"Do you have a girlfriend?"
"What?"
"What d'ya think bout' Japanese gals?"
Minjae blinked. "…I mean, they're fine? I guess."
"Oh, good. Wanna date?"
…
Out of everything that happened today, this…by far tops the weirdness scale. I mean, who just pops out a question like that?
"Sorry, who are you?" he asked quickly, trying to get a grasp of the situation.
The girl didn't seem offended in the slightest. She simply patted down the nonexistent dust from her jacket before smiling.
"Kanzaki Yui," she said lightly, twirling a strand of her pink-tipped hair. "Long-Range Striker for Lunaris."
"You're Kang Minjae, right?"
"…Yeah."
"Mmm," she hummed softly, stepping a little closer. "Thought so. You're kinda famous right now."
"...I am?"
"For the wrong reasons, yeah," she said bluntly.
…
Fair enough.
Minjae exhaled quietly, already feeling where this was going.
"So," Yui continued, rocking on her heels, "back to the important question."
"Wanna date?"
"...No, sorry. Not looking for anything right now."
"Ahh, shame."
Without missing a beat, she clapped her hands together lightly. "Okay! New plan."
Minjae frowned slightly. "…New plan?"
She turned on her heel, already walking toward the entrance before glancing back at him with a small grin. "I'll show you around."
"…What?"
"Tour guide service," she said, pointing at herself with one finger. "Maybe you'll change ya mind by the end of it. Who knows?"
Minjae's eyes lingered on her for a second longer than necessary.
She's kind of suspicious…let's just do a check on her for safety.
Analyze.
[Analyze Target — Kanzaki Yui — Confirmed.]
[Target: Kanzaki Yui]
Strength: 15
Agility: 20
Endurance: 14
Mana: 35
[Skill — Prism Volley: Fires a spread of mana-infused projectiles. Damage and spread increase based on remaining Mana.]
Legit… High mana and a decent agility stat. A Mage-type like Lee Taehyun, and her Skill isn't bad too.
At least she wasn't lying.
The panel faded just as quickly as it appeared, leaving nothing behind.
Yui was already a few steps ahead now, walking like she fully expected him to follow. Though she turned only to find him not doing so.
"You comin'?"
At this point, all he could really do was sigh. "Yeah, show me the way."
When Minjae entered, it was completely different from yesterday. The atmosphere was a lot better. Before, it felt like a sort of hollowed-out skeleton of a building. Now, everything felt more alive.
Mainly, there were staff everywhere, some in uniform while others were in casual wear with badges clipped onto their collars.
But despite all that, it didn't feel disorganized. If anything, it felt…legit, way more than the dusty warehouse that Blue Comets was operating out of.
As they walked, a few heads turned to look.
"...Hey, isn't that—"
"Yeah, that's him."
One of the staff members walking past him slowed before raising a hand. "Yo, Minjae, right?"
"...Yeah."
"Nice work yesterday," the guy said with a grin. "That gamble at the end was insane. I'd analyze it over and over if I could."
"…Thanks."
Another one chimed in from behind him. "Bro—bro, I gotta say this real quick."
The guy clapped him on the shoulder like they'd known each other for years. "I knew you'd get picked, even told everyone in my department."
Damn, does this guy have any semblance of personal space?
"Did you, now?" Minjae replied, the skepticism oozing out was obvious. Yet the man didn't take the hint at all.
"Yeah," he nodded, completely serious. "Put money on it too."
He pointed behind him where a couple of others were already laughing. "Needless to say, I'm gonna be eating BBQ for a while!"
"…Congrats."
"Thanks, bro," the guy grinned before heading back to his group.
The conversation picked back up just as quickly as it started, the flow of people continuing like nothing had happened.
…
Minjae exhaled quietly before he looked around again. The atmosphere in Lunaris was good, like everyone was family with each other.
A far cry from Blue Comet…really. But…it's nice.
Yui slowed in front of him, enough for him to bump into her. They both crashed into the ground, in a wreck.
When Minjae finally got his bearings, he realized that his career might've been over before it even began.
He was leaning over Yui, both hands placed on her sides as she blushed while taking small glances at him.
"Oh my~" she said softly, glancing away for a moment before looking back at him. "You said you weren't interested earlier."
Her fingers lightly tapped against his arm. "At least take me out to dinner first!"
Ahhh…you're finished, Kang Minjae. 22 years old and already charged with sexual assault.
"Ahem…"
Minjae turned his head slowly up to the noise, a thousand different excuses already running in his head.
Manager Choi Seongjin stood a few steps away with both hands tucked into his pockets as he watched the entire thing unfold.
"…Manager," Minjae straightened slightly. "It's not what it looks like—I"
"Yui."
"Mmm?" she tilted her head, completely unbothered.
"Give your Captain a break, why don't you?"
"..."
"Ahh, you caught me," she said lightly, brushing her hair back like it wasn't a big deal. "Was just trying to give him a warm welcome!"
"Your version of 'welcoming' tends to cause problems," Seongjin replied flatly. "And don't you have somewhere to be?"
"Ah—right! My manicure appointment!" Yui hurriedly got off the ground before sprinting back the way they came.
She stopped at the door before turning around. "It was nice to meet you, Kang Minjae! Try not to miss me too much, okay?!"
All Minjae could do was sigh, but he couldn't help the faint smirk tugging on his lips. "Yeah, see you around, Yui."
And just like that, she turned and walked off, disappearing as she passed the threshold of glass beyond the facility.
"Thanks…for rescuing me out of whatever that was," Minjae said softly, turning over to the manager.
"It's the same prank she tries on anyone good-looking," Seongjin sighed for the first time. "Take it as a compliment."
"Guess I will."
The manager nodded, pulling something out of his pocket before throwing it at Minjae. He caught it before inspecting what it was. A keycard, clipped onto a lanyard with his face on it.
"Kang Minjae, Captain and Lunaris Player," he read the card aloud under his breath.
The reality of it all had finally hit him now. He was finally on a good team, one that cared for their Players…one that had a chance to succeed.
Just you wait, Lee Taehyun, Cho Chaewon…
Don't get complacent. I'm gonna catch up to you soon.