Chapter 241: Thirteen Minutes Early
Martin showered again when he got home.
It was pointless, and he knew it. Once he entered the game, Alexandra would not smell the soap or notice that his real hair had been washed twice in one day.
He still stayed under the water longer than necessary.
Afterward, Martin stood in front of the mirror and fixed his hair. He stepped back, looked at himself, then reached up and adjusted it again.
"My avatar doesn’t even have this hair."
He made one last correction before leaving the bathroom.
After eating something light, Martin sat on the edge of his bed and opened Alexandra’s private account. His thumb hovered over the message field.
She knew when they were meeting. She knew where. Nothing needed to be confirmed.
Sending another message would only tell her that he had spent most of the day thinking about her. That happened to be true, but she did not need the satisfaction.
At 6:08, Martin put on the headset.
The padding sealed around his face, rainbow light swept across his vision, and his apartment disappeared.
Cool evening air met him beneath the canopy of the Forest Hidden Monster Hunter Academy. Lanterns had already been lit along the raised paths, though the last golden light of the day still filtered through the leaves. Players crowded the shops and scoreboards around the Light Tree, while carts creaked through the hub and academy workers shouted instructions to one another.
Martin opened his equipment screen and confirmed that he had left his armor and every weapon unequipped. His shield, sword, spear, trident, and warhammer were all safely stored away.
He wore the plain dark clothes he had prepared earlier. Martin had changed outfits twice before settling on them, so they had better look presentable without making it obvious that he had tried too hard.
Walking without the weight of his equipment felt wrong. He had faced dungeon bosses with less preparation and fewer doubts.
Near one of the Light Tree’s lower platforms, Rangar was finishing an evaluation with two new players. One had split a practice target with a spear technique far too clean for a beginner. The other stood beside a damaged dummy and argued for another attempt after missing Rangar’s standard by a single mistake.
Rangar listened with the tired patience of a man who had already heard the same argument several times.
Eventually, he sent both players toward another trial. Once they were out of hearing range, he turned and noticed Martin.
His gaze traveled from Martin’s empty back to his unarmored arms.
"Ya’re dressed like a normal person," Rangar said. "It’s unsettling."
"I’m still armed in the inventory."
"That doesn’t make it better."
Martin glanced down at his clothes. "I need advice."
Rangar’s expression became more serious. "Something happen?"
"I have a date."
The concern disappeared instantly.
"With Chaosgraphy?"
"Yeah."
Rangar grinned. "Ah. Now I understand the clean clothes."
"You can stop enjoying this whenever you’re ready."
"I’ve seen ya walk toward monsters with less worry in your face."
"That isn’t helping."
"When are ya meeting her?"
"Seven."
Rangar looked toward the academy clock. "So ya waited until the last half hour to ask for help."
"I don’t need help. I need someone to tell me whether the plan is stupid."
"That’s help with extra pride attached."
Martin ignored him and explained what he had arranged. They would eat first, take one of the quieter paths away from the main shops, and end at a place he believed Alexandra would enjoy.
Rangar listened until Martin finished.
"Nothing wrong with it."
Martin frowned. "That’s all?"
"What were ya hoping for, a blessing from the Light Tree?"
"I don’t know. Maybe something more useful than ’nothing wrong with it.’"
"Food, a walk, and somewhere worth showing her. That’s a date. Ya don’t need to turn it into a guild operation."
Martin shifted his weight. "Do people bring flowers here?"
Rangar squinted at him. "Which flowers does she like?"
"I have no idea."
"Then leave them in the ground. They’re doing fine there."
Martin laughed through his nose. "Makes sense."
"A small gift can work," Rangar added. "Nothing expensive. Bring something that proves ya listened when she talked."
"She usually talks about things that will embarrass me."
"Then she’s already bringing something she enjoys."
Martin laughed despite himself.
Rangar gestured toward the busiest row of shops. Merchants were already calling to passing players, each one trying to be louder than the next.
"Don’t take her through there unless ya want half the academy joining the conversation."
"I picked somewhere quieter."
"At least ya thought of that."
Martin waited, expecting more.
Rangar scratched his beard. "Anything else worrying ya?"
"Not worrying me."
"So yes."
Martin sighed. "I have a route planned."
"I know. Ya gave it to me almost minute by minute."
"The times were approximate."
"Approximate down to the minute?"
"I like structure."
Rangar folded his arms. "Keep the structure in your own head. If she wants to stay somewhere, don’t rush her because your plan says it’s time to leave. If she changes direction, change direction with her."
"I can do that."
"This isn’t a dungeon. There’s no reward for finishing the route faster."
Martin frowned at him. "You’ve been waiting all evening to say that, haven’t you?"
"Since ya said the word date."
"I should’ve asked Samu."
"He’d tell ya to feed her properly and hope for the best."
"That might’ve been easier."
Rangar laughed.
The academy clock showed 6:31. Martin still had plenty of time to reach the bench early.
Before leaving, he glanced along the paths around them. The closest players were absorbed in the scoreboards, while several academy workers struggled with a supply cart beneath the Light Tree.
Martin stepped closer to Rangar and lowered his voice.
Then he asked the question he had been saving.
Rangar’s eyes widened.
He stared at Martin for a long moment, then slowly shook his head. A quiet smile appeared beneath his beard.
—
Martin reached the bench at 6:47.
He had nearly arrived much earlier, but thirteen minutes already felt difficult enough to explain to himself.
Their usual meeting spot stood beneath the academy canopy, far enough from the main hub that the noise reached it as a low, distant murmur. A cool breeze stirred the leaves overhead. The smell of grilled meat drifted from the shops, mixing with the damp scent of the wooden paths and surrounding forest.
Martin sat down, then stood again a second later to check the back of his clothes. Nothing had caught on them.
He returned to the bench and leaned back, but that made him look too relaxed. Sitting upright felt worse, as though he were waiting for an interview. After trying several positions, Martin gave up and rested his forearms on his thighs.
The system clock showed 6:52.
He checked his inventory. Everything he had prepared was still there, and Angel remained safely in her pocket dimension. He had no reason to summon a creature nearly the size of a house in the middle of the academy, especially when she moved so slowly on dry land.
When he looked at the clock again, only three minutes had passed.
A group of players walked along a nearby path, loudly discussing their next dungeon run. Martin turned toward the trees before anyone noticed him watching every person who approached the bench.
At 6:57, he decided that waiting for a date was worse than waiting for a dungeon timer.
In a dungeon, he could inspect his equipment, review the terrain, or prepare to hit something the moment the countdown ended. Here, he could only sit and wonder whether Alexandra had reconsidered everything that had happened between them.
She had told him she was looking forward to tonight.
Martin remembered the message perfectly. It did not stop him from opening the clock again.
6:59.
He closed the window and kept his hands away from the menu.
Footsteps sounded along the wooden path. They were light, without the clink of armor or weapons, and whoever was approaching did not seem to be in a hurry.
The academy clock changed to seven.
The footsteps slowed and stopped in front of him.
Martin looked up.