Becoming the Guide of the Mysophobic Villain? Absolutely Not! - Chapter 143

“Pretending it’s not the case won’t help. Your hard work in guiding training is all because of your inferiority complex, right? Being an F-Class Guide with zero guiding stability, you’re afraid of being useless compared to other guides! So, you obsess over those meaningless grades because doing well is the only thing you can aim for…!”

“Shana, stop it!”

That’s wrong. The first reason I participate diligently in guiding training is for one thing, and one thing only.

Cold hard cash.

And the second is…

“Doesn’t it concern you, Shana?”

“…What?”

Shana, who was red-faced and yelling, paused.

“Shana, you’re popular and have met many Espers over the years. Even if your encounters were brief, when you go to the battlefield, they’re all Espers you know. Is it enough for you to just provide guiding when needed, without knowing anything about how the battle is going on the rear lines? Even if an Esper you know gets hurt or dies, as long as you’ve done the bare minimum, you’re fine?”

“A Guide’s role on the battlefield is to provide guiding energy! Combat is the domain of Espers with abilities! There’s no place for Guides to intervene! Without actual combat experience, you shouldn’t recklessly—”

“Yeees, I might not have real combat experience and the only Esper I personally know is Lord Claude but…”

I shrugged lightly in response.

“Still, if Lord Claude is dispatched to the battlefield, I don’t want to just hide behind, unaware of what’s happening. I want to understand the situation with my own eyes, worry for him in dangerous moments, and share joy in favorable ones.”

“…”

“It’s not about being strangers. If that person is risking their life in battle, I’ll do my best in the role given to me. No matter how trivial what I can do might seem.”

I understand Shana’s point. No one wishes for me to live too zealously as a Guide more than Claude himself.

He becomes extremely anxious whenever I step out of his control.

Every morning, as I leave for training, he comes out to see me off, fixing up my clothes. Not because they’re actually messy.

The slow hand adjusting my collar, the expression holding back words, the subdued atmosphere…

Even my desire to be of help might just be another thing for him to endure daily.

But in the end, it’s about significance. Working as a non-ability office worker and receiving guide training are indeed all for earning money.

Unlike the office job I had to work just to survive, things are different now.

Now, I have someone precious to me.

If there’s even a vague possibility that I can be of help to him at any time, in any way, that’s enough reason for me to engage in the training.

I too learned this time that when you truly care for someone, you want to give them what they want and even more.

Claude, who faced the battlefield not fearing death but rather humbly awaiting it. If I wish to be even the slightest help to him, is that also my foolish greed?

“…You.”

“Ah.”

This girl really has got one hell of an intense focus.

Realizing my thoughts had drifted off again, I snapped back to attention…

But the state Shana was in seemed far from normal. Her neck was flushed red with heat, veins bulging on her face, her chest rising and falling sharply, and her whole body trembling.

Though Shana has never liked me for even a moment, this was the first time I’d seen her so unable to control her anger.

Me, who snatched away the man she had set her sights on, constantly fluttering in her presence, ignoring and irritating her, and even trying to win over her followers to my side.

Considering her temper, she had endured a lot.

I silently waited for Shana to unleash her anger.

But instead of spewing any insults or curses, she just bit her lip.

And just when a drop of blood was about to appear on her bitten lip.

Whoosh.

Shana turned around and stormed out of the classroom.

Tsk, I clicked my tongue inwardly.

If only she stayed quiet, there’s no cheetah as elegant, chic, and aloof as her. But when it comes to ranting, she’s even worse than Oscar, who’s like a pigeon.

Now that the uninvited guest had left, I wondered if it was finally peaceful enough to go back to snacking…

Feeling someone’s gaze, I looked up.

The Guides were all staring at me with indescribable expressions.