Lumina's Head Hunt
Lumina and I were about to do some work together.
Lumina's profile picture was simple.
It showed the black motorcycle helmet she wore every day.
And in the background, her dark navy blue bike was prominently placed.
- Lumina.
- No replies to messages. Call if you have business.
The status message below her profile picture.
A Dullahan initiating a chat first? How urgent must the matter be?
As soon as I checked the message, I replied immediately.
To my grand plan for tomorrow's day off.
- I'm probably going to be lounging around the house all day tomorrow since it's my day off.
Plan A.
Merging with the bed.
......
Plan Z.
Spending luxury on delivery food without leaving the bed.
As soon as I sent the reply.
Ding!
A quick reply came.
- Really? Good. If you have time tomorrow, let's go somewhere together.
- Where?
- Um, is Jinjo there next to you right now?
- She's still in the middle of handover.
- Really? Then when will that end?
- About 10 minutes? It should be done by then.
- Then text me when it's over. I'll call you.
What?
Lumina acting this way was the first time.
"Servant, what's the matter?"
Since she continued chatting even during work, the manager peeked in with a puzzled look.
"Nothing at all."
"If it's that old man sending spam texts, tell Jinjo right away! I'll make the phone center there a mess and settle it!"
"No, it's not that."
"...If it's not that, refrain from chatting during work. If you're alone, sure, but right now you're working with Jinjo!"
"Sorry."
"Okay, that's fine."
The manager, who had been half-asleep, seemed to feel better after my apology and continued the handover.
In fact, there was nothing special.
Checking the cash register, checking if anything was missing, sharing where cleaning was done.
This much?
"Hard work as always. Then rest well tomorrow and see you the day after."
"Yes, take care, manager."
The manager staring at me as I greeted said.
"...If you're bored, come visit the convenience store. Since Jinjo as the manager can't come to her servant's house."
It seemed like the visit last holiday had been quite enjoyable.
"I'll come if I have time."
"Alright, looking forward to it!"
After finishing work and heading to the alley for home.
Vroom-.
The phone rang.
It was Lumina.
"Hello?"
- I see you answered right away.
"How did you know it was over?"
- Hehe, there's a way to know everything. Don't ignore a Dullahan.
A faint laugh came from beyond the phone.
"But if you're calling too, it must be an important matter. What's going on?"
- Um... Since I mentioned it's my day off tomorrow, I'm asking if you want to do some work with me?
- Work?
- Yeah, just help me out for one day tomorrow. I'll take care of your overtime pay. I can really take care of you solidly. You won't even think about convenience store wages.
Her voice was a bit more excited than usual.
It felt oddly urgent.
- I'll send you dinner after it ends. With beef.
Beef?
"Did you win the lottery?"
- No, I received the location where my head is likely to be. If things go well, I might find my head. But to get there, I need your help.
Head.
I already knew Lumina was a Dullahan who had lost her head.
That's why she was a delivery rider.
"You should have said that from the beginning. I'll help."
- I didn't even hear what the request was? Can I just say I'll do it together like that? It might be dangerous.
"I know how much Lumina wants to find her head, so I can't ignore it. Since you contacted me, it means you really need help."
And if it was really dangerous, she wouldn't have contacted me.
From what the manager told me, Lumina was quite strong too.
A moment of silence passed beyond the phone.
But soon a soft laugh came.
- As expected, only Minchul.
Her immediate reply seemed satisfying.
- Do you know the 7th district in Taepyeong City?
"No. I've only been to the convenience store area and the hillside Lumina took me to in Taepyeong City."
I had first heard about the districts from Lumina just now.
Just like Seoul is divided into districts, there seemed to be such standards here.
- Um, the 7th district is basically a lawless zone where bad guys who are hard to handle even in the city are gathered.
Um.
I realized this job wouldn't be easy.
- You don't have to be scared. There are a lot of bad guys, but I'll be next to you.
"Hearing that gives me strength."
There was no better word than this.
- Anyway, there's a place called 'Heukwol Pawnshop' in the back alleys of that district. It's a rare magic item pawnshop, and it even sells human body parts, a underground auction house.
"Wait a minute. You're saying you trade in human bodies?"
- Yeah, whether you've seen it or not, among hunters, there are those who have body implants of other races.
I had seen customers who were beastkin with different hair colors on arms and bodies.
It seemed like just different fur color like a calico cat.
Was that from implantation?
"There are such places too......"
- Not everyone does it, and among hunters, it's the crazy ones obsessed with strength. Very few people in Taepyeong City know about such surgeries.
There are such places in Taepyeong City.
Yeah, since the city already has magic, it was beyond my imagination.
It would be strange if there was no body implantation in such a city.
There are organ transplants in 21st century Korea too.
Is it different from that?
- There's an auction tomorrow, and I heard a high-ranking undead's head came in as an auction item. The probability that it's my head is quite high. So I'm going to enter the auction house there.
An auction house where heads are traded.
"Why do I need an assistant to go to such a place? I'm not good at fighting."
- Um... The participation condition for this auction is that only living people can participate.
Lumina is a Dullahan, undead.
So it means she can't participate in the auction.
"I'm not going alone, right?"
- Of course not. To avoid their sensors, I need your help.
Whew.
I was nervous thinking I had to go alone.
"Understood."
- I'll explain the detailed disguise method when we meet tomorrow. I'll pick you up at the intersection in front of your house around lunchtime tomorrow, so come out wearing something that doesn't stand out too much.
"Understood. See you tomorrow."
***
The plan to lounge in bed on the holiday was canceled.
Because Lumina accepted my help to find her head.
How could I refuse such a request.
As instructed to not stand out too much, I wore a fluffy white hoodie and jeans.
This was the maximum I could wear.
'Is this enough?'
Ah, right.
There was the perfume I received from Sonya.
It was a strong scent, so it was a bit noticeable.
The little beastkin kids would tremble just from smelling it.
If going to the auction house, maybe I could use this scent.
It might make bad guys of beastkin species retreat with just this smell.
'It worked well.'
I lightly sprayed the perfume I received from Sonya.
Swoosh-! Swoosh-!
After dressing in clothes and coming out to the promised place.
Vroom!
Lumina on her bike stopped in front of me.
She was wearing her usual rider jacket and leather pants.
The crop top exposing her midriff was the same.
Except for the slightly changed color of the t-shirt, nothing much had changed.
The blue flame in the helmet was flickering as usual.
"You came out early?"
"Is this outfit okay?"
She scanned me up and down.
"Um, it should be fine. This much..."
As she was looking at my body, she stopped, trembled.
"...That scent from your body, is it perfume sprayed?"
Lumina recognized it too.
It was definitely expensive perfume.
The fact that she immediately noticed.
"Ah, yes. There's a perfume I received as a gift recently, and since it's an auction house-like place, I thought it would be better to spray it..."
The flame in the helmet blazed intensely.
Fwoosh!
The flame filled the helmet so much that it seemed like the helmet was melting from the intensity.
"L, Lumina?"
"Changed my mind."
"What..."
"The clothes are definitely too plain for going to the auction house. No matter how few people in the Heukwol auction house wear formal wear, just wearing this kind of clothes isn't manners, right? Isn't it?"
Lumina, the momentum changed?
"L, Lumina?"
"Yeah?"
"Could it be that you're angry?"
"No. I'm not angry. I'm happy. Because I can find my head with you, Minchul."
"......"
"Since we're doing this, it's better to appeal that we have money. Then the checkpoint won't just pass. Yeah, definitely better to change clothes. Let's discard the clothes with that weird scent."
"Eh?"
"While changing clothes, it would be good to wash once too."
"Ah, um."
"Lumina, the plan is good, but..."
It's awkward.
"Why?"
"I don't have formal wear."
"It's okay. I have noona."
She took out a card from her pocket.
"I'll buy it for you. Asking you to do a hard job, it wouldn't be disappointing if I did it with my bare hands?"
"Is it okay?"
"Then~ Noona has a lot of money. It's also a good opportunity to get rid of that terrible scent."
Lumina got off the bike and wrapped the flickering flame in her hand.
"Lumina?"
"Before going, I don't want to leave the scent of other women on my bike, so I'll disinfect for a bit."
Scent of other women?
Sniff.
It doesn't come out.
Click!
With a sound of power entering.
Fwoosh!
The blue flame that had formed in her hand covered my body.
"Waaah! L, Lumina!"
"It's okay. I'm just burning bad things."
Even though her flame covered my body, my clothes were fine.
The perfume scent was still there...
"For now, this should be enough."
"Lumina?"
Only then did she lower the flame and knock on the bike's rear seat.
"Hurry up and get on. We don't have time to buy clothes."
What was that just now?
"...Understood."
For a moment, like last time, I sat on the rear seat of her bike.
Then.
"What are you doing? Hurry and look around."
"Yes......"
My arm wrapped around Lumina's bare waist again today.
Her waist was really soft.
"Let's go."
Vroom!
Her bike raced down the street.
"Lumina! By the way, what time is the auction?"
"7 PM!"
"Then didn't they gather too early?"
"I asked to meet early on purpose?"
"Eh?"
Did I mishear because of the bike noise?
Asked to meet early?
"Noona must buy Minchul a suit!!!"
Lumina, from the beginning, she was planning to buy clothes.
Loyalty loyalty!
I'm really loyal.
Lumina noona.
While wearing the suit in the clothing store, it felt really awkward.
To me, who always wore hoodies or casual clothes, a suit that fits perfectly felt like wearing ill-fitting clothes.
How many times would a factory worker like me wear a suit.
At a friend's wedding, I just wore it to fit, never tried on a suit.
"It suits you well. It's a pity I can't buy a tailored suit because of the time."
The one she chose was a dark black suit.
The design itself was plain, but the fabric felt quite luxurious.
"A suit made of fiber with preservation magic and elasticity magic, so it has very high mobility. Even if you move roughly, it should cover well."
While listening to the clerk's kind explanation and looking at the tag on the clothes.
'How many zeros...'
This is a bit expensive.
"Lumina, this is a bit expensive, so let's try other suits..."
She who insisted on wearing the helmet even indoors stared at me and snapped her fingers.
"I'll take this. Please calculate. Payment is cash on the spot."
"Lumina, isn't this too expensive?"
"It's okay. When I find my head, I'll buy you something cool that you won't even think about money."
It wasn't manners to refuse when she went this far.
Sometimes, receiving a gift and showing joy is manners to the giver.
"...Thank you."
I have to work harder to repay the suit cost.
"The perfume scent doesn't come out anymore, I like it."
She sprayed a perfume of her taste on me in the clothing store to cover the previous scent.
It was a fragrance that matched the atmosphere of the new suit, she said.
After fitting my suit, we left the clothing store.
"But Lumina, don't you need to buy one too? The bike jacket and helmet would look a bit awkward..."
"Ah, this?"
She looked at her own outfit and smiled wickedly.
"It's okay. There's a way."
"If it's a way..."
She put her hand in the inner pocket of her jacket and took out a black-looking leather strap.
It looked like a belt with a small jewel in the center, but it was too thin for the waist and a bit thick for the arm.
"Here."
She handed me the leather strap.
"What is this?"
"It's a choker."
"...Eh?"
A black leather choker.
"Why to me..."
"For today's disguise preparation item. The 'Disposable Illusion Choker' bought for a huge sum. If you wear this on the body part, a realistic illusion is created as if it's a living person. Even a severed part can look like it's there."
"Are there such magic items?"
"Yeah. But there's one problem."
Lumina fiddled with the choker and approached me hesitantly.
"This item operates with the bio-energy of a living being, so if a Dullahan like me wears it, no illusion is created. It will definitely be detected by the life reaction detector."
"Then what do I do?"
"You fill it. After keeping the choker on for as long as possible to leave warmth, put it on my neck."
She handed me the leather choker with a tap.
"......Eh?"
"And there's one more condition."
"What is it?"
"Before entering the auction house, you have to hold my hand. So that the bio-energy from my body can enter my body."
Lumina's flame flared greatly.
It didn't seem like she was lying.
"Then what?"
"If not, the illusion will be cut in the middle."
"This is too harsh a thing, isn't it?"
"Magic isn't perfect."
The flame in Lumina's helmet bounced.
Lumina was also embarrassed.
Yeah.
Lumina must have prepared herself.
"With this, can I avoid the sensors?"
"...No."
What's more.
"I have to keep the warmth on my body."
"No way..."
"Since we have to raise the warmth through body contact when entering the auction house..."
At that moment, she crossed her arms on my arm.
"This means I have to do it like this."
The soft touch of her chest pressed firmly on my arm.
Wow.
If there's heaven, isn't this it?
It was a sensation that made my mind dizzy.
"How is it? Does it feel like working?"
"I think I received the request well today... No, can I really avoid the sensors with just this?"
"Of course. It's more sloppy than you think."
I see.
If Lumina says so, it must be.
This is something experts would do.
"Then do I keep wearing the helmet?"
"Yeah, if I wear the helmet, it's too specific that it's me."
"Understood, then..."
I held the choker in my hand.
To keep the warmth as much as possible.
Lumina, who was staring at my appearance, led me.
"Let's go to the alley. I don't want to show this to other people."
She tapped the inside of the helmet with the finger without crossed arms.
So we entered the dark alley next to the clothing store.
When enough warmth from the hand was transferred to the choker.
Lumina who was looking at it took off the helmet she was wearing.
The smooth neck line with the empty cross-section.
Above it, the blue flame rising.
"Turn around."
"Hm, okay. Be careful filling it. It would be troublesome if there's a wound."
"Don't worry."
As I approached, unbuckling the choker's buckle, she flinched and turned around carefully.
The white nape of the neck smoothly cut.
My fingertips slightly brushed her skin as I tried to buckle the leather choker.
Her skin was a bit cold.
"Huh..."
Lumina's shoulder twitched and stiffened, transmitted clearly.
Even without a head, the act of directly putting something on a woman's bare neck was strangely intimate and tense.
"I'm filling it."
"Uh, yeah. P-please."
Her voice was shaking unusually.
I was also tense.
If I fill this, can I see Lumina's face?
What would it look like?
Cold city girl feel?
Or perhaps a reversal appeal with purity.
I don't know.
I couldn't imagine her with a head in my mind.
"Stop messing around and hurry..."
With such naughty thoughts, I filled the choker on her neck.
Click.
At the same time as the choker was filled, a faint light began to emanate from the red gem.
And what was revealed was.
"Eh?"
"Why?"
"...Is it working properly?"
"Yeah? What do you mean, it's working properly?"
The flat neck cross-section that was still cut.
Fwoosh.
It was the blue flame.