“Hm. I told Mikhail we’d let it pass quietly. I’m going to look a bit foolish now.”Raon muttered, realizing he had effectively lied to Mikhail. Seokhyeon immediately snapped back.“He should have thought of that before pulling that crap in the first place!”“Yes, that’s true.”Raon no longer had any intention of persuading him. In fact, seeing Seokhyeon get angry on his behalf didn’t feel unpleasant at all. Raon forced down the corner of his mouth, which kept trying to curl up at an inappropriate time.“In that case, ask the Union for whatever you can. And if you could make sure Mikhail doesn’t get the chance to pull something like that again, even better.”“Don’t worry about that.”“Understood.”Seokhyeon answered quickly, as if he had already been preparing for this. The Union had no doubt made a show of generosity in sending their Espers—this would be a convenient opportunity for the Center to demand something in return.Raon did not care what that was. Diplomacy and politics were for people far above him. Getting involved only led to trouble. So he didn’t ask further.“If something like this happens again, tell me immediately. Don’t say idiotic things like ‘let’s let it go.’”“I– Idiotic… Yes. Fine. So stop being angry.”At this point, Raon wasn’t sure whether Seokhyeon was angry because he was worried for him or simply venting stress. Only after Raon repeated the answers Seokhyeon wanted several times did he finally get released.“And if seeing Mikhail bothers you, you don’t have to deal with him anymore.”Seokhyeon even tried to formally separate the two of them. Raon stared at him blankly for a moment.“No, there’s no need to go that far.”“You don’t have to force yourself.”“I mean it. It’s really fine.”Raon waved his hands insistently. He had never expected to be treated this protectively.Yes, as the nation’s only S-rank Guide, Raon had always received exceptional treatment—but most of it had been something he forced and seized through aggression, not this kind of unconditional sheltering where the Center itself stepped forward to shield him like a parent bird. It made his skin prickle with discomfort; he tried not to show it.“It’s my responsibility, so I’ll handle it. And Siwoo is always with me.”“All right. Stay together as much as possible.”“Yes.”Raon briefly considered telling him that Siwoo had nearly killed Mikhail.But unlike Raon, who had suffered, Mikhail had taken no actual damage due to his gravity ability. It had only been a threat—not an injury.And Raon had no intention of letting Siwoo be reprimanded because of that bastard. So he said nothing and left the Director’s Office.“Are you done talking?”“Yeah.”Siwoo approached. Raon looked up at him naturally.“Siwoo.”“Yes.”Instead of walking down the hall, Raon pulled Siwoo into a quiet corner and spoke in a low voice. Siwoo didn’t flinch; he simply waited calmly. Raon looked at him with tense eyes.“You can’t kill an S-rank Esper.”“……”“A-rank is… manageable. But not S-rank. Understand?”Raon pressed the point several times, almost harshly. Siwoo’s brows knitted.S-rank Espers were rare worldwide—especially in their own country. With A-rank, Raon and one other person could cover the fallout. But an S-rank death was another matter entirely. Even Siwoo would not escape consequences.True, the military wouldn’t discard Siwoo, now that his contamination had stabilized—but they could switch to using him as a Gate exploitation asset instead of allowing him to live freely. That would be worse. Their cohabitation had just begun; Raon would not allow Siwoo to be taken and worked like a slave in Gates.“No matter how angry you get, don’t fight Mikhail.”“Why are you saying that to me? He’s the one who did something wrong.”“He’ll be punished by someone other than me.”“…Tch.”Siwoo jut out his lower lip in clear displeasure. The look was so characteristically cute that Raon had to bite back a sigh. If he wasn’t careful, he would forgive him far too easily.“If you mess up, they’ll send you into nothing but high-rank Gates nonstop. And I’ll be left alone at home. You really want that? Hm?”“That’s…”Siwoo faltered, surprised. Clearly, he had never considered that outcome. Raon pressed harder.“Do you want to keep making me anxious? Then how am I supposed to stay with you?”“…I was wrong.”“You were. And you won’t do it again, right?”“…Yes.”Only then did Raon allow himself to look satisfied. Siwoo nodded obediently. It wasn’t a guarantee—but compared to Espers who ignored their Guides and went berserk, this was manageable.Raon lifted his hand and gently patted Siwoo’s head, as he always did. Siwoo went so far as to lower his head to make it easier.“Then let’s go back to the training hall.”“Yes.”Raon took Siwoo’s hand and walked ahead. Unfortunately, while Siwoo walked along quietly like a harmless herbivore:I’ll just kill him where Raon won’t find out.He was already calculating. Just like how he had drowned the representative before, he only needed to make sure no one noticed. Siwoo had no intention of letting anyone who hurt Raon live.“Dasom, how is training going?”“Ah—Team Leader!”Back in the training hall, Dasom’s expression was clearly brighter. She had been laughing with Jamie about something. When Raon approached, she still couldn’t stop smiling.“So, I told Jay that I couldn’t tell the difference between guiding energy and healing energy, and Jay—”They had met only hours ago, yet the two were already familiar.Raon smiled outwardly, but did not let his guard down. Before the regression, he had never gotten close to either of them, so he didn’t know what their relationship had been. But this seemed too comfortable.Raon didn’t distrust Jamie—but circumstances had changed. Caution cost nothing. He glanced at Jamie, who continued smiling kindly as Dasom spoke rapidly.“So then I said, I don’t even have any Esper with a high match rate, so I don’t know why guiding energy feels so distracting, and Jay just laughed! I thought it was a joke, haha.”“Dasom, I wasn’t laughing at you—”“I know, I know! It’s fine. When I was still just a Guide, the Esper I matched highest with was thirty-three percent. Isn’t that ridiculous?”“Dasom…”Dasom spoke cheerfully, but could not fully hide the wound underneath. Jamie’s green eyes softened in sympathy.“It’s better than me. My highest match with any Guide in the Union was thirty-one percent.”“What? Really?”“Really. They said it would be better to take medication than to try guiding.”“I was told the same thing!”The two burst into shared laughter. But it was not something to laugh about. Raon watched Jamie with a serious expression.“So you’ve been relying only on guiding suppressants?”“No—fortunately, another country scouted a Guide with a high match with me. We barely clear fifty percent, but it’s workable.”“That’s a relief.”Raon let out a breath.Some ability users like Dasom and Jamie had unusual wave patterns, making compatible partners scarce—especially those with high rank or special abilities like healing. It was natural that both of them struggled.“And ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) if I matched well with Jay, I’d just guide him every day instead of paying tuition. Hehe.”“That’s kind of you, even as a joke.”Jamie smiled, warm enough to seem like he might pat Dasom’s head.“Healing contamination rises more slowly than other abilities, so it’s fine. That’s why I came alone this time.”“If you ever need guiding, tell me.”“I will.”Even with low match, S-rank Guide guiding would still be more effective than most. Raon offered the words willingly, grateful that Jamie was kind to Dasom——and felt a sharp, unmistakable stare.He didn’t need to turn to know who it came from.Siwoo.

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