Chapter 72: A Confident Answer

Fortunately or unfortunately, my turn to respond to Agency Head Han Dongil never came.

“Right, very good.”

Smack.

A hand shot out from the side and pried Han Dongil’s hand off my chin.

Han Dongil, who I thought had a rather large build until a moment ago, looked like an unremarkable old man standing next to Jaeyul.

Jaeyul’s physique was just that good.

“You must be Agent Seon Jaeyul. Would you mind letting go of this hand?”

“Why should I? Did you ask for an opinion before grabbing his chin, mister?”

Ah, did I teach Jaeyul too well…?

I told him never to show weakness at the Center, to never lose his confident attitude in front of anyone, and here he is, having a battle of wills with the Head of the Special Abilities Support Agency.

Calling him ‘mister’ even though he clearly knows his identity.

“Mis… ter. Haha! Our young friend is quite spirited. The future looks very promising! I was right to come and see for myself.”

Han Dongil is a cunning old fox.

He’s not the type to react emotionally in a situation like this.

He gave Jaeyul a magnanimous smile and patted his shoulder, easing the atmosphere.

Getting overly angry in a situation like this wouldn’t be good either.

Jaeyul, as if sensing this, let go of the Agency Head’s wrist.

“That stings. An SS-rank indeed. But today, Agent Jin Sehyeon’s matter is more urgent, so let’s postpone our introductions.”

“This is not according to the contract. We were hired on the condition that we would work at the same Center.”

Jaeyul’s appearance, speaking logically in contrast to his emotional response just a moment ago, seemed different.

I thought he would always be a child in my arms, but he’s like a different person when he’s working.

At this rate, there’s no need for me to step in.

He’s all grown up, really.

“Well. The Center has its circumstances, doesn’t it? I don’t know if I should have to explain this… but the Seoul 1st Center has three S-rank espers, so it would be more efficient for the SS-rank Guide to go there.”

“Ha, efficiency….”

Wow… our Jaeyul is really gutsy.

To scoff like that in front of the Agency Head.

Even recalling my past self, it wouldn’t have been easy to do that at 22.

Thanks to the blatant ridicule, the Agency Head’s face hardened slightly.

“I don’t know if you’re aware, but I almost died from a rampage recently. Because there was no matching Guide, because I couldn’t receive proper guiding. The one who saved me then was this Agent Jin Sehyeon.”

“If necessary, I’ll assign another A-rank or higher Guide. No, I’ll search the entire country and find a Guide with a matching rate.”

“You have the order wrong. If an SS-rank Guide has appeared, shouldn’t the SS-rank esper naturally be the first to undergo a matching rate test?

Especially in a situation where there is no suitable Guide for an SS-rank esper. You said the 1st Center has ‘only’ S-ranks, didn’t you? Then they should wait their turn.”

“……”

Well done, my boy!

His words were so irrefutable that even the Branch Directors who came with the Agency Head were silent.

“We will proceed with the matching test today. Let’s go.”

Jaeyul wrapped an arm around my shoulder and began to forcibly push through the crowd.

It was a unilateral declaration.

But it seemed Agency Head Han Dongil wasn’t going to just take it lying down.

“Don’t be too confident. Just because you’re the same rank doesn’t mean you’ll have a good match. If the matching rate is low, you’ll have to move to a different Center immediately.

Ah, it might be a good idea to create a special position directly under me at the Support Agency headquarters. For Agent Jin Sehyeon, of course.”

Han Dongil said, spewing what sounded like a curse at our backs.

How much does he plan to work me to the bone by putting me under him?

Do you think I don’t know?

On the contrary, there were quite a few cases where the matching rate between a very low-rank Guide and a high-rank esper was good.

Even if that wasn’t the case, depending on the disposition of each Guide, some were innately endowed with a particularly high synchronization rate with various espers, so rank actually had little to do with the matching rate.

A higher Guide rank only meant one could receive higher quality guiding.

“It’s okay, Jaeyul-ah. …We’ll have a good match.”

Honestly… I’m the one who’s worried.

In case the matching rate really is a disaster.

Still, it was enough to stop a rampage, so at the very least, it should be higher than the Guides at the 2nd Center.

Didn’t they say his matching rate with them was below 10%?

“I know. I’m not worried.”

Jaeyul answered with a voice full of conviction, even though we hadn’t even been tested yet.

As if he already knew the result.

***

“Oh, you’re here? Team Leader Seon, you look like a different person after taking a few days off, huh? Haha!”

How can a face be so unpleasant to look at?

It makes me wonder if choosing the Seoul 2nd Center was a mistake.

Well… one of the reasons I came here was this bastard, though.

“It’s been a while, Director.”

Nadongchan.

The bastard who always picked on Jaeyul.

I really want to poke his eyes out with my fingers.

“Why so formal, what’s with us? Still, if you had such a talent… no, an ability, you should have given me a little hint. I would have helped you a lot.”

His tone and attitude are so different from before.

Until the last time we met, he called him this bastard, that bastard, or this thing, that thing.

As expected, his two-faced attitude is consistently detestable.

Looking at him now, he seems like he’d give up his liver and gallbladder for us.

“Nice to meet you too, Agent Jin Sehyeon? Let’s get along well from now on!”

Shameless.

How can he, without any sense of decency, extend his hand to me for a handshake?

Does that bastard have an eraser in his brain?

Did he think I would shake the hand that pushed Jaeyul’s chest, the hand of a man who treated us like trash?

“Is there really a need to get along well? I’m not even an esper, so I doubt we’ll see each other much. Well then, keep up the good work.”

I don’t care if he’s the Director or what.

Anyway, I’m not an esper, so I’ll rarely have anything to do with the esper team that Nadongchan manages.

Of course, even so, I have no intention of showing a fake smile to a bastard like that.

It’s a waste of my facial muscles.

I walked right past the man who was offering a handshake.

I can say with certainty that he won’t be able to say a word.

Because he’s the type to be weak to the strong and strong to the weak.

He won’t do anything to get on the bad side of us, who are at the center of attention.

“Why is he so quiet? It’s unsettling.”

As expected, no voice was heard from behind.

“You have to be firm with guys like that. That way, they can’t look down on you. I don’t know about other people, but Jaeyul, you should be careful of that Nadongchan. He’s a snake-like man.”

“…How do you know the Director’s name, hyung?”

“Uh…? I-I did some research beforehand! I have to know who’s who.”

I almost made another slip of the tongue.

It’s a place I’ve known my whole life since I came of age, but knowing too much is also a problem.

If I don’t know something, I can pretend not to know.

I was worried Jaeyul would dig deeper, but fortunately, the examination staff appeared at the right time.

“Could you two please wait for a moment? There are quite a few people who wish to observe the examination… We will guide you in once everyone has entered.”

We were led to a waiting room next to the examination room where the matching rate test would be conducted.

The suspicious higher-ups probably wanted to watch in person in case there was any foul play.

I don’t have the ability to manipulate test results, so it’s an excessive reaction.

“Jaeyul-ah… but what if our matching rate doesn’t come out high?”

Left alone in the quiet space, my true feelings slipped out.

I was the one who came up with this whole plan, but not every action was taken with certainty of the outcome.

In fact, me getting an SS-rank was also unexpected.

So now, after making all these grand pronouncements, I was worried that the matching rate would come out low.

“Well… I’m sure it won’t. Actually, I remember when I was rampaging. My body wouldn’t listen, but my consciousness was vaguely there.”

“…Really…?”

“Yeah. So I remember everything. You getting hurt by my attacks, and yet you still hugging me and guiding me.”

I naturally assumed Jaeyul wouldn’t remember anything.

To think he remembered that moment… it probably wasn’t a very good memory.

“It was so hard to watch you getting hurt. But… the feeling when I received your guiding was just like… finding a lost half of myself. It felt like I, who had only been half-full inside, finally became whole.”

It was too abstract a description for me to understand what kind of sensation it was.

Still, I understood that it was a very good feeling.

“So don’t worry. I’m sure we’ll be a good match. And even if, by some one-in-a-million chance, we don’t get the result we want, it doesn’t matter.”

“Why…?”

“Because I’ll make it happen somehow. I’ll go wherever you are, no matter what it takes.”

…It’s ridiculous.

What confidence does this kid, who failed even at the deal to stop my examination, have to talk like that?

Realistically, it was nothing more than empty bravado, but strangely… I want to believe him.

I find myself wanting to believe the absurd vow Jaeyul is making.

“We are ready. You may enter the examination room.”

Before I could even reply, the staff came to get us.

“Hoo… let’s go.”

Still, Jaeyul’s confident answer made my heart feel much lighter.

Right.

Let’s worry about what happens next when it happens.

As long as the goal is firm at any given moment, a solution can be found.

My goal, Seon Jaeyul, is firm, so there’s no problem.

“Please stand facing each other on the examination device, place one hand on the sphere, and hold each other’s other hand.”

The staff’s voice coming through the speaker was unusually tense.

It was understandable.

Beyond the glass window of the examination room were numerous observers.

The Branch Directors from each Center and the Agency Head, all hell-bent on taking me if our matching rate wasn’t good.

With such people gathered, it was natural for a mere employee to be nervous.

Jaeyul and I stood facing each other.

We held one hand and placed the other on the examination device.

“Beginning the matching test. Please proceed with the guiding until the completion message appears.”

A mechanical sound was heard, and I began to push mana into the hand I was holding with Jaeyul.

“Don’t be nervous, hyung. You don’t have to push this hard; it’s enough.”

“…Ah, sorry. I didn’t realize….”

My enthusiasm got the better of me.

Jaeyul squeezed my hand a few times as if to tell me to relax.

I gathered my thoughts again and continued the guiding.

As I focused on Jaeyul’s face in front of me, my tension seemed to ease a little.

I proceeded with the guiding slowly, as if meticulously examining the mana path unfolding inside Jaeyul’s body.

A clear and shining mana, like the technique he used.

It was a wave of light that poured out endlessly.

But at that moment, a strange sensation swept through my entire body.

A resonance was transmitted, as if Jaeyul’s mana and mine were in sync.

A continuous ‘woong, woong’ vibration was felt.

I was so surprised I almost let go of his hand.

Fortunately, thanks to Jaeyul’s firm grip, I was able to maintain my posture.

“See, I was right, wasn’t I? I told you we’d be a good match.”

Now I understand the meaning of what Jaeyul said earlier.

The mana I sent out and Jaeyul’s mana mixed without any hesitation.

As if they were one from the very beginning.

“Test complete. Matching rate….”

And the result, too, was the same as what we had felt.

“Is 98%.”