"You know I can handle things by myself, right Sunbae?"
Haru said since he really was enough to take care of the ants all by himself and it wasn't like Haru was taking it lightly either. He has already done his planning and arranged the way of transportation as well.
In the canon, Jeju-do was the place where many high-ranking hunters died and Japan was left almost defenseless. The retired hunter and Baek Yoonho's buddy also died on that island and also Jin-Woo got slandered for arriving late as well.
Well, the last reason was superficial but a reason nevertheless.
"I am not asking, Haru. Your life is not yours alone anymore. If something happens to you, Jinah would cry and I won't be able to see that. So assume that I am participating just for my own assurance. "
Jin-Woo has more or less assessed the teenager to tell that he was a good person and probably a great partner for his sister. He wasn't hundred percent sure but Jin-Woo now knows how much his sister adores the guy to the point of even having Haru's picture as her phone wallpaper.
(A/N: - Haru doesn't know until now.)
Jin-Woo has heard the risk increasing day after day regarding Jeju Island and sooner or later he would have to take care of it somehow. Then why not now?
"And about your family? Don't you want to spend some time together with them? "Haru asked which made Jin-Woo remember something as he followed with his question.
"That reminds me...where did you find my father?" Other than being relieved by the fact that now his family was complete, Jin-Woo was curious. He never questioned Haru about his wide variety of powers which was abnormal for a hunter to possess until they didn't have a system.
But to get his hands on a man who was stuck in a dungeon for ten years...indeed, Jin-Woo wanted to know the source of Haru's reach.
"Hmmm...well, as of now, I simply cannot tell you Sunbae. Until you aren't prepared to tell me your secrets, don't expect anything from me. "
Jin-Woo's eyes sharpened at that. From Haru's demeanor, it never seemed he actually paid much attention to anyone so Jin-Woo was taking him for granted.
But it seems he was underestimating Haru's observation skills. Even so, Jin-Woo felt like asking, "What secret exactly? "
"Oh, I mean...the weak E-rank hunter who failed to rank up since the time he has awakened suddenly gets a power-up just after he gets caught in a Double-dungeon...it surely sounds like a plot of some action-packed novel. "
As he thought, Haru has been paying attention to the people around him and Jin-Woo wasn't the only one who has researched Haru, it was the same for the other party as well.
It was no hidden fact that Jin-Woo was one of the weakest E-ranker and his sudden strength gain could put anyone under the shade of suspicion and dilemma. There was no surprise there.
But in the end, Jin-Woo never even entertained the idea of unfurling the things about the System. Keeping this a secret was not something exclusive to Haru. Jin-Woo hasn't even told his family or anyone else about it nor he have planned to.
"So, when are we leaving." Dropping the topic just there Jin-Woo switched the subject. Some things are better left untouched. And Haru's source of information and skill set was among those.
"Morning, at 5. Shall we meet near the coast?"
Jin-Woo nodded before Haru disappeared in a flash.
Jin-Woo remained standing at his spot with his fist clenched for some reason.
'How does it fail every time... ' The reason for his annoyance emerges from the fact that every time Jin-Woo tries attaching one of his shadows to Haru, it fails and a prompt from the System arises.
Jin-Woo had no idea whether Haru does it subconsciously or if he was aware of Jin-Woo's skills. Nevertheless, the thought of keeping track of Haru has long been lost.
With a sigh, Jin-Woo also vanished, and at the spot, one of his shadow knights appeared.
****
"Is she sleeping?" After returning home, Haru found Kuroi still awake, currently reading something on the couch.
"Ah, yeah. Riko-sama has already finished dinner and has been sleeping for an hour now. Please freshen up, I will reheat the food. "
"Thanks, Kuroi, but I don't feel like eating at the moment. You go ahead and take rest. If I feel like it, I would eat some snacks." Haru wasn't really hungry at the moment despite his metabolism having elevated his appetite and now he eats nearly five meals a normal day.
Kuroi didn't insist before she kept the book back on the shelf and left her parting words behind, "Please take care of your health a little, Haruka-sama. "
Haru just smiled at the maid before he nodded and walked toward his room. Kuroi also made her way toward the room she was sharing with Riko.
*Bzz*
Suddenly Haru felt his phone ringing before he took it out and found his smile stretching even more.
"Hey-" Before he could have properly said 'hi' to his girlfriend, Jinan interjected with a trace of anxiety blended in her voice.
[Where are you? ]
Haru frowned at that before he replied, "Home...is everything alright? " Haru's command over Infinity has reached its potential so manipulating the space to lock Jinah's location was something he did within seconds.
And as he thought he indeed needed to see her, [No, everything is not alright. Can you...meet me right-ah! "
Jinah yelped as suddenly she saw Haru standing in front of her with his phone still connected to his ear. There was no smile on his face signifying how much her words influences him.
However, Jinah had a valid reason to call him at this hour as well. Pocketing her phone Jinah asked in slight apprehension, "I-Is it true, Haru...that you are going on that island which has been all over the news recently?"
'Sunbae you loose-lipped bastard.... ' Haru inwardly grumbled since he wasn't planning on telling Jinah about Jeju Island since it wasn't something that could pose any real threat to Haru.
Haru was planning to finish it up and not bring up anything about it in front of her. Since there wouldn't be any cameras around Jinah would never get to know how Haru sorted Korea's one of the biggest crises.
But someone wasn't able to keep things to himself.
"Jinah?! Hey, hey-"
"Don't touch me! " Jinah resisted his embrace as tears slid down her cheeks continuously.
"You were going to hide it from me! Something that can permanently separate us...how can you try to hide something like that, Haru?! Do my feelings not matter to you?"
Haru made his way through her resistance before he hugged the girl. His heart ached to see her like this as he questioned his decision not to tell her about the raid.
But in the end, there was no point in regretting things, rather he preferred to coax the crybaby, currently wailing in his arms.
****
A/N: - Her outburst isn't unreasonable. If you see from her point of view then Jinah actually has no idea what skills Haru possesses but she definitely knows how dangerous Jeju Island was since the previous raids of S-ranks have failed.
Well, sorry for the delay. I might drop another chapter by the weekend if I see three hundred stones.
Drop a comment if you liked the chapter ~