---
A dark authoritative screen flashed before Taehyun's eyes.
[Request to borrow skill for connected Guide]
[Yes] or [Yes]
Taehyun's brows furrowed.
'Connected Guide?'
The title alone was enough to tell him who was requesting access.
Hanseong.
Shadows curled at his feet.
This was the first time his system had ever spoken without being prompted.
After a brief pause, he pressed Yes.
The screen dissolved instantly.
Then another notification appeared.
[Shadow Hound successfully deployed.]
Taehyun went completely still. His gaze darkened.
Systems weren't supposed to act on their own, yet somehow Hanseong's system was able to reach him.
His eyes narrowed.
Hanseong was in danger.
The system never interfered.
Yet it had just bypassed every protocol and borrowed one of his skills.
Something was very wrong.
The shadows at his feet suddenly snapped upward, enclosing him completely.
---
'The Universe hates me...'
[Wrong host, the universe despises everyone equally.]
Grandfather stood up, his expression hardening "I don't want that monster inside my house"
"Don't let him in."
The aide's shoulders tensed. "b-but sir"
A cold pressure descended in the room.
Every Esper in the room froze.
"...Fucking bastard" Grandfather muttered under his breath as he tried to steady his breathing.
I just buried my face in my palms.
'Stupid system.'
'Stupid world'.
'Stupid Taehyun'
"Hanseong" A familiar cool, deep voice pierced through my ears.
I looked up.
He was standing right in front of me. His violet-blue scanned me from head to toe.
The broken window.
The bone dagger impaled into the wall.
The unconscious assassins.
The blood on the floor.
The pressure intensified.
'Please don't look at the posters, I beg of you.'
[Please look]
A vein popped out on Grandfather's forehead as he drove his fist straight into Taehyun's face.
Taehyun didn't move, didn't even flinch. There wasn't even a single scratch.
I grabbed onto Taehyun's sleeve.
"I'm fine.
I glanced at my room again.
"...I think."
Taehyun looked down at my hand on his sleeve. Then back at my face.
"You're trembling"
Grandfather gripped his collar "He nearly got assassinated you fool!"
"Assassinated?"
The shadows at his feet stopped moving.
He turned his head slowly toward the two unconscious bodies on the floor.
"Who—"
"We don't know yet" Grandfather released his collar.
"But I think they know that Hanseong is an S-class guide"
Taehyun crouched down to my level "How were you able to borrow my skill?"
[Host is on his own now.]
'Jerk!'
"He borrowed your what?"
Every eye in the room snapped toward me.
Even the aides looked confused.
A guide borrowing an Esper's skill?
That wasn't possible.
Grandfather's expression darkened. "Explain"
Taehyun didn't take his eyes off me.
"My Shadow Hound was deployed."
"That's impossible."
I pressed my lips together, desperately searching for an exit that didn't exist.
[Host can't escape this one.]
"I don't know."
Taehyun's eyes narrowed.
"You don't know?"
Grandfather exhaled sharply. "We're not doing this now."
He grabbed my shoulder and pulled me up.
"He needs to rest. He needs to not be interrogated by you."
Taehyun's hand caught my wrist.
"He's not leaving my sight."
One of the assassins groaned.
Every head turned, and I carefully slipped my wrist away from Taehyun's grip.
The man on the floor stirred, his fingers twitching.
Taehyun's shadows flared.
'Why is he acting possessive? Taehyun hated Hanseong in the original story'
[Plot Deviation: 96%]
'Oh I see...'
'My knowledge of the original book is—'
[Completely useless]
I grabbed Taehyun's hand stopping him from lunging at them.
Grandfather signaled to his security. "Get them out of here. Interrogate them. Find out who sent them."
The aides moved quickly, dragging the unconscious bodies out of the room.
My legs gave out again. Reality crashed down hard. 'I'm an S-class guide...'
[First in existence]
'I have a possessive esper'
[You mean boyfriend, but esper is completely fine]
My eye twitched but I ignored the system's comment.
'My knowledge of the original book is useless'
[Very, Host.]
'I-i just got nearly assassinated...'
Grandfather crouched down and patted my head awkwardly. "You've been through a lot"
'Hell yeah!'
[Agreed]
'Y-you're agreeing?!'
"I want Hanseong to move back in with me" Taehyun said firmly.
Grandfather's eyes snapped to Taehyun "He's staying"
Taehyun's eyes turned light yellow momentarily.
[DING!]
[Quest Initiated! Host is to guide Esper Lee Taehyun to sanity]
[Reward: a little bit of peace]
[Penalty: ...You don't wanna know.]
'How is peace a reward?!'
---