Side Story 7
Before I could even turn my head, my body was lifted in an instant. There was no need to wonder who it was.
“Let’s go.”
Claude easily lifted me with one arm while holding my crutches in the other, as if I weighed nothing, despite being a full-grown woman. There were quite a few people inside the café, and I felt a bit embarrassed.
“I can walk just fine on my own. The doctor said I should practice walking as much as possible…”
“Later.”
“When, exactly?”
“…Later. When I’m not around.”
So when exactly would that be? It’s not like he’s ever left me alone.
Ever since the accident, except during my physical therapy, I haven’t once stood on my own two feet at home. Anytime I even hinted at moving, Claude would immediately lift me up.
“Where do you want to go?”
As if it were the most natural thing in the world, he’d ask, and I’d just point here and there with my fingers, my legs hanging limply like a doll’s.
It was the same now. No matter how much I insisted that he leave me, or that I’d call him when I was done, he would just say “Okay,” and then sit silently in the corner of the café for hours, making sure to stay within reach in case something happened to me.
At first, it was convenient… but this kind of relationship, where he never takes his eyes off me out of anxiety, couldn’t possibly be healthy.
“…Later. When things feel a little less difficult.”
He softly whispered these vague, unpromising words.
For me? Or for you?
I wanted to ask, but I held back. I knew how much compromise it had taken for him to even bring me outside to meet Irene.
So, instead, I just wrapped my arms around his neck. I couldn’t hide the pout on my face, but he only chuckled softly and readjusted his hold on me.
Maybe it was because the weather was nice and cool, but instead of teleporting, he decided to walk down a quiet road. Perhaps he was in a good mood now that my outing, which had put him on edge, was finally over, and we were heading home.
Now seemed like a good time to bring it up, right? If I was going to upset him, it might as well be while things were peaceful.
“So, um, just out of curiosity, Lord Claude…”
I stretched out my words hesitantly, and he looked down at me with his usual trusting gaze. I felt bad for saying this when he had that expression on his face, but…
“Would it be okay if I guided another Esper just more last time?”
Claude’s face crumpled instantly.
“……”
At some point, he had stopped walking. He didn’t respond for a while, but I already knew the answer. His tightly shut lips didn’t need to speak—his furious eyes were already cursing.
That brutal glare of his, like he was ready to tear someone apart, was something I hadn’t seen in a while, and oddly, I almost found it reassuring.
“Relax… I’m not saying I’m going to do it. I’m just asking if it would be okay. If you don’t want me to, I won’t.”
I gently cupped his cheeks and rubbed them, but his expression didn’t soften at all. His thumb massaged his temple, where a blue vein had popped out, and when he finally spoke, his voice was strained with suppressed anger.
“Who. Daniel?”
“Heyy, no, not him. Daniel’s already recovered from his guiding allergy.”
“Then who.”
“Irene.”
“…Irene?”
Claude’s eyebrows shot up. His expression was one of disbelief, as if to say, What kind of nonsense is that?
The news of the Guides boycotting a particular Esper was well-known throughout the Center. Of course, Claude, who paid no attention to the affairs of the world, was an exception.
So I explained everything—how Irene had angered the Guides to the point of a collective boycott, how her pride kept her from asking for help, how she was suffering from the lack of guiding, and how her personality had become much more vicious as a result…
“Do you know what Irene’s like these days? She looks exactly like you did when I first met you. Furrowing her brow like this…”
I mimicked his frown.
“I could barely handle one Claude, but now there’s Irene too, and it’s driving me crazy!”
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