"Good work."
I guided my secretary forward, or at least tried to. Maya was practically glued to my arm by now, so I could barely move without dragging her along with me.
As we reached the elevator entrance, I gave the security personnel stationed on either side a small nod. They returned it stiffly, their expressions serious enough to make it feel like we were entering a military facility rather than a hotel.
We took the elevator to the floor we’d been directed to beforehand.
"If they’re dangerous enough to have security teams stationed all over the place," I muttered as the elevator doors opened, "why the hell did they hand them over to me in the first place?"
"Doesn’t that just show how much they trust you, Boss...?"
I slowly looked at Maya.
"...The bigger the expectations, the bigger the disappointment when things go wrong."
"You’ll be fine, Boss."
I sure hope so.
Keeping the rest of my thoughts to myself, I followed the corridor under the watchful eyes of the security personnel stationed along the way.
They were everywhere.
By the elevators. At both ends of the corridor. Near the room itself.
And the more security I saw, the less reassured I became.
We were heading toward the room where the two women who were supposed to become my new Guild members were waiting.
Or, to be more accurate, where two former criminals who had somehow been given another chance to return as S-Rank Hunters were waiting.
"Welcome, Elias Gallagher. You may enter immediately."
"Aren’t there any procedures I need to go through first?"
"No. This concludes the handover."
The neatly dressed Association secretary bowed politely.
Then, just like that, she turned around and left.
The security team that had been waiting nearby followed after her without another word.
They didn’t look back.
I watched them disappear down the corridor.
So that means whatever happens from here isn’t their problem anymore.
And naturally, that means whatever happens now becomes my problem.
Fantastic.
"...Maya, do you want to wait outside?"
"W-with you, Boss. T-together..."
By the time we stopped in front of the door, Maya had somehow managed to bury my arm firmly between her breasts and cling to it like I was a life-size security blanket.
She was holding on with all her strength.
And trembling.
Considering that two dangerous criminals were waiting right behind this thin hotel door, I couldn’t exactly blame her for being terrified.
Still...
I really wish she’d remember that I was also a man.
"Alright. Just give me the car keys and head home from here. I’ll give you money for a taxi."
"Don’t wanna..."
"You’re already shaking like this, so why? Were you planning to come inside with me and cry, ’Boss, please save meee’?"
"When have I ever talked like that...?!"
"If you don’t know, go home and ask the mirror."
I pulled some cash from my wallet.
"So stop shaking and take the fare."
Through the messy black bangs covering her eyes, Maya looked up at me with the expression of a deer being dragged to the slaughterhouse.
For a moment, I almost felt bad.
Almost.
Then I firmly pressed the taxi money into her hand and gave her a gentle push from behind.
"Go home."
"But, Boss..."
"Go." Visit g.com for the full chapter.
After a few reluctant steps, Maya finally started walking away.
She kept looking back at me.
I pretended not to notice.
The moment she disappeared around the corner, the corridor fell completely silent.
And just like that, I was alone.
"Alright, now..."
Time to meet the ticking time bombs.
I stood in front of the door for a moment, thinking about how I should approach this first meeting.
Should I take the initiative and establish authority from the beginning?
Or would it be better to take the carrot-and-stick approach?
The problem was that I wasn’t entirely sure which one was supposed to be the carrot and which one was supposed to be the stick.
With a deep breath, I pushed down the tension building inside me and inserted the card key.
The lock clicked.
I opened the door and stepped inside.
And then...
"...Huh?"
I froze.
A blonde woman was standing in the middle of the living room.
Completely naked.
The only thing she had on was a single towel draped around the back of her neck.
◆ ◆ ◆
"What’s this?"
Damp blonde hair rested lightly over her shoulders.
Her face was beautiful in a way that was difficult to pin down. One moment, she looked almost innocent, and the next, there was something playful and mischievous in her expression that made her seem like a completely different person.
Then there were those red eyes.
Bright.
Vivid.
Almost like flames.
They stared directly at me with open curiosity.
"Entering a lady’s room without permission?"
The woman standing in front of me was one of the two inmates I had come here to take responsibility for.
Ruby.
"Ahah."
Her lips curled into a wider smile.
"Your reaction is hilarious."
I said nothing.
Honestly, I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to say.
"Why?" Ruby tilted her head. "Do you think you shouldn’t look below my neck?"
"Ahem..."
I cleared my throat and immediately tried to look somewhere else.
"Y-you’ve probably already heard, but from now on, I’ll be..."
"Don’t change the subject."
Ruby took a step toward me.
"If you want to look, just look properly. Why are you trying so hard not to?"
Her smile deepened.
Then she started walking toward me.
Slowly.
Almost lazily.
My attention wandered for a moment.
Ruby’s face was getting closer, and a pleasant scent followed her as she approached. Before I realized it, I’d lost track of what I was even about to say.
I quickly shook myself out of it and tried to turn my head away. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
Too late.
Ruby had already stepped close enough that there was barely any space between us.
She grabbed my face.
Then she forced me to look at her.
"Why are you trying to hide that expression?" she whispered, amusement dancing in her eyes. "I’ll show you mine too, so you should keep showing me yours."
I felt my gaze being pulled downward despite my best efforts.
Areas I’d been deliberately avoiding entered my field of vision.
"Keep..."
Ruby smiled.
"...entertaining me."
Fresh out of the shower, her skin still glistened with droplets of water.
I looked away.
Immediately.
"...Sorry, but I didn’t come here to entertain you."
"Hmm?"
"I’m the person assigned to help you return to active duty as an S-Rank Hunter."
I finally managed to get my voice under control.
"You already know why you were released from prison, don’t you?"
"Yeah."
Ruby shrugged.
"My ears were practically lectured numb about it on the way here."
I carefully placed my hands on her shoulders and pushed her back.
Surprisingly, she actually moved.
She took a few steps away without resisting, her expression still filled with that same strange amusement.
The look in her eyes made me uneasy.
But at least she seemed willing to have an actual conversation.
"More importantly, where’s the other one?"
"Ah."
Ruby’s expression brightened.
"You mean Madness?"
I frowned.
"...Madness? Not Audrey?"
"You see, that one, back in prison..."
Ruby had barely started explaining when a violent crashing sound came from the side.
CRUNCH!
Something shattered.
"I believe I clearly told you not to call me by that name."
Ruby immediately pointed toward the source of the voice.
"Speak of the tiger and it’ll appear, as they say."
She giggled.
"Look. She showed up. Aren’t I good?"
I slowly turned in the direction she was pointing.
And there, silently glaring at us, stood the other former inmate.
She had apparently torn the bathroom door apart.
Not damaged it.
Not broken it.
Torn it into pieces like it was nothing more than wet cardboard.
...Fuck... Me.