Chapter 123
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 123
Chapter Title: Luna's Provocative Photoshoot
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Back again.
Seol Yu-wol understood that she had to leave things like this.
The results from the Future Fragment Observation had been shocking, after all.
She was someone I'd counseled after endless deliberation upon deliberation upon deliberation.
I thought I'd poured every ounce of effort into it. But the outcome... couldn't exactly be called ideal.
So then...
I suddenly grew curious about my other clients.
The hunters I believed I'd "perfectly" cured.
There was one more.
Jeong Geon-woo, the hunter who'd just wrapped up a long stretch of sessions.
The client who'd completed all treatment that morning, when I had an appointment with Lee Seo-ryeong.
He'd teared up and thanked me profusely.
Watching him, I'd felt that deep sense of fulfillment as a counselor, mingled with the bittersweet pang of a relationship's end.
It had felt perfect.
But had I... really done it right?
Or was he...
"System."
Yes, User!
"Can you check that stat from earlier with PIN too?"
Yes! Possible!
(•̀ᴗ•́)و ̑̑
"Pin Jeong Geon-woo Hunter for me."
Got it!
A familiar name popped up before my eyes.
And I gazed at the values listed below it.
[Jeong Geon-woo][PINNED]
[Current Status: Spending happy time with family.]
[Main Stance: Feeling at peace.]
Okay.
Good.
Just that... PIN makes Seol Yu-wol look fine too.
Next up, the stats.
[Jeong Geon-woo (A-Rank Hunter)]
Jeong Geon-woo Hunter had a tendency to obsess excessively over his weapon.
To the point where he couldn't even step onto the battlefield without it.
Yet he'd overcome it perfectly.
"......"
My methods weren't entirely wrong, then.
That's right!
Have some confidence!
"Got it."
Not everything can go exactly to plan.
It's human relationships, after all.
I'll acknowledge that each person needs their own suitable approach.
Seol Yu-wol was just an exceptional case.
So I'll treat her exceptionally too.
With a sense of relief that my overall path wasn't wrong, I leaned back deep into my chair once more.
'Let's take it slow one more time...'
The path itself wasn't mistaken.
- *Ding.*
But just then, a message arrived on my phone, snapping me out of my reverie.
I turned on the screen.
It was a notification for tomorrow's counseling reservation.
9 a.m.
The appointee...
[Luna]
Luna.
"It's been a while."
Had she finished the photoshoot?
Come to think of it, from the Jeongma collaboration to Seol Yu-wol's graduation, I'd completely forgotten about Luna.
Her own situation had been steadily improving, so our sessions weren't frequent anyway.
I'd even considered her counseling basically complete.
That was my perspective up until now, though.
Well... shall I check once?
I swallowed dryly and opened my mouth.
"Can you pin Luna for me?"
[......]
(O_O)
Error: PIN is currently on cooldown.
You just used it on client Jeong Geon-woo!
Oh, right.
PIN did have a cooldown.
I'd just forgotten since I never used it back-to-back.
I gave a wry smile and turned off my phone.
Well, I'd see her myself tomorrow morning anyway.
I rose from my chair.
Time for bed.
Early morning.
Outside the window, the sun hadn't risen yet, but it wasn't pitch black either—just that in-between twilight.
Luna knocked on Elise's door.
- *Knock knock.*
Without waiting for a reply, she carefully pushed the door open and stepped inside.
The room was dark, filled with Elise's sweet scent.
On the bed lay a black rabbit curled up into a perfect ball under the covers, fast asleep.
"Elise."
"Uh..."
She was off today.
She'd sleep like the dead.
Deep and undisturbed.
"Lend me some clothes."
"Uh... over... there..."
A muffled voice leaked from within the blankets.
Without even opening her eyes, Elise stuck out a hand from the bed, pointing toward the dressing room.
"Any okay?"
"Uh... whatever... just don't eat the kimchi stew..."
Before her answer even finished, Elise had drifted back into dreamland.
Luna gazed at her sister for a moment, then quietly headed to the dressing room.
Luna had plenty of clothes herself, of course.
Proper, pretty ones. But today... she needed Elise's.
It was an important counseling day.
"What to pick..."
Luna began slowly rummaging through Elise's treasure trove.
Glamorous dresses, bold crop tops.
But that wasn't what she was after.
Her hand reached for the deepest part of the dresser drawer.
And there it was.
"Ah..."
A luxurious black box, still unopened.
"This is it."
No idea why Elise had bought it and never opened it.
She carefully lifted the lid.
Luna would make good use of it.
Inside was provocative lingerie made of thin silk and intricate lace—something she'd never worn in her life.
- *Rustle...*
'I'll use it well, sis.'
She shed her pajamas.
"Eut..."
The early morning chill kissed her fever-hot bare skin.
The cold would spread the instant it touched—but for days now, Luna's body had burned hotter than anything.
In front of the mirror, Luna slowly draped the unfamiliar garment over her body.
"How does this even..."
- *Grunt.*
It wasn't something you just slipped on.
She had to find the slender belt running from her hips to her abdomen, fasten it, tie this and that...
How was this even underwear?
But after a fierce struggle, she finally had it all on.
The white lace matched her porcelain skin perfectly.
It precariously veiled every graceful curve of her heritage-level figure.
She stared blankly at her reflection.
After a moment taking in the unfamiliar sight, she took a deep breath.
"Huu..."
And over those secret underthings,
she layered on the most prim and pure-looking white dress.
The seductive vixen rabbit who'd stood in the dressing room moments ago vanished.
In the mirror remained only the modest, shy rabbit once more.
Pure on the outside...
But hiding secrets as she went to meet her teacher.
That was Luna's intent.
She gave her outfit one final adjustment and left the room.
Welcoming Luna required a bit more preparation.
The night before, I'd ordered the freshest strawberries via dawn delivery to the counseling room.
The next day, turn them into a freestyle dessert, and done.
It took some effort, but it was fun too.
And she always ate it up so deliciously.
Today's morning dessert was...
"Parfait."
Someone might say sweets first thing in the morning? But hunters didn't care about that.
For hunters, more sugar was always better.
It was time-consuming but not difficult.
I whipped it up in time before 9 and set it on the table.
And then.
- *Knock knock.*
Exactly on the dot at 9, a tentative knock sounded.
"Yes. Come in."
The door opened, and Luna entered.
She'd dressed with extra care today.
A light, flowing fabric pure white dress.
"Teacher, hello..."
Luna greeted me with a shy smile.
"Yes, Luna. Good morning."
Her gaze soon landed on the parfait on the table.
"Wow..."
Her eyes locked onto the strawberries.
"These are fresh, right...?"
"Yes. Frozen ones have a different texture."
Some parfaits used frozen berries, but I preferred fresh.
"I like them fresh too."
"Glad to hear it. So do I."
Luna smiled and took a seat across from me.
I didn't check her status right away.
I wasn't one to rely on the system immediately. If things flowed smoothly... no need.
"What brings you in today?"
"Ah..."
At my question, Luna tore her eyes from the parfait, as if just remembering, and pulled something from her bag.
A thick envelope sealed in crisp paper.
"The photoshoot..."
"Ah."
"It's finished."
So this envelope contained...
Her photos.
I swallowed unconsciously.
I had agreed to take them, after all.
But opening them right now felt a bit much.
"I'll... treasure this."
I gave an awkward smile and moved to tuck the envelope away as-is.
But then.
"Aren't you going to look?"
Luna asked me.
How could I?
Opening client photos right in front of her felt too awkward.
"Ah... we'll focus on counseling today. I'll check them at home."
"No?"
"Pardon...?"
This was unusually bold for Luna.
"Look at them here. Now. Teacher."
She lifted the corner of her mouth in a smile.
But her eyes weren't smiling.
This vibe from Luna was a first.
- *Slide...*
I held her gaze while stealthily nudging the envelope toward the desk drawer.
- *Thud!*
"...!"
I jumped.
Luna's pale hand shot out like lightning, slamming down on the envelope and pinning it.
"Look."
"......"
- *Rip.*
Luna pulled her hand away, tearing open the envelope in one go.
A picture emerged inside.
A hint of school uniform.
School uniform?
I finally relaxed.
If it was uniforms, it had to be wholesome!
No way Luloo Magazine had gone off the rails...
High school days concept, apparently.
Thinking big.
Only then did I loosen up, smiling as I let go of the envelope.
"Got it. Gotta see them."
"......"
Luna just wore that enigmatic smile.
I opened the envelope.
Now the full photoshoot was revealed.
"Heading to school? On the way..."
I analyzed the concept.
Even holding toast—totally fresh and innocent...
"Huh?"
What were those white threads, though?
Luna's uniform skirt was fluttering wide in the air, and beneath it...
Her crisp white panties were fully on display.
"......"
"Pretty, right?"
Luna asked with wide, innocent eyes.
Wait, wasn't this supposed to be wholesome?
"Look at the next one too..."
I dreaded the next photo.
But her gaze pushed me, and I slowly drew out the following shot.
- *Swipe...*
"Ah..."
The setting looked like a staff room sofa.
She was sprawled across it.
The front of her uniform thoroughly unbuttoned.
Revealing all the hidden skin beneath.
But above all, Luna's expression was... off.
Shy?
Tense?
Not at all...
"What do you think?"
As I couldn't tear my eyes away, Luna asked for my thoughts.
By now, her face was right up close to mine.
The sweet parfait aroma wafted over.
"...Professional."
It really was.
There wasn't a trace of awkwardness in the shot.
She looked like she was just acting out everyday life.
No sense of incongruity at all.
"Yeah?"
"Yes."
Luna clearly had talent not just as a hunter, but as an actress too.
To boost her confidence, we'd tried all sorts of things...
I was lost in such thoughts when.
"Maybe because I was thinking of you, Teacher."
"I see. It really was because of m—"
I absentmindedly affirmed before.
"......"
Realizing what I'd just heard.
"...Pardon?"
"I thought of you the whole shoot..."
Her voice was clear, but the words anything but.
She took those photos... thinking of me?
- *Beep! Beep beep!!*
For the user, forcibly displaying client Luna's status!
"Teacher."
"So... my counseling's finally over, right?"
My vision crossed and shook.
Luna stood before me.
And hovering above her face, amid flashing red warnings, her true status window appeared.
[Luna]
"Right?"
Luna's info flooded into my view.
"......"
As expected.
I...
Might have been on the wrong path after all.