Early in the morning, Naruto whipped up some breakfast for himself and settled down at the table. While munching away, he fiddled with his phone, checking out Instagram. He was taken aback to see his follower count. Just yesterday, before he posted anything, it was just shy of 1,000 followers. But now, in just a single day, it had skyrocketed by over 100,000!
Curious about what caused this sudden spike, he quickly scrolled to find the post he shared the previous day. Before this, the only other thing he had on his Instagram was a post about graduating from school.
When he pulled up the new post about the guild, he was even more shocked by the number of likes it had garnered. "466,000 likes? Seriously?" he thought to himself. "Maybe S-Rank hunters are way more famous than I gave them credit for, or maybe I'm just imagining things."
---
In the afternoon, Naruto got himself ready to meet the guild master, Choi Jong-in. The guild master had sent him the address for the Hunters Guild because they wanted to discuss a one-time contract. They hoped Naruto would join one of their C-Rank raid teams, and after that, he'd decide if he wanted to become a permanent member or explore other options.
Either way, it was going to be Naruto's first time raiding and stepping into a dungeon, so naturally, he was pretty excited about the whole adventure.
After getting dressed, he left his apartment and took the elevator down. As he descended to the ground floor, he thought to himself, "Maybe it's time I buy a place of my own!"
"Naruto!" He heard someone call his name, and when he turned around, there was Aria. "What's she doing here?" he wondered as she approached him. She had driven him home before, so she knew where he lived, but still, showing up like this was a surprise.
"Hey, where were you headed?" she asked, standing right in front of him.
"I was just..." Naruto started, but then he hesitated, unsure if he should mention his meeting with the Hunters Guild. Instead, he switched the topic, asking, "What brings you here?"
"I thought it would be fun to surprise you," Aria said with a bright smile. But noticing Naruto's slightly serious expression and raised eyebrow, she continued, "I saw your Instagram post about the guild, and I wanted to ask if you're really thinking about joining the Hunters Guild. I'm planning to join, so I figured I'd ask."
"I'm still on the fence about it," Naruto replied.
"I'm heading over to the Hunters Guild headquarters now. If you want, I can give you a ride," she offered.
Naruto was about to respond, but Aria cut him off, "I know you're headed to their headquarters too. Plus, with all the reporters hanging around outside, catching a ride with me might be your best bet."
"Wait... How do you know that? Who exactly are you?" Naruto asked, trying to figure out which of his many questions to focus on.
"Come on, let's get going. Your meeting isn't going to wait for all your questions," she said, moving ahead and motioning for Naruto to follow her.
Naruto felt a mix of confusion and surprise. "How does she know where I'm going? And how does she know about the meeting?" he wondered.
Following Aria outside his apartment building, he immediately spotted a throng of reporters gathered at the gate. They were trying to get in but were kept at bay by security guards.
As they stood there, Aria's car, which was parked nearby, pulled up to pick them up, with her driver behind the wheel.
Before they could get into the car, camera flashes went off, capturing pictures of Naruto. It wasn't just the reporters; there were also representatives from several small to medium-sized guilds hoping to sign him up.
"You won't be able to get out of here without taking the car," Aria said, opening one of the back doors. "Hop in!"
Naruto considered his options. He could easily teleport or fly away, but that would only draw more attention, and he already had plenty of eyes on him. Plus, he had questions for Aria that he wouldn't be able to ask if he just disappeared. So, instead of causing a scene, Naruto walked around the car and got in through the opposite door from the one Aria opened. Aria smiled and slid into the car through the door she had initially opened for him.
After a little while, with the building's security making sure the path was clear, the car finally drove out of the building's entrance. The reporters tried to chase after them but quickly gave up.
"Alright, now tell me, who are you?!" Naruto demanded, twisting around to face Aria, who was watching him through the car's rearview mirror.
"What do you think?" she replied, turning slightly to meet Naruto's gaze. As she noticed his expression growing more intense and serious, she added, "Why don't you check the news? That might give you a clue about who I am."
Naruto wasn't in the mood for games, but he also didn't want to be toyed with. So, he took a deep breath, settled back into his seat, and pulled his phone from his pocket. He tapped on the latest news section to see what all the fuss was about.
As he scrolled, headline after headline popped up, each with a picture of him and Aria outside his apartment building. They read things like:
Naruto Seen with Hunter Guild Elite: Aria, Cousin of Choi Jong-in!
Hunter Guild Connection: Naruto Spotted with Choi Jong-in's Relative, Aria!
Strengthening Guild Bonds: Naruto Meets Aria, Cousin of Choi Jong-in!
Naruto's Guild Moves: Meeting Aria, a Key Link to Choi Jong-in!
Possible Hunter Guild Alliance? Naruto Encountering Choi Jong-in's Cousin Aria!
"Why do I look so awful in these pictures?!" Aria exclaimed as she leaned over to glance at Naruto's phone. When Naruto raised his eyebrows at her, she quickly sat back in her seat.
"So, you're the cousin of Guild Master Choi Jong-in?" Naruto asked, trying to piece things together.
"Yeah, that's right," she replied with a slight nod. "No need to overthink it. I just moved here from the USA last month. You probably haven't heard much about me. But you might have if you'd been keeping up with the news about the Hunters Guild."
"So, you were just working for the Hunters Guild from the moment you met me? Was it all planned?" Naruto questioned, suspicion in his voice.
"No, not at all," Aria replied. "I was there for my rank evaluation at the time. Back then, no one knew who I was because my identity wasn't out in the open."
Seeing that Naruto still seemed doubtful, she continued, "Look, I can't tell you everything, obviously. But running into you was purely by chance. Afterward, I was curious and thought about gathering some info on you to pass on to Choi Jong-in, but I didn't find anything useful. So, it doesn't really matter now."
Naruto took a deep breath and relaxed in his seat. He was still a bit suspicious but decided not to push the issue any further.
"So, are you thinking about joining the Hunters Guild?" Aria asked, trying to steer the conversation in a different direction.
"I might have told you if I didn't know you were the cousin of the Guild Master," Naruto replied with a hint of caution.
"Oh, right, I understand," she nodded, acknowledging his point. "So, are you studying?" she asked, shifting topics once more.
Naruto nodded in response.
"In college?" she inquired further, and he nodded once more.
"I'm sure you've read everything about me already, so why ask?" he said calmly, gazing out the window at the passing scenery.
"I suppose I have... but still," she murmured, trailing off into silence for a few moments. Then she asked softly, "Do you have any family member or you leave alone !?"
"You know, you don't have to fill the silence with these questions, right?" Naruto said, his voice calm but tinged with a hint of irritation.
After that, they both fell into silence, neither saying a word as the car continued on its way. Eventually, they arrived at the towering skyscraper that served as the headquarters of the Hunters Guild.