We reached land about four hours after setting out on the yacht.

From there, we boarded a high-speed train, and after another boat ride, finally arrived at our destination.

“So this is Aquilus.”

Aquilus was an island that had abruptly risen from the sea alongside a massive Gate over 120 years ago.

Even after the Gate was cleared, the island remained. Fierce territorial disputes broke out between multiple nations over its ownership.

But even after more than 30 years of conflict, no conclusion had been {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} reached. Eventually, under the mediation of surrounding superpowers, the island was declared a neutral peace zone, belonging to no single nation.

Management of the island was handed over to the World Esper Association, not to any specific country.

Since then, Aquilus had been reborn as an island solely for Espers.

A dream destination every ability user should visit at least once. A tiny nation for Espers. A utopia for Espers. The land of freedom.

I’d heard such praise for Aquilus many times before, but this was my first time visiting.

Actually, this was my first time traveling abroad, period. I had stayed at Joo Seunghyuk’s massive overseas estate before, but that hardly counted as a real trip....

As I looked around, taking in the sight of Aquilus, Seunghyuk laced our fingers together.

“Hold my hand tight. You might get lost.”

“Ah, sorry. I must look so clueless.”

“Not at all. Should we head to the hotel? Or do you want to look around?”

“Can we look around?”

“Of course.”

There was no longer any trace of suspicion or watchfulness in his eyes. He trusted me completely now.

Well, that must be why he brought me to Aquilus.

This place had plenty of opportunities to escape or call for help. If I screamed right now, someone from the World Esper Association would probably show up to protect me.

And yet, Seunghyuk showed no sign of worry or doubt. On the contrary, he seemed genuinely happy to be traveling with me.

“We’ll be here for a few days, so if you need anything, let’s buy it. You’ll need a phone and some clothes too.”

The way he spoke so excitedly stirred something in me, and I found myself reminded of his childhood. I quickly turned my head the other way.

There was probably sympathy in my eyes right now. Seunghyuk had said it was okay if I pitied him, but I couldn’t actually let him see that.

Just then, Seunghyuk suddenly pulled me into a tight hug.

“W-What? What’s wrong?”

Startled, I asked him. He leaned close to my ear and whispered softly.

“You’re just... too beautiful.”

“......”

“All those bastards keep looking at you. I want to kill every last one of them.”

By now, I’d grown used to hearing things like that.

“They’re not looking at me—they’re looking at you.”

“Me?”

Seunghyuk blinked, surprised.

“Yeah. You’re handsome.”

“You’re the only one who’s ever said that to me.”

Well, that’s because you beat up everyone who did....

There were more than a few people who’d ended up on the receiving end of Seunghyuk’s wrath just for complimenting his looks. But I couldn’t say that out loud.

“Maybe they’re just too shy to say it.”

“Hearing you say that makes me happy.”

With a faint smile, Seunghyuk handed me a card.

“Seunghyuk, this is...!”

It was the black card I had once slipped into his uniform pocket.

So he had known I’d returned both the card and the bankbook when I left the dorm...

“It’s your card. Don’t give it back again.”

I stared at the black card with Seunghyuk’s name engraved on it.

From the moment I realized I was living inside the original novel, my only goal had been to escape unscathed—without getting entangled with the obsessive maniac that was Joo Seunghyuk.

But yesterday, I gave up on running away from him.

What kind of future awaits us now?

Will there come a day when I return this card to him again? Or will I stay by his side forever? I couldn’t say.

“...Okay.”

But for now, I nodded.

“Shall we go?”

“Yeah.”

We walked hand in hand at a leisurely pace.

The streets were full of people. It had been ages since I’d seen this many people in one place. And every single person radiated mana.

It wasn’t like an Esper academy that gathered ability users on purpose—this entire island was just full of Espers.

Office workers in suits, tourists pulling their luggage, shop clerks, passersby glued to their phones... everyone was an Esper.

It really did feel like a “nation for Espers.”

Aquilus also featured buildings from all different eras—from those built over a hundred years ago to ultra-modern structures. Somehow, the visual disharmony of the mixed architecture created a strange but charming harmony.

Among all those buildings, the first place we went was a phone store. I wasn’t the type to care much about specs—I prioritized size and weight.

I picked a light phone that could fit comfortably in my pocket. The clerk asked,

[How would you like to pay?]

[Uh, well...]

[Card.]

Before I could answer, Seunghyuk spoke smoothly in English. Then he looked at me expectantly. I had no choice but to hand over the black card he’d given me earlier.

I’d thought the moment I used that card would mark my eternal ensnarement in a possessive relationship—a descent into madness.

But in reality, I didn’t feel much of anything.

“You used the card?”

“Yeah.”

“Good job.”

Seunghyuk looked pleased. Even though it was his money being spent—how could he look so happy? He really was a mystery.

After activating the phone, we headed to Leslia Street nearby.

‘Leslia’ was a globally famous luxury district. Each boutique had a distinct identity, so even someone like me who knew nothing about designer brands could enjoy window shopping.

But Seunghyuk clearly had no intention of just browsing. He took my hand and led me into one of the stores.

“Seunghyuk, what are you doing?”

“You need clothes, hyung.”

“We don’t need to buy anything this expensive...”

“It’s fine. Everything on Aquilus is duty-free.”

“Even duty-free stuff is still expensive...”

“Don’t worry about it. And let’s get gifts for your family too. What does your mom like?”

“No! You already gave them so much before!”

I panicked and waved my hands. But Seunghyuk’s gaze had already drifted toward the women’s handbag section.

“It’s really okay. We don’t even have room to store anything back home.”

“Then I guess we’ll need to buy a house first. Do you prefer apartments or standalone houses?”

“Ah—actually, now that I think about it, we do have space for a handbag. Ha ha. That one looks nice!”

I quickly pointed to a handbag right in front of me before he could start house shopping. But of course, Seunghyuk wasn’t satisfied with just that. In the end, I picked out gifts for all my family members before we could leave the luxury district.

How many times did I swipe that card in just one hour... Even though it was Seunghyuk’s card, it was my hand doing the paying, and it left a serious emotional scar.

I was also getting a little worn out. Shopping really wasn’t for everyone.

Past the luxury district, toward the beachfront, there were rows of small shops selling snacks and souvenirs.

One cart in particular caught my eye—it sold colorful, rainbow-hued drinks.

“Seunghyuk, want to try that?”

He’d told me to buy whatever I needed, but this time, he shook his head.

“Not that.”

“Why?”

“Drinks like those are often laced with something.”

“Laced?”

“Yeah. Low-grade Esper narcotics, even worse than Dust... sometimes mana crystal powder. People get addicted without even realizing it.”

“Wow. I had no idea.”

I looked back at the colorful drinks. They’d seemed so cute just a moment ago—but now they looked sinister.

“...Seunghyuk, have you ever done drugs or anything?”

“Me?”

“Yeah.”

“Not even once.”

He replied without the slightest hesitation.

That, too, was different from the original novel.

In the original, Seunghyuk had intense self-destructive tendencies and dabbled in drugs. He avoided anything that affected mana, like Dust, but still—

So he really hadn’t touched them at all this time?

“You’re sure?”

“I don’t. I already resent how little time I get to look at your face sober—why would I waste any of it?”

He gently stroked my cheek as he added,

“And hyung, you must never try anything like that either.”

He was worried about me. Judging by the way he spoke, he must truly be inexperienced with that stuff. I mean, he even worries about the long-term effects of sleeping pills. No way someone like that would do drugs.

“I won’t. Drugs don’t just destroy the user—they ruin society. And a Guide who has to channel mana into Espers has even more reason to avoid them.”

“You shouldn’t avoid them for the Espers’ sake—you should avoid them for your own.”

“...Yeah.”

His kind words really touched me. Seunghyuk held my hand tightly.

“Should we head back to the hotel?”

“Yeah. I’m starving.”

I gripped his hand just as tightly in return. Despite the hot weather, holding hands with him like this didn’t make me feel hot at all.