073. Flesh and Blood
073. Flesh and Blood
A space so dazzling it defied description.
On the black marble floors, various magical tools cycled through their functions to keep the air pleasant,
and shimmering light drifted through the air above.
I hadn't thought of it as a particularly distinctive place before walking in, but once inside, the vast scenery welcomed me like a whole other world.
We had arrived at a luxury department store—the Baekhwa branch—that catered exclusively to hunters and handled VVIP clientele.
"...Whoa, crazy."
That was my assessment upon first laying eyes on the luxury hall.
When it comes to famous hunters, plenty of them draw attention that puts celebrities to shame.
Kang Do-hee and Shin Se-hee were among them.
If a famous hunter stepped out onto the street, people would swarm them instantly, and every moment of their daily lives would be shared in real time on social media.
Of course, their standing within Velvet Academy was quite high,
but since everyone there was a hunter and fellow cadet—and the other cadets were also basically quasi-celebrities themselves—there was less of the posting, swarming, and mobbing.
For that reason, they preferred spaces like this where access from the general public was restricted whenever they were out and about beyond the academy.
That was the explanation Shin Se-hee had given me up to this point.
"...So, you know, it's not like I'm particularly into luxury goods or anything like that."
She'd caught sight of my jaw hanging open and started babbling excuses beside me, tripping over her words.
"No, I mean, you're allowed to like what you like."
I pulled my expression together and answered her.
'She loves shopping.'
"R-really? But just now, you, Jin Yu-ha, your reaction was..."
"Ah, I was just surprised because it's more extravagant than I expected. I don't think it's a bad thing."
I answered with a short laugh.
"Honestly, a lot of hunter gear is sketchy stuff that hasn't been properly vetted. You can't really assess its value unless you take it into a gate yourself."
"Exactly!"
"For starters, the merchandise in a place like this has already gone through an appraisal process. And if they want to keep attracting customers, they're less likely to pull any scams on product quality."
"Right, right!"
Shin Se-hee nodded vigorously, as if in vehement agreement.
'Hmm, but I wonder if this place is different from shop items. This place never appeared in the game, so I have no idea.'
I was looking around and mulling it over for a moment when Shin Se-hee handed me a hardcover booklet with a gold cover.
"Huh? A product catalog?"
"Yes. Before we dive into actual shopping, I think it'd help to skim through the product list first."
"Ah, right. Thanks."
I started examining the catalog Shin Se-hee had passed me—and my eyes flew wide open.
'Wait, holy shit!'
Normally, shop-brand gear isn't used by anyone but complete newbies.
Items pulled from gacha had overwhelmingly superior performance, after all.
But this luxury store I'd walked into through Shin Se-hee's introduction—
Flip— Flip—
My hand turned the catalog pages faster and faster.
'Th-these are actually here...!?'
Product descriptions lined up alongside photographs.
Items from the gacha weren't plentiful, but they occupied a few spots.
'...The highest grade available is around Epic. The performance isn't all that exceptional. Still, gacha items are actually obtainable from a store...?'
Zzzt—
I lifted my head and spoke to Shin Se-hee.
"I was right to come shopping with you after all."
I turned back to the catalog, scrutinizing it closely as I picked out a few must-buy items.
'Hmm, this one, and this one. Ah, it'd be nice to have this too.'
Then my eye caught the price tags.
'...But the prices are kinda... yeah, I got nothing.'
Prices that made me want to summon Im Ga-eul.
Anything with halfway decent performance simply blew past ten million won, and the items I considered essential were flaunting price tags close to a hundred million.
Of course, the prices were heavily marked up, partly to account for the fact that gacha items could even be found in a store at all.
Sure, I'd secured funds by handing over one highest-grade Magic Stone,
but that wasn't going to cover everything that had caught my eye.
'...Do I need to sell another Magic Stone?'
Magic Stones made up the largest share of Alice's Box,
but they were still a quantity-limited item, so I was a little hesitant.
'Once you hit the mid-to-late game, Magic Stones and money stop being an issue, but even so, if I go nuts spending now, I've got a feeling I'll end up strapped for cash later...'
Had she read that concern on my face?
"Here, Jin Yu-ha."
This time, Shin Se-hee pulled a card from her wallet and held it out to me.
A black card with a glossy sheen.
At the bottom, in elegant italics, it read: Shin Se-Hee.
I furrowed my brow slightly.
I'd declared just moments ago that I would be the one covering my party members' gear.
What was this supposed to be?
'...Is she trying to buy me with money right now?'
I fixed my gaze on her. She smiled back as if to say, don't get the wrong idea.
"Use this to get a discount."
"...A discount?"
"Yes. If you present this card at checkout, it applies a forty percent discount to all products."
Ha.
I'd lost count of how many times I'd been impressed today.
'So this is what they mean by you should date a rich girl...'
"O-of course! I know you want to personally outfit the party members' gear, Jin Yu-ha, but... well, throwing away precious funds when you could buy things cheaper is..."
'...Who the hell was the bastard who called this angelic woman a snake?'
"No, this is honestly a huge help. Thank you, Shin Se-hee."
I shook my head as I said it.
Then I accepted the dazzling, impossibly lustrous black card she offered.
"Hehe, I'm so glad you took it."
Her expression visibly filled with relief, and she extended her elbow toward me.
"Shall we go, then?"
I froze.
My body locked up for a moment.
'Ah, this is that thing, right? An escort, or whatever.'
Back in my original world, the man would offer his elbow, and the woman would take it and walk with him—that thing.
Hmm. Reversed world or not, the idea of being the one clinging to a woman's elbow and trotting along after her met with some resistance.
'But I guess that's normal here?'
I looked at the elbow she had proffered.
Then I grabbed her hand.
"...!?"
Shin Se-hee stared at me with a shocked face, clearly not expecting it.
I lifted our clasped hands in front of her.
"Let's just hold hands and go."
Ah, it's hot.
I'd offered to escort him, and he just up and grabbed my hand like that.
Truly, I couldn't let my guard down for a single moment.
'...This man, seriously...!'
Shin Se-hee fanned her bright red face with her hand over and over.
Thump
Thump
Her heart started racing.
She could feel the sensation of Jin Yu-ha's hand through her fingertips.
'I-is it because he wields a sword? His hand is so big... and firm...'
The moment she became aware of his hand, sweat started beading. Moisture gathered between their clasped palms, seeping in damply.
'Does it not bother him...? I'm fine with it, but I can't help worrying...'
She kept sneaking glances sideways, her brows knitting together.
But Jin Yu-ha acted as if he had no idea what Shin Se-hee was going through.
"This one, this one. And that one. Ah, and that too, please."
He was picking out items and making purchases without a hint of hesitation.
"...Y-yes!"
The department store employee had briefly looked flustered at the sight of a man walking in hand-in-hand with Shin Se-hee, but only for a moment.
Now they were frantically busy wrapping up everything he pointed at.
'...What the, he doesn't even hesitate?'
She'd originally planned to stand beside him and offer various pieces of advice, and now she was thrown off.
'I thought men were supposed to agonize over a single item for ages...?'
But Jin Yu-ha's judgment was incredibly swift.
He'd look at an item, and within barely a few seconds he'd assess its value and decide whether to buy it or not.
'And it's accurate, too.'
Shin Se-hee was inwardly amazed.
His eye for goods was almost on par with her own, which she'd cultivated by frequenting this place constantly.
'Had he been here before, in the future...?'
No, probably not.
He'd worn a genuinely astonished expression when he first walked in.
'Ah, maybe in the future, the items they carry here just become unremarkable, reasonably useful goods.'
As eras changed and technology advanced,
the higher the quality of equipment rose,
the more yesterday's luxury items inevitably became ordinary goods that passed into the hands of the masses.
Mm. Mm.
She nodded to herself, satisfied with her own reasoning.
Jin Yu-ha was grabbing item after item, things that would suit each of the party members.
And then, at the item Jin Yu-ha had just picked up, Shin Se-hee's eyes sparkled.
'Wow, that's totally my taste!'
Among his selections were things that scored a direct hit on Shin Se-hee's personal tastes.
Items she would have bought without question if she'd come alone today.
'Uh... but if this is how it's going...'
She glanced furtively at the chat window.
The conversation there was still a chaotic mess.
'...Honestly, it'd probably be better to just let everyone figure out how to pay him back on their own.'
When even Shin Se-hee herself was agonizing over what to give him in return, trying to reach a group decision would only pile on more confusion—it didn't seem like it would help.
'I'll just give them a heads-up.'
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【Blossom ✿】 — Everyone, I think it'd be a good idea to have a gift ready for Jin Yu-ha. One each.
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Her sudden message was followed by a flood of question marks, but she paid them no mind and slipped her phone into her pocket.
That was when it happened.
"Oh my, who do we have here?"
A voice abruptly cut in from behind.
Shin Se-hee's head turned stiffly.
"Se-hee?"
Her eyes flew wide open once she confirmed the owner of the voice.
"Our Se-hee... Not a single call saying you'd gotten into Velvet Academy, and here I run into you, of all places?"
Long black hair, just like Shin Se-hee's.
A tall, toned figure.
A woman with a sword at her hip.
A prestigious hunter family. The Shin family.
S-Rank Hunter.
Shin Su-yeon.
'...What is this woman doing here!'
She curved her eyes into crescent moons and spoke with perfect nonchalance.
"And with a man on your arm, no less? If you're going to act like this, I, as your older sister, am truly hurt."
She was Shin Se-hee's older sister.