(BL) Hunting The Field Guide novel Chapter 324

Chapter 324: I don’t like to lie, but sometimes it’s the only option

"Kellen, why are you eating standing up?" Kellen jerked, Charlie’s innocent question catching him off-guard.

Kellen wasn’t in his office today, and instead was in Casper’s office in between classes as they went over in person what Kellen had done while he had been gone. It was also an excuse to check up on the guide after he had gone out with Brent, Gwen, and apparently Hill.

He should have checked up on him yesterday, but Kellen had some other...things on his mind. He could feel his face heating even thinking about it. But Casper, despite the rumours that he had been in an awful condition the previous day, was doing much better today.

He still looked a little extra pale, but his clothes were in perfect order, his hair was only minorly spiked, and his glasses were clean and he looked groomed. The lights in the office were still dimmed, so Kellen knew that he wasn’t exactly in full working order, but he was doing his best.

Casper had his head on his shoulders, that was for sure, and Kellen, forgoing eating in the cafeteria, had instead had food brought to the Guiding Division. Charlie, now that his Dad wasn’t confined to a room in the Medical Bay, had been following him around. His Dad was currently doing a small lecture in the Guiding Division after he asked Casper if he could. Charlie had followed him here, and when he saw Kellen, had clung to him and now was in the office with Casper and Kellen as the two discussed the changes needed for the Guild and the Guiding Division over lunch.

Kellen, having been careful since he woke up this morning, had been doing everything he could to avoid sitting down. No one had called him out on it, since everyone else had been just as busy as he was, but Charlie, because he still wasn’t what anyone would consider ’well’, had all the time to observe others. Kellen was kicking himself for not even considering that he would ask such a question.

Maybe his head had just gotten too big, and he had assumed that no one would dare to ask him. Hell, Brent hadn’t, so he had thought he was in the clear.

Casper, surprised by the question, raised his gaze.

"Oh, why aren’t you sitting down? You aren’t injured anymore, so you can do so freely. Or does it feel strange after having to be so careful?" Kellen wanted to kiss Casper. That was one of the best excuses he’d ever heard, and even Charlie was nodding after he said it.

Kellen put on his best guide smile.

"Honestly, I hadn’t even realised it, but I guess that might be true. It became a habit without realising." Charlie gave him a sympathetic look.

"Well, you can sit down now, can’t you?" Charlie insisted and Kellen froze. _{freeweɓnovēl.coɱ}

"Uh, yeah, I can, but I’ve already gotten everything ready here and Casper and I are working. I’m fine not sitting, Charlie, but thank you for your concern." Kellen told him and Charlie let out a big sigh.

"I just feel like you’ve earned it, you know? I’m sorry for interrupting you, I just...I feel so useless. When will I be able to Guide again?" He asked and Casper glanced at him. Kellen stared at Casper.

It was a bit silly that they weren’t using a resource who had come specifically to be of help, but at the same time...something about Charlie made Kellen want to protect him. Kellen hadn’t noticed it at first, but...the longer he spent around the younger man, the more Kellen wanted to keep him safe.

He wondered if the others felt this way. It made complete sense. He looked younger than he was, and he was young. He was tiny, skinny, and had dyed his hair. Anyone could tell that he hadn’t come from the best environment, and anyone who knew how Kellen had found him would feel sympathy for him. Kellen’s stipulation that he needed to get better before he could Guide others was still in place, but Kellen was sure that he needed to put something else into place as well.

"Charlie, have you ever been tested for your Guide Class before?" Kellen asked and Charlie nodded.

"I was told that I was a C Class." He told them and Kellen, feeling something was suspicious, nodded slowly.

"Can you describe the process to me? I just want to make sure. We don’t know where you come from, and I just want to make sure that we went through something similar. There could be new tech out there that I am not aware of, and I just want to be sure." Casper gave him a look like he was crazy, but Charlie didn’t seem to mind. He trusted Kellen, and Kellen found that was a little strange too.

He was too trusting.

That didn’t mean he thought Charlie was here to harm the Guild or anything like that, he just found some of Charlie’s behaviours strange, and the way he spoke sometimes odd. Charlie was a full grown man, but sometimes he spoke like a child, and that concerned Kellen. Was it a tactic to get others to treat him better? Was it something he had been taught to please the Espers he had ’guided’? Or was it something else entirely?

Charlie nodded, and both Casper and Kellen paused their meeting to listen to Charlie explain himself.

"Well, when you put it like that, I feel like I have to answer." Charlie told him with a grin. "I was sent with a bunch of other kids who were like me," Kellen would have to ask him about that, "and one at a time we were sent into a room. The room was small, and there was a machine placed on a table. There were two chairs on either side of the table, and I was told to sit in one, while someone who I assumed was an Esper sat in the other. They wrapped this...weird strap around my arm that was hooked up to the machine, and had me hold the hand of the Esper. They told me it would only take a few minutes, and then when it was done, I would get some bread as a reward for being so good." Charlie deflated. "Something went wrong with my test, so I didn’t end up getting my bread. They were quite panicked actually, so I must have done something really wrong."

Casper wasn’t able to hide his confusion, nor how upset he was on his face. Kellen felt he might be the same, but Charlie wasn’t even looking at them. He was staring at his hands, picking at his fingers. He had started out so excited, and then had retreated when he finished telling his story.

Kellen knew what machine he was speaking of. It was an old, old machine used to check Class levels about two generations of technology ago. The machine after that was hard to get your hands on because it was linked to the internet, and therefore could be traced. That machine was not, and therefore was perfect for organisations that were functioning illegally.