Minho - now with Vasha's jacket over his torn clothes - walked back home , his mind in a steady frenzy of thoughts as the cool evening wind hit his face. He couldn't have possibly come home with a dragon man and goth girl, so he dismissed both of them.
He walked with his head low, avoiding people as much a he could, since he now had a celebrity status for being an S-rank hunter. He couldn't raise the hoodie because the jacket was a bit too small for him, so he kept it to just hang loosely over his shoulder, unzipped.
He decided to stop by clothing store to at least get something. He picked a few clothes and came back to pay. The receptionist was attending to a lady, so he just stood behind her waiting for his turn.
The receptionist looked bored attending to the lady. She glanced behind the lady she was attending to, so she could welcome the new customer while she waited. The moment her eyes landed on Minho's face, she froze, then she quickly brought out her phone to check the photo displayed on the news. "You're…" She trailed, dropping the phone on the table as her hands flew to her mouth, her eyes holding excitement.
The lady at the front looked confused. What was happening? She decided to turn around to see who made the receptionist act that way. The first thing her eyes landed on were Minho's toned body beneath the torn clothe. "Eh?" Her cheeks went pink slightly, but she couldn't see his face because she put on a baseball cap. She raised her head to look at his face.
Minho's expression was blank, when she peeked up at his face, he looked at her, then he smiled faintly. It was Ah-Ra. Yun Ah-Ra from the Hunters Association. "Oh hey, Chairman's assistant's assistant. I mean, Yun Ah-Ra, right?"
Her cheeks burned a deep red. "Eeeehhhh?" She quickly turned back to the receptionist, her heart pounding wildly in her chest. She slammed her hand on the table, snapping the receptionist out of her world. "G-give me th-the bag already."
Minho raised an eyebrow, a bit confused. He put on a smile to look friendly. Was his smile not human anymore?
Ah-Ra collected her bag and tried walking past him in a hurry with her head low. 'What the hell is wrong with me? That's Hunter Minho. What is he doing here? No it's not him. I don't want to say something stupid. Aaaarghhh!' Her mind was going crazy. She finally thought she'd gone past him when she felt a hand grab her arm. Her heart skipped a few beats.
"Is something wrong?" Minho asked, dropping the clothes he bought on the table for the receptionist, his grip not loosening from Ah-Ra's arm. He finally turned back to her. "Sorry," he said, releasing her arm.
She slowly turned to him her head still low. "Ohh… Hi, Hunter Minho." Her voice was barely audible.
The receptionist looked at Ah-Ra with narrowed eyes. A bit jealous? Maybe.
"What brings you here?" Ah-Ra continued.
"I live not too far from here." Minho replied. "Why don't we go together if you live around as well?"
"Huh?" Her eyes widened.
Minho took the clothes and walked to the changing room. "I'll be back."
Minutes later, they both walked together on the sidewalk. Minho was now in a pair of black pants, a white vest and an open knee-length black coat. He put on a black surgical face mask Ah-Ra lent him.
"Can't believe the man I've been looking for over the past months was actually living around close to my place." Ah-Ra muttered, then her eyes widened a fraction, hoping Minho doesn't take it the wrong way. "When I was searching for The Breaker that is. Not… uhh… forget I ever said that." She covered her face, her cheeks reddening.
'Now now, what the hell is wrong with her?' Minho thought. He had never been in a relationship nor bothered about it, to an extent where he barely understood the signs and signals. So this was all a new experience.
"Ahem," Ah-Ra cleared her throat. "So, you went to raid a dungeon again after the evaluations?"
Minho remained quiet for a beat. He couldn't possibly explain being attacked by a knight and an ant that were shadows, could he? "Yes." He replied flatly.
"Oh, okay."
"Why weren't you there, at the evaluation center?"
She looked at the bag in her hands, her grip tightening. "Ever since that… S-rank dungeon incident where you saved us. I've been a bit traumatized, unlike Jinchul who easily shook it off, although I know he's hiding it." She muttered. "Well, I just took a leave. I'll be back tomorrow."
Minho nodded. "Understood."
They continued their walk in a simple silence, with Minho noticing Ah-Ra steal glances at him from time to time.
Ah-Ra turned to him again, then she spotted a small twig in his hair. She raised her hand to remove it as they walked past the last building on the lane, low, setting sun casted a glow on Minho that made his features even more outlined. Her hand stopped halfway, her heart beating faster as she watched him look at the sun. Her hands continued their journey, a bit too slow now.
Minho's reflexes kicked in and he grabbed her wrist without looking, then he turned to her, tilting his head.
"Th-there's something in your hair." She said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Minho released her hand, touching his hair to feel where the twig was. But he kept missing the spot.
"No no. There," she pointed, but he still didn't get it. She sighed and held his hand, bringing it down, before removing it with her other. She showed him the twig. "See," she said, throwing it on the floor.
"Thanks." Minho bowed his head slightly and she nodded with a smile.
Minho's eyes went down where she hadn't released his hand yet. She followed his eyes and quickly let him go. Her heart trying to beat its way out of her chest. "I-I-I'm sorry."
Minho didn't say a word, just kept on walking until they reached her stop. A luxurious hotel.
"Thanks for walking me home," she bowed, her cap falling off. Minho held it and put it back on as she straitened up. "Thank you. Again." She added with a wider smile, trying not to look like an idiot. Then she walked off to enter the hotel.
Minho looked at her as she walked away. He felt a strange warmth in him that he couldn't explain or understand. His expression was deadpan.
But that wasn't the problem he was trying to understand. It was this one:
[Perfect Host Found!]
[Host's emotional status towards you has matched requirements!]
[Make Host New Hatchery Maiden?]
[Yes] | [No]