Becoming the Guide of the Mysophobic Villain? Absolutely Not! - Side Story 11

All this time, Irene disliked Claude. He was overprotective of Rose, trying to control her, even to the point of making it seem like she couldn’t do anything without him.

To Irene, who had been trying to help Rose grow into an independent person, Claude was a constant thorn in her side.

But after experiencing Rose’s guiding, she understood. She realized how much Claude must have endured all this time.

Although Irene had received several guiding sessions since Rose, none of them had been as shocking as Rose’s.

Even though the guiding was faint, like a thin thread, it was etched into her mind, impossible to forget. She had to admit it—she was addicted after just one time.

And yet, Claude had likely been exposed to far more guiding from Rose, much more frequently than Irene. It was astonishing that he hadn’t tried to monopolize her, considering they lived together. It was almost unbelievable.

“You have no reason to avoid the imprint now… Rose may be a bit of a drama queen, but she cares for you deeply. You both already have that certainty. So what are you hesitating for?”

“……”

Irene, gaining confidence from his lack of response, clicked her tongue inwardly. How clueless can this man be?

Irene had originally been skeptical about Rose imprinting. After all, when an Esper and Guide imprint, the greater risk is borne by the Guide.

An imprinted Guide becomes useless to anyone but one Esper—if one of them changed their mind, Rose would be the one left vulnerable.

But after experiencing Rose’s guiding firsthand, Irene’s perspective completely changed. Rose’s guiding was dangerous.

〈Is it working? Do you feel something?〉

Irene had barely regained her composure after meeting Rose’s innocent, wide-eyed gaze.

How could someone who didn’t even know what she was doing cause such chaos? Irene prided herself on being rational and mature, and even she had nearly lost control.

There was no need to speculate how other Espers might react.

“Rose doesn’t even know how to control her guiding yet. Even if it’s not me, she could accidentally guide another Esper at any time. Doesn’t that worry you? You, of all people, know how powerful Rose’s guiding is. Surely, you don’t expect that any other Esper would have the same self-control I do…!”

“If you’re so smart, why don’t you figure it out yourself?”

Claude’s response was indifferent, not even sparing her a glance. His dismissive tone irritated Irene.

“Do you even hear what you’re saying? It only happened once for me! The situation was overwhelming and…”

Claude, clearly uninterested, furrowed his brow again.

Frustrated, Irene raised her voice.

“All Rose talked about during the guiding was you!”

“……”

There was a pause before Claude finally responded.

“What?”

Irene let out a scoff, seeing his disbelief.

“It’s true. Rose doesn’t know how to control her guiding, but the one common factor when it works? It’s when she’s thinking about you. Even when she guided me that day, she said she was thinking of you.”

“……”

“So, what is it? What’s this method she keeps talking about? Rose says you know everything but won’t tell her. The act of guiding is the only way a Guide can protect their rights. Rose deserves to know how to…”

Irene suddenly stopped speaking. She realized Claude wasn’t listening to her at all.

He had a slightly open mouth, looking both startled and confused, yet at the same time, as if he had just come to a big realization.

Then, as if he couldn’t hold back anymore, a small, exasperated chuckle escaped through his lips…

“What the? What’s going on with you?”

By the end, he was laughing quietly to himself, shoulders shaking with amusement. Irene, watching him in bewilderment, couldn’t help but feel like she’d been played and found herself in a rather unpleasant mood.

“Why did your mood suddenly get better…”

As Irene was about to snap back, a thought flashed through her mind.