches when I guide. That medicine came with the chip, and it’s the only thing that calms the symptoms.”

“You’re not lying, are you?”

“What would I gain from lying about this?”

After my honest confession, Vasily seemed deep in thought.

“An illegal suppression chip, huh…”

Since Vasily likely didn’t have detailed knowledge about it, he would have no choice but to take my word for it. Monster blood, and now a narcotic substance—distasteful, but there was no other option.

As long as I took only one pill per day until I could remove the chip, it should be fine. Even though it was classified as a narcotic, I didn’t seem addicted yet, and the primary reason for taking it was to manage the pain.

“So I’ll only keep taking it until I have the chip removed. After that, I’ll dispose of it immediately.”

“……”

Vasily still looked dissatisfied.

Still, I had explained everything I could. If the conversation continued, he might bring up something I wouldn’t be able to answer, so I subtly changed the subject.

“What’s on the schedule for today?”

“Nothing special.”

“I thought there’s a meeting every Monday morning. Aren’t you attending?”

There’s a weekly association meeting every Monday. It was the very meeting Vasily had abducted me for last time. Right about now, it should’ve been in full swing.

“I don’t need to go today. I already know what they’ll talk about anyway.”

I nodded in understanding at his words.

Sure enough, today’s agenda was probably going to be about Vasily finally having a Guide. The whole meeting would be about me and Vasily, which wouldn’t be the most pleasant thing to sit through. Vasily didn’t seem interested in attending just to hear all that.

That meant there really was nothing to do today. Unless a gate suddenly opened and Vasily was summoned, the rest of the day would likely stay quiet.

Maybe I should go sort through the things I left behind at my old place. Come to think of it, I’d arranged a moving truck to head down to the countryside, and I’d completely forgotten to cancel it until now.

“I was thinking of going to our usual lunch spot and then heading home. Do you have anything else on your schedule?”

“Nothing in particular.”

“Then guide me until then.”

It was such a natural, seamless request.

I hesitated briefly, then nodded. There was no reason to refuse. Four sessions per week—that was the agreed-upon number. It was better to use them up quickly and spend the rest of the time in peace.

As usual, I began guiding him while holding him on the sofa.

It was definitely much better to conduct the sessions here in his personal office than in his room, where he’d be half-dressed. At least here, he kept his clothes on.

Deciding that all future guiding sessions should be done in this room, I opened my mouth.

“By the way, how did you know I had a suppression chip in the back of my neck?”

On the day the chip was discovered, Vasily had seemed aware that something was there. But I had never done anything to reveal the chip, so I was curious how he found out.

“Do you remember when you collapsed in front of me?”

“……”

There were so many times, I wasn’t sure which one he meant.

“The day I requested a second designated guiding session.”

“Ah, I remember now.”

As Vasily continued his explanation, it came back to me.

It was the day he had come to me requesting every available time slot from morning to evening, just after I’d started working as a temporary Guide. I had spent the entire day guiding him and eventually collapsed. When I came to, Vasily had been cooling my fever.

“While laying you down on the bed, my hand brushed the back of your neck, and I felt a sharp prick.”

…Sigh. I couldn’t help but let out a breath. It seemed he had discovered it far earlier than I thought. And since I had been unconscious at the time, I wouldn’t have even realized he had noticed.

“I had sensed something off in the energy pattern during our previous sessions, but that moment confirmed it.”

Since Vasily was sensitive to fluctuations, he must have realized that the suppression chip was distorting the waves. That meant everything had gone wrong from the very first moment we touched and the guiding began.

Damn it, so that’s why he kept following me around so persistently. Now I finally understood Vasily’s dogged behavior.

“Guide Kwon Gidam, why did you insert a suppression chip?”

“……”

“Did you know in advance that we’d be matched?”

I swallowed dryly. On the day he discovered the chip, he had already voiced this suspicion. I knew he’d ask again eventually…

What I said now would be crucial. If he learned that I had implanted the chip specifically to avoid being matched with him, there was no telling how he would react.

“…I didn’t know.”

“Really?”

“I thought… I would awaken as an Esper during my awakening. But I heard that Espers can’t endure without a Guide, so I quickly obtained a suppression chip and had it implanted.”

Did he buy it? It was an excuse I had come up with on the spot, so I wasn’t sure it would hold. Vasily’s expression, at least, had not changed.