TSCEIAB Ch. 6

 

 

“What’s wrong? Do you know anybody?”

Richard quickly noticed my reaction and raised an eyebrow. I quickly controlled my expression and pointed to the part where Hugo’s age was written.

“He’s just really young.”

“Ah, you mean Esper Hugo.”

“He’s S-rank at such a young age…”

Richard chuckled at my muttering. He replied, “He’s actually one year older than you, Guide Sophia.”

I ignored his comment and read the peculiarities.

“Based on the simple matching results, the matching rate is 70%…”

…Huh? 70%..?

As far as I remember, the original male protagonist, Hugo, had never exceeded a 13% matching rate with a guide before the female lead showed up.

Even when matching him with capable A-rank guides, the result had been the same.

So, when Richard said that they had narrowed down the list based on the highest matching rates, I didn’t expect to see Hugo’s name on it.

Even though I became the first S-rank guide, I’m still not the female lead, after all.

‘But 70%…?’

Was Hugo just an S-rank Esper who matched well with anyone?

I stared at the number silently, and Richard, perhaps misunderstanding my silence, quickly interjected.

“70% may seem low, but normally, they’d want to include that Esper as a candidate.”

“I thought you said I could pick whoever I wanted?”

“Well… yes, but… a letter of cooperation just came in from the Association.”

The Association. More specifically, the American Awakening Management Association.

It was the organization that oversaw the centers in each state.

“Esper Hugo has a slightly different energy wavelength. That’s why they’ve never been able to find a guide whose wavelength matches. His maximum matching rate was 13%, I think.”

“Hm.”

“He hasn’t been receiving proper guidance, so the numbers continue to fall. The association has been keeping a close eye on him as a potential threat since this year.”

But then I showed up— with a 70% preliminary matching rate.

The association had sent a cooperation letter to Richard, who, after confirming Hugo’s rank, immediately agreed.

It didn’t matter that Hugo was considered a threat. As long as he is an S-rank Esper, he’d be useful to the Ohio Center.

“Go ahead and choose the other two however you like. But I want you to include Esper Hugo. He’s close in age, so you have a lot in common.”

I stared at the profile photo of the young male protagonist.

Despite the poor quality of the photo, I could see his pale complexion and sunken eyes.

‘The female lead won’t meet him for at least another 12 years.’

Wouldn’t it be too young and too soon for him to suffer from lack of guidance until then?

I furrowed my brows, closed the papers, and pushed it back to Richard.

“Alright. I’ll do that. You can recommend the other two.”

Richard’s face instantly brightened. He nodded and set the list aside.

He probably already had a few Espers in mind.

“Thank you for your cooperation, Guide Sophia.”

His eyes crinkled with fine lines as he smiled. Then, as if to shift the mood, he cleared his throat and changed the subject.

“I think you’ve adapted to the center well enough, so how about we start your guiding training soon? What do you think?”

“Sounds good.”

“Then I’ll find a guide to help with your training. As for the Esper candidates… Hmm, I think you’ll be able to meet them tomorrow.”

“…Tomorrow? So soon?”

I widened my eyes in surprise, and Richard made a slightly awkward face.

He rubbed his chin and said apologetically.

“Actually, the two candidates I’m recommending are already here in Ohio. As soon as I said that we were looking for a pair for you, they came running to us. They were pretty persistent.”

Richard then added, “If you had wanted to choose another Esper as a candidate, I would have rejected them on my end.”

Well, it didn’t matter to me, so I nodded lightly and asked about the Esper candidates.

“Who will I be meeting tomorrow?”

“Esper Philip Anderson. He’s S-class and has fire abilities.”

Philip was an Esper I knew. He’s an S-class, so no one in America who don’t know him.

‘Hmm. Is Philip twenty years old now?’

He’s a Hispanic-American with dark brown hair and slightly tanned skin.

As much as he handles fire, he has a fiery personality as well. I’ve heard that he had caused a few incidents when he was a teenager.

Now that he’s twenty, they say he has become calmer.

“And the other Esper?”

“The other candidate is Esper Daniel Calix. Like Esper Philip, he’s also an S-class and deals with plants.”

I knew Daniel as well.

Unlike Philip, he was a typical white boy with bright blonde hair, blue eyes, and fair skin.

He is probably fifteen years old?

With his cute dimples when he smiles and his charming personality, he had a lovely image that didn’t quite match his age.

He has a large fanbase and enjoys a semi-celebrity life, appearing on various TV shows and doing commercials.

‘By the way…’

They’re all S-class candidates.

I could now see Richard’s criteria for his recommendations. No one would be so transparent.

“Tomorrow, you’ll meet Philip for about an hour and then do a first-round matching rate test.”

“It’s better to meet them separately, right?”

“That’s right. If S-rank Espers start arguing, it could be a disaster… So, Guide Sophia, please take care.”

I recalled the original story’s setting.

The higher an Esper’s rank, the more intense their desire for guiding becomes. This sometimes leads to possessiveness and obsession toward their guides.

Honestly, it would have been easier to meet all three candidates at once, sitting them side by side…

but I didn’t want to risk getting caught up in a potential conflict between S-rank Espers. So, I had no choice but to follow Richard’s advice and meet them separately.

“Alright. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Good. If you have time tomorrow, I’ll send my assistant to help.”

After exchanging pleasantries with Richard, I jumped off the sofa. By now, my dad must have returned with the snacks.

Although I’d left a note, I imagined my dad’s surprised face when he realized I was gone.

‘I’ll go see if I can cheer up my rabbit-like dad.’

I figured I could have some snacks and take a nap while I’m at it.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

“Nice to meet you. I’m Philip Anderson.”

The next day, I met with Philip in the center’s reception room.

Of course, we weren’t alone. Behind me was my Esper escort, and behind Philip was his personal assistant.

For the record, my guardian, Dad, went to a nearby lounge, still uneasy at Richard’s insistence.

“Yes. Nice to meet you too. My name is Sofia Kang.”

Philip, who seemed quite gentlemanly, offered a handshake. I took his large hand and shook it.

“I heard you’re six years old. Is that right?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“My goodness. You seem so small. My ‘Jay’ is five years old, and he’s bigger than you. Oh, do you know my sister? She’s an actress, she’s in Forest Green City. The ‘Jay’ I mentioned is her son.”

Despite his sharp features, Philip was chatty and approachable. That was all fine, but…

‘He’s treating me like a kid.’

It’s true that I was a bit small for a six-year-old. I could understand why he was treating me like a child.

But understanding it in my head didn’t stop the discomfort.

Especially the part where he mentioned how his five-year-old nephew was bigger than me.

Wouldn’t that have upset any regular six-year-old?

For reference, Forest Green City is a currently airing drama series. It’s a zombie-type show with a hint of comedy, and it was quite popular.

Actually, I had secretly been watching clips of it on MyTube without my parents knowing, but I didn’t want to let Philip know that.

“Forest Green City is rated R (15+), so I didn’t watch it.”

“Oh, well. Can’t you watch it with a guardian? You’re quite… a good kid.”

The way he said “good kid” had a strange nuance. It sounded sarcastic. I hoped it was just my imagination.

“Ah, I bought some chocolates for you. Here, take it.”

As if he sensed something in my expression, he took out the shopping bag he brought. Inside, there was a beautifully wrapped chocolate box.

Based on the logo on the bag, it seemed like they were from a very expensive brand.

“My nephew loves these the most. All kids love chocolate.”

Just make sure you get permission from your parents before eating them.

He added with a smile.

I think he noticed I was feeling down, but it was clear he didn’t understand why I felt so.

I considered calling him out on his rudeness, but I gave up because I was tired.

I didn’t think he would understand if I told him, and I didn’t want to continue the conversation with him either.

“You’re very blunt.”

“…I guess I am.”

Yeah, just think of it that way.

I leaned back on the sofa and blinked slowly, keeping my lips tightly shut.

The shopping bag Philip had given me slid off to the side.

Philip awkwardly shifted his gaze between me, the bag, the Esper escort standing behind me, and his personal assistant he had brought with him.

An hour, which felt like ten hours, passed in that awkward silence.