#5

“No reason to call for you.”

“You never know? You might call for me a lot tonight.”

“You’ve got the wrong person.”

This happened occasionally. Despite being shorter than physical Espers, Banteon’s height still exceeded the average, attracting individuals with odd desires.

He couldn’t understand why some preferred him over the cute and small types. It was something Banteon would never grasp.

He raised his hand and pointed to the direction where the previous guy had disappeared.

“The decent one went that way, so you should follow him.”

“Ah, no thanks. I found something better.”

The man, who had taken the seat without permission, tilted his head to meet Banteon’s eyes. His cheerful smile was irritating.

“What about me? If you don’t have anyone else.”

“You’re definitely not my type.”

“That’s a shame. But you know my name, so will you at least tell me yours? Or give me your contact?”

The man persisted without any sign of disappointment. Under the half-mask, his extended nose and jawline were visible. Though his appearance was fine, making it easy for him to find a partner, he was wasting his effort here.

Banteon pushed aside the vodka, now half-melted with ice. It was ruining his evening.

“I’m not interested, so go find someone else.”

Despite Banteon’s blatant rejection, Rohan didn’t seem to want to leave. He simply continued staring at Banteon, smiling.

Turning his body to look elsewhere didn’t help; the persistent gaze from beside him was distracting. Finally, he sighed and spoke up.

“Stop wasting your energy.”

“No, really, it’s a pity. What’s not to like about me? It can’t be my face.”

Rohan, seemingly unable to believe he was being rejected, asked again. His bright blonde hair swayed in the dimly lit establishment. The confident aura he exuded, with its blend of strength and gentleness, added to his appeal.

“I prefer small and cute types.”

“Is it my size? You can’t see that once the lights are off. I’d hate to miss out on your beautiful blue eyes, but I can compromise on the lighting.”

“I don’t have a hobby of embracing someone bigger than me.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that. I can do the holding.”

Why was he surrounded by so many annoying and insane people lately?

Despite the direct rejection, Rohan showed no sign of leaving. Dealing with someone who pretended not to hear and continued to bother was the most tedious and frustrating.

Banteon pressed his fingers to his aching temples, trying to muster patience. He came here to clear his mind, but it was only causing more frustration.

“I’ve told you multiple times. How about leaving now? There are plenty of others to play with.”

“I’m serious. I’m not usually this clingy.”

“Everyone says that.”

“No, really….”

No idiot would admit to being clingy from the start. Ignoring Rohan’s genuinely aggrieved look, Banteon stood up.

If he wouldn’t leave, Banteon would move. With all these annoying people tonight, enjoying himself was out of the question. He decided to get a private room to drink alone and then leave.

“Leaving already?”

“……”

“Just once, come with me. You won’t regret it.”

“You’re really persistent.”

“I’m telling you, I’m good at this.”

People’s gazes turned toward them, curious about the commotion. Being a spectacle wasn’t a pleasant feeling.

“Move.”

“What do you like? Drink? Sex? If you like small ones, should we do it with three?”

“……”

Better not to respond. The conversation only got cruder. As Banteon headed to the VIP room, Rohan reflexively placed a hand on his shoulder. At that moment, Banteon’s body reacted instinctively.

Grabbing Rohan’s wrist, he twisted it and slammed the man’s upper body onto his back and then onto the floor. The sound of impact echoed through the quiet establishment, drawing everyone’s attention.

Through the half-mask, Rohan’s wide eyes were visible as he lay sprawled on the floor. Banteon placed his foot on Rohan’s chest and pressed down. Given Rohan’s solid build, this shouldn’t be too hard on him. Rohan lay there, staring blankly up at him.

“Stop acting like a horny dog and get lost.”

“Huh…?”

The crowd’s attention was focused on the scene. A few security guards hurried over. The one about to shout stopped, realizing the situation, and stepped between Banteon and Rohan.

While the guards hesitated, unsure of what to do, Banteon walked past them. Dealing with the annoying man and the delayed reaction of the guards made him not want to stay any longer. He heard them rushing to help Rohan behind him.

Soon after, the general manager hurried down from upstairs and bowed deeply to Banteon. Knowing Banteon’s identity under the mask, the manager’s face was pale.

“A-are you alright?”

“Seems like the place isn’t well managed these days.”

“I’m sorry. If you’re leaving, would you like an escort…?”

“No, that’s not necessary.”

He left the general manager, who was bowing deeply at a 90-degree angle, behind and walked out with a bitter feeling. Coming here to have fun after a long time and ending up with this? It was a terribly unlucky day.

Banteon shook his head at the recent streak of bad luck. They say when things go wrong, nothing seems to work. This was exactly that.

His hand, which had just slammed someone down, tingled. Was it because he hadn’t moved much recently and the exertion had strained him? Then he realized something else. This wasn’t from his recent actions.

“Damn it….”

He cursed under his breath, looking at his hand. The familiar sensation of blood vessels dilating and rapid circulation. The pulse pumping to his fingertips slowly subsided over time.

No wonder it clung so persistently. This was exactly like the reaction after guiding.

Even while trying to clear his head, he ended up tangled with an Esper, turning everything into a mess. Banteon recalled the man he had just seen.

There was a unique ability Banteon had, an anomaly in the common knowledge that guides and ordinary people couldn’t visually discern an Esper’s manifestation.

Banteon could “see” the presence of Espers in a way others couldn’t. Unlike Espers, who sensed each other’s presence, he could distinctly separate the forms. Only his sibling and Teeroth knew about this. It was a secret even from the center.

The aura was more visible the lower the level of the opponent. Yet, nothing was detectable around Rohan, even at close range.

Auras so well hidden that Banteon couldn’t detect them, combined with the impact that made his palm tingle from brief contact.

At least an upper A-rank, or even S-rank.

His mood soured further. An S-rank Esper, one of only five in the entire kingdom. Why did such a rare person have to cross his path like a random pebble on the street?

This naturally brought to mind another pebble. The SS-rank Esper. The most troublesome pebble.

The center’s matters, momentarily forgotten, returned to his mind. Tomorrow, when that SS-rank chose a temporary guide, it would stir up another storm. The already chaotic center would become even more tumultuous. He had hoped to relieve some stress beforehand, but that was now ruined.

Banteon took a deep breath of the cold air, trying to think positively.

Though the situation was unpleasant to think about, it wasn’t all bad. Once a temporary guide was chosen, the current chaotic situation would subside somewhat. It was better to resolve it quickly if it was inevitable.

Standing in the empty lot in front of the store, he let the cool night breeze wash over him. The cold wind cooled his flushed face, and his heated thoughts calmed down a bit. He was debating whether to call a carriage to return to the center when he saw a faint halo around the moon overhead.

It was a quiet atmosphere, like a gentle curtain had been drawn over the scene. The earlier commotion in the store felt like a lie, and the space was peaceful.

His plans for the night had fallen apart, but the cool breeze made it a good evening for a walk. Banteon started toward the shortcut to the center, a well-maintained path less traveled by people.

The path, overgrown with grass and weeds reaching above his ankles, was damp and smelled of earth, the scent rising from the misty stones. The ground felt wet underfoot.

It looked like it would rain tomorrow.

He didn’t dislike rainy days. The heavy rain would drown out the noise and settle the atmosphere, just like his footsteps now.

As he walked along the dirt path, he saw the center’s loose fence ahead. It was rusty and sparse, looking like it had never been repaired since it was built. He bent under the slack fence and passed through. Though it connected to a mountain path, the scenery inside the center wasn’t much different.

Weeds grew above his ankles, and the dense foliage obscured his view as he slowly walked the narrow shortcut. He savored the unusual feeling of leisure. While enjoying this rare tranquility, something felt off.

On cloudy days, the sounds of animals crying, which could be annoying, were absent. No frogs, no birds, not even the sound of insects.

He stopped and listened intently. Carried by the wind, he heard not the usual forest noises but a small, unfamiliar moan.