SOFTIE 30

“Take it easy. You keep this up, and they’ll just increase the number of Gates for us to clear. Mister, stop that guy.”

“Yeonwoo surely has a plan.”

Though even Choi Minjae couldn’t tell exactly what kind of plan it was. Since the team leader was moving, the team members had no choice but to follow.

˖°𓇼🌊⋆🐚🫧

Softy was bored. The teacher was still showing videos and warning about the terrifying nature of Espers.

Does he not know I’m a magical beast? He had met those things called Espers, but he wasn’t sure if they were really that dangerous. Of course, Yeonwoo had grown strong as time passed!

He was so proud of him that it felt rewarding. To be an idol to humans—just how amazing was that? Compared to him, what about the other humans? They were so weak it made him want to yawn.

This human prattles on and on. It would be different if he had a nice voice like Yeonwoo. He kept talking in a voice that was unpleasant to the ear. It was nothing but noise.

But since Yeonwoo said he would come to pick him up, he had to wait. The command to stay well-behaved included listening to these tedious words.

Softy stared out the side window. Until the sun sets. That meant when the blue sky was stained with orange light. The sky was still blue. It wasn’t yet the time Yeonwoo promised to come.

When would Yeonwoo arrive?

He sensed the surroundings for Yeonwoo’s presence, but as expected, he couldn’t feel it. He must be far away.

Still, it was much better than the days in the pitch-black cave, waiting for a day he didn’t know would ever come. Even though Yeonwoo didn’t remember him. It couldn’t be helped. He had changed a lot from back then. Yeonwoo had changed too.

“Did you listen we—”

Knock, knock.

Surprised by the sound of someone knocking on the door, the teacher hurriedly tidied the area around his desk. His eyes turned toward Softy. He, Yoon Hyunseop, curled the corners of his mouth into a smile.

‘An Esper wouldn’t have let a Guide go unaccompanied.’

Yoon Hyunseop naturally deduced that the uninvited guest had been sent by Seo Yeonwoo.

Espers cannot live without Guides. And in the case of someone who hadn’t received guiding for as long as he had, they become obsessed with their Guide.

Solely for their own stability.

That is what an Esper is. Of course, since the subject was a magical beast, he honestly didn’t care what happened to it, but he disliked the fact that an Esper was being called a hero.

To him, an Esper was just a monster, same as a magical beast. He wanted them both to fall into the abyss hand in hand; that was why he didn’t ignore the orders that came from above.

Both were monsters in his eyes, and since he had no intention of providing guiding for the sake of an Esper, he had volunteered to be an educator.

“Come in.”

The person who opened the door and entered was Min Haeyoon.

“What brings Guide Min Haeyoon here? I recall Team 1 was dispatched to clear a Gate that appeared nearby. Is it over already?”

“I didn’t go. Yeonwoo hyung is in good condition, so there’s no reason for me to accompany him.”

“I see.”

Normally, it was rare for a Guide to accompany a team to a Gate. Because Yeonwoo’s condition had been poor, Min Haeyoon was always on standby, but now that Yeonwoo’s condition had improved, that necessity had vanished. Min Haeyoon’s gaze turned toward Softy.

He looked at Yoon Hyunseop with wary eyes but couldn’t find anything particularly suspicious.

“I came to ask because Yeonwoo hyung’s Guide was nowhere to be seen… so you were here.”

“Yes. I had something to talk to him about for a moment. It seems Esper Seo Yeonwoo made a request.”

“Did he cause some kind of trouble?”

“No, it’s not that. Since he’s the first magical beast student, I was just asking if there was anything difficult during the lesson. But I was having trouble because we couldn’t communicate. Does Mister Softy communicate with Esper Seo Yeonwoo? I heard he can speak.”

“That’s news to me.”

Despite Min Haeyoon’s cold remark, he didn’t lose his smile.

“Oh dear, I must have been mistaken. Still, I’m glad Guide Min Haeyoon is here. Since everything is a first for Mister Softy, he probably doesn’t know much. Please teach him many things.”

Min Haeyoon simply bowed his head and led Softy out of the room. As soon as he exited, he furrowed his brow.

Yoon Hyunseop. A member of the Guide Association who, due to his former profession as a teacher, was a Guide in charge of educating newly awakened Guides. It didn’t feel like he was specifically planted by the higher-ups, but there was one part that was a bit bothersome.

Specifically, the fact that his former lover had been killed by an Esper. It was an incident from years ago, but love-hate dramas between Espers and Guides were common enough to be reported frequently. Because of this, recently awakened Guides tried not to be swayed by Espers and weren’t exactly diligent in their guiding duties.

“Don’t listen to that person.”

Min Haeyoon warned with a serious expression, but Softy just stayed still.

“Don’t act like an idiot. Every time you act like that, the one who ends up in danger is Yeonwoo hyung, and you’re just becoming a burden to him.”

Looking at the unresponsive Softy, he felt a sense of futility.

“…What ‘conversation’? Where did he hear such strange things?”

Min Haeyoon placed meaning on the fact that he had managed to get Softy out for now. Before he joined Team 1, a high-ranking official from the Guide Association had visited him.

Pretending to worry about the high-contamination Yeonwoo, the official told him to be sure to let them know if he succeeded in guiding him, and said that if a Korean S-rank Esper like him took the Guides’ side, Guide human rights would improve significantly.

Min Haeyoon refused. He had chosen to join Team 1 to repay the debt to Yeonwoo, who had saved his life. He believed that was the reason he awakened as an A-rank. But it wasn’t. Min Haeyoon sighed as he looked at Softy.

If only he were human. Why did it have to be a magical beast?

“The Esper’s power is more than the Guide’s… no, since he’s a magical beast, he wouldn’t have been welcomed. Still, he’s the only existence that can guide Yeonwoo hyung. What if Yeonwoo hyung really dies? The Guides are a problem too. They can only survive if they guide the Espers. The ones clearing the Gates are the Espers…”

Thinking about the past was truly frustrating. He knew the history of Guides being exploited by Espers. But if asked if Espers were evil, it was ambiguous. They, too, were obligated to use their strength to clear Gates simply because they were Espers.

They needed Guides to survive. Couldn’t they just understand that and compromise a little? Of course, a magical beast being a Guide was a completely different matter.

Min Haeyoon looked at Softy with a displeased gaze. He himself wouldn’t have acknowledged him if he weren’t Yeonwoo’s Guide.

No, he couldn’t acknowledge him! At the very least, he knew Softy didn’t harm people… as proof, Softy was being held quietly in his arms.

“Don’t be a burden to Yeonwoo hyung. He’s a person who already has a hard time. Just do your guiding well. Ha, if only I were Yeonwoo hyung’s Guide… If only I could have been by hyung’s side all these years…”

“Kek.”

Min Haeyoon stopped in his tracks. Did he just hear a strange sound? Since class was over, there was no one around. He naturally looked down at Softy.

Softy raised his head and stared at Min Haeyoon with a look that said, ‘Where do you think you’re looking?’ Min Haeyoon, failing to understand Softy’s gaze, narrowed his eyes, and just as he thought ‘no way,’ Softy made the strange cry once more.

“Kek.”

“…You!”

It was a confirmation. Just before Min Haeyoon could explode in anger at the sound that resembled a mockery, Softy hopped down to the floor.

“Wh-where are you going!”

Yeonwoo was at the place where Softy had run in a single bound. Yeonwoo naturally caught Softy as he dashed straight toward him.

“Did you know I was coming?”

“Ggyut! Kkyuu!”

Softy cried out with a cute sound, completely different from a moment ago. Min Haeyoon was looking at Softy with an absurd expression, but neither of them paid any attention.

“Did you listen well in class? Was anything difficult? Did anyone bully you?”

Yeonwoo carefully checked for any injuries while stroking Softy’s soft surface. It wasn’t just Guides; there were Espers too, so he had been worried. He felt relieved by the cute cries saying he was fine.

It had only been a few hours since they parted, yet it felt like a day or two had passed. Even though they had been together continuously until then, the time spent apart flowed way too slowly.

“That’s a relief. Was it fun?”

“Kkyu!”