Love Call ④
At that time, it was good that I didn't answer the phone.
They only called me when in a hurry. Now it's none of my business.
“What do you think Siha thinks? The reason Black Wolf collapsed.”
“U, well... I don't really know.”
I tried to dodge the question.
As a former employee, there are some things to poke at.
Like the paltry salary or poor benefits.
Or the excessive bullying by internal hunters.
There were also many bad habits that make one wonder if it's even a mid-tier guild.
Looking back, I endured it pretty well too.
“I can swear to the reason.”
Miho pointed at me with her index finger.
I, the designated one, gave a bewildered expression.
“...What?”
“...The recent collapse of Black Wolf is because of Siha. I think that.”
“W, what? That's too exaggerated.”
The timing was perfectly overlapping.
But that's all. There's no correlation.
No, I did influence it somehow.
Then suddenly remembered.
When I left Black Wolf Guild,
I released the Affection's Touch I had designated to everyone.
Affection's Touch
· Maximizes the growth potential of designated targets.
· Enhances the stats of designated targets.
- The growth multiplier rises in proportion to the affection toward the target.
The period I activated Affection's Touch was about a month.
The guild's atmosphere at that time was perfect.
Since the guild's founding, it achieved the best performance.
It was mentioned in the executive meeting.
Of course, expectations rose.
If the Affection's Touch I designated is released in that situation... the target was raised, but the level dropped unnoticed.
Worse conditions. The result would be inevitable.
“Eh? You have a face like you've thought of something. What is it?”
“Nothing! N, nothing like that...”
Miho, noticing the hint, asked me.
But I frantically denied the situation.
The Affection's Touch, classified as an exceptional EX-rank ability.
Only I know the true nature of the ability.
Strictly speaking, I told Sehyun too.
Sehyun dismissed it casually.
It makes you stronger the more you like it. He said it's goosebumps.
“Siha doesn't have much confidence.”
Miho pouted unhappily.
“I evaluate Siha very highly.”
Swoosh swoosh. Miho suddenly stroked my hand.
“H, guild master?”
“My way of seeing people is something I take pride in.”
Swoosh. Before I knew it, Miho had grabbed my hand.
She held it tightly like interlocking fingers.
“I thought the reason the vice guild master of Black Wolf was engaged to Siha was because of that.”
When the woman was mentioned, my chest tightened.
“Siha is a good person, so she trapped him with the engagement. That person is quite cunning.”
“...”
“Ah, sorry. It must have been an awkward story for Siha. Talking about the ex-fiancé's behind. Is it gloomy?”
Miho carefully checked my complexion.
It seemed she thought it was an uncomfortable topic for me.
“No. I'm fine now. I've forgotten everything.”
“Ahaha, I'm glad you said that.”
Only then did Miho smile in relief.
Soon, the hands they were holding were released.
I was finally released. At that moment of relief,
“Then, will there be a chance for me too?”
“U-uh!?”
Miho came closer to me.
When we sat next to each other, the distance narrowed.
“I wanted to contact you right away but held back.”
“W, waah!?”
The action of stealthily stroking my thigh is a foul.
Even for women, it's not okay.
“Siha must have needed time to calm down. I only contacted you yesterday.”
From Miho, a bewitching perfume scent wafted.
Fundamentally different from me, who looks female on the outside.
“H, guild master...! The distance is close, it's close!?”
Warm breath touched my ear.
I flinched and whimpered pathetically.
“Do you hate me, Siha?”
“No, I, I don't hate...! This is a bit too soon, I think...!”
My shy nature lacks the assertiveness to reject.
I wandered with wandering eyes and only moaned in distress.
“I asked earlier, right? Why I treat Siha so well.”
“...Yes.”
“If I like Siha, what would you do?”
Direct confession.
Heat flushed my face.
Again, same as before. The person who said they like me.
But was there a reason for Miho to like me.
I don't know. Anyway, it was an embarrassing situation.
My head is spinning.
The fever from my body was no joke.
My whole body was hot, like alcohol spreading.
“It's sudden, I don't know well. I haven't thought of guild master in that way...! Wait a minute.”
“U, uh?”
“Even though I'm a woman now, it's okay?”
“Well, how about it. Siha is Siha.”
“You can't end it with such a bland response.”
The reply was too plain.
I was at the point of losing my momentum.
It was a significant matter for me, like a divorce reason.
“Or do you want to return to being a man?”
“...Ugh.”
“Nine Tails Guild might be able to if they exert power. If Siha joins Nine Tails.”
One of the major guilds, Nine Tails.
With support, returning to male would be easier.
“Where did I leave off. I was talking about Siha's joining Nine Tails, right?”
Miho opened her mouth after thinking for a moment.
“Officially, Siha's duties would be dungeon analyst. But that's just a surface title.”
Wrong. My head was spinning.
I drank the wine irresponsibly.
“However, what I want from Siha is different.”
Was it because of the alcohol? It felt like I was hearing hallucinations.
Miho's voice was faint. Moreover, sleepy.
“Guild master...”
“Don't you want to become a hunter?”
A hunter is someone who hunts monsters in dungeons.
Right after hearing that, my upper body collapsed.
If Miho hadn't supported me, it would have been dangerous.
I would have definitely hit my face on the table.
“Ah, aah...”
I couldn't control the drunkenness. My mind was fuzzy.
I might be able to go home alone like this.
“Oh my. You seem quite drunk.”
“It's my fault for troubling you. I think I drank a bit too much.”
“It's okay. It can happen. Hehe.”
Miho smiled generously and checked my condition.
“Conveniently, there's such a coincidence. This is a hotel building, right. There are plenty of rooms to rest in.”
“It's okay. I'll be fine soon. Just rest a little...”
Actually, it was pretense. The drunkenness only deepened.
Using survival instincts, I took out my smartphone.
I was going to ask Sehyun for help.
Since Sehyun is the only one I can rely on.
“Siha, I reserved the suite. I'll pick you up.”
“Hu- huuu-”
Heavy breathing.
I entered Sehyun's number on my smartphone.
Soon, I was about to move my finger to the call button,
“Ah, careful. My hand slipped.”
The call was immediately disconnected as soon as it connected.
It was because Miho accidentally hung up the phone.
“Guild master... what did you do...?”
“It's a minor thing. Come, shall we go to the bed.”
Plop. Without room to resist, my body floated.
When I came to, I was in Miho's arms.
“Since it's just women, it's reassuring to share a room, right?”
“I'm a man...”
“If you're a man, it's okay to sleep over for a day or two, right?”
“It's not okay at all...!”
My consciousness disconnects occasionally.
I was heading somewhere while being held by Miho.
“I’ll just hold your hand. At least tonight.”
I didn't have the energy to maintain my consciousness anymore.
While relying on Miho, my consciousness gradually faded.
Just before consciousness closed,
The last voice I heard was strange.
Perhaps it was because of my wish.
“Siha!”
Sehyun's voice lingered in my ear.
Even though I hadn't even made the call.
---
Siha goes to meet a woman.
The opponent is the guild master of Nine Tails.
After learning that fact,
Sehyun's mind didn't calm down.
I don't know the reason. Just worry came to the fore.
He's already deeply hurt because of women. What if something like this happens again.
Seeing Siha, who had finished dressing for the sake of the promise, Sehyun was even more troubled.
After becoming a woman, he was always in gym clothes in front of me.
When I honestly answered that he was pretty, I got hit.
“The word pretty crossed a line. Rather say 'cute' or something. Then I can understand.”
Siha grumbled while showing embarrassed expressions.
The expression 'cute' might not be embarrassing enough.
I can't understand the psychology of the best friend.
Actually, Sehyun's own psychology is a mystery.
Why did I follow Siha secretly.
Sehyun secretly followed Siha's back.
The guild master of Nine Tails, Eun Miho, has interest in Siha.
It felt a bit uneasy somewhere.
Why Siha of all people.
And the ominous sign matched exactly.
Miho trying to kidnap the exhausted Siha.
Sehyun caught Miho's criminal act on the spot.
“Oh my. It's the Bullseye Evil Eye.”
Miho noticed Sehyun first.
The expression clearly showed the uncomfortable feeling.
If her face was mosaic, it wouldn't be unpleasant.
Sehyun clicked his tongue unhappily.
Sehyun was the same.
“Where are you trying to kidnap Siha?”
I discarded the shabby greeting.
Sehyun immediately shot at Miho from the start.
“Kidnap? The expression is a bit exaggerated.”
“I want to get Siha back.”
“Oh. Get back. It's like treating Siha as your own property?”
Miho's voice was sarcastic.
The tense nerve battle pressed them against each other.
“Do I have the right to do so?”
“Why?”
Sehyun responded sharply to Miho's question.
“I’m like Siha's guardian or something.”
If Siha heard it, he would get angry. Who is the guardian.
But this is an emergency. I can't lose in the game of nerves.
“I can't watch Siha being toyed with by an outsider woman.”
Sehyun warned Miho like a threat.
It felt like becoming an older brother protecting his little sister.