The Espers handled each sector in organized units. The capital was a massive city, and even though it had been divided into ten sectors, each one still spanned a considerable area. Hundreds of Espers were deployed to every single sector.
Among the ten, Sector 5—half the capital—was handled solely by Delroz.
Fortunately, luck had been on their side. The flames that had engulfed the capital overnight were quickly extinguished by the timely downpour. Had it not rained, the damage would have been catastrophic.
Thanks to the torrential rain that fell like a waterfall at dawn, the sky now shone a pure blue, as if nothing had happened. Though the acrid scent of smoke still lingered, white clouds drifted lazily across the sky, just like before. Like the sky that returned to normal, the capital’s landscape needed to be restored just as quickly.
“Has there been a summons from Banteon yet?”
“Nothing has come in so far. He’ll be waiting in the study.”
“Delroz played a huge role this time. I never realized how incredible he was just from hearing he’s SS-Rank.”
It seemed Delroz had yet to return to the Center—Banteon’s terminal remained silent. Delroz had clearly pushed himself all night, and his condition couldn’t have been good. Yet, Banteon had heard that he’d volunteered to help clear out the remaining monsters and aid in the capital’s restoration.
“All the Espers who were dispatched yesterday were full of praise for him.”
While everyone else cheered and celebrated Delroz’s feats, only Banteon sat in quiet contemplation. He had tried to brush it off as a passing phenomenon, but it was clear now—his guiding compatibility with Delroz had been deteriorating. Delroz’s unstable energy cycles had also shortened noticeably.
At first, he could treat Delroz’s berserk episodes without even touching him. Now, after just two weeks apart, physical contact through mucous membranes was necessary. At this rate, he was the one who’d be in trouble. A solution had to be found.
The drop in compatibility had started after Delroz was isolated for a month in the research facility. Could the cause be hidden in one of the treatments he received?
‘I’ll have to look into that too.’
From Rohan to the lab, even Madam Ressot—there was no end to the list of places that required attention. With a small sigh, he exchanged brief greetings with Instructor Sodel and continued on his way.
Upon arriving at the study, Banteon froze as he opened the door.
The window, which had been locked before he left, now stood wide open. Thin curtains swayed gently in the breeze. His gaze shifted to the unmistakable evidence of an unhidden intrusion—and then landed on the quiet silhouette sitting on the sofa.
Dark reddish-brown hair. Upon confirming the solid frame, Banteon furrowed his brows. Tearot sat upright on the couch. Unlike his usual relaxed sprawl or lounging posture, his back was hunched, his head bowed low.
“What the hell?”
Banteon stepped closer, sensing something off, and tapped Tearot’s shoulder, but Tearot didn’t budge an inch.
Just a short while ago, he’d been acting out of character, supposedly trying to sort out his feelings. Now he was being all moody again for who knows what reason. Banteon wanted to show concern, but he needed a reason to do so. Tearot’s silence and fickle behavior were just a pain.
Banteon moved past the unresponsive Tearot and sat on the couch across from him. Now that they were at eye level, he could see the gloom in the eyes peeking out from that lowered head.
“What now? You said you’d sorted yourself out.”
“Why did you kiss Delroz?”
Tearot’s question came out of nowhere, his voice low and hoarse, scraped raw by exhaustion. His throat still hadn’t recovered, and the words sounded as if they were being dragged out forcefully. Tearot had also been out last night, fighting off monsters. He looked like he’d barely had time to wash up and change clothes—his pallid complexion and the flickering red energy around him suggested he’d only managed to rein in the bare minimum.
Just killing monsters wasn’t the end of it. They still needed to rebuild the capital and rescue survivors. Every moment of rest was precious, and yet here Tearot was, wasting that time brooding over something pointless. Then again, it was understandable. Anyone who had seen what he had last night wouldn’t have gotten much sleep. Witnessing your brother-like friend kissing someone—it would haunt you.
“You saw that?”
“Unluckily, I happened to be clearing things nearby.”
Well, considering they had done it mid-air, it wouldn’t be strange if someone had seen it. When it happened, they’d been wrapped in psychic energy and hadn’t been thinking straight. Doing something so reckless in a field full of Espers was beyond careless.
“Did anyone else see?”
“We were on the outskirts. If someone had, it’d already be all over the place.”
“That’s a relief.”
At least there wouldn’t be any gossip. He leaned back against the couch with a sigh of relief. But the air surrounding Tearot, still seated across from him, remained as heavy and sunken as before. Elbows resting on knees, body hunched low, he sat like a stone.
“So you came here just to scold me for something you didn’t want to see?”
“Delroz isn’t even your type.”
“You think I did it because he’s my type? It happened because I didn’t have a choice.”
“What the hell was so urgent? Did that bastard threaten to go berserk if you didn’t?”
Why was the conversation veering this way? Banteon frowned and shook his head.
“It wasn’t that.”
“Then why? You hated even touching him.”
“Haa…”
Fatigue made even small annoyances feel overwhelming. To explain things to Tearot, he’d have to go into all of it—the falling compatibility with Delroz, the meeting with Rohan, the warning he’d received, and why calming Delroz had been necessary. There was a lot to unpack.
He pressed down on his dry, heavy eyelids. Even without Tearot, there was already a mountain of issues demanding his attention. Each one was a headache on its own—and now even usually composed Tearot was wearing away at his patience.
“Why are you acting like this all of a sudden? Is a Guide kissing an Esper to calm him down really something to get this pissed about?”
“Since when have you ever been so dutiful about a Guide’s responsibilities—especially with that bastard… No, I’m contacting the Guide Rights Authority right now. Of course you wouldn’t have done it of your own will.”
“Calm down.”
He stopped Tearot, who was about to jump up and storm out.
“It’s not like that. I was the one who did it first.”
Those gloom-laden eyes widened. Trembling in disbelief, the gaze that tried to reject the truth twisted. Then, beyond the drooping head, came a small murmur, like a sigh of resignation.
“So… I wasn’t seeing things.”
“Yeah.”
He had grabbed Delroz by the collar in the middle of battle and kissed him. Banteon had maintained control until the very last second their lips parted. With Tearot’s skill level, he would’ve clearly seen what happened even through the haze of combat energy.
Judging by his reaction, it was obvious. Even though he knew, he must’ve needed to hear it again—because it was just that hard to accept.
“This incident was serious. That was the fastest way to handle it.”
“Even so… with that damned bastard? I just can’t make sense of it.”
“I’m the one who doesn’t understand, Tearot.”
Banteon leaned forward, lowering himself to Tearot’s eye level. At first, he thought Tearot was just shocked. Then, maybe it was revulsion. But the emotions he observed were nothing like what he expected.
“Why are you so angry?”
Whenever Tearot was overwhelmed by rage, he had a habit of staring at the floor to suppress his emotions. When he missed out on something he wanted, or had to give something up. It was a habit he’d had since childhood.
Banteon hadn’t seen it since they became adults, but the memory was vivid. Just like now—avoiding others’ eyes, swallowing it all down on his own.
“…I’m not angry.”
“Tell that to someone who doesn’t know you.”
If nothing else, they couldn’t lie to each other. They’d spent more time together than with their own families. Even without knowing the why, the fact that Tearot was angry was undeniable. At Banteon’s words, Tearot lifted his head slightly and let out a brief, bitter laugh.
“Yeah. You’re right. And you should take your own advice, Banteon—save the lies for someone else.”
His gaze, once smooth and emotionless like polished glass, now burned as it snapped to Banteon. It wasn’t just suppressed anger anymore—it had fully exploded.
“You don’t hate Delroz, do you?”
Just as Banteon knew Tearot, Tearot also knew Banteon. If Banteon truly had no feelings for Delroz, he never would’ve initiated a kiss, not even if Delroz was on the verge of going berserk. That’s precisely what made it intolerable for Tearot—because he knew that.
“It’s… not as bad as it used to be.”
“That’s all? Come on. You like him more than that, don’t you? Enough to want to kiss him first?”
“Tearot. Don’t cross the line.”
He cut off the speculation sharply. Even between friends, there were boundaries. And this one was clear. It was entirely Tearot’s fault for stepping over it. The only reason their relationship had lasted this long was because they respected those lines.
“Even if I do like Delroz, that still doesn’t give you the right to interrogate me like this.”
“A reason… Right. Of course not. Ha… hahaha…”
The breathy sound of laughter started like a scoff and gradually grew. With a humorless smile, Tearot exhaled like wind escaping a cracked vessel, then slowly straightened his bent posture.
With his chest fully expanded, Tearot’s upper body looked unusually imposing today. He lifted his head with a proud tilt and looked Banteon directly in the eyes as he stood up and grabbed Banteon’s hand.
It happened in an instant. His large hand reached out and stripped the fine glove off Banteon’s hand in one motion.
“Tearot!”
Startled by the sudden skin contact, Banteon shouted sharply, but Tearot only tightened his grip.
When a Guide and Esper touch, a guiding response is triggered regardless of intent. Even without conscious effort, their energies instinctively entwine. The red energy climbing up his hand felt disturbingly unfamiliar—and yet familiar all at once. He had seen it countless times, but never imagined feeling it like this.
“…So this is what it feels like.”
“Have you lost your mind? Let go—now.”
“I think I finally get how those Espers who cling to you feel.”
“If you don’t let go—”
“What? You’ll report me?”
