Chapter 12: Objection Heard

“I’ve heard you treat the troops like toys. Dragging privates around isn’t enough, you go poking your nose everywhere. You’d do well to behave and keep yourself in check. You are still under surveillance, a potential threat-”

“That surveillance nonsense again. I get it.”

As Juju muttered loud enough to be heard, the colonel finally fell silent, his face turning truly fearsome.

Meeting those black eyes flecked with a bluish gleam, Juju tilted his head slightly.

“You said you’d hear my objection.”

“…”

The colonel’s face twisted with visible conflict.

“Is it really such a difficult request to have me called by my name?”

“…”

Despite radiating intimidation, the man before him showed no fear, remaining perfectly calm.

It was as if he didn’t even know what intimidation was.

An esper would have either trembled and submitted, or bared their fangs and attacked by now.

“…Juju.”

“Yes, Colonel. I’ll state my objection.”

Colonel Shan Pei’s gaze lingered for a long moment on the faint smile playing at Juju’s lips.

It was exceedingly rare for his emotions to stir.

Yet, whenever he was with this man, Lee Juju, his emotions surged as though they no longer belonged to him.

Even now, suddenly, without warning.

The colonel could not understand why feelings so utterly out of place were spreading through him.

It felt like warm liquid spilling over his chest.

Heat radiating through his clothes.

It was… strangely similar to relief.

Relief… about what?

Could it be that this man, Lee Juju, didn’t hate him despite his threatening presence…?

“You threw me out of your office. You said you’d listen later, so please hear me now. I intend to do guiding. As the unit’s dedicated guide. I came to the infirmary because I thought the guide’s position might be similar to the medical officer’s, so I wanted to take a look.”

The colonel snapped to attention.

Juju’s words finally crystallized in his ears.

“It looks like I’m the only guide here, so I’ll handle it myself. Guiding espers is a guide’s duty, after all.”

“…”

Throughout Juju’s explanation, the colonel remained curiously silent, lips pressed together.

Even after last night’s prolonged Radiant Guiding, and even though the colonel had been at the very front receiving it, his eye color hadn’t brightened even a fraction.

Yet Juju felt this irresistible urge to speak to him, to touch him, even more…

It was clear their matching rate must be incredibly high.

Guiding efficiency always followed the matching rate.

Then why…?

Juju tilted his head.

‘Why isn’t he responding?’

His eyes narrowed.

“Colonel? Do you want me to leave this place?”

“…I never said I’d let you go.”

“Oh, come on.”

Juju shook his head lightly.

The colonel looked as if he didn’t even realize what he’d just said.

Espers were often entranced by a guide’s appearance, just as guides could be entranced by an esper.

Even when the guide’s face wasn’t particularly special.

Juju shrugged.

‘Well, I am handsome.’

Reluctantly, the colonel seemed to approve of that thought.

“So, when do I get to meet the rest of the espers? How many are there?”

“Why do you ask?”

“If there are too many for me to handle, I might have to run away.”

Juju replied with a clear, innocent expression.

****

Although Colonel Shan Pei had not officially recognized Juju as the unit’s dedicated guide, he did gather all the espers at the base.

His order was executed instantly, and the infirmary, which was usually fairly spacious, soon felt cramped as it was filled with espers.

Russell, with his usual stoic expression, reported that all the troops who knew Juju had sought him out.

Juju felt a twinge of guilt.

But last night, he had unleashed Radiant Guiding in overwhelming amounts, it couldn’t be helped.

He smiled lightly, changing the subject.

“By the way, what year is it?”

“Year 568 After the Great Cataclysm.”

He had hoped for something ordinary, like B.C., but of course, that was useless.

Year 568 After the Great Cataclysm… what even was that?

The espers Juju had seen in the colonel’s room were gathered here.

Warrant Officer Rascal, who had pleaded for him to guide the soldiers, was also present.

With his keen eyes, Juju instantly recognized their faces.

Of course, the espers who had received Radiant Guiding also recognized him.

Those seeing Juju for the first time were easy to spot.

Their gazes were wary, hostile even.

Truly a closed-off military mindset.

“Reporting. Including myself, Captain Jin, the lieutenants, NCOs, and enlisted personnel, a total of thirty-two members of Ghost Company are present.”

At the mention of thirty-two, Juju blinked.

“Fewer than I expected.”

“That’s because only Ghost Company members are assembled.”

“Hmm. Alright. Then I’ll explain what I’ll be doing from now on.”

With a brazen expression, Juju stood.

Naturally, all eyes in the room were fixed on him.

So many black eyes staring at him made cold sweat bead on his back.

‘It’s fine. They won’t go berserk…’

These people didn’t even know what guiding was yet, so Juju had to plan how to proceed himself.

He had considered discussing it with the colonel, but the colonel didn’t seem to understand most of what he was saying.

In the end, Juju had to create the schedule himself.

Even so, he caught a few black eyes shooting him looks that could kill, troops brimming with loyalty, angered that an outsider dared speak before their superiors.

‘Well, they don’t know what guiding is yet.’

“You all know you’re in a dangerous state. I’ll be guiding five people per day. Four days of guiding, then three days off. Starting the following week, guiding will resume. Once everyone has received guiding once, we’ll do one person in the morning, two in the afternoon.”

Someone tried to object, but another soldier quickly shut their mouth.

Those who recognized Juju simply lowered their heads silently.

“That’s all. Any questions-”

“We’ll stop here.”

The colonel cut him off sharply.

When Juju turned to look at him, he met those glossy black eyes again.

“Dismissed.”

At the command, the espers poured out of the infirmary.

Juju looked at the colonel with a dissatisfied expression.

“I could’ve explained what guiding actually is.”

“They’ll learn through practice starting tomorrow. Is an explanation really necessary?”

‘Well…’

Not wrong, but still.

Juju narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at the colonel.

The colonel, for his part, didn’t avert his gaze at all.

‘Hmm, feels like the matching rate is over ninety percent.’

The longer Juju stayed near him, the stronger that unfamiliar, swelling affection became.

He hadn’t felt this even with Michelle, whose matching rate had been 79.2 percent.

At this level, guiding should work even without physical contact.

So why hadn’t it worked?

No, Juju reconsidered.

It wasn’t that guiding wasn’t working;

it was that the colonel had simply overused his abilities until now.

Sometimes S-class espers desperately need guiding after excessive ability use.

Perhaps this was one of those cases.

Espers were essentially vessels.

They could only use their abilities up to the size of their vessel, usually classified by class.

If the colonel was an S-class esper who had never received guiding before, Radiant Guiding would’ve been woefully insufficient.

That explained why his eyes remained glossy black, not brightening at all.

“By the way, Colonel, I don’t think I’ve heard your name yet.”

“I am Colonel Shan Pei.”

Juju nodded.

“Alright. Can I call you Shan? You can call me Juju. As I said before.”

The colonel closed his eyes briefly, as if restraining something.

“…Do so.”

‘If you don’t like being called by your name, you should have told me not to.’

Juju ignored the colonel’s half-unhinged expression.

Officers and NCOs nearby whispered among themselves as they watched the two.

****

The next day, 3:00 p.m.

After guiding one officer and two NCOs, the fourth esper entered, his dissatisfaction obvious.

Juju only realized he was Jason’s friend after the man gave a stiff salute.

‘Private Ian, was it?’