A Weekend Leave on the Line

There was no set manual for the Attack Team's training.

Since every member was an A-Rank or S-Rank hunter, it was merely a way for everyone to gather and warm up before tackling the Tower.

It was nothing more, nothing less.

Of course, guilds whose Attack Team leaders were close would sometimes hold friendly matches.

"Yena, are you done warming up?"

"Ah, yes. I just finished."

"Then you should participate in the friendly match too. The Pegasus Guild has some new rookies, and they want to test their skills."

A bolt from the blue struck Lee Yena, who had been huddled in a corner, healing her soul by listening to Eunwoo's voice recordings.

"..."

As Lee Yena's face crumpled, Attack Team Leader Kim Harin let out a chuckle and slowly approached her.

She then whispered into Yena's ear.

"If you beat all three of their rookies, I'll give you weekend leave. How about it?"

Normally, Yena would have said she didn't need a weekend off and would rather spend that time training.

But things were different now.

Her mind was completely occupied by the image of herself on a date with Eunwoo under the warm spring sunshine.

"Do I just need to beat all three of them at once?"

"Sigh, Yena, let's use some common sense. Of course it's one-on-one..."

Honestly, the current Yena felt like she could easily overpower three A-Rank hunters even if they all attacked her at once.

In her seven years as a hunter, she had never been this motivated.

"Shall we start right away, then?"

Among all hunters, A-Rank hunters belonged to the top five percent.

And among them, only one percent could ascend to S-Rank.

Explaining how incredible it was for Lee Yena to reach such a realm at the mere age of twenty-seven would only waste one's breath.

At the news that Yena was participating in a friendly match for the first time since achieving S-Rank, hunters in the training ground began to gather one by one.

Seeing Yena stretching and loosening up her body, the spectators who had come after hearing the rumors cheered and went wild.

One might expect her to feel tense in such a heating atmosphere, but Yena's expression remained completely unfazed.

Just what kind of man could have won over a girl like her?

At first, Harin thought Kim Ajin was just talking nonsense after hearing some strange rumor again.

But then she remembered the sound of Yena's laughter coming from the dormitory last night.

Even Kim Harin, who had been by Yena's side for the past seven years, had never seen her laugh so foolishly.

And when she put up weekend leave as ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a reward...

Kim Harin became certain.

Just as Kim Ajin said, she was one hundred percent sure Yena had a boyfriend.

As soon as the referee signaled the start, Hunter Choi Hanseong drew his sword and dashed forward.

For a rookie in the Attack Team, this friendly match was a massive opportunity.

If he could fight on equal terms with Yena here, he ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠would instantly rise to stardom.

However...

Everyone has a plan.

Until they get hit.

In the split second Choi Hanseong swung his sword wide,

Yena's fist slammed brutally into his abdomen.

*THUD!*

*BOOM!*

"Cough...!"

Crashing into the wall with a deafening roar, Hunter Choi Hanseong coughed up blood and collapsed onto the floor.

Meanwhile, the one who had taken down her opponent in a single blow spoke with a chilling smile.

"Harin-unni, only two left!"

"Ah, right..."

Looking at Yena's state, Harin felt a pang of guilt, wondering if she had unleashed a monster on the Pegasus rookies.

Maybe I should have just given her the leave...

It had already been a week since Yena and I restored our relationship as childhood friends.

Yena was holding back much better than I had feared.

Honestly, when I gave her permission to contact me, I expected at least a hundred missed calls a day...

But seeing that she only called about ten times, she had definitely grown compared to seven years ago.

"I just got off work."

"Tell me about it. Yesterday, my manager wouldn't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠let me go home, and I thought I was going to die of exhaustion."

"Pfft, forget it. Did you start the Attack Team's joint training today?"

"Hey, aren't you not supposed to talk about that? What if I leak it?"

"Hmm, is that so?"

"Hold on a second."

I grabbed the calendar on my desk to check my schedule.

"Hello? Sunday looks tough because of a business trip out of town, but luckily Saturday is free."

Did she want to go on a date?

Well, it was about time she brought it up.

Over the past week, she had clearly been holding back out of consideration for me, which made me feel a bit sorry for her.

Come to think of it, even before we dated, the two of us used to hang out all the time.

Of course, it had been so long, and since we spent far more time dating than just being childhood friends, I couldn't remember exactly what we did for fun.

"Then should we meet up on Saturday and grab dinner together?"

"Alright, alright. Take a deep breath, Yena."

Hearing her foolish laugh for the first time in a while made me want to laugh along with her.

"We still have plenty of time, so let's decide slowly."

"Oho, it's nice having a rich childhood friend."

"...Look at the time. I should go wash up. I'll call you again tomorrow."

*Click.*

I hung up the phone, trying my best to ignore the deep regret lingering in Yena's voice.

"Whew... This is seriously hard to resist."

Yena seemed worried that I wouldn't call her, but in reality, it was the opposite.

I was starting to realize it myself.

Ever since I started talking to Yena on the phone, my behavior and expression had become much brighter.

"Maybe I shouldn't have started this in the first place..."

But what could I do?

Calling Yena had already become an important part of my daily routine...

"Anyway, where should we go on Saturday..."

I decided to ask Gayeong at work tomorrow.

In the dead of night, when everyone else was fast asleep,

Lee Yena was busily moving around, preparing for her date with Eunwoo.

Honestly, she was half excited and half terrified.

After all, it was their first date in seven years.

While she fluttered at the thought of meeting Eunwoo, she couldn't shake the anxiety of What if I can't make him happy?

That was why she had to prepare even more thoroughly.

"Hyeonju, what do you think of this outfit?"

"Hey! Kim Hyeonju, are you asleep? Wake up! Hyeonju! Wake up!!!"

Yena knew it too.

She knew exactly how much of a nuisance she was being to Hyeonju right now.

But what could she do?

Hyeonju was the only person she could ask for advice in this situation.

If she asked Senior Ajin, that unni had too big of a mouth.

And Harin seemed like someone who had absolutely no interest in romance.

As Yena pouted and slumped to the floor, a deep sigh echoed, and the screen of the video call lit up.

"Hehe, okay! Let's start with this outfit first!"

After running a fashion show for about three hours,

the date outfit was finally decided.

A black dress accented with a white ribbon, paired with Mary Jane shoes.

And as her final trump card, black over-the-knee socks that reached just above her knees.

It felt incredibly cheap to wear the over-the-knee socks now, when Eunwoo had practically begged her to wear them back when they were dating...

But if it could sway Eunwoo's heart even a little, she didn't care how cheap it was.

"How about this?"

"H-he's not my boyfriend yet..."

Though, to be precise, he was her ex-boyfriend.

Hearing Hyeonju's completely soulless voice, Yena briefly considered changing the outfit, but she knew that if she changed one more time, Hyeonju might actually lose her temper.

She had to be satisfied with this for today.

"Ah, right. Hyeonju, now we have to choose a bag."