Rosaline worked with even greater precision throughout the afternoon. Although it took longer than usual, she chose to scrutinize every detail before hitting send.
I don't have Hunter powers to fix a situation like this, but this is an opportunity to use basic human diligence to solve it, Rosaline thought and immediately put it into practice. She was determined to pass her probation here—strictly so she could move on to another job later!
Ping!
An email from HR arrived just one minute after she sent hers! Rosaline rushed to open it, searching for the error.
In the line item 'Cave Turtle's Tail,' you placed the apostrophe before the 's' (singular). Please move it after the 's' (plural) to correctly reflect the quantity. Precision is key to our corporate identity.
Rosaline froze. An internal scream echoed in her mind after reading that. She opened her drawer, grabbed a can of soda she had bought earlier, and retreated to the restroom to calm her nerves.
For God's sake, get a life! This is so…! Hm! En-dure-it! Even Edgar endured so much for me! Rosaline told herself. She summoned a limited-edition chocolate-mint potato chip bag she'd recently acquired and began to snack. Even if HR is obsessed with proofreading to this ridiculous degree, I will get through this!!!
Once she finished, she went back to work. She was flagged again, and then again. But after two hours, the rejections dropped to just one. And in the final three hours of the workday… not a single email came from HR.
By 4:30 PM, Adrian returned from his client meetings. He noticed Rosaline looked significantly less frustrated; there was even a faint smile on her face. Adrian gave a small, knowing grin but said nothing. He simply placed his bag on his desk and quietly returned to work.
That evening, Rosaline asked the Boss if she could stay for some overtime to finish the reports and summaries from the period she was away. When she finally looked at the clock, it was nearly 9:00 PM.
"Alright, that's enough. Go home. You can finish the rest on Monday," the Boss said before ushering everyone out. He gave Rosaline and Adrian a ride to the subway station. "Get home safe, you two."
Rosaline thanked him and stepped out of the car, turning toward the station entrance.
"Are you heading straight home?" Adrian asked.
Rosaline paused and turned back. "It's past nine. I live far away; I won't be home until after ten. Why? Is something wrong?"
Adrian looked at her for a moment, his posture relaxed. "Come somewhere with me for a bit."
The hunter shook her head. "Sorry, I need to get home today. Maybe next time."
"Don't worry, it'll only take twenty minutes. I want to show you something, then I promise we'll head back immediately," Adrian insisted before she could turn away again.
She let out a soft sigh. "Where to?"
…
…
Adrian led her along the sidewalk toward the city center. Even though a Dungeon Break had recently occurred nearby, the city remained vibrant. Aside from the collapsed zone—now a restricted area under renovation—the rest of the district bustled as if the catastrophe from two weeks ago had never happened.
The young man stopped in front of a shop decorated with multi-colored lights that stood out from its surroundings. A neon sign flickered with the words: 'Game Center.'
"Let's go. My treat today," Adrian said, stepping inside first as the sliding doors hissed open.
The cacophony of arcade machines filled the air—automated music, combat sounds from massive cabinets, and the muffled singing from karaoke booths.
"Did you win the lottery or something?" Rosaline asked.
"No, but I keep a budget for things like this," he said. "Money meant for treating people I want to treat, or just doing something nice."
Rosaline maintained a neutral expression as she followed him. She couldn't recall doing anything that would make him want to treat her, and she wondered what his true motive was.
"Auntie, I'd like to exchange some chips, please," Adrian said to a plump, middle-aged woman behind the counter. She wore bright red lipstick and heavy makeup that contrasted with her honey-toned skin.
"Oh, if it isn't the handsome young man! Here to play today?" she asked. "How much are we exchanging?"
The arcade used a chip system to prevent tampering and credit cheating. The exchange rate was 30 Pure per chip.
"How many chips for 3,000 Pure?" Adrian asked. The shop owner's eyes sparkled at the amount.
"Three thousand gets you 100 chips. And since it's for Adrian, I'll throw in a two-hour karaoke voucher for free." She then glanced at Rosaline. "So… this young lady… is she your girlfriend?"
"Not yet," Adrian replied, causing Rosaline's eyes to bulge.
"Y-you! What are you saying?!" The hunter stammered, quickly addressing the owner. "I'm sorry, we aren't anything like that. We're just coworkers!"
The owner laughed, watching Adrian, who was still wearing a smirk. "Looks like it might take a while, then."
"Tell me about it," he replied simply. "She's the quiet, private type—very hard to woo. That's why I brought her here on a date."
Rosaline bit her lip to control her temper, but her ears turned a traitorous red from a mix of anger and embarrassment. She couldn't tell if he was joking or serious, but she definitely didn't appreciate the stunt. "If you keep talking nonsense, I'm leaving."
"Sorry, sorry," Adrian chuckled softly. "We've both had a rough day, so I just wanted us to unwind. Twenty minutes, I promise."
Rosaline took a deep breath and crossed her arms. "Fine. What are we playing?"
"How about basketball first?" Adrian suggested, taking a handful of yellow chips—nearly twenty of them—and leading her to the machines.
He brought her to a basketball arcade game with a hoop at the back and a digital scoreboard above it. When Adrian dropped the chips in, a gate opened, and nearly ten basketballs rolled down the ramp toward them.
"Quick! Throw them in! The timer's started!" Adrian shouted, immediately sinking a shot. Rosaline hurriedly followed suit.
The two of them threw the balls in rapid succession. Some went in, some missed, and some collided in mid-air, but the score on the panel climbed toward nine hundred. Then, a soft siren sounded, the front gate opened, and all the balls dropped back inside. The machine reset as if nothing had happened.
"There's no prize?" Rosaline asked. She had been so focused that she thought reaching the high score would earn her a reward.
"Nope. But it was fun, right? If you really want a prize, want to try the claw machines?" Adrian asked before a thought struck him. "Have you never been to a game center before?"
"…No. I always felt it was a waste of money," Rosaline admitted. Spending money on something that didn't provide a tangible reward or fill her stomach felt wasteful.
Adrian looked at her for a moment before saying in a cheerful tone, "Then I'm honored to be your first, Ms. Rosaline."
The corner of Rosaline's mouth twitched. She felt like she'd just been teased in a way she couldn't quite put her finger on.
"In that case, let's head to the claw machines. If you see one you like, I'll get it for you," Adrian said, walking toward the machines with long, quick strides.
Because he was much taller than Rosaline, his pace nearly forced her to jog to keep up.
Adrian… sometimes he seems more like a con artist than an office worker, Rosaline thought, watching him. His red eyes sparkled with genuine excitement.
For some reason, she felt that, right now, she was seeing the real 'Adrian.'