Chapter 31: A New Guardian

The exhaustion from all the recent events catching up to me at once prevented me from sleeping deeply, and I ended up waking up at dawn.
If only I had a sleep chip at times like this, I would fall asleep immediately…
Feeling a sense of regret, I sat on the sofa and watched the sun slowly rise.

I was gradually getting used to being back, but there were times when it still felt unbelievable.
I had certainly died, so the mystery of how I had returned to the past remained.
But regardless, I had returned to the past, and I wanted to cherish this second life.

After eating breakfast, I waited for a call from the Center.
I was getting ready in advance since they said a new manager would be assigned to me today.

When it was 9 AM, the hotel doorbell rang.
From the polite two rings, I instinctively knew it was the manager.

I went to the door and asked who it was, and as expected, it was the new manager.

With a slight sense of anticipation, I opened the door to find a man shorter than me with black-rimmed glasses.
He had an overall round and gentle impression.

As soon as the door opened, the man bowed 90 degrees and greeted me.

“Hello, Guide Lee Shinui. I am Choi Jinseok, and I have been assigned as your new manager.”

“I’m Lee Shinui. I look forward to working with you.”

I also bowed my head to Jinseok and greeted him.
It was a relief that my first impression of him wasn’t bad.

“I brought a temporary uniform from the Association. After you change, I will inform you of today’s schedule.”

I knew the reason he had asked for my measurements yesterday was for the clothes.
I took the suitcase from him and we went inside together.

“I’ll go change. Please make yourself comfortable.”

“I understand.”

After seeing him sit on the sofa, I went into the bedroom and opened the suitcase.
It was a solid black uniform.
When I tried it on, it fortunately looked good, not too stiff and with a cool feel.

When I came out wearing the uniform, Jinseok reflexively gasped in admiration, then quickly covered his mouth and cleared his throat.

“The uniform suits you well.”

“Thank you. What is the schedule for today?”

I asked about the schedule, sitting on the sofa diagonal to him.
He then looked at the tablet PC he was holding and said.

“In the morning, we will get your uniform tailored, and after lunch, I will give you a tour of the Center. And from the afternoon, there will be a matching test with the S-Class Espers.”

The first few items on the schedule were simple, but the last one, the matching test with the S-Class Espers, weighed on my mind.

For now, I could prevent Hyun Taewoon from approaching, but if the Association found out that our matching rate was high, they would try to connect us somehow.

“Esper Hyun Taewoon isn’t participating in the matching test, is he?”

“No. The Association has requested that he be removed from the matching test list.”

“I see.”

I let out a sigh of relief inwardly.
But in the first place, he was not one to listen to the Association.
As an S-Class Esper, it was natural for him to act freely without caring about anyone’s opinion.
Knowing his personality, I had to be even more careful with this matching test.

“If you’re okay with it, Guide-nim, I would like to proceed with the schedule now. Is that alright?”

“Yes. It’s fine.”

Since there was nothing special to prepare, we went straight down to the underground parking lot.
In the past, my manager, Jinho-hyung, had driven the car himself, but this time, there was a separate driver.

The car, driven smoothly by the driver, arrived at a tailor shop that had been making S-Class Esper and guide uniforms for decades.

Unlike the mass-produced general uniforms, S-Class Esper and guide uniforms were specially made at a tailor shop.
An elderly tailor greeted me warmly.
Since I was the first S-Class Guide in 10 years, he said he was happy to be able to make a guide uniform again before he died.

In the consultation room, I listened to the tailor’s words and looked at the pre-selected stylings one by one.

I had thought it was the same design as Hyun Taewoon’s uniform, but they said that even if it was the same uniform, an S-Class uniform was tailored to the Awakened’s characteristics.

I listened to the explanation about the fabric, but honestly, even after listening, I couldn’t tell what was good about what, so I chose the fabrics and buttons that the tailor recommended.
By the time we finished the fitting and taking measurements, an hour had already passed.

“It will be finished within a fortnight at the latest. I will contact you as soon as it is complete.”

“Thank you for taking care of so many things.”

After being seen off by the tailor and the staff, we moved to an Awakened-exclusive restaurant near the Center.
I knew there was a restaurant for S and A-Classes, but I couldn’t help but be surprised to see it in person.
There was even a private room for me.

After a comfortable meal, I was given a tour of the Center by Jinseok.
Most of the places were ones I already knew, but I felt a sense of unfamiliarity when he showed me the exclusive spaces and privileges that only S-Classes could use.

After the tour, we moved to the matching test room for the last schedule of the day.
But I could faintly feel his wavelength.
They had said he was not on the matching test list…

He must have known that I was having a matching test today and come to find me.
Feeling a sense of foreboding, I hurriedly asked Jinseok.

“Are you sure Esper Hyun Taewoon is not at the Center today?”

“Yes. He is not allowed to enter today. Is there a problem?”

I couldn’t tell him that I felt his wavelength.
I couldn’t let him know that our matching rate was even a little bit high.

“I was just concerned. Could you please check one more time?”

Jinseok checked again if he was at the Center, but he received an answer that he was not.
However, his wavelength, full of his aura, was still lingering in the hallway.

I was worried about him being nearby while the matching test was in progress, but I thought I could just send him away like yesterday if we met, so I entered the matching test room.
In the monitoring room, Dr. Yoon and his assistant were waiting for me.

Jinseok also tried to come in, but Dr. Yoon stopped him and sent him out.
Today’s matching test was said to be confidential.

Dr. Yoon, who had sent Jinseok out, greeted me warmly.
He explained to me that today I would be doing a matching test with four S-Class Espers, and that I would also be doing a matching test with other S-Class Espers who had been dispatched overseas within the next week.

“Esper Sung Yohan is waiting in the matching test room.”

At his words, I nodded and entered the matching test room.
Just like before the regression, two chairs were placed side by side in the white room.

Sung Yohan, who was sitting on a chair, stood up and greeted me.
His face, which was flushed, looked unusually cheerful.

“Shinui-ssi, we meet again.”

“So we do.”

I answered curtly and sat on the chair right next to him.
He looked down at me and asked.

“What do you think our matching rate will be?”

“I don’t know. I have no idea.”

I had never done a matching test with any Esper other than him, so I couldn’t guess the result.

“I don’t have an exclusive, so I hope you’ll become my exclusive this time.”

“I’m sorry, but I’ve decided not to sign an exclusive contract.”

“Why not?”

“I’m more comfortable alone. I don’t like getting involved with people either.”

At my cold words, I saw one corner of his mouth go up slightly.
It felt like a sneer at me, but perhaps because he was handsome, the smile wasn’t unpleasant.

“Really? But there are always exceptions.”

I was about to ask what he meant when I heard Dr. Yoon’s voice.

• [We will now begin the matching test. Guide Shinui, please guide Esper Sung Yohan as instructed in the booklet I gave you yesterday.]

I had received the guiding booklet, but I had been doing guiding for three years until I was sick of it, so I knew it better than anyone.

“I understand.”

After answering Dr. Yoon, I held out my hand to him, and he placed both his hands demurely on mine.
I controlled my wavelength as clumsily as possible and guided him so that the matching rate would come out low.

I wanted to avoid the disaster of the matching rate coming out high if I guided as I usually did.
However, from Dr. Yoon’s following words, I could tell that the situation had taken a turn for the worse.

• [The guiding control ability score is exceptionally high.]

“I guess my control is good because I’m an S-Class.”

Sung Yohan chuckled.
I tried my best to match the average, but once I started guiding, my wavelength was emitted at an unbelievable rate.

Until now, I hadn’t felt anything special even after becoming an S-Class, but while guiding, I realized that it was definitely different.

• [The matching rate is 88%.]

“88%?”

A voice similar to a scream escaped me without me realizing it.
My matching rate with him was 83%…
I couldn’t believe it and was dazed for a while.

To the bewildered me, he said in a happy voice.

“They said we’re 88%. Do you know this, Shinui-ssi? If the matching rate is over 80%, we automatically become a pair. If my guiding level is below the calm zone, you have to guide me unconditionally.”

“This is the first I’ve heard of that.”

Before the regression, I had thoroughly read the Awakened law, concerned about the possibility of him terminating the exclusive contract, but I remember that there was no such provision.

“Of course. It’s a law that was made this month.”

From his words, I could sense that the future I knew was slowly changing.

“I look forward to working with you, Guide Shinui.”

No sooner had his words ended than his wavelength, which I had been feeling nearby, showed a sharp movement.
And in an instant, he appeared next to Dr. Yoon.
I was surprised by his sudden appearance, but I had predicted it to some extent, so I quickly regained my composure.

I had felt his wavelength in the Center and wondered, but as expected, it seemed he had been hiding and watching the situation.

• [I can get a higher score!]

“Wasn’t Esper Hyun Taewoon banned from entering?”

At my words, Dr. Yoon made a troubled expression.
I told him to leave, but he ignored my words and came into the matching test room.