The Owner of the Healing Therapy Shop Is Ranked 0th in the World - Chapter 13

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

The Owner of the Healing Therapy Shop is World Rank 0

Chapter 13

I doubted my own eyes.

This kind of thing was the contract signing method…!

My hand holding the contract trembled with bewilderment.

I really don’t know what they were thinking when they made an item like this.

“Why?”

As I stared at the contract without saying anything, Senior bent down to look at the contract together and asked.

His low voice brushed past my ear. The distance suddenly became close enough to feel his breathing.

In that moment, his soap scent suddenly wafted over. It was a clean fragrance as if he had just gotten out of the shower.

Startled, I ended up inhaling and freezing in place.

Was it because he bent his head down further?

At that moment, I found myself face-to-face with his flawless profile.

His straight nose bridge, his sharply carved jawline, and even his long eyelashes.

My previously fine heart suddenly began to speed up.

“N-no. It’s just…”

I even started stuttering from being flustered by the too-close distance.

After being mesmerized by his unrealistic profile, I suddenly came to my senses and hastily hid the contract behind my back.

I fumblingly opened my mouth while trying to hide my suddenly heated face.

“Th-this contract method is a bit bewildering.”

“Bewildering?”

As I slowly backed away from him, he straightened his bent waist.

Only then did I feel like I could breathe.

“Do I have to pay some kind of price?”

He asked, raising an eyebrow.

It’s not a huge price, but… I’ll have to endure that much embarrassment.

“Hmm.”

It’s awkward to explain. It would be strange to suddenly grab his hand first.

That’s when it happened. As if urging me who was pondering, a Quest time limit status window appeared before my eyes.

^[Time Limit: 470 hours 1 minute 40 seconds]^

‘Okay, okay! I’ll just do it!’

I already thought the three-week timeframe was tight, but seeing the time gradually decreasing made me even more anxious.

I squeezed my eyes shut and suddenly shouted.

“Y-you have to do it with me!”

“…?”

Oh, I’m screwed.

0.1 seconds later, I realized I had omitted the object. And that a sentence without an object would cause quite a big misunderstanding.

My cheeks heated up incomparably more than before.

Seeing Senior’s face tilted in confusion as if he didn’t understand, I felt like hiding in any mouse hole.

“P-pinky promise and stamp, copy… we have to do that.”

My voice crawled in. But fortunately, Senior understood what I meant.

“Ah, I thought it was something else.”

Aaaah! So he really did misunderstand!

Before I could hide my flushed red face, Senior suddenly extended his hand.

It was a hand with thick finger joints and many scars.

“…?”

As I blinked for a moment, Senior’s voice tinged with laughter flew over.

“Let’s do it, with me.”

Really, I want to disappear somewhere.

As I hesitantly raised my hand, Senior pulled my right hand straight toward him.

Our two pinky fingers locked together as if binding each other.

“Promise.”

Then Senior lightly shook our connected hands up and down.

My stiffly frozen hand was led by him regardless of my will. With our touching pinky fingers as the axis, both our thumbs met.

I felt a playfulness unlike Senior in the action of pressing down long like stamping a seal.

“Stamp.”

Sliding our pressed thumbs, Senior gently traced down my palm.

Though it was a brief touch that passed by like a brush, I could fully feel his hot body temperature and rough skin texture.

“Copy.”

It was the moment when a contract like no other in the world was concluded.

As soon as he withdrew his hand, I felt like running away immediately. I never thought I’d end up doing such childish behavior at this age, and with Senior no less.

‘Really, was there no other way, Mimi?’

Soon after, a status window with cat ears appeared before Senior and me.

^[Employment Contract Concluded!]^

^[Title Acquired: Novice Store Owner]^

^[Try to safely complete one month of store operation with your part-timer!]^

I slightly turned my head to steal a glance at Senior’s as well.

His message was like this.

^[‘Store Owner’s’ part-timer registration complete]^

^[Remaining contract period: 30 days]^

^[Adjusting abilities, calculating mana addiction progression]^

Ta-da!

With the loud sound effect I had heard before, a copy of the employment contract was placed in Senior’s hand.

‘It’s really an unnecessarily thorough item.’

As the cold air cooled the awkward heat, Senior met my gaze.

Then he said this.

“Please take care of me, Store Owner?”

“…Me too.”

The contract was safely completed and the Quest seemed like it would end safely too.

‘Why do I feel so tired?’

I smiled faintly and emphasized to Senior.

“The time limit is tight. We don’t know if we can conquer other Gates as smoothly as this time…”

“It’s okay.”

Senior cut off my anxiously wavering words and spoke decisively.

“As long as you’re here.”

“…”

There wasn’t a trace of anxiety in the eyes looking down at me.

* * *

‘It’s been quite a while, why aren’t they coming out?’

Ean, who had been pacing back and forth in front of the rooftop door, suddenly lifted his head.

The door had opened.

And with the bright sunlight streaming through the gap in the door, a clear smile bloomed on Ean’s face as well.

No more overtime, no more pressure from Chairman Maeng, no more curses in languages from around the world!

Ean’s soaring mood plummeted to the ground in an instant.

It was because of Yebichnna, who passed by him with a dark expression.

“Huh…?”

Sensing something was wrong, Ean hurriedly ran over to Jinseong.

“Hey! What, what is it? Isn’t that the woman? What happened? What did you talk about!”

Ean cast a sound barrier around the two of them again and unleashed a barrage of questions.

His desperate desire for an immediate answer crumbled to pieces with Jinseong’s light gesture.

Jinseong didn’t open his mouth until he got in the car, and during that time Ean felt like he had fallen into the fires of hell.

“If you don’t talk, I’m not driving.”

When Ean played his trump card, Jinseong leaned his head against the headrest and spoke.

“I’m going to Japan. There’s no time, so charter a private jet right away.”

“What are you talking about? Why are you suddenly going to Japan?”

“To conquer a Gate.”

“Huh? Just like that out of nowhere? Why are you being like this, really.”

Ean pulled up his upper lip with a disgusted expression.

He had always known Jinseong was someone who thought to himself and spoke as he pleased, but wasn’t this too much?

He should at least give some explanation so I can pretend to understand.

“You should send that woman, why would you go to Japan? Don’t tell me that woman isn’t the conqueror? Really?”

If that woman wasn’t the conqueror either, he had no idea where or how to find the real conqueror.

Just when he felt like tearing his hair out.

Jinseong opened his mouth again.

“Actually, it’s me.”

“…”

“Sorry for deceiving you.”

Ean’s face crumpled up.

He cast a barrier over his mouth at lightning speed and let out harsh curses.

I might as well just die.

It felt like his lifespan had been shortened by 10 years. Ean took long, deep breaths repeatedly.

From his experience caring for this scoundrel for 8 years, he was definitely hiding something.

But apologizing so blatantly and shamelessly like that was no different from declaring he would never tell the truth.

Ean chose to just believe him rather than ask questions.

“Hyung, there’s no need to rush. Chairman Maeng is currently listing the rewards each country is offering. Since food supplies are also provided to the Gate, if we just wait a little…”

Ean, who had finally managed to control his burning anger with unwavering will, spoke as if nothing had happened, but he ended up exploding at Jinseong’s next words.

“I have to go to the alumni association. Tomorrow.”

“No, fuck. Hyung, really!”

Because he cast the barrier a bit too late, his curse slipped out unfiltered—a thoroughly intentional mistake.

* * *

The black cat that had been warming its fur in the cozy sunlight slowly opened its yellow eyes.

Its vertically slit pupils wandered through the air.

“In the end… he made a contract with the number 1 Hunter.”

The black tail swished violently left and right, striking the floor with sharp taps.

Soon the cat stretched long and stepped forward with its front paws.

Then a portal appeared in the empty space and swallowed the cat.

Right after the cat disappeared, the store door burst open.

“Yemimi! Where are you!”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————