Did you switch targets?

Early the next morning, Lucien settled into the back of a sleek white car, clearly owned by the protagonist, who had sent one of his teammates, Jake—the haughty-looking man with short hair—to pick up Zephyr from the hospital and escort him to the association.

He was also assigned to ensure Zephyr's rank test was done without any issues.

Lucien had hitched a ride for free. Why? Because after the original Lucien's father abandoned him, he was left penniless. The meager salary from the association barely covered his basic needs. Naturally, Lucien wanted to save every bit he could—so that if he ever needed funds to flee the story, he would at least have enough to survive.

Everything was fine.

Really.

He was getting a free ride—

In a nice, air-conditioned car.

The only problem? A slightly cold hand wrapped around his like it belonged there.

Yep. Zephyr—this side character—still hadn't let go of his hand since last night.

First, this bastard said he felt uneasy and needed to hold hands—so he held Lucien's hand the entire night. He stayed awake like an owl, and so Lucien couldn't sleep either, which explained the dark circles under his eyes while the culprit looked perfectly fine.

Then he said he wasn't familiar with the area and needed to hold hands—again.

Following that, he said he couldn't make it to the car and refused to hold Jake's arm—because, as he put it, Jake was just some unknown Esper guy he didn't even know.

So, once again, hand-holding it was.

That was the whole story. And here they were, still holding hands! Ugh, damn it!

Lucien shot a dark glare toward Jake, who smirked at him through the rearview mirror, entertained by the sight of their intertwined fingers. Yet, it had no effect on the man.

Jake chuckled as he started the car.

"Lucien, did you switch targets?"

He let out a whistle.

"I've gotta say… the new one's just as handsome—no, even more than the last."

In response, Lucien kicked his seat.

"Shut the fuck up and do your job!"

Jake chuckled as he drove the car out of the hospital parking lot, his gaze flicking between the road and the rearview mirror.

He was already accustomed to Lucien's prickly personality—the man was distant around everyone except Erick, of course.

So, seeing him sit quietly, letting someone hold his hand when the fact that he disliked physical touch was well-known throughout the entire Association—even though he was a Guide—eyebrows furrowed, mouth sealed instead of spitting curses and sarcasm…

Yeah, that was new.

But recently, he had changed a bit. He had stopped causing trouble and intentionally hurting others—such as Espers who came to him for guiding—to get Erick's attention.

Now, he was just snappy with everyone—

And a lot more foul-mouthed than before, unlike his old, cold demeanor. The change was a mix of good and bad in its own way.

Still...

Jake wondered if someone as persistently stubborn as Lucien had really let go of Erick this time. He sighed—slightly disappointed that the amusing drama of Lucien chasing after Erick like a fool might be truly over.

But just as Jake settled into that theory, something in the mirror caught his eye—and made him blink in realization.

Wait a minute.

Now that he looked closely, this wasn't Lucien moving on to Zephyr after Erick.

It was the other way around.

Zephyr wasn't just sitting there innocently; he was subtly leaning toward Lucien. If one didn't look closely, they might miss that his thumb was quietly tracing gentle circles on Lucien's hand. His expression was calm—almost too calm—like he belonged there.

And each time Lucien's shoulder brushed against him, Zephyr's lips twitched with the faintest hint of a smile. Very subtle, but not subtle enough to fool Jake, who had spent years watching Lucien pine after Erick.

Jake fought back a laugh.

'Well, well. Seems like Lucien's got himself a pursuer—and not just any normal pursuer, but a bold, touchy, dangerously pretty one.'

His grip tightened on the steering wheel.

'How dense can he be? Even after all that time chasing Erick, he still hasn't noticed a thing. Now it's Lucien's turn to be pursued. I really need to start placing bets on this.'

Jake could already picture the chaos this would stir up—and he smirked to himself.

'Oh man... the coming days at the Association are going to be so much fun.'