episode_0092

I had a dream.

– It’s dyed yellow, yellow~

A small hill filled with colorful flower petals.

I sang nursery rhymes amid the blessings the breeze brought.

​

A small hill where grass bugs can run around and enjoy the fresh air.

You were there.

The most comfortable person in the world.

A truly attractive person with two tear spots under his eyes.

Because I wanted to resemble even the slightest gesture or even the sound of my breath,

Leaning on your shoulder, I would always go home with your side profile and the sound of my heart pounding.

​

‘They always sing the same children’s songs.’

– Because it’s my favorite song… If I don’t like it, should I sing something else?

‘it’s okay.’

Because I lived a life on my own without any family or relatives,

It was my dream to hear others say that they were ‘a good pair’.

I believe that there is an invisible [thread of fate] tied to our little finger.

I just… I hoped that my current happiness would last forever.

– Hehehehe~ What should I eat for dinner tonight? How about soy sauce egg rice?

‘… … ‘Aren’t you tired of it?’

– What do you think? It’s delicious.

Is that why?

Because you were the most comfortable person in the world,

Did I get too close?

Because I was only looking at your face…

Could it be that you didn’t notice the sharp jigsaw you hid behind your back?

But I,

Because life cannot be lived without love.

I hope you love it.

I long to be loved.

Even at this moment, I believe that there is a red thread tied to my little finger that leads somewhere.

Even if you cut it with a jig saw, piece by piece, until it disappears before your eyes.

I hope that one day I can find the [red thread of fate] that will never be broken.

wish.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“…What kind of dream is this again?”

Eunha woke up and frowned at the sunlight coming through the window.

My back hurts.

Pppongppongppang~ Ppongppongppang~

An alarm sound that enrages the listener announces the start of the day.

In the past, Ban Harin changed Eunha’s alarm and ringtone to the BGM of a mobile game he was playing, so the alarm sound is like that.

As I listened to that energy-depleting sound every morning, the only thing that increased was my patience… but I thought positively.

No matter what the alarm is, the annoyance is the same.

Even if I set my favorite song as my alarm because I want to wake up in a good mood, a few days later I end up hating that song.

In the end, the fact that wake-up alarms are annoying doesn’t change.

“Oooh…! My waist…”

Eunha touched the bedside table to turn off the alarm, then lay down on the bed and massaged her back.

Perhaps because I had a lot of trouble preparing for the exam, the back pain I experienced every morning became worse.

Even though it seems like her lumbar disc has popped out of her spine, it doesn’t apply to her because she has the [Self-Healing] skill. However, by the time I wash my face and come out of the bathroom, I feel fine, so it doesn’t bother me too much.

『… … .』

I lay down on the bed and turned my head out the window.

Holding on to the window frame outside, my eyes meet something sticking its head out from beyond the window.

There it is again.

“Good morning. Did you sleep well?”

『… … .』

Eunha waved her hand with a smile.

Then, ‘that’ looked at her in bed, covered only with a blanket, and then timidly waved her hand and went downstairs.

What is it?

Eunha turned her attention away from ‘that’.

A monster that visits her every night and causes her back pain.

I don’t know what people do while they sleep. Still, on the days when ‘that’ goes, my head feels strangely refreshed, so it’s actually nice.

Eunha chuckled and got up from the bed.

Sagagak…

‘Fly’, sensing movement, clears its throat in its stomach.

I’ve been feeding this guy for several days, but somehow his weight remains the same.

No, I don’t feel any weight. This is probably because it is not an ordinary bug.

What on earth is your stomach like? And what does a ‘fly’ look like? It’s frustrating because you can’t open the stomach and check inside.

Eunha tapped her abdomen with her finger.

Then, ‘Fly’, which sensed the vibration, crawled over.

Saga-gak…

“Okay. Good morning.”

I endured the now familiar stomach pain, stretched, and got out of bed.

When I open my bedroom window for ventilation, the warm summer air comes inside.

The weather in the middle of summer was such that it reminded me of an electric fan, but unfortunately, for Eunha, which does not get hot thanks to [Self-Healing], all I could say was that it was warm.

‘Let’s take a quick shower… then let’s go to the Hunter Association.’

Eunha stands in front of the mirror with stronger steps than usual and puts on her usual smiling face.

After checking several times to see if the corners of my mouth are strange or if my smile is crooked, I reach for the calendar hanging next to the mirror.

“…Let’s go in a good way. We can do it.”

June calendar with all dates crossed out…

Eunha took a quick breath and tore off the June calendar.

A clean July calendar greets her in the morning.

July 1st.

The day of the hunter promotion exam.

‘If I just get through today… I can kick my bastards out now.’

Even though it was unfair, I passed.

Eunha headed to the bathroom, rubbing her stomach due to the slowly starting pain.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

July was hot.

As if to boast that summer has officially begun, the sun wakes up with the sound of the galaxy’s alarm and sizzles on the cement floor from early morning.

Is it because of that? The Hunter Association had the air conditioner turned on full blast in the morning for today’s exam.

“Eunha. Did you take a water-based marker pen?”

“I still have a lot of what I bought last month.”

“It’s possible that the nib has been dry for a month. I’ll buy a new one…”

“Oh kinda.”

Eunha sat on the guest waiting chair at the entrance of the association and listened to Ban Harin’s endless worries.

Ban Harin chats with you like a worried friend, asking if you studied well for the written exam, if you forgot anything, and if you don’t have to go to the bathroom before the exam.

As they sit side by side with their shoulders touching, her hand comes up to Eunha’s thigh as if playing with her.

It finally came.

D-class hunter promotion test.

The promotion exam came after a long time of hard work and suffering, especially after constant stomach pain.

I became an E-class hunter last month, and to be honest, I haven’t done anything as a hunter yet… but I came to take the D-class exam anyway.

‘I can’t believe I’m taking the D-level exam…’

I feel new again.

For the past three years, I had to fiddle with my tattered F-class hunter ID in my pocket when verifying my identity in public places.

Even when others laughed at me and told me to give up, I covered my ears and worked hard, and somehow, I succeeded.

Eunha expressed deep gratitude to Ban Harin and the monsters of [The Black Book] who helped her with her test.

Especially the old man in the park. Thanks to that inspiration, I learned a lot.

“As you know, Eunha, there is a written exam in the morning, a physical fitness test in the afternoon, and a one-on-one sparring with an [artificial monster].”

“Yes.”

“The passing standard for a D-class hunter is ‘Do you have the talent to fight monsters?’ Since a person is classified as a proper combatant starting from C-class, the test difficulty is not that high up to D-class.”

The D-level exam is relatively easy, so you should relax.

The voice was as hard as an expressionless face, but the relationship was not so unfamiliar that one could not recognize the warmth contained within it.

Eunha relaxed as she listened to Ban Harin’s explanation.

… For some reason, the back of my neck feels itchy.

“……What about Bangul and Kang Na-ri?”

“I asked you to leave me alone for a moment. It’s difficult to talk about when those two people are around.”

At that time, Ban Harin turned his head away from Eunha and ‘observed’ the surroundings without saying a word.

After confirming that no one was listening to the two people talking, he looked at Eunha with an expressionless face.

Pajijikㅡ.

Ban Harin, whose eyes shined a brilliant gold, pointed with a polite gesture to the black suitcase standing next to Eunha.

A bundle of amulets, prayer beads, a cross, extra clothes, some salt, etc…

And it is Eunha’s favorite carrier containing a heavy [Black Book].

“If you don’t mind, may I open that suitcase?”

“never.”

“…By any chance, aren’t there some blades, such as a kitchen knife, in that carrier?”

“no.”

“Are there any tarpaulins or trash bags in it?”

“There is a trash bag, but there is no tarp.”

“…Excuse me.”

“are you okay.”

“Because I’m worried about Eunha.”

“Put it away.”

A few questions.

A surprisingly firm answer.

Ban Harin pondered Eunha’s answer and bowed his head.

Eunha answered Ban Harin’s question with sincerity and smiled bitterly.

Is it because I am reminded of what happened in the association bathroom a month ago? Ban Harin’s hand on his thigh became stiff.

It looks like he’s worried that he might do something crazy like the E-level exam this time.

If you think about it, Ban Ha-rin cleaned up the blood-soaked bathroom at that time… It’s definitely worth the shock.

“This is a D-level exam that you take immediately after being promoted to E-level. If you fail the test, it’s my fault for not teaching you properly, so feel free to challenge yourself and come back.”

But it’s no reason to worry.

This time, I awakened mana and learned ‘body strengthening’, but will I do something like that again?

In addition to ‘body strengthening’, he only receives a little help from bugs.

I hope you don’t have to clean the bathroom like you did last month.

“Eunha. It’s time to head in. Do you remember the location of the exam room?”

“I’m sure there’s no one better at finding directions to the exam site than me.”

“Oh… what you just said was very believable.”

People evolve.

Don’t repeat the same mistakes as last time.

This time, the ‘fly’ will eat it cleanly from your stomach without contaminating the surroundings.

Eunha patted Ban Harin’s back to tell him not to worry.

I won’t let her clean the bathroom again.

Again… I don’t want to worry you.

Eunha made that promise.

… … .

… … .

『Knock knock~.』

“There’s someone inside.”

And at noon, after the written exam was over.

Eunha sat in the toilet stall of the association’s bathroom and broke into a cold sweat as she answered the [Red Woman] knocking on the door.