So far, I hadn't given anyone my name. And the researchers didn't have my name yet either.
But that man knew it.
I turned to look at him, wondering how and why...
And then intuition struck me.
Lee Shin.
Lee... Shin.
Shin meant 'god'. Lee could be rewritten a few different ways. And if he knew my name...
"...Godly?"
My intuition told me that was the guy in front of me.
Lee's eyes sparkled and he chuckled. "Ohoho. I expect regular updates despite dating my granddaughter and being a Hunter, 'Mister No One.' Don't make me upset now after all these allowances." After that, he let out a casual wave and walked away.
Yura blinked and then turned to look at me for answers.
As for me...
'Huh. Based.'
Him calling me by my handle "Mister No One" confirmed it.
...Old men really were something else, huh?
Wait.
The Skyfall Incident happened in 2020. That guy was 18 when it happened, so he would have been born in 2002...
OH MY GOD, he's a ZOOMER. NO WONDER HE'S SO WEIRD.
===
The registration of a new S-Ranked Hunter was definitely a big deal. Especially one that had as flashy a power as 'mine' supposedly was.
After all, Demonic Flames, Heavenly Lightning... Yura and I were a matching set.
However, even if it was a big deal, to me, it didn't really matter. And the reason for that...
"...They're really gone, huh?" Yura let out a soft whisper as she stared at the scrolling list of casualties from her Gate expedition.
I stood beside her, not joking or teasing for once. Instead, I just quietly held her hand, letting her take it in.
After the Hunter registration, all of the main things to handle our relationship was settled.
Well, minus her parents. But they were apparently in America right now and preoccupied with an S-Ranked Gate, so they wouldn't be out for like a week.
But since that was pretty much all settled, it was finally time to deal with the other part.
Namely, the fact that Yura's first Gate expedition had been a complete wipe.
So I took Yura to the place in the Hunter Association where recently deceased Hunters were reported.
There was a private room in the back where a scrolling list of names and the Gate they explored could be seen.
If you'd ever seen a terminal information center at an airport, it was kind of like that.
Except... you know. For dead people at certain Gates instead of planes coming in.
Right now, Yura was standing at one of said terminals and staring at a long scrolling list of names.
She wasn't doing good at all. Now that it was just us and she had to face the reality of what had happened, the weight of it looked like it was crushing her.
So I continued holding her hand and said, "It was their choice, you know?"
Yura blinked, confusion settling in on her face. Then she turned to look at me. "...What?"
I looked back at her and said, "It was their choice. No matter what the result ended up being, they all chose to follow you into that Gate, Yura. And if they hadn't, you wouldn't have walked out."
Well, probably.
I still didn't know the exact details of what had happened in that Gate. But judging from the state that I found Yura in when she crashed down, as well as the corpses around Belial when that demon appeared...
Yeah.
Yura squeezed my hand tight. "...I know that. I KNOW that. But...!" She squeezed her eyes shut, trying in vain to hold back tears. "It was because of me. If they weren't with me-"
"Then someone else would have died because you were going to go anyway." I cut Yura off and said, "Right? Because you're a Hunter. And that's what Hunters do: go even when death might take you."
Yura trembled as if she was going to go off on me and scream. But then all the fight left her and she just leaned against me. "...It's not fair. How do you always know what to say to me?"
I gently caressed her cheek and said, "Because I love you, obviously... is what I'd say if I was teasing. But honestly it's because I understand."
I stared at the list of names, watching them scroll by. Then I recalled another list of names. One from my past life, and one I'd almost forgotten until now. People who all were executed because of something stupid I did.
Yura stared at me.
Did she see the sincerity in my gaze? Her glimmering violet eyes shook and she leaned against my chest. "...Not fair. You can't just be my everything like that. You can't just... understand...!"
I smiled and kissed the top of her forehead. "Well. Maybe some higher power put me here to help you out? It WAS coincidental for you to crash into the street in front of me."
Yura snorted. "And now you're saying it's destiny... stupid. I'm supposed to be grieving right now and you're just... this."
"Sorry not sorry, Love."
Yura laughed. She laughed some more. And then those laughs turned into sobs as she leaned into my chest.
I didn't say anything. Instead, I just held her, watching the names slowly scroll past on the terminal.
One, two, ten...
Two dozen names. 24. And it would have been 25 if I hadn't been there to save Yura.
Around us, some other Hunters were grieving too. Maybe family of the friends Yura lost. Maybe miscellaneous people just curious at the latest deceased.
Either way, I pulled Yura close and shielded her from everyone. As I did, I whispered, "I'm here."
Yura nodded her head and quietly sobbed against my chest.
===
It took a few hours for Yura to calm down from her grief.
I didn't rush her. I just stood with her and held her in my arms until she was composed enough to walk out of the Hunter Association building.
When she had pulled herself together enough to at least interact with people again, I reserved a private dining room at a fancy Italian restaurant for just the two of us.
While we settled in our booth, Yura let out a thin smile and said, "You really are spoiling me. Idiot."
I picked up the bottle of wine already on the table and poured her a glass. "You're the idiot here for thinking I wouldn't spoil you. The woman I love gets the world if she wants it."
I was serious about that too. One way or another, if Yura asked for it, I would achieve it.
Yura chuckled, though it still sounded weak. "Idiot. You're already my world. Can't you tell by how easily I can say cheesy stuff like this now?"
I smiled back at her.
Yura sighed and sipped on her glass of wine. "...It really isn't fair though. I shouldn't get to be this happy when-"
"It is fair, because your friends would want you to be happy right now instead of being depressed that they're gone." I cut Yura off and poured myself a glass of wine. "The dead might not be able to speak, but their wishes echo loud and clear. And you know I'm right."
Yura stared into my eyes. Then she murmured, "You really are a writer, huh? Saying lines like that without hesitation... but yeah." She lowered her gaze and swirled her glass of wine. Peering into it, she murmured, "They would hate if I was depressed. Like you said, they chose to go with me. If Minji or Rin were here right now, they'd be telling me to stop moping around and just be grateful for scoring someone like you-"
Yura realized what she was saying and then turned a bright red. She chugged her wine out of embarrassment and slid the glass over for more. "Ugh! Look at you. Making me feel all these emotions at awkward times..."