Chapter 291: The Colleague Sunbae Who Hates Me (3)

The time I arrived at the company was around 11 AM, a rather awkward time just before lunch break.

I had visited Areum’s workshop to pick up the Mithril Greatsword, and then traveling from there to the company took up quite a bit of time, ultimately leading me to arrive at this inconvenient hour.

I managed to scarf down my lunch, a triangle kimbap bought from a convenience store, while on the move. Eating alone at the company cafeteria felt a bit too conspicuous, you see.

I didn’t want to wear some mysterious mask inside the company, and besides, eating would be impossible with it on anyway.

And arriving at such an awkward time wasn’t entirely disadvantageous, either.

At this particular time, the dungeons might actually be a little less crowded. It was the kind of timing when people who finished their quotas early and left, or those who went for an early lunch, would have cleared out.

Since I was still drawing attention simply for being a male Hunter, it was better to have fewer people around if possible.

I really didn’t want to attract the kind of ‘look, a meerkat!’ stares from people who weren’t even part of my party.

“Hey, look over there…”

“…Just pretend you didn’t see. Pretend you didn’t see. ‘That Senior’ just came and went a moment ago, didn’t they?”

I still felt strange gazes every time I entered the company, but compared to the first day, the intensity of those stares had definitely lessened.

…It feels like only about a week has passed since the first day I visited the company.

Do rumors really die down this quickly? Though, I must admit, this is more comfortable for me.

I should ask Hye-eun or Min-ah about this later. I wonder if this is just how the company atmosphere usually is.

Once inside the company elevator, I immediately pressed the button for the 14th floor and made my way towards the Sky Blue Shield’s conference room.

Thinking maybe another party member might still be around. After all, it would be better to enter a dungeon with others than alone.

If Hye-eun was still here, we could form a great combo as a shield-bearer and a swordsman. Plus, I could test out my shield techniques as well.

If Yuri was here, it wouldn’t be bad to hunt with that competitive spirit flaring up like last time. Or perhaps we could practice that explosive magic combo from before again.

If Min-ah was here, we could hunt much more efficiently than hunting alone, thanks to her tracking abilities. Or, in places like ancient ruins filled with traps, we could divide roles and explore more smoothly.

…If only Cheon Jihee Sunbae was here, things might get a little awkward, though.

Well, if I really did run into her, I could take it as a chance to get closer this time. No matter how aloof someone is, seeing each other multiple times tends to build some kind of rapport.

If we happened to go on an expedition together, maybe a situation could arise to increase her favorability towards me.

Of course, I knew perfectly well that things probably wouldn’t go that smoothly. The probability that Cheon Jihee Sunbae wouldn’t even be in the conference room right now was probably higher.

At this hour, she’d likely still be in a dungeon, or it’s that awkward time before starting the afternoon shift. Even if her morning schedule ended a bit early, she’d more likely be in the cafeteria.

With those thoughts, I opened the half-open door to the Sky Blue Shield’s conference room without much thought and stepped inside. Contrary to my humble expectations, however, Cheon Jihee Sunbae was indeed the only one left in the room.

Creeeak.

“I’ve arrived for work.”

“……”

“……”

And she was there, with her robe completely undone, exposing her chest.

“……Ah.”

A soft gasp escaped my lips, and a brief thought bloomed in my mind.

I’m screwed.

Why is this situation, straight out of a rom-com where someone accidentally walks in while changing, happening right now?

Of course, in a real rom-com, the other person would feel favorably towards the protagonist, and it might end as a cute event where she shyly tells him to leave.

Unfortunately, reality isn’t a rom-com, and the person right in front of me has her favorability towards me at rock bottom.

If it were someone like Hye-eun, Cha Yuri, or Min-ah, I might have been able to tease them back playfully.

But in this current situation, shutting up and bowing my head was the best I could do.

“S-Sorry, Sunbae-nim. I-I didn’t expect you’d be changing…”

“…Just because you’re a man, you’re making such a fuss over seeing a woman’s chest.”

“……What?”

Thinking my chances of befriending Cheon Jihee Sunbae in this lifetime were ruined, I quickly apologized. However, she barely reacted to my apology, merely wrapping a white cloth around her chest.

“I just loosened it for a moment to wipe away the sweat between my breasts.”

“……”

“Clothes coming undone during combat is common, so if you’re going to react so dramatically to every little thing, you might as well quit being a Hunter.”

…Ah, right. In this world, a woman’s chest is treated like this.

Like a man’s chest in my original world. It’s not something you flaunt carelessly because it’s embarrassing, but it’s not a body part that causes controversy if seen.

In that sense, my reaction probably looked like that of a naive virgin flustered by a mere woman’s chest.

…Suddenly, my pride feels a little wounded.

“I see. If you don’t mind it, Sunbae-nim, then I don’t either.”

“…Trying to act tough now.”

“I’m not acting tough!”

“Ah, right.”

Cheon Jihee Sunbae, barely listening to me, tightened the cloth around her chest.

Watching the scene silently, my mind was filled more with wonder than with any lewd thoughts.

…I never imagined the size I saw before was actually reduced.

It was fascinating how, even after being bound by the cloth, her chest still made its presence known, and that this was considered a reduced size.

Just from the brief glimpse before she wrapped it, her chest seemed even larger than Hwayoung Sunbae’s.

It’s amazing how she manages to perform combat-oriented skills requiring intense physical movement with such large breasts.

“Are you heading home, Sunbae-nim?”

“……”

“Cheon Jihee Sunbae-nim?”

“…Why?”

“I asked if you are heading home now.”

“…And what business is it of yours?”

…When she’s this openly hostile, even I feel a little hurt.

But I have my pride. Having decided to improve our relationship, I couldn’t give up just because of this wall she’s putting up.

Besides, Cheon Jihee Sunbae’s presence was quite important for the future development of Sky Blue Shield. She was an A-rank Hunter capable of defense and close-quarters combat.

It wasn’t just her; countless people would likely view me, a male Hunter, with suspicion or discomfort. If I couldn’t even win over Cheon Jihee Sunbae, who was in my party, it would be difficult to operate as a male Hunter going forward.

“I was just curious.”

“Nothing to be curious about.”

“If you were wiping sweat and readjusting yourself in the conference room, you weren’t planning on going home, were you?”

“……”

She re-fastened the front of her uniform and tightened her belt again, fixing her gaze on me.

“…Training.”

“Where do you train? At the training grounds? Or in a dungeon?”

“What business is it of yours?”

“I was thinking of following you if you were heading into a dungeon. I need to enter one today to meet my quota too.”

“……”

As soon as I mentioned following her, Cheon Jihee Sunbae shot me a blatantly displeased look.

Her reaction clearly showed reluctance, but if I were going to give up here, I wouldn’t have brought it up in the first place.

Regardless, the important thing was to properly introduce myself to her by frequently crossing paths.

Since our connection started with her already having prejudice against me from our first meeting, the only way to fade that impression was to see each other often.

Even if it seemed a bit crude, it was the only method I knew, so I had no choice.

It was fortunate, though, that in this world with reversed notions of chastity, my advances towards Cheon Jihee Sunbae, a woman, wouldn’t be seen as overly forward.

“…I’m going to the Shadow Underground Mausoleum. You’re not coming.”

“The Shadow Underground Mausoleum is an A-rank dungeon, isn’t it? It seems a bit dangerous to go alone. Let’s go together.”

“You’ll be a hindrance.”

“I won’t be a hindrance. You don’t need to protect me or anything. I’ll just be following along.”

“……”

Cheon Jihee Sunbae, frowning once more, walked past me and silently exited the conference room.

I silently followed her footsteps.

In front of the warp gate leading into the Shadow Underground Mausoleum dungeon, Cheon Jihee Sunbae turned back one last time and warned me again.

“I told you clearly. A B-rank entering an A-rank dungeon alone is a crazy act.”

“As I keep saying, I won’t be a bother to you, so you don’t need to worry.”

“…Someone who doesn’t know their place.”

Perhaps thinking further persuasion was pointless, she silently scanned her employee ID at the warp gate and entered the Shadow Underground Mausoleum.

I followed right behind her, scanning my own employee ID at the A-rank dungeon’s warp gate.

「This dungeon is A-rank. Entry for Hunters ranked B or lower without a party is extremely dangerous and safety cannot be guaranteed.

Eun & Ok Co., Ltd. recommends that all Hunters enter dungeons appropriate to their ability and skill level.」

I didn’t recall seeing this message when I entered an A-rank dungeon with Sky Blue Shield last time; it seems the company itself blocks entry when you try to go in alone.

Although the message was somewhat unsettling, if I ran away now, Cheon Jihee Sunbae would probably forever see me as a coward who tucked his tail and fled.

I couldn’t stand that, so I ignored the warning message and proceeded straight into the Shadow Underground Mausoleum dungeon.

『Swordsmanship Lv. 7: 0/700』

…Still, just in case, I did level up my Swordsmanship by one stage.