The Ghost by the Fountain
"That person's here again."
"Whoa, no way. Is she really a ghost? Why's she always hanging around?"
In broad daylight, sitting by the fountain with a face full of enlightenment, Eunha could hear the hunters passing by whispering. Was it mere curiosity, or mockery? It had to be encouragement, right? Thinking positively, Eunha casually turned her head away, pretending not to notice their attention.
"……."
Lately, more people had started recognizing Eunha and showing interest. She had no idea why. Maybe because she'd failed the exam thirty times?
Hunter community forums occasionally featured posts about her. She might just be the most famous F-rank hunter in the country. If fame affected hunter ranks, she'd probably be C-rank by now.
"……Huh?"
How much time had passed? Eunha, who had been spacing out by the fountain, blinked as if waking from a dream. Whoosh—the refreshing sound of the fountain's water spraying. Her vision was blurry, like looking out a frosted window in midwinter. Rubbing her goosebumped arms, she scanned her surroundings.
Something was off. The plaza in front of the Hunter Association. A cool day with fluffy clouds drifting by. People glancing warily at the terrifying resident ghost of the Association as they passed. Everyday normalcy. But it felt different. Like she was possessed, she patted her body down.
'I... definitely got hit by a car...'
Hit-and-run. A flashy red sports car—she'd even memorized the license plate. She remembered the pain of impact, the screams of onlookers, the cold, hard asphalt. Her whole body still ached. Her shattered skull and knees throbbed, making it hard to breathe.
'A dream? But why does it hurt if it's a dream?'
Indignation surged with the pain. It proved it wasn't a dream, but accepting it as reality was too much. Grimacing through the lingering agony, she chalked it up to a dream anyway.
"...Was my body always like this?"
While checking for injuries, Eunha felt a strange softness as she prodded herself. Thanks to her Self-Regeneration skill, she never gained fat or muscle, but now her body felt squishier in places.
"The texture's weird... Did I gain weight?"
Her voice sounded subtly thinner than usual, a thought that prickled her nape. But the ongoing pain made it hard to focus.
Vroooom!!!
As Eunha sank into confusion, a sports car roared past with a menacing exhaust note. Startled, she jumped up from the fountain and stared at the road.
"Whoa...! That scared me... What the hell? How fast are they going in the city?!"
"Just ignore it. Looks like some rich kid. Even if you report speeding, you'll just get revenge from their suited-up thugs."
The red sports car. The one that had hit her and fled. If she hadn't been lost in traumatic memories... she'd have been hit by it again, just like in the 'dream'.
Throb—!
Dizzying pain replayed in her head like trauma. Clutching her head briefly to endure it, Eunha wiped the dripping nosebleed.
'...Time to go home.'
Confusion from the inexplicable lasted only a moment. Rubbing her throbbing occiput, Eunha stood.
She thought positively. Alive was good enough, right? No point dwelling alone—it'd just hurt her head more. She'd call it a vivid deja vu. She wasn't one for overthinking anyway.
"Home it is."
Letting go of her worries lightened her mood. Limping on her still-aching knee, she headed to the bus stop in front of the Association.
...Of course, she checked both ways before crossing the street.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nothing else happened after that. On the way home, to shake off the mood, she limped around the nearby park a few laps. With time still left, she stopped by the blood donation center across the street and gave blood. The nurse smiled warmly about it being just three days since last time, so she smiled back.
For Eunha with Self-Regeneration, the donation center was a great money farm. Today, as always, she pocketed convenience store coupons and walked lightly.
'Self-Regeneration keeps me from starving even without food, but I'm still hungry...'
She bought ramen and drinks at the nearby convenience store, lamenting her half-baked skill, then returned home. No motivation after failing the promotion exam. She ate a sloppy dinner, skipped showering, and crashed on the bed in her clothes.
Apart from the hyper-realistic deja vu and nightmares of a red sports car chasing her on two legs, it was an ordinary day.
….
"Phew... Alright. Time to work."
The next morning, Eunha left her apartment and strolled leisurely through peaceful Euncheon-gu. Students in uniforms headed to study early in the morning caught her eye. After about five minutes under the warm sunlight, she stopped in front of a quaint cafe.
The sign read Fox and Rabbit Cafe, with a painting in the corner of a fox and rabbit sipping tea together on a floral mat. In the row of tall buildings downtown, the single-story shop stood out.
'...She's here early again today.'
Peering through the large glass window, she saw a girl about elementary school age brewing coffee in the kitchen. Ochre baker's hat pulled low, baggy apron. Watching the girl's cute back as she moved made Eunha smile involuntarily.
Twitch—!
That's when it happened. As Eunha stood staring, the girl's 'snow-white rabbit ears' under the hat perked up like antennae, twitching.
The hat flew off with a whoosh, hitting the floor. The girl's body froze like ice. The ears twitched a few more times... then she whipped her head around, staring right at Eunha.
"……! ~~♡"
Spotting Eunha, the girl beamed like the sun. Overjoyed, her rabbit ears twitched as she waved frantically.
Were those ears antennae or what? Eunha burst out laughing despite herself and waved back.
Tinkle~♪
Eunha opened the door marked 'Closed' and stepped inside. A clear bell chime and rich coffee aroma wafted over, as if comforting her for failing the exam.
The tiny cafe run by just Eunha and the girl. Closed the first of every month for hunter promotion exams. One day off a week. Few customers, but many regulars—a quiet place.
"Welcome~ You must've had such a tough time~."
The girl bounded over and tackled Eunha in a hug. The forceful charge sent Eunha stumbling back against a pillar.
A thrilling morning greeting reflecting the girl's excitement.
"Kuhk...! H-hey, Eunbangul. Good morning..."
"Heehee, such a baby~ I was just making coffee. You'll have some, right?"
Her breath caught from the impact, but enduring the pain, Eunha patted the girl's back. The rabbit girl smiled brightly like the sun and hugged her waist tight.
Her snow-white ears perked and bumped Eunha's face. Gazing down at Eunbangul, Eunha smiled drowsily.
Eunbangul. A girl with a voice as clear as her name. She looked young, but she was the owner—and Eunha's boss.
Twitch! Twitch!
Eunbangul's white rabbit ears twitched, slapping Eunha's cheeks. For the record, they were real ears. Originally human, but mutated from 'mana pollution' aftereffects.
Exposure to mana leaking from rifts caused it, or so she'd heard. Animal parts sprouting, horns growing, wings or tails appearing... Mana pollution was surprisingly common; unique-looking people dotted the streets.
"How'd the exam go yesterday? Pass? ...It's okay, you'll get it next time."
"I haven't said anything yet."
"It's all over your face~."
Eunha touched her mouth at the girl's words. Same face as always—where was it written?
"You look extra down today... Did you get in an accident on the way home yesterday?"
"...Sometimes you scare me, Eunbangul."
Her eerily sharp guess—was it coincidence? No point hiding it anyway, so Eunha vented about the hit-and-run deja vu. The girl patted her back, saying it was exam stress.
The rabbit's gentle kindness soothed her. It was embarrassing yet nice being comforted by this pint-sized girl who fit perfectly in her arms.
"Huh?... What's this?"
"What's up?"
"Was my body always this soft?"
But then, Eunbangul, snug in her arms, suddenly prodded Eunha's body.
"Me?... Self-Regeneration keeps muscle from building, but it shouldn't shrink either."
"It's subtle, but definite. You're fluffier than before."
Goosebumps from the probing hands. Eunha tried to shake off the monkey-like rabbit girl clinging to her.
Tremble...
But her muscleless, floppy arms couldn't dislodge even one delicate girl. Chuckling wryly at her own weakness, Eunha relaxed.
This was Self-Regeneration's biggest flaw. No muscle growth.
"Mm... Oh right, coffee! I'll bring it quick—let's drink before opening! Sit tight."
Satisfied with the hug, Eunbangul returned to the kitchen. She plopped the fallen ochre hat back on, hummed a tune, and loaded caramel syrup into the cup.
"...Thanks."
"Of course~."
The girl swayed happily. While Eunbangul prepared coffee, Eunha changed in the break room.
Easy black pants, crisp white shirt, checkered apron with big pockets... Dressed in the cafe uniform, she straightened up in the full-length mirror.
Thanks to Self-Regeneration, no fat or height gain—always the same size. Great for shopping, no size confusion.
"...Why does the uniform feel tight today?"
But today, it felt off. Staring at her reflection, she was called out—coffee ready. She hurried back.
"Took longer to change today?"
"You don't time that too, do you?"
"Of course I do~."
Eunbangul had set coffee and snacks on the table. Eunha sat across, enjoying sweet coffee time with the cute rabbit girl until opening.
Tinkle—.
"Good morning, Eunha. Eunbangul. I'm first today as always."
"Hello. Good morning to you too, Banharin."
"Morning, Harin unnie~."
Right at opening, a cool beauty entered. The regular joined their table smoothly; a bitter espresso waited, prepared by Eunbangul.
She picked it up naturally, expressing thanks.
"Thank you... But Eunha, your complexion looks poor today. Were you in an accident?"
"What's written on my face anyway?"
"More importantly, Harin unnie! Feel this! It's bigger!"
"Eunbangul. Even with friends, groping someone is... Banharin, hands off too. This is my body!"
May 2nd. Thirty days until the next Hunter Promotion Exam. Recalling the shock of the red sports car hit-and-run and the lingering ache in her knee and head, Eunha began her usual laid-back day.