When Leonar left the bathroom, he felt the contrast of the cool air against his still-damp skin. He rubbed his head with a towel, shaking some water from his tousled hair, and walked toward the bed with a carefree smile.

There, sitting with her legs together and wrapped in a towel, was Mary. Her blonde hair, still wet, fell in locks over her chest, clinging slightly to her skin. She kept her gaze lowered, as if lost in thought, but upon noticing Leonar’s presence, she quickly looked up. Her cheeks were tinted with a light pink hue.

Leonar let out a soft laugh and leaned one hand on the edge of the bed.

"Are you nervous?" he asked, raising an eyebrow in a playful tone.

Mary widened her eyes a bit more than usual and immediately shook her head.

"O-Of course not!" she stammered, clenching her hands on her knees.

Leonar laughed again, this time a bit louder.

"Yeah, sure… You look like you're about to jump out of bed and run off."

Mary pursed her lips and diverted her gaze with a gesture of feigned indignation. She stayed silent for a second—as if trying to find something to change the subject—and then, suddenly, she looked at him more seriously.

"That’s not important right now..." she exclaimed, her tone carrying a hint of nervousness but also genuine curiosity. "What I want to know is… since when have you had those powers?"

Leonar blinked several times, pondering how to answer. He shrugged and gave a half-smile as he sat on the bed beside her.

"Relax. You don't have to worry—I’m already a registered hunter."

Mary let out a sigh of relief and placed a hand over her chest.

"Thank goodness… It’s such a relief to hear that," she said softly. "I’ve seen reports about hunters who don’t register their powers and end up getting punished… Some even go to jail."

Leonar clicked his tongue and crossed his arms behind his head, leaning back slightly.

"Only an idiot would do something that stupid," he remarked with a teasing smile. "Unless they’re a criminal, of course."

Mary nodded slowly, then—as if recalling something—she looked at him with a more inquisitive expression.

Stolen novel; please report.

"But… now that you’re a hunter…" she began, twirling a lock of her wet hair. "Doesn’t that mean you’ll have to stop betting?"

Leonar felt a small twitch form in his jaw at her question. His teeth ground slightly before he let out a resigned sigh.

"Well… unfortunately, yes."

Mary smiled with relief and exhaled.

"That’s good news!" she exclaimed enthusiastically.

But Leonar, with a mischievous grin, added nonchalantly:

"Although… I can always hit up an underground casino."

Mary immediately stood up, her eyes wide and filled with genuine concern.

"Don't even think about doing that!" she snapped, crossing her arms.

With her sudden movement, the towel covering her shifted slightly, and her breasts bounced a little. Leonar couldn’t help but notice, though he only offered a playful smile.

"Easy, easy," he said, raising his hands in surrender. "I was just joking."

Mary frowned, still with her arms crossed.

"Well, don't joke about that," she muttered, sitting back down on the bed.

Leonar let out a soft laugh and, without much thought, reached up to gently caress her head. Mary blinked in surprise but didn’t pull away.

"By the way, can I see your hunter ID?" she suddenly asked.

Leonar paused for a moment, his mind processing the question. He remembered that he had kept his ID in the same pocket as his phone… and that he’d lost his phone.

"Ah."

Mary tilted her head.

"Ah?" she repeated, raising an eyebrow.

Leonar let out a nervous laugh and scratched his head.

"I lost it."

Mary stared at him, unblinking.

"…"

"But tomorrow morning I'll get a new one," Leonar quickly added. "So don't worry—I’m seriously registered."

Mary sighed and set the comb she was holding on the bedside table.

"Of all the things I thought you could do… I never imagined you’d be a hunter," she admitted with a slight smile.

Leonar looked at her curiously.

"Are you disappointed?"

Mary’s eyes went wide and she shook her head quickly.

"Of course not!" she replied firmly. "A hunter’s job is very respected. Thanks to them, we extract materials that have led to many technological advances… not to mention eliminating the threats lurking inside…"

Her voice softened and wavered.

"But…"

Leonar narrowed his eyes and watched her intently.

"But what?"

Mary lowered her gaze, fidgeting with the fabric of her towel.

"But… from now on, your life will be in danger every day," she whispered. "It’s a dangerous job… You could die."

Leonar lay on his back on the bed and smiled at her.

"You don’t have to worry about that."

Mary frowned and looked at him, clearly annoyed.

"That’s impossible!"

Leonar closed his eyes with a relaxed expression.

"Trust me."

Mary looked away and sighed.

"...I’ll try."

Leonar sat up a bit and, with a teasing smile, gently pulled her toward the bed until she lay down beside him.

"I thought you were going to stop me by asking me to quit the job," he joked.

Mary blinked in surprise, but didn’t resist.

"The role of hunters is important," she said in a more anxious tone. "And it’s going to be even more crucial with those two anomalies that have occurred these past few days… I don’t want to be selfish and ask you to do something else when your job could save so many lives…"

Leonar watched her silently as she spoke rapidly.

'So you're nervous, huh?' he thought.

"So I can’t help but wish you’d work in something safer," Mary murmured in the end.

Leonar leaned over her, resting on one arm, and looked directly into her eyes.

"Relax," he said in a low, reassuring tone. "I'll survive."

Immediately after, Leonar brought his lips to Mary's.