High School Girl and Sleepyhead

Two days after the duel ended.

And during the two days before today, there were truly many events.

Things like Neon rushing in asking for a sparring match saying she seemed to have definitely learned something from my duel, or text message bombs flying in from Arashi during daytime hours, or even tasting the makgeolli from the manufacturing factory that Yeon-ah said she finally made.

It had been a past two days with various events all around, but still, if I had to say what the biggest event was, it would be what I’m looking at right now.

There probably wouldn’t be anything beyond this.

…

……

………

“Oh, you’ve completely become a celebrity now.”

“Yeah, the reaction is really hot.”

In the living room of my residential floor.

I, sitting on the large sofa with my back leaned against it, looked at the TV turned on in front of me at Neon’s words sitting next to me.

Then what’s shown on the TV broadcast screen.

And on that screen, a very stylishly edited video of my duel with Se-young was flowing.

The image of me blocking Se-young’s swinging dual swords in a concise, frugal, but contradictorily flashy manner.

As I knew in advance, it was just broadcasting an edited version of the footage taken for ordinary people who couldn’t watch the duel in person.

“If that was all, it would be fine, but……”

Yes, that much wasn’t a problem at all, but the problem was now as the broadcast was flowing. The reaction online was the problem.

“Overnight, I’ve become a hunter known to the whole nation from a hunter only known to a moderate number of people.”

“Why? Isn’t it good to become more popular?”

It seems I had underestimated the popularity and fame of the hunter named Ha Se-young too much.

Not just winning against her in the duel, but overwhelming her, causing oil to be poured on my name that had only briefly flared up.

Right away, not only in real-time search rankings, but my name in two characters was also prominently displayed on news billboards seen outside, and not only had a fandom I didn’t know about sprung up, but countless humans were talking about my name and actions.

The current situation where I’ve become a celebrity in a day, just as Neon said.

If my name and face are reflected in all sorts of places like this, I wonder if there would be anyone who doesn’t know me.

So none of the events during the past two days could dare be compared to the current situation.

Therefore, I wanted to stretch and pull that mouth of Neon’s giving heavily sarcastic praise, but to be honest, my true feelings weren’t much different from what Neon said.

“……I certainly don’t dislike it. There’s nothing bad about becoming popular as a hunter.”

“Then what’s the problem that you look so glum?”

“Just… I feel a bit deflated getting such popularity from something I thought was simply a game.”

Because I had become a hunter not by simply riding on someone’s coattails but by taking the hunter exam, I wanted to gain fame through my achievements clearing gates myself.

But getting this much popularity from a duel I thought was just a passing entertainment made me feel quite unsettled.

But regardless of my feelings, good things were good things for now.

I tried to think of it as a gift Se-young left me and put aside useless thoughts like a child’s mentality, and then shook my head to empty out the stray thoughts.

Yeah, to be honest, doesn’t it feel good?

With so many humans praising and talking about me like that.

As I shook off unnecessary thoughts, I couldn’t hide the corners of my mouth twitching with the vividly felt joy.

And after fiddling with my device for a while grinning like that, suddenly Neon sitting next to me looked at her own device and got up from her seat.

“It’s already time.”

“Where are you going?”

“Ah, I’m going to get fitted for my high school uniform today. I’ll be out for a bit.”

“Oho.”

At Neon’s words, I let out such a voice looking at Neon in understanding.

Come to think of it, the day Neon goes to school is next week.

With only a few days left, she certainly needed to get her uniform fitted.

Of course, from my perspective, I didn’t quite understand why there were dress regulations for going to a place of learning called school, but what could I do if that was human law?

However, I tilted my head and asked her about Neon saying she was going to get fitted for the uniform herself.

“But why are you going yourself? Couldn’t you just call a tailor here?”

“I can’t show that I’m from the General Management Team already, can I? And apart from that, I want to go out and look around a bit.”

Aha. The same exclamation as before flowed from my mouth at Neon’s words.

“That’s right. You said you were going to school hiding that you’re an adopted daughter of the General Management Team. And I understand well that feeling of wanting to go out and look around.”

“Yeah, I realized I haven’t properly gone out and looked around the outside world since you took me in from the slums. Of course, I hadn’t even thought about it because the days were so busy, but now I’ve got some leisure.”

So you’re saying you’ll go out and look around a bit while getting fitted for your uniform?

Since I wasn’t unaware of the feeling of wanting to savor freedom for someone who had been confined somewhere, I nodded in full sympathy with Neon’s words.

But only for a moment. Soon, I looked at Neon again with a memory that came to mind.

“But then who’s your attendant? You should have an attendant to go out.”

For a founding family member of the General Management Team to go out, unless it was the team leader Yeon-ah, they usually had to take at least one attendant with them.

For now, since Neon had also entered as an adopted daughter, at least one attendant should accompany her.

So when I asked Neon that, she threw her gaze towards the door of the living room and answered.

“Um… She should be here by now?”

And just as Neon added, “Is she not here yet?”, a knock echoed from the living room door.

Knock knock—

Since it was clear from the question and answer just now that the owner of that knock sound was the attendant Neon was waiting for, I raised my voice and said without much hesitation.

“You can come in.”

[Then excuse me……]

A somehow familiar voice is heard as my permission falls.

At that voice that seemed like I had heard it once before, I narrowed my eyes slightly, and the next moment when the door opened, I couldn’t help but open my eyes wide at the owner of the voice that appeared.

“What? Don’t tell me you’re personally taking on the role of Neon’s attendant?”

“Ah… Yes. My sister asked me to do it just for today, so that’s how it turned out……”

The one who opened the door and came in was none other than Lee Seol, the fourth daughter of the Yeon-ah family I had seen last time.

She was a girl with messy black hair reaching down to her hips, wearing a dress that looked like pajamas, and a sleep mask worn on her forehead with half-dazed eyes.

For some reason I thought the voice was familiar, but it seems it felt familiar because it was Seol, whom I already knew.

And I couldn’t hide my surprised feeling at Seol’s words that she had personally taken on the role of Neon’s attendant.

“Isn’t your job insight and surveillance of the 2nd District? Is it okay to leave your post like this?”

“That’s true, but… Umm… For now, no matter how far away I am, the wind and vision are still connected… so it’s okay……”

Seol answered my question like that and then let out a long yawn, “Huaaah”.

With her blank expression and such a yawn, Seol showed cuteness beyond even Neon’s, but soon Seol flinched and opened her half-closed eyes wide.

“I-I’m sorry……! I didn’t get much sleep today… Such rudeness……”

“It’s okay, it’s okay. I don’t mind that much anyway, so act comfortably.”

“No…… No matter what, I can’t dare to do that in front of the Ancestor… Hic, up.”

Perhaps trying to act properly as a founding family member of the General Management Team, Seol answered like that while somehow swallowing another yawn that came up again this time.

At that appearance that could truly be called just a bundle of cuteness, I unconsciously felt the corners of my mouth trying to loosen and forcibly gathered my expression.

And after examining the current situation I now understood from Seol’s explanation, I opened my mouth after a moment of contemplation.

“Alright, then is it okay if I come along too?”

“Huh? You want to come along?”

“Are you thinking of coming with us……?”

“Yeah, I went to the gate yesterday anyway, and I don’t have anything to do today.”

Besides, I’m curious about what human school uniforms are like, so it seemed better to follow these two who looked like they’d be fun to watch rather than rolling around all day just fiddling with my device.

『Saying you’ll follow along because it looks fun… That intention belongs to the impure category.』

‘Honestly, doesn’t it look like it’ll be fun?’

『Well, I like it since they’re both beautiful young girls in their prime.』

‘……That’s not what I meant. You’re the one with impure intentions.’

After having an unnecessary conversation with Hwa-gon, I cut off the mental dialogue with an uneasy feeling after hearing her taste that I had forgotten.

I had forgotten, but recalling now, isn’t this goblin bat the one who changed all the great leader successors to pretty young girls saying it was its taste?

I thought for a moment about leaving Hwa-gon behind, worried that she might spout all sorts of desire-filled words in my head if I took her along like this, but…

『Shin-yeon, my dear! I’ve always said, haven’t I! The great leader and the goblin bat are one body and soul! I absolutely won’t forgive leaving me behind…!』

‘Alright. I got it.’

Seeing Hwa-gon writhing furiously at that thought, I sighed and slung her on my back.

Flutter—

“Um, Ancestor… If you’re coming along, this cloak and mask… Since Neon said she doesn’t want to reveal that she’s from the General Management Team……”

“Ah, thank you.”

And as soon as I slung Hwa-gon on my back, Seol handed me a simple cloak and plain mask, which I accepted.

Then, as I put them on my body and face, I could only mutter quietly to myself.

It seems this outing might become quite tiring.