Crisis Never Takes a Break
The news anchor's voice droned from the television in the living room.
I clicked the remote. The screen went black.
"Looks like it's been taken care of. The public opinion, I mean."
I set the remote down and leaned back lazily on the sofa. I'd given them a little threat—something along the lines of 'Should I just quit?'—and it seemed the old raccoon of an association president had gotten scared and actually done his job. The boiling criticism that had felt like someone was deliberately fanning the flames had died down in an instant.
The restaurant owner's testimony that the men who had picked a fight with Calathea and Audrey had actually started secretly filming the moment they approached our table. On top of that, the tragic and heartbreaking story about Audrey and her father, which had been released all at once as press material. And finally, the viral story about their orphanage volunteer work had been swallowed hook, line, and sinker.
The slightly embellished heartwarming anecdotes spread in the form of eyewitness accounts from the orphanage teachers, along with short videos and photos of Calathea and Audrey playing with the children, had swept across the internet in a flash. Honestly, more than the lukewarm good deeds, I think Calathea's ass in the middle of those videos did most of the heavy lifting.
"Look, Manager! There's even a video edited to only show the scenes with my butt!"
"...Doesn't that bother you at all?"
Calathea, who had been proudly showing me her phone screen from beside me, tilted her head in confusion. Then she leaned in with a sly, wicked smile.
"Aha♪ This delicious-looking ass is supposed to be for my eyes only... so you're mad that other people get to see it too?"
"Not even close."
"Oh come on. If the Manager wants, I could let you touch it anytime. Since we're on the subject, how about right now?"
With a smile like a provocative young girl, Calathea suddenly thrust her face toward me. Maybe because I'd been kissing her every single day lately, I'd unconsciously started looking at her lips first whenever I faced her. At least after I realized it, I'd been consciously snapping my gaze up to her eyes... but the problem was that she caught me every single time.
"Why are you getting all shy, Manager? Don't be like that... That face of yours is exactly what drives me absolutely crazy. Or are you doing it on purpose, knowing how I feel?"
"I-I'm not trying to drive you crazy or anything—"
"Isn't it so ironic, hmm? The harder you desperately reject me, the more excited I get..."
Calathea bit her blood-red lips and plopped herself right on top of me. Then she deliberately pressed and rubbed her ass against my thigh, whispering into my ear in a voice full of pure delight.
"So? How about this ass that's all plump and perky right now? Want to touch it? Want to spank it? Aren't you curious what kind of sound it'd make if you slapped it with all your strength?"
"...No matter how you look at it, aren't you praising your own ass a little too much?"
"It's not just empty bragging. You could confirm that if you touched it yourself♡"
Even as I tried to brush it off like it was no big deal, she kept provoking me. And while provoking me, Calathea continued to observe me with those seductively curved crimson eyes. Her one and only source of entertainment. In her world filled with nothing but the same boring 'faces,' I was the 'face' that kept bringing her new fun every time.
"Hey, should I just kiss you like this...? Should I shove my tongue in and mess you up completely?"
"You said kisses taste better when you're tired after training. Forgot already?"
"I know that, but... Aah, seriously! Don't you think once a day is way too stingy? We're full-grown adults kissing, and it's only once a day!"
The deadly atmosphere from moments ago had completely vanished. Now she was pouting her lips like a sulky high school girl. Sometimes when she acted like this, she really just looked like an ordinary young woman.
"If the Manager would just let me do whatever I want with him... it'd be comfortable and nice for both of us. Don't you think?"
"...Enough. Go get ready for the training ground."
"Tch—"
When I put on a straight face and lightly bumped her forehead, she realized there was nothing to gain by clinging any longer. Grumbling, Calathea got up from her spot.
'Falling for the seduction, huh...'
She talked as if she desperately wanted me to do exactly that. And of course, she probably meant it. But if it actually happened, she'd be the most disappointed one of all. The moment I completely gave in to her temptation, I'd become just another one of the common 'faces' in the world she looked at. And from someone like that, Calathea wouldn't get any enjoyment at all.
Her contradictory, impossible wish was exactly what made me realize all over again just how insane she really was.
'She really went crazy in the most exhausting way possible.'
I let out a long yawn and stood up, heading to the kitchen to make brunch for everyone.
...Or at least, I tried to.
That was before I noticed Audrey standing right beside me, as if she'd been waiting her turn.
"W-were you watching?"
"No. I turned my head away because I couldn't bear to look."
"......I see."
"More importantly, Manager... May I ask for it again today?"
"Uh, right now?"
"Right now."
Audrey stood there in her usual immaculate suit, exuding her cold beauty even first thing in the morning. On the surface, she gave off an aloof aura that seemed like it would never easily allow anyone to approach... yet here we were.
"So, just a hug like before, right?"
"...Yes. This is perfect."
Ever since she'd wished for the 'unlock' of hugs from me not long ago, it had become part of her daily routine to come seeking one whenever she had the chance. It wasn't anything sticky like what Calathea did. She simply pressed herself close against my chest and stayed there, holding on tight. That was all.
And on top of that—
"Manager, that too. Quickly."
"Yeah, I know... I know, alright."
There was one more thing she demanded.
"Mmm... Your silver hair looks even prettier today. The texture is nice and it flows so smoothly."
"...Does it?"
"Yeah, it's sparkling so much. It's beautiful."
".........♬"
While murmuring the praise in a low voice only she could hear, I gently stroked her hair. During the very first hug after granting her wish, I'd done this and it had pleased her so much that even though the wish itself was only for a hug, this had naturally become part of the service. Well, it wasn't like someone asking me to spank their ass. Giving her a wholesome hug and stroking her hair was something I could easily do.
That said... even this wholesome hug had a bit of a side effect.
"By the way, Audrey? I need to start preparing food—ugh...!"
"........."
"Okay, okay. Can you ease up on your arms a little? Please?"
If I showed even the slightest sign of pulling away before she was satisfied, she'd clamp down on me like this—squeezing so tight there was no escape. On top of that, her body temperature seemed to drop even further, and the breath against my neck grew rough, as if she were angry...
"I'm sorry, Audrey. Let me make it up to you... okay? There, there. Good girl, good girl..."
"Promise you won't leave."
"Alright. I'll stay right here until you're satisfied. Is that okay? Yeah?"
Once again I pulled her in completely, holding her without any gaps, and soothed her with the gentle tone you'd use to calm a fussy child. Only then did the iron grip around my torso slowly loosen. She even rubbed her forehead against my shoulder in satisfaction, like she'd gotten exactly what she wanted.
'Phew... I barely survived that one.'
When I thought about how hugging her like this was essentially a way to temporarily soothe the wounds left by her enormous loss, I could understand why she clung to me so desperately to keep me from going anywhere. Even though I was nothing like her late father in age or appearance, she was clearly projecting him onto me.
Still, it was a bit heavy for someone who wasn't actually her father. During these hugs she seemed to regress into a child, showing far more emotional ups and downs than her usual cold and calculating self.
"Huu... haa... huu, haaa..."
"Audrey, are you okay?"
"I'm... fine..."
Perhaps because a sudden surge of emotion had overwhelmed her, she buried her face against my neck until her lips were almost touching my skin, taking deep, deep breaths to steady herself. In this position where we were pressed together so tightly that we could feel every curve of each other's bodies, her rough breathing against my neck couldn't help but feel incredibly strange.
"Um, if you're going to breathe on me like that while clinging so close..."
"Manager's scent isn't bad, so don't worry. Actually... it's a very comforting smell..."
"R-really? Well, that's good then."
I couldn't exactly scold her for it, so I simply continued holding her. This wasn't the cold, haughty S-Class hunter I knew. This was Audrey Winter, someone desperately seeking someone to lean on.
"My name... don't stop. Keep calling me."
"Audrey. Sweet, beautiful Audrey..."
".........♪"
We spent that idle time together, just the two of us, until finally Audrey—now wearing a satisfied expression—pulled away from my embrace. Just before she did, though—
"...I'll be asking again next time, Manager."
She clutched my collar tightly as she whispered those words with an excitement she couldn't quite hide. By now, they were starting to sound a little terrifying.
"Drained already and it's only morning..."
After a much happier Audrey returned to her room and I was finally alone, I collapsed weakly onto the living room sofa. The prisoner unit definitely hadn't felt like this at the beginning. Wasn't it supposed to be about monitoring those two crazy women so they wouldn't cause trouble, cleaning up after their messes? That kind of mission?
'Now I'm just a babysitter taking care of kids.'
Playing with the outgoing Calathea child, indulging the introverted Audrey child's whining. That's all I did all day. Sure, they were doing their self-training properly because I'd ordered them to, but we still hadn't even gotten close to the actual gate subjugation that the prisoner unit had been created for. Honestly, neither of them was in any condition to be sent into the field yet...
"......What the?"
Lost in thought, I suddenly heard my phone ringing. When I checked it, an unfamiliar number was displayed on the screen. Work-related calls usually came through my secretary, but just in case, I answered. A young man's voice came through.
[Hello. Am I speaking with Seong Yohan, Guild Master of Trinity?]
"Yes, that's correct. May I ask who's calling...?"
[This is the Hunter Administration Bureau. We have a matter to discuss. We'd like to request that the prisoner unit under Seong Yohan subjugate an A-Class Gate that has appeared at Seoho Park in Suwon City.]
Requesting a gate subjugation...?
[As you know, the prisoner unit has no right to refuse.]
The voice on the other end of the line delivered that utterly shitty statement in the most cheerful tone imaginable.