Shopping Spree and Little White Lies
Let's go shopping together!
I tapped my card on the bus beep! and plopped down in an empty seat. Actually, all the seats were empty—it was basically a chartered bus. This bus starts from my neighborhood, so when I get on, I'm always the only one. Guaranteed seat every time. Jealous? Hehe.
I leaned my head against the window and closed my eyes. Normally, the bus would jolt bump! and my head would bounce along, waking me up with an ow every time I tried to doze off. But now my fluffy fluffy lamb hair acts like a pillow, so it doesn't hurt at all.
...Maybe I was too tense yesterday? I couldn't sleep well. Stayed up late and woke up early, so I'm kinda tired now. Gonna nap on the bus.
...
Think about it. Today I'm shopping and hitting gates with Yumina unnie, who's A-rank! A-rank! That's way above my D-rank, just one step below S-rank—the super amazing national powerhouse level!
...You say S-rank is national powerhouse and A-rank is just local small-city level? Nah, S-rank hunters have to be recognized worldwide as the strongest. The World Hunter Association or whatever officially stamps 'em: this hunter is legit strong! Boom! Only those get S-rank. Sure, some countries ignore it and declare their own Kim Whatever S-rank starting today, but no one acknowledges it. So S-rank is basically planetary powerhouse, world-class. Korea only has three: the Blue Star Guild leader who's the best in Korea, the Seoul Hunter Management Agency chief, and the head of the Ryu family... aka my actual grandpa. Not that I've ever met him!
Anyway, A-rank is still insanely strong. Shopping and raiding gates with someone like that? No way that's possible for me. Impossible! Plus, Yumina unnie's looks are national powerhouse level too. Shiny blonde ponytail. Slightly sharp eyes, mostly expressionless face. Model-tall, super sleek figure.
...Is "sleek" the right word for a figure? Not sure. Anyway, compared to her, I'm just a total plain... no I didn't say that! Bump! Fluff~ Right on cue, the bus jolted, but my head's super duper fluffy now—no vibration at all.
That's right. I'm at Yumina unnie's level now: perfect cutie! Super pretty! Wonderful beauty! Little Lamb!!
"Meeeng~"
Yesterday I was so happy my brain melted, but today I was so tense it froze solid. Shopping? I'm a shopping genius thanks to Transaction (A)! I've hit convenience stores, cafes, even got freebies at the burger joint solo. Gate raids? Third year as a hunter here. Goblins? Just whack 'em like this, and they go splat real quick!
Now I see—no need to be nervous at all! It's just doing my usual solo stuff with someone else this time. Sure, that someone is an A-rank powerhouse, but...
...Come to think of it, we chatted fine yesterday. Huh? No problems at all. Oh, she did scold me a bit at the end. But that wasn't because she hated me—it was worry. So I felt a little down, but not like super sad with tears and shaking and all that.
Actually, besides getting scolded by Mom and Dad as a kid, it's been forever since someone worried about me enough to chew me out. ...Kinda happy. Hehe.
Anyway, zero tension now. Yumina unnie—no, unnie—is a good person, right...?
"...Wu-ing?"
I cracked open my eyes. Huh, I've been mixing "unnie" and "noona" in my head. Calling her noona at first 'cause I've only been a girl for six days. But it switched to unnie easy 'cause I was mute before—no need to say it out loud. Mouth said unnie, head said noona, now it's all jumbled.
More precisely, subconsciously unnie, consciously noona. What to do...
...But anyway, I'll never call anyone else noona or hyung ever again in my life. To avoid confusion, maybe stick to unnie from now on.
Du-da-da-da-!!!!
"Eek... hiek, ah, hello there-yang!"
"Hello. Mijeong... you didn't need to run like that."
"B-being late is... whew. Bad-yang."
I overslept on the bus and missed my stop by accident. But after going all-out yesterday, I kinda get my level now! Just one bus stop? Piece of cake... I nearly died!
"Are you okay? We can rest a bit before starting if you want."
"N-no-yang! Let's go right now-yang."
"...Understood. First, armor."
Clack clack, hop hop. The place Yumina unnie and I are walking is Hwaseong New City Hunter Street. It's called that 'cause all the shops for hunter weapons, gear, consumables are clustered here. Plus offices for private guilds active in Hwaseong, appraisers for monster byproducts and artifacts after raids. Anyone living the hunter life here has to come often!
Ah, except me! Only been once or twice! ...No need to explain why anymore. Hing.
...
Holding hands with Yumina unnie, we arrived at a kids' armor specialty shop. Awakenings usually happen late teens to early twenties, so most gear is adult-sized. But I'm tiny lamb under 140cm, so I need special shops like this.
...Under 130cm, you say? Bad words forbidden!
"The child's height... 129cm, right?"
"Yes. That's correct."
"We don't have many options that small..."
"Wu-ing."
Too much. I just forbade that. ...Not out loud, but still!! Think of the 129cm heart listening!!
...
"Thank you! Come again!"
"Bye-bye-yang!"
In the end, only one type fit among the super tiny kid options—excluding the ones poking up over my head. Bought that, plus some joint guards for knees and elbows. Those little protectors were pricey, but I didn't need 'em—Transaction (A) activated and got 'em cheap! It's triggering way more now, which is great... but maybe I should turn it off normally like others do.
Oh, armor might make you think of cool knight plate mail or whatever—plate... uh, overslept? No, platemail! Anyway, not that. Mix mana stone powder into clothes for better mana conductivity, boosts defense, tear-resistant—that's off-the-shelf hunter armor. Still expensive. Pricier ones use monster materials, but can't afford those yet.
Ah, my old black robe—now a blanket—is hunter armor too. Won it free in some event! Without that, begging the devil for a wish would've taken another year.
After armor, straight to the potion shop for some potions! Not the super expensive ones, just the cheap stuff! Now heading to lunch!
Originally, Yumina unnie suggested new weapons too...
...
"Mijeong, so you'll keep using that Partner as your weapon?"
"Yep! Partner's my one and only friend from way back-yang!!"
"...Way back?"
"Ah... yes, Dad gave it to me as a gift-yang!"
Close call. On record, I just registered yesterday. Snapped to it and lied a bit. ...And since I was mute, this is my first lie ever. Sorry, Yumina unnie.
Partner's not a dad gift—it's the cheap hunter hand axe I scraped together solo fighting goblins bare-handed. Even as Mijeong now, no need to change, so I kept it. Careless. A brand-new registrant wouldn't have hunter gear from "way back."
Conversations require focus! No slacking!
"Dad? He must've been a hunter too."
"Ma-maybe-yang! Dad was an amazing hunter, C-rank from first evaluation-yang!!"
Not a lie. Dad bragged all the time about being awesome. His weapon was a hand axe, so when I bought mine, I skipped the cheaper dagger nearby and added cash for the axe.
"...That's pretty famous level. May I ask your father's name?"
"Ah, uh, that-yang... I, don't know Dad's name-yang..."
...Not a lie. My old name Ryu Migun, auntie's from Ryu family, so Dad's Ryu too. But to me, he's just Dad, Mom's just Mom. Never heard anyone call 'em by name. No guests ever at home.
"...No, it's fine. You're only eight."
"...Yep! Right-yang!!"
"So you live with your parents now?"
"No, uh, yes-yang!"
Lie, but... eight-year-olds usually do, right? Can't say I live alone or she'll scold like yesterday: how can a kid live solo, delivery food's bad for you, etc. Today, haha! No grandpa, might stay down if scolded.
"...I see. That's a relief. Yesterday you came to the agency alone, it bothered me."
"Th-that's 'cause... both work-yang!!"
"Ah, makes sense. Coming alone at your age—impressive."
"Right-yang!! I'm amazing-yang!!"
Then Yumina unnie petted my head, felt super good, so I went meeeng! ...
After that, hand-in-hand, chatting away casually. Started nervous from lies, but relaxed—words flowed like a river, heavenly!
No more lies needed. Am I a conversation genius beyond shopping genius? ...But no more lies. My conscience poked, heart pounded ever since.
Anyway, lunch before gates, so here at a nearby spaghetti place! Second-floor terrace even! Sun shining bright, mood super high! Spaghetti delivery always gets soggy, so I rarely eat it. Super excited now—what's fresh-out hot like?? Legs kicking happily, window-gazing. Opposite building's huge billboard blasting hunter ads.
"Yumina unnie! You're A-rank—don't do ads-yang?"
"Hm, as government-affiliated, I can't casually endorse private products."
"Wu-ing. Waste-yang! Yumina unnie's perfect beauty."
"Perfect... ? Hm, thank you."
Ah, "perfect beauty" was internal—slipped out. Hing, conversation genius revoked. I'm a few-screw idiot. Embarrassed, head down, but unnie continued.
"And I'm not eloquent. Even private, I'd decline. Don't you want ads, Mijeong?"
"Me-yang? Charm's just B-rank, hunter rank D—no chance-yang!"
"...I, who you just called perfect... beauty, am also Charm B."
"...? MeeeenG?!"
Eh?? For real?? Yumina unnie's miracle beauty, yet same B as me. ...Wait, so my Charm really is B?
"Charm B is very high. Not purely looks, but no plain face gets B."
"Yay! I'm perfect beauty too-yang!?"
"You're plenty perfect beauty. Honestly, child model ready now."
"...Hm, but I won't-yang!"
"Reason?"
"I... seem too pretty-yang. Heard it draws bad guys-yang!"
"...Cut the hair then?"
"Ah! No to my super fluffy!! Without it, no boing-boing later-yang..."
"......"
Unnie doesn't get boing-boing, so I was gonna explain my super-genius adult insight tactic, but then our spaghetti arrived!! Unnie said eat quick or it cools, so nyam nyam!
FYI, fresh spaghetti... king god tier!!
—Yumina
The child's words are too hard. What the heck is boing-boing...
...Anyway, look up later. Front view: kid twirls pasta on fork, shoves whole bite in. Puffed cheeks munching tiny mouth—adorable. Wipe sauce from lips, meeeng~ and cries happy tears. Truly good, cute little lamb.
...But Mijeong, do you know? How weird your words and actions were today?