The SSS-Class Hunter’s Garden Log Chapter 39

“What do you mean?”

 

“No, I mean, since that gate incident last time, Hana-ssi hasn’t been coming to the guild at all. I wondered if something awkward happened between you two.”

 

“She’s not even an official guild member. Isn’t it stranger for her to come and go frequently.”

 

It was an indifferent answer, but Kanghyun’s mind was completely filled with the image of Hana, who exhibited the same habits as ‘1’.

 

He definitely knew she wasn’t ‘1’, but the assumption of ‘what if’ kept rising up.

 

Three years is enough time for a person to change completely.

 

Their personality, their way of speaking.

 

Even their appearance.

 

So couldn’t there be a possibility, even just a tiny bit, that Yoon Hana is ‘1’?

 

But that thought soon hit a wall.

 

If Yoon Hana was ‘1’, why on earth was she pretending not to know him?

 

There was no answer to that.

 

‘No, rather than pretending not to know, it was a gaze looking at someone she truly didn’t know.’

 

Hana’s unfamiliar gaze, looking at him as if meeting him for the first time, vividly came to mind.

 

He had to think rationally.

 

It makes no sense to equate people just because a few coincidental habits overlap.

 

Even so, his instinct was whispering to him not to ignore this intuition for some reason.

 

“Damn it, is my brain not working because I haven’t slept.”

 

Kanghyun roughly swept his hair back.

 

He needed sleep.

 

He needed to empty his head.

 

But when he closed his eyes, ‘1’ came to mind, and when he opened his eyes, Yoon Hana came to mind.

 

In this state, his judgment was bound to be clouded.

 

Let’s return to the guild for now.

 

Kanghyun reached that conclusion.

 

He had a hunch that somehow, if he saw Yoon Hana’s face, an answer on what to do might come out. 

 

* * *

 

What was waiting for Kanghyun upon his return to the guild was a scene completely different from his expectations.

 

“Here, look. Lee Haechan-ssi. Try repeating after me nicely. I am not pathetic! I am not useless!”

 

A bright, clear voice rang through the lobby.

 

“I, I am n-not pathetic! I am not useless!”

 

Lee Haechan awkwardly repeating after her with reddened cheeks.

 

“Good! You did well!”

 

Yoon Hana praising him in front of him, even clapping her hands. 

 

And even Choi Kwon grumbling with his arms crossed next to them.

 

It was chaotic beyond belief. 

 

“…Since when did my guild become a psychological counseling center?”

 

As Kanghyun’s voice was heard, the gazes of the three people turned simultaneously.

 

“A-Ah, hello. Guild Master…!”

 

Haechan greeted him in a fairly clear voice, then promptly hid behind Hana’s back.

 

However, since he was well over a head and a half taller than Hana, he wasn’t hidden at all.

 

Still, as if Hana were a lifeline, Haechan firmly grasped Hana’s sleeve and wouldn’t let go.

 

Hana, too, almost felt glad to see Kanghyun for a moment before quickly managing her expression.

 

Hana whispered in a small voice to Haechan.

 

“You did great just now. How is it, the mushroom is having an effect, isn’t it?” 

 

Haechan was in a state of having consumed the oyster mushroom.

 

The mushroom definitely had an effect.

 

Enough for Haechan’s self-esteem, which had been digging into the ground until just a moment ago, to barely poke its face above the surface?

 

To Kanghyun, who didn’t know such context, his nerves strangely sharpened every time Hana whispered something to Haechan.

 

Kanghyun’s gaze headed to Haechan’s hand clutching the hem of Hana’s clothes.

 

The urge to pry that hand off surged up without reason.

 

It was an emotion he had felt before.

 

Whenever Yoon Hana was sticking closely with someone else, an inexplicable displeasure rose.

 

Kanghyun’s gaze went up to Hana again.

 

‘What’s with this. I take my eyes off her for a second, and she keeps showing up with weird things attached.’

 

Having belatedly heard the explanation of the situation, Kanghyun let out a short breath like a sigh.

 

And after detaching Lee Haechan, who was still firmly grasping Hana’s sleeve, he naturally took the spot next to Hana himself.

 

As if that spot had originally been his.

 

In such Kanghyun’s hand was the oyster mushroom Hana had brought.

 

“So this is the new item.”

 

“Yes, it has the efficacy of absorbing the consumer’s depression.”

 

However, it was true that the mushroom absorbed Haechan’s depression, but its effect was limited.

 

【SYSTEM】 

<Depression Absorption Rate: 15%>

 

Checking the system window sparkling before her eyes, Hana added an explanation.

 

“It doesn’t absorb everything all at once, though, so it seems he has to eat it a few more times.” 

 

Kanghyun, who had been listening to those words while leaning his upper body to match Hana’s eye level, nodded his head. 

 

Because Kanghyun also knew of Haechan’s feelings of depression and low self-esteem.

 

“Not a bad effect. Then let’s include this in the delivery list from now on too.”

 

“Sounds good. You heard that, right, Lee Haechan-ssi? You have to keep eating it steadily from now on, okay?”

 

At Hana’s words, Haechan raised his head sharply.

 

“I-I can’t just receive help.”

 

It was a clear voice, hard to believe it belonged to the person who was tearful until a moment ago.

 

Perhaps due to the mushroom’s effect, it seemed he had gained some stubbornness as his depression slightly faded.

 

“Just like earlier, too…. Since you’re helping me like this, please let me repay you in some way.” 

 

“It’s fine. It’s provided to all Haechi guild members anyway so—.”

 

“Th-Then, I’ll at least carry your luggage when you bring items like this…!”

 

Hana scratched the back of her head.

 

“Ahaha, I’m fine on my own for this.”

 

At Hana’s firm drawing of a line, Haechan’s shoulders slowly sank.

 

He felt blocked with every word he brought up.

 

Haechan, whose lips parted a few times, pondered for a moment, then added in a timid voice again.

 

“Or maybe… couldn’t I at least help grow… the mushrooms I’ll be eating?”

 

Hana blinked.

 

Haechan hurriedly continued speaking.

 

“A-anyway, you said I have to keep eating them from now on!”

 

At least let me do that, Haechan added in a voice trailing off.

 

“Umm.”

 

“…Am I useless after all?”

 

Seeing as the depression she had barely lowered seemed to be creeping back up, Hana quickly shook her head.

 

“No, it’s not that. It’s just that the garden patch isn’t that big, and I was wondering if there was anything Lee Haechan-ssi could help with.”

 

“I-I can plow the field with my ability…!”

 

From Haechan’s fingertips, thin silver lines flowed out like threads.

 

It was a stable light, different from when he was on a rampage.

 

Unlike before, the lines moved freely according to Haechan’s will.

 

Haechan wiggled one of the squirming silver lines and made it like a rake.

 

And extending it to a flowerpot placed in the lobby, he scraped the soil inside it with a rrr sound.

 

At that sight, Hana let out a small exclamation of “Oh.”

 

This was a bit fascinating.

 

Hana unconsciously tapped her wrist lightly three times.

 

It was an action she performed whenever her thoughts weren’t organized.

 

Not dreaming that Kanghyun was closely observing her hand gesture, Hana was seriously calculating.

 

Whether Haechan would practically be of help in tending the garden patch.

 

She was just short on hands anyway, as the number of species she was growing increased.

 

Hana’s eyes, having briefly imagined the scene of silver lines evenly plowing the soil, sparkled.

 

“Then, would you like to visit the garden patch once for now?”

 

“…! Yes!”

 

Haechan’s face brightened radiantly.

 

Like that, Lee Haechan became the voluntary ‘Worker No. 1’ of Hana’s garden patch.

 

Hana, cheering inwardly and nodding her head, suddenly felt a stinging gaze fixed on the side of her head and lifted her face.

 

Kanghyun was staring at such Hana.

 

That gaze was strangely persistent.

 

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

 

“Well. I’m thinking that if Lee Haechan is going to be frequenting the garden patch, it might be better for me to go there too.”

 

“Why would Seo Kanghyun-ssi go?”

 

“Did you forget? I thought we agreed to see each other once every two weeks?”

 

At those words, Hana’s posture tilted crookedly.

 

“Because you didn’t contact me at all, I thought that was called off.”

 

“No way.”

 

Kanghyun gave a short laugh. It was a low and dry laugh.

 

“From now on, we’ll be meeting regularly without fail.” 

 

That statement carried a strangely assertive power.

 

Kanghyun recalled Hana’s action of tapping her wrist a moment ago.

 

That, too, resembled the habit ‘1’ showed whenever she was deep in thought.

 

If it was to this extent, shouldn’t it be something he couldn’t simply ignore? 

 

One habit might be a coincidence, but two habits had already overlapped.

 

‘If I’m confused, I just need to observe her more closely.’

 

Wouldn’t some conclusion come out of it if he did so.

 

Whether Yoon Hana is Sunbae or not.

 

It was a conclusion so clear that it made his previous worries seem pointless.

 

Kanghyun’s long eyes curved softly.

 

“Then let’s meet often from now on, Yoon Hana-ssi.”