Rank Test I

Lucien's eyebrow twitched at the whispers buzzing around him—so loud they might as well just shout. He clenched his jaw tightly, reminding himself to remain calm. He was helping a blind person walk; the gossip of a few pesky flies wasn't worth his attention.

Zephyr sensed his discomfort. After all, with his enhanced hearing, he had picked up everything—every sound around him. He was finally getting used to his new powers, and he had to admit, he didn't like the fact that everyone whispering was slandering Lucien so brazenly—not even a little. How could such a sweet person be like that?

Obviously, he didn't believe any of them!

That's why he deliberately raised his free hand and fumbled around, nearly tripping.

Lucien quickly grabbed his waist.

"Be careful! I am helping you—so why are you trying to check where you are going? There's nothing but Jake in front of you."

Zephyr nodded, deliberately looking in a random direction even though he knew Lucien was walking on his right side.

"Oh, sorry. I thought a solid object was there… I must have been mistaken."

His sudden actions made Jake, who had just glanced back, smile with wide eyes.

How adorable.

Was he trying to tell the whispering crowd that he was blind and Lucien was helping him? So they would stop slandering him?

Damn. This was actually kind of clever—and unexpectedly very sweet. Jake hadn't expected Zephyr to try to defend Lucien, especially when he was blind himself.

'This man's really smitten. Tsk tsk.'

The crowd around them finally fell silent.

Their eyes widened, then flickered with pity as they realized that such a fine, handsome young man was a blind man. How tragic.

The only man who didn't get the meaning behind Zephyr's actions was Lucien, who was growing increasingly annoyed. Clearly, he was a bit—okay, maybe very, very dense.

Amidst the staring crowd, the trio stepped into one of the lifts at the end of the lobby, heading to the second floor of the building where the Awakened testing rooms were.

The soft hum of the elevator filled the air. As soon as the doors slid open, people in white coats turned their heads, and when they saw Jake, they all greeted the familiar man with polite nods and practiced smiles.

Naturally, they ignored Lucien, casting barely concealed glances of curiosity or judgment at the man holding his hand.

Jake approached the front desk near the elevator, where the receptionist gave him a polite nod. Her face shifted the instant she heard Erick's name and learned that he—the Association's most formidable Esper—had personally scheduled a test for someone.

Her posture straightened, and without a word, she promptly motioned for them to follow, leading Jake, Lucien, and Zephyr down the hallway to an available testing room, her face calm and professional.

Zephyr just quietly followed Lucien. Soon, he was pushed into a cold steel chair, and Lucien let go of his hand. A sense of loss washed over him, but he said nothing.

At the same time, Jake spoke with the person in charge of the testing room—a young man in a white coat—who quickly hurried over to begin the procedure. The man gathered the necessary equipment, then glanced at Jake, who had sat down beside Lucien in the row of empty chairs behind the table where Zephyr now sat.

"Sir Jake, after the rank test, should I also run a compatibility test? The machine will check his energy wavelength against the registered Guides for any high matches."

Jake nodded thoughtfully.

"You should. But…"

He trailed off, nudging Lucien.

"Hey, don't you want to check your compatibility with him first?"

Lucien gave him a flat stare.

"How about we test his rank first? Maybe after that, the Association will want me to stay a hundred meters away from him."

Jake blinked in surprise. So he believed Zephyr might be a high-ranking Esper?

Seeing his surprise, Lucien scoffed under his breath. Of course he did. He'd seen it with a damn Gaya ability. Zephyr was an SSS-rank—his mana was off the charts.

Sure, the newly invented machines in the Association were good, but no rank above S-rank had ever been recorded in the world—no one had even heard of such a thing.

Therefore, Lucien predicted the machines would simply classify Zephyr as an S-rank.

So why would the Association ever allow someone like Lucien—a Guide nobody liked—near a newly awakened S-rank Esper? One who was blind, naïve, and easy to control?

What a joke.

Zephyr's ears twitched. He wanted Lucien to take the compatibility test with him too. If their matching rate was high, he would have an excuse to go to Lucien whenever he wanted—under the name of guidance.

That's why he sincerely requested,

"Cien, please take the compatibility test with me—if I turn out to be a strong Esper."