Chapter 67
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: Net of Delusions
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- Tremble, tremble...
The most secluded corner sofa in the Union Guild lounge.
Luna sat there with a gravely serious expression, struggling to steady her shaking hands as she fiddled with her smartphone.
The non-face-to-face counseling program announced by the guild that morning.
Luna had installed the app for it and logged in right at 10 a.m. sharp, the exact start time of the session.
She typed and deleted, over and over, dozens of times.
"Hello."
Was that too stiff?
"Teacher!"
No, that was too much like herself...
In the end, she decided it was better to hide her identity, even if it came off a bit formal.
What she wanted to ask about wasn't her trauma, which she was curious about and longed to discuss.
That, she wanted to save for someday when she could see his face in person and talk about it directly.
So, that wasn't what she wanted to bring up.
Hiding behind the mask of anonymity.
What she really wanted to know was...
This inexplicable emotion that had been shaking her lately.
Of course, the teacher probably didn't know much about beastkin, so she had to account for that.
But still.
She wanted to ask.
[Yoo Seon-woo]: It doesn't seem like respect.
[Yoo Seon-woo]: It looks more like love.
"H-Huh... Eeek...?"
Luna's face gradually flushed bright red.
From her nape all the way up.
Really?
For real?
Actually...?
[Luna]: Th-That... There's no way...
In the end, Luna forgot to even pretend and straight-up denied it.
[Yoo Seon-woo]: Of course, it might not be. Defining any emotion precisely is difficult.
[Yoo Seon-woo]: Just think of me as always suggesting the most likely possibility.
No, but then...
Let's say it really is love.
Let's say this feeling toward the teacher is love.
Then I just...
Asked the very person himself...
What this feeling of mine toward you is.
And that person, ever so kindly...
Confirmed directly that yes, this feeling is love for him.
Something snapped in Luna's mind.
"Love... Love..."
Luna clutched her pounding heart and collapsed onto the lounge sofa.
Her head spun dizzily.
Could she deny it?
She didn't know.
The teacher wouldn't say something wrong.
He wouldn't lie.
"What do I do..."
It was okay now since it was non-face-to-face, but...
She had no confidence in keeping her composure if they met in person.
Realizing the true nature of her emotions...
Was completely different from just fluttering around in blissful ignorance.
It... couldn't happen...
The teacher would never like someone like me...
From above her head, beyond the invisible veil, came a faint sound.
- Droop.
Her translucent rabbit ears drooped limply downward.
- Plip, plip...
Luna finally moved her fingers slowly and sent a message.
[Luna]: Then what should I do?
It was curiosity.
Please answer.
Teacher.
Tell me the right answer yourself.
As she waited with that trembling heart a bit longer,
- Ding.
The reply arrived.
[Yoo Seon-woo]: First, you should reflect on whether that feeling is truly love or not.
[Yoo Seon-woo]: If you're convinced it is love,
[Yoo Seon-woo]: Then slowly approaching that person and gradually expressing your feelings could be a good way.
Luna read the sentences floating on her screen.
She read them over and over again.
Approach the object of her feelings slowly and express them.
Luna asked urgently.
[Luna]: Isn't this a wrong feeling?
[Yoo Seon-woo]: Not at all.
[Yoo Seon-woo]: It's a perfectly natural emotion with no issues whatsoever.
[Yoo Seon-woo]: In fact, shouldn't it be something to celebrate?
So, this feeling wasn't wrong?
On the contrary, it was something worth celebrating?
Luna's heart began to race.
No, not yet.
Not yet...
She wanted more certainty.
Luna was always cautious by nature.
She craved assurance.
[Luna]: Teacher. I'm actually a beastkin. Is that okay?
Before she knew it, Luna had dropped the "counselor" title she'd used to hide her identity and was calling him "teacher."
Luna carried trauma.
An inferiority complex, you could say.
About beastkin love.
In the Empire, it was deemed vulgar and irreverent.
Beastkin instincts and desires were seen as animalistic things that needed to be suppressed.
She'd been taught that her whole life.
However.
[Yoo Seon-woo]: It makes no difference.
[Yoo Seon-woo]: Even if you're a beastkin, it's the same.
The teacher said it wasn't, this time too.
"......"
[Yoo Seon-woo]: In this world, those things are absolutely not an issue.
Absolutely not, he said.
Luna's cheeks began to heat up gradually.
The teacher had no idea he was talking to her.
So, naturally, it wasn't advice meant for Luna specifically.
It might just be theoretical comfort for an anonymous client.
However.
'Teacher.'
At that word, the walls of anxiety lingering in Luna's heart began to crumble slowly.
"The teacher... said it's okay..."
She murmured it without realizing.
Her cheeks, already warming, now burned like they might burst.
And for the first time in ages, a genuine smile bloomed on Luna's lips.
The teacher...
Had given permission.
[Anonymous Hunter]: Thank you, Teacher. You've helped resolve a lot of my worries.
[Yoo Seon-woo]: I'm glad. That makes me happy too.
[Yoo Seon-woo]: Shall we end the session then?
[Anonymous Hunter]: Yes... See you later.
[Yoo Seon-woo]: Thank you. You've worked hard.
I closed the chat window and sank deep into the back of my chair.
"Nice."
I thought it was just a simple, fresh romance consultation...
But it wasn't.
In the middle of the session, Luna's familiar emotions popped up.
Her deep-seated inferiority complex about being a beastkin and her very existence.
That was the core issue we'd been steadily treating from the start.
So, it seemed like a good opportunity to address both.
To help her overcome both her new love and her beastkin inferiority complex.
I set that as my top priority and gave her advice accordingly.
In conclusion... it went well.
She seemed reasonably convinced too.
But on a separate note...
I wonder who this guy is that's captured Luna's heart?
Pure curiosity.
He must be a really good person, no doubt.
Someone gentle and profound enough to recognize and embrace her deep wounds.
A man who could see her true self beyond beastkin prejudices.
I found myself smiling contentedly without realizing it.
Hoping she'd finally found a good match.
As her counselor, I was delighted.
I wanted to check on Luna's condition.
Hoping this non-face-to-face session had helped her.
'PIN.'
I mentally pinned Luna.
A status window appeared before my eyes.
[Eung...? (;)]
[Please wait a moment! Organizing data!]
[Scrub scrub... ＿〆(。。)]
Soon after, a new window appeared.
I read her main stance.
'If the teacher says it, then it is...'
The nuance was a little off, but...
My words aren't always perfectly right.
Well, her take wasn't wrong either.
Love isn't bad.
And it's true there's no need to deny such a feeling.
Luna seemed to understand well.
The person who'd hated and denied herself was finally starting to affirm her own emotions.
Even if it stemmed from someone else's encouragement.
Nurturing this small seed of positivity into solid self-esteem tied to her beastkin identity.
That seems like the key focus for her future sessions.
Of course, it means nothing if she doesn't request more counseling.
Just then.
- Ding.
A new counseling request arrived.
And the sender's name was.
[Union Guild S-Rank Hunter: Luna]
Luna?
What? Didn't we just finish a session...
Oh, right.
The one just now was 'Anonymous Hunter.'
I accepted her counseling request.
[Luna]: Hello, Teacher!
[Yoo Seon-woo]: Hello, Luna.
I greeted her warmly.
First time meeting her.
[Luna]: I just wanted to ask when your in-person counseling sessions will start up again...
Ah.
She didn't seem keen on doing sessions via non-face-to-face.
Good.
As long as she had the will to counsel, that alone was something to be grateful for.
[Yoo Seon-woo]: Probably within a week. It's still in the trial phase.
[Luna]: Got it!
[Luna]: I'll apply right then! See you then, Teacher!
[Luna]: ₍ᐢ ›_‹ ᐢ₎
Even her signature rabbit emoticon.
Wonder how she types that.
[Yoo Seon-woo]: Yes. See you then.
She left the chat like that.
I nodded too, with a satisfied smile.
Luna, my second client.
Her counseling seemed to be nearing its end too.
Everything was going smoothly.