I Picked Up a Guide to Safe Hunter Life

Chapter 2: Eunha (2)

"That person is here again."  

"Wow, unbelievable. Is she really not a ghost? Why is she always here?"

Sitting by the fountain in broad daylight with an enlightened expression, Eunha could hear the murmurs of passing hunters.  

Were their words mere curiosity, or mockery?  

It was definitely encouragement.  

Thinking positively, Eunha subtly turned her head away, pretending not to have heard anything.  

"……."  

Lately, more and more people had been recognizing Eunha and taking an interest in her.  

She didn’t know why. Was it because she had failed the test thirty times?  

Occasionally, posts about her would pop up in hunter-related online communities.  

Perhaps she was the most famous F-rank hunter in the country.  

If fame influenced hunter ranks, Eunha might have already reached C-rank.  

"……Huh."  

And then, she had no idea how much time had passed.  

Sitting absentmindedly by the fountain, Eunha blinked as if waking from a dream.  

Swooosh—.  

The fountain water splashed refreshingly.  

Her vision blurred, like looking through a frost-covered window in the middle of winter.  

Feeling goosebumps rise on her arms, Eunha rubbed them and glanced around.  

Something felt… off.  

The plaza in front of the association.  

A breezy day with fluffy clouds drifting in the sky.  

People passing by, sneaking glances at the infamous Resident Ghost of the association.  

A perfectly ordinary day.  

But something was different.  

Like someone possessed, she ran her hands over her body.  

‘I… definitely got hit by a car…’  

She had been in a hit-and-run.  

A red sports car that looked ridiculously expensive.  

She had even memorized the license plate number.  

She remembered the pain of being hit, the screams of the people around her, and the cold, hard asphalt beneath her.  

She could still feel the dull ache all over her body.  

The back of her head and knees, which had been shattered, throbbed so badly it was hard to breathe.  

‘A dream? But why does it still hurt?’  

Pain, mixed with resentment, surged within her.  

It might have been proof that it wasn’t just a dream.  

But accepting it as reality felt too absurd.  

Frowning from the lingering pain, she tried to brush it off as just a dream.  

"…Did my body always feel like this?"  

As she ran her hands over herself, checking for injuries, Eunha felt a strange sense of unfamiliarity.  

Because of her [Self-Healing] skill, neither fat nor muscle accumulated, yet her body felt softer, as if she had gained weight in various places.  

"This texture… Did I get fat?"  

Her voice seemed slightly thinner than usual, making her stroke the back of her neck in thought.  

But the persistent pain made it hard to focus.  

Vroooom—!!!  

Just as Eunha was lost in confusion, deep in thought,  

a sports car tore down the road, growling ominously.  

Startled, Eunha jumped up from the fountain and stared at the street.  

"Whoa…! That scared me… What the hell! How fast are they going in the city?!"  

"Just ignore it. You can tell it's some rich brat. If you report them for speeding, you’ll probably just get some suit-wearing gangsters coming after you for revenge."  

A red sports car.  

The very same hit-and-run vehicle that had run her over and fled.  

If she hadn’t been lost in thought, retracing her memories…  

Just like in the 'dream,' she would have been hit again.  

Throb—!  

A searing pain, like a trauma trigger, replayed in her mind.  

Holding her head for a moment, trying to endure the pain, Eunha wiped away the nosebleed trickling down.  

'…I should go home.'  

Confusion over the inexplicable situation lasted only briefly.  

Rubbing her sore scalp, Eunha got up from her seat.  

She tried to think positively.  

At the very least, she was still alive, right?  

Worrying about it alone would only give her a headache, so she decided not to overthink it.  

She would just chalk it up to an unusually strong case of déjà vu.  

Not like she was particularly good at using her brain anyway.  

"Time to go home."  

Letting go of her concerns lifted her mood.  

Still wincing from her aching knee, Eunha limped toward the bus stop in front of the association.  

…Of course, she didn’t forget to check her surroundings before crossing the street.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  

Nothing special happened after that.  

On the way home,  

she thought about taking a walk to clear her mind, so she limped around the nearby park a few times.  

Still having time to spare, she stopped by the 'Blood Donation Center' across from the park and donated blood.  

The nurse at the donation center smiled, saying it had only been three days since her last visit, so Eunha smiled back.  

For someone with a [Self-Healing] skill, the blood donation center was a great way to make quick money.  

As always, she received a convenience store coupon and walked away lightheartedly.  

‘Thanks to Self-Healing, I won’t starve even if I don’t eat… but I still get hungry…’  

Stopping by a convenience store near her house, Eunha bought some ramen and a drink.  

Cursing her annoyingly mediocre skill, she trudged home.  

Failing the promotion exam had killed her motivation.  

So after a quick dinner, she collapsed onto her bed without even showering, still in her clothes.  

Other than experiencing an oddly realistic déjà vu and having a nightmare about the red sports car chasing her on two legs, it was an uneventful day.  

……  

"Hoo… Alright. Time to work."  

And so,  

the next morning,  

Eunha stepped out of her apartment, leisurely strolling through the peaceful streets of Euncheon District.  

She spotted students in school uniforms, heading out early to study.  

Basking in the gentle morning sunlight, she walked for about five minutes.  

Then, she stopped in front of a small café.

A sign reading [Fox and Rabbit Café] hung above the entrance, with an illustration in the corner depicting a rabbit and a fox sitting together on a floral mat, enjoying tea.  

Amid the tall, uniform buildings of the city, this small, single-story café stood out.  

‘…She’s here before me again.’  

Peering through the large glass windows, Eunha could see a petite girl—no taller than an elementary school student—brewing coffee in the kitchen.  

A snugly fitted ochre baker's hat and a loose, oversized apron.  

Watching the girl's small frame swaying gently as she moved, Eunha couldn’t help but smile.  

Twitch—!  

Just then, as Eunha stood in front of the café, gazing at the girl intently,  

the girl’s 'snow-white rabbit ears,' which had been flattened beneath her hat, suddenly perked up like antennas, twitching.  

The baker’s hat, dislodged by the movement, flew off and landed on the floor, and the girl, who had been brewing coffee, froze in place like a statue.  

Her ears twitched a few more times… and then, she swiftly turned her head, looking directly at where Eunha stood.  

"……! ~~♡"  

The girl’s face lit up with a radiant smile, as bright as the sun, upon spotting Eunha.  

So overjoyed was she that her rabbit ears twitched as she vigorously waved her hands.  

Were those ears some kind of antenna?  

Eunha chuckled despite herself and waved back at the girl.  

Jingle~♪  

Eunha pushed open the door, which still had a ‘Closed’ sign hanging on it, and stepped into the café.  

The crisp jingle of the door chime rang out, followed by the rich aroma of coffee, which tickled her nose as if soothing her wounds from failing the promotion exam.  

A small café, run by just Eunha and the girl.  

Closed every first of the month due to the hunter promotion exams.  

One day off per week.  

Not many customers, but plenty of loyal regulars—an overall quiet place.  

"Welcome~ You really worked hard~."  

The girl had already rushed to the entrance and leaped at Eunha, wrapping her arms around her.  

The sheer force of her tackle sent Eunha stumbling backward, slamming into the café’s pillar.  

A rather electrifying morning greeting, reflecting the girl’s excitement.  

"Urgh…! Ah, good morning, Bangwool."  

"Hehe, don’t be so dramatic~. I was just making coffee. You’ll have some, right?"  

The impact had momentarily knocked the breath out of Eunha, but she endured the pain and patted the girl’s back.  

The rabbit-eared girl, flashing a smile as bright as the sun, snuggled closer, hugging Eunha’s waist tightly.  

Her fluffy white rabbit ears twitched, occasionally brushing against Eunha’s cheek.  

Eunha looked down at the girl named Eun Bangwool, a lazy smile forming on her lips.  

Eun Bangwool—a girl with a voice as clear as her name suggested.  

She looked young, but she was the owner of the café where Eunha worked.  

Twitch! Twitch!  

Eun Bangwool’s white rabbit ears twitched, tapping against Eunha’s cheek.  

For the record, those ears were real.  

She had been an ordinary human, but due to the aftereffects of a condition called 'Mana Contamination,' parts of her body had mutated.  

Apparently, exposure to ‘Mana’ leaking from [Rifts] caused such changes.  

Some people grew animal traits, others sprouted horns, wings, or tails…  

These aftereffects of 'Mana Contamination' were common enough that one could occasionally spot people with unusual features while walking down the street.  

"So, how was your exam yesterday? Did you pass? …Well, it’s okay, you’ll do better next time."  

"I haven’t even said anything yet."  

"It’s written all over your face."  

Eunha touched the corner of her lips as she listened to Bangwool.  

Her face looked the same as always—what exactly was written there?  

"Let’s see… Today, your expression seems a bit off. Did you get into a car accident on the way home yesterday?"  

"…Sometimes, you seriously scare me, Bangwool."  

That eerily accurate guess—was it just a coincidence?  

Eunha had no plans to hide it anyway, so she grumbled about the strange déjà vu she had experienced, getting hit by a car.  

Bangwool simply patted her on the back, saying it must have been the stress from the exam.  

The gentle kindness of the twitching rabbit ears offered unexpected comfort.  

Being consoled by a tiny girl who fit perfectly in her arms was both embarrassing and heartwarming.  

"…Hm? Wait a minute."  

"What’s wrong?"  

"Did your chest get bigger?"  

…And then,  

as Bangwool remained snug in Eunha’s arms, she suddenly started feeling around and asked.  

"Me? I don’t think so?"  

"It’s subtle, but I’m sure of it. You’re softer than before."  

The sensation of her hands exploring sent a shiver down Eunha’s spine.  

Eunha, wanting to pry off the rabbit girl who clung to her like a baby monkey, tried to push her away.  

Tremble…  

However, her weak, muscle-deprived arms couldn’t even shake off one small girl.  

Letting out a hollow laugh at her own feeble strength, Eunha gave up.  

This was the biggest drawback of the [Self-Healing] skill—  

Muscles never grew.  

"Oh, right! Coffee! I’ll bring it over quickly, so let’s have some before we open! Just wait at the table for a bit!"  

Having fully enjoyed her time snuggled against Eunha, Bangwool cheerfully skipped back into the kitchen to prepare the coffee.  

She picked up her fallen ochre baker’s hat, pressed it firmly onto her head, and hummed as she poured caramel syrup generously into a cup.  

"…Thanks."  

"It’s nothing~."  

She swayed slightly, clearly in a good mood.  

While Bangwool prepared the coffee, Eunha entered the staff break room to change.  

Comfortable cotton pants, a crisp white shirt, and a checkered apron with large pockets…  

After donning her café uniform, Eunha straightened her clothes in front of the full-length mirror.  

Thanks to [Self-Healing], she never gained weight or grew taller, so her uniform size remained the same.  

At least she never had to worry about sizing when buying clothes.  

"…Why does it feel tighter today?"  

Something felt off about how the uniform fit.  

Eunha stared at her reflection for a moment… but upon hearing Bangwool call out that the coffee was ready, she hurriedly left the break room.  

"Took you a bit longer than usual to change today?"  

"You don’t actually count that, do you?"  

"Of course I do."  

Bangwool had already set up the table with coffee and some light snacks.  

Eunha sat across from her, enjoying a sweet coffee break with the adorable rabbit girl before opening time.  

Jingle—.  

"Good morning, Eunha. Bangwool. As always, I’m the first customer."  

"Good morning, Ban Harin. Hope you’re doing well."  

"Good morning, Harin unnie~."  

Right as the café opened, a strikingly cool beauty stepped inside.  

A regular customer, she naturally joined their table, where Bangwool had already set out a bitter espresso just for her.  

The woman casually picked up her espresso and offered a word of thanks.  

"Much appreciated… By the way, Eunha, you don’t look too well today. Did you get into a car accident?"  

"What the hell is written on my face?"  

"More importantly, Harin unnie! Feel this! She got bigger!"  

"Bangwool, even if you’re close, you can’t just grab people—hey, Ban Harin, hands off! That’s my body!"  

May 2nd.  

Thirty days until next month’s 'Hunter Promotion Exam.'  

With the lingering shock of the hit-and-run by the red sports car,  

and the dull pain still throbbing in her knees and the back of her head,  

Eunha began her day as usual, in a relaxed manner.  

『…….』  

Unbeknownst to her,  

something pitch-black, like a shadow, was watching her intently through the café window.