Returnee's S-Rank Management Guide

Protagonist (2)

The subsequent baseball game was quite intense.

There were occasional fielding errors, but the flow of the game was fairly tight.

They were currently behind by one run.

An opportunity arose with the final at-bat of Doxuris at the bottom of the 9th inning.

"Ah, please."

Watching the batter step into the box, Soo-ah clasped her hands earnestly.

It really seemed like she genuinely liked baseball.

"Since when have you been interested in baseball?"

Jung-woo casually asked Soo-ah that.

Judging by her behavior now, it seemed like she'd liked baseball for quite a long time.

"Me?"

"Well, who else here besides you? And you can speak comfortably with me, remember? We said we'd do that today."

"Oh, yes. No, um... okay."

As Soo-ah spoke, she fidgeted with her hands, which she had clasped together.

Though she'd suggested it herself, it seemed she still felt a bit awkward.

"I, no—I actually wanted to play, not just watch. I even thought about making a club when I was in high school."

Unlike Shin Ah-yeon, Soo-ah easily spoke more informally to Jung-woo.

She dragged her words a bit, perhaps feeling slightly awkward, but she continued on.

"But as you know, there's no girls' baseball team, and I wasn't able to play either."

"You weren't able to play...?"

"Yeah, that's when I awakened. You know, right? Awakeners cannot officially become any type of sports player."

She had always liked activities that used her body since childhood.

She especially loved ball games, and among those, baseball was her favorite.

Someday, she wanted to actually play, but that thought didn't last long.

After Awakening, she couldn't do any of those things.

"But at least I had talent as an Awakener. So I satisfied myself with just watching. But then, even that became hard to do."

She was used to not being able to do what she wanted.

There was never anyone to support her. She was always denied.

When she wanted to play baseball, and even after becoming an Awakener hunter.

She always heard that she should just give up.

'There isn't anywhere girls' baseball is really active anyway, so why bother?'

'Now that you're Awakener, let go of that dream.'

'Still, Soo-ah, you're talented, right? These days, higher-rank hunters earn so much money.'

'Manifestation of magic power fission? What? Then being a hunter is impossible.'

'There are so many things you can do besides being a hunter. And since you're an awakener, it shouldn't be hard to find something else, right?'

She was accustomed to not being able to do what she wanted.

Even when she partied up with others and ran through dungeons, she was never welcomed.

She thought she was a nuisance herself, because of her own abnormal symptoms.

Should she really just quit?

Whenever she felt that way, she would go to the baseball stadium and blankly watch a game.

The team she cheered for always lost, so more often than not, she felt angry rather than happy.

But sometimes, they would win.

Somehow, she saw herself in that.

She always heard people say it wouldn't work, but every once in a while, seeing the players win made her feel like they were just like her.

Of course, even though she still only ever lost herself, she started thinking, maybe one day, she'd win too.

"That's why I really want to see autumn baseball. If I see that, I feel like I could do well too. Don't you think so, oppa?"

As she said that with a bright smile, Soo-ah seemed much lighter than before.

Jung-woo could sense that Soo-ah was slowly opening up her heart to him.

Even when they first met at the ballpark.

And even after they signed their contract, Soo-ah had always doubted him.

But those doubts had almost disappeared lately.

"Ah, he hit it!! Oh, oh?"

At that moment, the ball met the bat and soared into the sky.

A grand slam; as Soo-ah blankly watched, the baseball drew a long arc and flew toward her.

It went over the fence and headed toward Soo-ah, who reflexively caught it.

In the process, the cap she had pulled down low to cover her face came off, and her face was displayed on the jumbotron.

"Oh, it's Lee Soo-ah!"

"That's Hunter Lee Soo-ah, right? Did she come to watch the game?"

The fact that Lee Soo-ah, who was recently trending, appeared on the jumbotron caused a small commotion.

Fortunately, no one came running up to her, but it was impossible to prevent people's attention from focusing on her.

"Put your cap on, your cap."

"Ah, Ah. Sorry. I mean... sorry."

Flustered, Soo-ah hurriedly put on her cap and carefully kept the baseball close to her chest.

She seemed deaf to the noise of the crowd, staring fixedly at the baseball.

She simply smiled blankly.

"... You look happy?"

"Ah, yeah. It's the first time the baseball has come flying toward me like this."

As she spoke, Soo-ah looked at the scoreboard.

With that home run, Chanhwa Doxuris had turned the game around and was now ahead by two runs.

If things ended as they were, Doxuris would clinch a spot in autumn baseball.

It was at that moment Soo-ah, who had been silently watching, opened her mouth.

"Manager Park."

Hearing her serious tone, I wondered if that was the end of the friendly way of speaking, so I replied in my usual tone.

"Yes? Is that it for informal speech?"

"Oh, no. I just wanted to speak seriously for this bit."

Soo-ah held the baseball in her hand and stared at the opposing team's last batter stepping up.

The game wasn't over yet, but for some reason, Soo-ah wanted to say this now.

"Thank you."

Jung-woo couldn't immediately respond to her sudden gratitude.

Sometimes, this person seemed awkward about direct thank-yous, and it was a bit amusing.

"You kept telling me I'd be able to keep going. But truthfully, I had no confidence. I only worried about what would happen if I let you down."

Soo-ah had always been a supporting role.

Or at best, the villain.

She was always the one who failed to live up to the expectations of those around her.

So she figured it would be the same this time.

"But, I've gained a bit of confidence now."

Looking at the baseball in her hand, Soo-ah raised it toward Jung-woo.

Being cheered for was scary.

Even when she'd become the center of attention because of the recent leak, she felt more fear than happiness.

Because she had always failed.

She always gave people hope and failed to live up to it, disappointing them.

"So."

But still.

"This time, I want to be the protagonist."

She didn't want to let this opportunity slip by.

Like a batter up at the plate with the bases loaded.

"To live up to that trust."

With that, Soo-ah steeled herself.

***

Thankfully, the game ended with no more reversals and a win for Doxuris.

Thanks to the satisfying ending, Soo-ah wore a contented expression all the way back to Seoul.

Still, sitting together alone in the car felt strangely quiet, which was a little awkward.

"It's a bit of a shame, you know."

Right before we parted, Soo-ah glanced at me and said that.

"We can just go watch another baseball game next time."

"No, that's... mmm. Maybe I should save this for later."

"Sorry?"

When I asked what she meant, Soo-ah turned away with a somewhat shy face.

"I'll tell you after Super Hunter K is over."

"Aw, why are you like this? Now I'm curious for no reason."

"I want to wait until I get a bit more confident before I say it..."

Soo-ah said that as she got out of the car.

"I'll see you on filming day, manager. Go home and get a good rest."

Watching Soo-ah wave her hand from outside, her expression so much more relieved, I headed back home.

A lot had happened, but since Soo-ah managed to strengthen her resolve, the result wasn't so bad.

"So, it's finally the last day of Super Hunter K."

With the long broadcast coming to an end, I felt strangely restless too.

Judging by Soo-ah's current state, I felt sure she would do well enough.

In fact, she'd made much more mental progress than I'd expected.

"... What's still lacking?"

Lying on my bed, I replayed the leaked video of the fight between Ji Yeon-hwa and the three hunters.

Baek Hojun and Shin Ah-yeon in the video had certainly shown performances befitting S-rank.

Soo-ah had also performed quite well, but compared to those two, it was obvious she was lacking in some areas.

"Is it her equipment?"

Baek Hojun's sword, and the staff I made for Shin Ah-yeon.

Both were top-grade items.

But Soo-ah's armor and weapon were only about what an average C-rank hunter used.

Given that, Soo-ah's accomplishments in the video might actually be even more impressive.

"They say a master doesn't blame their tools, but that's bullshit."

It's true that equipment matters less the stronger you are—but it was obviously advantageous to use better gear. Especially with the finals and coming events in mind, Soo-ah's current gear definitely needed an upgrade.

"Equipment that matches the user is always best."

Rising from bed, I snapped my fingers lightly.

In mere moments, my small studio apartment was transformed into an armory, with countless weapons displayed on the walls.

On one side, there was even a workshop for making gear, the space absurd compared to my room's usual size.

'To be precise, it's not that it transformed—I just moved.'

A space I'd made in the basement at my childhood home; I had linked that place to my studio for temporary access. It was a secret location I'd set up when making Shin Ah-yeon's equipment.

"Let's see, first—when it comes to metal, orichalcum's the best."

Considering Soo-ah's signature blue flames and her magic power condensation ability from the magic power fission phenomenon; nothing compared to orichalcum for sensitivity to magic and durability.

Of course, orichalcum doesn't exist on Earth, and even in dungeons it's only ever found in tiny amounts. I doubt anyone on Earth has ever made a weapon from it.

"Heave-ho."

KWOONG!!

But that was only true for Earth—on the other world, there were orichalcum veins, and I could stock up a fair amount. Of course, it was just as valuable there, so the price was still sky-high.

'For the cloth for her armor, arachne silk is probably best.'

The semifinals would begin the day after tomorrow.

Counting the time until the grand finals, there were about ten days left.

"Just right."

It felt a bit tight, but since Soo-ah only needed a single sword, I figured it was enough time.

'I'm looking forward to it.'

My gear-making skills fell short of true top-class artisans.

It was only natural, since I hadn't devoted my whole life to this craft like they had.

But when it came to artifacts, things were a bit different.

Of course, I was still way behind the real masters in terms of technical skill, but I had my own tricks.

My own unique methods.

"All right, let's really put some effort in for the first time in a while."

As heat welled up in my chest, I picked up my hammer.

The heart I'd been given began to throb and move powerful magic power.

I was confident.

From now on, the gear I'd make would surpass anything on Earth.

***

【Title: The Cradle of Star-Birth, Super Hunter K.

Super Hunter K.

It was never too bad during the early and middle stages, but the program had never made much of a splash.

Even after the plot was revised, many said it still never really escaped the audition show format, and above all, there was a lack of stars.

Of course, it was an improvement over last season's Super Hunter K, but it still fell short of the broadcaster's expectations.

At least that was true, until the live shows began,

Then, the sudden leak of the video turned into a windfall drawing public attention.

Rare footage of S-rankers in battle, and among them, a single C-rank hunter became the focus.

Party Breaker Lee Soo-ah.

At first, she had only been introduced like that, but in the live broadcasts, she obliterated hunters who had scored higher than her and made it to the finals.

Round of 16, 8, then 4.

Not one hunter truly exchanged meaningful blows with her.

Most matches were over in a flash.

Because of that, the performances she'd shown before were being reevaluated, and as a former C-rank hunter, Lee Soo-ah's rapid growth drew attention to Unique as well.

Especially since Unique, the management agency, was famous for not signing any additional contracts in Super Hunter K except for Hunter Lee Soo-ah.

There were even rumors that Unique had some special training method the other agencies didn't know about.

On the other hand, Upstream, known as one of the Big Three agencies, suffered significant damage from the leak, and has remained silent about Ji Yeon-hwa's whereabouts.......】

KWAANG!!

"Who the hell wrote this article?"

Upstream's conference room.

Reading the article, Upstream's President Na Ji-hwan ground his teeth in wrath.

The executives around him quietly averted their eyes from his fierce gaze.

"Apparently, it was Kim Ki-sung from Shindong Daily."

"Kim Ki-sung. All right, from Shindong Daily, huh?"

Na Ji-hwan repeated the name and rolled his eyes.

At the end of his gaze was Jo Chang-woo, who had remained silent until now.

A fellow hunter who'd Awakener with Ji Yeon-hwa, and was suspected to be the last one in contact with her.

Na Ji-hwan was convinced he was involved in this situation.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】