Chapter 115
Claude had provoked my guiding in the last test by doing something audacious. Right in front of everyone, he had stuck out his tongue and licked my palm.
Was he planning to do something like that again this time? Or, given the situation, was he going to use an even more definitive method?
The intensity of skin contact was not a determinant to trigger my guiding. Sometimes, a mere brush of skin was enough to initiate it.
Yet, generally, the more intense the skin contact, the more profusely the guiding flowed.
…What if it doesn’t work this time?
…Surely not in front of everyone?
As I racked my brain, Claude chuckled at my busy thoughts.
“What are you thinking about, Rose?”
“…No funny business. Promise me that first.”
I blurted out, my face turning red. Claude snorted in amusement.
“Seems like you’re the one with strange thoughts.”
“Nuh-uh!”
Truth be told, my mind was filled with embarrassing thoughts.
“Just promise…!”
“Alright, alright.”
Seemingly indifferent, Claude suddenly reached out and grabbed my hand.
Then…
Beep! Beep! Beep!
“…Oh. This leaves no doubt. The imprinting is confirmed.”
The examiner, impressed, scribbled something on his documents.
There was no need to worry.
Simply holding hands was enough for the guiding to flow profusely towards him. The waveform on the monitor fluctuated noticeably.
To anyone observing, it was clear we were a pair whose compatibility had peaked with complete imprinting.
Yet even after the test, Claude didn’t let go of my hand.
“Good girl.”
He pulled the hand he held to his lips. He looked genuinely proud of me.
It was certainly a success but…
…Why does it feel so awkward?
Just then,
A hand suddenly appeared and grabbed my wrist.
“Ah!”
The person clutching my wrist was none other than the Chief of Security.
However, his grip on my wrist lasted only a fraction of a second.
“Keugh!”
He screamed, releasing my hand as his wrist bent in an unnatural direction.
Snap.
The restraints on Claude, like plastic toys, shattered and fell to the floor.
The Chief of Security collapsed, holding his grotesquely bent wrist.
Claude was already standing, his red eyes burning with ferocity as he looked down at the Chief.
“Lord Claude!”
“Chief…!”
Security officers, trying to protect their superior, confronted Claude.
He gritted his teeth.
“You dare…”
“The test…! We must conduct it properly…!”
Even in agony, the Chief of Security screamed with bloodshot eyes.
“This Guide! This Guide is a mutant who has always struggled with guiding…! We can’t dismiss the possibility that the imprinting didn’t occur…! We need a more thorough verification… Guh!”
He couldn’t finish his sentence.
As if seized by an invisible giant hand, he was suddenly suspended in mid-air, unable to move.
“C-Calm down, Lord Claude!”
An Esper urgently spoke up.
“Miss Valentine and our Chief had a match rate over 80%…! He’s also in the top 10 rankings, so if Miss Valentine had been officially registered as a Guide, she could have provided regular guiding. It must be frustrating and infuriating to have missed the opportunity right before your eyes…!”
But those words were poison to Claude.
Choke, gasp!
The Chief of Security, floating helplessly, struggled to breathe, as if his throat was being crushed.
The overwhelming difference in power rendered him unable to resist.
Even as a skilled A-Class Esper, he was powerless.
His eyes began to roll back in his head.
“Stop it!”
I stepped in front of Claude in desperation.
I knew he wouldn’t kill me, but that didn’t make his anger any less frightening.
Honestly, Claude in his current half-blind state was still terrifying.
If I hadn’t thought he might actually kill someone, I wouldn’t have dared to intervene.
His behavior towards me when we were alone was one thing, but sometimes, he could be truly cruel, and I still doubt whether I can really handle him.
“…Come here.”
Contrary to my worries, his voice had calmed down.
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