Naruto and his team of Hunters finally emerged from the dungeon, and the moment they stepped out, the reporters were all over them. The gate of the dungeon closed behind them, signaling that the raid was over, and the journalists quickly started snapping photos.
Naruto was leading the way, walking beside Aria, chatting casually as the cameras flashed around them. "I'll give you a ride to your apartment," Aria said to Naruto. "I don't think we need to head back to the Headquarters now." Naruto nodded in agreement and turned to face the reporters. Cha Hae-In was already there, fielding questions from the eager journalists.
As the team stepped out of the dungeon, the reporters immediately noticed them and rushed over, cameras clicking and questions flying from every direction.
Cha Hae-In, always calm and confident, took a step forward to talk to the enthusiastic journalists. "The raid was a success," she announced, her voice strong and assured. "Our team worked perfectly together to clear the dungeon and take down the boss monster."
The reporters jotted down notes quickly, their focus locked on the impressive S-Rank hunter. One of them asked, "What can you tell us about the new S-Rank Hunter, Naruto-nim ? Is he planning to join a hunter's guild?"
Cha Hae-In glanced back at Naruto, who was quietly chatting with Aria. "Naruto is a skilled and capable hunter," she said, keeping her tone calm. "As for what he's planning next, I'll let him tell you himself."
With that, she turned and motioned toward Naruto, indicating to the reporters that they could direct their questions to him. "You can ask him yourselves," she added, a slight smile on her face.
The reporters quickly redirected their attention and surrounded Naruto as Cha Hae-In stepped to the side. Aria caught the cue, gave Naruto a supportive nod, and headed to the waiting car, leaving him to handle the flood of questions.
Naruto stepped forward, greeting the reporters with a warm smile. Even though he was new to this and didn't have much experience with the media, his outgoing personality and countless hours of watching interviews gave him a good handle on how to manage the situation better than most people might expect.
The reporters clustered around Naruto, a flurry of flashing cameras and voices eager to ask their questions.
"Naruto-nim, how did your first raid with the team go?" one inquired eagerly.
"What did you think of the dungeon and the boss monster?" another piped up.
"Were you nervous at all before the mission?" a third asked.
Naruto lifted a hand, signaling for calm. "One at a time, please," he said with a steady and reassuring voice. "I'm happy to answer your questions."
The reporters settled down, and Naruto turned to address the first question. "The raid went really well. The team worked together perfectly, and we managed to clear the dungeon and defeat the boss monster without running into any major problems."
He then turned to the second reporter. "The dungeon was definitely a tough challenge, but I went in feeling confident and focused. Facing the boss monster was really exciting and gave me a chance to test my skills."
Looking at the third reporter, Naruto grinned. "Nervous? Not at all. I was more excited to take on the challenge. As a hunter, I'm always ready to push my limits and tackle new obstacles."
The reporters quickly jotted down notes, clearly drawn in by Naruto's calm and confident presence.
"Naruto-nim, you becoming the 10th S-rank Hunter of the country has been the talk of the town. Are you considering joining any guild yet?" one reporter asked eagerly, her voice full of anticipation.
Naruto paused for a moment, taking in the question with a thoughtful look. "Honestly, I haven't decided on anything just yet. I want to take some time to think about my first experience as a hunter and look into all the possibilities out there." He gave the reporters a reassuring smile. "If there's any news, you'll definitely be the first to know."
The reporters seemed a bit let down by the lack of a specific answer, but they quickly bounced back, eager to ask more questions.
After wrapping up the Q&A session, Naruto found himself surrounded by a few fans asking for autographs and pictures. Once he finished up with them, he headed to the nearby parking lot and spotted Aria's car. She was standing outside, but she had changed into something completely different from what she wore in the dungeon.
Aria's long, wavy dark brown hair flowed over her shoulders, perfectly framing her expressive hazel eyes. She had swapped her previous outfit for a sleek, high-collared blouse in a rich burgundy color, which highlighted the elegant lines of her figure. A tailored, knee-length skirt in a matching charcoal grey added a touch of sophistication, completing her polished look.
As soon as Naruto arrived, Aria waved at him with a cheerful smile. He walked over to her and asked, "You were waiting for me?"
She grinned and nodded. "Of course! How could I not wait for a celebrity like you?" she teased, opening the car door and gesturing for him to get in. "Let's go, Mr. S-Rank hunter!"
Naruto felt a bit uneasy because he had some questions he wanted to ask her. He nodded and, instead of getting in beside her, he walked around to the other side and took the seat opposite her, which turned out to be the driver's seat.
Aria gave a slight smile as she got into the car through the door she had opened for Naruto. "You're going to drive?" she asked, tossing the car keys to him. Naruto didn't even flinch; the keys stopped right in front of him, and he simply took them.
Aria was a bit surprised, recalling how something similar had happened during the monster's attack—things just seemed to stop in front of Naruto. Curious, she asked, "Wait, how did you do that?"
"No questions, please. I need answers from you," he replied, turning slightly to face Aria, who sat next to him with an awkward smile.
"What do you mean?" Aria asked, but her awkward smile faded when she saw the seriousness in Naruto's expression.
Naruto turned back to face forward, settling into his seat. "I know you lied to me."
"What... No... I..."
Naruto interrupted her, "You lied to me when we met outside the Hunter Association headquarters. You said you were just passing by... but you weren't, right?" His words were not just questions; they were statements of fact, and Aria immediately understood. She couldn't bring herself to deny it, especially after seeing the look on his face again.
Though Naruto's tone was calm, Aria's heartbeat quickened, and she started feeling nervous. Her face flushed slightly as she looked down, searching for the right words to explain.
Naruto's eyes widened slightly as he connected the dots, observing Aria's flustered expression and recalling the subtle clues he'd noticed before: her change of clothes, the fact that she was waiting for him, and the little hints of deception.
"Don't tell me..." he began, hesitation in his voice. "Are you..."
Aria let out a small, nervous laugh, her cheeks flushed. "I guess there's no hiding it, is there?" she admitted softly. "Since I first saw you at the re-evaluation center, I've felt this... pull towards you. It's like you have this aura that just draws me in."
She stopped for a moment, playing with the hem of her skirt nervously. "When your evaluation came back with an 'error,' it really caught my eye. It felt like destiny was nudging me to stick around and learn more about you. So, I reached out to my cousin, Choi Jong-in, to find out more. It was my way of staying close, trying to figure out what makes you so unique."
Aria looked up, her eyes locking with Naruto's, full of honesty and a bit of vulnerability. "I know this might sound a bit wild, and I'm sorry if it's overwhelming. But I just couldn't shake how I felt, and I wanted to be near you, even if it meant stretching the truth a bit."
Her voice became gentle, with a touch of true warmth. "I just wanted to find out if what I was feeling was real, and I hoped that maybe, just maybe, you'd feel something too."
The atmosphere in the car suddenly became more awkward than ever. Both of them sat quietly, staring straight ahead at the road, lost in their thoughts and without speaking a word.