Mary moved through the shelter at a brisk pace, her blue eyes anxiously scanning every corner.
Her breathing was rapid, and with each step, the frustration on her face grew more evident.
"Mary, what's wrong?"
One of the men accompanying her tried to reason with her, raising his hands in an attempt to calm her down.
"I understand you're worried, but you've been searching for ages—there's no point in continuing like this."
"Leave me alone!" she snapped, not even looking at them. "I'm busy right now."
The men exchanged awkward glances, unsure of what to do. One scratched his head while another let out a resigned sigh.
"We'd really like to help, truly, but—"
Before he could finish his sentence, a masculine voice called from behind.
"Mary."
The tone was neither loud nor hurried, yet it was enough to make the blonde stop in her tracks.
Her eyes widened in surprise and her heart skipped a beat. Mary spun around, her gaze searching for the source of that voice—until she saw him.
Leonar stood a few meters away, his hair disheveled and his expression slightly weary.
Mary's eyes lit up with relief and, without thinking, she cried out in an excited shout,
"Leonar!"
Before he could react, she rushed toward him and threw herself into his arms, enveloping him in a tight embrace.
Her hands clung to his back as if she feared he might vanish the moment she let go.
"I've been looking for you everywhere..." she exclaimed, her tone a mix of reproach and immense happiness. "Where have you been all this time?"
The men with her shifted their eyes uncomfortably, seizing the opportunity to discreetly slip away.
Leonar let out a small laugh as he gently returned her hug.
"I had to attend to an emergency," he replied with a sigh.
Still holding him, Mary lowered her gaze and then noticed something odd.
"Uh… Leonar..." she began, blinking a couple of times, confusion lacing her voice. "Why... are you barefoot?"
Her head tilted slightly as she stared at his feet—or rather, his socks, soaked from the wet ground.
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Leonar let out a nervous little laugh and scratched his head.
"Things happened... but the important thing is that I'm here now, right?"
Mary narrowed her eyes and pressed her lips together, not letting go of him just yet.
"Well... I suppose you're right, but that still doesn't explain—what the heck happened to your shoes?"
"Ah, that..." Leonar paused briefly and then sighed. "Let's head back to the hotel first, and I'll explain everything, okay?"
Mary's cheeks puffed up slightly before she finally relented with a sigh.
"Alright..."
The two began walking toward the shelter's exit, and it was then that Mary noticed a TV on in one corner.
On the screen, a news report showed blurry images of a silhouette moving at high speed, with a presenter explaining that it was an unidentified hunter—someone who, for some reason, hadn't been recognized even by the reporters' cameras.
Mary frowned, feeling a slight chill, but decided not to pay too much attention at the moment.
Upon leaving, the first thing they noticed was the relentless rain. The sky was completely cloaked in dark clouds, and the sound of raindrops pounding the ground was forceful.
Mary wrapped her arms around herself instinctively.
"Ugh, I don't want to get soaked in the rain..."
Hearing her, Leonar placed a hand on his temple.
Right now, keeping the secret from Mary that he was a hunter might eventually become exhausting. Moreover, since he could no longer gamble, all his worth now rested on his strength rather than on his other ability.
And since what he needed most now was money, Leonar thought,
'Eleonora... can your powers keep the rain from wetting us?'
Within his mind, a gentle laugh echoed.
"Why would you want me to do something like that?" came Eleonora's voice.
Leonar clicked his tongue and replied quickly,
"I don't mean for you to do it—I want to try it myself if possible. Your powers give you control over water, don't they?"
Eleonora paused for a moment before answering in a playful tone,
"Mmm... well, this would certainly serve as a bit of training for you. All right, you're free to give it a shot on your own."
At that instant, a system notification appeared before Leonar,
[Eleonora's Power Released to 10%]
As soon as the message popped up, Leonar felt his body grow a little heavier. He took a deep breath and, with renewed confidence, motioned for Mary to follow him.
"Huh? What are you doing...?"
"No worries, let's keep moving."
In Leonar's mind, this would be a piece of cake—after all, it was nothing compared to that waterfall the system once ordered him to control.
Mary blinked and looked at him as if he’d lost his mind.
"Wait, Leonar, have you lost your head? We could wait for the rain..."
But before she could finish speaking, Leonar gently pushed her forward. Instinctively, Mary raised her hands to shield her head… but something strange happened.
'Huh...?' Mary thought in confusion as not a single drop of water touched her. Her breathing quickened a bit, and with a furrowed brow, she looked upward.
There was no roof or anything to protect them from the rain—and yet, the drops seemed to completely avoid both her and Leonar.
"W-what...?" Mary stammered, utterly bewildered.
She turned her gaze back to Leonar, who was smiling slightly as beads of sweat trickled down his temple.
"Looks like we're in luck," he remarked in a carefree tone.
Mary narrowed her eyes, noticing the focused look on his face.
"No... you're not surprised," she whispered, studying him more intently. "You... are you responsible for this?"
Leonar let out a heavy sigh right then...
The magic broke.
Suddenly, the rain resumed, pelting down on them with full force.
"Ahhh, shit!" Leonar quickly shook his head.
A few soft chuckles echoed in his mind—from Celestia and Eleonora.
Despite now being completely soaked, Mary looked at Leonar with excitement and murmured softly,
"Leonar... did you become a hunter...?"
Even though this wasn't exactly the best way to showcase his powers in Mary's eyes, Leonar swallowed, then smiled and said,
"We could say so."