The Guide is Actually a Body-Switching Esper [BL]-Chapter 214: Bathroom Emergency

Lane stared at his chat log with Ava blankly, utterly confused. Just a pin on the map. When he clicked on it, he saw it was located somewhere in the mall near their school. Staying in place, unmoving, even though the location updated every few seconds. Well, it wasn’t anything particularly worrying, and it could very well be that she had just pressed something by accident, but...

"Change of plans. Drop me by the Pulse Mall," he ordered the driver, as he tried to call his friend, but the girl didn’t pick up. Which made Lane even more worried.

Something really felt off about it.

The streets were blocked with a lot of traffic, but luckily, the mall wasn’t located too far from the Association’s offices, so it didn’t take long before they arrived. Lane jumped out of the car, and he rushed inside, running in the direction of the pin...

Only to stop in front of the toilets.

"Ugh..." Lane couldn’t help but groan. How could he possibly check up on Ava, when she was in the toilet? And at such a busy time? Lane’s face might have been pretty, and his hair was pink and longer than average (as far as men were concerned), but in no way could he pass for a woman! If he tried to get inside, he would undoubtedly be yelled at and labeled as a pervert!

However, when he double-checked with the map, the pin was located more on the left, where the men’s restroom was. Of course, it could very well just be a minor inaccuracy... But, he still decided to check it out first. If it were the men’s restroom, he could go inside without any trouble, after all.

It turned out to be the right decision, as the moment he stepped in, he instantly realized there was something odd going on. Pained, muffled groaning could be heard from one of the cubicles, and there was another man standing in front of it, knocking at the door with a concerned look on his face.

Was Ava inside? Naturally, Lane wasn’t able to tell for sure. It’s not like he knew how his friend sounded when groaning in pain. But, in case it was really her...

"Can you please move away?" he turned to the man by the door.

"Eh?" he looked back at Lane, furrowing his brows. Although Lane was taller than him, his face looked really young, even younger than he was. He most certainly wasn’t a security guy someone had called for help.

"That’s my friend inside," Lane explained. "He... is suffering from a chronic disease, and forgot to bring his meds with him today, so he called me for help."

"Ah... Is that so?" The man backed out a bit, but still didn’t seem convinced. "Do you want some help, then? Do you want me to call an ambulance?"

"No need," Lane shook his head. Ava must have had her reasons to hide in the toilet, instead of remaining somewhere she would have been able to receive help, and Lane wasn’t going to let her efforts go in vain, especially when he already had a clue as to what was happening. "He’ll be fine once he gets his meds, I can take care of him. Now, can you please get out? He doesn’t like to be seen when he’s in such a state."

"Oh, I understand... But shouldn’t we wait for the security to-"

"My friend is in pain and you’re asking me to wait?" Lane clicked his tongue, annoyed by this prolonged exchange. "Just, get out!"

The man hesitated for a moment longer, but in the end, his survival instincts told him that Lane wasn’t someone who should be challenged, no matter how young he looked. So, he quickly excused himself, and fled the restroom without even washing his hands.

Well, who knew, maybe he had already washed them earlier. Lane didn’t know, and didn’t care. He just punched a hole in the door - he couldn’t exactly kick them, because if Ava was really inside, she could get hit in the process - and through it, he turned the lock, opening the cubicle.

And Ava was indeed inside. Sprawled over the toilet, with her cardigan wrapped around her mouth in an attempt to muffle her groans, so as not to raise any alarm in people using the toilet. Which didn’t work too well, in the end. As for the reason why she was in such a state...

It was the awakening. Ava was experiencing her awakening.

Lane let out a heavy sigh, and pulled his hood over his head. Then, he used Ava’s cardigan to cover the girl’s face, lifted her up... And rushed out of the toilet, out of the mall, and toward Ava’s house. He didn’t call his driver, or a taxi, as they couldn’t afford to be seen.

Normally, anyone experiencing the Awakening was immediately taken to the hospital. However, it wasn’t necessary - the awakening itself, as painful as it was, didn’t actually pose any threat to life and health. The only danger came from the external factors, as the person experiencing it couldn’t respond to any stimuli, making them extremely vulnerable. They were also unable to do anything, and thus could pose a threat to themselves, as well as their surrounding, if they were to be driving at the time, for example. Luckily, after collecting multiple testimonies, the scientists were able to list several warning signs to watch out for, that preceded the actual awakening... Thus allowing people to get to safety and call for help before they become incapacitated.

Or to flee to the men’s restroom and ping a friend, as Ava had done.

Because Ava didn’t want to go to the hospital. Not because she had some sort of phobia, not at all. But simply because...

There were around three out of ten chances she might awaken as a Guide. And if she did, all of her plans for the future would be ruined. Thus, rather than allow for her dreams to be snatched by the government, she decided to go through it at home, if possible. Then, if she turned out to be an Esper, she could just report it later, and if she was one of the unlucky ones...

She and Lane would just keep it a secret.