Chapter 153
“Hello, Lord Oscar?”
“Oh, Azalea?”
Oscar stopped in his tracks.
There had been a time before when I had called out to Oscar as he passed by just like this. It was when I had bluffed that Oscar was Claude’s Guide.
As expected, Oscar looked at me with suspicion the moment he saw me.
“…What now? I’m about to get PTSD. Why? Did that punk Claude send you again?”
“No, today I have something I need from you, Lord Oscar.”
“…You do? Why?”
“Lord Oscar, since you’ve been registered as a Guide, you’ve never once passed a training session in the Guide Division, have you? So today, I’m offering to tutor you personally so you can pass the exam.”
I waved my study notes, the core summaries I had made while preparing for the clerical exam.
“…”
With a sour face, Oscar glanced between my face and the summary notes and…
“No thanks.”
…bluntly refused my offer.
I had anticipated this much.
“Even if you don’t like it, you’ll do it. I’ll let you go as soon as you reach the target score.”
“Why would I need to study when I have Espers who can do anything for me? Right, my lovely ladies?”
Oscar chuckled, rubbing his face against the napes of the Espers with him. Then, glaring at me, he added,
“And it seems you’ve lost your fear, wandering around the Guide Division on Claude’s coattails lately. Remember, I’m your senior. Trying to teach me when you lack real-world experience yourself? As if you’re as brazen as your Esper…”
“……”
“Hey, stop wasting your time and go get pampered by Claude. You’re making his hair go gray with worry. Oh, and tell him to buy you some nice food.”
What were you doing when everyone else was growing up nicely?
Oscar asked, genuinely curious.
“…Lord Oscar, it seems you have no learning ability. There’s a mountain of things to teach you.”
“What?”
“If you keep spouting nonsense, it’ll all come back to haunt you, Lord Oscar.”
Oscar, confused and unable to grasp what I meant, soon had an epiphany, likely recalling the day he nearly got a serious kiss from Claude because of me.
His face turned pale in an instant.
“Hey, Azalea… It’s really uncool to involve Espers in Guide matters, you know…? True Guides settle their own issues among themselves…”
I snorted.
It was clear what Oscar was imagining: that I would scurry to Claude to whine and ask him to scold Oscar.
But was there really a need to involve Claude just to deal with someone like Oscar?
Lighting a candle requires only a match or a lighter, not a flamethrower.
So, the method I chose was…
“Hello, Espers?”
As I suddenly spoke up, the Espers nestled against Oscar’s sides twitched in surprise.
I remembered a similar incident before. Back then, the Espers had glared at me terrifyingly for interrupting their date.
This time was different.
It seemed they immediately recognized me as Claude’s imprinted Guide. It looked like the conversation would go smoothly.
“Would you mind taking me and Lord Oscar to a quiet place if you have time? A space where I can tutor Lord Oscar for an hour or two would be sufficient.”
“…U-Us?”
The Espers looked at each other uncertainly, unsure of what to do.
They didn’t want to betray Oscar, but they were also worried about falling out of favor with Claude by refusing my request.
Meanwhile, Oscar snorted with derision.
“Huh, mouse bean. Getting greedy, aren’t you. No matter how scary Claude is, surely my dear Espers wouldn’t sell me out, right?”
But it wasn’t just Claude’s backing I relied on to get here. Ignoring Oscar’s mockery, I continued.
“Unlike Lord Oscar, who’s hardly ever attached to the Guide Division… I’ve been quite active in the Guide Division lately, Espers.”
“…Huh, what?”
“How about a double date?”
Oscar’s mouth dropped open.
“Ladies, Lord Oscar is a migratory bird. He’ll briefly stay by your side and then swiftly fly away to someone else. He lacks loyalty. Though his face may be pretty, making a fun companion for a while, he’s certainly not a Guide you can settle down with. You all know that better than anyone, right?”
“Hey, watch it…”
“As much as it feels odd saying it myself, I’ve sort of become an idol in the Guide Division… There’s been an increase in Guides who, rather than playing the field, prefer to deeply connect with one Esper. Like me.”
Discussion
0 CommentsNo comments yet.