A Nutritious Meal for Our Child (Age 25)
“Statistically speaking, a licensed professional hunter has roughly a forty percent chance of dying on their first raid. In other words, four of the ten people sitting here will die the moment they step into a gate.”
“…….”
“That is why I told all of you to bring your weapons. So that, should the worst happen, you will be able to protect yourselves.”
“…….”
The mood sank as if someone had dumped a bucket of cold water over the room. Not a single freshman could laugh after being told they might die the instant they entered a gate.
“Hahaha!”
Hunter Kim Jaehyun burst out laughing without warning. The students tilted their heads in confusion.
“Sorry about that. I was just trying to scare you a little. The statistic is real, but that probability doesn’t apply to everyone. With top-tier talent like yours—Felix Academy’s special class—it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say you’ll all grow into veterans without anyone dying at all.”
The students let out long sighs of relief. Beside Lua, Himari gave a slow nod as well.
“It feels a little awkward to say this myself, but my colleagues and I are frankly overqualified for a C-class gate like this. So your safety won’t be a problem.”
That much was true. Olympus Guild’s First Raid Division was normally deployed to A-class gates, or higher.
In short, today’s raid was the equivalent of using a butcher’s cleaver to kill a chicken.
“That said, don’t let your guard down. However small it is, and even if this is only an observation trip, a gate is still a gate. Understood?”
“Yes!”
“All right, then. I’ll explain today’s plan in detail.”
Hunter Kim Jaehyun’s briefing continued without pause the entire way toward the mainland.
Great. No skipping this part, either…
Lua pouted. She had gotten up early, she was sleepy, and now she wasn’t even allowed to doze off. On top of that, she had already heard this speech hundreds of times in the game, so it held zero entertainment value.
The core of it boiled down to this: in the morning they would take a quick look around Olympus Guild Headquarters, eat the lunch provided at the guild cafeteria, and in the afternoon they would finally enter the gate for the raid.
“The raid itself won’t take all that long, so first, to help with your future career exploration, we’ll stop by the guild’s exhibition hall for a bit and—”
“Haaahwn.”
“Are you sleepy?”
Himari, seated beside her, must have noticed Lua’s small yawn; she leaned in and whispered against Lua’s ear.
“You’re welcome to lean on me, if you like.”
Himari’s voice slipping straight into her ear made Lua jolt and shake her head hard.
“I-I’m fine! No—I mean, I’m okay!”
“Is that so?”
Himari looked faintly disappointed. Fully awake now, Lua pressed a hand to her chest to steady herself and stared out the window.
Was that a bit much?
Getting closer to Himari would only help with everything still to come—but the real problem was Lua herself. Thanks to that wretched social anxiety of hers, anyone who so much as spoke to her made her flinch or refuse on instinct, which made building any real friendship nearly impossible.
If I’m going to stick to the plan, I’m going to have to get this personality under control to some degree…
While Lua was thinking that, the bus was already rolling into the parking garage of a magnificent high-rise.
—Screech!
“Whoa, it’s really the Olympus headquarters.”
“I’ve never been here before.”
“It’s so shiny…!”
Excited gasps rose from the freshmen.
“I’ve decided, got it!”
Yu Juju’s buoyant voice rang out from the very back seat.
“I’m taking down today’s gate boss myself and joining this place early, got it!”
The boys sitting with her piled on against her bragging one after another.
“Yeah, right. Like a boss is gonna go down to someone like you.”
“A C-class boss wouldn’t even get a scratch if it stood there and let you hit it!”
“You little—!”
Yu Juju swung a fist in mock fury—then broke into her usual big, hearty laugh.
She really is a total social butterfly.
To Lua, that level of people skills was completely incomprehensible. With affinity like that, Juju might as well have been from another world entirely.
“All right, everyone off!”
The bus stopped, and under Kim Jaehyun’s guidance the freshmen filed out.
“This way, please! I’ll begin the introduction!”
Lua followed at the very back of the line, taking in her surroundings. It was unmistakably the headquarters of a major guild that made serious money. The elevators, the lobby, the corridors—everything was luxurious, and clearly well maintained.
The students entered the guild exhibition hall and listened to a curator’s explanation.
“Most of the guild’s revenue comes from rare metal. It’s an extremely important material that goes into your weapons as well. You all know this already, but let’s hear it one more time.”
“Hahaha….”
“When you defeat a monster, this unusual metal drops. Only weapons made with this metal can deal damage to monsters. Does anyone know how rare metal grades work?”
“They’re the same as the monster’s grade!”
“That’s correct. Against a D-class monster you need rare metal of D-class or higher, and against a C-class monster you need a weapon of C-class rare metal or higher.”
Lua let the explanation wash past her ears and watched the other students instead.
Himari was listening intently at the front of the group, while Juju kept horsing around with her friends toward the rear of the line.
Did those two have a fight?
Judging by the way Himari had looked at Juju earlier, something might have gone sour between them without Lua noticing.
Lua decided she would have to keep a closer eye on Yu Juju.
She’s the one most likely to throw the original story off course.
She had taken the protagonist’s place, and with how unpredictable she was, she was the person Lua needed to watch more carefully than anyone—
“—?!”
Lua flinched and took a step back. At some point, Juju’s gaze had turned toward her as well.
Did she catch me staring?
“…….”
Juju slipped quietly out of line and came over. As the shortest student in the special class, her eye level was not all that different from Lua’s.
“Nurse, I’ve been thinking this since the placement test, got it.”
“Y-yes?”
“Are you maybe a genius or something?”
“……?”
Lua tilted her head, unsure what that was supposed to mean. Juju grinned and jabbed her lightly in the side with an elbow.
“I only graduated a year ahead of you, but you’re already a teacher at that age. That’s amazing, got it.”
“W-what are you talking about?”
“I’m just curious, so I’m asking. How old are you right now? Twelve? Thirteen?”
“…….”
Only then did Lua understand what Juju was getting at. She had taken Lua’s appearance at face value and decided she must be some prodigy who had become a teacher ridiculously young.
Unfortunately, Lua was simply small for her age.
“I’m… twenty-five….”
“Aw, come on, that’s a lie. I’ll keep it secret, so won’t you tell me for real?”
“I-it’s true. I’m older than you…!”
Lua timidly switched to casual speech and tried puffing out her meager chest. Juju did not look the least bit convinced.
“Heehee. Then you’ll tell me once we’re better friends, got it?”
With a mischievous smile, Juju gave Lua’s shoulder a light clap and headed back.
“I told you it’s not true!”
Lua pouted at Juju’s retreating back. That easy, invasive closeness unique to natural social butterflies was a terrible match for her.
“All right, you’ve waited long enough!”
Once the tour was more or less finished, Hunter Kim Jaehyun, who had been leading them, clapped his hands sharply. Smiles spread across the students’ faces—they already knew what was coming.
“It’s time to experience the cafeteria Olympus Guild is so proud of!”
“Ooooh!”
“Can we order anything we want?”
“Yes! The headquarters cafeteria is free of charge as a rule, so just pick whatever menu you like.”
The group headed for the cafeteria. Inside the spacious dining hall, a considerable number of professional hunters were already eating. Even at a glance, the quality of the food looked excellent.
“Eat a solid meal. You’ll be heading into a gate after this.”
“Yes!”
The system was simple: choose what you wanted and tell a staff member, and they would bring it out. Every student gathered in front of the enormous menu board covering one wall and began the happy agony of deciding.
“I’m getting pasta.”
“I’m going straight for whatever has the biggest portion!”
“Looking at undead might upset my stomach… I’ll just get a simple sandwich….”
The students chattered excitedly.
Lua studied the menu board with care as well. She was about to order the bulgogi set without much thought when—
“—Ah. Wait.”
Come to think of it, I need a certain item before we enter the gate.
To carry out her plan, she needed something like a thin, long skewer. The game’s protagonist had a skill for it, but right now Lua would have to do the same job bare-handed.
They were heading straight to the gate after the meal, so there was no time to go somewhere else and buy one.
A toothpick would be enough…
Thinking that, she scanned the wall—and one menu photo caught her eye. A dish decorated in the corner with a tiny paper cocktail umbrella. The tip of that umbrella was basically a toothpick; that ought to be more than enough.
—There was just one small problem.
“Pork cutlet set, please.”
“One pork cutlet set!”
“Steak.”
“One steak!”
People ordered smoothly and carried their food away. Too embarrassed to say the name of the dish out loud, Lua planted herself at the very end of the line and decided to wait until every student had ordered first.
“Ah! Nurse!”
“?!”
But Yu Juju called out at the top of her lungs, and every eye in the room snapped toward her.
“W-what is it?”
“Won’t you eat with us, got it!”
Juju scooped Lua clean off her feet and hauled her to the front of the line she had been standing in. They were roughly the same build, yet Juju’s strength was absurd.
“You order first, got it.”
Lua’s legs trembled. Her face burned scarlet.
“Ah… um….”
“Your order, please!”
Prodded by the brisk staff member, Lua spoke in a voice that barely crawled out of her throat.
“…please.”
“I’m sorry? Could you speak up just a little?”
“Uugh….”
In the end, fighting back tears, Lua cried it out.
“Happy! Happy! Toksunie! Kids! Set! please!”
“…….”
“…Pff—”
The students clamping hands over their mouths was the last mercy they could offer her.
“One children’s meal, coming up!”
A short while later, Lua received a kids’ set served in an adorable pink dish. She had secured the decorative paper umbrella according to plan—but she could not shake the feeling that she had lost something precious in the process.
Why on earth does a hunter headquarters cafeteria even have a kids’ meal…
The answer, of course, was that the headquarters had an attached daycare for hunters with children.
“Just as I figured, got it. I’ll get you a Children’s Day present.”
“I-I don’t need one….”
Sitting across from her, Juju winked. Lua felt as though she had been permanently branded a little kid. And after ordering a children’s meal, she was in no position to argue.
Fine. It was a necessary sacrifice. At least I got the paper umbrella out of it.
That was how Lua steeled herself—
Until a short while later, after finishing her meal, she discovered a container of toothpicks stacked by the cafeteria exit.
“…You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me.”