Rattle.
Never in his life had Moritake Ito felt so tense at the mere sound of a suitcase rolling across the floor.
His trapezius muscles drawn tight, he stood rigidly in place and waited for the approaching figure.
Just then, someone at the airport called out in a cheerful voice.
"Welcome, Mr. Kim Giryeo!"
It was Iori.
In a sense, she was the only S-rank in Japan who could be said to have avoided involvement in any particular incident.
She had never coveted a legendary item. Nor had she ever been so intimidated by pressure from her comrades that she turned a blind eye to their wrongdoing. That was why she could approach the Korean hunter without hesitation.
"Thank you for coming back to Japan! How many seasons has it been since your last visit?"
"_ _"
"Last time it was Kyushu, and this time we're meeting in Tokyo, the nation's capital. I truly apologize for what happened during the raid, and I can't thank you enough for what you did."
"_ _"
"We've all heard from the other raid members about the kindness you showed us, Mr. Kim Giryeo."
On the surface, Iori maintained a smooth smile, but inwardly, she couldn't help feeling uneasy.
It was true that the auction prepared as the highlight of the event's second day was large enough that it wouldn't have been strange for S-rank hunters from all over the world to gather for it.
'But why would an S-rank Awakener arrive on the very first day of the event?'
Could someone that powerful really have come all the way to the Japanese archipelago merely to sightsee?
And spend a full twenty-four hours of precious S-rank time doing it?
Glance.
Iori glanced once toward her former coworker, then back at the man standing before her.
"And if you happened to come on short notice and didn't have time to arrange accommodations, we've reserved a hotel specifically for distinguished guests such as yourself."
To be fair, the only mistakes she had made during the last Kagoshima Dragon Raid were fainting twice inside the dungeon.
Even so, Iori took an exceptionally humble attitude toward the newly arrived hunter.
Regardless of who had been right or wrong, the man before her was someone who had helped during a crisis in her homeland.
"If you need anything at all, please let me know anytime! Haha, hahaha..."
More importantly, he looked terrifying.
For a much simpler reason than one might expect, Iori continued treating him with the utmost respect.
At last, the guest from Korea set his suitcase down beside him, rummaged through his belongings, and pulled out the equipment he needed in order to speak.
The Korean hunter quickly hooked a wired PIXY translator over his ear.
"Thank you for welcoming me."
Mechanical Japanese immediately flowed from the speaker attached at his waist.
"Is it translating properly?"
"Ah, yes! Of course, Mr. Kim Giryeo."
Judging from the exchange so far, the conversation seemed perfectly cordial.
"By the way, I'm only asking out of curiosity, but did you also come to see the [Triaina] auction we've prepared, Mr. Kim Giryeo?"
Then the atmosphere changed in an instant.
At Iori's question about whether he had come for [Triaina], Kim Giryeo's eyes widened slightly, as though he were hearing about it for the first time.
"No. I didn't even know something like that was here."
A chill ran down the spines of the Japanese Awakeners.
In fact, before arriving at the airport, Japan's four S-rank hunters had already been exchanging theories over messenger about why that man had entered the country.
[As expected, isn't it because the reward money wasn't enough, and he came here to get angry? www]
[lol, easy for you to say when you're not the one involved. We're actually serious about this.]
[LOL]
[But seriously, even after transferring more than 10 billion yen, why on earth?!]
[If one person had paid it alone, I might understand. But if three S-rankers pooled the money together, honestly, that's not even that much. (Stamp of a LWE character wearing a smug expression)]
[Shut up!]
After thinking it over, they had gradually begun to suspect that Kim Giryeo might have come to Imabari in person to confront them over what he considered an insufficient reward.
And now that suspicion only deepened.
Especially since the man showed absolutely no interest in Tokyo's highlight auction.
'Damn it! So he really did enter the country because of that!'
The Japanese hunters rapidly descended into their own delusions.
'Ten billion yen was already about as much cash as we could scrape together...'
The one most shaken by this was the guild master of Imabari.
In modern society, apologies made with words alone carried little weight.
That was why, at the very least, he had wanted to show sincerity through the distribution of the raid reward. He had even sold some of his valuable equipment in order to raise the necessary funds.
But how could they complain that they felt wronged simply because the other party wasn't satisfied with their sincerity?
"Keugh."
The man standing across from them was a top-tier hunter who had once passed over a legendary-grade item in favor of an Epic-grade one.
If someone like that decided to set this airport on fire right now, they could hardly claim not to understand why.
"Haha. Ha... S-so you didn't come to see the auction...?"
As a result, both Iori and Ito suddenly found themselves breaking into a cold sweat.
Meanwhile, the man in black who had managed to silence the entire airport all by himself was thinking something completely different.
'Fools.'
The Alphaurian within him practically beamed with delight.
For him, it was the equivalent of smiling to himself.
That was how effective the hundred billion yen sent by the other country had been.
'Suckers really are wonderful...'
As this made perfectly clear, Kim Giryeo no longer held any real resentment toward them.
He had genuinely come to Tokyo a day early simply for sightseeing.
Of course, no matter how much money he had received, that didn't mean he could completely lower his guard around people powerful enough to have nearly killed him.
'Kang Changho is out—and Esther said she's busy—'
Entering a potentially dangerous place alone still felt a little too risky.
So after asking around, Giryeo had brought a new bodyguard with him.
'And seriously, what kind of sins did Jung Haseong commit in a past life that he can't even leave the country freely? Good grief. Just visiting a neighboring country turns into a political controversy for him...'
"Huh?"
Drrrrrrk.
Someone else approached, pulling a suitcase behind them and heading toward the group.
Long jet-black hair, dark as ebony.
The same PIXY earpiece tucked neatly behind one ear.
And a suit.
A woman dressed entirely in black appeared, looking from a distance almost as though she had deliberately coordinated her outfit with the Korean ranker.
She soon greeted Iori, her complexion pale.
"Hello, Hunter Iori. I'm the official dispatched by the Korea Hunter Association whom I contacted you about in advance."
"Ah! You're Ms. Woo Yeon?"
"Ha..."
That's right.
On this trip, Seonwoo Yeon was the unfortunate victim.
***
A few minutes later. Tokyo event venue.
"Wow, hey. Maybe it's because we're in a different region, but there are so many items here I've never heard of or seen before."
The Korean man looked around the exhibits filling the hall with open admiration.
The woman walking beside him, however, wore an unmistakably displeased expression.
"Hunter Kim Giryeo."
"Yes!"
"Excuse me, but why exactly did you call me here...?"
Because she was not, in fact, the overseas companion he had originally wanted.
"Also, when I saw you talking to those Japanese hunters earlier, every time they made eye contact with Mr. Kim Giryeo, they looked visibly nervous. What was that about?"
"Ah."
"Did you happen to do something when you were in Kagoshima before?"
Seonwoo Yeon fired question after question at her reluctant travel companion.
For the moment, both of them had switched off their translators and were speaking in Korean.
"Kagoshima? Ah, quite a lot happened there. But no matter how I think about it, none of it is really something we should discuss openly in the middle of Japan."
"Oh my god."
"Putting that aside, to answer your first question—it's for safety."
"For safety?"
"I asked you to come with me as a kind of insurance."
Sssk.
As Giryeo spoke, he leaned closer.
He lowered his voice so that no one nearby could overhear.
"Think about it. Even Korea feels like a foreign place to me, so wouldn't another country, where I can't even understand the language, feel even more dangerous?"
The gentle Earthling's expression grew even more troubled.
She really didn't want to know that this man was an alien.
Yet every time she was on the verge of forgetting it, he would remind her in the most vivid way possible.
'What is he thinking, bringing up something like that out here? Is he daring me to answer carelessly and get myself into trouble?'
Seonwoo Yeon felt deeply wronged.
Looking back, even the way Kang Changho's case had ended seemed suspicious.
No matter how she examined the situation, this man didn't appear powerless at all.
He was simply an absurdly powerful S-rank hunter.
If that was true, then perhaps she'd protected a monster that hadn't even needed her help and gotten dragged into all sorts of unnecessary trouble for nothing.
'No. That's probably just me overthinking it.'
Just as her thoughts became increasingly complicated, the man beside her continued.
"But why have you looked so upset since earlier? Is it because of work after all?"
"Ha..."
"Well, even if all your expenses are covered, having to write detailed plans and reports must be a hassle."
"I'm not sure."
"You're here to investigate this event, right, Seonwoo Yeon-ssi? Since you're the dispatched official, I was lucky to have someone I could bring along."
When the civil servant gave no answer, the man with the sambagaen eyes leaned closer once again.
"Right? Friends? We're friends, aren't we? You're going to help me out a lot, right?"
"Y-yes..."
Seonwoo Yeon felt like crying.
What crime had she committed to deserve this?
Why did she have to travel all the way to a foreign country just to be harassed like this?
"Huh?"
It was then that Kim Giryeo, who had been casually looking around the exhibition hall, suddenly stopped walking.
"Hunter Seonwoo Yeon, by the way—don't you suddenly feel like having some ice cream?"
The question came completely out of nowhere.
Why would he suddenly bring up snacks in an exhibition hall packed from wall to wall with magical tools?
"You might end up using [Searcher] for me someday, since you're an Awakened. So hey, I'll treat you in advance. My treat."
Ah.
Now that she looked, there was indeed a familiar-looking shop at the end of Kim Giryeo's gaze.
Then again, there was no way a festival this large wouldn't have at least a few food stalls.
"So there really is a food court here. Judging by the Chinese characters, this should be somewhere around the East Exit."
Giryeo pointed toward a pastel-colored sign.
"By the way, that ice cream shop. I've seen it a lot in Korea, but they have the exact same thing here too?"
The genuine wonder in his voice gave Seonwoo Yeon a fresh sense of dissonance.
It still hadn't fully sunk in, but at moments like this, he unmistakably felt like an alien.
"Oh, that's... what they call a 'franchise.' No matter where you go, they use the same name..."
There was something faintly patronizing in her tone.
As Seonwoo Yeon patiently explained the concept as though teaching a five-year-old child, Giryeo felt a strange sensation.
Still, it wasn't unpleasant enough to be worth mentioning.
"Hmm. Well, anyway, I was craving something cold too, so shall we go in for a bit?"
"Seonwoo Yeon, please place the order for me. I'll pay with my card."
"Ah, yes..."
With ice cream right in front of her, there wasn't much reason to complain.
"Oh? I'm sure there's plenty of money in my account. Why isn't the payment going through?"
"Is that a card that isn't enabled for overseas transactions?"
"I'm sorry, but what does that mean?"
"I'll just use my credit card..."
Beep.
While the alien stood hesitating behind her with his wallet in hand, Seonwoo Yeon inserted her own card into the kiosk.
But this time, even though the card itself was fine, the payment still failed.
"...I'm sorry, Broken, Broken!"
Judging by the Japanese clerk's gestures and explanation, the card reader appeared to have broken down after too much use.
'PIXY translators aren't cheap, so I guess they don't provide one even to part-time workers like this.'
In that case, she would simply have to order in person.
Seonwoo Yeon put her translator back on and approached the counter.
After all, she had already seen what her companion wanted to order on the kiosk.
"One raspberry sherbet, and..."
The Association employee spoke naturally, without thinking much about it.
"My Dad is an alien."
Only after the words left her mouth did she realize that something was wrong.
Startled, Seonwoo Yeon instinctively looked behind her.
There stood a man in a suit with his mouth hanging open in surprise.
Giryeo's expression alone practically screamed:
'You too...?'
To suddenly announce to the clerk that my dad is an alien.
"H-huh? Oh. That."
Seeing his reaction, Seonwoo Yeon immediately became flustered.
The government official was just about to break into a cold sweat and desperately explain herself when Kim Giryeo's expression abruptly returned to normal.
He spoke politely.
"Actually, I know. That's the name of the ice cream they sell here."
"_ _"
"Ah! Clerk. Please give me a single regular size for mine, and a cone instead of a cup."
Had she ever, at any point in her life, seriously wanted to beat up an alien?
Seonwoo Yeon briefly reflected on her past as she watched the S-rank hunter smoothly place his order.
Unfortunately, she was overwhelmingly weaker than him in terms of rank, so there wasn't much she could realistically do about it.
"...I'd like a single regular cup, please."
Thus, the chaotic snack run finally came to an end.
The Association employee and the S-rank hunter killed time nearby while waiting for the shop to prepare their orders.
A moment later, Seonwoo Yeon asked in a weary voice.
"But Hunter Kim Giryeo... did you specifically book your return flight for the last day because of the auction?"
"The last day?"
"I heard the Tokyo auction starts on the second day of the event. I assumed there would still be quite a lot to take care of even after the trades were finished."
Kim Giryeo answered casually.
"Ah, yes. I'll probably stay until then."
"As expected, you really did come to buy artifacts after all."
"[Triaina] wasn't my main reason, though."
"Yes."
"Seonwoo Yeon, by the way, how did [Triaina] end up being put up for auction?"
"Hmm?"
"If it has water-attribute skills, it should be extremely useful. I thought that Chinese hunter would just keep using it for the rest of his life."
"Yes?"
"The winner of the international tournament—wasn't he Chinese? Ah, could it be that this equipment isn't secondhand at all, but actually dropped recently from a new dungeon?"
As their conversation continued, several strange contradictions began to emerge.
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