Don't Support the Guide - Chapter 11

It was on the day the raging snowstorm finally ceased. It had been a long time since Adrian had stood under such brilliant sunlight. She had no idea why her body felt so light at that moment…

‘If only I hadn’t completely lost my senses back then.’

Or if Samuel had returned and told her that he was the one who had saved her.

They probably would have met for the first time seven years ago. Adrian would have realized, for the first time in her life, that there was a guide whose presence didn’t disgust her.

Her stomach churned with regret. The pain and suffering of the past seven years suddenly felt unbearably unfair.

Adrian turned her head to look at Samuel.

“How did you do it?”

“What?”

“I asked how you saved me back then.”

Was she hoping for some kind of compensation? The impulsive question slipped out without warning, born from frustration and curiosity.
Samuel’s eyes shook with confusion. His throat bobbed as he swallowed, nervously moistening his lips, a clear sign of his flustered state.

“Do it again.”

“What?”

“Your first kiss—you gave it to me, but I don’t even remember it. Isn’t that unfair?”

“…….”

“So, do it again. This time, I’ll remember it all.”

Samuel’s startled expression gradually crumbled, and a bold light flashed in his eyes. He took a step closer, his gaze locking on her lips.

“Then, you’ll need to lie down first.”

His eyes pinned to her lips, Samuel gently pressed on Adrian’s shoulders, guiding her onto the sofa. Her short hair fell messily, and the cushions gave way beneath her weight.

It was a position they hadn’t experienced the night before.

“And then?”

“You’ll have to close your eyes.”

Adrian chuckled softly before closing her eyes. For a moment, Samuel watched her silently, then slowly lowered his head. His trembling lips brushed against hers, barely touching at first, like the light stroke of a feather. Then, gradually, the pressure deepened.

Adrian held her breath.

The soft sensation pressed against her, growing firmer. The warmth of his lips molded over hers, and her mouth instinctively parted. As their lips locked, their damp inner skin brushed together, smooth and warm.

At that moment, guiding energy poured over her like a waterfall. Adrian nearly lost control. Her hand shot up, clutching the hem of Samuel’s shirt desperately.

With each gentle press and glide of his lips, the heat grew more intense, making her legs tremble uncontrollably. The hand gripping his shirt slowly slid upward, unconsciously tracing the curve of his body.

Samuel cupped her face with his large hands, deepening the kiss. When he tilted his head, their tongues intertwined more passionately.
Every time their bodies brushed together, the taut muscles beneath his shirt flexed and relaxed, rising and falling with the rhythm of their breath.

The wet, sticky sound of lips meeting and parting filled the office. Adrian’s hand slid up Samuel’s body, gently caressing his cheek and soft ear.

Her insatiable thirst urged her on, and Adrian pried Samuel’s jaw open, deepening the kiss. The intense gaze in her eyes and the flick of her tongue inside his mouth left no doubt about what this Esper wanted.

Suddenly, Samuel pulled back.

“Why?”

He didn’t move far, but compared to the way they had been breathing in sync just moments ago, even that small distance felt like an empty chasm.

Samuel’s gaze dropped to Adrian’s swollen, glistening lips. His green eyes were dark with restrained heat.

“This… this is as far as I went back then,” Samuel said.

As far as what? Adrian could bet the entire office that what had happened back then was far more modest—dry, even—compared to now.

What baffled her more than the kiss itself was Samuel’s attitude. His heaving chest and flushed neck made it clear that he hadn’t found the experience boring in the least.

Then why?

“Get up.”

In any case, guiding through physical contact had to be done according to the guide’s limits. It was a fundamental rule to ensure the harmony between a superpowered Esper and an ordinary, physically unenhanced guide.

The two of them slowly sat up. Samuel’s eyes, searching for something, landed on Adrian as she straightened her clothes.

“May I check your pendant?”

“Wait… it’s a strange color.”

Adrian lifted her necklace, revealing a mottled greenish-yellow color, like an unripe citrus fruit. Samuel’s eyes narrowed in disapproval, his displeasure evident.

“I’m sorry.”

“There’s no need to apologize.”

Perhaps because Samuel had once saved her life, he seemed to pay unusual attention to Adrian’s guiding state.

That attention wasn’t unpleasant. If anything, part of her felt tempted to use it as an excuse to continue guiding until the pendant turned a full green. Just a little longer…

‘Am I crazy?’

Adrian finally reeled in the last frayed threads of her rational mind and grasped the reality of the situation.

Her perfectly innocent plan to simply hold hands and receive a quick guiding session had crumbled—once again turning into something much hotter and more intense.

***

Samuel smiled faintly as he looked at the approaching Esper who offered him a handshake.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Brenda.”

Brenda had a bright and cheerful smile.

Her tanned skin contrasted with her white teeth, making her smile all the more radiant. It was the kind of smile that would easily make anyone blush, but Samuel remained calm and indifferent.

“I’m Samuel Nora.”

“I know! Thanks to you, I’m only the second most famous new recruit!”

Instead of responding to the joke, Samuel merely shook her hand in return.

He had heard the guides buzzing about a charming new Esper, and it seemed Brenda was the one they were talking about.

In any case, he wasn’t interested in continuing the conversation. Samuel knew exactly why he had become famous—it was because of Adrian.

‘I don’t want her name to become a topic of gossip.’

Adrian was a well-known figure, so it was inevitable that everything about her would become a hot topic. But Samuel had no intention of adding fuel to that fire.

“Are all the new recruits here?”

A lively voice rang out as Captain Linton entered the training hall.

Even after graduating from the academy, training remained an essential part of their routine. Today’s focus was on guiding practice.

“Oh? Captain Linton! I thought someone else was leading today.”

Brenda tucked her hair behind her ear, trying to act casual, but her face noticeably lit up the moment she saw Linton.

Just as the city’s defense guides admired Adrian, many Espers were drawn to Linton Vione.

A rare Gold-level guide, Linton had it all—an impressive family background, striking looks, and solid field experience. While he couldn’t match Adrian’s reputation, he was still one of the top two most famous guides.

“Today, we’ll be learning about radiant guiding.”

Everyone, from junior officers to first lieutenants, paired up with an Esper or guide. Linton scanned the group with a calm gaze, his eyes briefly passing over Samuel.

“Radiant guiding is less efficient than contact guiding, but there are times in the field when physical contact won’t be possible. You’re all aware of that, right?”

“Yes, sir!”

“In particular, when you need to guide multiple Espers at once, radiant guiding becomes essential. Today, I’ll show you how to control it.”

Linton extended his palm toward Brenda. His hand glowed softly, and a beam of light gradually stretched toward her.

“Whoa!”

One feature of Gold-level guiding was that it could be seen with the naked eye. The brighter the light, the stronger the guiding power.

Linton’s guiding light was incredibly vivid as it entered directly into Brenda’s heart.

“Injecting the energy directly into the heart is the most effective. Like this—radiant guiding works like firing a concentrated beam of energy.”

Linton proceeded to guide several other Espers in the same way, sending the light straight into their hearts.

“Now, do you feel how the energy flows into your heart?”

“Yes, sir! It spreads from the heart, bringing a calming sensation that stabilizes the whole body.”

“Exactly. Hold on to that feeling. Since Silver-level guides and below can’t produce visible guiding energy, the Espers need to confirm it for them.”

“Understood!”

“Alright, now let’s give it a try yourselves.”

***

“This is much harder than I thought,” Brenda said, laughing awkwardly as she glanced around.

The guides were all struggling, beads of sweat forming on their foreheads. Meanwhile, their paired Espers stood there blankly, clearly feeling nothing. Samuel found himself in a similar situation.

“How about now?”

“Nothing.”

“And now?”

“Oh? I felt something just now—wait… it’s gone again.”

At least Samuel managed to get Brenda to feel something for a brief moment, which was better than most.

“Phew. This is tough,” Samuel sighed and raised his hand as if signaling for a break. Brenda nodded and took a step back.

Samuel shut his tired eyes tightly. Frustration built up inside him. He couldn’t stop thinking about Linton’s radiant blond hair and the vivid guiding energy that had poured from him so effortlessly. Compared to that, failing to control even a simple radiant guiding made Samuel feel utterly inadequate.

In the field, unpredictable situations were the norm. Samuel knew from his experience in the rough and dangerous Marcus Mountain Unit that radiant guiding could be a lifesaving technique. Many times, even trainees were forced to join real missions due to the harsh conditions.

He knew exactly how useful Linton’s radiant guiding technique would be in the field, which only made him want to succeed even more. But the guiding energy refused to cooperate. His level of guiding and control was clearly a step below Linton’s.

‘…I was arrogant.’

Samuel suddenly realized how foolish he had been. Without even noticing it, he had underestimated Linton Vione.

Not long ago, he had been the one to channel guiding energy into Adrian’s body—not Linton. That fact had given Samuel confidence, even pride.

But the reality was clear.

In a real emergency, the guide who would provide practical help wouldn’t be him—it would be Linton. The thought left a cold, hollow feeling in the pit of his stomach.

“Is it going okay?”

A cheerful voice broke through his thoughts. It was Linton. Samuel looked at his bright face for a moment, then shook his head.

“I’m not sure.”

“Let me watch. Try again.”

Linton stepped behind Samuel and rested his hands on his shoulders.