The favor the Chairman intended to ask of Yu-jin:  
"Keep Winterer under control and use her for Gate expeditions." 

Realizing the Chairman’s plan, Yu-jin jumped up, his expression alarmed.

‘So, that was the plan from the start!?’

–He shot up.

"So, you’re planning to use me for free too, you old hag!"

He’d rather take on a Gate solo than be stuck with that disrespectful brat. Who knew what chaos she’d unleash if her powers were unsealed?

And, since it was technically part of the "curriculum," they probably wouldn’t pay him. Was he just the next one to be used, after Winterer?

Even if he forgave it, the labor law wouldn't! Yu-jin’s expression turned darker.

–He scoffed.

"For free? Do you really think I’d do that? I’ll make sure you’re handsomely compensated, out of my own pocket, so don’t worry."

Of course, the Chairman had no intention of squeezing him dry…

"How much?"  
"I’ll pay you the average Gate-clearing rate. A C-rank Gate goes for about ten million won."  
"This hag, are you serious? Who do you expect that to impress!?"

Who was he?  
A guy who earned ten million won in a single treatment session.  
A young man who had recently secured a billion-won donation from Jushinkyo.

Trying to bribe him with B- to D-rank Gate compensation wouldn’t be much of an incentive, especially with the headache that came with Winterer.

At this, the Chairman’s eyes turned sharp as well.

"Has your sense of money already gone to waste? Calling ten million won ‘barely anything’? Go outside and dig all day, and let’s see if you find a single coin."  
"I don’t need to dig! I just go to the hospital, and I get paid!"  
"Ahem. Oh, um, where do you get off talking back to an elder like that!?"

…Despite her raised eyebrows, her anger was a bit slow to show. She felt a pang of guilt.

Dumping the responsibility for Winterer on a cadet like Yu-jin?  
Yes, she trusted her intuition, her instincts, and… that last bit of “something,” but honestly, it was a crazy idea.

Even Seol Ha-yeon, known for her silver tongue, hesitated.

Yu-jin took advantage of this brief hesitation.

"Elder? Just because you're an elder? Do you think age is a privilege!?"  
"Don’t you know the rules of respect? Those younger should…"  
"You’ve lived long enough to have sagging skin, yet you’re trying to squeeze me dry?!"

He launched into personal attacks, dragging her age into it.  
Isn’t your skin starting to sag a little? Those frown lines are setting in too. At that age, really, what are you doing asking this of me?

Unable to hold back her irritation…

"……?"  
‘What is this kid talking about? I’m almost curious myself to see when I’ll start to age.’

She didn’t actually feel angry. Maybe if she were in her seventies, like before his regression, but at the moment, she was far from showing any signs of aging. The mention of sagging skin didn’t touch her at all.

Instead, she smirked, amused by the thought of teasing Yu-jin back.

"Did you just say my skin’s sagging?"  
"Yes, completely…."  
"I’m not there yet, you brat! Want me to show you?"

And with that, she quickly began unbuttoning her shirt, clearly relishing Yu-jin’s anticipated reaction.

And then…

"……!? W-wait, calm down…."

–Whoosh!

"Go ahead, take a good look!"

The Chairman dropped her “strategic nuke,” as she would say, revealing her old-fashioned, granny-style underwear for all to see.

Yu-jin’s reaction? Predictably, it was like witnessing a bomb going off.

"Kyaaah!! She actually stripped, this old hag!!"

Yu-jin clamped his hands over his eyes, letting out a piercing scream.

Although he quickly shut his eyes, the red, floral pattern on the fabric lingered at the edges of his vision, like a burn scar that wouldn’t fade, no matter how tightly he shut his eyes.

He could only groan in pure misery.

‘Clearly, trying to negotiate with a nuke was a mistake…!!’

He’d learned a lesson in hindsight.

I never stood a chance to begin with. Negotiating with a tactical nuke was foolish. I should have just surrendered outright and spared myself.

"I-I’m sorry… Please, just stop…."

–He trembled.

In the end, Yu-jin gave up, his whole body slumping in surrender. His face had turned pale; he looked utterly defeated.

However,

"Go on, you can touch it if you want? And if you still think it’s sagging, I’ll admit it."  
"No, I meant wrinkles! Wrinkles, not… not that!!"  
"Why so scared? Didn’t you say it was sagging? Now you’re scared to check?"

–She leaned closer.

"Kyaaaa!!!"

Seol Ha-yeon’s “punishment” didn’t let up.

Partly because she found it amusing to see the promising young man freaked out.  
Also, she hadn’t had this much fun teasing someone in decades.  
And lastly, well, she was honestly a bit peeved.

‘For an elder, I’m looking pretty damn good. Who’s he calling saggy?’

–Sly grin.

"What’s wrong? Should I take off my underwear too? Let you check for wrinkles?"

Driven by anger, she almost let herself cross the line.

With her mind fogged by irritation, her hand instinctively reached toward her bra hook. She nearly let herself go overboard in her fit.

Then…

"Now. I’ll show you, so take a good look. Let’s see…"  
"Grandma?"

"What are you doing in front of a man, you pervy little rice cake?"  
"……!!!"

And—her karma returned to her instantly.

‘Damn it. I’ve gone too far. It’s been so long since I saw someone bold enough to match me….’

–She sighed.

"Grandma, you’re a pervert! You tried to flash Dad! Ew, gross."  
"To think I once risked my life to kill her… Ugh, I feel so gross."

"……!!? No, wait, it’s not what you think! It’s just…."

The penalty for violating the Geneva Conventions was brutal.

Haru, her beloved granddaughter, was now calling her a “pervert grandma,” and Winterer was staring at her in disgust.

The punishment for this war crime was rock-bottom credibility on the first day of their living together. Her dignity crumbled.

‘What did I even do wrong? All I did was punish that disrespectful brat for being so dramatic….’

The Chairman felt wronged, but considering her behavior, this was a fair price to pay.

---

**Afterward, once Haru and Winterer barged in and chaos erupted,**  
the Chairman and I agreed to consider this incident “a non-event.”

[Chairman, I’m sorry….]  
[Just pretend this didn’t happen and help me. Haru looking at me like that is devastating.]  
[Understood. I’ll do my best to play along.]

So we let go of any further fighting and focused on cleaning up the mess. It was an S-rank resolution if I’d ever seen one.

So, I…

–Pat, pat.

"……Hmm!?"  
"Haru, Grandma just wasn’t feeling well after eating too much, so she asked Dad to do the ‘Daddy’s Hands’ massage~."

I rushed over and patted the Chairman’s stomach soothingly.

I felt pathetic, but there was no other choice. If this situation was going to settle, I had to at least rub the old lady’s stomach.

–She twitched.

"Y-yes. Thank you, Yu-jin. It really feels like the discomfort is going away…."

Seeming to understand my intent, the Chairman played along.

Even though her voice kept trembling, and she couldn’t stop twitching from the awkwardness, it was blatantly poor acting…

‘I can’t even tell what I’m rubbing. Is this her stomach or her ribs?’

–Pat, pat.

"Ah… Yes, that feels so much better."

It was terrible acting on my part too. I kept my gaze locked on the floor to avoid risking another “blast” from the Chairman.

But it seemed good enough to fool the innocent ones.

"……!! Dad, I don’t feel well either. Do it to me too."

Apparently, it was convincing enough; Haru eagerly declared her own discomfort. She even patted her stomach, asking for the same treatment.

Leaving the Chairman, I switched to Haru.

"Haru too? Alright, Daddy will make the pain go away~."

–Pat, pat.

"Hehe, Dad’s hand feels so nice."  
"Yes, yes."

Maybe that was enough to put this incident behind us. A sigh of relief escaped my lips.

Of course, Winterer’s unimpressed glare suggested it didn’t fool everyone…

–Staring intently.

"What’s up, Winterer? Did you get indigestion too? Want me

 to massage it?"

What are you going to do? We’ve agreed this never happened, and Haru believes it completely. No matter how much you glare, what can you do about it?

Apparently, she thought the same because she didn’t press further.

"Why would I need a massage, you rice-cake-faced weirdo?"  
"Massages are best for overeating."  
"Tch. Whatever. You rice cake."  
"……?"

She’s surprisingly docile. She was acting prickly before we came here, but now she’s quiet and even blushing a little.

What happened? Did something go wrong with her and Haru while brushing their teeth?

"Are you okay? Did something happen between you and Haru?"

"……!!!!!?"

–She jumped up.

When I asked, Winterer practically jumped, like a cat that just saw a cucumber. She seemed quite startled.

"Did you… see us, you perverted rice cake?!"  
"No. Why would I watch you two brush your teeth? I only asked because you look flushed and down, so I was worried."  
"…Hmph. Rice cake-face."

–Kicks the floor.

Just for a moment, she seemed genuinely upset, then went back to kicking at the floor, her face red.

‘Hmm… Maybe she had an accident? Like spilled water and got scolded by Haru?’

–Grins.

"Well, if it’s hard to talk about, never mind."

I decided not to pry. Growing up among villains, she likely picked up some bad habits, but there’s no need to dig into that.

"Hold on. Rice cake, are you having rice-cake thoughts? You’re making me rice-cake furious."  
"Not at all. By the way, Winterer."  
"What. And just so you know, I didn’t do anything with Haru…."  
"——You’ll be my Gate buddy now."

Instead, I informed her of the agreement with the Chairman. She’d be my buddy twice a week. I’ll be in your care.

Winterer’s face twisted in horror.

"Leaving Seol Ha-yeon and teaming up with you?"  
"Precisely. With the people from the Cheonhwa Clan."  
"Same thing, you rice-cake-faced weirdo. I’m super strong, you know? I could knock you out in one hit. Plan to try it?"

She jabbed at her temple, a rather graceful way to ask if I’d lost my mind. She was begging for a smack.

"So, what do you think, Chairman?"

–Turning.

Instead of hitting her, I passed the question back to the Chairman. After all, I shared Winterer’s doubts. How could you dump such a burden on me?

The Chairman, who had been patting her stomach, turned her gaze our way.

"Hmm? What did you say? I didn’t catch that."  
"Oh, already hard of hearing? Ahem. Winterer here says she’d kill me in the Gate. What should we do?"  
"Oh. That’s what you meant."

The Chairman’s blushing cheeks only returned to normal after I mentioned the word “death.”

Then, a smile crept onto her face.

"Did you really think I’d put Winterer with you without a plan?"  
"Meaning?"  
"Just wait a moment."

And with that, she turned and left, her steps quick and precise. We heard her rummaging through something in the other room.

Then, she returned.

"Here. With this, you’ll be safe no matter what."

"Is she insane, this twisted bastard!?"
"I’d rather let her kill me than use this thing!"

We were face-to-face with something that defied humanity.