Chapter 97
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 97
Chapter Title: Teacher, Please Accept It
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What’s the most obvious sign when a woman falls in love with a man?
It’s her eyes and her expression.
Something she herself can’t notice.
Without realizing it, she tries to take in everything he does with her eyes, and her lips unconsciously curve up at even the smallest gestures.
And that face is crystal clear to any third party watching.
“……”
When Seon-woo first told her he was working as a counselor, the thing Mary worried about most was…
With that face of his, that gentle tone, counseling wounded female hunters.
Would there even be a woman in this world who could withstand it?
Of course, Seon-woo would draw a hard line and never let them cross it…
That might work against powerless civilians, but for hunters whose boundaries between reason and instinct had blurred, such lines meant nothing from the start.
And when he actually got kidnapped by one of his former female hunter colleagues…
She’d nearly ripped the heads off every single person from Hestia.
Those worthless bitches had dared lay their filthy hands on him.
And now, it seemed that worry had come true.
An S-rank hunter volunteering as a bodyguard at the Association?
The reason was obvious.
“Looks like… she’s pretty determined, huh?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
“Could I possibly talk to her?”
“……That won’t be possible. As an otherworlder who hasn’t graduated yet, contact with outsiders is restricted.”
Figured as much.
Means I can’t meet her.
Mary recalled the woman from the photo the team leader had shown her.
Strange hair color, half black and half white.
A youthful vibe, but objectively… stunningly beautiful.
She stood up from her seat.
The team leader panicked and tried to stop her.
“Hunter! Even with other conditions… We’ll do our best to…”
“No.”
Mary corrected his misunderstanding.
“I’ll… come back next time.”
She’d lost all interest in the Association itself.
Right now, there was nothing she could do here anyway.
Mary turned away without regret and opened the door to the reception room.
After choosing Seol Yu-wol as my bodyguard… I had quite a few worries.
But in the end, I spent the dawn hours thinking and sorted everything out.
Rationalization? Sure, that works.
The core issue with my client Seol Yu-wol—her problem with Lee Seo-ryeong—had been resolved.
She was no longer bound by past wounds.
So, our relationship as counselor and client was essentially over.
In fact, it needed to end quickly.
I’d found the perfect compromise between my own convictions and reality.
- Clink.
The rich aroma of freshly ground beans filled the kitchen.
The water swirled in circles over the coffee. This was what I’d been thinking while brewing it.
As much as she was stepping into this world as an otherworlder…
I’d decided to treat her as a hunter, not a client.
That’s how I convinced myself.
Well…
Her happiness stat was at its max, after all.
This was my judgment call.
I picked up the steaming coffee mug and sat in the counseling room chair, checking today’s scheduled clients.
Been a while since a session.
Felt like I was back in my own space. Returning from vacation didn’t feel bad at all.
I deliberately hadn’t checked the applicant list until yesterday.
I looked at the name booked for this morning’s first slot.
“Long time no see.”
Luna
It was Luna.
I usually prepare simple snacks before sessions that most clients would like.
But for clients whose tastes I’ve pinned down after a few sessions, I make custom ones just for them.
If you ask how I know what they like…
Well, it’s just intuition.
I can feel what they crave most right now, what flavor they’re missing.
This has to be part of my counseling skills.
I left the study and headed to the kitchen.
Then grabbed a carrot from the fridge.
‘Carrot cake….’
Would she like it?
- Thud.
Nah, probably not.
I need to ditch the stereotype that rabbit beastkin love carrots.
I put the carrot down and picked up a pack of bright red strawberries next to it.
Strawberries over black-hearted imperial crops any day.
I took out soft sandwich bread and fresh cream.
Spread the cream on the bread and packed it full of strawberries.
Then topped it with another slice.
- Squish.
Strawberry cream sandwiches.
No complicated process needed, but they pack a punch in flavor.
I cut the finished sandwiches in half for easy eating, plated them nicely, and set them on the center table in the counseling room.
Added a cup of hot coffee beside them.
All prep done.
I waited for Luna.
- Tap tap….
How much time passed?
Soon, a cautious knock came from outside the door.
Time’s up.
“Yes, come in.”
- Creeak….
Luna opened the door and peeked inside.
I stood from my seat, smiled, and headed to the counseling desk.
“Long time no see, Luna.”
“Hello, Teacher~”
Unlike I expected, Luna beamed brightly and approached me. She even extended her hand like she wanted a handshake.
Normally, she’d shyly bow her head, creep to the chair, and sit carefully.
I stared at her offered hand, surprised by the change.
Luna’s face was glowing with vitality.
I nodded and took her hand.
“Yes, hello. Have you been well?”
“Of course! Thanks to you, Teacher.”
Luna squeezed my hand and grinned innocently.
I’d worried her condition might’ve worsened since it’d been so long, but she was way better than expected.
Her smiling face radiated confidence.
She wasn’t in her usual black dress shirt but a white sweater.
Relieved by the positive change, I started guiding her to her seat.
Right then, Luna smiled, closed her eyes briefly, and dropped her camouflage, perking up her pure white rabbit ears.
Still too hard to show them outside, it seems.
Then she sat down.
A pleasant smile still lit her face.
“Looks like something good happened.”
I sat too and spoke to her.
As a counselor, her positive shift was incredibly gratifying, but I was curious about the reason behind it.
[Luna]
It's a good mood day. After recent changes, she finally acknowledged her own feelings. She realized they aren't wrong emotions.
Acknowledged her feelings after the changes…
Guessing from context, the anonymous counseling last time must’ve sparked a huge shift in her mindset.
Meaning she’d recognized her feelings for her colleague as love.
She’d escaped the burden and pressure of that dilemma.
Good.
Great.
Wonder if things had progressed to a good relationship with that person already?
“No… Nothing like that.”
Luna shook her head slightly, cheeks flushing.
Not that, then.
“Ah, you just look so happy.”
I said that and slid the prepped plate toward her.
“Eat while we talk.”
At my words, Luna nodded and picked up a small fork.
“Thanks for the food~”
- Nom nom.
Her eyes sparkled as she bit into the sandwich.
For a brief moment, watching her actions and expressions, I thought…
‘She doesn’t seem like a client anymore?’
She looked too vibrant and healthy now for anyone with a mental illness.
Of course, her deepest pain stemmed from her racial complex.
I believed fully revealing her rabbit ears to the world was the ultimate solution…
But that was just my opinion; it didn’t necessarily mean treatment.
Erasing wounds completely isn’t always the answer.
As I pondered that complexity, she called me.
“Teacher.”
“Yes?”
“The cream is so good. Soft and… sweet…”
She took another bite and smiled. I chuckled and replied.
“Glad you like it.”
“You eat some too, Teacher!”
“Sure.”
I was just about to take a bite myself.
Wait a sec.
So, what was the reason she came for counseling today?
Right now, it felt like she’d just come to eat sandwiches and drink coffee.
I’d gone along without thinking.
Of course, even that alone made for meaningful time, but there had to be another reason she’d come see me early in the morning.
I waited until she finished eating.
Then slowly spoke.
“Glad the sandwich suits you. So, Luna, what brings you in for counseling today?”
“Ah. Yes!”
She opened her mouth.
“Actually… Teacher… I’ve had this worry lately. I thought it might help with my treatment, so…”
A worry related to treatment?
I straightened up and listened closely.
“Yes. Go ahead, speak freely.”
“Have you… seen this by any chance?”
Luna held out her phone screen to me.
I looked at it.
“……?”
The screen showed Elise biting into ice cream, wearing a dizzyingly skimpy swimsuit.
I’d seen it on Hunter Gallery.
And floating around everywhere else.
“…Yeah, I’ve seen it.”
“Ah… Good…”
But what did this have to do with anything?
As puzzlement crossed my face, Luna added.
“I… got a similar offer too.”
I see.
A photoshoot proposal, huh.
She probably turned it down.
Luna wasn’t bold enough to go for something like that.
“I see. You refused, as expected….”
“I accepted…”
“?”
She accepted this?
“Ah! Of course! It’s not for showing everyone! Just for personal collection! The company really wanted to shoot me once, they specially requested it…!”
Luna waved her hands frantically as she explained.
“So, I wondered if it might help with treatment… and got curious about your thoughts, Teacher…”
“That’s really brave of you.”
I smiled and answered.
If she’s asking if it helps?
Of course it does.
Most of her issues stem from low self-esteem and confidence.
A photoshoot could boost that.
Honestly, I thought even a full official spread would be fine… but she probably still felt it was too much.
For her, this was a huge decision.
I wanted to praise that courage.
“I support your decision. I think it’s great.”
“…Really….”
“Yes.”
Relief washed over Luna’s face at my reply.
Then she went further.
“Then, um… Teacher.”
“Yes.”
With flushed cheeks, she looked straight into my eyes and asked softly.
“The photoshoot pics I’ll take… could you accept them?”
“…Yes?”
Photoshoot pics…?
Meaning something like Elise’s—sultry shots?
For me, as her counselor, to receive personally… that’d be tricky…
In many ways.
“Haha… Maybe gift them to Elise or other precious people instead of me?”
I forced a smile and politely deflected.
As long as it’s not me.
“Aha.”
Luna nodded.
Like she got the gist.
“But, um… it probably won’t be too risqué. Or will it? Anyway… a compromise, the vibe I want.”
“……”
“Actually, it might be a little sexy. But does that matter?”
She threw my words right back.
“You said it was a brave decision, Teacher.”
“So, as support for my courage… I think it’d be great if you accepted them…”
She leaned over the desk, propped her chin on both hands, and looked up at me.
“What do you say?”
A smile bloomed on Luna’s face.
