3 Mandatory Guidance

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Monday morning, 6:30 a.m.

As the alarm clock rings, you lie peacefully in bed, contemplating when the Earth might be destroyed.

The weekend was far too brief, and although you were supposed to gather at the academy at nine for mandatory counseling duty, you unexpectedly received a medical examination notice, requiring you to arrive by 7:30 a.m.—

The only consolation this weekend might be that Sae Itoshi hasn’t sent any messages.

That’s good; you’re quite satisfied.

You quickly get up, wash, and change. After a brief word with your parents, you take the train to the academy.

—As a freelance guide, you need to undergo a medical checkup. Due to special circumstances earlier, it had been postponed. This explanation seems reasonable to you, and since the academy indeed has a guide medical center, you have no reason to doubt it.

Early in the morning, the academy is nearly empty. You arrive at the medical center, but the doctors inside are already prepared.

You pause for a moment, then start the routine: chest X-ray, blood draw, ultrasound, electrocardiogram...

Speaking of which, the doctor drawing your blood is a foreigner. It appears that foreigners have a wide employment range here.

After the checkup, you head to the cafeteria for breakfast. The time now approaches nine.

The teacher registered you for voluntary counseling at the Blue Prison, coincidentally where your cousin Anri works—part of that frantic forward training program. Will you see her there?

Guides at the academy form small teams according to different locations, traveling in groups of over ten by bus.

The entirely blue building comes into view. Through the bus window, you watch the colossal structure named “Prison” gleaming under the sunlight.

Due to the imbalance in the number of sentinel guides, and to care for sentinels without guides or those underage, the Guide Academy organizes weekly voluntary psychological counseling sessions. These allow students to temporarily alleviate the sentinels’ mental distress and serve as training opportunities.

Of course, if during this random counseling process both parties find their destined match, all the better.

After negotiating with the security at the checkpoint, the bus smoothly enters the Blue Prison.

Inside, sunlight is absent; the building feels like a cold steel beast devouring everything within.

You are placed in a spacious area. Guide seats are arranged in a straight line, with a large open space ahead for sentinels to queue; sentinels from five buildings come here in order for counseling.

Being told there are over two hundred sentinels surprises you. Sentinels are rarely seen, yet the Blue Prison gathers more than two hundred, all minors.

Fortunately, there are over thirty guides present, so the workload is manageable, allowing for breaks in between.

Soon, the voluntary psychological counseling begins.

You see Anri enter to manage order, and you smile and greet her.

The gender distribution among sentinel guides is balanced—equal numbers of men and women—but all sentinels here are male, so female guides outnumber male guides. Thanks to Anri’s efforts in dispersing them, the group is somewhat balanced.

The first to receive counseling from you is a slender boy with black hair tipped in yellow.

He smiles at you and playfully sticks out his tongue, speaking in a gentle voice: “Hello, my name is Hachiro.”

You pause, then reply, “Hello.”

Should you introduce yourself? It’s just a voluntary activity, after all.

Afterwards, you gesture for him to extend his hand. He thanks you and firmly shakes it.

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You close your eyes, recalling the sensation of counseling Sae Itoshi last time—the intertwined spiritual energy during physical contact.

“All done.”

“Thank you!” Hachiro stands and bows to you, clearly in good spirits.

This isn’t his first voluntary counseling session, but it’s the first time he’s felt a strange flow of spiritual energy within his body.

Sentinels keep a large distance between each other to prevent their spiritual energies from interfering during counseling. Only after Hachiro leaves do you notice the next client.

“Long time no see, Chigiri-kun.”

You greet the red-haired boy with a smile. He is momentarily stunned. The short-haired boy you remember has grown into a handsome man with long hair. Though you’ve seen photos, his beauty still leaves you momentarily dazed face-to-face.

“Ah... hello.” He says your name, his beautiful eyes blinking. “I didn’t expect you to be a guide…”

“I only recently enrolled as a guide, so I’m still inexperienced.” You honestly admit, then encourage him, “Keep up the training!”

“Thank you.”

Meeting a childhood friend after so long under these circumstances makes Chigiri Hyoma feel somewhat awkward. His body inexplicably warms, and he instinctively tucks his hair behind his ear.

“Can I add you as a friend?” He gestures toward your phone. “Once I get mine.”

“Sure, you give me your ID.” You agree happily and input his account to add him.

After Chigiri leaves, an extremely tall boy sits in front of you.

“Hello, I’m Nagisa Shiro, I want to add you too.”

His voice is lazy, white hair partially covering one eye, his gray eyes fixed intently on you.

“Sorry, I only add Chigiri because he’s an old friend.” You reject him.

Nagisa Shiro’s mouth forms a pout, looking aggrieved. But acting cute doesn’t work on you, especially as a stranger.

You proceed with the counseling in a businesslike manner.

Suddenly, you feel your hand lightly pinched. With your eyes closed, you don’t react, but the pinching grows bolder, moving from the joints to the finger bones.

You open your eyes. “Please go seek counseling with someone else.”

“...Sorry.”

He behaves obediently, ceasing the antics, and the counseling session ends smoothly.

“Hello, I’m Reio Mikage...”

“I’m Kiyose Hajime...”

…Why does everyone introduce themselves like this? Is it an unspoken rule?

Your smile stiffens.

The sentinels from this building finish counseling and leave, joking and teasing.

“I think that girl just now is my guide. My heart races the moment I see her!”

“I felt the same way.”

“Me too…”

“Keep dreaming, both of you. If you both feel that way, then she’s not your guide!”

You rest briefly, and soon it’s time for the next building.

Sentinels enter in small groups, minor scuffles and shoves break out.

Anri steps forward to maintain order. Amid the crowd, you suddenly lock eyes with an extremely familiar pair of green eyes.

You instantly think of Sae Itoshi.

The boy stares at you intently, green flames flickering in his deep eyes. Then he approaches you, each step heavy with pressure.

Though his pace is slow, no one dares cut into his line.

“...” You straighten your back instantly, nerves taut.

Is he coming for you? Surely this sentinel doesn’t bear a grudge against you...

You are certain you’ve never met him before, but those eyes are unmistakably like Sae Itoshi’s—his features bear some resemblance, too.

He doesn’t introduce himself but sits down confidently before you, extending his hand.

Yet his gloomy expression makes you suspect that shaking hands might crush your fingers.

As you cautiously reach out, his expression finally calms, as if an intense internal struggle has just ended.

Suddenly, he blurts out, “Do you... have a sentinel?”

After speaking, the boy with dark green hair looks somewhat regretful.

Guides who already have sentinels don’t participate in voluntary counseling.

“Ah, well…”

Does Sae Itoshi count?

Actually, you don’t think so, because you feel nothing for him. The textbooks say both parties must recognize each other for it to count.

So far, everything in this new realm is pushing you forward, yet you still can’t grasp these rules.

At that moment, your phone buzzes. It’s Sae Itoshi sending you multiple messages.

You and he both glance at the lit screen; his name and messages are clearly visible.

—Who signed you up without permission?

—You have a sentinel.

—Stop the spiritual counseling immediately.