The S-Rank Hunter Appeared
p>But at that moment, an S-grade hunter appeared...
p>When I opened my eyes, the room had grown extremely dark. Outside the window, artificial city lights streamed in instead of sunlight.
p>“Mmm… uh…”
p>I walked over to the window and gazed at the darkened sky. Eh? I slept straight through half the day right here? I’m not the type to sleep so much…
p>“Ugh, what is this?”
p>Apparently I’d shed a few tears while sleeping, and my eyelashes felt damp. It wasn’t a dream from the old days, and not a nightmare either… Aaaah. My head was throbbing, so I tapped it with my fingers. I’d gotten a solid night’s sleep, but how mentally drained did I have to be to sleep this long?
p>How was I supposed to explain it to Noah? Had she been waiting for me to wake up the whole time? The person from the association had said they’d come… Aaaah, why am I like this? First, I turned on the light to check my state. Ugh, the room was dark, and when I flipped the switch, my vision lit up and I couldn’t see anything ahead.
p>I rubbed my eyes and straightened my clothes. My hair was a complete mess after waking up. Brush… brush… Luckily, a brush was stuck in the desk beside me, so I borrowed it for a second. Sorry, Noah… Aaaah, aaaaah, my hair was so long I didn’t know how to brush it properly.
p>I struggled with my hair for about three minutes. In the end, I admitted defeat and just fluffed it up roughly with my hands. I really needed to learn how to tie my hair.
p>Ugh, even while tidying my appearance Noah was still waiting. I rushed out to the living room without delay.
p>No one was in the living room. A moment ago I thought she must have stepped out, but when I checked the shoe cabinet it didn’t look like that. Was she in another room? There was exactly one closed-door room, so I knocked.
p>“Tap tap…”
p>I waited a bit after knocking, and footsteps approached from inside. The door opened, and Noah greeted me simply with “You’re awake?” I nodded and opened my mouth in a mouse-like fashion in front of the cat.
p>“Yeah… sorry for making you wait so long. I slept enough at home…”
p>“Hey, if that was enough I should’ve woken you earlier. It’s fine. Come in for a bit, will you?”
p>Before I could voice any opinion, Noah grabbed my shoulder and pulled me inside. The scent was good, so I took a quick sniff. Hic. And Pa-ttak, why are the managers so proactive? Is this the managers’ dignity?
p>The room had a locked closet and a dual-monitor computer setup. The curtains on the window made it feel like a typical shut-in’s room… but no trash, and the scent was pleasant, so I could tell Noah’s usual habit was cleanliness.
p>One monitor was connected to the Hunter Nadenade Gallery, and the other had several chat windows open. They looked like the same site I’d used to contact Noah. Probably the people who’d seen my Gallery post and contacted her like me.
p>“You usually manage the Gallery like this?”
p>“Yeah. It’s not like I’m really managing it. Everyone’s sensible and cultured, so I just moderate when things get too heated with bait or when they argue.”
p>Noah turned her eyes to the monitor with the chat windows. She must have been chatting with three people at once until just now. It was now naturally cut off, though.
p>“Actually, this side is the main one. The consultation side.”
p>“Hmm. It’s popular.”
p>“I take it as a positive sign. The people I was talking to just now weren’t really drowning in huge worries—they came to ask a few questions. Knowing they have a place to vent when it’s hard is comforting.”
p>“Yeah. I think of Noah as a reliable person too.”
p>Not giving pizza gift cards… but the way she avoided hurting anyone and always treated me kindly. We’d only known each other for less than two days, yet she’d shown me my weak side without realizing it, so I felt she was reliable.
p>Noah smiled faintly at my words and brought her vibrating phone to her ear. It must have been a call. I thought about giving her space, but Noah caught my wrist as I tried to back away toward the door. The content of the call was fine for me to hear.
p>“Yeah. You blocked the Gate Waves too? Then grab your equipment and come this way.”
p>“Got it. I know it’s hard after you’re dropped, so hurry up and come.”
p>After hanging up, Noah set down the phone she’d been holding and turned her chair toward me.
p>“The person the Association said would come is arriving soon.”
p>“Ah, right. Calling at this hour isn’t a nuisance, is it…? You were blocking Gate Waves until just now…”
p>“It shouldn’t have been hard for her. If it had been hard, well… give her a few candies and she’ll perk right up.”
p>It was past nine in the evening—could we call at this hour? The registration and examination process for awakened people took complex procedures, apparently at least several hours. Maybe it would even go past midnight. Traveling back and forth from the Association headquarters would also take time…
p>“Every time I see you, your face looks so burdened.”
p>“Eh? No, sorry. If you come here at this time, when do you finish work and when do you sleep?”
p>“Ah, no need to worry about that. She’s nocturnal, so it’s fine. How many hours has she been awake? It’s morning for her right now.”
p>Ah, that was a relief. There were some hunters who only operated at night or dawn, but was she one of them? Besides processing the monsters pouring out of Gates, hunters and guilds did things in various other ways too.
p>For example, people who only operated at night or dawn usually handled security maintenance in the shadows using their own abilities. Rarely, if a Gate Wave occurred at night, they went to stop the Wave to maintain security. Maybe that was the case here too.
p>“Ah, she’s here.”
p>Noah, staring at her smartphone, said it softly and walked toward the door. Already? No bell rang or knock sounded, but I tilted my head and looked at Noah. There was a crack in the air like a green glowing space where someone could pass through.
p>A Gate?? No, something felt different from a Gate. I remembered seeing that green light in the news sometime…
p>A crackling sound gradually grew louder from the green light, and a tall woman in a suit stepped out. She held a suitcase of Duralloy and a sword blazing with the same light as my hair color. She completely exited the crack and sliced it away with her sword. Looking at that blade, something rose in me.
p>“…What is this? Is this about connections or something…”
p>There was no way I wouldn’t know. I had replicas of that sword on display at home.
p>One of the facewomen of the Association. An S-grade hunter among the top ten domestic hunters—the Sword of the Association, who was famous for blocking three Gate Waves at once by moving through space.
p>“Is… is this not a hallucination? Is she someone I know?”
p>“Yeah. An extremely close friend.”
p>“I’ve never seen the real thing before. She didn’t even do a signing event…”
p>“There’s a lot to do, so hurry and come say hello.”
p>Noah gestured for me to come. She was like my parents urging me to greet the neighbor. I obediently bowed and walked toward Noah. Noah treated Yu Sora as if she were a real friend. Wow, it doesn’t feel real… I’m really happy, but it’s a bit burdensome.
p>“This is the friend I asked to register this time. You should lift your head.”
p>At the words of Noa-ang, my head rose on its own. This wasn’t just boosting persuasiveness…
p>Yu Sora smiled brightly and met my eyes. My heart pounded wildly as her green eyes drew closer.
p>“Hello. I’m Yu Sora, here to help with the registration process. Nice to meet you.”
p>“N-No… Yeah. P-Please take care. I… I’m your fan… I even bought goods…”
p>After saying it, I lowered my head shyly. Yu Sora saw me trembling and stepped back a little.
p>“…You’re trembling too much. If you’re okay, please tell me. The principle is to do the examination in a calm state.”
p>“N-Yeah…”
p>I greeted her and slowly moved toward Noah. Her face was too close…! She was super pretty, but… ugh, my heartbeat wouldn’t return to normal speed.
p>“Can I help a bit?”
p>“W-What…? Like with an illusion?”
p>“Yeah.”
p>“Not right now.”
p>I rejected it outright, and Noah looked a little surprised, but soon the corners of her mouth lifted in satisfaction.
p>Noah’s ability wasn’t just to enhance persuasiveness—it was something like brainwashing, an illusion. The reason I could face Noah and talk was thanks to her ability, but I hadn’t done it out of courage. My heart had just felt unsettled.
p>So… I’ll set aside these socially awkward, cute-girl antics…! Yeah, really doing it with my own will. I took a few deep breaths, clenched my fists, and placed them on my chest. Then I shouted toward Yu Sora, who was taking out various equipment and a laptop from the case.
p>“I-I’m calmed down! L-Let’s start the examination.”
p>“…Are you really okay? Doing it in an unstable state might give bad results.”
p>“I-It’s fine. I think it’s okay.”
p>“Okay. There are a few things to prepare, so please wait.”
p>I properly looked Yu Sora in the eyes and spoke. My heart was still beating fast, but… yeah. It was fine. Even though I’d stammered, I’d clearly said what I wanted to say.
p>When I went back to Noah, she was leaning against the wall and smiling proudly. It was like watching a daughter who’d completed her first errand flawlessly.
p>“W-What are you looking at like that?”
p>“No, no~”
p>“I’m not a little kid! Why are you looking at me that way?”
p>“Because it’s cute.”
p>I kept wrestling with Noah while Yu Sora finished preparing. Maybe it wasn’t bad to look at her cutely.
