The Guide is Actually a Body-Switching Esper [BL]-Chapter 57: ...A Trap.

Lane clenched and unclenched his fingers, staring into the classroom.

There was one thing he couldn’t do, if he didn’t want to get caught. He absolutely couldn’t give Damien any guiding...

And now Damien was sitting in the classroom, attending the Basic Guide Training as a practice target for newbie Guides. Everyone gathered would have to give him some guiding. That was the very point of the training.

But the moment Lane would do it...

Lane pressed his lips together, stepping into the room.

He could still escape somehow. Fake getting sick, a stomachache or something. The Awakened rarely got sick, even the Guides - unless they were Mana diseases from dungeons - but it still could happen. Their immune system was just a bit better, that’s all. A C-rank Guide such as Aidan could get food poisoning, if he ate something bad, or perhaps something he was allergic to...

But it would only be a temporary escape.

Damien had already seen him.

Of course, he had no way to recognize Lane just yet. Aidan bore no resemblance to either Evan or Noah. And the way he was dressed was also completely different. As Evan and Noah, Lane opted for smart casual styles, only with different color schemes, that matched their features. Now, however, he wore dark, sporty clothes.

His general behavior and the way he acted were also not the same. Aidan was older, so naturally, he should be more mature, compared to the other two. Lane acted calmer and cooler, a bit more distant. So, Damien shouldn’t be able to notice many similarities.

However, if Lane were to run away now, no matter what excuse he would use, it would undoubtedly put him on Damien’s radar... Damien would definitely try to catch him later, if not in the training, then in the Guiding Center, once Lane became a licensed Guide at the Association.

The only option would be for Lane to give up on living as ’Aidan’... But that wouldn’t solve the problem either! Damien volunteering to help with the training was a trap set for Lane, for sure. And with his impossible patience, who knows how long would he be willing to wait for Lane to appear?

So, he had no choice but to stick around. If Damien recognized him, he would just play dumb...

He took a seat at the very back. Everyone had to have a try at the guiding - that was what the practice session was for, after all - but there was no set order in which they had to go. So, Lane intended to be one of the last. Who knew, maybe after receiving guiding from several people in the row, Damien’s senses would dull a bit, and he wouldn’t recognize Lane? It was a ridiculous hope, but the only one Lane could rely on.

Still, to think that Damien was already looking for him here, when it was the first Basic Guide Training taking place after Noah’s death... He sure acted fast.

He looked tired though. Lane couldn’t help but notice how pale Damien’s complexion was, or how dark the shadow under his eyes looked. And the way he was dressed was kind of sloppy. To anyone else, Damien might have still looked well put together, but Lane, who was familiar with the man, could clearly see everything that was off. Slightly loose collar, unevenly brushed back hair, unbuttoned pocket on his chest... Just some tiny details, but under any normal circumstances, Damien wouldn’t have left them uncorrected.

Not to mention the way he tensed up every time one of the trainee Guides held his hand, only for his shoulders to slump a bit once the guiding started...

And this time, Lane wasn’t so clueless as to wonder what had caused Damien’s less-than-great state.

It was him. It was all because of him.

He averted his eyes, adjusting himself on the chair. Was it just him, or the seats in the classroom had become more uncomfortable than usual?

"...So, is anyone left?" A good two hours or so later, the instructor swept her eyes over the class, before glancing at her list.

Lane let out a sigh, standing up from his seat. "I haven’t tried yet."

"Ah, right! Mr. Jenkins, was it?" the instructor smiled at him brightly. "Come, sit here. You just need to take Team Leader Lennox’s hand, and try to activate your ability. Let me know if you have any problems."

"Yes." Lane obediently sat down next to Damien. He tried his best to maintain a neutral expression as he reached out for the man’s hand, even though he felt as if he was a criminal on a trial, about to be sentenced to death...

Well, maybe not death, but rather imprisonment, but to Lane, it sounded even worse.

Damien’s hand was big and warm. A kind of warmth that spread to the other person, making them feel all fuzzy inside. Lane couldn’t help but shift in his seat, suppressing the urge to flee. Under his fingers, he could feel Damien’s hard callouses... He never paid much attention to it before, but now that he knew about the man’s past, he couldn’t help but think of a bit younger version of Damien, striking crystallized Mana with a pickaxe in a dungeon, sweat dripping down his body...

"Is there a problem?"

Lane almost flinched, pulled out of his thoughts by the instructor’s question. freёwebnoѵel.com

"Uh... How exactly am I supposed to activate my ability?" he turned toward the woman, scratching his neck with embarrassment.

"Hm. Try to think about the Mana flowing within your body. Can you do that?"

Lane closed his eyes, breathing slowly, as he pretended to focus. "...Yes, I think I can feel it..."

"Alright, that’s good! Now, imagine the Mana flowing down your arm, all the way to your fingertips."

"Mhm, I think I got it..."

"Okay. Now, think of the Mana leaving your body, flowing toward Team Leader Lennox..."

"...Yes." Lane took a deep breath, before finally starting the guiding session.

As soon as he did, Damien flinched, his fingers momentarily tightening, holding onto Lane’s hand.

"Is it working?" the instructor asked.

"Um... I think so?"

"Yes. Yes, it is," Damien confirmed, his low voice sounding a bit strained. "You’re... doing great."

...Was that it?

Was that all Damien had to say?

Really?

But he recognized him. Lane was sure of it. His reaction was very telling.

Lane slowly opened his eyes, taking a glance at the man.

And sure enough, Damien was staring straight at him, with a spark that his eyes had missed before.

It was really difficult for Lane to sit still, considering the circumstances. Still, he put on a relieved smile, and continued the guiding. "Really? I’m glad."

"Yes. I like the way your guiding feels." Damien nodded his head. "If it’s alright with you... Would I be able to receive your guiding from time to time?"

"...Eh?" Lane blinked a few times, taken aback.

Receive his guiding? Was that it? He expected Damien to drag him back to his team, now that he was caught, and keep him under tight surveillance... But it didn’t seem to be the case?

He should be happy about it, of course. But, somehow, it only felt more unsettling. He couldn’t even begin to guess what was going on through Damien’s mind.

"I’m just a C-ranker though. I’m afraid my abilities are not good enough to support an S-ranker such as you, Sir," he tried.

However, Damien just shook his head lightly in response. "It doesn’t matter. It’s just some supplementary guiding. I won’t ask for too much out of you."

"Well..." Lane hesitated.

’Aidan Jenkins’ had no reason to refuse. Quite the opposite, in fact. He was just a newbie Guide, and only of an average rank. Having a connection to such a powerful figure could benefit him in terms of his future prospects at the Association.

Besides... Could he really refuse?

As if guessing his thoughts, Damien added, "Of course, I won’t pressure you. If that makes you uncomfortable... Then you have every right to refuse..."

’Ugh.’ Lane’s eyes twitched. Looking at Damien’s face, which one again turned darker, a shadow hanging above the furrowed brows... He really couldn’t bring himself to say no.

"Ahem, well," he cleared his throat, averting his eyes. "Of course, that’s not a problem. I am going to work as a Guide for the Association, so providing guiding to Espers is something I’m meant to be doing anyway... If Team Leader Lennox puts the guiding request through the system, I naturally won’t refuse."

"...Is that so?" Damien’s frown eased once again, his gaze hooked up on Lane. "Then, I look forward to our guiding sessions."

"Ah, yes, of course."

Lane glanced briefly at Damien, before looking away again.

Was it a mistake? He felt as if he just fell into a trap. Yes, he most definitely did.

But what other option did he have?