The Guide is Actually a Body-Switching Esper [BL]-Chapter 52: ’Hunting’ Spot

Lane barged back to his apartment through the balcony, panting heavily. He blazed through the whole distance in mere seconds, running at a speed much greater than he thought himself capable of. He rushed to the living room, and threw himself straight on the couch.

"What... the... hell..." he muttered, gasping for breath.

Why was he even gasping? He went fast, of course, but it still shouldn’t be enough to leave him so breathless.

Yes, it was not the speed, but rather...

"Argh!"

Lane dug his fingers in his hair, rolling around.

How did it come to this? All those years of switching identities, and nobody suspected anything, and now, all of a sudden...

It seems he messed up with someone he shouldn’t have.

’No,’ Lane paused, taking a deep breath. ’It’s all over now. He won’t catch me again.’

Without receiving guiding from Lane, Damien wouldn’t be able to figure out his new identity, even if he suspected he might possess someone new again. Lane should still keep an eye on him, just in case, but he could do it from a distance. Register as a B... No, maybe a C-rank Guide, and join a different team. He had to go back to the Association anyway, since dungeon inspections were the best for planting Fertilizer, and it wasn’t a good time for a break...

Just stay away from Damien, and everything would be okay.

And choose his targets with more caution in the future. Especially when it came to Espers.

***

The next evening, he went to one of his usual ’hunting’ spots. It wouldn’t do him any good to postpone picking a new identity, not in such a crucial time for his plans. So, he only met with Ava for lunch and a short guiding session, before he was ready to return to his work at the Association.

He ordered himself a glass of Porn Star Martini, and found a seat from where he had a good view of the people in the club.

It was less busy than usual at that time. Perhaps because the dungeon break happened just a day prior, and the club wasn’t too far from the closed-off area. It was only natural that a spot so close to the river wouldn’t seem like a good choice for the party-goers.

Still, there were at least enough people to allow Lane to act without drawing attention to himself, so that was fine.

He scanned people below, sipping on his drink...

"Lane? That’s you, isn’t it?" a voice spoke from behind all of a sudden, barely cutting through the loud, pounding music.

Lane flipped his head, his eyes twitching as his gaze fell on the man standing just two feet away from him. "...Hey, Jake."

"Fancy seeing you here!" Jake plopped on the seat opposite Lane, without even bothering to ask whether he could. "You come here often?"

"No, not really. I think it’s my second or third time?"

Actually, he had been there way more than once or twice, but it was also true that he didn’t come there often. In the first place, there was nowhere he came often as ’Lane’ in recent years, as he spent most of his time possessing other people’s bodies.

And even when he was in his real one, this club wasn’t his hang-out spot.

It was his hunting spot. One of the places where he came to look for new identities.

He liked to keep those two separated, in order to avoid a situation like what was happening right now. Running into an acquaintance, when he was busy choosing a target.

Jake didn’t catch on his displeasure though, and just continued chatting. "I haven’t seen you for a while. Where you abroad or something?"

"Eh, yeah, I guess."

"Anywhere fun?"

"Not really. Few places, nothing memorable." Lane shrugged his shoulders.

"Is that so? Hah, I bet they were actually fucking great, you’re just too picky."

"It’s all a matter of perspective."

"If it’s so boring for you, then the next time let me go in your place instead!"

"Yeah, nope. Dream on."

"How mean," Jake burst out laughing. He took a large swing of his beer, looking at the girls in skimpy outfits bending and twisting their bodies in the rhythm of the music on the dance floor below. His eyes widened slightly, as he remembered something. "By the way, Agatha was asking about you."

"Agatha?"

"You know, Mark’s cousin."

Lane stared at Jake blankly. Who was Mark again?

Noticing his confusion, Jake let out a sigh, shaking his head. "You know, that guy that often hangs around Kai."

"Ah."

Now Lane remembered.

"So, what did she want?"

"You hooked up with her, haven’t you?"

"Yeah, and?"

"She was hoping for more."

Now it was Lane’s turn to sigh. "I don’t do relationships."

"Yeah, that’s what I said as well. But I thought I would let you know, just in case." Jake shrugged his shoulders. "Anyway, did you know that Sid and Bae..."

He continued with his chatter, relaying Lane all of the gossip, even though he had never asked.

Of course, Lane could easily dismiss him. Jake was just some guy that he sometimes partied with. It wouldn’t be a big deal if their relationship soured or anything. Making such casual acquaintances wasn’t difficult for Lane.

Still, he just listened half-heartedly, joining in the conversation from time to time. It wasn’t like he had anything better to do. Now that someone he knew was around, he couldn’t continue with his hunt for the night...

So, he stuck around for a bit, sipping his drinks and enjoying the night, before he excused himself.

The cool night air hit him right in the face as he left the stuffy club smelling of alcohol, perfume, and sweat, bringing instant refreshment. He had drunk quite a lot, since he couldn’t be bothered to talk too much tonight, and now was feeling pleasantly buzzed. He stretched out his back, a wide smile on his face.

Perhaps it was the booze, but an idea hit him just as he was about to head back home. Why not explore the lockdown area, now that he was in his real body and had some time on his hands? There wouldn’t be a better opportunity than now. Soon enough, the Association would install Mana meters everywhere, and Lane would no longer be able to sneak in so easily without being detected...

Excited about his new ’sightseeing’ plan, he dove into the back alley, glanced left and right to ensure that no one was looking, and activated his cloaking ability.

A moment later, he was already up in the air, dashing toward Lapis Lake.