"So the news is true?! You become the S-Rank espers exclusive guide?!"
May, one of Ilyas' friends in the same major, asked in an excited tone.
The group of four had all gathered in the cafeteria after class, and the first thing they asked about after getting a place to sit down was Ilyas' new job.
"Wow, so that's why you suddenly disappeared for a month, Ilyas had become a big shot in the esper world huh? Being the first S-Rank guide in the world and such."
Robert chimed in, he was a good friend of Ilyas since high school and still was.
"I heard the S-Ranks are sick in the head. Is that true?"
Philip whispered in Ilyas' ear, but his voice was loud enough for the others in the group to listen.
Bombarded by his friends' sudden questions, Ilyas answered awkwardly with a smile.
"Yeah, it happened so suddenly. I awakened as a guide and am now proclaimed as an S-Rank. Sorry for suddenly disappearing, it's been a busy month with guide training and esper guiding."
"The espers didn't treat you badly right?! Just tell us if they ever harass you! Especially that anger issue guy Xain!" May jumped on her seat, slamming the desk, which drew other students' attention to them.
Ilyas immediately brushed it off, "N-No, it's not like that, there were some misunderstandings in the beginning, but under Ethan's leadership our team is doing pretty well, we even had dinner together."
"Ah! I knew it! Those S-Ranks are problematic aren't they- Wait what?"
All these years, the S-Rank espers had been nothing but a problem to society. From destroying public facilities to making people suffer from an emotional outburst. All of them were often highlighted on TV news.
So the difference between what they saw on screen and what they heard from Ilyas was shocking to them.
"You guys should try and interact with them directly. Once you see Xain and Ethan's bickering, you will definitely have a good laugh. Ethan is a capable and reliable captain to us, even Cedric, who's the most stubborn, can't argue with him."
Ilyas smiled when he remembered the man driving him this morning. He got flustered when Ilyas rejected his offer to put on his seatbelt. Though he acted calm with a poker face afterwards, his ears had turned as red as a tomato. That contrast made Ilyas laugh so hard, and Ilyas honestly thought it was cute.
May, who was watching every bit of change on Ilyas' face, turned toward her friends. Their minds were communicating with each other telepathically.
'You see what I'm seeing?'
'Obviously.'
"The one driving you this morning, that was Ethan right? What's the deal with that?"
"He offered to drive me from home to university and office."
"He what?!"
May shouted in surprise. Robert and Philip also had a similar expression on their face, still skeptical.
"An S-Rank esper driving his guide from and to the university? That was something I haven't imagined before." May was still in disbelief. That's just how bad the reputation of S-Rank espers was in this world.
"But hey, it's Ethan, the calmest S-Rank in our country. Honestly, out of the three, it's not a surprise if he's the one doing it. I mean, look at how much he contributes to society, record breaking gate clears, prioritizing civilians' rescue, heck, he even donates to charity. Don't all of this just scream 'good guy' to you?" Philip said as he scrolled through his phone, reciting every bit of information he found on the internet about Ethan.
Ilyas nodded proudly. That was indeed the very same esper he had been guiding.
But at the same time, the more Phillip recited the contribution Ethan made, Ilyas realized how the media tried to portray him.
A perfect esper with no flaw.
Which was the complete opposite of the Ethan he knew.
Recounting the last guiding session they had, Ilyas could feel intense fear flowing from Ethan. He didn't know what Ethan dreamt about, but for it to trigger such a reaction meant it was affecting emotions deep inside Ethan's consciousness. He was also a human with fear and worry.
That was definitely something the media failed to portray.
"Don't you need to go now Ilyas? It's already 3:42."
"Ah right! I'll be going first, see you guys!"
Ilyas ran to the parking lot as fast as he could. Once he wasn't in sight anymore, May nudged at Robert and whispered, "He's starting to fall in love, isn't he?"
"Absolutely. He doesn't seem to realize it himself though."
Robert's gaze lingered on Ilyas' seat, "But it's a good thing, isn't it? After losing his parents, he always has that blank look on his face, but now his smiles aren't forced."
Philips sighed, melancholy filled his voice, "It's already a common occurrence in this day and age, an esper falling in love with their guide, or a guide falling in love with their esper." And May nodded, "True, ahh, I wish I could find a nice esper to fall in love with, not that I want to be a guide."
"Geez, make up your mind, will you?"
"Haha!"
.
.
"Sorry I'm late!"
Even after running as fast as he could, Ilyas still arrived late. He forgot to factor in the fact that a lot of students also came out of class late.
Gasping for breath, he wiped his sweat while apologizing to Ethan.
"Don't worry, I've just arrived too. By the way, do you want some coffee? I got one free from the owner."
Ethan offered a can of coffee, which was still cold to the touch. Seeing the cute rabbit on it made Ilyas chuckle.
He took the offer and sipped the coffee inside, but the taste made him jump.
'Why is this so sweet?'
When he looked at Ethan also sipping his drink, not a single trace of change was detected in his face – as if he was used to it.
Ilyas was bewildered at how high his sugar tolerance was.
Setting the can aside, he sighed, "Ethan, it's best to stop drinking this coffee if you still love your liver."
"Hm? Is something wrong with it? I don't think it contains harmful ingredients."
The person himself didn't even realize how much sugar he was drinking every day.
"Just trust my words, okay?"
".... Alright."
Ethan nodded after a brief pause, he still looked reluctant.
Ilyas observed every change of expression on Ethan's face. The more he saw it, the more he realized how easy it was to read Ethan's emotion.
His default face was a poker face, sometimes accompanied by a half-smile, but a subtle change could be detected when he was talking with others, especially when discussing topics that interest him or when he was being teased.
'One thing I know for sure is the fact that Ethan couldn't handle embarrassment well.'
Ilyas promised to tease him more. After all, he's cute when he's embarrassed.