Episode 27: Date
Episode 27: Date
"You came out earlier than I thought. You haven't been waiting long, have you?"
"Ah, I just arrived too. Ha, hahah."
She scratched her head with an awkward smile.
Looking at her expression, it was obvious she had been there for a while, but I didn't bother pointing that out.
I looked at Yoo Ara.
Her hair ends, which she had clearly put a lot of effort into styling with a curling iron, were slightly curled and swaying.
With lightly applied blush on her white skin, dark eyeliner, and red lips.
She was, quite literally, fully geared up.
She was wearing a blue striped shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, and underneath, a white cropped camisole with a short hem was daringly exposing her skin.
Her cleavage was visible at a glance, and her smooth abs were exposed.
Should I say she felt like a pure college student and a healthily attractive woman at the same time?
Thanks to the ivory denim shorts she was wearing, her thighs were also exposed.
Her white skin, which didn't seem to fit a hunter, was impressive.
The scent of orange shampoo from her hair tickled my nose.
Maybe it was because she always greeted me in comfortable clothes.
Seeing her fully geared up like this felt unfamiliar.
"W-what are you staring at so intensely?"
"Just because. You're pretty."
"Eek! W-what are you saying such things so casually for?"
"I was just stating my honest impression."
"Ugh... Forget it."
Yoo Ara, who had been wiggling her fingers, looked at me.
"T-Teacher is handsome too. More than usual."
"Are you saying I'm ugly usually?"
"That's not what I meant, but think whatever you want."
I wore a beige linen shirt with near-black bootcut pants. I paired them with brown shoes to aim for a neat design.
It was a carefully selected look, thinking it was only right to dress neatly since I was going on a date.
Since I put in the effort and she said it was okay.
'Feels good, though.'
Sniff, sniff.
Yoo Ara approached me strangely close, twitching her nose and sniffing.
"I put on some perfume, is it okay?"
"N-n-no! I-it's not good?"
"Really? Hmm, was this a mismatch?"
I smelled the perfume I had applied to my wrist.
It was a scent I personally liked, so I wore it, but I guess it wasn't very good.
Well, not everything can be perfect.
"Aren't you hungry?"
"Ah, yes. A l-little?"
"Let's go. The place will be full."
"Ah, yes."
Honestly, when she used her wish to go on a date, I was at a loss as to where to start or what to do.
It made sense, as I had never been on a date with a woman while attending the academy, and since becoming a hunter, I hadn't even had time to date.
So, this kind of situation was incredibly awkward for me.
But showing that I was flustered wouldn't be good.
It wouldn't be cool.
At the very least, I should show that I, the older one, am leading.
So, I searched here and there for recommended date courses.
Since there were so many restaurants to eat at near Gangnam Station, I didn't need to search for long.
I chose the most date-like and safe food.
Pasta.
Even after the gates opened and hunters appeared, date courses didn't change much.
Well, it's obvious.
-♪♩♪♩♪~~.
A pasta restaurant with soft classical music playing.
The atmosphere was quite decent.
We sat down after being guided by an overly kind staff member.
We ordered two pasta dishes and one small pizza.
Hunters are people who basically consume more calories than regular people.
Even ordering this much, it should be enough.
"Then, I will bring it to you shortly."
The staff left.
"......."
"......."
Silence settled over the table.
What should I say?
I couldn't figure out what she was thinking at all.
Still, I had to start a conversation.
"You worked hard on the exam."
"Ah, no. It's thanks to Teacher teaching me well that I passed."
"Since I taught you, I thought you'd definitely take 1st place, but seeing it happen felt good."
"Ah......."
Yoo Ara hesitated for a moment before asking me.
"Um, Teacher, you said you watched it."
"The exam?"
"Yes. How was it?"
"Who? You?"
Yoo Ara nodded her head vigorously.
"Hmm... First of all, I liked how you composed yourself from the start and scouted the surroundings. And I liked how you were suspicious of whether there were any villains even after finding the survivor......."
"Th-that's not what I mean."
"Then?"
"Th-that......."
She wiggled again.
"Was I, by any chance, u-ugly?"
"What?"
"When I was dodging Harold's attacks, I was covered in dust and sand, it was a mess. And after that, I got dirty because of the fighting."
I smiled at her.
There were students who often worried about this.
Whether they looked a mess on TV.
It made sense.
This 2nd exam was broadcast not only on YouTube but also on TV.
Naturally, they couldn't help but care about how they looked on TV.
"A hunter is at their coolest and prettiest when they're covered in dust. Because it means they fought that devotedly."
I continued, looking at Yoo Ara.
"So, among the other students in the video, you were the prettiest. So don't worry about that."
"I-is that so?"
"Yeah."
"That's a relief. Since Teacher said I was pretty."
Her face turned red.
She seemed to have cheered up a bit.
[Yoo Ara : Conquest Rate - 84%]
It went up again.
Even though I didn't say much.
A flushed face and an increased Conquest Rate.
Did she misunderstand my words in a different way?
'Maybe I'm just being self-conscious.'
I held my tongue, thinking that if I asked for no reason, it might cause a strange misunderstanding.
In the meantime, the food arrived.
The pasta and pizza were plated so beautifully that I wanted to take a picture.
Of course, my fork went out before the camera did.
It was a quite enjoyable meal time.
We talked about this and that while eating.
From trivial stories to somewhat serious ones.
"Before I met Teacher, I really thought about whether I should give up on the academy. I always studied and tried so hard that I had dark circles, but it didn't go well."
"Aren't you going down this vacation?"
"I think I will, but I don't think I'll stay long. A week at most?"
Yoo Ara, who had taken a small spoonful, continued.
"Let's stop talking about class now."
We talked quite a bit about personal things too.
"What's Teacher's preferred style of woman?"
"Preferred style of woman?"
"Yes. Like how you want her appearance to be, what kind of hairstyle you like, what kind of personality you like, things like that."
"......Is this a blind date?"
"Oh, come on, just answer."
"I don't really have one. Just......."
"Just?"
"Someone I can trust."
"Someone you can trust?"
"Yeah. I got burned pretty badly in the past."
"Ah."
The back of my head still stung from being hit by my ex-girlfriend, Shin Seo-ah.
I didn't know she would hook up with Daeseong.
"Trust......."
She repeated it quietly and even nodded to herself.
We chatted while eating for quite a long time.
Perhaps she's a light eater, but Yoo Ara didn't eat that much.
"If you're done, shall we go watch a movie?"
"I'll pay for lunch."
"Forget it. Today is a gift for you, Ara, so I'll pay for everything."
"But still......."
"If you really want to, buy me a cup of coffee later."
I had no intention of getting a free meal from a student.
Since she was already paying a considerable amount for tuition.
After eating, we moved to the movie theater.
The movie was a blockbuster action film based on the true story of past hunters.
It was a movie that was a hot topic because Choi Ho-seon, the younger brother of the 7 Heroes' Choi Ho-cheol, was starring in it.
'Not fun.'
Honestly, it wasn't fun.
It wasn't just "not fun," it was really not fun.
It was a movie where you could see the shallow trick of trying to make it a hit just by using the names of hunters and actors.
Was that why?
Tingle, tingle.
I could feel Yoo Ara's gaze glancing at me from the side.
I could also see her peeking at me in the dark, occasionally wrinkling her nose and sniffing.
Did she think I wouldn't notice?
Sniff, sniff.
Her actions were becoming more and more bold.
Observing her actions was more fun than the movie.
Although she didn't seem to realize it because the theater was dark.
Seeing her fingers twitching and trying to reach for me, I was certain.
'She really has feelings for me.'
I don't know what triggered her interest in me, but she definitely had feelings for me.
[Yoo Ara : Conquest Rate - 87%]
The Conquest Rate, which was increasing even at this very moment, proved it.
Of course, I'm not sure how to take this.
[If you have sex after 100% Conquest Rate, you can use Yoo Ara's active skill - Psychokinesis (B) 5 times.]
The status window saying I can obtain an active skill if I sleep with her after 100% Conquest Rate.
Should I sleep with her because of this?
Or should I ignore her feelings like that?
Or if not that, should I take her seriously too?
It was even harder because it wasn't a problem with a right answer.
I glanced at her twitching fingers and, pretending not to notice, reached out my hand toward her.
I gently took Yoo Ara's hand.
"Your hands are cold. You should have told me beforehand."
"Ah......."
I couldn't see well because it was dark, but I could tell her face had turned bright red.
The boring movie was longer than I thought, and Yoo Ara's hand was softer than I thought.
Only after the movie ended did I let go of her hand.
"You're okay now, right?"
"......Yes."
She couldn't lift her head.
The conversation with Si-woo Teacher was enjoyable.
We didn't talk about anything special, but I found myself focusing on his words and reacting to every single word he said.
His words just stuck in my ears.
Is it because I dressed up nicely today, unlike usual?
Or because of the good scent coming from him?
If not that.
'The fact that he held my hand earlier?'
Thinking about it again, my face turned red.
I was just watching Teacher focus on the movie, and I kept getting closer, and at some point, he reached out his hand and held mine.
He didn't see me sniffing him, right?
I felt embarrassed.
"Ughhh."
Today, I made up my mind to seduce him, so I dressed up well and even wore my winning underwear.
But why am I going this far?
Someone might ask.
We're just teacher and student.
But Si-woo Teacher wasn't just a simple tutor.
He was someone who could do mysterious things that no one else could ever do.
Like making a student on the verge of expulsion take 1st place.
'I never want to lose him to anyone else.'
I wanted to know more about him and share more things with him.
I wanted to monopolize so much of him.
I wanted him, with his abilities, to only look at me.
I thought I would get angry watching him look at other students, so, cowardly as it was, I used my wish ticket to try and make him fall for me.
To get a little closer so he couldn't escape, that's why I made this opportunity.
If necessary, I was even thinking of giving him everything I had.
As I went on a date with Si-woo like that, I felt it more.
'Our Teacher is charming.'
Beyond just his abilities, that he is a charming man.
Of course, he wasn't a romantic partner.
It makes sense, as there is a bit of an age gap.
Then what is this attraction?
Simple admiration?
Awe for his abilities?
I don't know.
But one thing was certain.
That I want to keep being with Si-woo.
"Were you satisfied enough?"
Si-woo Teacher, who ate dinner deliciously at an expensive Japanese restaurant, asks.
Asking if it was as good as the wish I used.
It was better than I thought.
Just being together was fun.
Even though we didn't do anything special, it was enjoyable.
It was so good that I found myself staring intently at his profile without realizing it.
So, just a little more.
I wanted to be with him just a little bit longer.
She grabbed Kim Si-woo's sleeve.
"Um, Teacher."
"Yeah?"
"Would you like to have a drink?"
"A drink?"
"You didn't drink when we had dinner earlier. So, let's have a drink at my place."
A motel was a bit scary.
But drinking at a bar, for some reason, I didn't think the mood I wanted would come out.
So I chose my place.
A familiar and, at the same time, comfortable space.
If it's here.
Maybe I can put the final touch?
"A drink?"
"Do you not want to?"
"It's not that."
"Let's just drink a little. It's vacation now, so I don't have to go to school."
Yoo Ara decided to pester him just a little bit.