Chapter 10
…I mean at least, the kissing was, uh, good?
I anxiously checked my neck. Though I knew that nothing had happened yet, my throat felt chilly.
I felt like I needed to check if my head was still properly attached to my neck. Fortunately, it was still firmly in place.
However, the rapid beating of my heart was palpable beneath the palm that encircled my neck.
“Rose Valentine! Just what on earth is wrong with you today? Do you want to exhaust me?”
“… Ridiculous.”
“Ridiculous? What’s ridiculous is— What are you doing?”
Irene, who had been about to unleash a barrage of scolding, stopped and stared at the scene before her.
Certainly, it was an unusual sight, not something you saw every day.
“Next.”
Claude spoke coldly. The Guide at the front of the line approached Claude, visibly trembling.
Claude’s eyebrows twitched in irritation. The Guide, who had been watching for any sign, flinched.
Slowly scanning her, he growled,
“Get lost.”
“Y, yes, I’ll get lost!”
The Guide hastily retreated from Claude’s presence, as if he could kill a person with a single glance. Claude, with a fierce glint in his eyes, opened his mouth once more.
“Next.”
Another Guide stepped forward.
It was clear. Claude was searching for the Guide who had guided him last night – in other words, me!
My neck hairs stood on end to the point of bristling.
“…What’s going on? Did he summon all these Guides just to find one Guide?”
Irene laughed in disbelief.
“If he’s looking for the Guide who guided him, they could just use facial recognition software at the Center to pick out the right one. What’s the point of all this? Does he think being an S-class Esper is all that?”
In fact, Claude was not just an S-class Esper. There were only four S-class Espers in all of Arteon. Among them, the three potential male leads connected to Irene had become adults and manifested their abilities relatively recently when they came to the Center.
On the other hand, Claude had manifested his abilities at the young age of 13, way before the time he’s supposed to join the Center. At the time, Claude was the only S-class Esper, so despite his young age, he had to participate in all kinds of dangerous missions.
As a result, Claude became the vanguard commander of an elite unit deployed when the most threatening disasters and crises occurred in Arteon.
A national hero, an S-class Esper who commanded other S-class Espers.
Claude’s position within the Center was such. If he wanted, he could line up those precious Guides from morning till night without any issue.
…Of course, reminding Irene of this wouldn’t change the fact that she’d continue to curse and not see this as important.
Ack, I suddenly remembered something!
I hastily covered my bright pink hair with my hand, trying to make it as inconspicuous as possible.
My pink hair was equivalent to an identification card. I was the only one with this hair color within the Center.
If what he was looking for was someone with ‘pink hair’, even though I wasn’t an officially registered Guide, finding me would be just a matter of time!
But unexpectedly, I overheard something.
“…If that Guide could control an S-class rampage, that person must have gotten held or even rolled around the bed for a few hours. It doesn’t make sense that he doesn’t remember the Guide.”
“It seems like he was blinded and deafened during the rampage. In a delirious state, he doesn’t remember anything clearly, and he doesn’t even remember that Guide’s key features.”
“Well, if he can only remember the guiding, then he should at least try getting guided. Instead of just standing there and aimlessly staring, how can he confirm it?”
It was a grumbling from discontented Guides.
Only then did I get a rough idea of the situation. It seemed that Claude couldn’t remember me at all from yesterday.
Usually, right before a rampage, senses tend to become distorted.
Eyes and ears can go blind or deaf, or even if the senses remain, they can be strangely distorted. For example, you might think you’re hugging an elephant when you’re actually hugging a squirrel.
Thankfully, that was the case.
Among the gathered Guides, there were both women and men. They varied in height, weight, and hair color.
I could have been roughly singled out, but judging by the fact that Claude didn’t remember my features, it seemed he had no recollection of me.
Only then did I start to feel a bit relieved.
I was officially just a non-ability person. I wasn’t a registered Guide at the Center, so I could avoid Claude’s inquisition.
Given the circumstances, it would be difficult for Claude to find me.
That’s when it happened.
“Claude, we’ve brought him.”
Burly men with arms as thick as logs dragged a man right in front of Claude.
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