Magical Hunter Girl Decorates the Dungeon! Episode 019
— — —
Kang Junseo.
A child, male, human, same age as Shin Iji.
He is not a Hunter, so he cannot be a comrade.
He is not cute, so he does not suit a Magical Girl.
In short, he is useless.
‘Then why does he not know his place and keep following Iji around!’
Since he was unilaterally indebted to her in the desert dungeon, I thought he would know shame.
But he has been chasing her at school, popping up after class, and so on...
He is nothing but a nuisance.
‘Is Iji not uncomfortable with that guy? Why does she let him be?’
They were talking at length today, too...
Grimoire 1803 was trapped inside the bag, so it could not properly hear the content of their conversation.
It only assumed the conversation ended well because Iji’s footsteps on the way home were light.
‘Iji is clever, so she must have handled it well, right?’
After hoping that the outcome was one that would shake off Kang Junseo.
Grimoire 1803 found a book on the vast bookshelf.
‘Let’s start with the region where Iji lives.’
[Seoul]
— — —
Inside the book. The figures of humans unfolded in a dizzying display.
‘Now. Where could Jin Si-heon’s soul be?’
Finding a dungeon in this vast land and tracking Jin Si-heon’s trail is a task so difficult that even the expression “searching for a needle in a haystack” is an understatement. To put it bluntly, it is finding a needle in a desert.
However, Grimoire 1803 focused until its eyes turned red.
Shin Iji.
It must do its best for the EX-Rank contractor it barely managed to find.
‘EX-Rank Awakeners are usually snatched up by other Grimoires as soon as they are discovered.’
...Though, in truth, since Iji’s traits were unbloomed at the time of her awakening and she was so young, there is a high probability that others ignored her even after seeing her.
‘I chose and contracted with her with extreme cold-headedness, as a matter of investment.’
Absolutely! Not at all!
Just as the adult Grimoire said, it absolutely did not run to her because it was happy to see the existence of an Awakener as young as itself!
‘My choice is correct. ...Besides, that child does her best every single time.’
As a senior in this world, it cannot betray that passion!
Grimoire 1803 opened its eyes wide and held on.
Just when it had selected a few dungeons that emitted energy similar to that of the unlucky, rotten guy.
A paper airplane with writing on it flew in front of its eyes.
Grimoire! Hey! ...You said I could call you
in my head, so what is this? Hello?
Hey. You crumpled book!
“Ha...”
Grimoire 1803 furrowed its brow.
It was a message from ‘Jin Si-heon,’ who was connected to it by magic.
A guy who knows no gratitude, has a bad personality, and even snatched the title of Iji’s first comrade.
Regretting slightly the mindset of wanting to do its best for Iji.
It opened the communication with Jin Si-heon.
— — —
* * *
Lately, because of her sister’s evening shifts (3:00 PM to 11:00 PM), there were many days when they only saw each other in the morning.
This is nice in its own way.
Because I can start my day with my sister’s smiling face.
‘Especially today!’
“Sister, this! It’s a present!”
I can see the best smile!
Hyunji, having received the gift, was happy but flustered.
“Thank you so much. But, what day is it today?”
‘The neighborhood grandmas said that with your first paycheck, you should buy your parents long underwear.’
It wasn’t long underwear, but Iji was so happy to have earned money for the first time that she bought a new ribbon hairnet that her sister could wear at the hospital.
Of course, she couldn’t confess that she earned the money as a Hunter, so Iji brought up a second reason.
“I bought it because it’s not any special day.”
“Huh?”
“Because then, it becomes a day where you have pretty hair, Sister!”
“Iji...! Wait a second, I’ll go put it on right now!”
The word choice seemed a bit off, but regardless, the new ribbon hairnet really suited Hyunji.
Hyunji muttered while looking in the mirror.
“Should I wear this precious thing to a shabby hospital...”
Iji’s eyes went round. Her sister’s workplace looked as cool as her sister!
“Shabby? Is your hospital a thatched cottage?”
“If you look with the eyes of your heart, sometimes it is.”
“You should start a revolution.”
It was the most progressive-sounding word Iji knew. Her sister nodded in satisfaction.
Just before leaving for school, her sister said as if she had remembered something.
“Iji. I got a call about dungeon counseling.”
“Counseling?”
“The day the dungeon broke. The application for victim psychological counseling has reached our turn.”
“Aha.”
“Do you want to go with me? They say they give good advice.”
Iji pondered for a moment.
‘I’m not a victim.’
I only had good experiences in the desert dungeon.
‘But laaaater, something difficult might happen in a dungeon.’
There’s no harm in learning beforehand.
As it happens, she thought of a place to use it right now.
‘I can comfort Mr. Jin Si-heon!’
“Okay! I’ll check my schedule and let you know.”
“Sure, you’re busy because you’re in second grade.”
Hyunji swallowed a laugh, then hesitated before speaking.
“Shin Iji. Is there really nothing going on?”
“Huh?”
“...Aren’t you going out late these days?”
*Hiccup.*
Iji’s breath stopped for a moment.
“There are several ladies who said they saw you after sunset. They said it wasn’t just once or twice.”
“It was twice!”
It seems the rumors have spread excessively. It’s unfair.
Anyway, she had missed the timing to deny it. Iji opened her mouth while cautiously watching her sister.
“That is... I’m not scared of dungeons at all.”
“Yes.”
“The kid who was trapped in the dungeon with me. I talked about the dungeon with Junseo.”
“Ah, that tall boy?”
Thank goodness. Her sister seems to remember him too.
Iji nodded vigorously.
“I was really fine! He must have had a really hard time. He collapsed as soon as we went in.”
“Oh my.”
“I helped him up. Later, he kept chasing me around saying he was thankful and wanted to repay the favor.”
“Wow, he’s loyal.”
“He’s a kid who plays basketball, so he must be loyal! He goes to a basketball class, you know? In a van driven by a coach! But I saw him before he went to the academy, so that’s why we met late!”
As she poured out all the information she remembered, her sister’s expression seemed to change from ‘suspicious’ to ‘Is that so...?’
“I do think I’ve seen a basketball class shuttle in the neighborhood.”
“Right!”
“It’s good that you’ve made a new friend, but don’t stay out too late.”
“Yes, I will!”
‘...Hmm, wait.’
A new friend?
‘We’re not friends yet.’
However, she missed the timing to deny it again.
Her sister said.
“That’s right, it would be good if Junseo received the counseling together too. Since you’re both friends who went to a dungeon. Do you want to ask him?”
“Yes! Because we’re friends!”
After answering refreshingly, sirens went *ding-dong* in her head.
It’s an emergency.
‘Would a kid who didn’t even remember my name want to be friends with me?’
— — —
* * *
It’s strange.
For some reason, it was hard to talk to Kang Junseo today.
Whenever Iji tried to approach him, Junseo would rise like a ghost and shout.
“Who wants to play ball!”
Iji’s faint greeting was fizzled out by the rough voices of the boys.
Even when scolded by the teacher, Junseo was steadfast. Only the game changed.
‘...I wonder if we can’t go to the counseling together.’
After failing to talk to him until after school.
Iji called the Grimoire.
The Grimoire narrowed its eyes.
[You used to call me whenever you had a spare moment, but you’re later than usual today.]
“I was a bit busy.”
[What could a child possibly be busy with? I understand that the pressure of learning for minors in Korea intensifies after the age of 14.]
“For a child, making friends is also learning.”
[Ha, you were busy in your own way. Did you succeed?]
“I couldn’t... Junseo kept going out to play.”
[...Junseo?]
“You know him, right? The kid who went to the dungeon with me.”
The Grimoire made a face like it had bitten into ginger while eating kimchi.
At least it remembers.
[I know. The brat who was dragged along rather than accompanying you to the dungeon.]
“That’s right! Since we suffered together, my sister said it would be good if we were friends.”
[I wonder. Perhaps that guy was deliberately avoiding you?]
“What?”
[You said he went out to play to a strange degree.]
“No way...”
[There is no need to be close to a rude guy. ...Someone is waiting while keeping their ears open, you know.]
The last sentence was muttered by the Grimoire to itself, so it wasn’t heard clearly. Regardless, it probably wasn’t anything good.
‘Grimoire-nim. You’re kind of like a boomer.’
Just how old is it?
Iji didn’t ask further and changed the subject.
“School is over, so I have no business today! Now let’s go trade the Magic Stone.”
[Yes...]
“Is Mr. Si-heon doing well?”
[...]
The second *crunch* of ginger.
The Grimoire spoke with the expression of someone taking out homework they had been putting off.
[He is doing well. Now that I think of it, he asked to see your face in the dungeon.]
“Oh. What’s the matter?”
[I don’t know either. Go see him after the trade.]
They say rabbits are prone to loneliness.
‘Mr. Si-heon. Are you lonely?’
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