* * *
Because Moria kept chattering on like a sparrow, completely missing the point of his protests, Ben had no choice but to cut her off.
“That’s not it! I’m talking about cohabitation!”
“What about it?”
“I was never told about this.”
“Oh, Ben, come on~, it’s only natural for an Esper and a Guide to live together.”
Unlike the flustered Ben, Moria waved a dismissive hand as if he were making a fuss over nothing.
Her casual attitude made him hesitate—was he the one overreacting?
‘Okay. Maybe it makes sense. Maybe it’s normal. I agreed to do this, so fine. But still—’
While it was common practice for Espers and Guides to live together, that was one thing, and this was another.
No, this is absolutely not fine!
Ben was about to put the keycard back on the desk, ready to argue, when Moria hit him with a final blow, her expression completely innocent.
“But Haimar gave the order himself. You didn’t hear?”
…Ah, for f—…
The moment Haimar’s name came up, Ben swallowed down all the arguments he had been about to make.
If Haimar had already decided, then this was probably another thing Ben had to accept.
Trying to justify it to himself, he told himself that this wasn’t special—just standard protocol.
Still, would it have killed Haimar to give him a heads-up?
With no other choice, Ben reluctantly shoved the keycard into his pocket.
Satisfied at last, Moria swiftly moved on.
“Anyway, starting tomorrow, report to Division 8 by 9 a.m. and meet with your supervisor. And right now, I’m about to head to this event—wanna come? You don’t have anything else to do, right? I’ll even give you a tour of Central City!”
Truthfully, Ben didn’t have any urgent plans.
The only thing on his to-do list was to check out the apartment he had been forced into.
But when he glanced at the flyer Moria was holding out excitedly, he found himself hesitating.
[Invest just 30 minutes! Special Lecture: Workplace Health & Wellness. The Secret to a Refreshing Massage!]
“…They hold events like this here?”
“Doesn’t it sound interesting? You’re curious, right?”
No. Not in the slightest.
Eternita’s Central City was certainly on a different scale compared to Hermannsen, which had been a tiny, insignificant branch.
The number of employees here was vastly larger, which seemed to come with extensive employee benefits.
“What exactly do you plan to do with this lecture?”
“I wanna use it on Liri! I felt a little awkward going alone, but now that you’re here, I don’t have to!”
“I never said I was—”
“I already bragged to Liri that I’d be learning something amazing today!”
“….”
How was she so effortlessly persuasive without a shred of malice?
The way her eyes sparkled made it annoyingly difficult to refuse.
Ben turned his gaze away, trying to escape her enthusiasm, but Moria trailed after him, her voice laced with a pout.
“I just really wanted to do this for Liri~. If you don’t want to go, then how about this instead…?”
Digging through her cluttered desk once more—raising serious doubts about when she actually did any real work—Moria pulled out yet another flyer.
This one was even more absurd.
[Special Seminar! Unlock the Secrets to a Loving Relationship! With this lecture, romance is easy!]
“I’ll take the massage lecture.”
“Yay~! Thanks, Ben! Let’s head out now!”
Without a second thought, Ben snatched the first flyer, though he couldn’t shake the feeling that he had just been tricked.
Seeing Moria practically beam with excitement as she hastily shrugged on her coat, he found it hard to stay annoyed.
With a resigned sigh, he folded the flyer and placed it on the desk before following after her.
Since there was still some time left before the special lecture, Moria took the opportunity to give a brief tour of the key facilities in Central, the capital.
Ben had already studied the map and had a rough idea of the layout, but seeing everything in person for the first time made a difference.
Moria’s explanations were concise and well-structured, befitting a senior researcher, making it easy for Ben to remember.
Central was divided into ten departments, each assigned specific roles and further subdivided accordingly.
The First Department was the core of Central, overseeing everything, which is why the Director and Deputy Director belonged there.
Departments Two through Five focused on research and development, with Moria Iren being part of the Second Department under the leadership of Liran Siu.
Departments Six to Eight managed security and field operations for Espers and Guides, while Departments Nine and Ten handled education, training, and miscellaneous functions.
Each department had its own designated building, and their influence was significant, making them some of the largest structures among the many administrative offices in the capital.
After the detailed explanation and a full tour of Central, their final stop was the lecture hall where the special lecture—something Moria had eagerly talked about—was taking place.
The tour had taken longer than expected, so they arrived about ten minutes late.
Fortunately, the lecture hadn’t reached the main discussion yet, allowing Ben and Moria to quietly take seats in a corner of the room, where the atmosphere was already serious.
“Do you want to take better care of your health? Worry no more! With this lecture, say goodbye to stress and fatigue! No need for supplements! No more hospital visits! First, let’s start with shoulder tension relief!”
As Ben skimmed through the printed handouts on the desk, he glanced to the side.
Moria, having seemingly reached peak levels of academic enthusiasm, was already taking notes with a ballpoint pen, fully engrossed.
She wasn’t the only one—several others were also attending with focus.
Some had come alone, while others sat in pairs, likely Esper and Guide partners, practicing on each other.
“Seems like a lot of partners attend together,” Ben noted.
“Hm? Oh! Yes, that’s right. Special lectures like this are often tailored for Espers and Guides.”
Moria paused her furious note-taking to respond before immediately refocusing on the instructor.
Caught up in the atmosphere, Ben, who hadn’t been particularly interested in the lecture, found himself listening more attentively to the instructor’s enthusiastic delivery.
“Next is the sleep-inducing massage! Now, look here—this is the pressure point! Press firmly on the back of your neck! This is where all the body’s waste accumulates, everyone! It might hurt a little, but once you release the tension, you’ll feel refreshed! Follow this path up the back of the neck! To the ears! And then finish it off like this! Simple and effective sleep massage!”
The handout illustrated each step with diagrams and detailed descriptions.
As the instructor demonstrated, the attendees followed suit.
Moria eagerly attempted the massage on herself but struggled to reach the right spots.
“Ben, the waste-storage point! I want to try this, but I can’t seem to find the right spot. Can I try it on you?”
“Ah, sure. Go ahead.”
Her request was hesitant, but since everyone was practicing on each other, Ben figured there was no harm in it.
He turned around—and the moment he did, Moria’s hand clamped down hard on the back of his neck.
“Ugh—!”
That was way too strong!
Whether she had hit the right spot or not, it hurt enough to force a strangled noise out of his mouth.
Was this really a pressure point for releasing waste, or a death grip?
When Ben glanced around, he noticed others were also groaning and wincing from their own attempts.
“Oh no, everyone! You’re pressing too hard! It should feel just right—not painful!”
“Hear that, Moria…?”
“Sorry! I thought pressing harder would be better!”
Moria quickly removed her hands, looking apologetic.
Rubbing the sore spot, Ben let out a wry smile.
The instructor must have noticed because he approached with mild concern.
“Are you alright? Your partner seems to have quite the strong grip.”
“Oh, no. Ben is my colleague. We were just practicing, but I think I might have overdone it.”
“I see. This is the correct amount of pressure.”
The instructor demonstrated by pressing gently on Moria’s neck.
Realizing the difference, she immediately turned back to Ben, eager to try again.
“How about now? I think I got it this time!”
“…Yeah. Much better.”
With the pressure significantly reduced, Ben nodded in approval.
Satisfied, Moria jotted down additional notes next to the diagrams and focused on the instructor’s next words.
“Alright, that concludes our practical exercises. Moving on…”
After covering a few more massage techniques, the special lecture came to an end.
Moria left the lecture hall looking very pleased, and perhaps out of gratitude for letting her practice on him, she insisted on treating Ben to coffee at the staff-exclusive café, despite his protests.
“I have to go meet Liri now! Ben, see you next time!”
“Alright. Take care.”
As Liran Siu approached from a distance, Moria waved energetically before heading off, her business with Ben seemingly finished.
Now alone, Ben checked the time.
Having been on the move since lunch, he realized it was already well past dinner.
He had initially planned to return to Hermannsen, but Moria’s earlier comment about having his belongings sent to the apartment crossed his mind, leading his gaze to the pocket holding the keycard.
Would he be there?
That man from Haimar.
It was late, and heading back to Hermannsen was impractical.
Besides, avoiding the situation wasn’t a solution—after all, they had agreed to adjust to living together, and they had already set some boundaries.
Without further hesitation, Ben set off for the address written on the note.
* * *
