[77]
‘Stay calm. Stay calm.’
This is the middle of the city.
In the area where January originally lived, wild animals often wandered into residential areas.
But here, with many residents and being a relatively developed area, it was difficult to spot animals.
‘And I’ve never heard of wolf-like creatures appearing in the Spring Continent!’
Only after recalling this fact did his mind begin to function properly.
The clothes in the wolf’s mouth were neatly folded. If they had been torn from a normal person, they would be more tattered or have bloodstains.
Among the clothes in its mouth, he noticed glasses sticking out. They looked somewhat familiar, and after examining them carefully, January soon recognized whose glasses they were.
January barely managed to part his trembling lips.
“Are you possibly… Chris?”
The wolf slowly nodded. As if aware it had startled him, it had been sitting on the ground with its tail down, showing no intention to attack.
January hadn’t noticed this because he was too shocked.
January covered his face, feeling shame filling the space left by his receding terror and shock.
“What in the…”
As the tension eased, his legs seemed to give way and he staggered. He thought he was going to fall, but the wolf-shaped Chris approached and supported his body.
Even though he knew there was a human inside, its appearance was that of a predator, so it felt more like being attacked than receiving help. When January reached out to push it away, the soft feel of fur was quite unexpected.
Unconsciously, January slid his fingers through the fur, then quickly pulled back his body, realizing his mistake.
If Chris was an Esper, he shouldn’t touch him carelessly.
Sure enough, the wolf’s tail stood straight up, as if extremely surprised.
Had he felt the ‘guiding’?
January moved his lips with a pale face.
“I-I’m sorry, sorry.”
Espers who felt guiding usually lost control and became consumed by desire.
January froze at the realization that he had stimulated such a dangerous being as an Esper.
He had always been careful and cautious, but to make such a mistake now?
‘Damn it. I’d rather stick my head in a real wolf’s jaws!’
Surprisingly, the wolf backed away. Faced with this unexpected behavior, January thought:
‘Is it preparing to pounce?’
The wolf spat out the clothes it had been holding onto the ground, then pointed at its mouth and the clothes, making whimpering sounds.
Come to think of it, Chris had seemed like he was forcibly brought by his colleagues.
‘Is this our third meeting then?’
Before, they had met on the street and introduced themselves.
Strangely captivated, January kept his mouth shut.
Whether due to the consecutive coincidences, he couldn’t take his eyes off the other.
‘I’ve only seen his face twice. I should ignore this. Just ignore it and go on my way.’
But watching the wolf act so cautiously despite its large size, January found it impossible to walk away.
Nervously ruffling the back of his hair, January opened his parched lips after a moment.
“There’s a utility room… that the store uses this way.”
It wasn’t because he believed in something as ticklish as fate.
It was simply an opportunity to return the kindness this man had shown him first.
January opened a door next to the staircase leading to the building’s basement, and the wolf went inside.
Just as January was considering going home alone, he looked up at the sound of the door creaking open.
He saw a blond man who was about to put on his glasses.
It was indeed Chris.
January had thought he was an incredibly handsome man even in his flustered state, but meeting him at such close range made his heart sink.
“I’m sorry for startling you. I transformed to sneak away, but I didn’t expect to immediately encounter someone else.”
The fatigue showing on his somewhat clumsy face made his impression sharper.
But that was only momentary. After composing his expression, the man looked as neat as if nothing had happened.
“Then that whining, I mean, that whimpering was…”
“I did that because I thought growling would scare you. It seems it was a fairly good choice since I was shown a place to change clothes.”
Chris had deliberately made a different sound in case January might feel embarrassed, but the other remained calm.
It was interesting how his attitude suggested there was no particular reason to feel shame about such things.
Espers generally disliked appearing weak. Perhaps January didn’t know this because he mainly dealt with unregistered Espers. They were sensitive to hierarchy and tended to bluff rather than pretend to be weak.
Their voices and actions were typically loud, rough, and coarse, which drained January’s energy when dealing with them.
“Let’s get out of here for now.”
Chris said while adjusting his glasses.
They were an accessory chosen to give a different impression, but they were surprisingly uncomfortable.
‘Yuri’s glasses looked fine when he wore them.’
In truth, he couldn’t help wanting to imitate whatever his master did.
“This way. There’s a restaurant that operates for people who work late.”
January strode forward.
The only menu item at this late-night restaurant was noodles.
They used spices that reportedly only grew in the Summer Continent, which some people disliked, but since the other was from Northern Light, he would probably be fine with it.
January had readily guided him to the restaurant to observe the man.
An Esper who could transform into a wolf, quite handsome, and from Northern Light.
His colleagues had brought him to this ‘establishment,’ but he seemed principled enough to run away.
Above all else…
‘He must have felt the guiding.’
As clearly as he remembered the soft sensation of running his fingers through the fur, January couldn’t forget what had just happened.
Yet Chris didn’t ask for more guiding or whether January was a Guide.
As if they were just acquaintances who happened to be having a meal together.
‘If I were a real Guide, I wouldn’t need to worry and hesitate like this.’
January nibbled on his lower lip while observing Chris.
The man seemed quite skilled with chopsticks.
Though he looked like someone from the Winter Continent, he showed signs of having lived in the Summer Continent.
“It’s going to get cold. Please eat.”
At Chris’s suggestion, January realized his mistake and picked up his chopsticks.
Chris must have noticed him staring but politely brought it to his attention in a roundabout way.
The man quietly emptied his bowl. January had guessed from his build that he would be quite a big eater, and it seemed he was right.
What was surprising was how he finished a portion that would be slightly large even for an adult male without appearing gluttonous.
“Shall we go?”
At January’s words, Chris approached the restaurant owner and paid.
“I wanted to treat you since I didn’t properly thank you last time…”
“You hardly ate anything,” Chris said, slightly furrowing his brow.
January realized his mistake. He had barely picked at his food due to his usual lack of appetite from the drugs.
“I ate some snacks while working, that’s why.”
“I’ll accept your meal treat next time. I’m indebted to Jay today.”
January hunched his shoulders at the name “Jay” that came from the other’s lips.
He even regretted giving that name.
“It’s not really being indebted…”
“I might have been wandering around the city as a wolf, or walking the streets naked.”
January, who had been visibly tense throughout, displayed something like a smile for the first time.
Though awkward, it was clear that his gaze toward Chris had softened considerably compared to before.
“That’s nothing.”
“Besides, you guided me to a place where my colleagues would have difficulty following me.”
“…Were you forced to go to that establishment?”
“Because of my personality that doesn’t get along well with others… my senior seemed somewhat concerned.”
A personality that doesn’t get along well with others?
January’s face must have shown obvious confusion because Chris responded:
“Apparently, I make people around me… frustrated.”
He did seem quite principled.
“Do you work at that establishment?”
“Occasionally.”
January, who had answered briefly, hastily added an explanation:
“I just fill in as a bartender sometimes when they need a substitute.”
Chris probably had a vague idea of what kind of place that establishment was.
Hadn’t his colleagues been loudly talking about guiding while bringing him in?
Because of that, it was difficult for January to nod to the question about working there.
“I see…”
Chris seemed deep in thought, his eyes lowered.
“The customers seemed quite rough.”
It was a statement implying Espers.
“They’re not as dangerous as they look. The place has its own rules.”
January bit his lip.
He kept feeling regret after speaking.
“That’s good to hear.”
After some hesitation, Chris seemed to make up his mind and handed over a business card.
It had the name Chris Northernlight and a device code written on it.
“Please contact me if you need any help.”
“…Why?”
January asked with a frown.
“Because I was treated to a good meal.”
‘He paid for it himself, what is he talking about?’
Though January thought it was absurd, he grabbed the opposite end of the business card that Chris offered.
He was concerned his awareness of contact might show, but he couldn’t help it.
He didn’t want to confirm the other’s suspicions.
‘If he were a real customer, I would have socialized without thinking.’
Chris had said he was forcibly brought to the establishment. Moreover, he implied that he was of a principled character.
If he had truly felt guiding from January… he might drag him to the Summer Continent for some examination or other.
And then he would change completely when he discovered that January wasn’t a “real” Guide.
January smiled as if embarrassed. Faking such expressions was quite familiar to him.
“Thank you. I’ll definitely contact you if I need anything.”
He didn’t need any help.
***
And Peter, looking at the silent device, said:
“Looks like we failed.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
