To use abilities inside the Association, he would need to output S-rank level waves. If he used his spatial movement ability while restricted, his waves could go berserk after just a few uses.
“Iro-ya.”
Jeong Iro, who had no memories of his childhood, disappeared without a word, making him suspect who he might have met. The probability was high that he’d met the villains who raised him.
Just when I thought we’d gotten a bit closer, you stab me in the back like this.
It was too early to jump to conclusions. Even if he had colluded with them, what was important was that Jeong Iro put Han Seoha first.
“Can’t you even tell me?”
“…Strawberry macarons.”
“Strawberry macarons? Was the gift someone left at the door earlier something Iro bought?”
“Yes…”
When he opened the door at the sound of the doorbell, there was a macaron box just sitting there. The box placed without any sign of presence didn’t even have a common message. He couldn’t distinguish whether it was goodwill or poison, but it was inside the Association where CCTV was installed. Han Seoha hesitated about whether to contact the control center.
At that moment, Jeong Iro, who had a big appetite, casually took one out and ate it, then put it directly into Han Seoha’s mouth, so the macaron he tasted inadvertently was delicious.
To think that Jeong Iro had bought it and pretended not to know while leaving it at the door. He must have remembered that while watching TV yesterday, the strawberries in a local commercial looked fresh and he’d said they looked delicious.
Han Seoha held Jeong Iro’s hand, which was avoiding his eyes, and patted it.
“You can’t sneak out during self-reflection. Other times too. You have to tell me.”
“…But then Seoha hyung would become a liar.”
To think it was an action done in secret because he knew Han Seoha submitted daily reports about Jeong Iro. It was so admirable that laughter burst out naturally.
“It’s okay. For Iro, I can lie as much as needed. More than that, I’m more afraid of something going wrong when you sneak out. Please make sure to tell me from now on.”
“…Okay.”
Han Seoha covered Jeong Iro’s hand, where slow guiding continued, with his other hand.
“Thank you for the gift. The macarons were delicious.”
“I… thank you for the guiding too.”
Jeong Iro, who had been taking the guiding Han Seoha gave him for granted, had changed. When he let go of his impatience, stability came just from the guiding through Han Seoha’s hand. Previously, he’d been dissatisfied about why he only did guiding with hands with him, but now it was different.
Han Seoha had changed too. He hid it fairly well, but whenever their skin touched, he would flinch slightly. Even though he felt pain the moment guiding started, he tried not to show it. He would hold hands with him for as long as Jeong Iro wanted.
Jeong Iro was happy and reassured by Han Seoha, who wouldn’t let go of him even though it hurt. The certainty that Han Seoha wouldn’t abandon him unless they were forcibly separated completely broke down Jeong Iro’s wariness.
Not long after, Han Seoha slowly released his hand so as not to wake Jeong Iro, who had truly fallen asleep, stretched, and came out to the living room.
Papers with various doodles made while studying with Jeong Iro were scattered on the table. While cleaning up the messy living room, he also gathered the papers and put them down on one side.
Han Seoha noticed footprints remaining on a rug that hadn’t been there before he entered the room and pretended not to see them. He was certain that someone watching him had been there.
Seeing that Jeong Iro hadn’t noticed, it seemed they’d been replaced with a higher-ranked Esper. Either way, he liked that the judgment was quick.
What was written on the paper was the probability of gate occurrences. It was the fruit of the bait he’d been subtly spreading while consistently helping Jeong Iro study.
After grasping the approximate location with the compass he’d obtained this time, he wrote new numbers in that location. Other locations were full of numbers he’d written in advance.
Since I wrote plausible numbers for some of these before they actually opened, you’d be a fool not to notice.
To only pick it up now—should I call it cautious or stupid?
They must have at least taken a photo only after Han Seoha, who returned from vacation, emphasized it openly, but that was what he’d been aiming for.
Whether you take it to your master or show it to your colleagues, move quickly.
He had no intention of ending with just one piece of bait.
***
The item-related department of the Association research lab had been running day and night for the past few days. That was because experiments that normally wouldn’t proceed properly due to cooperating Espers receiving treatment after being hit by item gimmicks were progressing quickly with the volunteering of an A-rank Esper.
“Hmm. This seems to be curse-type.”
“What? The mana readings are ordinary though?”
“Because you look like a witch over 100 years old right now. The staff in your hand seems to have been a pen.”
“Is there only external appearance change? Can you also check smell and touch?”
“No particular smell? Seeing that the boiling pot smells like coffee, it might only affect vision from the initial perception state. If you let go of the item… ah, it’s melting. The way of escaping from the illusion is grotesque. We don’t know about B-rank, so why don’t you try it in a restrained state.”
When Ryu Jaegeon put down the item in the protective case, the next item popped out quickly. Just by looking, the amount of mana was considerable, so even if it was an unidentified item, its performance was expected.
“I’ll start right away.”
“Wait a moment. We’re still recording the previous one, so please wait a bit.”
Ryu Jaegeon leaned back in his chair without any sign of tension and checked his watch. The readings didn’t exceed 50, but due to receiving continuous guiding from Yu Haneul recently, unpleasantness was creeping in.
“Let’s do the rest next time. I need to receive guiding.”
“Ah, can’t you just do this one? The mana readings are high, so we have expectations.”
“Haah… fine.”
When the researcher pressed the switch, thick reinforced glass opened, revealing a ring-shaped item.
When he held the item, which was thick for a ring, in his hand, he could clearly feel the mana enveloping his entire hand. It seemed to be a transforming type, so when he put it on his middle finger, it absorbed the wearer’s mana and the ring’s form unraveled. The ring, which wriggled like an organism and expanded while covering along the blood vessels, finally stopped moving after wrapping from the fingertips to the wrist.
“This seems to be its appearance.”
“Appraisal possible. It’s enhancement-type, and the strength will vary according to the wearer’s mana.”
At the excited appraiser’s quick transmission, Ryu Jaegeon lightly struck the test steel. Even though he didn’t apply force, he crumpled the flattened steel plate a few more times, then placed both hands on the test vehicle’s hood and applied slight force. Seeing that the indentations on both sides looked different, Ryu Jaegeon conveyed his impressions without any particular emotion.
“Force goes in strongly regardless of intention. If I deliberately apply force, it does go in stronger, but the default value is upgraded to begin with. The burden on the person is the same, so if an ordinary person uses it, both the car and the person would be destroyed.”
“Ah, I don’t think you need to worry about that. Since it reacts to mana, only Espers will be able to use it.”
“It’s like gloves made by twisting wire.”
When he grabbed the ring, whether it understood the wearer’s intention or reacted to the touch, it quickly returned to its original form. When Ryu Jaegeon clenched his fist while looking at the ring that didn’t react even when he let go and grabbed it again, then struck the hood again, it had already returned to a form completely covering his hand.
“This is pretty good.”
Since there were Espers who were embarrassed by flashy appearances, the demand seemed certain.
“Esper Ryu Jaegeon-nim, that would be more helpful to enhancement-type Espers.”
It was the urgent cry of a researcher worried that Ryu Jaegeon might target it.
In the past few days, Ryu Jaegeon had examined dozens of items. Thanks to only examining items that ability appraisers couldn’t identify, the end was now in sight.
In the process, Ryu Jaegeon had set his sights on a few items. Since he had personally stepped up and even tested them as an A-rank, he could claim a few items first unless they were items that should go to S-ranks.
“I’m not particularly greedy either. Just take good care of the ones I mentioned before.”
“Oh my, of course. We can conduct quick investigations thanks to Esper Ryu Jaegeon-nim. Thank you for your cooperation.”
The reason even the Association staff quickly agreed was simple. They were all types for Guides, so they weren’t useful items in gates.
“Well… I’m also affiliated with the Association.”
Ryu Jaegeon, who answered appropriately, found it hard to believe even himself that he had volunteered for such troublesome work because of Han Seoha.
The day a few days ago when he lost Han Seoha due to Yu Haneul’s impulsive action at the regular gate. The Han Seoha he finally found was cradled in Baek Uihyeon’s arms, not knowing what to do, yet not letting go of the item held in his hand. The small item that had been emitting a faint light had been held by Han Seoha until the end even though he fainted during guiding, but it was recovered when they exited the gate.
Baek Uihyeon took care of the unconscious Han Seoha, but Ryu Jaegeon kept being bothered by the trivial item. Thinking that Han Seoha, who couldn’t feel mana unless it was Esper waves, had endured with at least that small light in his arms in the black vine room, he was needlessly concerned.
He tried to secure the item, which would be classified as trash because the mana it emitted was so faint it wouldn’t even be D-grade, to commemorate Han Seoha’s first gate. Even though it was a trivial item that wouldn’t even be D-grade, the research lab dispatch staff wouldn’t let go, saying they had to inspect it first.
For just that level of reason, Ryu Jaegeon volunteered for item testing.
“Yu Haneul-nim must be happy. Since Esper Ryu Jaegeon-nim takes care of him like this.”
At the staff member’s joking remark in the middle, Ryu Jaegeon, who only then also picked out items to give to Yu Haneul, had to be surprised each time by the inclination of his heart.
