TSCEIAB Ch. 11

 

 

“Are you done?”

“Yes, but what’s that?”

In the escort Esper’s hand, a fluffy, light-brown teddy bear was dangling by its neck.

“Ah.”

Perhaps aware that it was an item that didn’t quite suit me, he seemed a little embarrassed as he spoke.

“The secretary of Philip Esper asked me to deliver this. It’s a gift…”

As soon as Philip’s name came up, my face crumpled.

Ever since the first day when he had caused a scene in front of me, Philip had been bombarding me with gifts, determined to recover his lost points.

We had only met twice since that initial matching test, but the gifts I’ve received from him were countless.

Most of the gifts were dolls, toys, and princess dresses—things that, frankly, I didn’t need.

Naturally, I rejected his gifts at first. But later, I heard that he had just thrown away everything I sent back.

‘How much was all that and you just throw it away?’

When I suggested he should donate the toys to other girls, he threatened to throw them in the trash.

There weren’t any girls around him who he could give to, and he just didn’t want to bother with it.

Even when I told him I didn’t want the gifts and asked him to stop, he wouldn’t listen… I couldn’t tell if he was trying to win me over or dig himself into a deeper hole.

He seemed to believe that I was raised to be a “good kid” and  was refusing his gifts out of courtesy.

“Ha…”

Wherever I went, there was always someone who couldn’t accept rejection.

“NO” means NO, I wish they would understand it as it is.

A sigh escaped my lips. As I stared at the teddy bear, the escort Esper, who had been observing my expression, continued speaking.

“And also… ”

“What else?”

“Oh, the gift is just this. Rather, Esper Hugo arrived in the reception room, around… 10 minutes ago?”

He checked his wristwatch.

“Would you like to head over now?”

My face crumpled further as I glanced at the bear in distress. I guess I have to see Hugo with it.

“If you don’t like the toy, I can hold it for you.”

The escort Esper offered. It was tempting, but I shook my head without much hesitation.

He was here to escort me, not to serve me.

’A teddy bear doesn’t suit him.’

Today’s escort was a physical-type Esper, so his build was quite large. Even though the teddy bear was bigger than my upper body, it looked tiny in his hands.

“Please. I’ll just take it.”

When I reached out, he hesitated for a moment before handing the bear to me. It was as soft and fluffy as Philip had promised—it was a high-quality plush.

“…Let’s go.”

I thought about Hugo waiting in the reception room. I couldn’t stay here any longer, so I hugged the teddy bear tightly and waddled down the hallway.

“Oh…”

“Ah!”

“So cute…!”

I heard people in the center whispering as they recognized me.

I was glad my appearance still looked like a six-year-old, but at the same time, I was struck by reality check.

‘Philip… I’ll get you back for this.’

I gritted my teeth, picking up the pace.

“Guide Sophia, you’ll trip if you keep rushing like that. Slow down.”

“…”

The guard Esper called out from behind, but I pretended not to hear him.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

“Hi, Hugo.”

Hugo was sitting alone in the large reception room as usual.

I hadn’t seen him in three days, the look on his face was even whiter than the last time.

Still, he didn’t seem to have lost his vision again. As I walked in and greeted him, he looked directly at me.

“You’re early again. I came straight here after your training. Did you wait long?”

“……”

Hugo stared at the teddy bear without answering my question. I felt a pang in my chest and set the stuffed toy aside and quickly began explaining.

“Well, it was the secretary of another candidate who gave it to me. I thought if I stopped by my room first, I’d be late, so I just came straight here.”

Hugo’s eyebrows furrowed slightly when I mentioned “another candidate”. He knew that there were two other candidates besides him but hearing it from me seemed to make him displeased.

He asked in a slow tone.

“…Do you like this?”

He stared at me as if urging for an answer. I quickly shook my head.

“No. Not at all.”

I added that I felt sorry for the candidate Esper who gave me the gift, but I didn’t like this kind of material barrage.

“Especially if it’s dolls, toys, or princess dresses—stuffs kids would play with.”

At this, Hugo asked again in a calm voice.

“…Then, what do you like?”

“Huh?”

“What should I do… to win your favor?”

I was speechless for such a blatant question. For a moment, my eyes widened in embarrassment.

“Why? Are you trying to win my favor?”

Hugo nodded eagerly.

“Yes.”

“Is it because you need guidance?”

He hesitated for a moment, then nodded again. Well, there are children who are that honest.

“Forget it. You don’t have to win my favor.”

“But…”

“I’ll just do it. Though, I can only do radial guiding for now.”

With that, I jumped off the couch. I walked around the table to Hugo and grabbed his hand, causing him to flinch.

His gaze slowly shifted downward to the ring on my finger.

Is it a pity that it’s not hand guiding?

With that in mind, I pulled his hand.

“Let’s go. To the guiding room.”

Naturally, Hugo didn’t pull his hand away.

The words “good kid,” which Philip mentioned, might have suited Hugo better than me. I suddenly thought this.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Since meeting Yi-seo after moving to Ohio, Hugo began to regain stability.

This was entirely thanks to her, who had persistently suggested guiding sessions each time they met.

Except when he was very young, Hugo’s guiding rate has never risen higher than 35%. But recently, it had been hovering around 40% and 45%.

“Hugo, you look better today. What’s your guiding rate?”

“43%.”

“It hasn’t dropped much compared to last time. That’s a relief.”

“Yeah. You told me to be careful, Yi-seo. So…”

“So you were careful? Good job. You’re such a good boy.”

Yi-seo was affectionate and had gentle to others. Though she would deny it, Hugo felt that way about her.

She often acted as if she forgot that she was a six-year-old, especially when there were no adults around.

“Did you have lunch?”

“…”

“I told you to eat well. I figured you might skip it, so I packed some sandwiches from the dorm. Let’s eat this first.”

Even though Hugo was a year older than her, she treated him like an extremely young sibling.

It wasn’t out of a sense of responsibility. He knew that she felt pity for him.

He was a miserable esper, awakening at the age of four and surviving all this time with a guiding machine and medication because he hadn’t found a guide that matched his wavelength.

There was a hint of sympathy in Yi-seo’s soft brown eyes as she looked at him that couldn’t quite hide.

But Hugo loved the kindness she showed, as though she were doing him a favor.

I wish my guide had more compassion for me. I wish you would sympathize with me more and feel sorry for me more.

So, if it meant receiving one more glance, one more touch, he thought she could treat him like a poor , pathetic dog.

“…Hugo?”

“Ah.”

At that moment, Hugo heard Yi-seo’s voice. He snapped out of his thoughts and turned his gaze toward the sandwich she was holding.

“Did you hear me?”

“…Sorry. I was just thinking about something for a moment.”

Hugo took the sandwich she offered him. As he did, his eyebrows furrowed and gave an apologetic look. The soft-hearted Yi-seo shrugged it off, as if to say it was okay.

“I was asking if you’ve seen the new movie that came out from Disney recently.”

“Hmm…”

A movie?

Hugo was unsure how the conversation had shifted in that direction. He awkwardly shook his head.

“…Hugo, when was the last time you went to see a movie?”

After thinking for a moment, Yi-seo asked. Hugo controlled his expression to stimulate Yi-seo’s weak heart, before muttering weakly.

“…I haven’t.”

He had never seen a movie in a theater.

Though it might sound like he was pretending to be pitiful, his answer was the truth.

Due to his lack of guiding, he was overly sensitive and edgy to other people’s presence. A movie theater, where people were packed together in a small space?

He did have a few opportunities to go, thanks to Gary, who took it upon himself to be his guardian.

More than anyone, Gary had wanted Hugo to experience a normal childhood, blending in with others.

But when Hugo started to feel nauseous due to the various sounds and the mixed smells of food and various crowds in the theater, Gary too gave up on Hugo’s “human cultural life.”

‘It was nice to have less bothersome work… but Gary was very disappointed.’

As expected, his answer seemed to touch with Yi-seo’s weak spot.

She paused for a moment before responding, ‘Yes that would be the case.’

“You awakened when you were so young, so you must have been busy.”

Even though they were still quite young, Yi-seo spoke as if they were adults.

Hugo, accustomed to it, simply nodded in agreement.

“Then, do you want to go see a movie with me?”

“…Huh?”

Flinch.

This time Hugo stiffened. That was something he had not expected.