I wasn’t given a chance to explain myself. That’s because Duncan quickly continued.

“Do you find the center work manageable?”

“Is this a question I can answer honestly?”

Duncan nodded as if to say ‘Go ahead’.

I expressed my current feelings without a filter.

“It’s awful.”

“Pfft.”

Duncan chuckled at my raw answer, but quickly erased his amusement with a “Ahem, ahem.”

“And I’m not falling for you, Duncan…”

Once again, Duncan didn’t give me a chance to finish.

He stood up from the sofa and started walking towards me.

Duncan gently draped his two-button jacket, which he had been wearing, over my shoulders.

“You’re quite wet. We can’t have you catching a cold.”

His jacket was so warm… it made my heart tingle for some reason.

It felt like the first warmth I’d felt in the center.

I suddenly realized how much I had been mistreated all this time.

Duncan, as if seeing right through my slightly flustered state, continued.

“I think it would be nice if Guide Yerena fell for me.”

“…”

“What do you think?”

The proposal, coupled with his dazzling smile, was captivating. I felt my heart skip a beat.

Damn. I think I might actually fall for him.

I took a deep breath.

***

Even after leaving Duncan’s study, I felt strange.

‘Why is that person so sensual? He could easily be a male protagonist.’

Goosebumps rose on the arm where his jacket was draped.

The jacket had a nice scent. Similar to the flower scent I smelled in the forest…

My heart was still tingling.

It was when I had taken a couple of steps towards my room.

I saw a tall man walking from the opposite direction.

The man grinned as soon as our eyes met. As if he was glad to see me. As if he knew me.

Do I know him?

It was strange indeed.

Because I tend to remember the faces of handsome people quite well.

The man walking from the opposite direction was certainly handsome. However, I had no memory of seeing his face.

At least, it was certainly the first time for me.

“Hello, Guide Yerena.”

The man even greeted me.

Because the man was so tall, I had to lift my head up high to look at him.

His silver hair, almost white, and large black pupils were striking.

“Do you know me?”

Hmm. Could it be?

Guide Yerena, is famous for always being abandoned by the espers of the ‘Allen Knights’.

Because of that pitiful fame, this man became curious about me, watched me from afar, and eventually fell in love with me…?

At that moment, thunder was heard through the window in the corridor. Almost simultaneously, lightning flashed.

Then I remembered what Duncan had said.

“They say love at first sight is similar to a thunderbolt striking.”

“In other words, they have in common that they strike all at once.”

“Did you fall in love with me?”

It wasn’t a completely baseless question.

Although ignored by the knights of the Allen Knights, Yerena was quite pretty.

Black hair reaching down to her waist, red eyes similar yet different in color to Lambert’s, white skin, and a slender frame.

If I could just leave Chelsea Center, I had plans to date the men of this world recklessly.

Ah, of course, if this man had fallen for me, I wouldn’t mind going on a few dates with him.

The man’s response to my bold question was again a smile.

“Rather than falling in love… I’ve thought it would be nice if you were my master, no, my superior.”

What does he mean?

“Pardon?”

“It’s nothing.”

“…”

“My name is Evans. Please remember it the next time we meet. Well then, I’ll be going.”

The man nodded slightly, then turned his steps towards Duncan’s study.

He seemed to be someone related to Duncan. That’s probably why he knew who I was.

But you know what.

“So, did he fall for me or not?”

I stared blankly at Evans’ retreating back.

Since returning to the center, it seems strange things keep happening one after another.

Duncan and Evans. What could be the reason for their sudden familiarity with me?

While pondering, I belatedly remembered what I hadn’t told Duncan.

“Oh right. I forgot to mention that the salary is sometimes delayed.”

But I didn’t care much. It was something the previous center director had done, and I might be leaving this center soon anyway.

It was clear that the money I could earn with my tamer ability would be much more than the meager salary that often came late.

Even though I hadn’t earned any money yet, I found myself humming happily.

“Hehe.”

***

Back in my room, I soaked in hot water for a long time.

It seemed to warm up my body which had gotten cold from the rain.

When I flopped down on the bed, Bless naturally came over and curled up near my arm.

“Bless. If I fall asleep like this, I might crush you, so shouldn’t you stay away from me?”

Bless nodded.

Sometimes it seemed smarter than me, so I thought it would take good care of itself.

“By the way, I still can’t believe you were a monster bird.”

I had thought it was just an ordinary bird that had lost its parents.

―Kyukyu! Kyuukyu.

“Even though we live in different worlds, you’re not a bad bird, right?”

―Kyuuu.

That’s what it says.

“I know you’re not a bad bird. You know, it’s a feeling.”

Bless was on a completely different level from monsters that had almost lost their intelligence and were full of violent tendencies.

For one thing, it was unusual that I could communicate with it.

I couldn’t talk with the A-class or S-class monsters that the espers had killed.

“How am I able to communicate with you?”

Bless gave a rather cunning answer.

―Kyuukyu.

It says ‘Because we’re destined for each other’.

“Oh, come on. Bless. Why don’t you just be the male lead, okay?”

I couldn’t believe how cool this palm-sized bird could be.

I felt like I wouldn’t be surprised even if Bless suddenly transformed into a handsome man one day.

Thinking about the male lead, I suddenly remembered Center Director Duncan.

That man had the appearance and aura of a male lead but didn’t have much presence in the novel.

‘Was Duncan an esper too?’

There was a lot of talk within the center about the newly appointed center director.

It was because he didn’t reveal much about his identity.

Rumors were circulating that his true identity was a member of the royal family, the son of a wealthy merchant, an S-class esper on par with Benjamin… and so on.

But all of these were just rumors, nothing proven. Not even his age.

‘At face value, he looked to be in his early 20s.’

I was curious about Duncan’s identity, but I didn’t think too deeply about it. He probably wouldn’t be closely related to me anyway.

Perhaps today’s encounter might be the last time I met him.

At that moment, what caught my eye was Duncan’s navy jacket hanging on the wall.

“Still, draping the jacket over me was a green light, wasn’t it?”

―Kyukyu! Kyuuuu!

“What? That person is not okay? He’s a dangerous man?”

Bless got up from its curled position and started flapping around. It looked very indignant.

“Bless. Do you know about dating?”

―Kyukyukyuu!

‘I know better than you do!’

I snorted, but I couldn’t deny it.

Before preparing for the civil service exam, I maintained my livelihood through various part-time jobs, and when I was studying for the exam, I didn’t even look at the opposite s*x.

I… had never dated before.

‘I was planning to date to my heart’s content once I became a civil servant.’

I sighed deeply while gently pressing Bless’s beak.

“You’re quite a bird.”

―…

“Okay, I’ll believe you.”

―Kyukyu! Kyukyu!

‘That’s mean! I know you don’t believe me!’

“You’re misunderstanding. I said I believe you, didn’t I?”

Bless looked at me suspiciously but didn’t chirp anymore.

Such a cute thing anyway.

After finishing the conversation with Bless, I closed my eyes.

Fatigue washed over me like waves, making my eyelids unbearably heavy. It wouldn’t be strange if I fell asleep like this.

Just before falling asleep, I briefly wondered if Lambert, who had collapsed in the forest, might have gotten soaked in the rain…

It wasn’t worry, just curiosity.

How long had I been asleep like that?

I heard the sound of the door opening, which I had forgotten to lock.

Click. I woke up from my light sleep.

A large shadow was cast under the open door.

The midnight intruder was a person of large build.