TSCEIAB Ch. 14

 

It was the day of my outing with Daniel.

Daniel told me about a nice park and that we should go see the lake. I agreed to go with him on the condition that he turn off his cell phone.

The park Daniel was talking about was a two-hour drive from the center.

 

“Sophia. What a coincidence.”

 

“…….”

 

But I ran into Philip in that faraway place.

Philip walked over with his hands in his pockets, scanning Daniel up and down. Then he snickered.

It was natural that Daniel’s face frowned at the unconcealed sneer.

 

“Today is my time with Sophia. Are there any uninvited guests?”

 

“Why are you so on edge? Are you scared?”

 

“What?”

 

“Are you afraid that Sophia will choose me?”

 

Daniel’s face crumpled as Philip smirked. Caught in between, I held back a sigh and stopped the two of them.

 

“Both of you, stop.”

 

“Sophia, but……!”

 

“Daniel. Stop it.”

 

Daniel became sullen at my dissuasion. Still, he didn’t stop glaring at Philip.

Philip met his glare with a crocked sneer on his lips. He handed me the shopping bags as if trying to show off.

 

“While we’re here, take this with you. I bought it because I thought it would look good on you.”

 

It was a shopping bag with the name of a children’s clothing brand. I’m sure there’s something in it like a princess dress with lace, frills, and ribbons.

I swallowed my irritation and looked at him.

 

“I told you to stop giving me gifts. And if it’s a coincidence, why are you holding this?”

 

“I carried it with me because I didn’t know when or where I might run into you. And why the gift? I bought something that little kids would like. Isn’t it your taste? Then it’s okay to throw it away. I’ll buy you another one, so feel free to tell me.”

 

It was Daniel who responded.

 

“That’s how you treat Sophia?”

 

“What?”

 

“Sophia is definitely an S-class guide. Don’t you know how disrespectful it is to treat her like a normal kid?”

 

“Huh. Rude? What’s rude about treating a kid like a kid? Then what, do you want me to treat you like an old lady? Guide Sophia, would you be comfortable with that?”

 

Philip raised his eyebrows sarcastically.

As Daniel gritted his teeth and strode forward, vines began to grow around him. Philip, not giving in, gathered his strength in his hands.

The tiny flames in his large hands flickered as if they wanted to devour Daniel at any moment.

‘Are they crazy, seriously……. ‘

This was a lake park where many non-awakened people came.

The confrontation between the two S-classes sent the people, who were watching, to flee in panic.

 

“Guide! Are you alright?”

 

“Contact the center and control the park! Now!”

 

“Take the guide and evacuate!”

 

Naturally, the escort Espers stationed nearby quickly approached and took me away.

The fight between the S-class espers that Richard was so worried about was starting to give him a headache.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

As it turned out, the two of them didn’t actually fight using their abilities but only acted like they were about to.

It was thanks to the other Espers and Richard who rushed in to stop them.

 

“This is a warning! If you do it one more time, I’ll have no choice but to punish you!”

 

Richard, who was about to make a big deal out of it, threatened the two Espers.

However, the mere warning did not deter the S-class espers’ desire to compete.

 

“Sophia! We all meet here by ‘coincidence.’ Isn’t it?”

 

Ah, this crazy…….

 

On the day with Philip, I ran into Daniel on the street. Pretending it was a coincidence, he gently teased Philip, but apparently, he came to provoke him.

Philip, who had a fiery temper, fell for Daniel’s provocations very easily, without thinking about what he did first.

 

“This damn brat ……!”

 

The second fight began. This time, the center’s espers were one step late, and the entire boulevard was destroyed.

There were no deaths in the incident, but about a dozen people were injured.

Complaints about the accident caused by the Espers came in constantly.

 

“I warned you yesterday, but you don’t even pretend to listen to me!”

 

Richard was fuming in anger.

 

“You’re not allowed to meet with Guide Sophia for a week! Reflect on yourself!”

 

If you’re going to make them reflect on their actions, why not give them a month?

Although I was disappointed with the period of self-restraint that Richard had mentioned, I knew it was big call from his perspective as he had to be careful with how much authority he exercised over the S-class espers.

Philip and Daniel protested with a look of injustice on their faces, but this was resolved when Richard contacted their respective center directors to get them disciplined.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

“Hugo, I’m sorry. You got dragged into this for no reason…….

 

“I’m fine.”

 

Today was my day with Hugo.

Originally, I had planned to go on a picnic with him, but I couldn’t go out because the center was on emergency to deal with the mess made by the two S-class Espers.

In the end, I had no choice but to meet him in the center’s reception room, but Hugo not only understood the situation but even comforted me in an adult-like manner.

 

“You must have a hard time being caught in between the two. Are you hurt?”

 

“Uh…….”

 

A seven-year-old is more mature than a twenty-year-old and a fifteen-year-old…….

 

“I really don’t get it. They’re both old enough to know better.”

 

“Yeah. It must be hard for you.”

 

Hugo accepted everything, all the complaints that I had been holding back came out without me realizing it.

He listened to my complaints without much expression, and occasionally chimed in. Then, suddenly, with an innocent face, he asked:

 

“Do you really need to stress about the candidate issue?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Yi-seo, if you don’t mind, why don’t you sort out all the candidates and pair up with me?”

 

Huh……?

Hugo’s blue eyes sparkled.

 

“Uh, t-that’s…….”

 

I stammered, he became sullen and spoke.

 

“Am I not good enough? Did I…… give you a hard time?”

 

“Oh, no. That’s not it…….”

 

“If there’s any inconvenience, let me know, and I’ll fix it.”

 

I don’t want to lose you.

That mumbling voice aroused my sympathy. I scrambled to stop Hugo, who was about to burrow into the ground.

 

“No, there’s no inconvenience with you! On the contrary, you are the most mature of the candidates. It’s fun to be with you, and ……. .”

 

“Then you’ll pair up with me. Yes?”

 

What would it be like if Puss in Boots from a movie became a human?

I found myself involuntarily succumbing to his continued persistence and persuasion.

 

“Uh…… Y-yes. Let’s do it.”

 

“Really?”

 

Hugo’s lips twitched. His smile was much more natural than before, and I couldn’t help but smile.

He smiled along, not knowing why I was smiling. Then he stood up and held out his hand to me.

 

“Let’s go talk to Richard.”

 

“Now?”

 

“Yes, now.”

 

Hugo, who was usually slow and laid-back in everything, was showing his impatience. I looked at his outstretched hand in silence, then nodded.

 

“Yes. Let’s go.”

 

I put my hand on his and he held it tightly. Suddenly, it occurred to me that I had gotten used to holding hands with Hugo.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Meanwhile, Richard was overwhelmed by outpouring complaints and warnings from government offices.

In the first place, he didn’t exactly hope for peace when he brought in the three S-Class people.

He knew there would be a fight at some point and was thinking about how to prepare for it.

But he didn’t expect they would fight so soon, even in front of Sophia.

Didn’t the young guide almost get caught up in it and almost get seriously injured?

 

‘…… I’m in trouble at this rate.’

 

There was already a rift between the two S-class Espers. It was clear that this would happen again after a week when the self-reflection period ended.

But he couldn’t exactly tell them to leave now…….

 

‘Did I foolishly bring in a ticking time bomb?’

 

Was his hasty greed brought him this trouble? He felt regret at this thought.

 

“Ha…….”

 

He let out a heavy sigh and rubbed his throbbing forehead.

 

“Director. Guide Sophia and Esper Hugo are here.”

 

“…… Now?”

 

“Yes, what shall I do?”

 

A team secretary knocked on the door announcing the arrival of the guests. Richard gave a troubled look.

They didn’t come here to request an outing, did they?

Currently, there were no Espers of B-class or higher who could serve as Yi-seo’s escort and as surveillance on S-class Espers.

What should I do if they insist on going out? My worries increased again.

 

“For now…… Let them in.”

 

“Yes.”

 

The secretary closed the door and left. Then, with a knock, two small figures stepped inside.

 

“Director.”

 

“Guide Sophia. Esper Hugo. Sit there for now.”

 

Richard got up and went to the couch. He asked, glancing at the two children’s hands clasped together.

 

“What brings you here?”

 

“That’s …….”

 

Yi-seo pursed her lips, then spoke in a clear voice.

 

“I have something to tell you about my pairing.”

 

“…… What is it?”

 

“I don’t get along with Esper Philip and Esper Daniel. Either in terms of personality or in other aspects……. Well. So, why don’t we wrap things up with them and just pair with Hugo at this point?”