Chapter 40
Finally convinced that Claude wouldn’t harm me further, Log 1 let go of me.
He offered a reassuring smile.
“…It’ll be okay.”
After saying that, Log 1 also followed them out of the cafe.
It’ll be okay? Will it really?
Were Shana’s words really have that much of an effect on Claude? Was he just pretending to let things slide in front of her, planning to retaliate against me or Log 1 later?
Confused, I suddenly felt a gaze and looked up.
Shana’s cat-like eyes were glaring at me with an odd intensity.
Her gaze hardened even more when our eyes met.
Granted, Claude might get all pissy because I’m not focused on the task of finding his Guide.
But what’s Shana’s deal?
Already acting like a married couple, are they?
“…Why are you looking at me like that?”
Normally, I would have kept quiet. Shana seemed like the type who’d be troublesome to deal with.
But I was already drained from dealing with Claude and had no patience left for Shana.
At my question, Shana muttered something and swiftly walked away. It sounded like a low curse.
…A bad premonition crept over me.
***
And my foreboding feeling wasn’t wrong.
From the next day, Shana’s unilateral harassment towards me began.
The job of a Center office worker encompasses various tasks, especially handling complaints – an important part of Guide support.
These complaints, often highly subjective, are sometimes exploited. There are always those who enjoy belittling the weak to show their superiority.
There had been office workers harassed over trivial matters before, but I never thought I would be one of them.
“So, Miss Shana, you’re saying…”
I suppressed the urge to sigh deeply and forced a service smile.
“You tripped over an uneven cobblestone and spilled coffee on your dress, right?”
“Do I have to explain it twice? To a mere 7th-grade office worker?”
Shana’s tone was dripping with disdain, her expression smug. Behind her, two other female Guides, names unknown, snickered in amusement.
I found myself in a particularly difficult situation dealing with the guides.
Guides tend to be arrogant. They have power, wealth, and prestige, and the Espers, who rely on them, feed their egos further.
This has contributed to their inflated sense of self-importance. So, it’s not uncommon for Guides to have attitude problems.
Usually, guides don’t deliberately harass non-ability Center employees. To them, we’re more like NPCs – hardly worth their time or attention.
Until now, I hadn’t been troubled by difficult Guides, but…
“That’s unfortunate, Miss Shana. I’ll immediately contact the relevant department to find a solution for the cobblestone issue…”
“Are you stupid? That’s the least of it. Look at this dress.”
Guide 1, standing behind Shana, pointed out the stain on Shana’s dress.
“What about this dress? Who’s responsible for the poor facility maintenance?”
“Ah, I’ll also check if compensation is possible for the…”
“Are you joking? Enough with your ‘checking’!”
Shana raised her voice, clearly frustrated.
I felt a retort boiling up inside me.
It was hard enough to verify whether the cobblestone was truly a hazard. The cobblestone had probably been there since the Center’s inception, yet no one had ever tripped over it demanding compensation.
This was just a means to harass me.
As I remained silent, Guide 2 took over.
“What if the coffee stain sets in while you’re ‘checking’? Do you have the money to replace this dress? Do you know how much it costs?”
“Um, why should I pay for…”
“Isn’t it because of your lack of prompt action? If this stain doesn’t come out, we’ll file a complaint with the Center against you.”
“…”
Since that day at the dessert cafe, when Shana left with a menacing glance, she’s been summoning me constantly to harass me in this manner.
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Aelthia