Hostile Encounters
"What? You don't know? Gah, you really don't know!?" The woman reflected in the glass shards screamed again, clawing at her already disheveled hair as if she had heard Mina's words. "What did you do to me! Gah! What the hell did you—"
—Clang!
Her words were cut short. A beverage can hurled from above struck her squarely on the head.
—Fssshhh
Orange liquid spilled from the dented can, soaking her hair and clothes. Mina stood speechless as a familiar voice rang out.
"Shit! What kind of crazy bitch is causing a scene in front of someone else's house?!"
It was Lee Jun. The can had likely been his throw. The woman, head bowed from the impact, slowly lifted her gaze and looked toward them once more.
"Lee Mina, Lee Mina, LeeMinaLeeMinaLeeMinaLeeMinaLeeMinaLeeMina!!!"
Scary!
As she began chanting Mina's name and gathering her mana again, Mina braced for another shattering impact. Before she could decide what to do—
"Lee Minaaa... Gack!"
"Don't you people ever sleep?!"
This time, a folding chair—also thrown by Lee Jun—struck the woman, sending her sprawling to the ground. Mina wondered whether to call him impressive or simply dense for treating a mana-wielding attacker like a noisy neighbor.
"More importantly, it's still daytime, right?"
"It's nap time."
"Nap time..."
Mina pictured the armored man snoring away and fell silent. Seok-jun tilted a shard of glass to scan their surroundings, then stood up.
"We should leave this place quickly."
They had only just arrived.
"The situation is worse than I thought."
"Mmm, Ice Bear. Why's it so noisy?"
"Just a passing Catsman. No need to worry."
"If Yeeun wakes up too, we'll be in trouble."
Mina understood Seok-jun's words the moment she heard Yeeun's voice from upstairs. Though she had met the girl only a few times, the sheer amount of mana the child could unleash over the smallest things was enough to terrify even her.
"W-where are you going! Gah! Where—ack?!"
"What are you doing? Come on."
As Mina followed Seok-jun toward the car, the woman screamed again. Mina flinched, but Seok-jun simply stepped on the chair pinning the woman down, silencing her.
Stepping on a person like it's nothing...
Mina muttered inwardly even as she climbed into the passenger seat after him. She watched Seok-jun insert a key into the ignition and tilted her head.
"Don't most cars use smart keys these days?"
A vehicle like this would look more natural with one.
"I specifically ordered it with security in mind."
She nodded at his explanation that analog was safer for security, even if less convenient. She had heard similar things before—hunters and Awakeners possessed such varied mana that analog systems were often more reliable.
"Sirius."
At the name he called, Mina stared in shock as something suddenly raised its head from the empty space beside the steering wheel.
The fish just moved?!
She had assumed it was merely a decorative taxidermy model. It had seemed like an eccentric ornament before, but apparently it had other functions.
"Sirius? Who's Sirius? Did you get a new, sleek AI assistant besides me?"
"Th-this is..."
The fish's mouth moved as it spoke in a woman's voice. When it even grew indignant about being called the wrong name, Mina could only gape.
"A woman? So it's a woman. Now that you've brought a real woman into the car, you've forgotten my name?"
The AI's voice pecked at Seok-jun like an angry bird. He pressed his temples as if developing a headache.
"Yes, Scarlet. I just mixed up the old AI. That's enough. Just tell me today's date."
"You should memorize it by now. With an AI like me around, you can forget those outdated things. Today's date is February 14, 2027. The weather is clear."
The fish grumbled yet obeyed, and Mina could only make an indescribable face.
"Your AI is... quite clever."
"You can just call it eccentric. Either I ordered it wrong, or it's always been like this."
"The lady understands my true worth. 2027... Might I ask the lady's name?"
"L-Lee Mina."
Even while repeating the date as instructed, the fish kept interrupting. It was a bizarre sight.
"Two Mina? An unusual name. Considering possible complexes, I'll call you Miss Mina from now on."
"It's just Mina!"
The unnecessary consideration felt almost spiteful. At this point, it hardly seemed like an AI at all.
—Vroooom!
"Where are you going! Ack! Where do you think you're going?!"
As they pulled out of the alley, the woman crawled out from under the chair and reached for the car, but—
"Gack?!"
"Filthy Catsman!"
Another folding chair dropped from above, flattening her once more. Leaving the pitiful figure behind, they exited the alley and merged onto the main road.
"February 14, 2027..."
"That's enough. Stop."
At Seok-jun's command, the fish lowered its head and fell silent again. Mina studied its peculiar personality and appearance before voicing a question.
"Is there a special reason you keep having it repeat the date?"
"That's—tch!"
Seok-jun never got to answer. A gray sedan suddenly cut in from the right corner, forcing him to slam on the brakes. That alone might have been simple reckless driving, but the real problem came next.
"Hey, get out!"
The car blocking them flung open all its doors at once. Four men stepped out, surrounding their vehicle. When Mina saw the aluminum bats in their hands, Seok-jun's voice cut through her confusion.
"Hold on tight!"
—CRASH!
She had no time to respond. Seok-jun rammed their car into the one blocking them, shoving it aside. Because his truck was so large, the empty vehicle slid easily onto the sidewalk.
"Is this really okay?!"
Mina's mouth hung open, but Seok-jun kept driving without hesitation.
"The moment they showed clear intent to harm us, it became their problem. Judging by their behavior, they're an illegal private firm."
"An illegal private firm?"
"An unlicensed hunter office."
Curious glances from passersby flashed past the window, but he continued steering toward the main road.
"An unlicensed hunter office..."
"In simple terms, a place that doesn't shy away from illegal work."
She heard him, yet found it hard to believe.
"But this is the middle of the road..."
"That's why they're using bats instead of blades."
She wondered if that distinction mattered, but Seok-jun continued.
"Still, they wouldn't do something this conspicuous unless someone paid them a lot. Whoever's targeting you must have offered quite the sum."
"What exactly do you mean by 'targeting'?"
She recalled that he had mentioned someone pulling strings earlier. When she asked, he merely shrugged.
"I had a vague suspicion the moment I received your call."
"How..."
"The emotions I usually feel when talking to you were completely absent. In fact, I felt no positive feelings at all."
Mina's eyes widened. She wasn't sure whether to feel pleased that he had been interested in her before, but she listened quietly.
"That's why I went to meet you in person—to confirm."
If direct contact restored your original state, it would likely be a simple mana-based trick.
"But even after I held you, the feelings didn't return."
"Then it's not mana..."
"The reactions of others suggest otherwise. It's probably not a direct mana application on you."
Seok-jun kept checking the rearview mirror as he spoke.
"Based on everyone's reactions and my own feelings so far, it seems like a type of mana that negates or erases positive emotions. Have you noticed anything else strange since this morning?"
Listening to him, Mina suddenly remembered the Bubble Star comments.
"Could this be related too?"
She carefully placed her phone on the console between them, screen displaying the comments. He glanced at it and frowned. Most of the comments were insults or accusations, regardless of the photo.
"Save screenshots of everything. We'll check their attitudes once this is over, separate from the mana issue."
She took the phone back in a daze, then felt a strange sensation and looked at Seok-jun. Even complete strangers were hating her, despising her, and now an unlicensed office was trying to harm her directly.
"Um, Seok-jun. You said you don't feel any positive emotions toward me right now either, right?"
"That's correct."
His casual tone made her hesitate, but she couldn't hold back the question.
"Then why are you helping me?"
Given how everyone else was acting, it wouldn't have been strange if he had simply left her alone.
"Perhaps because I can't accept my emotions as my own."
"What?"
When she stared at him in confusion, he checked the mirror again.
"The psychiatrist said it seems like a form of intellectualization. I don't lack emotions, but I experience them almost as if they belong to someone else."
She could only stare blankly.
"Then how do you usually..."
"It's surprisingly not that inconvenient. In fact, it lets me predict how others will react based on my actions and displayed emotions."
"...Ah."
Mina had no words for the unexpected revelation.
"More than anything, I've seen how you conduct yourself."
Accepting sudden, baseless emotions at face value would be foolish. He would rather trust her usual behavior.
"Hello, Detective Lee?"
[Hey! We got a report. Isn't that your car?]
"Yes. Code Zero."
Even as Mina sat frozen, he continued driving while making the call.