Chapter 31
**BACKTICK**CHAPTER_TITLE: Breaking Free from the Glasses
The day we were supposed to gather at the academy, I asked, “Huh? Arang-ah, where’s your glasses?”
“They broke. I don’t need them anymore anyway.”
“Really? No glasses suit you even better.”
I knew they didn’t suit me either, but what could I do? Such items weren’t common, and I couldn’t change my fashion or my family’s safety just for them. Hunter eyesight usually improves after awakening anyway.
“But what’s that around your neck?”
“...It’s here. This thing...”
What can I say? Right now something was dangling from my neck. How did this even happen...
I sent a message to the Association President right away asking him to have the items delivered to my house. Normally they’d need to be picked up and verified at the Association, but he said he’d send them immediately. It was a privilege of being an X-class hunter. A bit too easy, but whatever.
I received the package and could only stare in shock.
“...A dog leash?”
It looked like a dog walking leash. Not thick or with a handle, just thin.
“A choker. Why did you buy this?”
Hearing Maru’s words, I recalled the jewelry I had ordered. That kind of accessory existed.
“I didn’t know you had this kind of taste.”
“...Kurokumo Momo!!”
I had ordered that item, but not the choker. Explaining it would require going back in time once more.
“Can you do this? I need the item I requested.”
“Of course! It’s something my friend needs, so I’ll make it somehow!”
“No need to rush. It’s not an urgent order.”
“No! This is the most important thing for me! Manager! Cancel all my schedule and reservations!”
“Huh? But the reservations cover five years...”
“Then cancel them partially! I’m not making anything until this is completed!”
“Yes... Understood...”
“No, there’s no need to cancel everything.”
Around the time I was crossing Japan, handling gates, and earning money, I became friendly with a master craftsman.
A skilled engraver from Japan—Kurokumo Momo. She didn’t match Andreas’s level, but she was world-renowned.
I had asked her to produce a substitute for the Illusion Glasses. I had only tested the idea because they kept getting in the way and were inconvenient. A wearable accessory that could be turned on and off while being worn. Andreas only made items that directly affected combat.
She prioritized my request. Since it was a difficult order, I left the design entirely to her. I trusted she would create something good.
She did create it. Except it wasn’t a choker.
“What?! You’re walking around with a wolf leash?!”
“Arang-ah, calm down.”
“Don’t laugh!”
My emotions exploded. That pink ribbon with the silver heart on it shattered my reason.
“This is... just a sex toy!!!”
If I walked around in this, how would people treat me? The choker itself wasn’t the issue, but the design was far too explicit. A female wolf with ears and a tail wearing this would be called a female dog, not a human.
Then I found a letter tucked inside the box. Reading her words, I...
“If you wear this and bark and whine at a man, you can get anyone you want! You have to catch a good guy!”
“X!!”
I couldn’t tear up the letter. I just tossed it into the corner. Still, it was a gift from her for me, so tearing it would feel wrong.
“Then I’ll have to tough it out with the glasses.”
“Yeah... First, find the glasses...”
After calming down, I located them. I would keep them for later and live the day wearing the glasses. But all I saw in front of me was despair.
“...You broke this?”
“You were stomping around earlier.”
“...You were supposed to protect it.”
“I heard the sound and came over. By the time I realized, it was already too late.”
“...You were supposed to fix it.”
“Me?”
I was denying reality and blaming others. The smiling Maru in front of me wasn’t at fault... or was he? If he’s smiling, does it seem like he’s at fault?
“Accept reality. If you can’t fix the glasses, you’ll have to wear this.”
“Ugh...”
He was right. Hunters need to quickly assess situations and handle variables. This level of crisis is nothing.
“And there’s a manual in the letter.”
“A manual?”
“What? Wasn’t it supposed to turn on and off when worn?”
“-This choker can be turned on and off even after wearing it. Wear it a little and you’ll quickly learn the feel.-”
“...It says choker, but...”
“Maybe it’s in your head.”
I read the rest of the manual and put on the choker. But...
“Why is this so complicated?”
How did they add such complex locks to just a choker?
“The engraving is locking it too. It’s really intricate.”
“Ha... Can you help me wear this?”
“Sure. It’ll be easier if you see it up close.”
So she gave me an item I couldn’t put on myself? A choker at that?
I didn’t know the purpose. Or maybe I did, but I didn’t know what that purpose was for. What exactly was she trying to do by connecting me to a man?
“Done. How is it? Any uncomfortable parts?”
“Um... Nothing for now.”
As expected from a skilled craftsman, the fit was perfect. No pressure at all.
“The usage method... like this?”
I infused mana into the choker and followed the engraving flow. Naturally, my ears and tail disappeared and my hair turned black. The best part was...
“Oh. This is really comfortable.”
I felt no emptiness where the tail used to be. The same comfort I felt in my childhood before awakening.
“...This is really too good to throw away.”
Unfortunately, the performance was too high. I wished I had requested earrings instead. Or a hair pin. If it had been too small for engraving, I could understand, but...
“Then I’ll have to go to Gwangalli with this on.”
“Yeah... Haa...”
What would I say to Chae-eun and Unni?
Surprisingly, I didn’t need to explain to either of them.
“The design is pretty. Where did you get it?”
“I didn’t buy it, I received it. From someone I know.”
“Wow... It’s cool...”
It didn’t seem to be treated strangely at all. Korea is a Confucian country, so I thought such things would be heavily frowned upon.
Note that the choker now was black. Since people could be identified by the choker, she must have added color and shape change functions.
“If we delay any longer, we’ll miss the KTX.”
“Aaaah! Right! Let’s go quickly!!”
“Ueeee...”
Chae-eun, dragging Unni along. Thankfully, no strange treatment. So for now, let’s enjoy the trip. Since it was a once-in-a-lifetime trip, I would enjoy it or it would be my loss alone.
Note that Andreas was playing with a heart. He didn’t give anything more, just leftovers. Honestly, considering the heart’s value, he should have given me a year’s free use license.
“Maru-ya. How do you feel about going home?”
“I feel a bit nostalgic.”
We finally arrived at Busan Station somehow, and headed to Maru’s family home. We would stay one night at Maru’s parents’ house and move in earnest the next morning. We had arrived a bit late.
“Wow...”
“You live well, Maru oppa.”
Chae-eun and Unni were impressed by the grandeur of the tall, modern high-rise apartment.
‘So you really live well.’
Otherwise, no matter how much he cherished his son, he couldn’t just throw away a house like that for a boarding room.
“Let’s go up. We’re already a bit late.”
Even as first-timers, we couldn’t give a bad impression. Short or long, we were indebted to someone.
“That’s right. We have to show ourselves well to the mother-in-law.”
“We Chae-eun should learn proper manners again from elementary school. Rumors are bad.”
Ignoring Chae-eun’s nonsense, we rode the elevator. Maru pressed the password.
“Mom. I’m home. And friends too.”
Maru went in first. A woman I had never seen before, eating watermelon on the living room couch, came out.
‘Is she the aunt? But the aunt said she was abroad.’
She was slightly startled when the woman said, “Son’s home? Friends behind you?”
“Yeah. Is it okay to come in? Honestly, it’s too hot outside.”
“Ah. Maru’s friends can come in too. It’s hot, so I made them wait outside.”
From the conversation, she was the mother. A bit surprising. She looked incredibly young.
“Wow... Ah! Hello. I’m Kim Chae-eun, Maru oppa’s classmate.”
“Hello... I’m Heo Yeon-hwa...”
“Hello. I’m Baek Arang. I’m always indebted to your son. This is a small gift, but...”
“Mom. No need for that.”
We had suddenly barged in as friends. But we couldn’t come without a gift. Since expensive was bad, we chose a modest summer fruit set.
“All the rooms are empty. There’s only one empty room, so it’ll be a bit tight...”
“Just letting us sleep here is enough thanks.”
“Haha. Really kind friends. Maru-ya, you should be more like them.”
“Nuri?”
“She... does streaming. Probably live on air in her room right now.”
She said she was doing internet streaming, and it was live now. A bit curious.
“Arang-ah. Let’s unpack the bags first.”
“Ah, okay. Maru-ya. Where do we sleep?”
“Here. Originally it was Unni’s room.”
Still, I had to endure. It was daytime, so I couldn’t disturb.
While I lightly unpacked, the mother sliced the fruits I brought.
“Eat this. You bought good fruit.”
“Oh! Thank you!”
Apple mango and melon. Expensive, but we would eat them with the family later.
“You said you’re a classmate of my son? Thanks for being close to him.”
“Hehe. Nothing much.”
“No. We’re the ones who receive a lot of help.”
“Hey. Then what am I?”
“Trash.”
“Hey!”
Chae-eun adapted at lightning speed. Maybe her mana was spinning like a fan. Still, as long as we maintained manners, the mother probably wouldn’t feel uneasy.
“But Maru oppa?”
“Yeah. Where is he?”
“Ah. The son is in his room. I can’t let girls sleep together, so...”
“...”
The mother probably didn’t know her son was mixing with a girl who had a man’s body.
“I... will go see Maru for a moment.”
“Huh? He has nothing to unpack.”
“Haha... I have something to ask.”
Standing in front of her precious son, asking about sex, was like sitting on a needle. An excuse to escape for a moment, I headed toward Maru.
“...”
“...!...”
I headed toward the sound. That was Maru’s room.
“Hey, Maru-ya. I have something to ask... Huh?”
There was a situation far more unexpected than I imagined.
“...What are you two doing?”
