The Guide is Actually a Body-Switching Esper [BL]
Chapter 81: Really Don’t Care

Chapter 81: Really Don’t Care

There was something wrong with Damien.

Seriously wrong.

Although ’Aidan’ was supposed to still be alive - he only fled to the Forbidden Zone, after all - Damien seemed to have developed a... concerning habit. Every day, after work, he headed straight to the Guiding Center, scheduling sessions with every Guide he could get his hands on. On top of that, he also made trips to the Guide Union whenever he could, trying to meet up with freelancers.

And if that wasn’t enough, he even cut the team training short on Thursday, so that he could go assist with the practical part of the Basic Guide Training.

Cut. The. Training. Short.

Damien Lennox!

Of all the people, he was the last one Lane would expect to do so!

And yet, the facts were undeniable. Even when Lane pretended not to have died, Damien was still looking for his new possession.

The man’s behavior weighing on his mind, Lane couldn’t help but sigh, as he placed down the tray with his lunch on the table in the cafeteria, plopping heavily in the chair.

"Tired?" Arlo asked, taking a seat next to him.

"No, not really... It was shorter than I expected."

"Hahah, yeah, but don’t get used to it!" Arlo laughed, grabbing his fork. "Usually Team Leader won’t let us off until we’re all half-dead..."

Lane couldn’t help but roll his eyes. Damien was indeed very strict... But if his team members saw the regime Lane’s underlings trained under back in the Zone, they would likely lose their minds! And yet, no one of his recruits dared to complain. It was the natural result of being exposed to a much harsher environment.

Out loud though, he only said, "I don’t mind. Honestly, it’d be nice to be pushed a bit more."

A doubtful glance fell on him from the opposite side of the table. "You’ll change your mind soon enough," Hallie joined in. "Unless..."

"Unless?" Lane arched his brow, urging the woman to continue.

But Hallie only shrugged her shoulders. "I don’t know. With how Team Leader has been recently, who knows how things are going to be from now on?"

"Oh? Is there something wrong with him?"

Of course, Lane knew. How could he not have noticed? He wanted to hear the others’ opinions though. And ’Xavier’ was not supposed to be familiar with Damien, so the question wasn’t out of place.

Silence fell over the table, the teammates exchanging reluctant glances. It only lasted for a brief moment though. With their tendency to gossip, how could they keep their mouths shut?

"Well, it all started a few months ago, before most of us even joined the team," Cora started, leaning over the table as she narrated the story. "Team Leader had this lover, who was one of the Guides in the team... And he died tragically, right in front of his eyes, in that massive dungeon break..."

"Lapis Lake?" Lane interjected.

"No, the one before. The one in the shopping district in the West part."

"Hmm, alright. And then what?"

"Then there was another Guide, a newbie who joined our team right after getting his license. At some point, Team Leader started paying a lot of attention to him..."

Pursing his lips, Arlo couldn’t help but cut in, "They weren’t lovers though."

"Yeah, yeah, he was flirting with you, we all know. Whatever." Cora dismissed his complaint with a wave of her hand. They were supposed to be discussing their Team Leader, not some alleged love affairs that never even came to fruition. "Either way, Team Leader must have had some interest in him, because he insisted on sharing a room when we were in the Eldenveil. And," she cast a glance at Hallie, "they only had one bed. Isn’t that right?"

"Yes, I can confirm. Team Leader came to me to ask about switching rooms, so I know for sure." Hallie nodded her head.

As if he was giving it a thought, Lane rubbed his chin. "But he did want to switch, so maybe you’re reading too much into it?"

"Well, either way, nothing came out of it in the end... Because less than a week later, Noah, that Guide I mean, died, during the dungeon break at Lapis Lake." Cora shook her head, a heavy sigh escaping her throat. "You should have seen Team Leader’s look afterward... There was no way he saw Noah as only a subordinate."

"Okay, so that was two months ago. And how he’s been since then?" Lane urged Cora. That was the part he was the most curious about, since he was no longer part of the team back then.

"He found himself yet another Guide. This time, a C-ranker from the General Staff. They had guiding sessions together every two or three days... And this time, the romance is confirmed!"

"Oh? How are you so sure?"

Her eyes shining with excitement, Cora leaned even more over the table, lowering her voice to a theatrical whisper. "I’ve heard from a friend... Actually, I even have a photo of it. During one of their guiding sessions... they went so hard on it, they even wrecked the couch!"

Lane bit hard on his lip. Yet, it still wasn’t enough to stop himself from bursting out laughing.

So the news of his achievement had spread! He wasn’t in the least ashamed.

"You have a photo? Seriously? Can you send it to me?"

"Hmm? Yeah, sure... Why though?"

"No reason," Lane shrugged his shoulders. "I just thought that, if he ever goes hard on me, I can just look at it to amuse myself?"

"Alright then."

They both took out their phones, and swiftly transferred the file. The corners of Lane’s lips twitched, raising up a bit, as he opened the photo. It was nice, to have at least a memento from conquering the man... He’d set it as his wallpaper, if it wasn’t for the risk of Damien catching a glimpse of it in the future.

"Okay, so what’s up with him now? Don’t tell me this one also died?" he asked, putting his phone away.

"No, he didn’t... But he disappeared instead!"

"Huh, is Team Leader cursed or something?" Lane joked.

As soon as he said it though, he instantly felt bad. If there was any curse Damien was under, then said curse was Lane himself...

Good thing Damien at least didn’t hear it. And hopefully never would.

Lane’s company didn’t find it funny either, only growing serious instead.

"W-well, so what is he up to now?" Lane quickly changed the topic, taken aback by the reaction. He didn’t expect them to laugh, but... Judging by their faces, they might have actually agreed, at least to some extent?

"You saw it yourself, didn’t you?" Sighing heavily, Cora shook her head. "Obsessing over Guides, to the point that he even started going easy on us... Well, maybe not exactly EASY, but easier. Not that I’m complaining about that, but..."

"Isn’t it normal though? For Espers, to be low-key about finding a suitable Guide..."

"Oh come on, to this extent?" Arlo arched his brow, giving Lane a half-amused glance. "You’re an Esper yourself. You don’t even have a main Guide yet, and yet you’re not running around trying to grab any Guide you can find."

"Well, no, but..."

"I don’t think it’s about compatibility," Eric chimed in. "Personally, if I were to say, it’s likely that Team Leader is looking for someone who resembles that first Guide he liked."

Tapping her fork on the table, Cora exclaimed, "Precisely! He was the one Team Leader truly had feelings for, and he still hasn’t accepted his death..."

In her excitement, she must have gotten a bit too loud, because from the table nearby, Tina shot them a warning glance. "Are you all done?" she asked coldly. "May I remind you that it’s your Team Leader you’re talking about. And even if that wasn’t so, you’re still going overboard. He’s a real person with feelings and emotions. You don’t even know the full story, so you should be more mindful of what rumors you’re spreading."

In an instant, the whole table shut their mouths.

"I’m sorry..." Cora muttered, lowering her head.

Tina’s expression eased a bit. Letting out a quiet sigh, she shook her head. "It’s not me you owe the apology to."

With this, the group focused each on their plates, no longer in the mood for gossip. Lane also lowered his gaze, pushing the food around with his work, lost deep in thought. He seemed to have lost his appetite. Besides, his chicken curry with rice had long grown cold.

If it was just the team, then it shouldn’t be much of a problem. But if such rumors were to spread, circulating around the Headquarters... How would that affect Damien’s career? From what Lane remembered, the Section Leader seemed to already have been digging for dirt on Damien a while ago. If such information were to reach him, who knows how would he use it?

And it was all Lane’s fault.

He never meant it to happen though. Making Damien so hung up on him, or causing the man to look all over for Lane... Especially not the second part. He even put more effort than usual PRECISELY to avoid that, and not to hurt the man any further.

So, if Damien insisted on digging up his grave, it wasn’t Lane’s problem.

Why should he care?

He didn’t care.

Lane clenched his fists, barely holding back his strength enough not to break the plate as he stabbed his fork into a piece of chicken.

He really didn’t...