“You can refuse anything you don’t want to do, anything you don’t want to eat, anything you don’t want to see, anything you don’t want to hear… You can reject it all. There’s no one here who’s going to criticize you or get mad at you for it.”

 

“But…”

 

“You don’t have to read the room or hold back. Whatever you want, just ask for it properly and take it. If someone tries to force you to do something, just tell them to fuck off. From now on, you’re allowed to do that.”

 

When Jin finally gave a small, hesitant nod after freezing for a moment, Ivan started to stand up with a faint smile, only to sit back down again. 

 

There was still one more thing he needed to tell her.

 

“The sensitivity test results came out. That’s why I asked to eat dinner together—I wanted to let you know. Are you really curious?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Would you prefer to be an Esper? Or a Guide?”

 

A faint glimmer of hope finally appeared on Jin’s previously expressionless face.

 

“It doesn’t matter whether it’s Esper or Guide. As long as I’m a sensitive… they say you can make a lot of money, and your status is guaranteed for life…”

 

Ivan now understood why Jin had asked—practically begged—to be tested for sensitivity, and what kind of resolve had driven her to do it.

 

She had been preparing for a future where she would have to live completely alone, with no one to take care of her and nowhere to lean on.

 

That realization hurt his chest and irritated him at the same time. When he had told her to come with him, part of what he meant was that he would be her guardian, her protector.

 

He had never once thought of taking those words back just because she might turn out not to be a sensitive person.

 

“You’re a Guide. And an SS-rank one at that.”

 

Her already large eyes—practically taking up half her face—widened even further.

 

It almost looked like the tiny spark flickering in her pitch-black pupils had grown a little brighter.

 

“Do you know how rare and powerful an SS-rank is?”

 

She nodded as if to say yes, she knew—but Ivan could immediately tell that Jin had no real grasp of just how enormous the implications of being SS-rank actually were.

 

She probably didn’t even realize that her entire lonely, solitary future had just become completely unnecessary.

 

Ivan reached into the inner pocket of his jacket, pulled out an ID card, and placed it in front of Jin.

 

“This is your ID card. It’s not like you’ll be in huge trouble if you lose it—it’s mostly just a formality. Your fingerprints, iris scan, blood test results—everything’s already entered into the system. Naturally, it includes the fact that you’re an SS-rank Guide. As long as you memorize the number written on the card, you won’t have any trouble living your life. That number is your unique identifier.”

 

“…Yes.”

 

Jin stared intently at the small plastic card, as if trying to drill holes through it. This was the very thing her parents had wanted so desperately to get for her.

 

A free pass that would let her go anywhere she wanted, as many times as she wanted.

 

An incredibly expensive that would allow her to leave District 4 whenever she wanted, even if she ever had to go back.

 

For some reason, her throat felt raw—like she’d eaten something spicy—and her eyes started to burn. She quickly gulped down some water.

 

This was something to be happy about. She didn’t want to cry.

 

Besides, if she started crying here, it might upset Ivan.

 

He had already taken care of every annoying and difficult thing for her; the least she could do was not show him tears when she couldn’t even manage a bright smile. 

 

That would be terribly rude.

 

“Huh? The age is wrong. I’m fourteen…”

 

“Sorry. There was a mistake when they registered it. Once it’s registered, they can’t fix it.”

 

He had done it on purpose, but there was no need to explain every little detail to Jin.

 

She simply nodded, forgiving Ivan’s “mistake” without another word.

 

“As an SS-rank Guide, you can join a government agency like the SAA, enter a guild you like, or work as a freelancer. Out of those, I don’t recommend freelancing—it’s too dangerous. If choosing is hard, in my opinion, staying affiliated with the SAA until you become an adult would be the safest in every way…”

 

“Mister, I mean, Representative— what about working at your company?”

 

Ivan had once thought being called “uncle” wasn’t exactly pleasant, but now that “Representative” came out of Jin’s mouth, that actually bothered him even more.

 

“You can just call me uncle.”

 

“…Yes.”

 

Jin’s face showed no change in expression as she answered, so Ivan had absolutely no idea whether she was pleased or displeased.

 

“Do you want to stay here? Do you even know what kind of place this is?”

 

As the representative of Morivel, he naturally would welcome an SS-rank Guide deciding to stay.

 

He had already decided to become her guardian anyway—adding the title of company representative on top of that didn’t really change much.

 

Still, Ivan hesitated.

 

He wanted to give Jin the chance to choose freely.

 

If she needed time to think it over, he would, of course, wait as long as it took.

 

“…Can I?”

 

Jin mumbled with her head deeply bowed.

 

“What?”

 

“Since you picked me up… It’s only right that you take responsibility, isn’t it?”

 

She suddenly lifted her head and shouted it firmly, but even so, the small hand clutching the ID card was trembling finely.

 

She must have thought he was going to chase her away or something.

 

Watching Jin shake with anxiety made something in Ivan’s chest tighten painfully.

 

She was right. Whether it was pity, guilt, a whim—whatever the reason—he was the one who had reached out first and said, 

 

“Come with me.”

 

For a brief mom,ent he wondered if “picked up” was really the right way to phrase it, but from Jin’s perspective, it probably didn’t feel all that different.

 

“Yeah. I’ll take responsibility. You can stay here as long as you want. And you’ll get to meet your teacher soon, too. Let’s get along well, Jin.”

 

A slightly awkward smile tugged at Ivan’s lips.

 

Jin stared blankly at that handsome face, shifting her gaze between the blue eye and the red one, before deciding once again that the red one was far prettier.

 

“I’ll be in your care too, Mister.”

 

It was the first day that something genuinely emotional passed between Jin and Ivan.

 

🦋

 

Jin successfully completed the government-mandated 100-day intensive training course that all newly awakened sensitives are required to undergo.

 

If she had been an Esper, it would have taken considerably longer, but Guide training wasn’t particularly complex, so 100 days was more than sufficient.

 

Moreover, since Jin was officially only thirteen years old on paper, the scope of her practical training was naturally limited, which eliminated any risk of complications.

 

The only real issue—if one had to point out a problem—was the fact that Jin had become the youngest SS-rank Guide in history.

 

“Guide Jin, if you’re not too busy, could we perhaps have a quick word…?”

 

“Changing affiliation isn’t actually that difficult. Of course, there’s nowhere as safe and reliable as the SAA. We already have two SS-rank Guides, and…”

 

“Morivel is certainly a fine organization, but compared to a national institution…”

 

SAA administrators took turns approaching Jin during every break, persistently trying to persuade her to switch sides.

 

From the very beginning, Jin had clearly stated that she belonged to Morivel and that any matters concerning her affiliation should be discussed directly with Representative Ivan Freud—yet they kept coming anyway.

 

It wasn’t just the SAA.

 

The rumor that an SS-rank Guide had appeared spread so explosively that guilds of every kind were going all out to meet Jin.

 

Since Ivan personally escorted her to and from the training center every day, the guilds restrained themselves during those times and watched from afar. Instead, they mobilized the guild members who were training alongside her, instructing them to build some kind of rapport with Jin by any means necessary.

 

However, among sensitives, Guides made up less than ten percent—so in this particular Guide training batch, there were only five trainees in total, including Jin.

 

Coincidentally, the other four were all adults.

 

Two of them were still in the middle of negotiating conditions and had no affiliation yet, while the three who had already signed contracts relentlessly bombarded Jin with one-sided offers and flattery, carrying out the instructions they’d received from their guilds.

 

Even though she was fourteen—or, as the outside world had been told, thirteen—the adults figured that as long as the child herself changed her mind, Ivan’s presence wouldn’t ultimately matter. 

 

With that logic, they approached her tirelessly.

 

Yu Jin wasn’t used to conversing much with others, and even though her own thoughts hadn’t changed at all, she kept feeling frustrated by the attitude of people who repeatedly ignored her.

 

‘They said SS-class Guides are really rare and precious people, so why am I being treated like…’

 

The more education she received, the more Yu Jin came to realize just how extraordinary she truly was.

 

Yet she still felt exhausted by the people who refused to show her respect simply because she looked young.

 

“Mister, is it okay if we keep holding hands all the time? Especially when people are watching.”

 

“…Sure.”

 

“When I’m really close to you like this, no one bothers me. I think they’re scared of you.”

 

“…”

 

To Ivan, holding the hand of a mere child was nothing at all.

 

He knew that because Yu Jin looked far younger than her actual age, most people would simply see them as an uncle escorting his niece to and from school.

 

Of course, every time it happened, he still found it draining to be exposed to so many staring eyes, but he told himself that since he had decided to become her guardian, this was something he simply had to endure—and with that mindset, his heart felt lighter.

 

That was also why he stubbornly refused, even though Simon had repeatedly offered to take over the role instead.

 

As soon as she spotted Ivan waiting as usual in front of the main gate of the training center, Yu Jin quickly ran over and grabbed his hand first.

 

“Mister.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

Every time Jin took Ivan’s hand, she would flinch slightly at the cold sensation, but she got used to it quickly.

 

She had enough sense to know that even though she was curious why he always wore gloves, she shouldn’t carelessly ask about it.

 

Today, too, dozens of people gathered about 50 meters away were staring at Ivan and Yu Jin and whispering among themselves.

 

If their gazes had all been purely negative, it might have been easier to simply ignore them—but most of the looks were positive, envious, and admiring, which actually made Yu Jin feel even more burdened.

 

Still, by now both Yu Jin and Ivan had grown accustomed to it, and they didn’t spare those people even a single glance.