I had a job with two sides to it.
First, I had to help these women claw their way back to being S-rank Hunters.
Second, I had to keep them on a tight leash so their recklessness didn’t come back to bite me.
Most days, the selfish side of me, the corrections officer side, won out.
It was simpler that way.
But when Audrey fixed me with those clear, unblinking eyes, my mouth went dry. For once, I couldn’t come up with some clever answer.
She simply watched me in silence for a moment before taking another calm sip of her black tea, as though she hadn’t expected me to answer in the first place.
"Whichever it is," she said coolly, lowering her cup, "you should decide soon. For everyone’s sake."
"...That’s taking things a little too far."
They were my charges.
I was their manager.
Our interests happened to overlap, vaguely.
That was all this was.
And that had to be enough.
Thinking any deeper about it was a road I couldn’t afford to go down.
I let out a slow breath.
"Phew... Anyway, let’s eat and get ready. Ruby, you too."
"Huh?"
Ruby’s head popped out from her bedroom doorway. She’d obviously been listening in.
Her eyes lit up as she looked between us.
"What’s going on? Are we doing something fun?"
Looking from her mischievous grin to Audrey’s serene profile as she calmly sipped her tea, I forced my voice into something resembling professional composure.
"It’s time for your individual counseling sessions. After that, you’ll have your ability tests."
No more stalling.
It was time to do the actual management work.
◆ ◆ ◆
"Wow, this place is really nice!"
Ruby whistled as she spun around in the expansive lobby, taking in the facilities.
"Well, the great and mighty Association built it," I muttered.
The lobby opened up into a wide, spacious interior. A marble counter gleamed beneath the lights, with a pretty female employee standing behind it with impeccable posture.
Long hallways stretched away on either side, leading to examination rooms I couldn’t even begin to guess the purpose of.
We were at the Hunter Ability Assessment, Training, and Mental Care Hub.
Quite a mouthful.
Everyone just called it the Hub.
It was the place to go if you couldn’t afford a private trainer or needed to see a psychologist for free. It was also mandatory for license renewal every two years, so the place was normally packed.
Today, however, it was eerily quiet.
Part of that was because public sentiment toward the "convict squad" was still volatile.
The other part was because the Association didn’t want my two troublemakers getting into a fight with other Hunters who were just as proud and short-tempered. This chapter was copied from novelping dot com without permission.
So they’d rented out the entire building for us.
"Alright," I said, clapping my hands once. "First, go see the counselors and get that out of the way. I’ll wait here."
"What? You’re not coming with us, Manager?" Ruby asked, folding her arms and pouting.
"It’s not like I’m the one giving you counseling. Why would I go?"
"Hmm... That’s boring."
Beside her, Audrey simply stared at me.
There was a quiet, sullen pressure behind her blue eyes.
Had she already developed separation anxiety after just one day?
"It’s just a conversation about your past," I explained, suddenly feeling strangely defensive. "They’ll check whether you have any serious trauma or other issues. It’ll be over before you know it, so don’t worry."
"I’m not worrie..."
"I understand," Audrey interrupted smoothly. "I’ll be back shortly."
Without another word, she turned and walked down the hallway, her back straight and her steps composed.
Ruby bit her lip as she watched Audrey disappear around the corner.
Then she turned that intense gaze back on me.
"...Manager."
"What?"
"You’re going to stay right here, right?"
"I was planning to, even without you telling me."
"Tch. Always talking back."
She sighed dramatically, as though my existence itself had become an exhausting burden, then finally trudged off after Audrey.
Just before disappearing down the hallway, she looked back at me one last time.
The look in her eyes was practically a warning.
Maybe being stuck together since prison had made this sudden separation feel strange to them.
Or perhaps their time in an institutional environment, where they couldn’t even take a piss without someone supervising them, had left a deeper mark than I’d realized.
"Those people are the... S-rank Hunters, right?"
The hesitant voice of the female employee behind the counter pulled me out of my thoughts.
She was watching me cautiously.
"Yes," I replied, putting on a practiced, harmless smile. "The ones you’ve seen on the news."
"They’re a little different from what I expected."
"Oh?" I leaned slightly toward the counter. "What did you expect?"
"I thought they’d be really scary..." She hesitated, then smiled shyly. "But they’re both incredibly beautiful. And they seem to listen to you surprisingly well."
"...Is that so?"
I managed to keep the smile on my face.
Listen to me well.
If only she knew.
One of them treated me like her favorite toy.
"Well, if your friends are worried about them," I said casually, "put in a good word for us. Tell them you met them and they’re not so bad."
"Yes, I will."
Her eyes crinkled into a genuine smile.
One ally.
A tiny one, but considering the tightrope I was walking, I’d take whatever I could get.
I continued making small talk, wondering just how long a simple counseling session could possibly take, when the phone on the counter suddenly shattered the quiet with a shrill ring.
"Excuse me for a moment."
She gave me an apologetic look before picking up the receiver.
"Yes... Yes, I understand."
Her expression changed as she listened.
The polite smile disappeared, replaced by deep concern.
When she finally hung up, she looked at me with an apologetic wince.
"Um... There’s been a problem in the counseling rooms."
"A problem?"
"They’re asking for the Guild Master."
"...Seriously?"
We’d barely managed to make a decent impression for five minutes.
Suppressing the urge to slam my head against the gleaming marble counter, I forced my smile a little wider.
"Of course. I’ll go right now."
I moved quickly.
Before whatever they’d done became irreversible.
◆ ◆ ◆
"...We’re sorry. We’re very sorry."
The two elderly counselors bowed deeply, their faces pale.
The one who had spoken continued wringing his hands nervously.
"In any case, further counseling is impossible on our end. I’m afraid the Guild Master will have to deal with the situation."
"...Yes."
My answer came out completely flat.
"Then we’ll be going..."
The two counselors practically fled the waiting room.
Their hurried footsteps made it look as though they were escaping some kind of contaminated zone.
And then I was left alone.
The door swung shut behind them.
Silence settled over the waiting room.
A deep, ominous quiet seemed to seep from the two counseling room doors farther down the hall.
Which one should I check first?
With a growing sense of dread, I reached for the handle of the nearest door.