Becoming the Guide of the Mysophobic Villain? Absolutely Not! - Side Story 15

“Not there?”

“No.”

Claude narrowed his eyes at me. Clearly, he didn’t believe a word.

I knew that, too. After all, it was just the two of us living in this house. Claude was never the kind of person who would misplace something or forget where he put it. So unless the anti-imprint kit had grown legs, I was the only one who could have moved it.

I wasn’t really expecting my fake cluelessness to work. I just felt embarrassed after hiding it, only for him to find it so easily.

“…Fine, if you say so.”

Claude muttered as he stood up.

“Uh, where are you going?”

Was he really going to give up just because the kit was missing? After all the effort I put into convincing him, he was going to quit over such a small obstacle…?

I watched in disbelief as he walked away. He stopped in front of the bookshelf and, without hesitation, pulled out a few books. Wait… could it be?

“…How did you know?”

I asked as Claude calmly returned, holding the anti-imprint kit in his hand. He didn’t answer, only smirking as if to say, You can try, but you’re still in the palm of my hand.

I thought I had found a clever hiding spot, but clearly, I was wrong…

While I was caught up in that frustrating thought, Claude casually opened the kit and began preparing the medicine and syringe.

If I didn’t do anything, the next thing I knew, the needle would be piercing his solid thigh. I’d seen it plenty of times before, yet I still felt a strange urgency.

“So… do you think there’s a chance I might have to guide another Esper in the future?”

The question worked. Claude’s hand froze the moment he heard it.

No answer was needed. The dark, menacing aura radiating from him was enough.

“You…”

“Oh, no, I didn’t mean I was planning to…”

“It would be wise for you not to forget the conversation we had on this topic.”

Claude growled in a low, dangerous tone.

What he meant was that after I guided Irene, he had declared that under no circumstances would he allow me to guide another Esper again. If it happened, it would be the end.

Not the end of our relationship, but the end of the Esper’s life, delivered personally by Claude.

No one else was likely to come seeking a Guide due to the allergy incident, and aside from Irene, I didn’t really have anyone I’d consider a friend.

“I remember. You told me to think carefully about what that means…”

“Why should I have to think about it?”

“Please, just hear me out. Lord Claude, if you ended up killing someone and getting locked up, that would mean I’d be left with only one Esper to guide for the rest of my life—just you.”

“That’s the most obvious thing I’ve ever heard…”

He scoffed, as if the very idea was ridiculous. It was then that I finally voiced what I’d been leading up to.

“Well then… wouldn’t it be fine to just go through with the imprinting?”

“….”

My heart pounded as I waited for his response.

I had decided quite some time ago that I was okay with imprinting with Claude. If he had made even the slightest suggestion, I would’ve probably gone along with it. But in all this time, he had never pressured me or even brought it up, so the opportunity hadn’t arisen.

Besides the fact that I was now certain about our relationship, there was another reason for my decision.

Although Claude’s allergy had been cured, he still dressed in stifling, full-coverage clothing whenever we went out. His aversion to physical contact with others remained, but that wasn’t the only reason. If he accidentally brushed against a Guide, the fact that he hadn’t imprinted with anyone would be revealed.

It would be nice if he could relax both at home and outside, without having to worry. If, for example, on hot days, he could take off his gloves and wear short sleeves. If he could be around people without constantly being on high alert.

Claude had gotten so used to this lifestyle that he didn’t even seem to notice the discomfort anymore.

But I thought differently. He needed to overcome his past traumas, and forcing bad memories out wouldn’t help.

Instead, they should be naturally buried under new, happier ones—by going on trips, enjoying time outside, and living more freely.

Of course, I enjoyed our peaceful life at home, just the two of us, but that couldn’t last forever.

But why was he taking so long to answer…?