Chapter 22: Ppoppi’s Alarm

“Don’t get hurt today either, and it’s okay if you only make a little money!”

“Jaeyul, have fun today and eat a lot of lunch, okay? If you get home first, there are snacks in the fridge, so help yourself.”

“Okay! Have a good day, hyung!”

We said goodbye for a long time in front of the school gate.

Jaeyul has been attending school pretty well now.

He seems to have gained a bit more confidence since starting judo.

Strangely, he still doesn’t seem to have friends, but oh well.

I also walked briskly, not dawdling.

“Arf!”

“What, you little… do I have to bring you to work too?”

I walked with Ppoppi, leashed.

He hated being home alone.

For some reason, he seemed a little awkward around Jaeyul.

He acted cute and begged for snacks with me, but in front of Jaeyul, he just sat quietly.

Thinking about it made me angry.

Does this little monster think I’m lower in rank than him?!

Being ignored by a creature like this is too frustrating….

“Go a little slower! It’s not that busy!”

Ppoppi ran excitedly, as if on a walk.

Holding the leash and keeping up was exhausting.

I’d be dead tired before even starting work, damn it!

I was nervous.

I was anxious.

Had I made some mistake…?

Well, before, I had only received guiding, never actually done it myself.

Moreover, I had never used a private guiding office before.

Should I have researched demand a bit more before opening…?

“Twelve o’clock…”

It was almost lunchtime.

Yet no one had come to the office since opening.

Of course, with no signboard, people couldn’t easily find it, but I didn’t expect no one to show up at all.

If I wanted to cancel the lease now… that bulky guy would probably beat me to death…?

Ding-dong.

Just as despair deepened, the bell on the door at the top of the stairs rang.

Step by step, I saw the lower half of someone coming down.

Finally… the first customer…!

I quickly stood up to prepare.

“What? Is this a guiding office?”

The man stopped halfway down the stairs.

Probably because of the dim lights and shabby interior.

Though I had cleaned it well….

“Yes! Welcome!”

I greeted him as brightly as I could.

He looked a bit younger than me—or rather, younger than I used to be.

Roughly late 20s?

He clearly looked like a combat-type esper.

His fierce expression and massively built body said it all.

Even awakened combat-type espers had dramatically increased physical abilities compared to other types.

Add an alpha trait, and even more so.

“Ah… so that’s what this is about?”

The man let out a wheezy laugh and slowly approached.

What do you mean “this”? Why laugh like that?

“…Um, what are you doing…?”

And why are you running your hand over your chest…?

“Ah, don’t act so innocent. Oh, is that the concept? Isn’t this a hands-on guiding office?”

The man came right up to me.

He was at least a head taller than me.

Seeing him, a shadow fell across my face.

And his huge hand on my shoulder…

Does this guy beat monsters bare-handed? Intimidating… maybe?

“Arf! Arf!”

Ppoppi sensed the danger too.

“You have a dog? Cute. Anyway, how much? 30? 50? How far for how many hours?”

Of course, I didn’t actually find him intimidating.

Did he really think I’d open this office without thinking?

Even in a neighborhood full of criminals?

This guy’s “guiding” included lots of physical contact.

But the moment he spoke like that… he was doomed.

I’m 32 mentally, but 17 physically!

“Normal guiding is 20, special guiding is 40…”

I gently grabbed both his wrists.

The pervert had a lewd expression, imagining all kinds of things.

I smiled back and let my mana flow into him.

“You’re paying double, bastard. Where’s your manners?”

“Ugh, agh…! Wait, agh…!”

The pervert screamed as his knees buckled and he collapsed.

Luckily, since it was underground, the sound wouldn’t escape outside.

“Why? Didn’t you ask for this? You wanted physical contact, right?”

I had discovered this ability by chance.

Unlike normal guiding, if I added a bit of malice and sent mana into someone, I could drastically amplify their senses.

For example, touch, hearing, and vision.

If used well, it could be amazing, but enhancing touch could make even the slightest contact excruciating.

Enhancing hearing could make me seem deafening even when speaking softly.

“S-stop… agh…!”

He probably wasn’t in good condition even before coming.

Overusing his esper abilities likely destabilized his mana.

He might go berserk soon.

And by amplifying his pain, he was basically at death’s door.

“You’ll need special guiding, so the cost is one million won. Understood, customer?”

His eyes nearly popped out, but he nodded slightly.

I dropped him on the floor and began guiding.

A sofa would’ve been a waste on this guy.

You think I’m just tormenting him and overcharging? Exactly.

No need for perverted customers.

“Hu, huff… what the hell are you…?”

My first customer finally realized what was happening.

He spoke normally after receiving the guiding for a while.

“I’m a guide.”

“How… is this so effective? Guiding without touching, and I feel better this fast…?”

Ah, I intentionally went a little slow.

Next time, I’ll go even slower.

Too much skill is exhausting.

“You received special care. If you like it, come often. Visit 10 times and the next session is 50% off—so don’t leave before that.”

“Wow… I’m exhausted…”

After the first customer, two more came.

It seemed impossible to run the office daily.

The mana alone was enough, but dealing with low-quality mercenaries and criminal espers took a heavy mental toll.

Some wanted it free, some wanted discounts.

Still, my wallet was full, so the business was good.

Later, I’d buy the buyer guy a nice bottle of alcohol.

Thanks to his promotion, business seemed to be going well.

“Woah!”

Ppoppi had been in the basement all day, so he jumped and begged to go home quickly.

“Okay, I’ll give you meat too. How do you eat more than me with that tiny body?”

Half the food expenses went to Ppoppi’s meat.

He ignored kibble and ate only beef or chicken.

I think he probably ate a whole cow a week.

Thanks to him, my back hurt.

I tried to finish early and head home, but it was already sunset.

Jaeyul must be waiting…

Had he eaten?

I thought of rushing home to cook meat as I climbed the uphill path.

“Woah!”

Ppoppi suddenly bolted.

I lost grip of the leash.

“Ppoppi!”

He raced uphill at incredible speed, and I chased after him.

What now…?

Something felt wrong.

When Ppoppi acted out like this, there was always a reason.

I ran with all my strength.

“Haa… haa…”

He stopped at the narrow alley beside our house.

He froze like a statue, tail high, making no sound.

I approached, and a voice reached my ears.

“This brat dares punch his father? Your mother died by my hand too! Today, you’ll meet the same fate!”

So this was why Ppoppi ran, and why I was uneasy.

I looked into the alley, heart sinking.

It was Jaeyul and his stepfather.

Correction: an unconscious, bleeding Jaeyul, and a beastly man lifting him by the hair.

“Let go of his hand.”

I knew… today I couldn’t hold back.

Whatever it took.