Would You Like to Go Out With Me?
Countless Abysses tore through the forest.
Seized by frenzy, they crashed through the undergrowth without hesitation, surging forward as if anything that stood in their path—whatever it might be—would be smashed to pieces. From the sky, they looked like a black tide pouring between the trees, those hideous monsters racing at full speed toward the place that stirred their instincts: a place thick with the reek of their own kind’s blood and corpses.
And then they arrived.
A cave mouth yawned open like a black maw. Drawn by the blood-scent of their kin drifting from within, the Abysses poured inside without a second thought, driven by pure instinct. Whatever waited for them in there—whatever might be lying in ambush—meant nothing. The only thing that mattered was the command etched into their very nature. Surrendering themselves to it, they pressed deeper and deeper into a cavern where not a single ray of light reached, following the trail of their kin’s blood.
And a short while later…
Through eyes that could pierce the dark, they began to make out the forms of the very kin that had drawn them this far. One lay collapsed on the floor, bleeding out. Around it, the corpses of others already dead. The Abysses scattered through the cave, hunting for whatever had done this.
That was when it started.
Beep… beep… beep… beep…
A strange sound pricked at their hearing. It rose from every corner of the cave, and at the same time, red lights began to glitter in the darkness before their eyes.
Beep… beep… beep-beep-beep-beep… beeeeeep…
And then—
BOOOOOOM!!!!!
In the next instant, a colossal roar erupted as bombs detonated all at once from every direction. The cave the Abysses had entered began to collapse in its entirety. The dozens of creatures that had poured inside were annihilated in a single stroke.
Watching the scene from the airship above, Are reported the outcome in a calm voice.
"First Squad status report. The cave has completely collapsed, and nothing is emerging from within. Enemy silenced. Commission complete."
"Well done. Please return to headquarters."
"Understood, Adjutant."
With that, Are ended the transmission. From the airship, her eyes took in the cave below with perfect clarity—still billowing dust even now. There had been six of them in total. Compared to previous engagements, the preparations had taken a little longer, and there had been a few close calls. Even so, this commission, too, had concluded cleanly—with zero friendly casualties.
"Excellent work. Another perfect victory."
"You're incredible, seriously! Every single fight—a hundred wins out of a hundred! And throughout the whole operation, friendly casualties are basically nonexistent."
"Oh oh, j'ai cru! I knew it! As expected of Aide!"
As always, the hunters showered me with praise without holding back. I should have gotten used to it by now, but it still felt a little awkward and burdensome—though, if I was being honest, it also felt pretty good. Listening to them, I flushed slightly and answered.
"Haha. You're too kind. If anything, I'm the one who should be thanking all of you for trusting me and moving as I ask every time. No matter how good a plan is, it wouldn't mean a thing if you didn't follow my instructions so perfectly."
After the usual round of mutual appreciation for each other's hard work, Kwon Sun and Glass rose from their seats and turned to us.
"Well, the mission's done. As we mentioned before, we'll be stepping out for a bit, Aide."
"Ah—right, today was your weapons inspection day, wasn't it? Take care."
"Haa… Of all days for it to fall on the day a commission ends. Just our luck."
The weapons hunters used were far too powerful for ordinary people to handle—and for that very reason, they required far more meticulous maintenance on a regular schedule. Just as soldiers in a conventional army cleaned and cared for their own firearms, weapon maintenance after combat was the bare minimum for a hunter. But no matter how carefully they looked after their gear, the equipment itself was in a completely different class from something like a standard rifle. At least once a month, they were required to visit a workshop, have their weapons checked, and leave them for repairs if needed.
Today happened to be Kwon Sun and Glass's inspection day. Without even a chance to celebrate completing the commission, the two of them had no choice but to head straight for the workshop. The maintenance would take several hours at the least, so for all practical purposes, the day was over.
Once they left and I found myself alone with Are, a faint awkwardness settled over me.
Come to think of it… it's been a while since it was just the two of us.
Kwon Sun and Glass had been practically glued to Are's side this whole time. Aside from the ride we'd shared when I first arrived here, this was almost the first time we'd had a moment like this. Realizing that, I felt a strange tension creep in—and deliberately spoke up to shake it off.
"Come to think of it… it's already been a little over four months since I came here."
"Yes, it has. Looking at it that way, time really does fly. These four months have gone by in the blink of an eye."
"They really have. Four months… it's already slipped by that fast."
At Are's words, the battles against the Abysses we'd resolved over those four months flickered through my mind. The scale was smaller than what I'd dealt with back at the Hunter Guild—but commanding Dreamouth's hunters gave me a satisfaction and sense of accomplishment that the old days simply couldn't match.
Back then, if I'm honest, it was mostly pure obligation. Now it's more than that. It feels like I'm genuinely working for people I care about.
Thinking that, I glanced at Are's face beside me. As beautiful as ever—a face that looked so much like my sister's. Being alone with someone like her made my chest tighten before I could stop it.
Then Are spoke, as if something had just occurred to her.
"Come to think of it, summer's almost over. With autumn on the way, I should probably go buy some new clothes."
"That's true. The weather's gotten cooler, and the nights barely feel warm anymore."
Looking back, I'd noticed the once-lush trees starting to wither here and there during this last commission. Autumn was definitely approaching. I was already thinking I should factor that into future operations when—
"Um… so, about that… Jinhyun."
"Yes?"
There was a hint of nerves in Are's voice. I looked at her with mild curiosity, and she continued carefully.
"If… if it's all right with you, would you like to go out with me right now? Like I said—pick up some new clothes, and grab a meal together as a little celebration."
"Hmm…"
Her words sent a flicker of tension through me on their own. On the surface, it was just an invitation to go shopping together—but even someone as dense as me about this sort of thing couldn't quite read the situation that simply.
Don't tell me… is this that? Something like… a date invitation?
Back at the Hunter Guild, I'd gone shopping with S-class hunters before. But that had been a billion light-years from anything resembling a date—plain, unambiguous pack-mule duty. This was completely different from the start. The person inviting me wasn't those bitches. It was Are—someone who might as well have been the savior of my life.
As a strange flutter of anticipation stirred in me at her invitation, Are asked in a voice edged with anxious hope.
"Is… is that… not okay?"
"Ah—no. I'd like that too. Shall we head out right now, then?"
I answered, tension still in my voice—and at my words, a quiet smile bloomed across Are's face.