"Achoo! Dammit." I rubbed my nose, brushing off the itch from my sneeze. "Am I running into all the cliches today? That girl must be talking about me..." I murmured under my breath as I walked my way home.
It was midnight now.
To be completely safe, I stayed and gamed in the PC Bang until all the sirens had faded away. I also changed my outfit one more time, switching to one that I bought at a nearby convenience store.
I also fixed my hair into a middle-part to deliberately throw people off.
And it seemed that I was completely on point for doing that when I saw the young woman stalking around Main Street in casual clothes, a black hoodie and jeans.
'What the heck? Doesn't she have anything better to do...?'
I knew who she was now after some research at the PC Bang. Well, it was hard not to since the incident was shown on the TVs.
Yura Shin, granddaughter of the legendary EX-Ranked Hunter as well as an upcoming S-Ranked Hunter.
True to form for what counted as a chaebol heiress these days, it seemed like she got immediate treatment by a high-ranked Hunter with healing abilities. That, or her grandfather fed her an elixir because she was walking around completely healthy and with a clear vendetta.
Unfortunately for her, I was a master at blending into the crowd. So, adjusting a pair of reading glasses I'd put on just before I stepped outside the PC Bang, I walked right past her.
The moment I did, Yura froze and spun on her heel to look right at me.
But I just tilted my head and gave her a blase stare.
Yura stared back another second. Then she muttered, "No. He wasn't this nerdy..." After that, she stomped off and kept sweeping the crowd, no doubt looking for me.
Yay for a lifetime of practice pretending to be normal and definitely NOT a reincarnator.
That finally paid off for once. Joy to the world~
Anyway, time to head home.
I kept walking, moving in the opposite direction of Yura. As I did, I heard someone talk to her. A Hunter from the Hunter's Association in a plain black suit.
"Young lady. Are you sure you want to keep looking for that young man?"
Yura clicked her tongue and said, "He saved my life. And my-" She cut herself off and cleared her throat. "I-In any case! I owe him everything. We HAVE to find him..."
I paused, curious on what she had to say.
But that was a critical mistake.
It seems like I underestimated the perception of S-Ranked Hunters.
Even a newbie like her had vastly enhanced senses. And when she was actively searching for any sign of her target, she was on high alert.
Which meant she noticed my brief lingering.
"You." Yura immediately snapped her head towards me.
For a split second, I considered playing dumb.
Then I realized that she would absolutely escalate the situation if she was still here even though it was already midnight. That, plus the fact that her grandfather could absolutely sweep all of New Seoul to find me.
So instead of freaking out, I casually adjusted my glasses and said, "My, my. To think I was found out so quickly." I smiled and said, "And here I wanted to leave without a fuss."
There weren't many people around. After all, it WAS midnight.
But it was also a Friday night, so there were a few stragglers. Some Hunters coming back from late night gate excursions, salarymen out on the town, some students...
Seeing the famous up and rising star, Yura Shin, confront a nondescript young man like myself...
Well, even here, some things didn't change.
Phones immediately turned on, recording everything. Murmurs swept through the crowd.
The Hunter from the Hunter's Association who had talked to Yura earlier cleared his throat and said, "Young lady. Perhaps we should-"
Before he could finish, Yura crossed the distance between me and her with a flash of violet lightning.
I didn't move. Instead, I just kept smiling.
On the inside though...
'Is this karma for writing so many stories? Goddammit, I'm hitting all the tropes today. What's next, take responsibility for- WAIT NO. I SWEAR to ALL THAT IS DIVINE if THAT is the trope-!'
Yura's face turned a bright red and then she jabbed a finger in my chest. "You! T-T-Take responsibility! You broke it and took it! Then you ran away! What will my grandfather think?!"
...God fucking dammit you piece of shit motherfucking-
No. Calm down.
If we were doing this, I wasn't going to back down. I was NOT playing into the panicking shounen protag trope, dammit.
No, fuck that. If we were doing this, then...
I leaned forward and hooked my finger under her chin, smiling. "Very well. In that case..."
"W-W-Wait." Yura turned an even brighter shade of red and started to back away. "What are you-"
"...Be mine, Yura." I smiled and murmured just over her lips.
It was slow. Deliberate. With every space for her to reject me and run away.
But surprisingly...
"Mmph...?"
...Yura closed the distance on her own and kissed me.
...Ah, fuck me.
Yeah, this was NOT in the cards I meant to deal out.
I was hoping for the standard tsundere retreat in a burst of lightning, but you know what?
Fuck it.
I pulled her close into a one-armed hug and leaned her down, kissing her deep.
Yura gasped, now completely red. But she didn't resist or pull away. Instead, she pulled me tighter, kissing me back with tongue.
Gasps, screams, and a panicked 'Lady Shin!' echoed from around us.
But it was WAY too late to do anything about that.
So instead...
I broke the kiss first and reached out to caress Yura. "So." I smiled and gently stroked my hand across her cheek. "You choose me, I see."
Yura's violet eyes stared back at me. Her face was an impressive shade of red, and her violet hair was crackling with lightning from her embarrassment. But she didn't look away. Instead...
"Sh-Shut up." Yura murmured and then wrapped her arms around the back of my neck. "Just... take responsbility and kiss me already. Crazy bastard." After that, she came in for another kiss, trying to take the lead this time.
I chuckled and let her for a bit. But since it was clear she was inexperienced, I took over and held her close to make it more enjoyable.
It seemed I was doing good at that too, since...
"Mm..." Yura broke the kiss and gasped for breath. "Didn't... think kissing could... mmph!"
I kissed her again before saying, "Shh. Think later, Love. Kiss now."
Yura closed her eyes and went limp in my arms, letting me lead.
Obviously, I doubled down and scooped her completely into my arms for a proper French kiss, leaving her suspended and forced to cling to me.
The crowd went wild. The Hunter's Association guy was frantically calling for backup.
But honestly?
'Fuck it. Already died once before. Might as well be shameless.'
...If a beautiful and talented young woman like Yura was falling this hard for me, worth it.