A Guide to Raising Snake Spirits - Chapter 18

Mizuki couldn’t quite figure out this seemingly casual Guide doctor.

Xu Dian’s resume was easily searchable on the Star Network. Like him, Xu Dian was a Guide who hailed from the Tower and had majored in medical courses. After graduating, he spent five years specializing at the Special Star Medicine Research Institute before working at the Special Star Hospital. At fifty years old, he had already climbed to the position of Chief Physician.

It was a brilliant resume, the kind of level Mizuki planned for his own career.

It wasn’t surprising that Xu Dian became Shiroishi Haru’s primary doctor. His expertise was in mental domain diseases, and since he was on duty the day they returned from the desolate planet, it was only natural for the case to fall under his care.

Maybe those papers were just a coincidence.

But what about the light rail explosion? That should fall under the expertise of a surgeon, so why was Xu Dian there too?

…

On Wednesday, Mizuki希 arrived at the Tower as agreed. As he sat in the Tower’s small automated vehicle, a thought suddenly struck him.

He had forgotten to ask Shiroishi Haru who their Mental Defense teacher was. Back when he was a student, thinking of that teacher, the black-haired Guide shuddered. He comforted himself, thinking it couldn’t possibly be such a coincidence.

The Black Mamba was curled up lazily in a ball within the meadow of his mental domain. Its master’s fleeting worry didn’t affect it in the slightest.

It was the same training room as before. Shiroishi Haru had told him the name of the classroom, and since Mizuki had taken classes there during his own school days, the route was familiar.

The black-haired Guide entered the training room three minutes early. He looked young and had only recently graduated himself. Mental Defense classes were usually a mix of different groups, so students were used to seeing unfamiliar faces. He blended in without attracting any strange looks.

Mizuki希’s sharp eyes spotted Shiroishi Haru in a corner of the training room with a few Sentinel classmates. They were chatting animatedly about something.

Just as he spotted the grey-haired Sentinel, Shiroishi Haru also seemed to sense something and turned his head, locking eyes with him through the crowd.

Feeling playful, Mizuki made a shushing gesture. Shiroishi Haru looked at him for two seconds before silently turning back.

The black-haired Guide remained inconspicuous until he reached their side.

It was the Sentinel with the curly afro next to Shiroishi Haru who noticed him first. The afro-haired Sentinel’s excitement was palpable. When a strange Guide walked over, especially one who smelled like they had a high rank, the most likely reason was to hit on one of them, or at the very least, look for a partner.

However, the joyful expression on the afro-haired Sentinel’s face quickly froze. He sniffed the air and asked hesitantly, “You are…?”

“Hi, I’m Shiroishi Haru’s Guide, Mizuki,” Mizuki greeted them with a bright, open smile.

Shiroishi Haru nodded beside him.

 The afro-haired Sentinel’s heart quietly shattered.

The class monitor was the first to react, reaching out a hand. “Hello, hello. I’m Shiroishi Haru’s friend, Xiang Heng.”

“Hello, I’m Ye Ran,” the afro-haired Sentinel’s partner introduced himself immediately. After finishing, he discreetly nudged the afro-haired Sentinel with his elbow. Seeing no reaction, he had to speak up for his unreliable partner, “This guy is named Ren Dong. We’re all in the same class as Shiroishi Haru.”

Xiang Heng asked, “You’re a student at the Tower too, right? What grade are you in?”

“I’m a twelfth-grader at the Tower,” Mizuki希 casually made up a fake age that sounded about right.

“About to graduate?” the monitor asked.

“Yes,” Mizuki replied.

As long as he hadn’t attended the graduation ceremony, he technically hadn’t graduated.

“Even though I knew Shiroishi Haru had a Guide, actually seeing it is still… mghph.”

Mizuki: “Still?”

Ye Ran quickly covered his incoherent partner’s mouth, laughing dryly, “Nothing, it’s nothing.”

Sentinels who awakened late were placed in special classes, but in reality, they weren’t necessarily very old. Once they caught up to the standard progress, they would be reintegrated into the normal grades.

The monitor looked a bit older, around eighteen or nineteen, while Ren Dong and Ye Ran—the curly-haired Sentinel and his partner, were both sixteen or seventeen.

The monitor noticed right away that from the moment this black-haired Guide appeared, Shiroishi Haru’s eyes hadn’t left him for a second.

The blending of their pheromones indicated their compatibility was very high. Although Xiang Heng lacked the experience to smell the specifics, he could tell just by Shiroishi Haru’s behavior.

After a few more words, it was time for class to start.

Xiang Heng noticed that the black-haired Guide, who had been smiling and in a good mood, suddenly had a change in expression the moment the Mental Defense teacher appeared. He slipped behind Shiroishi Haru like an eel.

Mizuki希 hid behind Shiroishi Haru’s back. If the standard uniform had a hood, he probably would have hidden his entire head.

At least for now, Xiang Heng felt like he was about to pull up the hem of Shiroishi Haru’s shirt to cover himself.

Mizuki希 couldn’t afford to worry about whether Shiroishi Haru found it strange, he just wanted to survive this class.

“Dammit,” he cursed inwardly. “How can I run into an acquaintance even here?”

The good news was that Shiroishi Haru didn’t blow his cover or ask any questions, acting as a reliable human shield.

For the entire duration of the class, Mizuki kept pulling Shiroishi Haru toward the corner, maintaining the furthest possible diagonal distance from the Mental Defense teacher. However, he didn’t forget to give the Sentinel extra tutoring. When it came to hands-on teaching, Mizuki maintained his professional dedication as a teacher.

With great difficulty, he finally made it to the end of class. Mizuki was the first to drag Shiroishi Haru out of the classroom, not even waiting for the monitor and the others.

“What happened?” Shiroishi Haru asked as his wrist was being pulled.

The Guide was walking very fast, but the Sentinel followed with ease. His long legs meant one stride equaled two of a shorter person’s, and his breathing remained steady while talking.

“It’s nothing, I…” Mizuki found himself a bit out of breath. He paused, “I used to skip this teacher’s classes all the time when I was in school.”

Shiroishi Haru gave an “en” in response. He felt the Guide was hiding something, wondering if a person would really act like a mouse seeing a cat just because they skipped class. But he didn’t press further.

Since it was lunchtime, Mizuki希 took Shiroishi Haru to the cafeteria. The black-haired Guide slumped into a chair to steady his uneven breathing, while Shiroishi Haru stood beside him, looking perfectly relaxed.

Once Mizuki caught his breath, he felt like chatting about other things. He smiled, “I noticed in class today that you’re a quick learner.”

“You’re a good teacher,” Shiroishi Haru said.

“But your mental domain is still a bit too fragile right now, so focus on repair,” Mizuki accepted the compliment with a smile. “Once your mental domain is better, then we can work on resilience and try more advanced things.”

“Student Mizuki, what brings you here to audit a class today?”

A male voice popped up behind Mizuki, causing him to freeze.

The speaker was the Mental Defense teacher from just now. He wasn’t particularly bad-looking, and his clothes gave him a somewhat refined and gentle appearance.

While he had been frantically hiding earlier, now that they actually met, the black-haired Guide instead calmed down.

“Haha, hello, Teacher Lu,” Mizuki stood up from his chair, turned around, and took two steps back to stand next to Shiroishi Haru, giving a lukewarm greeting. “You’re eating here too.”

“I remember this was your favorite cafeteria back when you were a student. I didn’t expect that after all these years, your tastes would still be the same,” Teacher Lu stood there with a look of reminiscence.

He clearly knew how to sting a young Sentinel’s heart.

“…” Mizuki’s expression turned sour.

Shiroishi Haru took a step forward. His height advantage allowed him to easily look down on Teacher Lu. From that perspective, he looked at the Sentinel and said, “I didn’t realize Teacher Lu had also taught my Guide.”

Teacher Lu narrowed his eyes, not finding what he wanted in the Sentinel’s gaze.

He ignored the grey-haired Sentinel and continued speaking directly to Mizuki希, “Student Mizuki, have you had a change of heart? Are you planning to bond with a Sentinel?”

Mizuki didn’t skip a beat and took Shiroishi Haru’s hand, putting on a flawless smile.

“Teacher Lu, you’re far too concerned. It’s a temporary mark, but who knows what will happen next. You should focus more on your course content. Excuse us.”

“With this special class Sentinel?” Teacher Lu said with a hypocritical smile.

Mizuki pulled Shiroishi Haru away without looking back.

The reason he had grabbed the Sentinel’s hand just now was entirely because he felt the Sentinel’s emotions through the mental link. On the surface, Shiroishi Haru only looked mildly gloomy, but in reality, he was harboring murderous intent. When Mizuki wasn’t looking, Shiroishi Haru was actually giving him the look one gives to a dead man.

Never provoke a Sentinel regarding their Guide. No matter how gentle a Sentinel’s personality is, their possessiveness toward their Guide can drive them to fight other Sentinels to the death.

Mizuki was afraid that if they stayed any longer, there would be a bloodbath. In a public area, if a student fought a teacher, even the Tower, known for being open-minded, wouldn’t be able to smooth it over. Regardless of the cause, Shiroishi Haru would definitely end up with a disciplinary record.

Shiroishi Haru remained silent, and Mizuki希 could feel that he was in a terrible mood.

“…Actually, when I told you I skipped this class often, I wasn’t lying,” Mizuki sighed and explained. “Mental Defense classes are usually taught by a Sentinel teacher and a Guide teacher working together.”

Shiroishi Haru waited quietly for him to finish.

“I chose this class in the eighth grade. If it weren’t mandatory, I never would have picked it,” Mizuki ruffled his hair in annoyance. Thinking about it now still felt like a complete headache. “From the start, I didn’t like that Sentinel teacher. He was so long-winded and barely got to the point in an entire lesson.”

“Later, once after class, he stopped me and said some crazy things, so I left. After that, I just ditched the class. Anyway, in the end, they didn’t fail me for the semester.”

“Who would have thought that out of all the teachers in the Tower, I’d run into him again by such a coincidence?”

Shiroishi Haru’s eyelashes fluttered as he looked down. “I’m sorry, I didn’t tell you beforehand.”

“It’s not your fault,” Mizuki said quickly.

The grey-haired Sentinel’s aura was still very low.

“Were you about to make a move?” The black-haired Guide reached out to touch Shiroishi Haru’s face, softening his voice. “He did it on purpose. You would be the one to suffer. Sentinels in the special class are already prone to discrimination from other grades, and even some teachers have biases.”

Shiroishi Haru naturally leaned his face into the Guide’s hand, looking at him with those emerald-like eyes. “Do you have a bias against special class Sentinels?”

“Of course not!” Mizuki希 laughed. He was clearly the one worrying about the Sentinel, yet he ended up being asked this kind of question.

“Then what’s your favorite thing to eat?” Shiroishi Haru’s lips brushed against Mizuki’s palm as he spoke, soft and warm. The temperature wasn’t high, but it made his hand tremble. The black-haired Guide instinctively tried to pull his hand back, only to have the Sentinel catch it and press it back against his face.

Mizuki said sheepishly, “…I’ll take you to try everything later.”

…

“Why did you and your Guide leave so fast earlier this morning?” the monitor asked.

“What else could it be? They probably went to have a cozy love-filled lunch together,” Ren Dong said a bit sourly, only to be poked in the waist by his partner, causing him to double over in pain.

Ye Ran retracted the elbow used to poke Ren Dong.

Shiroishi Haru’s mood was simple.

He didn’t get to have a cozy lunch with his Guide, and he was even harassed by an old Sentinel who was putting on an act.

But he had gained the Guide’s promise, and before leaving, the Guide had said confidently, “Don’t worry, I’ve thought of a way to make him pay a bit of a price.”

Monitor: “Basic driving class is being added this afternoon. Did you guys choose it?”

“This special class system really adds classes whenever it feels like it,” the afro-haired Sentinel complained.

“It can’t be helped. To catch up, compressing hours and adjusting progress based on student receptivity is an unavoidable strategy,” Ye Ran said, patting Ren Dong’s head.

Shiroishi Haru suddenly looked up.

If his senses weren’t mistaken… no, it was impossible for them to be mistaken.

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