Unbelievable Timing
One. Two. Three. Four…!
"We're Spirit Idols, Nature!"
"Nature!"
"It's Nature…!"
"…..Ah, yes."
Nice to meet you?
Should I even be glad?
Well, it's work, so I at least have to act like I am.
With that in mind, I turned my head sideways and asked.
"Did you put them up to this?"
"I don't know. It's weird. I'm scared too."
Hyewon was innocent, at least.
Which meant the culprit was one of those three.
Unable to contain my curiosity any longer, I finally asked the woman who looked like the leader.
"Is there a particular reason you're wearing maid outfits?"
"Ah, lately maid cafés have been opening up in Seoul and they're really popular. So we thought we'd try copying that!"
"Ah, I see."
I smiled and pointed toward the changing room.
"Go change and come back."
"What?"
"Right now."
"………"
Her expression froze solid.
At a glance she looked flustered that things weren't going her way, but I had zero intention of playing along with that nonsense.
If people come for training, they wear clothes suitable for training. Who shows up in a maid outfit?
They're acting like elementary school kids welcoming people at a basketball court in maid outfits.
Hurry up and go.
I jerked my chin toward the door, and only then did she start moving. The timid-looking girl trailed after her into the changing room as well.
"Hey, even if you're the instructor, you can't just do that, right?"
"Yeah. Looks like physiognomy really is a statistical science after all."
"What?"
"If you've got fire, that says everything."
As a rule, spirits match according to the contractor's disposition. Unless the spirit is an extreme pure-love fanatic or the mana quality is high enough to override preference, most pairings follow affinity.
In that sense, I knew exactly how to handle a flame-like woman with a fire spirit.
"You're good at fighting, right?"
"What?"
"Follow me to the sparring room."
"…You. You're the same type as me, huh?"
Not exactly the same major. I'd just seen a few people like her before.
"I believe clothes should match the situation, the place, and the atmosphere—but if you've got enough combat power to overcome that, then it's no problem."
"Nice. I like you. So I'll only beat you half to death."
The woman smiled fiercely. Hidden under the maid outfit, I could just make out the outlines of her stockings.
Those muscles…
A warrior's muscles. Firm thighs. Solid foundation. Before becoming a Spirit Contractor she must have stood on the front lines as a warrior—a shield knight. And probably at a fairly high rank. From the aura I glimpsed, she might have climbed as high as B-rank.
I don't know what a woman who's climbed that high is missing that she wants to be an idol, but…
Well, personal choice is free. No one can force that.
So—
"Alright, let's go at it!"
Toward the woman charging at me with a training wooden sword drawn—
SLAAAAAP!!!
"Kyaaaaaa?!!"
"Go at what."
Slapping that firm ass is also my freedom, I suppose.
"Were you very surprised?"
"Ah, President Hyewon!"
"Ah… hello…"
Hyewon had followed them into the changing room. She soothed the two thoroughly flustered women and continued.
"He probably doesn't say things like that out of malice. He's just the type who calls right right and wrong wrong."
""Yeees….""
They looked visibly deflated. This alone wasn't enough to lift the mood.
Hyewon let out a small sigh, pulled out her tablet, and showed them a photo.
"Harin-ssi. Do you happen to know this person?"
"…This is."
Did they know?
"That's the instructor from earlier, right?"
"….Yes."
Right. If they already knew, they wouldn't have reacted like that.
Hyewon nodded slightly and played the video.
[This is fucking insane… just fucking stop already…]
He was gasping for breath, completely exhausted. Several people already lay collapsed around him, and in front of him a tidal wave of monsters was surging forward.
"H-… is this the Bukhansan Front?"
"Yes. That's right, Sujin-ssi. The Bukhansan Front. Footage from the outbreak that day."
They said the boss monster, the Black Tortoise, was slain by the S-rank Hero Party. But this was the other side of the subjugation force—the story of the one who held the defensive line so everyone else could live.
Before an overwhelmingly superior flood of numbers, the man drew a deep breath.
[Ahh… I really didn't want to use this here!]
""………""
A strangely powerful line. Everyone focused.
[If anyone sees this, they're definitely going to tell me to become an S-rank hunter!]
"…Huh?"
Isn't this—bl—?
Nam Sujin alone tilted her head as she watched.
"Watch carefully."
Light filled the man's body.
"Almighty Hecate."
"Purify them."
⟨ Divine Purification ⟩
"The person who will teach you. The techniques you need to learn."
A curtain of light. A sacred, sublime mass of radiance. Warm rays like silk gently stretched toward the horde of monsters—
[───Kyaaaaaaaa!!!!]
The monsters' bodies melted. Hit by the white thermal rays, they dissolved into unrecognizable sludge and collapsed to the ground. They died and died. Only a pure white luminous form remained standing in that place.
[Ha.]
As the light faded, the man sank to the ground where he stood and muttered,
[I don't want to die without even losing my virginity…]
"""…………"""
He said… virginity.
The three of them fell silent. They had just witnessed something incredible, but the man's virgin declaration had wiped their brains clean. Their minds felt like they were drifting off toward some distant galaxy.
"Ahem, ahem!"
Barely recovering, Hyewon turned off the tablet and gathered their attention again.
…Aack.
"This virgin—no. This man is Instructor Kim Sunwoo, who will be teaching you from now on. Personal rank: A. And like you, he's a Spirit Contractor."
"An A-rank Spirit Contractor…?"
"Yes. Unfortunately Lady Elysia already has her own assignment, so we couldn't bring her in."
"No! Even A-rank alone puts him in the top 1% of awakeners, and on top of that he's a Spirit Contractor…"
One of the truly handful of Spirit Contractors who existed. Even if he was overshadowed by the Hero's glory, he was still an awakener who would never be looked down on anywhere.
SLAP
"Having an awakener like that as our instructor…"
"So all of you, don't think too badly of him and just diligently extract every bit of know-how you can. Understood?"
"Yes! President Hyewon!"
Jeon Harin answered brightly and cheerfully. But in the middle of it Nam Sujin timidly raised her hand.
SLAAAAAP…!
"Yes, Sujin-ssi. Did you have something to say?"
"Um… don't you hear a weird sound coming from outside…?"
"Outside? What kind of sound from outsi—
—SLAAAAAAAAAP!
—HIGIIIIIII?!!
"""……………"""
Hmm.
Now that you mention it.
"Yeonhwa-ssi. Where are you?"
""…………!!""
Knowing Hong Yeonhwa's personality, the three of them shot to their feet. She was definitely fighting. She was definitely picking a fight. And of all people, her opponent was an A-rank awakener?
It wouldn't be strange if she got turned into Hong / Yeon / Hwa right there on the spot.
"Don't tell me…!"
Hyewon burst out of the changing room and turned toward where Sunwoo was—
SLAAAAAAAAAP!
"Higiiiiit?!! You… you fucking pervert…!"
"Too slow."
"…..Eh?"
There stood Yeonhwa with her ass swollen bright red, and Sunwoo casually waving a handkerchief at her like a matador.
It felt exactly like watching a Spanish bullfight.
"I'm going to kill you… for real, I'm really going to kill you…!!"
Hong Yeonhwa ignited flames along her sword and charged. Flames so intense they looked ready to burn everything. Hot enough that even a graze would leave burns—
SLAAAAAP!
"Wow. Now your ass is redder than the flames. I could throw some meat on there and grill it."
"You… youuuu!!!"
She couldn't even graze him. He leisurely spanked her again. Eventually her strength gave out and she collapsed right there. Sunwoo planted a foot on her head and said,
"Trash cut."
"….Ugh."
Yeonhwa's face was pressed into the floor. The scene looked halfway like abuse, and Hyewon felt a small flicker of fear. She knew he wouldn't do that to her, but when this man got vicious, he really did go all the way.
"Hm? Ah, you all saw everything?"
"…Isn't that a bit too much?"
"Too much? A firework that can't tell right from wrong and just sprays sparks needs its fuse cut completely or it becomes a pain later."
"But she's an idol."
"Idol my ass. Just a little punk."
Only then did Sunwoo remove his foot. But Yeonhwa still stayed right where she was.
"I get that you're too embarrassed to get up, but if you keep lying there I'll spank you again."
"…Son of a bitch."
"I'm no Buddha. In front of a beast I become a beast myself."
"…………"
She glared, but there was almost no hostility left. As a rule, half-hearted anger gets regulated in the face of genuine violence. From the look of it she had just evolved from anger-management issues to excellent anger management, so Sunwoo approached her again.
"!,…W-what are you doing! You think I'm just going to keep taking it?!"
"So what exactly can you do?"
"Ugh! U…uuuugh…!"
He placed his hand on her bright-red, swollen ass.
"Seiren. Do me a favor."
[Why? she's a bad person, right? Bad people should be hurt!]
"She's a good girl now, so it's fine."
[Is that so?]
Even gold spoons get nicer after a few beatings.
Seiren looked puzzled but still let water droplets fall onto my palm. A light blue coating of water formed over my hand again. The only difference from earlier was—
"Nn… hah… haaaaah…"
"Good girl. Stay still. Finally listening."
"……………"
—that this time the touch was for healing, not pain. The soft waves of water settled over Yeonhwa's ass and gradually soothed the pain. Her skin improved enough that anyone could see it. Her expression grew more comfortable.
Around the time the door to her heart began to open a little—
"In front of the instructor you obey orders. Understood?"
"….Yes."
"Then go change and come out. Don't make me say it twice."
"…..Tch."
She clicked her tongue lightly but still rose obediently. Well, the first impression was established, so things should go smoother later.
That said…
"""………"""
"…What are you staring at me like that for?"
Eyes like they were looking at some rare animal. Hyewon soon broke into a soft smile and walked up to me.
"This is why I trust you, Oppa."
"Don't say weird things and go change yourself."
"What? Me?"
"You're still a D-rank awakener. Better practice ahead of time so you don't collapse later."
"Ahn, wait, aaaah! I'm busy! Oppa, you know how busy I am!"
"Busy or not, you still have to do what you have to do."
Uu. Aa. Aa. Aa. Aa.
I dragged the dying-sounding Hyewon into the changing room as well—
Beep-ring ♬
…Hm?
"What now."
A notification had popped up on my phone. Half unconsciously I tapped it—
"Uh."
[Ohgok♥ Ok♥ oooooooh♥♥♥]
"Wait a second."
Th-this is not it. This is a resonance trap!
I frantically tried to hit the power button, but I was in such a hurry that the phone suddenly lagged. Thanks to that, the training center was mercilessly filled with the sounds of ohgok-ook balls.
"Got it…!"
I finally managed to shut the phone off and stop any more sound from blaring—
"""………"""
"…It's a misunderstanding."
The eyes looking at me. Unlike earlier, these ones had a slight tinge of disgust.
"So you really were a pervert after all."
"…………"
What do I do.
I suddenly wanted to kill myself. Maybe I had already socially committed suicide.
While my mind reeled, only Seiren nuzzled against me with little whines of comfort.
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
"As expected…"
"Because he's a man…"
"Because he's a virgin…"
"…..Bullshit."
The sound of her fins slapping the floor rang out with truly artistic beauty.