Chapter 175
“…Why are you laughing?”
“It occurs to me, despite being so fragile, you were the only one who bravely climbed all the way to the top of my head.”
“….”
“Having someone play on top of my head sounds much nicer than being trampled underfoot by everyone else.”
He seemed oddly proud as he concluded that himself.
So is that supposed to be a good thing or a bad thing?
Seeing my confusion, he added,
“Also, Rose, I like hearing you get jealous, but it seems to be a serious issue for you, so I’ll say this.”
“Yes?”
“I have no intention of receiving guiding from any other Guide, ever.”
How could he think that? He laughed heartily as if it was absurd.
“You’re so stubborn. I tried it with Oscar just because of your insistence, and even that was an unpleasant sensation. But yet another Guide? Remember? If it gets out that we haven’t imprinted yet, I’d be the one with the biggest headache.”
“Um….”
I couldn’t deny his words. If it became known that I wasn’t imprinted, other Espers would certainly swarm to try to get guiding energy me.
“I survived over ten years without a Guide before I met you. A month or so of deployment without guiding won’t cause any problems.”
He spoke confidently.
I was aware of this fact already.
Even lower-ranked Espers encounter physical issues if they go more than two weeks without guiding. How he managed to survive over ten years on medication alone remains a mystery.
Certainly, going a month without guiding doesn’t seem like it would cause a major accident, but…
“I don’t like that.”
“Why?”
“…Because the saying goes, you endure a diet until you take that one bite, and then it all falls apart.”
“….”
Claude rolled his eyes. It was clear he didn’t understand what I meant.
What I mean is, although you might not have had any guiding when we first met, that’s not the case now.
Humans are creatures of habit. Just like how I used to eat anything but now won’t touch anything less than the high-quality snacks Claude brings.
Not having experienced guiding might have been one thing, but for him, who has been receiving continuous guiding from me up until recently, the absence of it could be excruciating.
The battlefield is a place where one could lose their life. Just like when the rock golems tried to crush him, I can’t help but worry about him being there.
It’s not because I don’t know he’s the strongest in the world, but because I’m his partner.
So, due to my petty jealousy, I couldn’t let him go into battle without proper guiding.
But this conversation is too embarrassing to continue…
“…Anyway, I just don’t like it.”
I mumbled as I buried my face into his chest. He chuckled softly and patted my head.
“So?”
“Just take me with you….”
“That’s not possible.”
He soothed me gently yet firmly. It didn’t seem like he would yield at all.
I sulked and stepped back.
“Alright, I won’t go. But make sure you receive guiding. Only from Oscar, though. Absolutely not Shana.”
He burst out laughing as if he couldn’t believe what he heard.
“Listen to me seriously! Not Shana, but if it’s tough, you can get guiding from Oscar. That way, you can come back quickly and safely. Understand?”
“Alright, alright, I got it.”
I wasn’t sure if he really understood, but he nodded agreeably.
Rather than causing unnecessary jealousy, it was better to support him to return healthy from the battle.
I spoke with a bit more spirit.
“I won’t get jealous no matter how much guiding you get from Oscar. Really.”
“Okay.”
“So, it’s okay for you to kiss him if needed.”
Claude’s face crumpled up loosely.
He looked down at me in disbelief.
“Why do you keep bringing me and Oscar into this…?”
“Huh? Don’t hold back. If it hurts, go ahead and kiss Oscar.”
“….”
“Claude?”
“…Fine.”
Claude finally responded reluctantly.
Discussion
0 CommentsReactions
No comments yet.