The Guide is Actually a Body-Switching Esper [BL]-Chapter 80: Field Team Assignment

Lane returned to the Capital the next day, after receiving some guiding from the local Guides. Although it was fairly rare for him to visit the Zone and he would have liked to stay a bit longer, personally inspecting the state of it - or rather the current state of the military division, as he wasn’t knowledgeable enough when it came to science, economy, or all the other aspects - he simply couldn’t afford to waste too much time. He might have ordered Xavier to forget the night’s events, but who knew when the man might notice something odd? Not to mention, a lot could happen even in the two days he was away.

Such as the field team assignment.

So, as soon as he came back, he rushed to Xavier’s apartment to check on the man. It was Friday night, so he could very well be out and about, and Lane didn’t want to possess him when he was, for example, partying with his friends. It could lead to a very awkward situation.

And it was a good thing he checked, because Xavier was indeed not at home, his windows dark. After looking through his windows for a while, Lane quietly sneaked in, hiding his spatial bag behind the bookshelf. He left immediately after, jumping down and deactivating his cloaking ability.

There was no point waiting when he had no idea when the man might be back, so he might as well just hit the clubs.

When he came back to check again two or three hours later, the light in Xavier’s bedroom was on. He was alone, sitting by the desk, reading something on his laptop.

Perfect.

Lane smiled, instantly rushing back to his apartment to put his real body in bed.

And he switched.

***

It turned out that the thing Xavier was reading was training and combat directives.

And not just any directives, but ones that Lane was very familiar with.

Written by Team Leader Damien Lennox, for his team.

In the two days Lane was away, Xavier managed to get himself assigned to Damien’s team.

It seemed that the universe was mocking Lane. Once again, he ended up entangled with the man...

Of course, it wasn’t an entirely unbelievable coincidence. Xavier was a B-rank Esper, which made him one of the highest-ranking Awakened willing to join the Association. It was only natural he’d end up in one of the top teams. He also completed all available combat training, making him a valuable addition to any team despite his lack of field experience. And on top of that, his ability matched with the rest of Damien’s team well...

Still, it was so ridiculous that Lane couldn’t help but laugh.

He didn’t mind it though. Rather, it suited him very well. As an Esper, he wouldn’t be caught by Damien - although perhaps he should go easy on sweets in public, just in case - while at the same time, he could keep an eye on the man...

Yes, it was perfect.

Nodding with satisfaction, Lane waved his hand, summoning the spatial bag from behind the bookshelf. Among the Fertilizer, the Recovery Pills, and other basic necessities, there was also a pendrive. Lane scooped it out, and plugged it into the laptop, gaining access to the files.

It contained the massive text file written by Xavier back at Lane’s apartment, documenting all of his important information. Lane read through it, highlighting a few points, before logging back to the system to check his schedule.

...As it turned out, the next morning, he already had four inspections scheduled.

To be fair, it was listed as ’optional’, meaning he wasn’t actually forced to attend. As a new member, an Esper whose presence wasn’t essential for the team, he could take the next few days off and start on Thursday, when the team training was scheduled. However, Lane chose to ignore that fact, appearing the next day early in the morning in the Association Headquarters’ underground parking.

He had been away from the dungeons for so long, after all, so he was eager to enter them again.

There was no other reason behind his decision.

Absolutely not.

Most of the team had already gathered by the time he arrived. Lane swept his eyes over the group, standing a bit on the side.

The team was mostly the same as during his time as Noah. Only that Dylan Webb and Abel Wood were gone, having died during the Eldenveil incident. Kiara, who was also badly injured, seemed to have recovered and was back on the team. And, aside from Lane, there was one more new member, whom Lane had somewhat recognized. She was a C-rank scout, if he remembered correctly, but he couldn’t quite recall her name. freewebnσvel.cѳm

As for the Team Leader...

Lane’s eyes shifted to the familiar tall figure.

A weird, fleeting ache squeezed his chest. Was it a shadow of guilt?

Perhaps. Because once again, Damien looked tired.

And it was almost certainly Lane’s fault.

All of a sudden, Damien lifted his eyes from his tablet, meeting Lane’s gaze.

Instantly, Lane couldn’t help but freeze. Staring straight into those clear emerald eyes, he felt as if the man could see right through him... His heart almost jumped out of his chest, as Damien approached him.

"You must be Xavier Owens. Welcome to the team."

The tension escaped from Lane’s chest like air from a pierced balloon. He slumped his shoulders lightly, exhaling with relief, as he lifted the corners of his lips in a polite smile. "Yes, Sir. Thank you very much."

"Mn. You’re a B-ranker, and your ability is Toxic Ooze, is that correct?" Damien stated rather than asked, without even having to look back at the tablet. "Do you have an assigned Guide yet?"

"No, not yet. The highest matching rate I achieved so far was 64% with a C-rank Guide, which is not enough for the main assignment, or so I’ve been told..."

"Hm, yes, that’s not the optimal compatibility. You need to continue with the tests until you find someone with at least a 70% matching rate, and preferably of the same rank," Damien nodded his head. "64% is not a bad compatibility, however, so you can still seek their guiding when needed."

"Yes, Sir!"

"Alright then. Do you have any questions regarding the team or today’s task?"

"Hmm..." Lane tilted his head, pretending to ponder over it a bit. "No, Sir, I don’t think so."

"Good. You can just observe for today, and if there’s anything you need, you can always ask me or your colleagues for help."

"Thank you, Sir!" Lane bowed his head, watching as Damien walked away, back to the front to do the final checkup before leaving for the inspections.

It was easy, far easier than he expected. Damien didn’t seem to suspect anything.

It was all going according to plan. Once again, Lane could focus on planting the Fertilizer, working toward his goal in peace...

But what was this feeling of disappointment, weighting down on him?

It was absolutely ridiculous and made no sense, but somehow, in some way... The regret with which Lane stared at Damien’s muscular back as he walked away... It was almost as if he actually wanted to be caught by the man again...

Lane shook his head, letting out a quiet chuckle.

No, it couldn’t be. If he felt regretful, it could have been only because once again, he failed to properly bed the man.