No More Words for Those Unwilling to Pass the Test
BAM! “A-A-A-A-Are you insane? How can you suggest something so shameless?!”
She forgot they were in a café and yelled at the top of her lungs.
“Shouting like that, everyone around will hear.”
“Oh, ahem……”
“Does that mean you can't do it?”
“O-Of course! Even so, to a total stranger I've just met…… I can't do that!”
“Got it. Negotiations broken off, then. Take care.”
“Huh?”
Lee Hye-ri stared at me in bewilderment.
“It's my unique tutoring method. A kind of shame test. Unfortunately, Hye-ri, you've failed it.”
“……N-No, how is that……”
“I have nothing more to say.”
“W-Wait a second.”
“Conversation's over. The coffee was great. Thanks for recommending the place.”
I stood up without a second thought.
This was the opening move to seize control as her teacher.
Between us, she was the one lacking and regretting it. I needed to clearly show who held the power—who was the dominant one.
The reason for coming on strong was simple. The sister of the world-class hunter Lee Kang-san. A supernova-level talent on top of that. The problem? She herself didn't want to use that supernova talent. But that didn't matter.
In the hunter world, Lee Hye-ri was as good as born with a golden spoon. A brother at the pinnacle, overwhelming talent of her own. Me? A half-baked hunter stripped of his license and kicked out.
To teach her properly, I needed control. Otherwise, I'd just be dragged around. Being led by the nose wasn't my style, and I had my pride as a teacher. No way was I letting a student pull my strings.
That won't do.
If Lee Hye-ri rejected my offer and backed out here, I'd have to move on to the next target, regrettable as it was. I had nothing to lose.
But did she? No. She had plenty to lose.
A supernova dealer who wanted to be a tank. Everyone around her tried to dissuade her, saying tanking didn't suit her, but she stubbornly insisted on becoming a tank like her brother Lee Kang-san.
I couldn't fathom why she refused to use her own talent. But if I could just figure that out? Convincing her to drop tanking and go dealer would be a breeze.
The reason Lee Hye-ri came to me was to become the ultimate tank. But I had no intention of letting that happen.
Who in their right mind turns an at-minimum S-rank dealer into an A-rank tank? Every single fighter's power matters to me. Sorry if it feels like deception.
I'm planning to raise you into the ultimate dealer.
If she knew, she'd bolt from her seat right then. But she didn't seem to have any mind-reading skills.
“E-Excuse me!”
Lee Hye-ri grabbed me as I turned to leave.
“What?”
“S-Something else would be fine. So……”
“Sorry, no alternatives on the table.”
“B-But still……”
She still wouldn't let go of my sleeve.
“Still got something to say?”
“M-Making me strip naked outside……”
“Who do you think I am, a pervert? Strip outside? Do I look like the type who'd make you do that?”
“B-But……”
“But what?”
Lee Hye-ri couldn't continue.
She probably wanted to bring up how I'd stripped Yoo Ara naked for a massage. That night she spied on us like a sneaky rat.
“N-No, it's not that.”
“Anyway, I don't want to talk anymore with someone who has no intention of passing the test.”
“……”
I shook off Lee Hye-ri's arm and left the café.
She fidgeted several times but never fully grabbed me.
It's not over…… seems like.
I saw it. The lingering regret on her face.
Pride kept her from holding me back outright, but her hands still twitched.
I left without another word. Had to finish my daily routine.
I headed to the training center, and Lee Hye-ri didn't follow. At least not today.
She came back to me the very next day.
Ding-dong!
The doorbell rang before 11 a.m. I knew who it was without asking.
Only one person was impatient enough to show up in the morning.
Lee Hye-ri.
She stood there in a fluttering pink dress, staring at the camera with determined eyes.
“What is it?”
-Is it still valid?
“Valid? No idea what you mean.”
-The test you mentioned.
“That test ended yesterday. Water under the bridge, right? Nothing more to say.”
-B-But put yourself in my shoes!
Lee Hye-ri's frantic voice came through the intercom.
“Put myself in your shoes how?”
-H-Honestly, shouldn't you prove you're worth such a shameless demand first?
Hoh, playing it like that?
She wanted to say I wasn't skilled enough to demand something like a test bordering on a command.
Even though she'd come to me because of my skills.
Her lingering pride, no doubt. I got it. First time facing a proposal like this.
“Need I prove it?”
-Huh?
“You already know. About my abilities. Yesterday you said you'd looked into my skills enough to come here, but now you're changing your tune?”
-Th-That's……
“You're not the type to seek a subpar tutor just because you're Lee Kang-san's sister.”
-……
“The fact that you came to me first proves my skills, doesn't it?”
-……
Lee Hye-ri fell silent. I could see her biting her lip.
I didn't respond.
Now it was her choice. Swallow her pride and learn from me, or keep it and study alone.
-You're not wrong…… Fine. Open the door.
Her voice sounded resolved, so I unlocked it.
Lee Hye-ri in casual clothes stood there hesitantly.
“What?”
“I-It’s my first time entering a guy's place……”
“You dating me or something? Come in already.”
“B-But……”
“Stripping's no big deal. If you hate it, leave. I don't want my rest interrupted either.”
“O-Okay. Coming in.”
Lee Hye-ri shuffled inside.
“I-It’s cleaner than I thought.”
“What, thought a guy's place was a demon cave?”
“Not that, but…… no dust anywhere.”
“Well…… nothing much to do since quitting the job.”
Spacious for a single guy, but objectively a modest 19-pyeong apartment. One room, big living room, kitchen.
I'd sold my larger place after quitting hunting and moved here. Spent most on lawyer fees, so renting now, but I was content.
The door closed, and silence fell.
Lee Hye-ri, unable to meet my eyes, shrugged her shoulders, breathing heavily. Her breaths grew rougher.
“O-One more question.”
“I'm getting tired. Make it the last.”
“Okay. Um……”
She hemmed and hawed before continuing.
“Y-You're not planning anything lewd…… right? Y-You might not know, but my brother is Lee Kang-san……”
“I know. Lee Kang-san's sister. Already said that. And no plans for anything lewd you might imagine. I only do things related to lessons.”
“……No ulterior motives, really?”
“Yes.”
“O-Okay. Then…… I'll, uh, strip.”
Lee Hye-ri slipped off her dress.
The fabric brushing her skin rustled softly in my ears.
Swish.
A simple design of underwear emerged. No, more like a sports bra.
Smaller than Yoo Ara's, but the firm breasts hidden by the skin-toned beige bra caught the eye. B-cup? Generously, a borderline C?
Considering it's a sports bra, could be bigger.
But what really grabbed my attention was the sharp 11-pack abs etched on her stomach. The muscles split near her navel amplified her healthy allure.
Fitting for a hunter.
A body worthy of a hunter.
But it irked me. She'd deliberately worn a minimizing sports bra to cover up for stripping.
“This won't do.”
“Huh? What do you mean? I overcame the shame and stripped like you said……”
“Take off the underwear too. Didn't say to wear a sports bra.”
“B-But……”
Resistance again. Time to crush it properly. Establish the hierarchy clearly.
“Strip.”
“……”
“Strip. Or quit if you hate it.”
I spat it out as commandingly as possible.
Lee Hye-ri's eyes wavered as she looked at me.
“Came this far just to quit? Quit if you want. I'll dress you and send you off.”
“Did Ara do this too?”
“Ara? Of course. Even more. To avoid expulsion. Seems you lack that resolve.”
“Fine. But if you try anything else……”
“I won't.”
“Okay.”
Lee Hye-ri turned and removed her sports bra. From behind, her sideboob peeked out past her back.
Hiding it with the sports bra, huh.
Slipping off her sports panties, her firm ass jiggled.
Arms covering her chest, one hand over her crotch, she turned to face me.
I saw it. Her bra and thin panties clutched in her covering hands.
But I let it slide. Ordering the underwear off was just groundwork to make her obey.
“Great body. Hunter-like.”
“Good now? I s-stripped.”
“Good. Well done. Lie down here.”
I pointed to the bed.
“I s-stripped already. Isn't it over?”
“Never said it was.”
“But……”
“Lie down. I won't do anything unnecessary.”
“Why lie down?”
“To diagnose your issues and solutions. Stop anytime if you don't trust me.”
“……”
“Facedown on the bed.”
“O-Okay! Lying down!”
Finally surrendering, Lee Hye-ri lay on the bed.
I stood beside her, stretching my arms out.
“Now for preliminary investigation to identify your problems and improvements. Might hurt a bit—raise your hand if it does.”
“Yes.”
Her muffled voice buried in the pillow.
I placed my hand on her back.
“Eek!! Wh-What are you……”
“Quiet. Told you, investigation time.”
Contact established with target.
Appraisal (SS) activated.
“Ahh!!”
Did I squeeze too hard? Her ass clenched under my grip.
“Y-You said no funny business……”
“Shut up. I'm concentrating right now.”