(BL) Hunting The Field Guide novel Chapter 104

Chapter 104: Harboring a criminal

Receiving a similar style of treatment as Brent, Casper was a little surprised that Kellen was taking care of him. Unlike Brent, he cast worried glances towards the Captain, whose smile did not relieve his worries.

"Uh, thank you?" He said after Kellen had him in perfect working order, and the Captain laughed.

"Don’t worry too much Casper. I’ve learned that Kellen has a preference that he’s told others, so I have no issues with him fixing other men’s outfits." Kellen rolled his eyes as Casper went pale.

"Don’t listen to him. If I let him worry about that, it’ll be a slippery slope and then I’ll find him not letting me do my job." Casper glanced at the grinning Captain behind Kellen’s shoulder, before his gaze slid back to Kellen. He cleared his throat.

"I, unfortunately, agree with you Kellen." The Captain seemed affronted that the two Guides were in agreement, but it was Hill’s snort in the distance that truly made his face fall into a darker expression. Hill waved her hand once all attention was on her.

"Oh no, please continue lying to them. I’ll keep my mouth shut." Her brown eyes sparkled in amusement while the Captain frowned.

"I would never restrict Kellen that way." He protested and Hill stopped working, looking up at the Captain. They shared a long look, until the Captain looked away, clearing his throat and his face slightly flushed. "Casper, if you wouldn’t mind coming over here." He ushered his other lieutenant to the side, leaving Kellen alone in front of the screens. The three other Captains stared at him, and Kellen returned their gaze.

Sakura was the first to break the silence.

"I wasn’t able to convince them." She admitted, and Kellen frowned, crossing his arms.

"That’s rather bad to hear. What did you say? Did you include my name, and that I was asking for a favour?" Kellen asked and she bit her lip. She glanced to the side.

"You didn’t say anything about that." She protested and Kellen stared at the Esper.

"You should have known. We both know their personality, and if you didn’t include my name they weren’t going to consider it in the slightest." She looked downtrodden, and Kellen didn’t have it in him to feel bad. Captain Sergei, who had been listening in, leaned closer to the camera he was sitting in front of.

"Who was this person you weren’t able to convince? Why are they important to what is going on?" He asked, and Kellen glanced at Sakura. She still seemed upset, so it was up to him to respond.

"They have a specific power that could help us, but I don’t want to force them. They don’t have a good past with authority figures." Kellen told him, and Captain Sergei nodded, seeming thoughtful.

"Is there a reason you aren’t disclosing that?" Sakura flinched, and drew the attention of the two other Captains. Kellen, however, was the one who answered.

"Yes. They are unregistered." Kellen crossed his arms in the silence. Uncle Tom eventually put his head in his hands and sighed.

"Kellen, you know that-"

"I am not going to rat them out. Unlike the terrorists who are attacking others, they have risked their lives to help others. They have a rare condition when it comes to guiding, which has left them distrusting of others and in pain. They are a good person, but they don’t trust others. Which is why Sakura needed to bring up my name." Kellen was hard in his stance, and Uncle Tom, who had seen the exact same expression on Kellen’s Mother’s face, sighed. Defeated, he knew better than to try to convince him otherwise.

"But Guide Kellen, even if they aren’t a terrorist, because I do trust your judgement in this, it isn’t safe for them to be unregistered. What if they got hurt, and then they got found out?" Kellen glanced at Captain Sergei, unsure what he was trying to get at.