However, Dad, stepmom, and elder sister don’t know that Suji is Daphne.

Then there aren’t many people left… Among them, only Elaine and Yeonju knew the location of Dad’s house.

But they were absolutely not the type to do such a thing.

No matter how much I thought about it, it was strange.

The inference that someone had leaked the information didn’t lead to any conclusion.

“…Haa.”

“Are you alright?”

“Now I’m even having all sorts of weird thoughts. Really.”

It truly felt like I’d been hit by all kinds of bombs in just one day.

Suji took out her device and showed Elaine the emails she had exchanged.

“If she has something to say, she could just email me. I don’t know why she’s asking to meet when we’ve never known each other.”

“…You shouldn’t expect sensible behavior from Freya.”

“Do you know Freya a bit, Elaine?”

“She’s such an extraordinary hunter, I only know what I’ve heard.”

It didn’t seem like Elaine would evaluate someone based on rumors, but while he spoke with some confidence, he also seemed to hedge his bets.

There was something slightly puzzling about Elaine’s attitude. But Suji didn’t have much information about hunters, so it was difficult to make a hasty judgment.

Suji hesitated, glaring at her device, then pressed the reply button on the email as if she had no choice.

Honestly, I’m not sure if I can have a pleasant conversation given that you’ve gone to such lengths to talk.

Anyway, I’ll see you at the time you mentioned.

From: Daphne]

Elaine seemed like he wanted to stop her, but in the end, he didn’t offer any advice.

Well, he probably can’t interfere when even my family is involved.

“Since it’s come to this, should we go check if Elaine’s mother is doing well too?”

“…No. There’s no need for that.”

“It’s right nearby. And seeing how my family’s location was exposed, I think everyone needs to be careful.”

“I took quite a long break this time. Since I was by her side the whole time, there’s no need to visit again.”

“But she’d be happy to see my face…”

Elaine shook his head.

“She was discharged yesterday, and just in case, I asked the dedicated caregiver to keep an eye on her. She’s probably in a safe house, so you don’t need to worry.”

Suji turned to look at Elaine with admiring eyes.

Elaine often showed great foresight.

In this case too, he probably didn’t specifically foresee the current situation, but it seemed like a very timely response.

“Can I applaud?”

“…If you wish.”

Suji clapped exaggeratedly and even gave a cheer, while Elaine just smiled bitterly as if he didn’t know how to react.

“I don’t know why you use that handsome face like that. Smile brightly when you’re out and about.”

“I’ll try.”

As if he really intended to make an effort, he pulled up his lips.

‘This kind of earnest response is even funnier.’

Feeling her mood lighten a bit, Suji took out the watchtower from her inventory.

It was called a ‘tower,’ but it was only about the size of a palm.

It was an object designed to measure waves when S-class or higher monsters appeared, but it also reacted when S-class or higher hunters showed up.

For that reason, Suji, who had installed the watchtower near her house, contacted Yeonju first.

Yeonju promised to provide guards without her dad and family noticing, and after easing her worries a bit with that, Suji stretched her shoulders wide as she put the pad back into her inventory.

“Phew, it’s one troublesome thing after another.”

Suji looked up at the cloudy sky and overlaid Daphne’s appearance.

Today, it wasn’t her body that was tired, but her mind.

“Elaine.”

“Yes.”

“What do people do to change their mood?”

“…Well. They eat something delicious, rest, or have a drink, I suppose.”

“Have a drink… That sounds good.”

“…Pardon?”

It wasn’t often that Elaine was surprised.

Perhaps that’s why hearing his voice ask in surprise was always enjoyable.

Suji shook off her complicated thoughts and opened her inventory to take out the 〈Nymphe Stone〉.

Although she could summon a pet with this, she had been saving it because she wanted to stay quiet.

There was also the worry of how to use such a precious item effectively, but riding a pet would definitely attract more attention.

Suji fondled the stone a few times with her hand.

But, come to think of it, trying not to catch people’s eyes is quite a pointless effort. The people targeting her have already figured out her location anyway.

So there’s no need to busily run around on two feet when she has something like this.

Suji, holding the 〈Nymphe Stone〉 that was large enough to fill both hands and then some, tapped it six times, and with a crack, the egg split. Then it immediately broke in half.

Suji reached out and lifted the egg up to her eyes. Through the split, the inside of the egg was visible.

Inside, there was a white, fluffy existence floating as if completely unaffected by gravity. It looked like a cloud, or from another perspective, like a chick.

Peep, peep…

It seemed to have recognized Suji as its owner, following the first being it saw upon waking.

She had been thinking about and even discussing this pet’s appearance for quite a while, but due to the condition that it couldn’t perform combat functions, no particularly useful conclusions were reached.

At this point, she thought she might as well make it into whatever form she wanted.

“Transform into the shape of a unicorn. It would be nice if you had wings, so you could fly.”

Suji whispered to the inside of the egg.

It might seem a bit childish that the best she could come up with was a unicorn, but after living in monster fields where all sorts of raw creatures appear, she wanted to have a pretty pet by her side to look at.

As if nodding, the fluff swayed gently. And soon, a white light exploded and grew, and the already cracked eggshell shattered into pieces.

“…Wow.”

When the light faded, there stood a massive pure white horse that looked like it could easily carry two people. It had a long, curled horn on its forehead, a mane as fluffy as cotton candy that gleamed, and large, elegant and beautiful wings sprouting from its back.

Whether it borrowed the form of an existing monster or not, she wasn’t sure, but seeing a unicorn appear almost as if created from nothing right before her eyes was simply amazing.

“The ‘Great Beings’… They really are great, literally.”

“Indeed they are.”

Suji reached out and gently touched the unicorn’s forehead and bridge of its nose.

She was worried it might have a violent temperament that would make it difficult to release in the city, but at first glance, it seemed very docile and affectionate. The unicorn rubbed its nose against Suji’s hand like a newborn chick.

If she hadn’t been wary of getting too friendly with monsters, she might have hugged it without even realizing it.

Suji slowly withdrew her hand, and the unicorn twisted its body as if it couldn’t bear the discomfort of the narrow alley.

Feeling the need to move, Suji leapt onto the unicorn’s back, which was higher than her own height, in one bound, and Elaine also jumped up behind her.

“Let’s go.”

Even without reins or a saddle, the unicorn seemed to understand her words and started walking softly, pushing off the ground. When it reached a wider area where it could spread its wings, it took off smoothly.

Suji held the mane tightly, and after hesitating, she pulled Elaine’s hand, which had grasped her clothes, to wrap around her waist.

Suji looked at the ground rapidly receding as they rose high into the sky in an instant.

Among the many shadows cast on the ground, the unicorn’s shadow appeared and then became so small that it was no longer visible.

The sun setting in the west, the sky turning pink, and far below, the visible cityscape, the Tower of Sages that looked like hell…

Although everything had only become physically distant, it was mentally very helpful.

It felt like all the terrible things that had happened today were left behind on the ground.

“Don’t you think I chose the pet’s form well?”

“It seems to have been an excellent choice.”

The unicorn’s speed was quite fast, so the calm voice answering from behind was heard very faintly.

Suji burst into laughter.

Honestly, even if she had chosen a squirrel or rabbit form instead of a unicorn, resulting in a pet that was uselessly cute and nothing else, Elaine’s answer would probably have been the same.

“I don’t know where the bar is, so guide me quickly.”

“…Are you really going?”

“Please find a place with delicious side dishes.”

“If you go straight towards the west coast from here, there’s a decent place.”

It was just like Elaine to hesitate as if worried about her, but then give such a clear answer.

“Alright.”

Suji smiled brightly, firmly fixed her body by putting strength in both legs, and took out her pad.

She intended to send a message in advance, lest Saint and Peace complain again about her hanging out alone with Elaine.

The speed was so fast, and when she let go of the mane she had been holding, her body shook a bit. Probably feeling uneasy seeing that, she felt Elaine’s hands around her waist tighten.

“You’re more of a dad than Dad, really.”

“…Pardon?”

“Never mind, it’s nothing.”

Suji turned her gaze to the sky, thinking that it was fortunate that Elaine was by her side today, at least.