A bright morning at the Saikyō no Shiraga clan headquarters. Fresh sunlight touched the skin. A gentle breeze blew coolly, carrying falling autumn leaves.
On the wooden veranda facing the Laponian-style zen garden, Shiro sat cross-legged. A cup of warm green tea steamed in his hands. Truly the definition of ultimate peace for a Rank 1 Hunter after the recent disaster.
WHOOSH!
That peace only lasted for five minutes. The sound of wind cleaving the air was heard from the sky above. Shiro didn't even need to look up to know who was coming.
A petite orange-haired girl landed, hovering stylishly using her magic wand. Her signature cheeky smile was instantly on display.
"Heeeh~? Grandpa Shiro is relaxing? Instead of warming up by destroying a mountain in the morning, you're elegantly drinking tea alone! So weak~" Gampler teased while jumping down from her wand.
Shiro only smiled faintly, sipping his tea elegantly. "Take a seat, Gampler. I happen to have extra dorayaki. Do you want some tea too?"
Instead of being offended that her tease didn't work, Gampler's eyes sparkled at the sight of the sweet snacks on the table. She immediately sat cutely in front of Shiro, grabbing a dorayaki and chewing it with puffed cheeks.
Their dynamic was always like that one always going full throttle, the other overly relaxed like flowing water.
"Nom nom... by the way, Shiro," Gampler said with her mouth still full of cream. "I've been thinking, it's really unusual for the atmosphere to be this peaceful today, isn't it? Usually, there's always some weird monster or crazy person looking for trouble with us."
"Maybe the world finally knows how to appreciate my rest time," Shiro replied casually.
Gampler swallowed her cake, then looked at the sky while tapping her chin with her index finger. "Ever since the tournament five days ago, there have actually been more and more super weird incidents~"
PFFFTTT!!!
Shiro spat out his tea. His usually calm and elegant face suddenly turned pale. His eyes widened, staring at the teacup in his hands.
"Five days?! Oh right, I have an appointment with someone today!"
His instincts immediately sounded a maximum-strength danger alarm. Not because he was afraid of losing, but because he remembered very well how absurd the destructive power of Unknown's Pure Darkness energy was during the tournament.
If that crazy guy suddenly spawned to collect on his promise at the Saikyō no Shiraga clan headquarters and they duked it out here...
In a matter of seconds, the zen garden, the wooden veranda, and this entire luxurious clan headquarters would definitely be flattened to dust!
"Eh~? Shiro? Why are you choking like that? Age really doesn't lie, huh~ hehe..." Gampler teased again with a mischievous laugh.
Ignoring the tease, Shiro immediately slammed his cup down roughly.
He reached into his pocket, pulled out his phone, and dialed an emergency number at lightning speed. His face turned serious again, but a little cold sweat dripped down his temple.
"Hello?! Hunter Association? Yes, this is Shiro. Rent me a battle arena in the city center right now!... Yes, RIGHT NOW! Clear a 10-kilometer radius around that arena!"
Gampler, seeing Shiro panic, suddenly stopped chewing. Her magic wand almost slipped from her grasp. "E-eh...? S-Shiro? Where are you going? I'm coming with you!!!"
Shiro hung up the phone, took a deep breath to calm himself down, and then smirked, looking at the increasingly cloudy sky. "Okay, come with me, Gampler. The real storm is just about to arrive."
Gampler tilted her head in confusion. "Huh?"
....
At The Great Hunter headquarters.
The bright white neon light slowly pierced through Steve's eyelids.
He groaned softly, feeling all his muscles stiff as if they had been crushed by tons of weight. The distinct smell of medicine and antiseptics immediately filled his sense of smell.
"Bro Steve!! Waaah, thank goodness you're awake!"
Just as his eyes halfway opened, a small weight immediately crashed into his chest. Gaki hugged him tightly with teary eyes, making Steve almost run out of breath again.
"G-Gaki, let go. He just woke up; you could
suffocate him," reprimanded a cold voice from the corner of the room.
Shizuku stood there with her arms crossed. Her expression was flat and her gaze was deliberately thrown toward the window, as if she didn't care. But her fingers squeezing her own sleeves and her eyes occasionally stealing anxious glances completely exposed her true nature.
On the other side of the bed, Pulchra stood stiffly like a statue holding a tray of warm food. As soon as Steve's gaze shifted to her, the white-haired woman's face immediately flushed completely red up to her ears.
"S-Steve... here... I-I brought some food... e-eh, I mean, th-thank goodness you're still alive!" Pulchra stammered, then hurriedly looked away because she couldn't bear to look into Steve's newly awakened eyes.
Next to the bed, Gens was busy staring at his tablet's data screen with a deeply furrowed brow. He adjusted his slightly slipping glasses, staring at Steve as if looking at a rare alien specimen.
"Heart rate stable. Muscles adapted perfectly. And his magical energy... this is truly illogical," Gens muttered expressionlessly. "Reaching Level 100 from a simulation Mob Grinder in just 24 hours. You've truly broken the laws of nature, Steve."
Steve could only smirk, trying to sit up and lean against his bed.
Suddenly, the sound of heavy footsteps was heard from the doorway. Kregt stood there, leaning his large body against the doorframe with his signature wide smile.
"Good thing you're awake. Did you sleep soundly in our receptionist's lap?" Kregt teased, making Pulchra lower her face even more, already as red as a boiled crab.
Kregt stepped inside, his aura immediately making the room's atmosphere slightly more serious. He stared sharply at Steve.
"(Oi Steve, let's get out of here immediately! I can't wait to get my revenge on that white-haired guy!!!)" Unknown said in Steve's mind with burning enthusiasm.