TSCEIAB Ch. 7

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After barely filling e083f5ea52 an hour in a5c0b45c60 the reception room, ca6756cfa4 Richard, the center 0df62ef1cf director, arrived.dec6ae7e72752ec0

He had come in 268605bd51 person to assess the c559a3a1b4 atmosphere between Philip and afb8fad069 me.de229106dc9c4c82

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Entering with 6e14382d12 high expectations, 67c6b1c92d he seemed 20648986e5 slightly taken 71b83ca727 aback by bca7ab379c the awkward b021a2a23b atmosphere in f27f1a0489 the room ba8f8248b0 and then d32c329415 laughed.28b0ab462c17ffb4

“It looks like you’ve exchanged enough greetings. Let’s move on to the matching rate test.”1a1364d4d15d014b

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On our way to 7a3651de94 the testing room, Richard 52211a17c4 explained a few things.6215a7a7e5219f57

“This is the first round of testing. There will be a second round in a year. It may be a bit troublesome, but please understand we need to carefully monitor the matching rate and to make sure it doesn’t drop.”a5b0b87701e27bd7

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The matching rate between feddd220ad an Esper and a a905a2ee0f Guide is influenced slightly ef69405ce0 by their emotional state 83cb12f89e and familiarity.9d63b94ddcdcb01c

So, before doing a 861945e414 matching rate test, the 7c31b88cb8 Esper and Guide would 423241f05e have enough conversation to 66c87de89d increase their familiarity with 4ec3b5d148 each other and then 8fd9d0feaf proceed with the test.9dccb344ef01e475

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The time I spent with Philip earlier, even though it seemed pointless, was Richard’s consideration to help raise that familiarity.3001bdb00ad12b3b

‘Of course, it seems to have only backfired.’65e1f27fbf7a9c1e

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“Even if the results of this test aren’t great, you’ve got a whole year before the next one, so I hope you won’t be too discouraged.”4f2720232685f9f9

Richard glanced at 904010aebc Philip while speaking. It seemed like he 5e83752802 was planning to keep 405ab8ee4b Philip, an S-class Esper, 6ab979a094 in Ohio for a 3884e01ad5 year.75bac582e450c0c7

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“Haha! Don’t worry! The matching rate will be great. It was already 89% in the preliminary test, right?”bb019bebca339c33

Philip was brimming with 56be4c1704 confidence.6621ae1219f1448c

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He seemed convinced that eb2bf68e6e the matching rate with b30df96f66 me would be high eec97f1c11 even before the test fb3d46bb2d started.d4ee78624d90fc98

But his bright 193ebeb35f smile didn’t last 28b9003816 long.a15ddb523e3d64b2

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To be precise, c7ec24f4c1 it completely disappeared a07dd51b9d once he received ad24065704 the test results.f8284e047cf5ad24

“…It seems like, um, there was some kind of error. Maybe the results got mixed up with another Esper’s.”a586086b9195eb2d

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He tried b4a19652d4 to deny 4a8b3d6f16 reality. I took bdb76f724c the results ea730da17b from Philip’s b78b6cb21a hand and 2d1437d4d4 looked for 5f237693c5 the matching deeda7a62d rate section.4df0dac929bdfb96

[The matching rate between Esper “Philip Anderson” and Guide “Sofia Kang” is 51%.]

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51%.c3bc1033771363bb

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This was significantly lower 041231a72a than the preliminary matching 1f7e56701d rate. If this number had 4f5e66e31b appeared in the preliminary 1a59907fa6 test, Philip wouldn’t have 279fc601a2 even made it to b13a1a5123 my candidate list.bcaf6716f775a83e

As Philip continued 4b73e49a20 to deny and 71d1c7c493 doubt the results, 42d82ce54c the researcher anxiously ccdcccfc13 explained that the 7eaba8a1b6 number was correct.c1312e070eb8a28a

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Philip, whose face turned ec93de1e05 red, gritted his teeth 255f5865e6 and slammed his fist eae792ab99 into the waiting room bedfce8bfc wall.311ab0844a9cd572

Thud!2144765175b6a128

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The wall cracked, 548ba70331 and the building 2de9861f2c shook slightly. Eric, the B-rank 4ef6e80153 Esper assigned as c19deec02c my escort, quickly c025708b07 shielded me and 599fd3c109 moved us away 9bfbe4a8c8 from the spot.c19cd61c261386fa

“Are you okay, Guide?”e450d4e208250926

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“I’m fine, but I don’t think the Director is. And Eric, who left him behind.”80c73d309061ceb6

Eric, who had b6216e9433 retreated to the 7dafee9f99 end of the 1dc32013e8 hallway, checked on 4e6c0b4942 Richard.a2e1134830f23c04

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Richard was two 50373a1c5f or three steps d02c65a519 away from Philip, bc855054b1 his thick jaw 65d57f7782 trembling.56987cba733a6d18

“…It’ll be okay. I’ve given strict orders to prioritize the Guide’s safety above all else.”2630831e1fb6bc83

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Even Richard hadn’t anticipated 84ec46931f this situation when he f34c4ec4fb gave that order.8d1b1b9e7c91bcae

I sighed heavily, hoping 2eca210c37 Richard wouldn’t scold Eric. I could faintly f7c55705a4 hear Philip cursing 1449993716 in frustration.43753b6c56094af6

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“I heard he’s been a little calmer recently… but looks like that fiery temper of his is still there.”9ed530cd5f50e162

You’re out, you 92e3128aa1 jerk.dd1fcfd034151eed

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A while later, 63855fa11a Philip’s personal assistant f1c4737ff2 managed to stop c3c842295a him.068e00c75536c476

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The assistant 7d141c8c95 persuades Philip aa95621fb2 not to 44a27b5a62 behave in 00f326c2bc a way bf45342f0c that would 34cdab578c sour his 425b2ef510 relationship with 5aaf6cf769 me any b07452794f further, as e8704587ba there would 26205e0952 be another acc7d5cb3f chance in a9cda72573 a year.6b90da57117c5501

Philip stepped e20af73028 back to 746de0dca2 the end 3e1ebe66d8 of the e6f984d927 hallway, briefly 24e44be3cc eyeing me—still 0285f0bafc nestled in 84b785f12e the arms 9b9bde812f of my a817d222a2 escort Esper—before a8d8e2f5b4 taking a 4b0a2581e6 few deep 8ab13a4db6 breaths.eb60ec26f271b453

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His chest rose 0796dfe4f1 and fell several 8bba4803fb times.d8a8225e0d2ebcc6

“…I’m sorry. Guide Sofia, I’m sorry.”0f81784234a80b48

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Philip, who had 6c1ba38c52 left a harsh 24f8e10000 tone, murmured that 8959d3c728 he was tired, 3b1ad6ed96 and turned to d5caba8b8f walk away.3d18447b71c3b81f

He was a 4089b565bb really bad person, da14f54593 both from the be62ccda51 start and at 2c444b997c the end.475075af1472ff03

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* * *ac05fdf1c8b67435

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The next 13c977ebb2 day, in ae05c40e85 the same 6266e78cbf reception room 9409e1c490 where I a23738d311 had met 5eef3e897c Philip, I 8ab5e14de5 met the c056d1310b second pair fa2637de76 candidate.b523f2e9ebeb2174

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This time, at Richard’s suggestion, I brought two Esper escorts with me.d9654b5ae95a8b60

“Hello, Guide Sofia, right? I’m Daniel Calix. Feel free to call me Daniel.”ab2067b4e2a77ffa

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As I entered the 46b3b80473 reception room, the man 3d608c6197 who arrived early stood b8adc2076c up and greeted me.fd0c5e56d8e7f3e6

His polite bb31a9304b manner and cff7f1eff3 gentle smile 6fb18c1283 were quite 73b9604a45 impressive.5e0997a647c3ec16

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“Nice to meet you, Daniel. Please feel free to call me Sofia, too.”7adef832cd3d8fa0

He didn’t ask fd959233c5 for a handshake.b29e4531dc6e30a3

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After Philip had 170bc93482 left the day 590036e4bf before, I had dc7ace6aa2 learned from my b5d2f79283 escort, Eric, that 324bf8079a it was considered 3076d40ac8 bad manners for 1a575dc556 an Esper to c035161622 ask a novice 7c2da86729 Guide for a c4a740274b handshake.ce3a9bc2ae830744

Newly awakened Guides often 1491be5277 release guiding energy even e5c2b2c8f7 with light physical contact.423f6ce1d225492d

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They say that asking for a handshake from such a guide is tantamount to saying, “Let me taste your guiding energy.”2d50043929f4ae34

“Is that okay? Sofia?”ef910874914c7a28

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“Yes, feel free to speak casually.”fc93a8b6de9dc47c

As I sat 8d2319cefc on the sofa, d7974221f5 Daniel sat down a2dc2b825d slowly as well.81e11eb8247bb83e

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Unlike his adorable 07f6f3f0a0 image, he was 69e7be29ca quite large. He seemed to 212d3e4462 be minimizing his 81960c2b44 movements, perhaps to b969423386 avoid startling a 6706288c2a young child like 72d2a07e31 me.a8785637b26e5a61

“Haha, thanks, Sofia. Actually, I have a younger sibling. She’s ten years old, and seeing you reminds me of when my Ellie was that age, so I wanted to get to know you better.”7bdcfb47b55c4106

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Maybe because of 1f5fc7dfa7 his blonde hair.a45afac8e3737d8a

Looking at Daniel f7a178cf8d reminded me of d82ba3703e a golden retriever. He smiled and took e7c059f774 out something to show 9537bb0d2e me.08f8459ffe6c720a

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“Here, this is my little sister Ellie.”fbf27526a07987f3

It was a b51451cce1 phone, and the efd5d0ddba wallpaper was a 836f81c973 selfie of Daniel 30bb59d806 and a girl 700096d1a7 who looked like 4ad66121b8 him.8780177aba1bc6e1

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“You must be close with your younger sister.”2ad34119c556d919

I can’t believe he 866d8318f4 set his phone wallpaper e8c76edfa9 like that.b93cdcfed45fd9f4

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Daniel nodded ed88c26ce3 at my 3cc4688a0c question.382c4032918a2340

“Yeah. There’s a five-year gap between us, but since our parents were busy, I ended up taking care of Ellie a lot. So she’s like my own daughter.”77fe9cca41dcadfb

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It was an amazing 5a1664a93b sibling bond.fc523937161cd1bc

Daniel spent about 7aadd6ad75 20 minutes, talking c3fa093a4e about his sister 4937f675a2 Ellie.4ad9d111eaf6fc91

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It was 179b4d5ba5 more pleasant c841ad3fff than talking 385ce222c5 to Philip, 1b45fedf61 who treated 3e1ca4f0ae me like 0f08e05639 a child. I occasionally nodded 275a720c8b along as he 48876d08e6 spoke.a4f1c4c6e475af27

“Ah, I’ve only talked about myself.”1e2ae18f32913c9b

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‘You’ve been talking about 4cbb8bc49d your sister, not yourself.’30a2bd89cd725554

Just when c2caeb22d6 I thought 9f07848ef0 my ears 3cae0c7cf4 were about c64e05723a to bleed, 3f9b17defd Daniel stopped, f7cea4fe92 looking embarrassed.e28a97854353648a

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I tried to 856a1de33e hide my slight fcf9e7d6b1 fatigue and smiled d016c9d21b faintly.b25f0102319fce37

“It’s okay. I had fun.”53b2197828f26f57

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“You’re so mature, Sofia.”806a6247f6495771

“I hear that a lot.”3a070a06d7103b27

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“Haha!”09398ce8992a87f9

The atmosphere was 7817da44ec very good. Our conversation was smooth, a3ceb01f31 and laughter kept flowing 83ce328fbc between us.a5325722ae250cb6

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I could e7ecaa8c53 feel our 5af06f95cb familiarity growing.c047411c0de233ec

‘At this rate, the 270b1c8fb9 matching rate will probably 3e0f45b0da be pretty high.’926d47a141d43771

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But just b5aac3c39d as I fed12eca33 had that e12f981440 thought, my bc223462c0 mood started 2c08fbc188 to drop 07a16c054b when Daniel 2e0113c251 began talking 3e75a987b6 about Guides.66d8f73c2cde1a3f

“I’m a little tired because I haven’t been getting guidance yesterday and today .”38314675fa35219c

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“Do you get guidance every day?”5d0ceed941e18861

“Yeah. Sometimes two or three times a day.”cf4b3175362d9b25

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From what I heard, e8d8a88ffe Daniel seemed to have a8b2b44c36 a strong desire for ecc72a7237 guides. But, he didn’t seem b5859d0f97 to possessive towards a c2ca23031c single Guide.1d018ab53286591f

He was quite b3d508fd69 handsome, with a 6be0cf7a03 friendly personality, and f66f2c6ea8 his celebrity status a49b40859b made him popular 194b1d429f among Guides.28fb783025681361

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Daniel, too, 076312c517 seemed to 3c357a3e75 be well 29bad68e63 aware of d5d2ad93ac his appeal.144200c18887121d

That’s why 4ee34e17c4 he often bd60afe2a1 had multiple 903059982e Guides around f184bb03b6 him, charming 19efa9ce06 them and 5d5a6c6fe6 keeping them 08c7c2acd4 close.5d8170c6395263ed

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He was the type b954c3a5d5 to not stop a e2e6960a3a Guide from leaving and c89fc4b050 not hold back a 629bab18f1 new one from joining.806f66f942c104f2

He didn’t 0f4b5886d3 think of 22d7523169 this as b3bff6b705 something bad c298ac2455 either, and c6a37f8e83 even seemed db516e2fa1 to take 5b194037da pride in 83f36bb29a how popular e94034fec8 he was bff55e3ad7 among Guides.41e6b7341e2dca3e

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‘Now that I think 5d1d14bf3a about it, there was 9314393465 a lot of talk f23e410312 about scandals involving Daniel.’a26383ba85430ace

I’ve heard d1d6704a2c there were c07f5d2629 several dramas e652e51606 surrounding him.5b8cd52f12cb677d

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I’d forgotten about it 9ca990a28d because he was only 53cd8cc67c fifteen, dismissing them as 55ba307af1 mere gossip.352e0d85ec95a3b7

“Um, does it bother you?”43e2b60c8153e8a5

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When my expression bbc53a5657 darkened, Daniel noticed.1519d7ba7077511a

“Don’t worry. Once the pair is formed, I’ll make sure to let the other Guides go. So cheer up, okay?”57e1ca78acbad468

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Daniel smiled, narrowing his 8f5397c650 eyes as he spoke. It was quite 371d253316 natural for him ac60bc7531 to use his 565a065d56 charm and diffuse 59bfc5ac6f the tension.f626294e94e43c29

‘This one’s out too.’3b17304198afa805

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I leaned back against b2a9b12356 the sofa and absentmindedly d8c325ccac sucked on the straw 3465f0c110 stuck to the orange 58d523857e juice.97d5165862e96a92

From then on, everything 43f3e08952 Daniel did seemed to 00e766810b carry a subtle, almost cc38a65172 manipulative sweetness that didn’t 5c96636aba sit well with me.1897033361076120

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An hour later. The matching rate 30b6be18c0 result with Daniel 4fd6f2a378 was 63%.f0f10ef52caf7756

“Well, it’s a bit lower than the preliminary test.”20036fde787042fb

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Since the preliminary matching rate was 82%, saying it was “a bit” lower was an understatement.bce52fe749cfba25

But Daniel ffb9fcef37 didn’t break ed5ea249a2 a wall c018d25b27 or swear 001e5bd0ca like Philip, 35a80e14ad even though 2840bb8f73 he looked adfc704fc5 disappointed.fbac2ae17db32315

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Instead, he shrugged his 6eee8f56c4 shoulders and said:9ee705384d79bde2

“Well, it’s fine. We’ll just get to know each other over the next year, right?”ffb34c3524fb1cab

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That’s so positive, I 992eefec32 like it.8d5f0ac78ee228f8

Daniel left the center, f3bd6867bf saying he hoped we’d 337ebc3fe3 have a more enjoyable 916ca94124 time the next time 2d267ff4fa we met.ad8b59a316c4aded

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Just like when 7ddf449467 we first met, 215d89bc4d he wore a 4a8121436d bright, cheerful smile.5816d4808a684c9e

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