10 PM
It wasn’t late enough to be called “late night,” but it was late enough for the three of them to decide to leave the izakaya earlier than planned.
Handling the curious stares from people had become tiresome.
As they stood at the crossroads, preparing to part ways toward their respective homes, Kitsunezawa suddenly remembered something.
“Oh, right, Si-woo.”
She pulled out a ring that she had been saving as a gift for his Academy entrance.
“Here’s your entrance gift. Baek Eun-seol got you something, so how could I not?”
The ring was engraved with a fox mask emblem that matched the name Kitsunezawa.
Its design was understated, prioritizing functionality over flashy decoration—clearly tailored for a swordsman.
Si-woo accepted the ring, examining it closely.
‘That’s a magical artifact.’
Both Si-woo and Saria came to the same realization simultaneously.
Though it wasn’t as rare or powerful as an Engraving Book, the ring Kitsunezawa handed him was brimming with mana.
As Si-woo inspected the ring from different angles, Saria asked a confident question:
“This… it’s custom-made equipment, isn’t it?”
“Of course,” Kitsunezawa replied casually.
The magical artifact she had prepared, Ring of Mizukume, had the ability to store magic.
That alone was enough to make Saria believe this gift far surpassed the realm of a “simple present.”
‘A ring that can store magic is already top-tier among magical artifacts.’
But Kitsunezawa wasn’t done explaining.
“I personally refined this with my flames. If you use it wisely, you should be able to access my flames two or three times.”
The revelation left not only Saria but even Si-woo utterly speechless.
A ring that could stockpile magic—and not just any magic, but Kitsunezawa’s flames.
The blue flames she wielded weren’t just any fire.
They ranked among the most powerful of their kind, placing her in the upper mid-tier of S-rank Hunters in terms of destructive firepower.
‘This alone is worth billions—no, tens of billions of won.’
In gates with forest or plain themes, this ring alone could obliterate C-rank gates without needing much effort from the Hunter.
This was far too valuable to accept.
Si-woo would surely refuse. Saria was certain of it.
Kitsunezawa, however, anticipated his refusal and spoke quickly before Si-woo could open his mouth.
“If you don’t take it, I’ll show you what it looks like when a magical artifact worth billions melts into nothing from my flames.”
“…Seriously, who threatens someone into accepting a gift?” Si-woo muttered, exasperated.
“Well, I’m sure there are plenty of people around you who would do the same,” she quipped, smirking.
At least, when it came to those close to Si-woo.
Kitsunezawa then glanced at Si-woo’s hand, tilting her head.
“But… do you think the ring will fit?”
“Don’t worry, I already checked your finger size before,” Kitsunezawa said confidently.
Nodding at her words, Si-woo slipped the ring onto the middle finger of his left hand.
He briefly wondered if it might get in the way when wielding his sword, but his concerns were quickly put to rest.
The ring Kitsunezawa had prepared didn’t cause even the slightest discomfort or awkwardness.
“Wow, expensive stuff really is on another level. I can’t even feel I’m wearing it,” Si-woo remarked, surprised.
“Well, of course. It’s a gift for a swordsman. I wouldn’t have given you something so poorly made that it causes discomfort,” Kitsunezawa replied with a grin.
Having accomplished everything she set out to do—meeting Si-woo after a long time and giving him the entrance gift—Kitsunezawa stood up from her seat.
She had checked off everything on her list.
*‘It’s a bit disappointing I couldn’t “retire” Saria, though…’*
But there wasn’t any more time to linger.
“Well, I’ll head out now. I’ve got things to take care of starting tomorrow.”
She had to organize her teaching schedule, finalize the course names, and prepare the lecture materials.
Although she had successfully become an Academy instructor, it wasn’t something she was entirely prepared for.
Kitsunezawa, who had spent her entire career as an active Hunter, had never properly taught anyone before.
Her reason for becoming an instructor was simple: to stay close to Si-woo.
But she had no intention of shirking her duties as an instructor just to stay near him.
*‘If I want to be by Si-woo’s side, I have to be someone worthy of him.’*
Loving him wasn’t enough.
With her strong sense of pride, Kitsunezawa had high expectations not just for others, but also for herself.
*‘If I can’t even handle this properly, I don’t deserve to stand by Si-woo’s side.’*
With that, Kitsunezawa disappeared into the shadows, leaving her lingering regret behind.
—
Saria watched the alley Kitsunezawa had vanished into.
‘Finally, it’s just the two of us…’
Her fingers brushed against a sheet of paper resting inside her eco bag.
It was the Academy Partner Application Form.
‘This is the perfect moment.’
Saria clenched the form tightly and steeled herself, determination burning in her eyes.
No More Hesitation.
Saria didn’t need any more courage.
She simply said the sentence she had been practicing since the moment they met.
“Si-woo, do you know about the Partner System?”
“The Partner System?”
Seeing his confusion, Saria explained it to him in detail.
The system required sharing every schedule, except for the mandatory courses assigned to each department.
It was designed to foster deep bonds between individuals who intended to work together even after graduation.
A double-edged sword, the system offered great benefits but also significant risks.
After finishing her explanation, Saria pulled out the application form from her eco bag and handed it to Si-woo.
“Here, this is the application for the Partner System.”
Si-woo took the form from her and examined it calmly.
From the moment Saria had started talking about the Partner System, he had already guessed where this conversation was headed.
Through today’s “date,” Si-woo had become certain of Saria’s feelings toward him.
‘If I didn’t have enough awareness to notice something like this, I wouldn’t have survived in the host industry.’
He read through the application carefully.
The contents mirrored exactly what Saria had explained—word for word.
A faint, bitter smile spread across Si-woo’s lips.
‘But still, this is a little…’
It wasn’t that he didn’t like Saria.
The issue lay with his own conscience.
“This… might be a little hard for me to accept.”
“Is it because I’ve already fallen victim to your allure?”
Saria’s question caught Si-woo off guard. His eyes widened in surprise.
She continued, her voice steady and resolute.
“I’ve always thought the only thing I can do is face things head-on.”
Saria had known since the moment she fell under the influence of Si-woo’s allure.
She didn’t want their connection to be denied because of that.
She didn’t want him to hold a prejudice against her simply because she had been affected by his engraving.
She had even wished, fleetingly, that she could be like the ranker-level Hunters who weren’t susceptible to his power.
But no matter how much she wished for that, nothing changed.
So what, should I give up?
“If you think I’m only making this proposal because I’m under your influence, I hope you’ll reconsider, just once.”
“I’m Not Asking for a Guarantee”
Saria wasn’t demanding an unconditional yes.
She knew she was different from the ranker-level Hunters who hadn’t been affected by Si-woo’s allure.
“That’s enough for me.”
What she couldn’t bear was having her feelings—her heart—denied solely because of his engraving.
“I believe these feelings are mine and mine alone.”
Her voice was firm.
She told Si-woo to take his time to think it over.
If he decided to reject her after giving it thought, she would let go without complaint.
“I just can’t stand the idea of my emotions being invalidated because of your allure. That’s why, even if it leads to regret, I want a second chance. At least this way, I won’t have any regrets about not trying my best.”
Saria believed she had made the best choice she could.
Before she knew it, they had arrived at the subway station.
She took a step away from Si-woo, putting distance between them.
“Let me know your answer by the day of the entrance ceremony. Until then, I won’t pressure you, and I won’t even send a message.”
She made it clear that she respected his thoughts and decisions.
As she descended the stairs to the subway station, Saria suddenly stopped.
Turning back toward him, she said something entirely different from her composed tone a moment earlier—a thought she had been suppressing until now.
“But just so you know, I’ll never give up.”
With those words, Saria disappeared from Si-woo’s sight.
Just like Kitsunezawa before her, Saria left Si-woo standing there, watching her retreating figure.
He let out a bitter smile.
This wasn’t the first time something like this had happened.
“What am I supposed to do about this?”
If this had happened during his host days, he would have rejected her without a second thought.
To accept such feelings from a client would have been disrespectful.
That’s why, during his time as a host, Si-woo had resolved never to get attached to anyone.
But this wasn’t his life as a host anymore.
‘Does that mean I should accept it?’
Ignoring the glances of passersby, Si-woo stared intently at the application form Saria had given him.
As the last train’s departure drew near and the station grew quiet, a faint shadow appeared.
Under the deep night sky.
Under the Full Moonlight
Bathed in the ethereal glow of the full moon, violet hair shimmered mysteriously in front of Si-woo’s eyes.
Beyond the hair, violet eyes gleamed with an otherworldly glow, tinged with a dangerous red that radiated madness.
The intensity of her gaze was overwhelming—enough to make anyone instinctively shrink back.
Her presence was so immense that even non-Hunters would struggle to meet her eyes directly.
There was only one person in the world like this, someone unmatched by anyone else except Si-woo himself.
“Master.”
“Ah, my dear disciple looks like he’s got a lot on his mind, huh?”
Standing before him, Jung Se-ah looked down at Si-woo, clad in her signature training gear: a gray sports bra, short dolphin shorts, and a leather jacket draped casually over her shoulders.
“Yeah, I guess my head’s a little full right now,” Si-woo admitted.
“There’s only one cure for that.”
Whoosh!
A familiar wooden training sword flew through the air, landing squarely in Si-woo’s hands.
Jung Se-ah gestured toward the Awakener-exclusive training hall across the street.
“Why don’t we spar for old times’ sake?”
