Another Wish Coupon for the Crazy Women (2)

"No."

"But, Manager…!"

Audrey, who had been standing like a stone statue in front of my door since dawn waiting for me, wasn't asking for her usual hug this time.

"You kiss Calathea every single day, don't you?"

…It was a kiss.

"As you know, Calathea used a Wish Coupon for that. But you haven't, right?"

"Then does that count as using one too?"

"That… it's not exactly, but."

When I followed Audrey's pointed gaze into the room, I saw the messy, disheveled bed, the pants lying on the floor… and Calathea, fast asleep with her robe hanging loosely open, completely exposing her bare skin.

It was painfully obvious what kind of misunderstanding she must be having after seeing a scene like this.

"I know this looks incredibly suspicious, okay? She just came to me last night saying she needed someone to talk through some worries, so we talked and ended up falling asleep together. That's all."

"Do you honestly think I'll believe a ridiculous excuse like that?"

"Do I look like the kind of man who would lay a hand on the prisoners under my care, Audrey?"

It was the level of defense that amounted to I didn't technically lie. Still, under normal circumstances Audrey would have nodded without another word. This time, however, she remained completely silent.

"A-anyway, something like a kiss isn't happening without a Wish Coupon."

The very fact that Wish Coupons were being treated like tickets to unlock physical intimacy was bizarre in itself… In the end, I let out a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sigh and clearly refused her. Audrey simply grabbed my collar and stared up at me in silence. Her eyes looked like those of someone who had been betrayed.

"Even if you look at me with those eyes, what can't be done can't be done. And why are you suddenly asking for a kiss anyway…? You weren't the type who liked that sort of thing, Audrey."

"…I just got curious. After what Calathea said."

"You mean yesterday?"

"Yes."

These two bickered like oil and water every single day, yet in reality they were more conscious of each other than anyone else.

"Just once is enough. I only want to know what that kiss Calathea bragged about so much actually feels like."

"Haa…"

Since I had already granted Calathea's request last night, it was only fair to give Audrey the same chance… However, calling a kiss the exact same category of request as a hug was stretching it. A kiss carried far more weight.

"After all, that isn't—"

"Now that I think about it, you also touched Calathea's breasts, didn't you, Manager? You filled your hands with them and even kneaded them like dough."

"……..."

"Oh, right. What were you about to say just now, Manager?"

Faced with Audrey's icy smile, I had no choice but to surrender.

"After we successfully clear the Gate, I'll do it then."

"I'll remember. ……Without fail."

Audrey hugged me tightly, whispered those words into my ear, then coolly turned on her heel and returned to her own room.

…I'm really going to lose my mind.

Since part of this mess was my own fault for letting Calathea manipulate me, I shot a resentful glare at the woman still sleeping soundly without a care in the world. Then I moved to prepare for the day's training session with both of them.

However…

"There are other training rooms in the center. Those—"

Bad news really does come in layers. This time the secretary informed me that the center's training facilities were off-limits. But we couldn't simply skip training. So what now…?

We needed a location where two S-class hunters with poor self-control could go wild without worrying about anyone's eyes on them.

"What is it, Manager? Does that mean we're resting today?"

"…No. I just thought of a place."

After hanging up, I fell into deep thought. Once the two had finished preparing, I loaded them into the car and headed for the 'Zero Gate Erosion Zone' located in a remote area of Hwaseong.

When Gates first began appearing in our world, it was absolute pandemonium. People claimed it was an alien invasion, a sign of the world's collapse, the arrival of the Antichrist, or God's judgment…

While the chaos and human-inflicted damage only worsened, no one could find a proper solution to the Gate crisis. Eventually, uncleared Gates began devouring space and time across the globe. Korea's territory was no exception, and the 'Zero Gate Erosion Zone' here in Hwaseong was exactly one of those places.

"Whoa… the visuals are seriously horrific."

"A landscape completely devoid of any aesthetics."

It was as if an invisible line had been drawn between normal ground and this place. Beyond that boundary existed only a vast expanse of pitch-black darkness. The entire area, stretching ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠all the way to the horizon, looked contaminated. Concrete and everything else had corroded away, leaving nothing but rough, barren soil.

"Can't we just bury this abomination? You know, like reclaiming land from the sea?"

"Restoring it wouldn't change anything. Places eroded by Gates always return to this state. The mana this space itself contains is also harmful to ordinary people who lack resistance to erosion."

The moment ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠an uncleared Gate devours space-time, the mana within that area transforms into negative mana. It gnaws away at life simply by existing, eventually reducing everything to a handful of black dirt. If monsters inside a Gate are hostile toward humans and hunters, then an eroded space feels like the very environment itself has become hostile to all life.

However, hunters possess natural resistance to external mana interference, so as long as they didn't stay long-term, there was no real problem.

Which was exactly why we had come here.

"Starting today, we'll be training here for the time being."

"…Are you out of your mind?"

"Manager, if we've done something wrong, it might be better if you just told us directly."

As expected, both Calathea and Audrey reacted as though they'd heard something they shouldn't have. Anyone would have the same reaction upon being told to train in an erosion zone. Even if it was technically safe for hunters who didn't linger too long, the place was unpleasant to look at.

"Just hear me out. Remember how the center floor got wrecked during your spar last time? That's why we can't use the center for a while."

"There are plenty of other training facilities, aren't there?"

"Even private training grounds would end up the same. If we used a mountain or something, damaging that would cause serious problems too. So I came up with this—an erosion zone where it doesn't matter if two S-classes go all out."

"Hmm…"

Even after my short, clean explanation, the cold, frozen looks in Calathea's and Audrey's eyes didn't change. Normally S-class hunters had access to training facilities and specially prepared personal rooms, but these two were in a unique situation. They first needed to build coordination with each other. That was the deciding factor.

Yesterday's spar was quite satisfying.

The standard approach of individual training and practicing coordination against monster dummies was too slow. We had only one week. There wasn't enough time for such a leisurely, safe course.

But now that I knew how conscious they were of each other despite pretending otherwise, having them spar like yesterday would revive their combat instincts while letting them naturally analyze each other's formulas and movements.

If we could achieve that much, it would be enough to compensate for their lack of forced teamwork. This was the last-resort plan I had come up with while putting Calathea to sleep last night.

The only problem was—

"Aha, so you're trying to trick us into sparring again for training?"

"Your scheme is so obvious I can't even pretend to fall for it."

"…Was it that noticeable?"

If they realized this wasn't a fight they had started themselves but one I had orchestrated for training purposes, their motivation would plummet just like now.

"No, it's obvious you brought us to a place like this so we could have a massive brawl. You're not fooling anyone."

"Still… isn't there any way around it?"

"I don't think so. The fact that you tried to deceive us like this isn't a beautiful act at all."

"Right, right♡ It was an act with zero fun whatsoever."

"I'm even starting to feel like just going back to the lodging… What should we do about this?"

Despite their words, Calathea was grinning from ear to ear while Audrey kept sneaking glances at me, pretending to be indifferent. Their eyes were clearly hoping for something from me.

Maybe I spoiled them too much right from the start?

Still, if Wish Coupons could keep these two under control, it was ultimately a profitable trade… Faced with two women who were essentially bandits, I raised the white flag after a brief moment of thought.

"Fine. Then until we head out for the subjugation… whoever wins the most spars over the next five days will get one Wish Coupon."

"Not just handing them out, but…"

"…Only to the winner of the spars?"

"There needs to be a prize on the line for you to take it seriously. How about it? Isn't this reasonable?"

I couldn't just hand out a Wish Coupon to everyone every single time they asked, so this seemed like a fair compromise. From Calathea and Audrey's perspective, the possibility of suffering for five days with nothing to show for it might be unsatisfying, but they would still see it as better than training with no reward at all.

"So if I win the spars, Madness won't get to make a wish to the Manager? Hmm, I like that♪"

"The loser's delusions are already getting out of hand. The one who will claim the Manager's Wish Coupon will be me."

…Or maybe not.

"Manager, shall we start right now?"

"Do whatever you want."

After exchanging glances, Calathea and Audrey moved a good distance away from me and faced each other.

"Yesterday the Manager forcibly stopped us, so it couldn't be helped. Today I won't hold back, so you'd better be careful."

"Ahaha♪ Look who's talking? I'll make sure to pay you back for that belly punch I couldn't land yesterday, so prepare yourself♡"

"……..."

"……Let's go."

In an environment where they didn't need to worry about collateral damage, plus the dopamine of winning a Wish Coupon and stealing one from the loser, the spar that followed was nothing short of a bloodbath.

Every time Calathea's baseball bat slammed into the ground, dirt exploded like cannon fire. Every time Audrey's muzzle flashed with blue light, deadly cold air burst forth…

"T-this round doesn't count! Do it again!"

"As many times as you like. However, that one win still belongs to me. That fact won't change."

"Ugh—!"

Unlike simply hitting training dummies in the center, their growth was visible by the second, by the hour.

"I prepared some snacks, so eat while you rest."

"Ah, sure. Just leave it there. I'll eat it later."

"I'll do the same, Manager."

Even during short breaks between spars.

"If I do it like this… Hmm, no. Twist my body to the right and shift my center of gravity…"

Even after returning to the lodging once training ended.

They were so focused on figuring out how to defeat their opponent that even Calathea stopped teasing me. She simply stared into space, analyzing her techniques.

With the two of them displaying such unexpectedly explosive motivation, time flowed on…

On the fifth day of training, in the evening before the A-class Gate subjugation request from the Hunter Agency, with the deadline looming tomorrow.

"The score is currently fifty-fifty. Whoever wins this final spar will take the Wish Coupon. Understood?"

In the middle of the black erosion zone that had been utterly demolished over five days thanks to these two, Calathea and Audrey glared at each other and nodded.

"Don't worry, Manager. Once I win this Wish Coupon, I'll definitely devour you."

"So that such an unaesthetic wish doesn't come true, I'll do my best as well."

"…I'm begging you, please."

After looking back and forth at the two elegantly standing S-class hunters covered in dust, I raised my arm high and then brought it down as the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠signal.

"Alright, let's gooo——!"

The final spar with the Wish Coupon on the line had begun.