The Guide is Actually a Body-Switching Esper [BL] Chapter 5: The Union

When Lane opened up his eyes the next day at noon, he was greeted by a sowhat familiar sight - Noah Murray's bedroom, which he recognized from the young man's mories. He was lying on the bed, just as he requested.

Of course, that wasn't much of a surprise. Noah couldn't disobey his orders - he was under hypnosis, after all. But there always could be so unforeseen circumstances, such as other people getting in the way.

Even though everything went according to the plan, Lane still was not happy at all.

That was because his head hurt so much it felt as if it was going to split.

After all the drinking, Noah ended up with a massive hangover. Which now was left for Lane to experience.

"Fucking hell..." Lane groaned, massaging his temples. "I should have waited a day or sothing..."

But what was done was done. There was no point switching back now - after all, he couldn't leave any instructions to prepare for a comfortable possession without eting Noah in person again. Not to ntion, it could be inconvenient if Noah were to discover the spatial bag - who knows what he would do with it before Lane possessed him again?

Still, Lane had no intention to suffer the consequences of Noah's excessive drinking. Pressing two fingers on his forehead, he activated his healing ability. Although it wasn't a particularly powerful one - the Esper he stole it from was rely a C-ranker - it was at least enough to alleviate the pain.

Once he managed to get himself to a functional state, he dragged himself out of bed. There was a busy day ahead of him, after all.

Munching on so snacks found in the cupboard in the kitchen, Lane quickly went through all the notes Noah had prepared for him on his laptop. There was quite a lot of it - Noah did his howork diligently, writing down all the tiny details he could possibly think of. It was way too much for Lane to bother to morize it all.

Starting with his uni schedule. Noah had two lectures in the afternoon... But, naturally, Lane had no intentions to go. He tossed all of the information about Noah's major aside.

He took over his identity to change his life, not to lead the sa boring existence!

Besides, 'Noah' just had his 'awakening' as a Guide. After becoming one of the Awakened, who in their right mind would still care about their major they were not even particularly good at? Certainly not La... I an, 'Noah Murray'.

Instead of doing sothing pointless such as continuing his studies, Lane got dressed - while complaining about Noah's fashion sense - and headed out.

***

The Guide Union

By Guides, for Guides

Working toward a better tomorrow!

The big signs above the entrance announced proudly.

Lane glanced at them briefly, before lowering his eyes in annoyance, holding himself back from clicking his tongue. The slogans got on his nerves no matter how many tis he saw them. As an Esper, he had a natural aversion to the Guide Union.

All the Espers, as well as the governnt, did. The Guide Union prioritized the Guides, practically putting them on the pedestal, after all.

It has been eight years since it was established, after the massive wave of Guide strikes that happened worldwide. After the Gates and the Awakened appeared, all the Guides were quickly claid by the governnt, becoming pretty much public property. They were exploited by the governnt, then frequently physically and sexually assaulted by the Espers, only to be exploited by the governnt so more. Unlike Espers, they didn't have a strong physique or any powerful abilities, so they appeared rather helpless...

But they were indispensable. When they finally beca fed up with the situation and refused to cooperate, the world quickly fell into chaos.

Without Guides, Espers couldn't use their abilities, or they would go on a rampage and beco even worse than the monsters from dungeons. But they had to use their abilities and fight, or else the dungeons would overflow with monsters, causing the monsters to escape through the Gates and flood the streets...

So, the governnt had no choice but to surrender and accept all the Guides' demands.

From then on, the Union assisted all the Guides. While all Guides were still required to register with the governnt - all the Awakened did - they could choose the path they wanted to take afterward. Whether they wanted to join the Awakened Association - that is, the governnt organization employing the Awakened, join one of the Guilds, or work as a freelance Guide, they had the right to do so. On top of that, they were no longer forced to endure any harassnt - one word from a Guide, and any Esper who dared to touch them without their consent would suffer a heavy punishnt.

Truth be told, Lane didn't mind most of it. With all of his faults, he had never actually sexually assaulted anyone. He found the people who did honestly quite pathetic - were they so unattractive that nobody wanted them, thus they had to resort to such ans?

No, Lane always seduced his targets first, and also made sure that both parties ended up satisfied. It was simply a matter of pride.

And the Union actually benefited him in so ways, not only as an acting Guide, but even as an Esper. The Union protected ALL the Guides - even those who provided their services illegally or lived in Forbidden Zones. For Lane, who was using his abilities without authorization, it made it so much easier to receive guiding under the table.

The only complaint he had was that ever since the Union was created, Guides beca the top of the societal food chain, while Espers were pushed to the very bottom.

...Or at least that was how Lane felt about the situation. In his opinion, it was Espers who should reign supre, using their abilities to their hearts' content. They should be followed by Guides, as their helpful assistants. As for mortals... Well, who cared about them?

That was how the world should be. The world of the Awakened.

...But, for the ti being, Lane had no choice but to play along. He shook his head, pushing all of those thoughts away.

Right now, he was 'Noah Murray', a young man entering the Union to register as a freshly awakened Guide.