After showering, the two of them sat back down on the sofa while checking their smartphones, scrolling through different class group chats and reading the grade-wide group that never stopped blowing up with messages. "Gurgle," Dennis's stomach suddenly growled. He immediately grabbed his washboard abs and looked down at them.
"Are you hungry?" Daisy asked, clinging to his side.
"Looks like it," Dennis replied.
"Let's just order some food," Daisy suggested.
"Okay, get some lo mein from that express place. The portions are huge," Dennis said.
"Got it, I'm ordering now," Daisy replied, immediately focusing on her phone.
After that, they turned on the TV and started watching some movies on a streaming service. However, Dennis wasn't really watching. He opened his status screen and glanced toward Daisy. It was obvious she couldn't see the interface that was supposed to be right in front of his face, especially since she was lying in his lap and the screen was large enough to extend all the way down.
"Hmm... is it just me who can see this interface? Or can the other players see it too? I still don't get it," Dennis wondered to himself.
He immediately began reading the description for his talent: Manager. When a new window popped up with the details, Dennis read through it.
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Manager for hunter party:
The ability to organize personnel within a group to act in alignment with goals, source jobs or quests, and manage operational logistics during quest execution. Manages party finances and identifies the hidden potential of personnel; additionally, a party manager strives to raise their party's rank to the top of the hunter guild.
Manager Skills:
Analyze: View member status and monitor member growth.
Persuade: Lobby for jobs or quests.
Charm: Influence the course of negotiations.
Fast Thinking: Find solutions, make decisions, and set strategies.
Placing: Assign appropriate positions for members.
Register party members automatically? [Yes] [No]
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Dennis thought hard, and naturally, curiosity once again defeated his common sense. He hadn't learned from his mistakes at all; without a second thought, he pressed YES. An interface flashed before his eyes.
[Searching for nearby members...completed.]
[Registering members: Daisy 01, Daisy 02, Daisy 03, Daisy 04, Daisy 05, Daisy 06, Daisy 07...completed.]
[Registering party to guild system...10...20...30...40...50...60...70...80...90...100...completed.]
[Registering party name...input party name: _ or random.]
Dennis was thinking hard, but suddenly the interface intentionally selected random for a second time, startling him. Several names rolled by like a gacha pull on the screen in front of Dennis, finally stopping on one name: D Squad.
"Huh... D Squad?" Dennis wondered to himself.
[Registering party D Squad...completed.]
[Print guild member card...completed.]
Suddenly, Dennis's hand glowed with a bright light. Daisy turned to look at his hand and sat up straight. She shifted closer, pressing against him while staring at his hand. The bright light slowly formed eight guild member cards with an F-rank, complete with photos of Dennis and Daisies 1 through 7.
"Huh," Dennis and Daisy muttered at the same time.
Dennis picked up the cards one by one to inspect them. They looked like official cards that, according to city government regulations, can only be obtained once a student turns 18. Daisy took her seven cards and looked them over one by one, her face tense with shock as she read them. She turned to Dennis with a look full of questions.
"Honey... how did you get these cards? Did you make them yourself or what? These are official, you know. We're not allowed to have them yet because we're only 17... and besides... the party name is D Squad?" Daisy asked curiously, examining her cards and adjusting her glasses with a serious look.
"Um... well, since you're Daisy and I'm Dennis... D Squad sounds right. Just keep them for now, in case we need them," Dennis said.
"Hmm... this is legal, right?" Daisy asked.
"Hopefully, haha," Dennis replied, not knowing what else to say.
"Geez... you... but if we can already become hunters, it's actually better that way. I won't have to do underground fighting, detective work, or stealing anymore," Daisy countered.
"Huh... you've been doing work like that?" Dennis asked, stunned.
"If I didn't, how would we get money? Even though we're funded by the city government and get free daily necessities, we still need savings," Daisy replied.
"Hmm... I see. Alright, I'm going to work too. You can just stay home if you want or we can work together," Dennis replied.
Daisy immediately stared at Dennis as if she were seeing him for the first time. She reached up and cupped both of his cheeks with her hands.
"Are you... serious? You want to work too? Back then, you said you didn't want to live anymore and didn't want to do anything, right? Is it because of your awakening that you've changed, just like your body?" Daisy asked, her voice full of questions, but it was clear she was happy to see the change in him—and maybe she was starting to respect him.
"Maybe. I definitely feel like I've changed," Dennis said. "Because I'm not the deadbeat Dennis you knew and lived with for the past year," Dennis muttered in his head.
Daisy continued to observe Dennis, but Dennis wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her forehead. Naturally, Daisy immediately understood the gesture, showing that he was still the same Dennis as before. She passionately kissed him back and, of course, Dennis returned the kiss, but suddenly—"ding...dong"—the doorbell rang. They both immediately broke off the kiss.
"Our food seems to be here," Dennis said, standing up.
"Eh... you're getting it?" Daisy asked.
"Yeah, you wait here," Dennis replied. "You're not wearing a bra; if the delivery guy is a dude, then what? Unbelievable," Dennis muttered in his head.
Dennis, wearing his oversized clothes, opened the door. His eyes immediately widened when he saw who the delivery guy was. Likewise, the delivery guy didn't seem to recognize Dennis at first. He stared at Dennis's now-handsome face, messy long hair, and muscular frame—his oversized shirt was falling so far off his shoulder that it looked like he wasn't wearing anything at all. Finally, the guy realized whose dorm unit—which was actually an apartment—this belonged to.
"Wait... Jason? Why isn't he in school?" Dennis wondered to himself, recognizing the delivery guy as his classmate and one of the popular students.
Dennis noticed Jason carrying a sniper rifle bag on his back. Jason seemed to be double-checking the apartment number, looking at the receipt, and checking the door again while scratching his head under his helmet. A silence hung in the air as they both stared at each other suspiciously. Finally,
"Oh, Jason, you're the one delivering? Here," Daisy said as she walked out nonchalantly and grabbed the bag from Jason's hand.
"Y...yeah. Didn't you just message Kimberly saying you weren't coming in because you had to take care of Dennis, who got hit by a watermelon yesterday?" Jason asked Daisy, though his eyes were darting toward the two shapes poking out from under Daisy's t-shirt.
"Yes, that's right," Daisy replied.
"Then... who is he?" Jason asked, pointing at Dennis.
"He's my husband....duh. Honestly, what's wrong with you? Anyway, come on honey... let's go inside," Daisy said as she turned around to head back in.
"Yeah... honey," Dennis said, keeping his eyes locked on Jason, who was staring right back.
"Click," suddenly Jason snapped a photo of Dennis. "Hey... what the hell," Dennis shouted, trying to reach for Jason's smartphone, but Jason immediately bolted. "Tch... dammit," Dennis muttered in frustration as he closed the door. As they were getting ready to eat their order at the dining table, "ding," their smartphones chimed. Both of them picked them up, and it turned out a new message had been sent to the grade-wide group chat. When Dennis opened it, his eyes widened to see himself appearing in the group chat with the caption:
"Daisy finally divorced Dennis, but who is this dude? Does anyone recognize him?"
And of course, the one who shared the photo and wrote the question in the caption was Jason, who had just taken his picture.
"Oh... that's right, they don't know about your change yet," Daisy murmured while casually enjoying her lo mein.
"Grr... that guy has some nerve," Dennis grumbled.
"Relax honey, they'll find out tomorrow anyway. You're okay with us going together tomorrow, right? You've always avoided me at school until now, even though I want to be with you," Daisy replied with a pout.
"Fine... tomorrow we'll go together, but I don't have a uniform that fits. I'll just wear my gym clothes tomorrow until I can get a new set," Dennis replied, resigned.
"Yep, exactly! I'm so happy, finally I can go to school with you," Daisy said, reaching across the table to grab Dennis's hand.
"I avoided you and didn't want to go with you for your sake... because of what people would say about someone as popular as you being married to a human like me," Dennis muttered in his heart.