Becoming the Guide of the Mysophobic Villain? Absolutely Not! - Chapter 159
Umm…
Hesitating for a moment, I timidly asked,
“…Have you tasted something like that?”
“…”
“Ah, right. I’ve never actually licked snowflakes in a country of sugar either…”
Anyway, what was that feeling all about?
Unlike me, who couldn’t grasp it at all, Oscar was furiously livid.
“Y-You should feel satiated at least…! Espers seek guiding to survive, not to feel like some spring is flowing inside them or to experience ecstasy!”
…Wasn’t it?
I was perplexed.
Wasn’t it that Espers feel ticklish, good, and such when receiving guiding?
Regardless of my confusion, Oscar continued to rant.
“And! I am the A-Class Guide, Oscar! Famous among Guides for being a great guiding experience…! Espers line up to receive my guiding, enough to wrap around the Center, but what? Boiled petroleum? Boiled petroleum! Apologize right now or… AHHHH!”
Oscar’s tirade was cut short because Claude, using his ability, flung him out of the classroom.
The door closed with a bang loud enough to feel like it would fall off its hinges, silencing even Oscar’s tragic screams.
And then…
“…Rose.”
“Oof—”
Before I even realized he was by my side, I was already in his embrace.
Where Oscar’s hand had touched his cheek, now rested against my ear. With the hand that had grabbed Oscar, he enveloped my nape.
He behaved as if he couldn’t bear it anymore if he couldn’t touch my bare skin, not minding how uncomfortable it was to hunch over like that because of our height difference.
It felt like he was the one being embraced, yet I was in his arms.
“I need to be purified…”
He murmured, lightly rubbing his cheek against mine. His voice resonated low in my ears.
I was a bit flustered, actually. It was unlike him to whine to me.
Hugging him awkwardly, I patted his back, and he sighed deeply, as if he was finally at ease.
“Please… don’t ever make me touch Oscar like this again…”
“Did you hate it that much?”
“…”
“…Okay, I’m sorry.”
Even as I tried to console him by stroking his back, he wouldn’t easily let go. It seemed he really disliked touching Oscar.
Knowing his severe aversion to direct contact with other people, I simply allowed him to embrace me until he was content.
If possible, I wanted to offer more, even guiding, truthfully.
But even as we hugged for a while, no guiding occurred. Lately, it had been happening quite easily, but its whims were unfathomable again.
Claude seemed indifferent, but still…
I worried my nervous heartbeats might reach him.
It’s true that in the original story, I’d stopped worrying long ago, but this was truly peculiar.
Claude’s guiding allergy had suddenly disappeared.
* * *
There are moments when things taken for granted suddenly become apparent again.
“It’s obviously Lord Daniel, isn’t it?”
What would be a common interest that comes up when Guides gather together?
Obviously, Espers.
Which Esper is the best? Guides never tire of gossiping about this topic every time they meet.
“Ah, Millie, haven’t you guided Lord Daniel before? How was it?”
“It was nice. He made light jokes to ease the atmosphere without being burdensome. He was very mannerly without any frivolous advances.”
“Oooh…”
“…Actually, someone like Lord Daniel could afford to be a bit of a playboy.”
The Guides laughed heartily.
Listening indifferently, I thought to myself how nice it must be.
It felt like I was a married woman who had thoroughly drifted apart from her single friends. What I mean is, I couldn’t quite fit into the conversation.
I already have my mated Esper. And I’ve made quite the fuss announcing our imprinting with that Esper. What use is there in paying attention to other Espers?
Maybe that’s why. The topic of ‘which Esper is the best’ that always comes up among Guides didn’t resonate or entertain me at all.
So, what did I do? I half-listened to the conversation. Not blatantly ignoring them, of course. I have a high-level technique for these situations.
I simply looked gently at the forehead of any Guide speaking and smiled subtly. Then, they’d think I was looking them in the eyes and engaging.
So far, Irene is the only one who has caught on to this technique, so I was confident I wouldn’t get caught.
But then…
