Chapter 52
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“He said he wanted to see it, didn’t he?”
Samuel honestly didn’t care. Not even Linton Vionne could argue against something proven by numbers.
“Here you go, Captain Linton…”
Peter handed the results sheet over, his reluctance obvious in every movement of his hand.
All eyes locked onto Linton, eager to see his reaction. The scrutiny was even more intense than animals in a zoo—everyone was watching every flicker of his face.
As if to put on a show, Linton read the results with an exaggerated elegance. Not a single crack appeared in his proud expression as he scanned the paper.
“A remarkable result—such a high compatibility score.”
He smiled, handing the paper back to Samuel.
“You must be pleased, aren’t you?”
“Yes, I am.”
“…Really?”
For a moment, Linton’s eyebrows twitched at Samuel’s crisp answer, but he quickly recovered his composure. Wearing his usual smooth mask, he flashed a gentle smile around at everyone.
“Well then, everyone, take a break and then get back to work.”
“Yes, sir!”
Not once did Linton’s perfect smile falter as he turned away.
His unexpectedly smooth reaction left the group puzzled, and Samuel felt much the same. Linton’s obsession with Adrien bordered on pathological—this was a man who’d once been crazed with jealousy to the point of trying to kill Samuel.
‘So what was he so confident about now, standing there so calmly?’
Samuel’s mind swirled with uneasy speculation as he watched Linton’s back retreat through the crowd, still surrounded by whispers.
* * *
‘Damn it!’
As soon as Linton turned the corner, his smile vanished and his face turned ice-cold. His footsteps grew hurried as he stormed down the hall.
Bang! He threw open the door to Dr. Alex’s office. Surrounded by piles of diamonds and experimental equipment, Alex looked up in surprise—then grinned, recognizing his visitor.
“Well, who else would come storming in like this but Captain Linton?”
“There’s something I just can’t wrap my head around, Dr. Alex.”
“Go on.”
“I think there must be a mistake in my compatibility results.”
Linton unfolded his crumpled results sheet, jaw clenched tight.
“Why isn’t Adrien Brillante’s name anywhere on here?”
Alex glanced at the paper, thick with other Espers’ names, and shrugged.
“Simple. Commander Adrien didn’t make your top ten, so she’s not listed.”
“That can’t be right, can it?”
“…Captain Linton, are you saying you don’t trust the test results?”
Alex’s frown grew severe, his voice colder than usual. Even the still worked up Linton, flinched.
No matter who, Alexander Macgis was not someone to take lightly—his friendly attitude and jokes aside, he was a high-ranking Esper with pedigree, genius, and power to spare.
But there was one thing Alex was dead serious about: his research. After being too agitated, Linton only remembered this fact a beat too late.
“There may be small errors, but not enough to change the rankings.”
“My apologies, Dr. Alex. I didn’t mean it that way.”
“Well, it happens.”
“So what about me on Adrien’s list? Even if I’m not high on hers, maybe it’s different the other way around.”
Alex pursed his lips in a wry smile—was he mocking, or was it just Linton’s imagination?
“The fact that you’d come all the way here to ask tells me you already suspect the answer, don’t you?”
“…Dr. Alex.”
“And you haven’t heard the rumors? That someone with a whopping 98% compatibility with the commander has finally appeared?”
Linton’s expression hardened, but Alex remained calm as he stood.
“Since you’re here, let me save you the trouble: your name isn’t on the commander’s list, either.”
“Then what rank am I, at least?”
“All useless data has been discarded. Even if you’re curious, there’s no way to check now.”
Not only did he not make the cut—his compatibility was so low, he was no help to Adrien at all. The unspoken implication hit Linton hard.
“Then let me take the test again—”
“The commander doesn’t want you to.”
The words were final. Linton’s blue eyes wavered helplessly.
Everyone in the special forces knew about the ambiguous relationship between Linton and Adrien. Alex, who’d crossed paths with them since childhood and even been Adrien’s primary physician, knew more than most.
So he could imagine just how much this news was eating away at Linton Vionne.
He felt a bit sorry, but shrugged it off. It wasn’t really his business—and he had no desire to meddle.
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