“…Then what if it’s not?”

“It won’t be otherwise… Even if it’s not, I won’t be angry with you, so don’t worry.”

He knew exactly what I was worried about.

“And I said I’d support whatever you want as much as possible. If there’s anything you want, I’ll buy it for you, and if you want to go to an amusement park, I could even buy the entire park.”

Not just renting, but buying. Such a grand scale.

“But you can’t go around dangerously.”

However, the following words were enough to sour my expression.

“You’re going to keep me confined?”

“If you have everything you need, there’s no need to go out, is there?”

“…”

No, this person is saying he won’t bend his will after all!

Even as I opened my mouth wide in astonishment, Cheon Shin Woo continued with his own words.

“That guy will be with you from now on, so keep that in mind. I don’t mind if you want to go somewhere as long as I accompany you. If you want to travel the world, I’d rather commission a floating ship.”

“Haha…”

“…Are you still unsatisfied with this?”

“Why do you think I wouldn’t be dissatisfied…?”

“Even if I sweep an entire luxury store for you?”

“I never wanted something like that in the first place.”

“You can speak comfortably.”

“How can I speak comfortably when I’m uncomfortable? Anyway, if you’re worried about my safety, I think that part won’t be a problem.”

I looked at him straight on.

“I’ve awakened as an S-rank.”

“What?!”

“…”

It was Min Yu Shin who was more shocked by my confession. With his jaw nearly dropping, Min Yu Shin looked back and forth between me and Cheon Shin Woo.

“S-rank…? You’re saying you’re the S-rank who conquered the Erosion Gate with Baek Ya…?”

“Yes.”

“The Yohwa who entered the world rankings just by awakening, you’re saying that’s you, Shin A…?”

“For now, yes?”

“Siblings… side by side…?”

He looked thoroughly shocked, in contrast to Cheon Shin Woo’s calm, expressionless face.

“Come to think of it, I should take care of that matter too.”

And then he said something like this.

“Am Yeong.”

“Huh?”

“Call Baek Ya.”

He suddenly told me to call Yi Hyun. I looked at the two of them in disbelief.

“Why him all of a sudden?”

“Didn’t you say you conquered it together? No matter how S-rank, a newly awakened person wouldn’t try to conquer an S-rank gate… There must have been someone who encouraged you.”

“He saved me.”

“And separately, I need to make him keep it a secret.”

“I asked him to keep it a secret.”

“…I need to talk to him separately.”

I felt somehow that I needed to stop the current Cheon Shin Woo. He spoke first with a displeased voice, his expression becoming uncomfortable.

“…You don’t seem to like it.”

Well, because someone sitting in front of me might throw a fit… I imagined Yi Hyun being suddenly called and saying, ‘What, are you trying to give me a reward?’ and then getting hit by Cheon Shin Woo for no reason. It seemed plausible.

In the end, Cheon Shin Woo sighed and rubbed his face again.

“I’m not trying to say anything, there are just some issues to coordinate. I need to express my personal gratitude as well.”

“…Really?”

“…”

Cheon Shin Woo’s eyes narrowed.

“You two seem close.”

“Uh, well. We’re not that close, I think?”

It’s true that he feels more familiar than Cheon Shin Woo, though.

Cheon Shin Woo furrowed his brow at my answer.

“…Anyway, even if you’ve awakened as S-rank, what’s not allowed is not allowed.”

“…”

Why does this person want to control me so much? For a moment, I thought about casting a mental skill on him. If I could control his mind to make him say I could go around freely…

“Don’t think strange thoughts.”

In the end, it was Min Yu Shin who stepped in to mediate.

“Now, now. Shin Woo. Calm down for now. Shin A is 23, not a child anymore, she can handle herself. Right? I’ll be with her for most things, and being S-rank, there shouldn’t be any danger… With aura concealment and detection blocking items, plus an item to change appearance, shouldn’t it be fine?”

“Whose side are you on?”

“Of course, Shin A’s side. Our guild master, think about the mess you’ve made so far, okay?”

“…Sigh.”

“You’re not thinking of throwing your weight around as you’ve done so far in front of your sister, are you? If you make more enemies here, it’ll be a big problem?”

“I know…”

It was more like he was taking my side one-sidedly rather than mediating, though.

Min Yu Shin gave me a slight wink. I secretly showed him a thumbs up.

“…It’s three times.”

However, Cheon Shin Woo said this until the end.

“Shin A, you’ve been involved in gates three times so far. All of them S-rank at that.”

“That’s…”

“Even that, Am Yeong, are you going to say you can handle it?”

“…”

Min Yu Shin, who had been taking my side under the name of mediation, seemed at a loss for words and erased his expression. But I was still curious if it was normal for Cheon Shin Woo to try to control me like this and be so overprotective.

“Is this how normal families are?”

“…”

“Even if we’re family… do you try to control and overprotect like this?”

“Shin A.”

“Why do you say everything I try to do is not allowed? Although getting involved in S-rank gates isn’t common, it’s just that, uncommon, right? There’s no reason to be certain it will happen again?”

“…”

“What’s the reason for saying it’s not allowed while bringing up assumptions that may or may not happen?”

At my words, Cheon Shin Woo’s lips moved.

“That’s because you…”

And then he clenched his fist and covered his forehead with one hand.

“I… really don’t know what to do.”

That voice was so melancholic that it naturally made me wonder if there was some circumstance I didn’t know about.

After covering his face for a while, Cheon Shin Woo lowered his hand and said this.

“…Alright. I suppose it’s fine for you to move around freely on the premise of minimizing risk factors. But you can’t reveal that you’re S-rank.”

Then he threw something towards me.

“Even if you ask why, what’s not allowed is not allowed. If something happens, contact me with that.”

What he threw was a necklace with a deep sea-blue jewel set in it. In the center of the necklace was engraved with a peculiar pattern.

: A special item made by specially processing an S-rank magic stone. It becomes bound to the user.

− Magic barrier +5~25%

− Magic defense +15%

− The strength and recovery time of the barrier varies depending on the user’s ability and mana.

− Free communication is possible with the connected communication device.

− Once a week, you can move to a designated location. Movement is possible regardless of time and place.

The item’s information popped up immediately. I couldn’t hide my bewilderment as I read the description.

“It’s a permanent gate escape stone. There are additional functions too… I’ve arranged it so that if you tap it twice, it connects directly to me, so contact me right away if something happens. Wear it even when you sleep.”

A permanent gate escape stone, is such a thing possible? Min Yu Shin’s glasses cracked as he listened to the explanation. I put the necklace with a jewel larger than my thumbnail down on the table, trembling.

“…I told you to wear it even when you sleep.”

“This, the price…?”

“Since it was custom-made by personal request, it’s hard to put a price on it, but you could probably buy a small country with it.”

“…What if it breaks? What if it gets stolen…”

“I’ve never heard of an S-rank item breaking. And since it’s a bound item, it can’t be stolen.”

He urged me again with his eyes to wear the item. I said I’d use it later and carefully put it in my inventory.

“There are more things to discuss… but let’s do it later. I’ll have the guild vice-master related matter processed as confidential information, so keep that in mind.”

Cheon Shin Woo, who already had a cold expression, spoke in an even more tired voice with a lowered tone.

“Am Yeong, you take Shin A home and come back. There’s a schedule to handle tomorrow.”

And so I was kicked out of Cheon Shin Woo’s office.

I wondered what the next day’s schedule was, and it turned out to be none other than going to receive an awakened person registration card.

Feeling awkward with yesterday’s resentment still unresolved, I went outside to see Cheon Shin Woo wearing glasses.

Unlike his usual clothes, he was wearing loosely fitting clothes that he seemed to have thrown on, which, despite his height of over 190 cm, was enough to give the impression of a nerd.

With his hunched posture and face obscured by glasses, he looked distinctly unsociable at first glance.

“Wow…”

Seeing that blurred appearance somehow reminded me of the impression of the brother I knew. Looking like that, he might actually be my brother…

Behind the glasses, Cheon Shin Woo approached me with his usual expressionless face.

“It suits you well.”

Then he tried to pat my head. I reflexively swatted his hand away.

“…”

“Pfft.”

Min Yu Shin, who was standing beside us as usual, let out a laugh. When the disguised-yet-undisguised Cheon Shin Woo glared at him, he pretended not to notice.

I asked them what I was curious about.

“But why the glasses?”

“…It’s troublesome.”

Cheon Shin Woo’s answer was concise. So concise that it had the drawback of being almost incomprehensible.

Min Yu Shin explained in place of such a Cheon Shin Woo.

“From now on, we’re going to register you as an awakened person at the association, but when we go there, a lot of troublesome things happen. The information window can be blocked, but if people recognize him… you know?”

“Ah.”

I see. I got into the car, nodding in understanding.

“It seems that at S-rank, you can control your abilities regardless of skills. So when Shin Woo goes all out like this and even uses items, even I can’t recognize him. Amazing, right?”

Min Yu Shin, talkative as always, gave various explanations. Looking at him, I was reminded of the term ‘speed wagon’.

“Here, check this, Shin A.”

“What’s this?”

“Information to register. If we’re registering you as B-rank instead of S-rank, we need to match the information.”

“…Isn’t there an automatic measurement machine for stats?”

“We’ll negotiate that with the association president.”

Min Yu Shin handed me a paper. I was at a loss for words when I saw what was written on it. How could they have written down such detailed lies?

Moreover, the one negotiating with the association president was none other than Cheon Shin Woo.

Someone skilled in handling their abilities can easily hide their stats. But I wasn’t, so I needed to be measured and then adjust accordingly… I didn’t know getting an awakened person registration card would be this difficult.

I wonder how much more difficult getting a hunter license would be. I gazed out the window, lost in these thoughts.