Chapter 84
“…Forged document? Bluff? Are you saying that Claude leaving urgently for a Code Black was all your doing, not an actual emergency?”
Surely not. The Azir I know is almost as timid as I am.
A person who wouldn’t even litter for fear of breaking public servant conduct rules, could he have committed such a serious illegal act that could lead to prison?
And against Claude, an S-Class Esper, who unofficially holds more authority than the director of the Center?
As incredulous as it seemed, Azir answered with alarming cheerfulness.
“Right! Were you fooled too? Ah, naive Rose. Code Black situations hardly ever happen. The last one was 14 years ago.”
“No… Why would you tell such a lie… Why did you do it?”
“It was all to save you.”
“Why would you?”
I knew Azir wasn’t a bad person. But he wasn’t the type to risk his own safety for others either.
We weren’t close enough for him to risk prison to save me. I didn’t understand.
As I questioned him, Azir’s pupils began to shake nervously.
Very suspicious.
“…Tell me everything, and don’t leave anything out.”
“Don’t get mad, Rose. Remember, I went through all this trouble to help you. Okay? Promise me.”
“…I’ll listen to what you have to say first before deciding.”
What was he leading up to with all this preamble?
With a skeptical look, Azir took a deep breath and then began to speak.
“Claude, that detestable guy… He’s just deceiving you.”
“…What do you mean by that?”
“I mean that literally.”
Azir’s voice suddenly became grave.
“You might think he didn’t know your true identity until recently… but no. He’s been certain for much longer that you’re his Guide. He’s been threatening me every chance he gets, shaking me down like trying to get the last bit of shampoo out of the bottle.”
“…”
“I’m getting married at the end of the year, you know? If something happened to me, my fiancée would be devastated… That’s why I had no choice but to become his pawn, constantly doing his dirty work and investigating you behind your back.”
“…That can’t be true.”
“Sending you to the Esper Division to live comfortably was all orchestrated by him, using the information I gathered about you. Even advising you to guide him while he was receiving guiding medication was all his doing. When you secretly went to guide him, he was fully conscious. Can you believe it? The guy was awake without any sedatives during the IV drip.”
“…”
I had my suspicions. Why was he awake when he should’ve been asleep during the guiding medication?
But I never doubted Azir. I just thought I had incredibly bad luck.
Or did I really never doubt him?
Was every day spent with Claude so comfortable that I tried to ignore the signs?
I was confused.
“Rose, you said you pitied him because he was about to go on rampage and in pain, right? That was all an act. He played on your sympathy to manipulate you how he wanted. Oh, and Shana? That A-Class Guide he used to go on dates with? He never once considered her his Guide. It was all to make you let your guard down.”
“…”
“Everything about that guy is a lie. All a scheme to bring down your walls.”
“…I need some time to think.”
“Even your weight gain is part of it.”
“…What?”
Regardless of my glaring, Azir continued to babble.
“If you’ve gained this much weight in such a short time, it could only happen if he was feeding you three meals a day plus snacks. He wouldn’t go through all that trouble without a reason. He’s calculating to the core. There must be a hidden motive.”
“Such as?”
“For instance… making you unattractive so other Espers won’t find you appealing.”
Azir, whose thinking level was similar to mine, spoke as if he was being clever.
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