With no one left to support the dungeon, it began to break once more. But Shuu was able to exit it before he got stuck in there. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Finally, after lingering inside those dungeons for god-knows-how-long, he was finally able to make it back to the human world, and the first thing he felt were arms around him.

"Shuu-? Oh thank God you are finally back. I was getting so worried because you were missing for so long. Are you feeling alright? Does anything feel off for you?"

The first person Shuu ran into outside was Kris, and the esper looked worried for Shuu. His eyes looked Shuu up and down until they stopped at his face and reached to touch it.

That touch felt a little too intimate, so Shuu pulled himself back before that hand could touch him.

Kris realized that Shuu was trying to put some distance between himself and the esper, and he decided to respect Shuu’s wishes and pulled his hand back as well with a smile.

"I am fine. What about everyone else? Are they alright? What about Rin?"

Since the dungeon had taken Shuu by surprise, he was worried about Rin. Rin was strong and capable of looking after himself, but since Shuu was his guardian, he still worried about Rin a lot.

"Rin is alright. We found him and Secretary Ann before we found you, and they are currently in the main room. Boss Yuri has gone to take care of the dungeon, but we could not proceed until everyone was accounted for. With you here, we have the last person we were looking for."

Shuu suddenly felt sorry for Kris and the others. The reason they were still dealing with the dungeon was because Shuu was too slow in coming back.

Kris noticed Shuu’s somewhat guilty expression, but he chose not to say anything. Instead, he pulled Shuu’s hand behind him and dragged him all the way to the office where everyone else was.

The first thing Shuu noticed was Rin’s presence. The poor kid looked traumatized, and he was curled over himself. His eyes lit up as soon as he noticed Shuu, and he ran toward him.

Shuu also opened his arms to let Rin burrow himself in there, and then he looked around the office.

Secretary Ann looked injured, but he could move around, and the others were trying to get in Secretary Ann’s good graces in order to be healed by him. But the mood was far from nice.

"Hey, come and sit here. I am going to take a look at you to make sure you are not injured."

Secretary Ann noticed Shuu as well and immediately grabbed Shuu’s hand to make him sit. The healer esper sitting in the corner of the room suddenly felt like it was his chance, and he stood up.

"E-Excuse me, but I am a healer. I can take a look at the patient, but I might need to be guided later-"

"Fine. Just come here and take a look at me as well as Shuu. Also, why did you not say anything until now? Was it fun seeing me injured like this?"

Secretary Ann questioned, and the healer esper suddenly looked scared and nervous. He approached Shuu, but his eyes kept looking over toward Secretary Ann.

The first thing Shuu noticed was admiration and respect in those eyes. But he could also read obsession in the healer’s eyes when he looked at Secretary Ann. It was the look of a hungry esper.

It made Shuu want to pull back and assure the secretary that he would be just fine. But then the secretary gave Shuu a look that forced him to sit still and receive treatment.

The esper reached out to touch Shuu, and Rin tensed. Rin’s eyes warned the esper to not do anything foolish, and the esper nodded before his powers began to work.

Shuu relaxed as he felt the aches in his body going away. He was so relaxed that he even forgot to hold his guiding in check, and the esper in front of Shuu immediately looked like he had been struck by something.

Wide eyes looked at Shuu before they formed a smile. The healer’s grip became tighter around Shuu’s arm as he tried to lean more into Shuu’s space.

"Hey, you-"

Rin pulled him away from Shuu before he could do anything and flung him across the room with ease. The esper hit his back against the wall and felt light-headed immediately.

"Don’t you dare touch Shuu or come near him. Or I will make sure you won’t be able to come close to him ever again."

Rin’s threat worked, and the esper nodded carefully. But his eyes kept looking at Shuu with a burning intensity that made Shuu feel worried.

Secretary Ann watched this happen without interfering. As soon as Rin was done with the healer, Secretary Ann extended his arm to be healed. The healer esper did it within seconds, and Secretary Ann decided to guide him.

But the more he was guided, the worse that frown on the healer’s face got.

His eyes looked at Shuu with desperation and want, and that look became even more obsessed as more and more time passed by.

Finally, he turned toward Secretary Ann with an impassive face and spoke.

"Secretary Ann, you better be ready. Your throne as the best guide might not remain yours for much longer. Also, if you know what’s good for you, then you will fire the other secretary as soon as possible. This is just a suggestion, but I do hope you will take it into consideration."

"Shut up. You are talking way too much for someone who was only allowed to join our guild because of healing powers. Don’t go thinking that you are someone special."

Secretary Ann reminded the man, and the healer esper let out a laugh.

"Well, you are nothing special either. I used to think that A-class guides were the best of the bunch, but I am beginning to think otherwise now."

Shuu tensed up as soon as he noticed that the esper was looking at him while saying this.