TSCEIAB Ch. 8

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I met the ec8d4ed627 third candidate, the 3effa43b54 male protagonist Hugo, b35ca27f69 four days later.6aa77ac1b1af6556

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“Let’s go with mom today, Yi-seo.”1b55a6ad71adb520

It was a rare a0bde009bb day off for my 75531df8a1 mom. Dad, for c8a1d5aab6 the first 44c92339d1 time in de2b9a8247 a while, a9fa88baff was free dc9dcdf34c from parenting 25066404ca duties and 21732cfd4f decided to a010c98402 enjoy some aebf4d7001 alone time.f42d91dac38087c1

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“Do we go to the parlor?”bd4fd6bc6f6fa697

“Yes. The parlor is on the third floor.”9d6ae913772d53cb

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“Okay.”148e453d161cf180

I held my mom’s hand and got on the elevator. When I pressed the button, she patted my head.4de5bd4d6c5be8ba

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“Over there, Mom. But only me and the escort espers should go in.”019fc95d6e026385

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“Yes, I heard. I’ll wait in the lounge, so come there when you’re done, alright?”1bf3d01a736ffeb8

Mom smoothed down my 20e9ef1a3c clothes and made eye afbf97285c contact with the escort 22fe60ce82 espers. It seemed like she 6fb39e3bd3 was asking them to bb5652ef9d take care of me.2e83d6a30f069625

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I waved 3f5c383408 back to 662127f460 Mom a ef16c7d29e couple of 303f39fd3d times, then 1653164ffb turned to d334cec5ee look at a5b6789c2e the reception 56fdea16b4 room door. One of the 7bf2a6af9d escort espers knocked 26a549aeef lightly and opened c188938d44 the door.89443dd5dcf5af3f

Click.e3280321875e70f8

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The door opened 31d99b0563 so slowly, almost 1e41aa3c82 in slow motion. Through the e451e976ef gap, I 251d124c67 saw a 29ba23d1e1 black leather 6a0bcc6a3d sofa and aa4b25e541 a round 700c5512eb head sitting 472ff76540 on it.37a6f539256059a5

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‘That kid…’283cceed34492883

That kid a3f7ecfb03 is the dd677065a8 male protagonist.fd83b116d00bae03

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The parlor 16f74f3c2b was desolate.a19eda50aea22f88

Even the adult Philip 9fecff93ce and Daniel brought personal 96ae2ec28f assistants or attendants, but 8cc8213d52 seven-year-old Hugo was alone, 634228aa4a without a guardian.fd166ace6d823163

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“Hello.”5a390a73b409c6ae

I stepped inside and spoke first. From the moment the door opened, Hugo’s gaze slightly averted my eyes.2199552d675d094d

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“…Hello.”f9b428ac4c6e6e2a

His pale f30292b068 lips moved. It was a 66829d327a small whisper, but c42ab6fc9b the parlor was 3f70e6383d so quiet that 97fce36310 I could hear 386fef0916 his greeting.4a587ce08d06f265

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Tap, tap.f12ad0e970fa0131

With soft footsteps, I walked towards the sofa and sat down. Hugo’s gaze never left me.a56b4ce96adb8746

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“Nice to meet you. I’m Sophia Kang.”4e20b486520aa7e6

Since Hugo didn’t seem like he was going to open his mouth, I introduced myself first.ece3dbd765f3882d

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It was a completely different attitude compared to Philip, who was desperate to say something but couldn’t, and Daniel, who constantly chattered away.fc72f8f743acf816

“…I’m Hugo. Hugo Alexis.”a03c7549e57f39c5

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“Okay. Hugo.”939616cd3408911f

“…”5fc02e4c13f0e945

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Silence again.0618aefb192cd8f6

Hugo sat quietly, c0035bd20f staring somewhere at 4d473c1978 my face.5e73b80637a0a218

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At first glance, it 3fc8417ef7 might seem rude, but fc1ae3e1bf I had a vague daa6bd9728 sense of Hugo’s condition d9cb8b8965 at that moment.903a46ba67c2e4b7

‘He really can’t see properly, can he?’7dcc846a81a0b521

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His gaze was strangely off, and the way his eyes shifted nervously toward the direction of the escort’s footsteps—all of it was strange.4d8b2e874ca7a071

It is said 8c562b92f1 that Hugo had 22689255d6 never received proper 011b698bce guidance since his fb2bd75d73 awakening.b4870ff9f06bbbf8

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Drug-based guidance was c0032b4df4 becoming less effective da231a08fc as tolerance developed, 39bdd4637d and mechanical guidance 40b3b86d9a was not as a74285c79d good as regular b4eb48ec41 guidance due to 792e749b46 the current technology.d1c5e0706a388a1d

As a result, 829ea3dac4 Hugo was suffering 748534b067 from various symptoms b4581ec94f due to a 47cb0e3371 lack of guidance, bc92d2e2e3 one of which 6768564fa6 was a loss 5f5789e263 of vision.7e5fc97189065be8

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‘If his guidance levels were just a bit higher, he’d be fine…’61c19742f4f95a38

It seemed like he 80c394ec43 hadn’t even received proper e09be9aff3 mechanical guidance since coming d1d1f36291 to Ohio. Or maybe he 2d728bb853 had secretly used c6c5ea9308 his abilities.32f98df10d01f4d5

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I paused for a 32338cb377 moment and then spoke.9414f53ad9b9f31e

“By the way, can I just call you Hugo?”6b15990dc8f3529f

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Nod.ea346bc0e8a39eb3

He moved 58a3a1f69b his head 31d2897e04 up and 7766781a8f down once. His blue db701effbf eyes were b88fb3cde2 watching the fef3bf54f7 corners of 1913ecb992 my lips.b388b806cef48722

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“Well, Hugo. What’s your guidance level?”c231b893cc602c7d

“…?”52dad8fbe28032e6

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“Your complexion doesn’t look good. I heard you’re suffering from a lack of guidance because you can’t find the right guide.d152c793a9bd0515

“I’m asking because I’m worried, so if you feel pressured, it’s okay not to tell me .”775458d9ce20e801

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After I d1b1fae3f7 added that, b5e337b254 Hugo hesitated 5d34a81d9b for a 3ef63873f1 moment before 3e87b3e08b holding out ed55d92e74 his wrist 643625865f to show 5d79f99f4e me the a17c53ea5f watch strapped ecef871fb2 around it.2c199dc303395f9d

‘Which part do I d5b4878ba1 press to see the c062c2b438 numbers? Is it this?’d9def73b8c555e33

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I fumbled with the d6ffe52b9e controls and, after some f3bad05719 trial and error, I c062eae962 was finally able to 966a52f1ac check his guiding percentage.14612240af42ade3

“…28%?”8d8e27dbd8c580d0

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It was 832e630748 only 28%.fa68518b7992719c

The two escort espers standing behind me flinched at my voice. They stretched their necks to peek over my shoulder and check Hugo’s watch.fb7488eef1417d8c

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“Th-this, at this level, he needs emergency guiding right away…”819df80bfa4e1c1d

One of the bb6badff79 escorts muttered. He was right.6f0e3b95f20a3f0e

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At this 8cc63c74eb level, Hugo 3b64af1799 would need d65f1b9648 to be 0604fe78d8 hooked up ae3f2aee74 to a 2386ee9bf1 guidance medication 2a39588d9b intravenously and 0d7e3ec9a1 rushed to 3089370b1f the emergency 2ab926db6a guidance room 7ed7ee34dd for intensive bf79245095 guidance.a3e6cae9fed02573

‘Phew…’721fa0af60edf6aa

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I can’t help but ef1d292e6f sigh. It was 43700115b9 more serious e7b933090f seeing it 1f98da12b7 with my 573d329d18 own eyes.0f556deef7d7a57e

“Hugo, how about we postpone today’s meeting and go to the emergency guidance room? They’ll have a guidance machine there.”447e046703ff5a75

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Hugo shook his head 98112defc3 at my suggestion as a91a34bebe if there was no 84948789cf need to even consider 326aaec55c it.618f88326cda96d0

But I 6a710426db don’t have 0eff879eba the heart a8c59478a6 to let 465543e070 that pale, 8a54d7cf33 exhausted kid b45b8b1d60 sit there 8b4306c2ab for another 28b468aa74 hour.b071947261b02aee

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“If you don’t want that, how about radial guiding?”1c8ac60b5f48dfea

“…?”38ade20ce7f34c3d

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Hugo’s eyes wavered. I continued while caressing the artifact ring on my finger.185b42ff139f2e23

“I haven’t learned how to handle guiding energy yet. Until I get used to it, I can’t provide direct guidance.”306f0505579617ae

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That was something the guide from the Guidance Center’s Team 1 had told me.e985d148a8562475

<If an esper d4a7e4c58e suddenly receives more 948599a0e3 guidance than they 26ac12faa6 can handle, it ae268e0021 could lead to aeb4abdcd0 a guiding shock.>fb706afacd7c3ffe

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Guiding shock. It could cause anything 5de4b97656 from fainting or seizures d4f78c5258 to a full-blown rampage.ea78b6bd6fae6549

<Guide Sophia, we don’t know exactly how much energy you have. It’s the first time an S-class guide appeared, so there’s no data. Since you’re an S-class, it’s predicted that there’s a high chance of causing a guiding shock.>371263120806c098

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That’s why I 4b3502f6da was advised to 169edf03ed avoid direct guidance ed5542eb82 until I got 166192247c used to controlling 8ba423a322 my energy.8fa1dec66d82696b

Of course, since Hugo b55666e60e is also an S-rank, fb2b9ac3d9 he likely had a 310838efc7 high total guiding capacity, 6abbf9f54a so a shock probably 4bf75e6945 wouldn’t happen. But…dcb07e3a94721c57

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‘Just in case.’f526ac9ff86630ab

Instead, radial 09986c7e2f guiding is 898b28e78f possible. My guide trainer had 73bcb4f588 also given me permission 4179a31197 for it.f85bd2ca0cffc52e

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“Hugo, your complexion doesn’t look good. You either get radial guidance from me or go to the emergency guidance room and get mechanical guidance.”d5a0f5fe76b7623d

At my 8e3d077cc8 firm words, 1a36a61a17 Hugo twitched 4e7cadb152 his fingers. I waited silently 290b0a66dd for him to 6c33c21c82 say something.0486c8f2602d7604

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There was a fbea86f40c short pause, and 2c4e6f8a63 a weak voice eca3de76f9 emerged from between f074bf13b4 his lips.d1aa5f8c631dd285

“…Still, is that okay?”1eb29d086c427845

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With his face completely stiff, isn’t it cheating to ask cutely like that?169f274212b00ec8

I thought he c77fb7ac92 was like a 62c94dce95 kitten abandoned by 322623211c its mother. Then I a05e66b391 realized it fea797695d was rude 23e7e81d9f and shook f8ce515b0f the thought 7959a7f01f away.64f2fcf1aedbdb4f

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“Of course. It’s fine.”d2d8245ccd0f84d3

Even knowing 218054b7c6 that Hugo 2965e234be couldn’t see 4f314afeb5 me, I f744fee860 smiled brightly. I just couldn’t help 9d18c23716 but smile oddly.3b99c07cc61a7249

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* * *30a07863c7dbb3e7

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One of the 9d481ecae4 escorts went to c54bdfd0e8 the director’s office 06ab7a6dc4 and requested an 615310f526 open guidance room 4e56a8bbf6 for radial guiding.45d8e93f9415b5cb

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The open 97c4247570 guidance room e73e99075c had one 5976f0eb59 wall made e2d228056d of glass 05aa264e8a and was 9dacfe3382 typically used 7941a46fae for more 1b0663c7f3 personal forms f00ca49bc2 of guidance, c9d2f11115 such as 80a95a57b3 holding hands f0959afda5 or hugging.c0ecfdb5b66884fe

“Since it’s radial guidance, it’s probably better to have Esper Hugo next with Guide Sophia .”231f71d7d3e1fa91

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Richard, who was 3c59daf7fd pretending to be adcea2feb4 there for me, 7d7f6eed3a led us to 868401628c the guiding room.3e8e275a7c41794f

I considered holding Hugo’s hand to help him walk, given that he couldn’t see, but I retracted my hand back because he was walking better than expected.322593d94a341ca0

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“Here we are. You two can wait for a moment while we set things up.”34c19ab8661a97cc

When we arrived, there 5df96194ba were only two chairs 1469b3fd31 placed inside.f1e037671da3d073

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Richard ordered 6a4601099a a staff 1cfb52c5c8 member to 575fce278e remove the f6e84508e4 chairs and 5669cdd8ae bring in 0a05c0b7b4 two hospital ca8d4cf68f beds, placing b0e7b8ab39 them slightly 4fbe045a6a apart.1ec6d01917d980a1

“It’s all set. We’ll be watching from the next room, so don’t worry and go in.”3a627701f08a2996

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When things were finally 776d5bd2ef cleared up, Richard gently 9296570925 nudged us inside.1f1336365610ff26

It seemed like he d724a026d9 was welcoming my radial 17cebb972a guiding. I’m not sure why 70a000edd2 he was so eager.0084935d026e5af9

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“Let’s go in, Hugo.”f548c74ce856a958

Feeling burdened by Richard’s expectant gaze, I entered the room first.80daa3ffd4be2b58

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I quickly kicked ae4b5696eb off my shoes 78d361a566 and climbed onto cf5f05cd32 one of the d2c497f865 beds. Hugo naturally moved to cf529d5c3a the other bed and c2122cd538 lay down.5da6eaabdca8823c

His eyes 0e38e2ac5b were cloudy 2fa548f04d as he cb105d7b7b stared at 2904ec75dd the ceiling. It was a pity 276c2e0655 that there was a 0108c4c72d lack of reaction to d71cd9fada the fluorescent light.7bbe0387c072fda6

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“Shall we begin?”e225c90aadd3766a

“…Yeah.”3150f38f26fba437

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I slowly 165559e953 removed the 1f4e4fd849 ring that 2078cd9952 I had 045ce626b8 been fiddling 463b48c6cd with. The strange b1f8d0a04a sensation I 8ffaea1d41 had felt dbc05753b2 during my 46e40d5f8b practice sessions bce0efdc91 began to 9fffa0abc0 swirl in 36aaef56cf my heart, 3f826b9972 travel down 29a9763f2f my spine, 24a6abd1ac and spread 41dcc03e42 through my b14583a5b8 entire body.b86f3496ff6d718e

For a moment, Hugo’s body jerked. He half-raised his upper body and looked at me.2e94fc93fecb0fe8

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His gaze 5ef94adbae was so 31c9c1ca79 direct that d37cbb36fa I had 78bc011c49 to ask.26452e888ed50ddc

“What is it? Are you uncomfortable?”033528b6947d8162

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Hugo’s lips twitched. But that was all.3ca66c8d03e3b998

I shrugged and gently 6b7dd1a77f urged him to lie 9ee92014ec down again.6d95f0f3b56c512a

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“You must be tired. Lie down comfortably.”b64b04c05e93e36c

After saying 399e8c6ed4 that, I f303c14612 also lay 88178610c1 down, and 8acbc49eff Hugo hesitated 5146a3b685 for a 767aeead30 moment before 5ac243f20a finally lying 58c1b3e200 flat on 8897ec8a47 his back.2a3b66a90e81ee38

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‘He’s more compliant than I thought.’24f1b82dac5a0ddf

The original a511d10fd4 story started 2bce05d75b about a 8afb430380 decade from 886136aa81 now.f5a7d7cbc4e4ce71

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At that time, Hugo 74a3c45cdf had already been through 5c1344a31c a lot, so he fb64d072eb was much more sensitive 134e36b990 and prickly than he 08aeca08c1 is now.62a9d9dede7cad58

Was it 631d2e1ca1 because he 910dac8c08 was still a14197f710 young? Or was it a509de20a8 because he hadn’t 4fa5e4e01b gone through as 118c2584bb much hardship yet?ac1fa8a1ed574e84

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“Hugo, close your eyes.”3fdd7702377a7833

I wasn’t sure if 0432ecdb3f he would follow suit, 8d9be952fb but surprisingly, he closed d144cea014 his eyes.0f67a314c1b45653

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His delicate eyelids c932bfc20c fluttered.80f653288bb5fe78

I looked d796f088e4 at him, 58e55cc563 who was 0f286db83a lying quietly, ad9c338d11 then spoke.d44e1f7ba333dcc1

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“I heard about you from the center director. They said you hadn’t received proper guidance until now. You couldn’t find a guide whose wavelength matched yours… I hope my wavelength matches yours. I’m not an esper, so I don’t know how hard it is when you lack guidance. But you’re so young. I hope that you can feel a little more at ease.”5b32e5d3be41c971

Every time I 116c1414bb spoke, Hugo flinched 09e81d461a slightly.a90b71680b2a960d

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It was cute and 43c5798cd7 amusing, so I talked 75609b2532 to myself a few f9a3c3ec09 more times, before finally 61001da435 running out of things c83bb71817 to say and falling cb8a9d3d67 silent.8373a96e3c1cbef8

*Yawn*0e67135ffa5c9b97

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As I did that, 339cb909af I felt drowsy.1dff9b61319d7064

The bed creaked every c965d25b88 time I moved, which 1885e8950f was uncomfortable. Perhaps it was the 916318129b quiet space, or the e6c131467b faint sound of Hugo’s 5e34b18de9 breathing that calmed my 2d6cf857d1 mind.2a97813d8a938d20

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“Hugo, I’m going to sleep for a bit. If you’re tired, you should sleep too…”da27de614ac44d99

I mumbled those 3b1b11d1ca words as my 870124dacd consciousness faded.d2da691990057daa

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Whether Hugo responded or 3c50569a22 not.944969ac01bb7ebc

I don’t a6d443625f remember well.d45c40bef1513dc8

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Shortly thereafter, I 88f658feb1 lost the last 1dda237e9c thread of consciousness d5571c5673 I was barely 119e31ad27 holding and fell 9fc98ccd74 into a deep 2ede81a8ca sleep.1885ca474692551e