Simon sat on the narrow, wooden bench outside her office, shoulders hunched slightly forward, elbows resting on his knees. His thumbs rubbed together in a nervous loop while his left leg jittered endlessly beneath him.
The waiting hall played gentle piano music, sunlight and blue sky streaming through the wide hallway windows. It was a balmy spring day. The building's air circulation stirred the leaves of a leafy green ficus, positioned like a decorative guard dog beside the clinic door.
Simon's gaze drifted back to the white sliding door across from him. A simple nameplate was affixed to its surface:
Room 310
C-Rank Guide
Sera Yun
He dragged a hand through his blonde hair, a faint blush creeping into his cheeks. His bright green eyes lingered on the door, trembling slightly as he waited for its occupant to appear.
He was looking forward to seeing her.
The first time they had met had been procedural - mandatory cross-grade exposure. Every unpaired esper and guide within a single rank difference were required to meet at least once so the match system could calibrate compatibility sync rates. She had been new then, freshly registered with the guild, moving through her probationary rounds from Rank D to Rank B espers.
When he'd first skimmed her profile on his watch, he'd thought nothing of it. C-Rank guide, B-Grade esper. A mismatch. Low expected pollution clearance. Probably around a 60% sync rate. Most likely. Inefficient.
But work was work. The meeting had been mandatory.
He remembered sitting across from her that first appointment, mildly irritated, figuring it would be the first and last time they'd meet. After all, there wasn't really a purpose in maintaining a relationship with a guide if the results weren't going to be good.
She was pretty to look at, sure - in a cute, understated way - but not stunning. She was quite shorter than him, only coming up to his chest. Her long black hair was neatly braided into two plaits that rested against her shoulders. She wore a white blouse, black pencil skirt, and black tights - standard office wear.
What had caught him off guard were her red eyes - strangely perceptive - and, embarrassingly for him, her figure. He'd caught himself staring at her rather large bosom. And she'd noticed.
She hadn't said a word. Just smiled.
Simon covered his face with his hand, mortified at the memory. I made a terrible first impression, he thought. Standoffish and obvious. He pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head.
That first time…when she had begun guiding him - starting with holding his hands, then a gentle kiss to his cheek, then moving to his lips…heat crept up his neck again at the memory.
It hadn't been particularly intense at first. No overwhelming surge in pollution clearance. No significant sign of efficacy. Just…oddly, it felt really good.
A strange, disarming softness settled into him before he'd realized his shoulders had dropped, his breathing slowing without instruction, and he was leaning into her kisses wanting more. Her voice, gentle and murmuring against his lips, had brushed the edges of his awareness, not quite words, more like reassurance shaped into sound.
When she leaned close, the warmth of her body grounded him in a way he hadn't felt in years. He found himself pushing against her, hands slipping to her waist, teasing her lips with his tongue, begging them to open…
It felt like she was taking all the fatigue away from him, leaving him with only pleasure and peace. He felt like he would do anything she wanted him to, just for more of that feeling.
But the session wasn't statistically productive. The analysis summary had made that clear. Objectively, they weren't a good match with their sync rate calculated at 63%. A singular session with her only reduced his corruption by 12%. One grade apart meant diminished clearing compatibility after all. On paper, there were at least several other guides in the guild who could have cleared his corruption faster in the same amount of time.
But none of them felt like…that. Of course, naturally, it felt good when guides purified espers, but sessions with her made him feel almost…possessed.
Simon swallowed and shifted on the bench.
He'd requested her again the following cycle. Then again. Then again after that, quietly, almost guiltily, knowingly asking for something indulgent rather than necessary. By the fifth session, the tension had eased into something like familiarity. She remembered how he took his tea. He learned the cadence of her breathing when she concentrated. And every session, he left feeling breathless, wanting a little more.
She was a morale hire, the rumors were somewhat true. Not the most performant guide, but definitely one that he wanted to see just a little longer. Enough that he requested her every week for the past two months - the maximum frequency unpaired espers and guides could request of each other if they were of rank difference. The data on his watch didn't lie, his mood and temperament, subjective figures albeit, had considerably improved since requesting her and that showed in his behavior at work. Was it because she was a good kisser? Was it her friendly demeanor? He wasn't sure. She definitely was charming but it felt like that wasn't the whole of it. He just felt…weirdly…tamed in her presence.
A small clack rippled through the air and the sliding door opened. Her gaze met his and she smiled, red eyes glinting with a mischievous delight. The sun was streaming behind her, dowsing her in a soft daylight glow.
"Hey Simon, good to see you," she murmured, her voice soft and gentle and a smile on her lips.
Simon's heart thumped hard in his chest.