The Eve of Spring
The day before spring.
Riiiiing!
“Ugh…”
The loud alarm clock echoed through the room. Mina had bought the thing specifically to drag herself out of bed—she was terrible at waking up—and it performed its duty with ruthless efficiency. After all, when the little hammer on top was hammering both bells in rapid succession, staying asleep was physically impossible.
Even so, her body had grown used to the long holiday. She stayed buried under the covers, refusing to surface, until—
“Grrrrr!”
“Kyaa?!”
Something heavy landed on her stomach. Mina shrieked and shot upright.
“Wait—what time is it?”
She stared blankly at the Welsh Corgi now perched on her belly. The dog’s face was scrunched in an almost frown, wrinkles forming across the bridge of its nose. The realization that the holidays were truly over hit her like cold water. She scrambled up, fumbling for the alarm clock.
Luckily the time was close to her usual wake-up hour. Mina let out a breath of relief—then noticed the alarm had stopped. She double-checked it.
“Pomi… did you do this?”
This particular clock was designed so it would never shut off unless she physically got out of bed and turned it off herself. Yet here it was, silent.
“Huff!”
When she looked at her dog after the once-reliable function had stopped on its own, Pomi simply snorted as if to ask what the problem was, then hopped down from the bed.
Click-click-click.
Mina watched the corgi trot away, claws lightly scraping the floor, before she went through her usual routine—washing up and putting on her hunter gear.
Ding! Clank!
The toaster she had bought ages ago for quick breakfasts gave a cheerful ring, its spring mechanism humming. Mina had no memory of touching it yesterday or today. Yet a perfectly toasted slice of bread now sat on the plate, crisp and golden brown.
The toaster had definitely gone off, but the only trace left was the lingering warmth in the empty appliance, proof that the bread had been there moments earlier.
“Must be from that coupon batch I redeemed.”
Mina usually grabbed something from the convenience store, but she occasionally bought bakery bread and had accumulated enough stamps to exchange for a bag. That bag now lay open on the counter.
Now, if we’re talking about this product!
She was still examining the perfectly prepared toast—something she had taken no part in making—when she heard the television click on.
Under normal circumstances she might have been terrified, assuming the place was haunted. But Mina knew exactly who was behind the phenomenon, so she felt no fear.
In front of the TV sat Pomi, lounging comfortably and staring at the screen. The remote was tucked neatly between the corgi’s short front legs.
“You’re not even trying to hide it anymore, huh?”
“Woof.”
The dog barked in answer. Mina sighed, wondering how things had come to this. She had once joked that she hoped her pet would awaken to magic, but it had only been a joke. Not long ago she had seen a dachshund rampage like a monster; if Pomi had similar power, she wasn’t sure she could handle it.
It’s not the kind of thing that appears just because you wish for it.
She had never imagined her little dog would actually possess real magic. What truly left her speechless was that after the first demonstration, Pomi had stopped hiding it. Instead the corgi acted as though it were the most natural thing in the world, freely moving objects around the house.
Anyone else would have called it a poltergeist. But when the objects moved with clear purpose—making breakfast, turning on the TV—what then?
Slide.
“Th-thanks…”
As Mina sat at the table and picked up the toast, a knife slid over beside her and a jar of peanut butter unscrewed its own lid. She broke into a cold sweat.
Pomi’s ability was clearly telekinesis. It felt exactly like having a butler. She had never expected to have breakfast prepared so diligently when she was usually too busy or short on time to bother.
It’s convenient. Extremely convenient… but it feels like I’m the one being looked after.
At this rate it seemed less like she was taking care of Pomi and more like Pomi was taking care of her. A strange, hard-to-define sense of crisis settled over her.
Now that I think about it, there were times I searched for something only to find it in a spot I was certain it hadn’t been before.
They had been such small things that she had brushed them off, assuming she simply hadn’t looked carefully enough. Other times she could have sworn she hadn’t brought an important item, yet there it was. Or objects she thought she had lost would reappear in their proper places, perfectly intact.
The more she reflected, the more she realized how many odd incidents she had casually ignored. And all of them had begun not long after she brought Pomi home.
Mina decided to think positively. Yes—if Pomi could act independently, she wouldn’t have to worry as much about leaving the dog alone.
“Woof! Woof woof!”
“You scared me! Pomi, what’s wrong?”
She had been chewing on the peanut-butter toast, glossy with melted butter, when the sudden barking made her look up. Pomi was standing there with the alarm clock gripped in its mouth, staring at her expectantly.
“Ah! It’s already that late! I’m heading out, Pomi!”
“Woof.”
Only then did Mina check the time. She shoved the rest of the toast into her mouth, grabbed her bag, and rushed out the door. As she walked briskly down the street she muttered to herself.
“…Am I even qualified to call myself an owner?”
A growing sense of crisis sent another cold sweat down her back, but she only quickened her steps.
“Oh, Mina! Did you have a good holiday?”
“Yes, I did. Did you enjoy yours as well, Team Leader?”
She had barely settled into her seat at the office when a man approached with a group of hunters trailing behind him. He greeted her warmly. Mina smiled awkwardly and returned the greeting.
He was the hunter who had led her team during the gate incident involving Gu Gang-woo. She was grateful he still treated her kindly.
Yet the people who had followed him in were mostly staring at her with clear displeasure. They had been on the same team in that gate, but none of them offered so much as a greeting before finding their seats.
Sigh. As expected.
In truth, their relationship had been strained ever since Mina became an A-rank hunter and joined the team. Even though they were supposed to be teammates, they had always regarded her with obvious disapproval.
The very first thing she had heard upon entering that gate was, “Don’t get cocky just because you’re an A-rank now. Stay out of our way.”
That was the level of welcome she had received.
Other teams, however, did not share the same rigid atmosphere.
“What did you do over the break?”
“What else? My nephew came over and trashed the place. Spent the whole day cleaning.”
Just listening to the casual chatter around the office made it clear how friendly most teams were.
“How bad could it be…?”
“There’s a hole in the wall.”
“…Did you hand the kid a drill?”
“He awakened last year. Goddamn it.”
Once more people arrived, the office buzzed like a marketplace even though everyone wore neat suits. Few people actually sat in chairs; some perched on desks while they talked. That lively chaos was normal here.
But at Mina’s team’s corner—
…………
Unlike the noisy surroundings, her team was deathly silent, as though attending a funeral. They even sat rigidly in their chairs with solemn expressions, practically radiating the message that they were different from everyone else.
Why did I have to get assigned to this team of all teams?!
Mina screamed inside her head.
Surprisingly, the team members weren’t particularly close with one another either. From their point of view, Mina was simply the most unpleasant addition of all.
The reason was obvious: it had to do with Gu Gang-woo. She could feel it. Their cold treatment—acting as if she didn’t exist—had begun right after that gate incident.
“Unbelievable. People like Mina who don’t even go into the field insist on sitting at their desks like that.”
“Ahaha…”
When the team leader clicked his tongue, Mina could only laugh awkwardly. She couldn’t bring herself to agree. In this workplace, unless you were at least a manager, it was far more unusual for someone to be doing paperwork. No matter how neatly dressed they were, these people were hunters who could be called to the front lines at any moment to risk their lives against monsters.
Then why am I the only one stuck doing the one thing that should be normal for everyone else?
While Mina was inwardly crying, a familiar voice rang out.
“Everyone, attention!”
Manager Oh appeared holding a thick stack of documents. He banged on his desk to get their attention. The office fell silent at once. Mina felt a spark of hope—this time, maybe she would finally receive a proper assignment.