D-Rank Constellation Hunter… Stuck Without Internet! - Chapter 184
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Side Story 2-6
No matter how generously one looked at it, the two Constellations could hardly be called a good match.
In certain situations, they clashed over trivial matters, and their attempts to understand each other often backfired.
‘If you help me understand exactly what I did wrong, I’ll apologize. I’m not the type to turn a blind eye to my mistakes.’
‘No, but it’s too ambiguous to call this a mistake. Ugh… No, I’m just being oversensitive.’
‘Oversensitive? I thought Franson wasn’t fundamentally a sensitive person. If anything, you’re more oblivious and insensitive.’
‘That’s the problem! That realistic and rational response! That’s what’s wrong!’
After all, forcing puzzle pieces created from different boards together was never going to work properly.
After approximately fifty years of effort, the two finally acknowledged it.
They could never fully understand each other, no matter how hard they tried.
“Franson, I’ve been thinking—there seems to be an enormous gap between knowing something and understanding it, and between understanding and accepting it.”
“Probably. You say you know me every day, but then you say you don’t understand my actions or thoughts.”
“And you say you understand me but can’t accept my way of thinking. I suppose we’d call that a difference in temperament.”
Someone observing them would have questioned it openly.
With so many ways to spend time in Sungdo, why did they insist on staying so close to each other when they didn’t even match well?
Franson answered, “Because it’s fun,” while Tasha answered, “Sometimes it’s interesting to challenge these unresolved mysteries.”
“Natalia, is it alright if I call you Tasha?”
“By all means. Any name I can understand is fine with me. And I think I’ve been calling you Franson for a very long time now.”
Tasha would probably never know how delighted Franson was upon hearing that answer.
His heart raced at the feeling of finally being acknowledged by this difficult Constellation.
The thought that they had truly become real friends at last.
But if he said something like that, Tasha would likely respond with, “Weren’t we already friends from way back? Do you need to go through a few more procedures to be recognized as a friend by your standards?” or something similar.
Now, though he couldn’t fully understand her, he could at least predict her behavioral patterns.
Franson, who had been blinking slowly, pulled up a chair and sat beside Tasha.
“So, to commemorate calling you Tasha, I want to ask you something.”
“What is it?”
“Do you think you’re starting to understand what love is?”
“Love? I don’t think I’ve ever truly felt that emotion before.”
Love was still just one of those unnecessary emotions to Tasha.
Franson exhaled a long sigh.
He desperately wanted to witness the moment when this Constellation, who dealt in calculations and theories, finally understood what love truly was.
“Whenever something happens, come consult with me about it. Friends are usually most useful when it comes to love advice.”
“It seems you’ve experienced love quite a bit, Franson?”
“I love this client, that client, this subject, that subject—I love them all indiscriminately, which is the problem.”
“That’s true… I’ve always thought your emotional expenditure is excessively large.”
“There’s a world server called Earth, and there they call it affection.”
Affection.
Tasha rolled the word around in her mouth.
Franson nodded eagerly.
“Actually, I’m not entirely sure what the difference between love and affection is either. I’ll probably forget about this again anyway.”
“Franson has this flaw where he forgets even the most trivial things. Yet somehow he’s remarkably skilled at medicine—it’s almost baffling.”
“I simply delete things from my memory that I don’t need to remember by my own standards.”
The problem was that too many things I wished to forget remained etched in my mind.
Tasha watched as Franson chattered away about something else, seemingly trying to shift the mood, and found herself silently repeating the word “affection” in her mouth.
It was a sensation that felt subtly ticklish.
A value that could only be expressed by the word “affection”—neither love nor care.
“If I ever come to feel love or affection toward someone, I’ll come tell you about it.”
“If it’s someone Tasha loves, I’d probably turn that client into a Constellation too.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“It’s a compliment.”
‘After all, Tasha is brilliant and capable, and once she sets her sights on something, she has this obsessive tendency that’s almost unsettling. No matter what happens, she’d bring about the result that client desires… If I frame it that way, she’ll definitely think deeply about this, won’t she?’
By now, Franson had learned to distinguish between what he could and couldn’t say in front of Tasha.
He cleared his throat and turned his gaze toward the screen.
“If you’re interested, try entering a server called Earth sometime.”
“What’s on Earth?”
“They say there are Hunters?”
“How tedious.”
Interest vanished from Tasha’s face in an instant.
In the Server, Hunters were a world past its prime.
Once martial arts had been in vogue, then came Hunters. There was even a period when people were obsessed with figures like the Grand Duke and noble ladies.
Now, as Constellations themselves pursued stimulation, they often sought out servers where things like apocalypses spread.
“But classical things have their own charm in their way.”
“….”
Franson showed no sign of backing down until Tasha acknowledged his point.
Knowing better than anyone how tiresome this Constellation could be in such moments, I eventually nodded.
“Fine. I’ll check it out when I feel like it.”
“Good.”
At that moment, neither Constellation knew.
What would happen to those tedious Hunters in that world called Earth.
* * *
“Franson.”
“Hm? I’m pretty swamped with client management right now—could you summarize?”
“I’ve fallen in love.”
“Oh, no. Start from the beginning and explain it all in detail, would you?”
Franson tore his eyes from the screen.
Something more important than saving or killing randomly selected clients had just occurred.
Tasha’s face was grave, as if she herself could scarcely believe what had happened to her.
“I don’t understand it, but I can’t think of anything else this feeling could compare to besides love.”
“So who is it, exactly?”
Tasha began explaining her feelings in a tone far too composed for someone discussing their own emotions.
“This is Se-um, who just became a Constellation. She’s from Earth.”
“Oh, so she was from Earth.”
“Yeah.”
“….”
I tried to brush past it casually, but Franson’s head snapped up sharply.
Wait, what did he just say?
She fell in love with someone on Earth?
So Tasha logged into Earth, met a client there, and ended up falling in love with that client?
“Just checking, but did you create that Constellation?”
“Yeah.”
“Through a client contract?”
“Yeah, so my karma’s basically converged to zero now.”
Franson fell silent, his eyes blinking helplessly.
When I first recommended that place to him, I never imagined things would unfold like this.
‘I really can’t predict a Constellation’s future.’
“So where is that Constellation now?”
“She’s exploring various parts of Sungdo. She said she never imagined a place like this actually existed.”
Franson gazed at Tasha’s weary expression and let out a small laugh.
He was pretending it was nothing, but he seemed incredibly pleased.
“So, can I meet her too?”
“Sure. After all, she’s someone I’ll be spending a long time with from now on.”
“I worked so hard just to become your friend, but you accept that Constellation right away just because you love her. I’m hurt.”
“You don’t look hurt at all.”
Ah, Tasha saw right through me again.
Franson stood up with a laugh.
“Actually, I’m quite proud. That you’ve come to understand love.”
“Anyone listening would think you taught me emotions.”
“I did contribute significantly. I’m so happy today that I’m going to eat sweets. I’m telling you in advance in case you ask, but I’m eating honey cakes.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“What kind of honey?”
“You’re still such an irritating friend.”
【D-Rank Hunter’s Constellation with No Internet】 Side Story 2 – End
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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