Becoming the Guide of the Mysophobic Villain? Absolutely Not! - Side Story 10

Claude had already given up on trying to win against Rose. It wasn’t even Rose’s fault to begin with. As she said, he had given her permission, though that wasn’t the only reason.

Rose’s guiding was connected to the subconscious. It wasn’t for no reason that she remained unaware of the conditions of her guiding for so long.

If the human consciousness is just the tip of the iceberg, then the vast, unreachable depths belong to the subconscious. When Rose guided both Daniel and Irene, it was highly likely she didn’t realize she was feeling any s-xual attraction.

So, what would be the point of blaming Rose, who didn’t even know what she had done wrong?

Of course, the simmering anger was a separate matter.

So, what did Claude do? He couldn’t take his frustration out on Rose, so he redirected it toward Irene in a rather childish way.

He volunteered to handle Irene’s training as an S-Class Esper and worked her to the bone.

But there was something Claude didn’t realize. Irene was the type who would break rather than bend.

No matter how unreasonable it was, Irene never entertained the option of failing to complete a superior’s orders.

“It’s done.”

“……”

Claude was speechless.

The task was one that even long-trained Espers like Wilhelm and Livener had failed to complete. Even if there were some pent-up feelings because of Rose, Irene’s skill was undeniable.

But Claude, who was seething inside, didn’t want to accept it. That’s when Irene casually dropped a comment.

“Living with Rose must have made you childish, too.”

Even if Irene completed the task, she wasn’t one to just sit back and take it when faced with unreasonable orders.

She had a history of silently gathering evidence and filing a report that got her previous boss demoted during a department transfer.

“You’re doing this because you’re mad at me, right? If you have complaints, just say them to my face. Are you upset because I was guided by Rose the other day? Well, you shouldn’t have given permission in the first place if it was going to bother you, right? I was just a victim of Rose’s persistence, so why am I the one being punished?”

“……”

“Let’s be clear: I will never receive guiding from Rose again. I had no idea since I’d never been guided before. If I had known, I would have stopped her no matter what.”

Irene sighed, running a hand through her hair. Deep lines creased her otherwise smooth, porcelain-like forehead.

That day, being guided by Rose had been a shocking experience even for Irene, who wasn’t easily shaken by anything.

Up until then, Irene had always hoped Rose would become an independent individual capable of taking full responsibility for her own life. That’s why, no matter their actual age, Irene had treated Rose as though she were raising a child—teaching and guiding her every step of the way.

But during the guiding session, the roles had reversed.

Irene had felt as helpless as a nursing infant, utterly dependent on Rose. She wanted nothing more than to cling to Rose, who felt like her only salvation.

Reduced to pure instinct, she craved Rose’s touch for survival.

At the same time, she didn’t want to lose the intense pleasure she’d felt, and she wanted to bind Rose to her, to never let her go. The urge to take Rose somewhere far away, where no one could find her, was overwhelming.

Irene couldn’t remember ever feeling such a strong sense of possessiveness or obsession, not even in her distant childhood.

After sending Rose away, Irene had immediately headed to the Guide Center, intent on getting guiding from anyone else but Rose.

As thrilling as Rose’s guiding had been, Irene instinctively knew that she must never be guided by her again. It was dangerous.

It was enough to make her see the man before her in a completely different light.

“…How did you hold back all this time?”

Irene suddenly asked.

“People cursed you out for making an unauthorized imprint. And then there was the massive 400 billion Berk fine. You had every reason to go through with the imprint, and no one would’ve had a problem with it if you did.”