May I Hold You?
We'd managed to heal the troublesome customer, but a heal didn't fix mental shock. He was still collapsed on the floor, out cold.
Without missing a beat, Ayla hoisted the man up as if he weighed nothing.
"Please wait a moment, Miss. I'll have this cleaned up in no time."
She headed toward the gate management staff at the ticket booth, and I didn't feel the slightest worry—Ayla would handle everything just fine on her own.
That was when Yoon Do-ah, standing beside me, spoke up.
"Ellie, you weren't scared?"
I had been a little scared—scared our fairy might kill the guy. Not of the man himself, of course. I shook my head.
"That's a relief. Well, we can't really keep doing business here anyway, and we've already done a lot of healing. Want to call it a day? It's better not to overdo it with heals."
Using radial skills like Heal consumed mana, and among them, Heal was particularly mana-hungry. Naturally, after treating more than thirty people, exhaustion should have been the normal response…
"Pii?"
"…?"
My eyes met Pin's as she slipped back into my sleeve after wrapping things up.
"Piihihi."
Our Pin just beamed at me, delighted simply to lock eyes. Looking at her like this, she didn't seem tired at all… Still, you never know. Even if she looked fine, Pin might be pushing herself. Better to stop here.
Besides, ever since Pin had shown herself, I could feel a lot more eyes on us.
"That was a fairy just now, right?"
"Yeah, I saw it too."
"Wait, is that kid the one who…?"
Yep. Time to get out of here.
I nodded at Yoon Do-ah, and she stood up.
"Alright then, let's pack up and go get something tasty to eat."
The signboard, folding chairs, and table had been borrowed from the gate management staff at the ticket booth, so they needed to be returned. We couldn't carry three chairs, the sign, and the table all at once, so we left the table and planned to make a second trip. We could have asked the fairies, but that would have drawn way too much attention.
Carrying as much as we could, we headed for the ticket booth—just as Ayla, finished with her business, was coming out.
"Oh my, are we done for the day?"
"Ah, yes."
*nod nod*
"Hehe, then would you wait in the car for a moment, Miss? It must be cold out. I still have a few things to wrap up."
"She's right. Wait in the car, Ellie. Unnie will finish packing up and be right there."
There was still the table we hadn't brought back, and Ayla clearly hadn't finished handling everything yet. I nodded and headed for the parking lot near the gate.
Ayla had handed me the car key, but the door unlocked just from my approaching it.
Oh.
Honestly, that was pretty cool. Not like I'd ever ridden in a car like this before.
Yoon Do-ah carried the remaining table over to the ticket booth. When she arrived, Ayla was already waiting quietly—she'd apparently finished her business while Do-ah was fetching the table.
After handing over the table, Do-ah approached Ayla and spoke.
"Um, did everything get sorted out okay?"
"Yes. You needn't concern yourself over it."
Yoon Do-ah blinked. Judging by how things had looked, she'd expected the whole situation to blow up—but it had been resolved cleanly? They must have reached some kind of agreement.
"Well then, Miss will be waiting. Shall we be on our way?"
Yoon Do-ah nodded and fell into step beside Ayla. As they walked, she kept sneaking glances at the woman—there was just so much on her mind. Most of all, she was dying to know why this woman was with Ellie.
That was when Ayla spoke.
"Chairman Yoon is well, I trust?"
At those words, Yoon Do-ah's eyes went wide on their own.
"Oh—you knew?"
"Of course. How could I not know the daughter of Taeseong Distribution's chairman? I never imagined the young lady I saw at a banquet years ago would grow up like this."
Yoon Do-ah scratched her head, looking embarrassed. Truth be told, she'd been a little unsure whether this woman really was Hunter Min Surim. After all, she'd introduced herself under the alias Ayla when they first met.
"S-so, um, what exactly is your relationship with Ellie?"
At first, she'd figured they were family—cousins, maybe. Mostly because of the hair color… but the way she called Ellie "Miss" suggested otherwise.
"I can't explain the details. I hope you'll understand."
"Ah, yes ma'am."
When Hunter Min Surim asked for understanding, you gave it. Of course you did—the Hunter standing before her had been the idol of every woman in South Korea just fifteen years ago.
Her active career had been short, and she'd lived in near-total seclusion for the ten years after, so not many people remembered her now. But she was still the second-strongest Hunter in South Korea.
Now that it was confirmed this really was the Min Surim she knew of, cold sweat beaded on Yoon Do-ah's forehead.
Ellie, come on…
Even so, your acquaintances are way too high-profile.
On the way to the restaurant, I checked how much we'd earned today.
Whoa…
Cash plus bank transfers added up to a full 1.6 million won. Healers really are something else. Making 1.6 million in a single day.
Anyway, we'd made a ton of money. I figured I really ought to pick up the tab today, so I was about to pay—
Wait, no—I was going to pay…
But Ayla had already settled the bill. When she'd gotten up while I was still happily eating, I'd thought she was just heading to the restroom. Turns out she'd gone to pay.
Classic Ayla… being a working adult, she was lightning-fast in the bill-paying stare-down. Still, I felt bad—I kept receiving things from her without giving anything back.
"Alright, Ellie! See you next time!"
After the meal, I parted ways with Do-ah unnie. Then I climbed into Ayla's car for the ride home.
Hmm…
I snuck a glance at Ayla behind the wheel. No matter how I looked at it, just taking and taking didn't feel right. She cleaned, did laundry, and cooked under the pretext of being my subordinate—if I never did anything for her in return, she might start feeling unappreciated.
Right. I'd give Ayla a portion of today's earnings. I'd been planning to give her some anyway.
Hmm… let's see. Table costs, meal money, and…
Well, various things, anyway. This should be enough, right?
Conveniently, the car had just stopped, so I handed the cash straight to Ayla—
"Ah, you'd like me to hold onto this for you. Understood, my Queen. I'll manage it carefully."
"…?"
But Ayla thought I was entrusting the money to her for safekeeping.
No, wait. I was about to shake my head right away, then thought better of it.
Hmm… yeah.
Something like this needed to be said out loud to get across properly, right? Besides, since Ayla was my subordinate, Dreamy King's Dignity didn't activate around her. Right. I needed to say it clearly so there wouldn't be any misunderstanding.
I looked at Ayla. For the first time in a long while, I opened my mouth.
"I'm giving this to you because I'm grateful, Ayla."
In that instant.
"…"
"…?"
Ayla's reaction was strange. She suddenly went blank, staring at me without a word.
A single memory rose in Ayla's mind.
"Ayla. I'm always grateful to you."
It was a pure, clear voice that soothed the heart.
As she always did, Ayla slowly bowed her head and answered with formal courtesy, her face expressionless. Back then, she almost never showed any expression.
"There is no need to thank me, my Queen."
Guarding and attending her Queen was her duty. She didn't bother saying the rest. She trusted her Queen would understand.
"Did you know, Ayla?"
There was a hint of playfulness in the voice. Ayla asked with a puzzled look.
"What…?"
"I'm always grateful to you, Ayla. But I've found that saying it out loud makes me feel even better."
"So every now and then… why don't you try being honest too, Ayla?"
The words that followed drifted through her memory.
"…"
Returning to the present, Ayla looked at her Queen once more. Ellie came into view, watching her anxiously, gauging her reaction.
The moment she saw Ellie, a smile spread across Ayla's lips before she even realized it.
"There's no need to thank me, my Queen."
Gazing at her beloved Queen, she continued.
"Guarding and attending you is my happiness."
At Ayla's words, I tilted my head in confusion. I blinked, puzzled. I'd figured that receiving money would still make her feel better, no matter what.
Then Ayla continued.
"Even so, if you truly… wish to give me something—"
After a moment of thought, Ayla spoke.
"May I hold you once a day, my Queen?"
"…?"
I blinked. Was that really all it took? Well, a hug wasn't exactly something I couldn't manage.
I nodded.
Ayla smiled and continued.
"Thank you, my Queen."
Come on, you don't need to thank me for something like that…