Chapter 118
“Witness, answer the question. Was there any coercion or force in the imprinting process by the defendant?”
“…”
“Witness?”
My lips quivered, then clamped shut.
…I don’t know. Since when have I obediently followed instructions?
“No?”
“…”
“Claude didn’t force anything, and I wanted it.”
The unexpected response made the prosecutor falter. The Espers in the audience stirred noticeably.
Regardless, I went on to spill everything.
“I like to make bets. So I challenged Claude to a bet. I said I would imprint with the Esper who had the highest matching rate with me after the guiding test. If it was Claude, we’d imprint; if not, we’d break up. Turns out, Claude was the highest match. So why hesitate? We just went for it.”
In the distance, Claude had one hand over his eyes, exasperated, but I pretended not to notice.
The prosecutor continued to question me, but I stood firm. There was no coercion; I wanted the imprinting.
“Rose Valentine, you are an employee of the Center. You knew it’s a serious crime to imprint with an Esper without reporting to the Center. Did you knowingly commit this wrong?”
“Yes, exactly!”
“Witness… that’s not something to be proud of.”
“Put yourself in my shoes. If you were a Guide, imagine it. Rich, handsome, sexy, incredibly strong, and with an unbelievably high match rate! How could any other Esper catch your eye? I didn’t want to Guide other mediocre Espers, so I rushed into imprinting first. I insisted, I was the one who did!”
My remarks, seemingly offensive, unleashed a wave of complaints and discontent among the Espers in the audience.
Of course, their complaints and dissatisfaction were none of my concern.
Eventually, the interrogation regarding the first charge fizzled out.
Returning to my seat, I felt a piercing gaze on me. Turning my head, I saw Claude looking at me with a complex expression.
So what? I don’t need to change. I’ll do what I want.
Defiantly glaring back as if in protest, Claude eventually smirked, seemingly conceding. He didn’t seem angry, fortunately.
Then, the trial proceeded to the second charge.
Now it was Claude’s turn to testify.
“Defendant, imprinting without reporting to the Center is a serious offense that infringes on the rights of other Espers to imprint. Were you unaware of this?”
“I was aware.”
Claude answered brazenly, tilting his head as if daring them to continue.
The prosecution’s side seemed displeased, their expressions hardening.
“Long before Miss Valentine took the guiding test, there was talk within the Center about you frequently being seen with her. Did you know she was a Guide all along?”
“I knew.”
“So, you deliberately kept Miss Valentine’s identity as a Guide hidden from the Center.”
“Let’s get our facts straight. A regular Esper like me noticed something the Center was completely oblivious to. Is their incompetence my fault too?”
His casual posture, mocking tone, and disdainful look.
A perfect trifecta of an unrepentant attitude made the atmosphere in the courtroom turn icy.
Wrong move, Claude. Even if he had bowed his head in apology, it would have been insufficient, yet here he was, provoking them further.
I anxiously watched him, the only one feeling uneasy.
As expected, the prosecution was infuriated, confronting him with a heated expression.
“The defendant seems completely unaware of the disorder he has caused in the Center’s system.”
“……”
“Espers in the Center have the right to be guided! With Espers far outnumbering Guides, even one Guide’s imprinting should be carefully considered!”
“……”
“Article 5, Section 7 states that a Guide cannot imprint if there are two or more Espers with a matching rate above 60%. A Guide with such a high match rate is a dream for all Espers. And this Guide had a match rate above 60% with more than half of the Center’s Espers! Do you not understand what this means?”
“……”
“That Guide should have been shared equally among all Esp—!”
But the prosecutor couldn’t even finish that sentence.
BOOOOOM!
It was as if a bomb had dropped in the courtroom.
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