"Okay, feels like we've wrapped up this week's tasks."
Ah, right, I was supposed to go look at equipment with Myo Seol-ah this week.
I should message her to go today.
"Hmm?"
I was drinking coffee after sending the message when I noticed someone staring intently at me from a corner.
When I looked back, it was Ah-young, her face turning red as she ducked her head.
She's embarrassed.
Beside her, Yeo Yu-rim looked back and forth between me and Ah-young, clearly confused about what was going on.
Well, it makes sense she'd be baffled. Ah-young, who usually glares at me like she wants to kill me, is now making the face of a girl in love when she looks at me.
But Yeo Yu-rim, your turn is coming soon too, you bitch.
'Next week is your turn, you know.'
I kinda want to mess with her right now, but getting the kids their equipment comes first.
Today, I need to go look at equipment for Jeong-Ah and Myo Seol-ah.
"Manager-nim!"
"Yeah, where's Ms. Seol-ah?"
"She went ahead to wait in the car."
"Okay."
I waved at Ah-young and headed out.
When I got into the hunter van, I saw Myo Seol-ah muttering to herself, avoiding my gaze.
Is she angry?
"Ms. Seol-ah, I'm sorry. Work piled up, I didn't know we'd only get to go out by Friday."
"That's not why I'm angry!"
Then why?
Thinking that, I followed her gaze, which landed on Jeong-Ah, who was smiling brightly.
Ah, she's upset that Jeong-Ah is coming along.
"I'm sorry. I should be focusing on you, Ms. Seol-ah, but..."
"You know that, yet you still did it?"
"Jeong-Ah leveled up to 7. You both need equipment upgrades urgently."
"...I hit level 8 yesterday."
"Huh?"
What the hell.
Wasn't she just level 6 a while ago?
She jumped 2 levels just like that?
That might happen at low levels, but can it be this fast from level 6 to 8?
"That's an incredible speed..."
"See? You should have taken me out separately as a special treat."
"I'm sorry. Should I tell Jeong-Ah to get out now?"
Actually, Jeong-Ah herself would probably like it if I dropped her off now.
Clearly, getting equipment for Myo Seol-ah, who is level 8, should take priority over Jeong-Ah, who is still level 7.
"It's too late. But instead, let's just have dinner together later, just the two of us. I could only get a reservation for two."
"Uh, um. Jeong-Ah, is that okay with you?"
"Yes♡"
Yeah, I'm sure it's fine.
It's not like you'd refuse being neglected or abandoned play.
Sometimes, Jeong-Ah's... tastes are really convenient.
"Um, should we get a bra first?"
"Probably right to start with that."
Since magic power gathers in the chest, the equipment that most effectively aids and enhances magic usage is the bra.
Especially for Jeong-Ah, who uses magic as her primary cost, I planned to invest most of the equipment budget into this bra.
"Is this a new model?"
Jeong-Ah pointed at a displayed bra and started reading the description.
It seemed to be a new release from the hunter equipment brand Nozomi.
Seems aimed at B-rank, and 100 million is about the average price.
"This is Nozomi's new model, right? Can you tell us about it?"
"Ah, the Travia H7? Nozomi said they were confident in this one and asked us to display it. They say it can cover up to A-rank, and it has the latest magic power recovery circuit."
The description was flashy, but it had no special features.
The magic recovery circuit can be upgraded on older bra models anyway.
Unless there's really nothing else worth buying, this isn't a must-have.
"Eunhyuk-ssi, what about this one?"
It seemed Myo Seol-ah had found something that looked good.
The example size was small, and it seemed meant for hunters with special cost types.
80 million?
For level 8, she could pick something more expensive and still be within budget.
"It's a company I haven't seen before."
"It is, but the effect is just perfect."
The part about the magic circuit enduring up to A-rank is a given, but the special function was a type I hadn't seen before, which was fresh.
It automatically notifies and displays for the user each time their magic recovers to a specified level.
Of course, for hunters who need to periodically use magic to generate their cost, this is a useful ability to have.
Well, for hunters using special costs, increasing convenience like this is better than just enhancing magic usage.
And despite the fresh approach, the price was slightly cheaper than similar equipment, so it was competitive too.
They used their heads well.
"Then let's go with this one for Ms. Seol-ah."
"Okay. The problem is Jeong-Ah."
"Right."
For elemental types who primarily use magic, this bra is the alpha and omega of their equipment.
So even if it's a bit expensive, we need to buy one that implements an effect that gives a proper benefit...
"Hmm, this one probably won't suit Jeong-Ah."
"Ah, isn't that what Ah-young Sunbaenim uses?"
"Yep."
It's the Freya 009, which Ah-young currently uses.
It cools the rotating fire-attribute magic power in her body, allowing her to raise the temperature of the fire she can produce through her trait further.
Unfortunately, it has the opposite affinity for Jeong-Ah, who is ice attribute.
"Isn't there one that does the opposite, warms things up a bit?"
"Um, but you don't really need to match the temperature like that."
"Why?"
When I asked back, Jeong-Ah looked around and then whispered in my ear.
"It feels good... like I might get a slight frostbite on my chest."
"You crazy bitch..."
It seems like she's already considering self-harm efficiency, not combat efficiency.
But even as I thought that, one piece of equipment came to mind.
Then, she could use that one...
"How about this?"
"That's... not a bra, is it?"
"It's a bodysuit, it just has less covered area."
It's a type of equipment where the bra and panties are combined into one.
This is also a Nozomi product, but its sales were a complete failure.
"The target is B-rank, but this single item was released for a whopping 500 million."
"Whoa, but it says 300 million here?"
"It didn't sell, so it's leftover stock. So this one won't be made to order, we need to check the size."
It's Nozomi's Black Feather X.
It adopted a special bodysuit design to combine the bra and panties, which are equipment hunters commonly use.
Because of that, the two pieces of equipment actually link together and exhibit high efficiency...
'The problem is that thing is a bit insane.'
When I first read the description, I thought the guy who came up with it was a lunatic.
Who sells a bodysuit that requires you to insert a giant dildo into the pussy as equipment?
But there's a reason it maintains a price tag of 300 million even with that crazy design.
'Overwhelming performance.'
It was a crazy item that seemed to say, 'Look at the performance we can achieve if we do this!'
The numerous magic circuits inside the dildo link with the bra part and amplify the output to an incredible level.
The major downside is that the load on the body increases from just the chest to also inside the vagina.
But that downside isn't a big problem for Jeong-Ah, who's a masochist.
It seems like Jeong-Ah could fight while enjoying that level of pain.
When my explanation roughly finished, Jeong-Ah's eyes sparkled and she confirmed the purchase.
"Then definitely this one! It says the size can be adjusted later too!"
"Knew it."
"Ugh, that one is a bit..."
Myo Seol-ah frowned while looking at the ferocious size of the dildo.
It's legendary how they thought only about performance and showed zero consideration for the user.
Who fights with that thing inside them?
"Hehe...."
"So there really is a girl like that."
I can't believe this really exists.
After roughly finishing the bra purchases, we moved to the area where panties were gathered.
Now it was time for the most important purchase: Myo Seol-ah's panties.
"We can stretch the budget to about 500 million, so let's get a good one."
Of course, if I really buy a 500 million won item, headquarters will call me in.
But I'm confident I can smooth that over.
Myo Seol-ah is level 8 now, how can they not let me buy her this measly equipment?
We looked around the panties quite diligently but couldn't find anything that looked good.
Most were panties with defensive functions for long-range types.
Of course, those are fine too, but since Myo Seol-ah doesn't always fight from a distance, it felt ambiguous to buy that type specifically.
"Uh, what about this one?"
"Ah, it can store magical tools, right?"
Close-combat panties don't provide defensive abilities like long-range ones do.
If it's a close-range attack that panties can block, you'd have the sustain to block it directly or tank it anyway.
Instead, they often use panties with storage functions to hold weapons.
"Whoa, this is 450 million, but the storage capacity is huge."
"Wow..."
The basic storage usually allows for one or two weapons, but this one seems capable of storing almost 100 items.
What principle makes this possible...
"Ah?"
"...."
Should've known.
It's because there's physically more space.
Are we in an era now where we stuff dildos in to store items and fight?
'Although it's a much cuter level than a dildo...'
It was a much shorter and cuter shape.
It was more like something that would only be inserted slightly into the tip of the pussy.
Probably, they only used the minimum necessary length to make room for the magic circuits and storage space.
This level should be fine during combat...
...Should be fine, right?
"This one seems a bit much too, right? Let's look for something else..."
"I-I'll take this one."
Myo Seol-ah spoke with her face bright red.
It seems she decided that even if it's embarrassing, if it helps in combat, there's no choice.
"Could we get our sizes measured, please?"
"Yes."
All three pieces of equipment we bought had stock available in their current sizes, so we could receive them immediately.
I finished the payment with the corporate card and loaded the equipment into the hunter van.
"Jeong-Ah, get home by yourself from here."
"Hehe♡ Then, couldn't you at least give me the equipment before you go?"
"Not a chance."
"Y-You're really just leaving her?"
Myo Seol-ah asked as if it was absurd, but I really started driving away.
It's not like she doesn't have money, she'll find her way back.
"Where did you say the restaurant was?"
"Ah, it should be in the GPS search history."
Whoa, where is this place?
It looks ridiculously expensive just at a glance.
I don't usually spend money at places like this, so it felt novel.
"I didn't know a place like this was around here."
"You didn't know? It's really nice here."
"...I tend to find such things bothersome."
It's not that I'm short on money.
But with that kind of money, if I donate it to the orphanage, the kids can eat a lot of delicious things.
Happiness gets copied.
"Eunhyuk-ssi, you get a pretty good salary too, right? I heard it's similar to ours, who are C-rank?"
"Ah, I donate most of it to an orphanage I know. The kids there treat me like family, so I can't stop."
Myo Seol-ah nodded as if she understood, then took out her phone and tapped on it for a bit.
I only saw her again after I parked the van in the restaurant's parking lot from the GPS.
"What is it?"
"It's nothing."
Why is she staring so intently?
Anyway, we entered the restaurant, informed them of our reservation, and were guided to a window seat.
Probably because it was a bit early for dinner, there were some empty seats.
"Ooh, the atmosphere is nice."
"It is."
The cityscape, starting to turn orange as evening approached, was beautifully spread out before us.
The restaurant was located in an ideal spot, not in a strange building and with an unobstructed view.
It's pretty.
"What's good here? Is it okay to ask for a recommendation?"
"I like the B set. The D set is also quite well-received."
B is carbonara and steak.
D is mac and cheese and beef stew.
So it's roughly one meat dish and one pasta/noodle dish per set?
"Then how about we order one B and one D and share?"
"Ah, good idea. Let's do that."
After ordering like that, I asked if she had any inconveniences with her training lately.
"None. On the contrary, you worry so much it's almost bothersome?"
"That's because your skills are improving so rapidly."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
It is a compliment, you know?
I let out an incredulous laugh, and she silently placed something on the table.
'A card?'
Then, after some time passed, she put it back into her pocket where she had taken it from.
The words clearly written on that card were 'Diamond 4'.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Advanced Chapters @Patreon.com/c/ReiReiRei73 OR buymeacoffee.com/reireirei73