Where Are You Even Hitting?!

“……”

“Um, excuse… me?”

Ah, look at me.

‘Can’t you do it properly, Yu Seha?!’

My favorite character is right in front of me!

Thinking that I had to make a good first impression, I took a deep breath to calm myself.

Yes, moderately… without being too burdensome on her, first with one hand for a handshake…

-Grip!

“Please take good care of me today. My name is Yu Seha!”
“Eh…yes, yes…”

Damn, damn it.

As expected, I couldn’t control myself.

Ma Hana, with a slightly moved look, pulled her head back as if looking at me like I was a strange person.

Hmm, I guess I got too close to her.

I understand.

If I were her too, I would be very embarrassed to see a stranger act like this.

‘…But I can’t help it.’

[Gonis Archive Life]for about 5 years.

Even with members being changed according to specific ‘Gates’, Ma Hana had never once been left out of my main party line-up.

We had been together for that long.

I knew her voice, personality, likes, dislikes, and even her minor habits.

And now, she’s alive and moving right in front of me.

With warmth and breath.

Not just a piece of data, but as a real person in front of me.

‘Oh, this is too much for me to take!’

I wanted to burst into tears right now, but I needed to hold back.

“…Excuse me? Are you alright?”
“I’m fine!”

As you can see, Ma Hana was an attractive cat-eared anthropomorph, or, in other words, a member of the Myoin Tribe.

Given that her keen senses were often mentioned in the game, she might become wary if she realizes I’m strange.

“Let’s start with the topic of the gate we’re entering today.”

As expected, she seemed like a senior who had been a ‘Hunter’ longer than I have, so talking about the monsters that might appear or precautions should make it easy to get along.

“Excuse me, you two?”

The staff member, who had been busily typing, raised his hand with a bright face.

“It looks like the last person has been matched. They are currently waiting at the gate for you both.”

Leaving now would be just right.

10 minutes later.
We were moving towards the ‘gate’ entrance, chatting amiably.

“…Ah, so, Ma Hana, you’ve been a Hunter for about a year then?”
“Yes… still… I’m still in the lower ranks, not even escaping E-class.”

Ma Hana, scratched her cheek as if embarrassed.

Sticking out her tongue slightly as if she were feeling shy about herself… was just too cute.

“Still, being active for a year is impressive. Should I call you senior?”
“Se-senior?”

Startled at how suddenly I used it, Ma Hana shyly fiddled her soft cheeks with both hands.

The two long tails wrapped around her waist unwound smoothly, drawing curves as they moved.

And the rosy flush that not even dark circles could hide…

‘Wow, damn… this is it.’

Was it because I was so smitten?

Every little action she did, seemingly meaningless, was too cute.

No, wait.

This wasn’t being smitten.

This was just pure, perfect cuteness!

‘Heeh~ This is the benefit of being possessed!’

Are you seeing this? You ‘Supervisors’ who couldn’t even possess this body?

Should I say it was satisfying just to look at her, or should I say it was fulfilling?

Anyway, it was a feeling of indescribable warmth rising within.

Even more, it wasn’t the end here!
Then came that unique voice!

My heart raced with a ‘thump!’ at that one word without special meaning.

“M-Meoaa…how embarrassing.”

There it was.

Ma Hana’s signature sound.

Namely, ‘Meoaa.’

At her most decisive habit of speech that got her nicknamed ‘Meowi,’ I inadvertently let out an exclamation.

‘…In this world, to see this with my own two eyes while I’m still alive…’

As a guide who diligently served ‘GAL,’ I would have no regrets if I died right now.

If only life could be filled with such happy times.
Just then, a whispering voice that seemed to dislike this scene came from this direction.

-Wow, look at that guy. He’s really handsome… what is that loser girl doing next to him?

-Looking at that shabby appearance, it seems about right?

A duo of women with green and orange hair stared intently at us.

Judging by their cold-looking attire and the daggers at their waists, they seemed to belong to the <Assassin> class.

-Ugh… that damned trash is still roaming around here.

-This time, Mijin Sis got hurt because of that one, right?

-With no talent and a weak body, trying to be a tank… Just quietly be a porter, or just quit. I don’t know what she is relying on to be so stubborn.

-But… who’s the guy next to her? It’s my first time seeing him…

-Forget it. Birds of a feather flock together. Probably just another loser. To begin with, what’s with a man having a sword at his waist.

They spoke as if they wanted to be heard by us.

My expression changed unknowingly.

But more than that, Ma Hana’s reaction hurt me the most.

“……”

Silently bowing her head, she remained quiet.

Seeing her unable to refute as if everything they said was true, I could roughly grasp the situation.

‘I see.’

Ma Hana was treated the same here as well.

In ‘GAL’, Ma Hana was a common 1★ tank that appeared so frequently when spinning the gacha, she was practically tripping over her feet.

Being a typical character, there were hardly any users who welcomed her with open arms.

Her image had already taken a hit here, and on top of that, her performance had severe flaws.

Her small body and her weight, which hardly counted, made it difficult to properly utilize her despite having the outstanding main tank class of [Guardian].

Moreover, perhaps due to the limitations of being born a 1★.

She was unable to even learn the [Taunt] skill, which was crucial for a tank, on her own.

To teach her, one would have to use paid currency.
A considerable effort was needed.

“…Even so, no other class changes are possible.”

Forcing a change would result in a mental debuff called “Broken Spirit.”

Therefore, she couldn’t be utilized as an attacker based on her strength or high speed.

This was something that could be fully understood if one looked at her personal story.

However, from the perspective of most ‘Supervisors,’ she was nothing but a burden.

Thus, it was common for her to naturally end up being discarded early on… becoming a character left in the warehouse.

“Was there a survey?”

A survey to find out what phrases the characters often say.

I still remember the words that most Ma Hanas uttered.

[Ah, it’s really been a long time. Supervisor… Uh, sorry, but when will my turn come?]

“……”

I silently watched Ma Hana walking with her head down.

It almost felt like fate at this point.

The wish I had then—to raise her, Meowi, as the main tank—sprang up again.

‘I want to make those drooping shoulders of her stand tall and proud!’

It was with that intention that I reached out to her, remembering that moment.

Ma Hana.

Now 19 years old, an adult, she walked on silently, enduring the harsh stares around her.

Normally, even if it was painful and hard, she wouldn’t feel this way.

The feeling she had after her first party participation, after failing and being scolded by the ‘leader’.

‘…Embarrassing.’

Embarrassing.
Shameful.
Humiliating.

Behind her now was a man following closely.

A male party member she met for the first time today.

His name was Yu Seha…?

The first time Ma Hana saw him, she barely managed to suppress a genuine exclamation of admiration that rose from the depths of her heart.

‘…So handsome.’

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he was the most handsome man she had ever seen till now.

His mysterious age, which lay somewhere between boyhood and manhood, gave off a feeling that made it hard to believe he was the same age as her.

It was to the extent that she wondered, “Has he come to strip me bare?”

But soon, she dismissed the thought as ridiculous.

After all, she wasn’t worth that much.

‘What could someone like me possibly…?’

With looks like his, he could easily be invited to parties just to serve as ‘porter’.

Especially in ‘guilds’, where there’s an unofficial but widely recognized system for special porters.

Commonly known as “lovers,” targeting young and attractive men and women… such a system existed.

If he wanted, he could easily stick with a better female hunter and catch the benefits of it.

So, at first, she was cautious.

Because the way he looked at her was unusual.

‘…Like seeing a family separated for decades… That kind of feeling?’

Anyway, it was true that she felt perplexed by the indescribable atmosphere.

But even that suspicion was completely stripped away as they talked amicably.

Surprisingly so, even to herself.

‘…Have I been this starved for conversation?’

Maybe… cause she was often called a “dropout.”

Despite having a good [Grade] called [Guardian], a failure, trash, and a loser who couldn’t leverage any strengths.

It wasn’t a derogatory remark, but a pure fact that had to be accepted.

She had no talent.

She was always convinced that her father, who respected her and said, “Hana, you have talent in you!” was not right.

A year ago, she boldly stepped into the ‘Hunter’ circle for the first time.

It didn’t take long for her to realize that she was nothing more than a mediocre half-penny.

She couldn’t properly block an enemy’s attack, nor could she use [Provocation] to draw aggro onto her.

A tank is the vanguard that leads the party through the enemy lines.

Yet she was utterly incapable of carrying such a heavy responsibility.

Eventually, not long after, she became something of a blacklist to groups… shunned from joining any party.

“…So even if I heard such words a little while ago… it would be useless.”

It’s frustrating and heart-breaking, but it’s the truth.

The words of those two women.

Because nothing was wrong.

But, Yu Seha.
For the first time in her life, he, who called her ‘senior’… she didn’t want to show her flaws this early in the day.

‘…Just a little…’

Can’t we live in a fantasy just a bit?
Just a little… Can’t I act like a cool senior?

Even if it were an illusion that would burst like a bubble the moment they stepped into the dungeon.

Slap!

‘Myaaa! Snap out of it. Ma Hana!’

With that thought, she slapped her cheeks hard with both hands.

This was going to be her last chance.

Remember what the staff sis, who quietly called her 10 minutes ago, said with a worried look on her face.

-Ma Hana. The higher-ups have spoken… If this subjugation fails again… they won’t give you merit.

-…Then……

-…Yes. it means that if you don’t produce good results…

You’re out of the guild.

‘…I don’t want that.’

I hate it.
If I have to leave the guild…
If I’m going to quit being a Hunter, I want it to be of my own volition.

Sigh.

After taking a breath, Ma Hana turned around with a slightly apologetic look in her eyes.

“…I’m sorry. Because of me, you ended up hearing such things from the start.”
“D-Did you just slap… your cheeks?”
“Ah, huh? Oh, yes. It’s something I do often to snap out of it.”

“You can’t do that!”

Ah, sorry?

Ma Hana let out a confused sound.

Yu Seha, not knowing what to do, looked at her with red cheeks.

“Those… those chubby cheeks that haven’t even lost their baby fat; how could you even hit them?!”

“…Excuse me…?”
“Never do it again. It’s unfortunate!”
“……”

Take back those words.

Yes, take back those words that were said at the start.

Ma Hana looked at Yu Seha, who was making a fuss while holding her hand, and thought.

She blamed herself for letting down her guard against this man.

Indeed, Yu Seha was…

A dangerous person in many ways.