Rescue and Preparation
I climbed to high ground first to scout the area, settling into a spot with a clear view of the location Baek Woon had sent me.
"Is that it...?"
In front of the crumbling four-story commercial building, a crowd of men had set up a perimeter and were drifting back and forth around it. Punching through alone looked like a tall order. I could blind every last one of them with Vision Interference, but if any of them packed area attacks or detection skills, getting inside would be next to impossible.
"Hmm... what do I do?"
"Oh!"
Come to think of it, today was the day I was supposed to trade panties with the old man. Between handling Choi Siwoo's business and running out to rescue Baek Woon, it had completely slipped my mind. Hold on, though. From the Dummy Bunker to here wasn't all that far, was it?
I wasn't wild about leaning on a business partner for a favor like this, but the strongest person I knew was Dongsik. At least out of the cards I could pull and play right now, he was the best one. ...Well, if he helped me out, I could always repay him in my own way later. A repayment with my body, say. Yeah. There were plenty of ways to choose from.
"H-here...!"
"Ms. Yuyeon. Hello."
Dongsik made it to my position remarkably fast. His outfit, though, was nothing like his usual, and my eyes went wide before I could stop them: a thick protective suit layered under a tactical vest and every manner of guard, probably gear bought from the point shop. He was kitted out well enough to drop straight onto a battlefield without looking out of place. A big man dressed up like that actually looked pretty damn cool...
"Y-your outfit..."
"Ah, you were ambushed by raiders last time, weren't you?"
Tightening his gloves, the old man went on. "Ever since that day, I've made a point of arriving fully prepared whenever I visit your bunker."
I'd been a little worried, asking for help so out of the blue, but that was a relief. I pointed at the men in matching red outfits roaming in front of the commercial building.
"Are those them?"
"...Yes."
"I have a few scores to settle with the raiders myself, so it seems today I'll be repaying them properly."
"..."
I nodded and moved on to the briefing. Not out loud, of course. I pulled out my tablet and painstakingly tapped the plan out onto the screen, one letter at a time.
"Understood."
Reading the plan hovering on the display, Dongsik answered with a grave face. First I used Vision Interference to map out the raiders' positions and numbers: five outside the building, four inside. On the top floor I could even make out Baek Woon, bound tight with rope. We agreed to quietly deal with the men outside one by one before setting foot inside.
"Shall we, Ms. Yuyeon?"
"...Yes."
Two men were patrolling the left side of the building and three were circulating on the right. Left side first. I hid deep in the alley and waited for them to close in. Before long, one of the pair passed the alley mouth a few steps ahead of his partner. Now. I cut off the lead man's vision entirely.
"...!?"
The instant he stumbled to a halt in confusion, Dongsik burst out from behind him, clamped a hand over his mouth, and wrenched his head viciously to the side. Crack—. The raider's body crumpled without ever letting out a scream.
We finished off all five men outside the same way, then moved into the building. Four remained. One to a floor. Honestly, there was nothing left to be scared of—not after seeing Dongsik's combat ability with my own eyes a moment ago. I stripped the sight from each raider blocking our path one at a time, and Dongsik put the floundering men down in the blink of an eye. Climbing the stairs that way, we finally reached the top floor where Baek Woon was being held.
"Who the hell are you people?"
"..."
When I didn't answer, Dongsik took a step forward. "We've come for that man." He nodded toward Baek Woon, still roped up and not yet back to his senses.
"What happened to the ones outside?"
"Why don't you go down and see for yourself."
Blue light flashed before the answer had even finished leaving his mouth. Lightning-attribute magic. A bolt too fast for the eye to track came screaming straight at us—so fast that dodging never even occurred to me.
"Ms. Yuyeon!"
Dongsik swept me into his chest and flung us both sideways. KRA-KOOM—! The spot where I'd been standing a heartbeat ago burned black.
"...Th-thank you."
"Please be careful."
The moment I found myself in a princess carry against the old man's chest, this cheap, shameless body of mine started reacting. ...It pulls this shit even in a life-or-death moment? Thump—, thump—. Just like the first time I'd met Choi Siwoo, my heart was racing and heat came pooling low in my belly. ...Why am I like this over an old man? Looking up at him from this close, sure, he had a slight gut, but the body underneath was plenty solid. The thick forearms and broad chest lifting me like I weighed nothing at all felt like some rock-steady bodyguard. A single bead of sweat rolled down from his forehead and landed on my cheek.
"...Ah."
A male who hurls his body into danger to keep me safe, even at the worst of moments. Held against a presence like that, the inside of my snug panties and pants was steadily going damp. ...God, I want to touch my pussy.
"Ms. Yuyeon! Are you all right?"
"...Oh! Yes, yes."
Right. We were in the middle of a fight. I scrambled down out of his arms, straightened myself up, and instantly stole the man's vision.
"Ugh, I can't see...? What the hell kind of skill is this!"
Blind and rattled, he started haphazardly blasting lightning in every direction. KRA-KOOM—! KRA-ZZZAP—! Blue bolts hammered the walls and floor without rhyme or reason. Oh no. The exact thing I'd worried about was playing out right in front of me. Dongsik gathered me into his arms again and tore through the falling barrage of electricity, then tucked himself behind a crumbled concrete wall, cocooning me completely with his back and arms.
Thump—. Thump—. My heart went berserk all over again. Ah... I want this over with fast so I can do sumata with Dongsik.
"Ms. Yuyeon."
"Yes! Sh-shall we do sumata?"
"I'm sorry—what?"
"Ah... no, nothing."
"It's dangerous, so you'll stay hidden for the time being?"
"N-no."
"...Against an opponent throwing around that kind of power, fighting while shielding you is difficult."
Even faced with his concern, I shook my head. I hadn't come this far just to go crouch in a corner by myself. I pulled out the tablet and typed up a hastily revised plan.
[ I'll steal his vision again. ]
[ While I do, please close in on him. ]
[ You only need to hold him off until I get out with the hostage. ]
"Understood."
We took a moment to even out our breathing, then burst out from cover in the same instant. I stole his sight before he could get his spell off.
"This bullshit again...!"
I bolted straight for the tied-up Baek Woon while Dongsik charged the mage head-on. Blue current gathered in the blinded man's hands—getting ready to spam wide-area magic again, no doubt. The instant Dongsik closed to point-blank range, I handed the vision back.
"Guh!?"
The man reeled at his sight snapping back without warning—and Dongsik didn't waste that opening, driving in a punch. WHAM—! A barrier thrown up at the last second barely caught the old man's fist, but in that same instant, I reached Baek Woon unscathed. I scooped up his unconscious body and swiftly tore the Convenience Store Ticket.
"Mister! You have to win...!"
"I will. Although—this is a first."
"...?"
"Hearing your voice this clearly, I mean."
Dongsik answered as if he had all the time in the world, slipping past the enemy's attacks. Face burning, I dragged Baek Woon and threw us both through the portal. Moments later it whispered shut, and the old man vanished from view.
SLAP—! SLAP—! I hammered Baek Woon's cheeks one after another. Wake up already, you bastard.
"Hey..."
SLAP—! Still nothing, so I pulled a bottle of water off a shelf. SPLASH—! Only after I emptied the entire liter over his face did the man finally groan his way back to consciousness.
"PWAH! Kgh, kgh."
"...Here."
I switched on the tablet and thrust the memo I'd written up in advance right in front of Baek Woon's eyes.
[ Since I saved your skin this time, let's forget the grudges we've stacked up. ]
[ And from now on, let me use the convenience store whenever I like. ]
Blinking in astonishment, he looked back and forth between his own body and the room around him. Only once he'd confirmed he really was back in his convenience store, safe and sound, did he give me a nod.
[ Open a portal back, too. ]
Just then, a message arrived from Dongsik: the raiders had been dealt with. All that was left was to head home to the bunker.
"Grab anything you want and pay for it. The return portal will open."
"...Oh."
"I can barely move right now, so you scan the barcode and hit the payment button yourself."
Baek Woon fished a points card out of his pocket and held it out to me.
"Use this card. It's mine, so just ring it up and leave it on the counter."
"...Thanks."
"Thanks, my ass. I'm the one who's grateful here."
Looking faintly embarrassed, Baek Woon scratched the back of his head, then flopped back down onto the floor. I could buy anything I wanted, huh? Dongsik had gone through a lot too—maybe I'd pick up a little gift for him on the way?
Browsing the aisles at my leisure, I came to a blank-faced stop in front of an item I had never once in my life had a reason to buy.
"Condoms..."
The shelf was crammed edge to edge with different products in every size imaginable. I supposed I'd better go with the biggest size they had...?
