The Guide is Actually a Body-Switching Esper [BL]-Chapter 218: Until Next Time

The new apartment was nice. Very much so. Much better than Lane thought it could be. Located on the 99th floor, with a nice view over the city. In a good location. Spacious, with a living room, a kitchen (which Lane probably wouldn’t be using anyway, save for the fridge and the cupboards), two bedrooms, and a balcony.

Nice.

And on top of that, the Allens had already arranged cleaning services for him - although he was allowed to change them if he preferred, it was just an arrangement for the start.

And his card was topped up with even more money than he already had, so he truly didn’t have to worry about anything. He could just sit back and relax, and enjoy his life...

Even though he felt oddly empty. Was it because the apartment was new, and there wasn’t much inside besides the furniture? Because there were no servants loitering around? ƒrēenovelkiss.com

Well, either way, he would get used to it. He shrugged his shoulders, and threw himself on the couch, taking a nap.

He was woken up by tapping on the glass. He slowly sat up, rubbing his eyes, a bit confused for a moment as to where he was...

And then he saw Diana, standing out on the balcony, and waving at him through the glass. He quickly got up, and let the woman in.

"I wanted to see you one last time before I left," she said, giving him a smile. "How do you like your newfound freedom?"

"Oh, it’s great!" Lane smiled back... But his words sounded far less enthusiastic than he wanted them to. Was it because it hasn’t all fully settled in yet?

The hint of uncertainty in his voice didn’t escape Diana’s attention, and she looked him up and down, before letting out a sigh.

"I’m sorry about the conditions... That was the only way I could pull you out of there so fast. I tried to negotiate, but Cyrus is such a stubborn old fool... He wasn’t willing to budge any further..."

"Ah, no, no, it’s not a big deal, I’m extremely grateful to you!" Lane quickly started reassuring his grandmother. "It’s not like I would have been able to do anything else with my life anyway, haha..."

Except that he would have been able to. And he wanted to. He wanted to do something, maybe help Diana realize her plans in some way. How would he do it, he didn’t know, but he had this ability - many abilities, actually, and he could gather more - so perhaps he’d find a way if he tried... If he had an opportunity to try, that is.

"Don’t sell yourself short," Diana shook her head in response. "I’m sure that you have your own talents. You just need to discover what they are, and how to use them well. Ah..." she signed, shaking her head lightly again, this time to herself. "If only I were able to provide you with a fake identity... One that would allow you to go undetected by the Allens... Then you wouldn’t have to bear with all of those restrictions..."

...A fake identity?

Didn’t Lane have something like that already? His possession ability, that is?

But then again, he didn’t really know his limits. And to achieve something... Anything... To use his ability to create a ’fake identity’ for himself, possessing people on the verge of death just wouldn’t do it...

"Anyway, that’s not what I came here to say," Diana spoke again, trying to sound more uplifting. "I wanted to wish you good luck on your new path. Explore yourself, find your talents, and cultivate them. Remember, talents are meant to be used! Also, you have a lot of money now, right? There’s a lot you can achieve by simply investing... Oh." As she said it, her smile faltered. "I suppose you can’t make any investments with your ability..."

"Well, I’m sure if you think about it, you’ll find a solution for yourself. As long as you’re determined, and prepared to make sacrifices. Remember, sometimes you have to put yourself first. You can’t get far by constantly trying to be considerate to everyone around you. You need to learn to elbow them out of your way."

"That’s all advice I have for you for today. Once again, good luck! Until the next time!"

Having said that, Diana left through the balcony.

Lane stood in place for a second, still processing everything, then blinked two times to snap out of it, and rushing after the woman, barely making it out of the balcony door before she flew away.

"Wait! How can I contact you in the future?"

"Ah? Contact me? That might be a bit difficult..." Standing on the railing, 99 floors above the ground, Diana turned back to Lane, furrowing her brows. "I don’t have any constant address or the phone number, you see..."

"Don’t worry, though," she quickly added, seeing Lane’s disappointed face. "I will reach out to you when I can! And once the Allen family is brought down, we will be able to see each other again!"

And then, she fell back, disappearing behind the railing.

Lane rushed forward, clinging to the railing as he looked down. Although he knew that there was no way that Diana just ’fell’, he was still momentarily started, and was relieved to see her riding her wind. She waved at him one last time...

And flew away, soon disappearing in the distance.

Leaving Lane alone, with thousands of thoughts crowding his brain.

He stood there, on the balcony, clinging to the railing, for hours, until the sun had set and the cool night’s wind caused goosebumps to appear all over his skin, and his stomach growled.

There was nothing but him in this empty house, aside from his clothes, his computer, and console. No food in the fridge, and no servants to prepare a meal for him. Lane had to take care of it alone, one way or another.

He let out a heavy sigh, and got back inside. Luckily, he lived in a modern age, where all types of delivery services were easily available. He took out his phone, and with a few taps, ordered himself a dinner.

He would survive on his own just fine.