“Did the funeral go well?”
“Yes, thanks to everyone, it went smoothly. My mind was a bit foggy for a while, but I’m fine now. I had somewhat prepared myself for it, to be honest.”
“It seems things were difficult between you two.”
At that question, Instructor Sodel scratched her cheek awkwardly.
“Yes. He passed away suddenly, but he’d been battling a chronic illness for a long time.”
“You must have had a hard time mentally.”
“It’s already in the past. And to be honest, I think I was able to move on faster because I heard such shocking news.”
She must’ve meant the news about Banteon and Delroz’s temporary Guide matching. Even someone in mourning was reacting to it. A small, incredulous smile crept up internally.
“Now that the funeral’s over without issue, it’s time to return to normal life. Come to think of it, are your parents well, Mr. Banteon—oh.”
Sodel cut herself off and fell silent mid-sentence. She had remembered Banteon’s famously known parents in the kingdom.
“They passed away.”
“Right. I’m so sorry.”
“No need. It happened quite a while ago.”
Banteon’s parents had died when he was still a child. His parents—an Esper and a Guide—had met after both were past thirty. Compared to the usual early matching between Espers and Guides, it had been a late union. Things hadn’t been good at the time they met.
His father, the Esper, had been fine. With a naturally strong constitution and proper care, he had never suffered from illness or injury. The problem was his mother, the Guide.
Nowadays, Guide rights had been strengthened and overguiding was prohibited by law. Sometimes the protection of Guides seemed almost excessive.
But in his parents’ generation, there still lingered the view that Guides were nothing more than tools for Espers. They paid lip service to equality while subtly belittling the Guides’ physical limitations.
Before meeting his father, his mother’s body had already been deteriorating.
The source of a Guide’s power is life force. That life force is consumed to support the Esper. Before she met Banteon’s father, she had been severely overworked by multiple Espers, pushing her body to the brink.
His father, having met his destined Guide far too late, did everything he could to keep her alive even a day longer. He poured the vast fortune of Esrante into medical research, gathering anything beneficial to her health.
Even now, it’s said that 40% of current medical technologies were born from those efforts. But life was too heavy a weight to lift with money alone.
His mother, emaciated and exhausted, passed away the year Banteon turned ten. His younger sibling had been far too young to even remember her.
A few days after the funeral, his once-healthy father took his own life, following his Guide.
The shock of that moment had been so great that mourning flags were raised across the entire kingdom for days.
If even Esrante couldn’t save her, then no one could. People finally realized that once a Guide’s life force was depleted, there was no way to restore it. That truth sent a wave of shock through society. Espers, who had only cared for their own personal Guides, finally turned their eyes toward human rights.
From then on, safe environments were established where Guiding could only be done within a regulated number of instances.
As memories of his parents resurfaced after a long time, Banteon found himself gazing up at the sky. In his mind, his parents were always the same image—his mother, dry and frail like a fallen leaf, lying in bed, and his father, the Esper, looking at her with slumped shoulders.
The heavy mood prompted Sodel to let out an awkward laugh.
“This wasn’t the kind of talk I meant to have with you.”
“It’s alright.”
“Ah, actually, I came because I heard something about you and wanted to ask, but it doesn’t seem like the right moment now…”
Banteon asked as Sodel hesitated, clearly reading the room.
“What is it?”
“Did you hear there’s a rumor going around that you’re close with a Center graduate?”
At her words, he stroked his chin. He didn’t even need to hear it clearly to know what kind of rumor it was. It must’ve started from people seeing him walking with Keslan.
The rumor had spread faster than expected, but up to this point, it was all within Banteon’s plan.
“We’re just casually getting to know each other.”
“Well, you’ve been on your own for a long time, so there’s nothing wrong with that. And Keslan completed his training quite a while ago too…”
Even as she said it was fine, Sodel trailed off. Then, she cautiously asked again.
“Then is it true that Keslan and you are going out together sometime soon?”
Banteon’s eyebrows twitched slightly. The earlier rumor could be explained by the number of people who had seen them in the hallway. But this question was different.
Only Banteon and Keslan knew about their plans to go out together. He couldn’t imagine Keslan being careless enough to go around spreading stories about a date.
Concealing his expression for a moment, Banteon replied with his usual smile.
“That’s quite a personal matter. Are such rumors going around now?”
Sodel scratched her cheek again, clearly embarrassed.
“Oh, no. It’s nothing definite. Probably just gossip, right? It’s just that Keslan submitted a leave request for next week, and people are saying his partner is you…”
If the exact date was already known, it was only a matter of time before it came out anyway. Weighing his options, Banteon gave a slight nod.
“It’s true that I have plans to meet Keslan that day. I didn’t know the rumors had spread, though.”
“Gasp—then, does that mean…?”
Sodel’s eyes went wide with surprise as she raised her voice in response to Banteon’s confirmation.
“Is the rumor about you and Keslan officially matching also true?”
“Pardon?”
That one was completely off base. Unlike the previous rumors, this was pure fabrication. Likely one of those nonsense stories mixed cleverly with truth. At this level, it suggested someone was spreading it deliberately. But who?
“That’s not true.”
“Gasp—ah. Ah, of course not, right? That couldn’t be… not with Delroz still around…”
“This has nothing to do with Delroz. I’m just not ready to choose an official Esper yet.”
If this was Keslan’s doing, it was far beyond the scope of youthful mischief from a young Esper. But…
‘It’s not certain.’
There wasn’t enough proof yet that Keslan was behind the rumor. It could just as easily have been intended to provoke Delroz, or a test to gauge Banteon’s feelings.
There were far too many possible suspects.
“May I be excused now?”
“Yes, time has flown by more than I expected. Please let me treat you to a meal next time.”
“There’s no need for that at all. Then, take care getting back.”
Banteon maintained his outwardly cordial smile to the end as he saw Instructor Sodel off. But once he turned around after making sure she had fully walked away, his lips were pressed into a hard line.
***
When Banteon arrived at the agreed-upon location, he saw Keslan waving enthusiastically from a distance. Even from far away, his light brown hair shimmered as it moved with him.
He couldn’t stop wondering whether Keslan had been the source of the rumor he’d heard recently. It was the lingering doubt that had troubled him up until the very end. Rather than let himself be swayed by uncertainty, he had come to this date with the intent to confirm it for himself. But the mood wasn’t exactly relaxed.
“Sir! You came!”
“We had an appointment.”
“Hehe.”
Keslan beamed, lips curving into a wide smile on both sides.
“Shall we head out, then?”
He opened the car door, hand extended—trying his best to act like an escort. He was clearly trying to appear composed, but couldn’t fully conceal his awkwardness. Even though he was legally an adult, he was still young.
Banteon got into the car through the door Keslan opened for him. Keslan carefully, almost timidly, closed the door and quickly slipped into the seat across from him.
“Whew…”
“Nervous trying to do something you’re not used to?”
“N-No, not at all.”
Keslan hastily denied it, clearly flustered. Seeing him like that made Banteon chuckle in amusement. The car’s interior, shielded completely from both driver and outside noise, was cozy and quiet. It was obvious that quite a bit of money had gone into the setup.
“Sir, do you like theater by any chance?”
“Theater?”
“Yes. There’s a newly opened performance at the Grand Theater.”
Keslan pulled out a pamphlet from the back seat, clearly prepared in advance. Just as he said, it detailed the contents of a new show premiering today.
Banteon glanced over the synopsis and cast, then gave a satisfied nod. The lineup was impressive, and the story serious without veering into melodrama or tragedy—very much in line with his tastes.
Most of all, the fact that it was a premiere appealed to him. He had seen existing plays to exhaustion for the sake of social events, and had no desire to revisit those again on a personal outing. This was a surprisingly good pick.
“Looks like it’ll be interesting.”
“Really?”
Keslan’s face lit up with joy. A reaction as if he’d just received the world in exchange for a simple comment—it was endearing. If the word harmless took human form, it would look like this.
Banteon had meant to use this meeting to get to the bottom of the rumor, but… it felt like a waste to let this one go so easily. He might as well enjoy the night, and decide afterward if it was worth continuing.
Even as he acknowledged to himself that the thought wasn’t exactly noble, a faint smile tugged at his lips.
***
As expected, the play was satisfying. Riding the wave of its emotional high, the restaurant they visited afterward turned out to be a good choice too. The reserved private room was discreet yet luxurious. The meal, set in such a relaxed atmosphere, passed pleasantly, and even the tea that followed was flawlessly prepared.
