Chapter 24: Elice

“You worked hard again today, Counselor.”

“Thank you.”

Drained from the counseling session, Yoo Seon-woo pressed a hand to his throbbing head as he gathered his things.

Behind him, the beast-human staff member in charge of cleaning the temporary counseling room bowed politely as he left.

It seemed the Union Guild didn’t just hire combat-focused hunters; they also employed Outsiders in civilian roles, finding positions that utilized their unique, non-combat abilities.

“♩~♬~”

After confirming Yoo Seon-woo had left, the beast-human staff member started humming, stepping lightly back into the counseling room to clear away the teacups.

But the very moment she opened the door and stepped inside.

“Hngh…!”

A scent, so thick and potent that no ordinary human could have perceived it, assaulted her senses.

Overwhelmed by the pheromones of a dominant presence, the staff member collapsed on the spot, gripped by the instinctual fear a lesser creature feels.

Her tail, which had been swaying cheerfully just moments before, tucked itself tightly between her legs as her knees began to tremble like leaves on a tree.

“Wh-what is this…”

She could only mutter.

*

Without a doubt, the most rewarding part of being a counselor is witnessing a client’s guarded heart slowly open up to the world.

I haven’t been a counselor for long.

But even back when I was with the Haetae Guild, I often found myself listening to my colleagues’ troubles.

Their reactions were always positive, too.

Of course, back then, I never imagined I would become a professional like this.

‘Professional…?’

…A certified Hunter Counselor.

Lost in thought, I was brought back to reality by the cashier’s voice.

“Ah, I don’t need a receipt.”

I smiled gently and took the item I had just paid for.

It was a box of luscious-looking strawberries I had just bought from the department store food court across from my office.

It was for my final house call with the Union Guild tomorrow, on Friday.

I had decided to reward Luna for her courage.

A cake… a strawberry shortcake should do the trick.

I returned to the counseling office before 9 a.m.

I had checked last night, and there were no official appointments for today. It seemed likely I had only be seeing walk-ins.

The number of people who show up is so random that it’s usually impossible to predict how many I’ll see on any given day.

The sweet, fragrant scent of the cookies I had baked early this morning filled the office.

I gazed at the warm cookies resting on the cooling rack.

I had made them just in case…

And if there were any left over, that was fine, too.

I had a plan for them.

I sat down, took a sip of freshly brewed coffee, and prepared for the day’s sessions.

The quiet counseling room.

The sweet smell of cookies and the bitter aroma of coffee.

Now, it was time to welcome my clients.

Tinkle.

As the clock struck 9 a.m., the small bell on the door chimed cheerfully.

My first client of the day had arrived.

“Welcome.”

The first session began smoothly.

I figured today would be another busy day.

And then, it was afternoon.

“……”

Well, this is a first.

I muttered to myself, glancing between the empty waiting room and the cookie basket, which hadn’t shrunk in the slightest.

“So, there are days like this, too.”

After that one person at 9 a.m., no one else had knocked on my door. Thanks to that, I was able to enjoy a very quiet afternoon for the first time in a while.

In the end, a huge number of the cookies I had baked this morning were left over.

Looking at the cookies, I didn’t feel troubled. Instead, a faint smile touched my lips.

Then, I began to pack the leftover cookies one by one into small plastic bags, tying each with a pretty ribbon.

After I finished packing them all, I placed them in a large box.

With the red sunset glowing outside the window, I left the office.

My destination was not a glamorous guild or a bustling downtown street.

[Eden Orphanage]

It was an old but tidy orphanage with a sign whose paint was slightly peeling.

The phenomenon known as Transfer is remarkably unfair.

Some Outsiders arrive with superior abilities and are reborn as new heroes of this world.

Tragically, however, young children with no special powers are also helplessly swept into this strange world.

It isn’t easy to imagine how those children must feel, thrown alone into an unfamiliar world after losing their parents, their friends—everything they ever knew.

I made sweets like these for children just like them.

This was also the reason I always made more cookies and sweets than necessary.

Because I always hope that few clients will show up, leaving me with plenty of leftover cookies.

I opened the orphanage door quietly, holding the box.

“…Huh?”

But as soon as I stepped inside, the scene before me was quite different from what I was used to.

The head nun, who always greeted me, was nowhere to be seen, and the entrance was empty.

Instead, I could hear the clear, high-pitched laughter of children coming from the inner yard.

I headed cautiously toward the yard.

In the yard, a black rabbit was giving the children piggyback rides.

“Hey! Me too! Give me a ride too!”

“Alright~ Just a little slower~”

Her face held none of the seductive, provocative smiles I had seen in the counseling room.

There was only a pure, warm, and sincere smile.

It was Elice.

The children here were usually a bit shy around strangers.

But they looked as if they had already become completely comfortable with her.

I stared blankly at the scene.

And then, our eyes met.

The warm smile on Elice’s face instantly froze, replaced by surprise.

Her expression was one of pure confusion, clearly wondering why I was here.

Is she tired?

There were faint dark circles under Elice’s eyes.

And it was the children’s shouts that broke the awkward silence.

“Oh! It’s him!”

As soon as they spotted me, the children swarmed away from Elice and ran straight toward me.

I immediately smiled and knelt to meet their eye level.

I opened the box I was holding and handed out the packaged bags of cookies, one by one.

“Ask the Sister first, and only have one each, okay?”

“Okaaay!”

Hearing the children’s energetic reply, I looked up, suddenly feeling a gaze on me.

At some point, Elice had sidled up next to me.

I held out a bag of cookies to her.

“Would you like one?”

Startled by my words, Elice waved her hands in refusal.

“Ah, no… It’s all right… J-Just give them to the children…”

So she knows how to say no.

I respected her wishes and finished handing out the cookies to the children.

Then, the two of us sat on a bench under a large tree in the orphanage yard.

We silently watched the children excitedly munching on their snacks next to the head nun.

A peaceful scene.

Then, Elice was the first to break the silence.

“…So you’re the one, Counselor.”

“The one?”

“The Sister… she sometimes mentioned someone she was always grateful to. Someone who brings snacks for the children…”

“It’s nothing to be so grateful for…”

I smiled sheepishly and opened the last bag of cookies left after giving them to the children.

I picked one up, then quickly put it back down.

“So, what brings you here, Elice?”

Today was the first time I had seen Elice here.

I used to come to the orphanage often but had to stop for a while while preparing to become a counselor. I had only recently started coming again, so it seemed she had started visiting during that gap.

“Ah… I just… come sometimes for guild volunteer work.”

She answered curtly, her gaze never leaving the children.

Watching her, I asked naturally.

“You seem to like kids.”

Elice didn’t answer my question for a moment.

Then, with a bitter smile, she replied.

“No. I hate them.”

“……”

I stared at her, taken aback by the unexpected answer.

I tried to understand the contradiction between her words and the affectionate gaze she directed at the children.

It was then.

“Hey!”

A little girl came running toward us, holding a large flower crown clumsily woven from clover and dandelions.

“Here, you wear this!”

The child panted, proudly holding out the flower crown to Elice.

“I’ve been making it for you for a whole week!”

The bitter smile vanished from Elice’s face.

She closed her eyes slightly and, with the gentlest smile in the world, lowered her head to the child’s level.

The child struggled for a while, unsure how to place the flower crown because of the two large, gray ears perched atop Elice’s head. But Elice didn’t rush the child or show her how.

She just waited silently, letting the child figure it out on her own.

Finally, the child managed to drape the flower crown magnificently over both of Elice’s perked-up ears.

The child looked up at Elice, who was now wearing the crown she’d made, and whispered with sparkling eyes.

“You look like a princess…”

At those words, Elice quietly stroked the child’s head.

Just then, the head nun called for the child, who returned with reluctant steps.

Silence fell over the yard once more.

Her recent actions only deepened my confusion. It was a warm and affectionate gesture, something a person who adored children—far from hating them—would do.

I watched Elice quietly, my expression one of utter confusion.

She looked at me, and with another, deeper sigh, she spoke.

“…You can’t get anything else done.”

Elice gave a bitter smile.

“They just pester you… all day long…”

“……”

“If it weren’t for the volunteer work, I wouldn’t bother coming all this way…”

Without a word, I picked up the cookie I had put down earlier and held it out to her.

“Have one.”

“N-No… give it to the kids…”

Before she could finish her refusal, I brought the cookie to her lips.

-Sniff, sniff-

“…!”

Her red eyes, which had been instinctively sniffing the air, widened.

“Is this vanilla…? How did you know I liked it last time?”

“I have good instincts.”

Elice hesitated for a moment, then, like a small child, took a bite of the cookie in my hand.

“Nom, nom…”

Watching her, I fell into thought.

I like children.

Back when I first came to this world, when everything was unfamiliar.

I suffered from severe depression because of my ability.

‘Everyone is different on the inside from how they are on the outside.’

They smiled on the surface, but their true thoughts, visible to me through the system window, were full of criticism, envy, and contempt.

That was the true face of humanity I had to confront every single day.

In truth, it was only natural, but I was too naive back then to face such raw emotions.

The hardest part of all was having to smile and act normally even toward people who despised me.

So, lost and unsure of what to do… I found this place.

It was because of a chance volunteer opportunity at the guild.

And before long, I felt a sense of peace.

Because I realized that the smiles and kindness of children… came without calculation or expectation.

Like a clear stream, what you saw on the surface was no different from the heart within.

In a world full of lies, those children were the only sanctuary in my life.

I recalled the transparent gaze in Elice’s eyes as she watched the children.

It probably wasn’t so different from the way I used to smile at them in the past.

I said quietly.

“I’m quite fond of them myself.”

At my sudden remark, Elice stopped nibbling on her cookie and looked up at me.

Her eyes seemed to be asking, ‘Fond of what?’

I popped a cookie into my mouth as well.

I slowly added, feeling the sweet vanilla flavor spread through my mouth.

“Elice.”

At my call, her eyes widened.

[Elice]

[Main Stance]

[She loves children so much it distracts her from her duties. She finds herself drawn here whenever she is struggling. However, she cannot let anyone know about this side of her. As an S-class hunter, the children could be taken hostage if her weakness were exposed.]

[She is currently anxious that her greatest secret—and her greatest weakness—has been exposed.]

I spoke to the loneliness hidden behind her mask, to the part of her that was as transparent as a clear stream.

“People like you, Elice… people who can’t confide in anyone about what’s truly on their minds.”

I, who could see into people’s minds, had to live my life pretending I knew nothing. She, an S-class hunter, had to live hers pretending she felt nothing, for fear any affection would be turned into a weapon against her.

And so, to ease her anxiety, I made a promise—both as her counselor and as someone who carried a similar secret.

“Don’t worry. I’ll keep it a secret.”

My words stopped her in her tracks.

“Heh.”

A sound like escaping air slipped past her lips.

It was followed by a ‘pfft’ as her laughter burst forth.

Unable to hold it back, she let out a clear, transparent laugh, her shoulders shaking.

A small teardrop had formed at the edge of her eye.

Elice wiped the corner of her eye with her reddened sleeve and looked at me.

There was no trace of a mask left in her eyes.

“…You saw right through me, didn’t you?”

Elice said, her voice tinged with relief.

“It’s my job.”

I replied smoothly.

“Then… was that a confession just now?”

“It was not.”

My firm denial only made Elice’s smile brighter.

“Hmm… In that case, Counselor.”

“Yes.”

“Can I ask you just one thing?”

I nodded in affirmation.

“Ah~ I shouldn’t be doing this~”

Elice muttered to herself, and then.

She adjusted the flower crown, then looked at me with a slightly shy face and asked.

“Did I… really look like a princess?”

I couldn’t help but let out a small laugh at the pure question, so unlike the Elice I knew.

“…You did.”

And I nodded very slowly.

Elice stared at me with a dazed look for a moment.

“Ahahaha!”

In the end, she couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing like a child.

It was a transparent laugh, the kind I hadn’t heard in a long time.

---

Translated By: Meher (RaidenTL)

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