Chapter 5 You are so handsome when you smile

“Don’t you remember me? I was the kid under the rubble?” Nixie asked, confused. She was still just a kid back then. Did Ziven really forget her face?

The man who was driving stayed silent for a long time, then shook his head. That made Nixie even more confused. If she counted, it had been 13 years ago. Maybe it had just been too long, so he forgot.

“My power destroys memories from the past. And I don’t know who I used to be,” Ziven said. It was a long sentence for him. A surprise, because it turned out he could still say things that long.

Nixie looked at Ziven with sad eyes. She had no idea what he had gone through all this time. Hearing that an SSS+ Esper would suffer if he didn’t find a compatible Guide made her heart ache too.

“Don’t worry, okay? As long as I’m here, you won’t feel the pain from those suppressant shots anymore!” Nixie said with her warm smile. It made something flutter in Ziven’s chest.

“Oh right, but our work contract hasn’t been sent yet. So why did you come pick me up?”

“I’m going to the border,” Ziven answered briefly, making Nixie look at him in disbelief again.

“What? With all these injuries? Ziven, do you want to die or something?”

“I wish I could die.”

That answer made Nixie go quiet. Maybe all this time he’d been holding back the pain just to stay sane and not hurt anyone.

A few minutes later, the car sped through the forest. Then Ziven stopped in front of a huge, towering iron gate.

Nixie frowned. If this was her life every day, she’d probably get wrinkles from overthinking.

“Is this your house, Ziven?”

“Yes. Go in first. I’ll bring all your stuff.”

“It looks more like a prison than a house,” Nixie muttered, unable to believe it. A god-level life like this was truly miserable. And now she was his Guide.

But... were they going to do that? Damn, she was too innocent to even know how. Her cheeks burned hot and her heart pounded. This felt more like a wedding night than a work contract.

Ziven was carrying three big boxes of Nixie’s things. He glanced at the girl he told to go in first, but she was just standing there with a small smile, like she was thinking about something happy.

“Nixie!”

That call snapped her out of the inappropriate thoughts in her head. Like she’d gone crazy from overacting.

“Ah, sorry. I just remembered my friend’s face during school orientation. It was all black from the paint.”

Creak! The iron gate opened by itself. The girl with the heart necklace looked at Ziven. He was the one opening the massive gate with his power.

“Go in,” the emotionless man said. So Nixie walked in first. Inside was just as huge, with a big house in the middle of a wide field of grass.

She didn’t know there was a hidden forest like this with an Esper’s house in it. Now Nixie was walking backward, watching the man casually carry all her stuff.

“Ziven, how many SSS+ Espers like you are there in this world?”

“I don’t know.”

“You guys always fight in groups, right? Isn’t there anyone you know?”

“No one.”

That short answer made Nixie frustrated. Was this guy serious?

“I always fight alone. When my emotions start to peak and I feel like I’m losing control, I hurt myself to stay conscious!”

The beautiful girl froze. His fate was so cruel. Turns out, great power wasn’t as amazing as people thought. There was always a price to pay.

“When they injected you with the suppressant vaccine, what were you thinking at that time?”

“Killing all the doctors.”

That shocking answer left Nixie speechless. She thought she should stop asking.

“Aren’t you scared of me?”

Thud! They finally reached the front of the big house. Ziven’s face was visible again after he set down all of Nixie’s boxes.

Nixie’s bright smile returned.

“You saved me. I’m sure you won’t hurt me!”

Ziven walked closer. Why did this girl keep smiling like that? And why was his heart beating fast when she said that?

Meanwhile, Nixie stepped back in panic. Seeing his serious expression made her even more on edge. Who knew what would happen? Even though she trusted him, he still had the greatest power in this world.

A few seconds later, the big man’s hand was on the wall, with Nixie trapped between the hard wall and him. Ziven’s face got closer slowly, with a teasing smile. Was this a different side of him? Someone please save her from this situation!

“You’re that sure I won’t hurt you? What if I do hurt you later?” Ziven said.

It made Nixie shove his big body away. Of course, with her strength, she couldn’t move him even an inch.

Nixie’s cheeks turned red and her heart felt like it would jump out of her chest. No, she wasn’t ready for this. She was still too young to know what adults did. But her eyes suddenly turned sad when she saw the scars on Ziven’s hands.

When Ziven was about to open the front door, Nixie’s hand touched his big one firmly.

“I’ll do the Guiding with you!”

Ziven looked at her flatly. For some reason, he felt something tugging at his heart.

“If I wasn’t the one who saved you, would you still do that? Or are you just short on money?”

The next second, Nixie chose to hug the tall man. She buried her face in the chest of the man everyone called dangerous, and gently rubbed his back.

“Ziven! You deserve to be happy! Please smile like you used to!”

Ziven swallowed. His heartbeat was fast again and his breathing was short. For years, no one had ever truly cared about how he felt. He thought he’d spend his whole life fighting monsters and pain. But the moment Nixie came, everything seemed to change.

Like the world suddenly had color again. His big arms returned the hug and lifted Nixie’s face up to his.

“Ziven, our heartbeats are the same speed. Do we have some kind of illness or something?”

Not long after, the handsome man smiled at her.

Nixie was stunned. That smile. The same reassuring smile from the dark rubble back then. Her Ziven was back.

Nixie’s smile grew even wider.

“You’re so handsome when you smile like that!”

“Shut up. Or I’ll throw you on the bed right now,” Ziven said, still smiling.