I Cook. You Eat.
I cook. You eat.
Dreamouth.
I had heard that name a few times in the past.
A foreign-affiliated company, one of the major corporations quite famous among Black Hunter enterprises.
Of course, I had only ever heard the name. I knew almost nothing about its internal situation, and even searching online turned up little beyond trivial scraps of information.
After all, Black Hunters—legal or illegal—tend to keep their work quiet...
One way or another, as a group that privately possessed armed force, maintaining secrecy was only natural. Their work could bring them into conflict not only with Abysses but with other Black Hunters or criminal organizations, so security of that sort was essential.
With those thoughts in mind, I followed Are’s guidance into the building.
The interior was every bit as clean and polished as any major corporate headquarters. I vaguely guessed that, too, was a form of security.
The exterior didn’t even display the company name. On maps it appeared under a completely different one...
As someone with residual military clearance for certain classified matters, I had little trouble confirming this was Dreamouth headquarters. To ordinary eyes, though, it would have looked like nothing more than an ordinary car company.
After clearing the thorough security, I boarded the elevator with Are.
“The executive office where we live is on the seventh floor—the top floor of this building. As an aside, the three basement levels house a shelter, munitions warehouse, and training ground. Floors two through five are quarters for the regular hunters. The sixth floor holds the large conference room and operations command center, so you’ll probably work mainly there when handling commissions.”
“I see. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Lee Are explained in a calm, slightly businesslike voice. Unlike when she had been driving earlier, she once again showed the same composed demeanor as when we first met.
“I’ve already informed them that the Adjutant is arriving. The other two A-class hunters should be waiting as well.”
“Understood.”
Having worked alongside S-class hunters, I honestly felt no great tension at the prospect of A-class ones. Still, since we would be working together from now on…
I only hoped they would be decent people—unlike those bitches. Or at the very least, people I could actually talk to.
A moment later the elevator reached the seventh floor. I stepped out with Are and followed the corridor until a room came into view.
It resembled the executive office of a Hunter Guild: work desks lined the walls, and a sofa for rest and conversation sat in the center. Yet it was a little more spacious than the guild version, free of the military’s characteristic tightness, and felt far more comfortable.
On that central sofa sat two women who were clearly the remaining A-class hunters Are had mentioned.
“Oh! You’re here, you’re here! Welcome, new Adjutant!”
The first to catch my eye was a Korean woman who looked to be in her early twenties, calling out to me in a lively voice. She was pretty, still carrying a girlish air, lively yet with a faintly delinquent edge. Lightly tanned skin, a gold-dyed ponytail—exactly the sort of look that automatically brought the phrase “golden sun” to mind.
Just looking at her, I can pretty much guess why she got discharged from a Hunter Guild...
As I regarded the woman who radiated anything but ordinary from her appearance alone, Are spoke quietly beside me.
“This is another A-class hunter on our team. Her name is—”
“My name’s Jogus! Nice to meet you, Adjutant!”
“Yu. Gwon. Sun. Jogus is just a nickname she made up on her own, so please disregard it.”
At Yu Gwon-sun’s words, Lee Are cut in and firmly corrected the name. Gwon-sun puffed her cheeks in a faintly cute sulk.
“Aww, come on! Don’t call me by that old-fashioned name! What’s ‘Yu Gwon-sun’ even supposed to mean?!”
“A real name is still a real name. Even if you later ask to be called by a nickname, please don’t try to scam the Adjutant from the very first meeting.”
“Ugh...”
Even if the original meaning of the name was fine, paired with that rough appearance and personality it was the perfect recipe for comments about the mismatch.
While Are and Gwon-sun lightly bickered, I turned my gaze to the other woman still seated on the sofa, leisurely sipping tea and watching me. Our eyes met, and she offered a languid smile before greeting me in a light voice.
“Bonjour. Are you our new aide?”
A Western woman in her mid-twenties who gave off an unmistakably lazy air. Judging by her language she was French, and the moment I saw her an automatic note of admiration rose inside me.
Slightly wavy red hair, milky-fair skin, and large, jewel-like blue eyes. She surpassed even Are and Gwon-sun—both of whom would be considered quite beautiful among ordinary people. She was so beautiful one could easily believe she was a film actress, and the unique mystique of a Westerner only heightened the effect. Looking at her, a single word floated unbidden into my mind.
Goddess… that’s the word for moments like this, right?
I momentarily wore a blank expression before the beauty radiating both loveliness and a sacred sort of presence. Then I remembered that this was my first day and the first meeting with my new colleagues, and I greeted her politely.
“Ah… yes. I’m the new adjutant, Lee Jinhyun. Please take care of me.”
“Nice to meet you, Lee Jinhyun aide. My name is Grace Ri Syu. Please take care of me as well.”
Even her greeting carried a deep languor. She then yawned widely in the same leisurely manner, picked up a cookie from the table, and began munching on it. Honestly, even that simple action looked to me like a goddess nibbling on a snack—strangely mystical.
Then a voice with a touch of sternness—big sister’s voice—reached my ears. Lee Are’s voice.
“Everyone, please pay attention. I’ve already introduced him, but once more: this is Lee Jinhyun, former adjutant of the 28th Hunter Guild, who will now serve as adjutant of our Dreamouth. From this point forward he will take full charge of our operational processes and commission management. Please follow his instructions faithfully.”
“Yes!”
“Well… alright.”
Gwon-sun answered Are’s words with bright energy; Glass replied as if mildly tired. Looking at their contrasting reactions, I felt both that the situation was a little unusual and that the days ahead might prove rather interesting.
Then—
“Well then, shall we begin with Repas according to schedule?”
“Agreed.”
“Ah, has it already gotten that late? Understood. Jinhyun-ssi, it’s fine for you to join us, isn’t it?”
“Yes, of course. I’d be glad to.”
I had just registered that it was exactly lunchtime and was beginning to feel a little hungry.
Private armed groups like Black Hunters, subject to various government regulations, faced heavy restrictions on hiring cooks, cleaners, and the like. There were always under-the-table methods, of course, but more than one company had been thoroughly gutted by the already razor-sharp audits and forced to close its doors after getting caught. Such risks were best avoided. In the end, even if inconvenient, basic household chores were usually handled by the hunters themselves—the ones who could be called legally employed full-time staff.
Bearing that in mind, I was about to stand and head for the small kitchen visible to the side without anyone even asking me when—
“Hm? Where are you going, Adjutant?”
“Yes? Ah… at the mention of mealtime I just automatically… By the way, how do meals work here?”
Back at the Hunter Guild, meal preparation had always been my responsibility—whether ordering delivery, going out to buy something, or cooking it myself.
Looking at me as I prepared to act the same way I always had, Are spoke in a calm voice.
“Here, meals are usually prepared in rotation by the three of us who always stick together as executives.”
“Ah… I see. Understood. Then I should join that rotation as well.”
Recognizing that this was already far better than shouldering everything alone as before, I answered with a note of relief.
The next moment she gently shook her head, a faint bitter smile on her lips.
“No. Even so, we can’t place that kind of burden on the Adjutant. You’re an executive, but the Adjutant’s role is heavier and far more demanding than ours.”
“I agree. Honestly, among the executives the one who suffers the most day-to-day is the Adjutant, right? No need to force yourself to help with meals on top of that.”
“Ah…”
They spoke to me—a brand-new arrival—as if they already knew every hardship of my past days. For a moment I felt a lump rise in my throat and could not even manage a reply. I carefully sat back down.
Watching me, Glass slowly rose from her seat and spoke for the first time in a voice that carried something like resolve.
“Reconnaître… I think so as well. And today’s meal duty is mine, so please just sit and wait a moment, aide.”
With that she tied on the apron hanging nearby and headed for the kitchen.
Looking at her—a hunter yet volunteering to cook for us herself—I began to feel genuine faith welling up toward the woman who already seemed like a goddess.