The Aftermath of the First Pitch
Just because the first pitch was over didn't mean we could leave right away. Apparently, staying to watch the game from the stands was considered proper etiquette. I didn't mind killing some time watching baseball, and my sister didn't seem to care either. We watched the game from some expensive table seats. It was a bit annoying because people kept crowding around us to get a look, but the security guards stationed nearby took care of it.
"Baseball, huh..."
"You don't really watch it either, do you?"
"Yeah. I never had the time to watch stuff like this."
Since that was partly my fault, I kept my mouth shut. Anyway, the game began, and we watched it leisurely while eating fried chicken. Honestly, it wasn't very exciting. Neither team could get on base, and no one was scoring. I think they call this a pitcher's duel? It was just frustrating for everyone involved.
"Unni, do you want anything else to eat?"
"The weather is quite warm, so I find myself craving a refreshing drink and perhaps some ice cream."
"Got it. I don't know if they'll have ice cream, but I'll go check."
My sister got up and went to buy the food. Meanwhile, I polished off the rest of the chicken. By the way, are my breasts really that fascinating? Quite a few people were stealing glances at me instead of watching the game. I suppose it was because the match was so dull.
After a while, my sister returned with cold drinks, water, and ice cream. We ate them while watching the rest of the game. In the end... the Geminis won 1-0. Still, leaving was a nightmare because of the massive crowd. Even though we used the VIP exit reserved for staff, it took forever for our car to get out of the parking lot.
"Did you enjoy the game?"
"Not really...? Honestly, I'm not a big fan of sports."
"Is that so? The cheering looked quite fun, though."
Watching the fans passionately cheering, blasting music through the speakers, did look like a lot of fun.
"That? Not my thing..."
It seemed it really wasn't my sister's cup of tea.
"I see... I hope I didn't drag you along for nothing."
"Well, think of it as a nice little outing."
My sister spoke considerately to keep me from feeling bad. On the way back, we talked about our future plans. I felt that I really needed to properly train Gyuri.
"You called it Divine Arts, right? You can never have too many healers, so train her well."
"You do not need to tell me twice. What about you?"
My sister was driving, so her reply was slightly delayed.
"Me? Just the usual. Clearing Gates."
Business as usual, then... Well, I suppose that was for the best.
It turned out Gyuri's talent in the Divine Arts lay in defense. While she learned healing spells well enough, her progress was incredibly rapid when I taught her basic defensive magic. She mastered them in no time.
"Of all things, why defense? It's not even a buff or an attack..."
Gyuri seemed deeply disappointed by this.
"Fufu, defensive Divine Arts have plenty of practical uses."
For example...
"There is a technique that triggers a lightning counterattack the exact moment you block."
"Really?"
"Indeed. Its power is quite formidable... however, it is a single-use technique..."
It consumed too much Holy Power to be used purely for offense, so even I rarely used it. If one had spare Holy Power, casting Holy Light was far more efficient. When I explained the efficiency aspect to her, Gyuri's face fell.
"Still, it is the power to protect your comrades."
It was far better to be able to do something rather than regret having no power at all. Of course, I didn't need to spell that out for Gyuri; she already knew it well.
"I suppose so..."
"I heard people have been calling you from all over since you learned how to heal."
Indeed, once word got out that Gyuri had learned healing, a recruitment war naturally broke out within the Murim Alliance. The guild was already short on backline support, and suddenly a healer had practically dropped from the sky. To the established parties looking for a permanent member, she was the ultimate prize.
"Well... yes, that did happen..."
Gyuri had rejected most of them since she was already in a party with her friend, Ayoung. However, some groups had apparently tried to recruit Ayoung as well just to get Gyuri. Unfortunately for them, both of them were under my direct supervision...
"At any rate, today we shall focus on defensive Divine Arts."
"Yes, please!"
I needed to teach Gyuri that defense wasn't just about blocking attacks. I explained how she could coordinate with a tanker to seal the enemy's movements, and began training her in those specific techniques. Once she mastered this, she would easily prove her worth.
After several days of intense training, Gyuri learned numerous techniques and grew increasingly proficient. Perhaps her hard work had finally paid off, because she eventually managed to learn Holy Light and could even cast it rapidly.
"I did it...!"
The divine light emanating from Gyuri's hands was faint. Still, she had successfully cast Holy Light. It wasn't particularly strong, but...
"Congratulations."
She really was amazing. I looked at Gyuri with a warm, proud smile. She was my very first disciple, and I was incredibly glad she was such a hard worker. I had once heard that a diligent person with average talent is far better than an arrogant genius who never tries. Now, I finally understood why.
Anyway, after wrapping up another productive lesson, we took a break in the air-conditioned lounge.
"Phew, this is the life."
Sipping a cold drink while munching on snacks in a cool room? It was absolute heaven. But then, I noticed some kind of commotion outside.
"What is the matter?"
I asked Gyuri as she came in to rest.
"Apparently, someone showed up at the guild out of nowhere, claiming to be an acquaintance of someone here."
An acquaintance...?
"But why is everyone making such a fuss?"
"Well, um..."
For some reason, Gyuri hesitated to speak.
"Is it something difficult to discuss?"
"No, it's not that."
Gyuri glanced at me warily before explaining.
"The person... they came looking for you, Nix. And it's a man."
Hmm...? Looking for me? A man?
"Since everyone in the guild knows you keep your distance from men..."
They had naturally assumed the man had some inappropriate motive and kicked him out. The problem was...
"Apparently, he's been incredibly persistent and has been coming back for days."
I didn't even know who he was, yet he had the nerve to show up claiming to be my acquaintance?
"Seohui-unni also said there's no way you'd know any men."
Well, she wasn't wrong... Officially, my "backstory" was that of a Gate victim who had lost her memory. It would be highly suspicious for me to have any old acquaintances, and several people in the guild knew this. That was why they had chased him away. Apparently, even my sister had been involved in throwing him out.
"I think it might be because you became so famous after throwing that first pitch recently."
Her words triggered an unpleasant memory... The first pitch. It was an event at the baseball stadium a few days ago. Nothing major had happened at the time, but... starting that very evening, things had gotten incredibly annoying. It was all because of those "GIFs."
My first pitch had been broadcast live, and of course, it caused a massive stir. After all, my body was absolutely flawless. I suppose it was only natural for men to replay it over and over. The real issue, however, was the animated GIFs made from that footage.
Someone had uploaded a looping clip to an online community, zooming in on my chest—specifically my upper body—as I threw the ball. My massive breasts had bounced violently with the dynamic motion of the pitch... Honestly, I hadn't even realized it when I was throwing. I mean, I usually moved much more dynamically even with these heavy breasts, and I had never cared about other people's gazes anyway...
It was only later, while browsing the internet, that I saw the video and the GIFs and finally realized. Thinking back on it, I almost regretted doing the first pitch... But then again, they really did bounce beautifully. Anyone would be powerless to look away. Having once been a man myself, I completely understood. I knew exactly how incredibly hot it was—hell, I had even ended up using my own GIF to masturbate.
"Ahem!"
Anyway, the first pitch had certainly made me famous. I was already well-known as an S-class healer, but after the baseball game, the internet was flooded with even more talk about my "blessed" figure... Things had quieted down a bit after my sister and the guild filed a massive wave of lawsuits, but the viral GIFs from the first pitch had poured gasoline on the fire. It went far beyond just talking about how big my breasts were; seeing them bounce like that was...
"Is that why there is a commotion?"
"Yes. We chased him away, but it's already been several days."
Apparently, he had been begging them to let him see me just once...
"And they said he's not much to look at, either."
"It is not right to judge a person solely by their appearance."
Well, my appearance was an exception, of course... Still, who on earth could it be? Actually, this wasn't the first time a man had approached me with ulterior motives. There were plenty of guys who tried to get on my good side by any means necessary. I only found out about them later because the guild or my sister had blocked them all...
Wouldn't it be easier to just meet him once?
I could meet him, find out what he wants, and if it's some pathetic excuse, I can just hand him over to the police. Wouldn't that be much simpler?
"Well..."
This wasn't something to discuss with Gyuri. It was a matter for Jegal Cheon or the security team.
"Ahem, I should discuss this with my sister."
"Y-yes, please do."
It was a nuisance for everyone and a waste of manpower, so shouldn't we just get it over with? Since they said he had backed off for today, it was a pity, but I'd have to wait until next time to meet him. That evening, I brought it up with my sister...
"Ah, so you found out..."
It seemed my sister had been hiding it from me on purpose.
"Did you hide this from me intentionally?"
"Well, yeah. There have been so many people trying to see you like this..."
My sister's expression darkened.
"Do you have any idea how many guys try to get close to you just because of your looks?"
Seriously...? There were really that many?
"Some of them even send gifts, claiming to be your fans..."
The problem was that those gifts... were often accompanied by some incredibly bizarre things. She said they had thrown them all in the trash—no, actually, they had burned them. Judging by my sister's reaction when she mentioned those "bizarre things"... they must have been truly, unimaginably disgusting.
"Really...?"
"Yeah. I've received plenty of those myself, and Min-oppa gets a ton of them too. The guild has a dedicated team to handle them, so you don't need to worry."
A sudden shiver ran down my spine. Oh god, seriously...?
"What kind of items were they?"
"Do you really want to know?"
"I am... simply curious?"
My sister let out a heavy sigh.
"Just look up celebrity sasaeng fans."
Unwilling to say it out loud, she told me how to find out for myself. So, I looked up the misdeeds of sasaeng fans, and it was absolutely horrifying. Sending items contaminated with semen to female celebrities... trying to feed male celebrities their own blood, specifically menstrual blood... there were so many truly repulsive stories. Some even sent disgusting gifts on purpose just to get attention, or mailed packages containing needles and thumbtacks. Why on earth would anyone do such things? The more I read, the more my skin crawled and my body shuddered. Repulsive. Yes, that was the perfect word for it. Repulsive. I finally understood why my sister had gone to such lengths to block them and keep me in the dark. Ugh... how sickening.