Isis was not the kind of person who pushed her way through like a crab, nor did she ever expect others to get out of her way.
In fact, if those people had not moved aside early on, she would have stepped around them herself.
A Hunter's armor often had sharp edges and spikes, and their weapons were even more intimidating; she did not want to hurt anyone by accident.
But when she saw the girl standing proudly in the middle of the road with her hands on her hips, as if she were looking for a fight, she walked straight up to her.
The girl was petite, even shorter than Francesca, standing just under 160 centimeters tall and nearly forty centimeters shorter than Isis.
When Isis stopped in front of her, the girl had to tilt her head back to maintain eye contact.
Damn, she's huge... I probably can't take her in a fight...
The girl swallowed hard but did not retreat a single step. She glared fiercely and bared her teeth, as though she could intimidate the Hunter into backing down through sheer force of will.
Unfortunately, Isis completely missed her attempt at intimidation. She merely thought the girl looked like a little squirrel, small and adorable.
Between the name "Kitty" and the swaggering, masculine way she referred to herself, which was unusual for a girl, Isis had already recognized her. Unfortunately, Kitty seemed to have no idea who she was.
Was it because of the angle?
Isis suddenly bent down and reached out with both hands. Startled by the abrupt and unexpected movement, the girl took half a step back.
But that was clearly not far enough to be "safe." Isis grabbed her under the arms, straightened up, and lifted her into the air.
Just like they used to play when they were little.
"What the hell? You looking down on me?!" The girl froze for two seconds before thrashing wildly, her legs striking Isis's armor with a loud thump, thump.
"Eek!" The girl's companion let out a frightened whimper. On the verge of tears, she pleaded, "I'm sorry! Kitty may be rude, impulsive, and arrogant, but she didn't mean to offend you, Hunter... Please... please go easy on her. Don't beat her to death!"
Seeing that the girl still had not recognized her, Isis felt a little sad.
More and more onlookers gathered around, and one quick-witted student shouted, "The teacher's coming!" Not wanting to cause a commotion, Isis had no choice but to set the girl back down.
"Little Kitty, it's me." Isis sighed helplessly and removed her helmet. "I'm Isis."
"I don't care who you..." Huh?
Kitty blinked at the face beneath the helmet. It had changed considerably since the one in her memories, but she could still recognize its familiar features.
"What's going on here?"
A Royal Academy teacher rushed over after being alerted, guided by one of the students. The teacher stared at Kitty amid the crowd for a moment, then blurted, "Kitty! Are you causing trouble again?"
"No, I wasn't!" Kitty instinctively tried to argue, but when her gaze swept over the still slightly bewildered Isis, she immediately changed her tune. "Fine! I caused it!
"No, wait. I came to the academy gate to meet my cousin. What did I do wrong? How is that causing trouble?!"
"Your cousin?" Kitty's companion looked confused.
"That's right, my cousin!" Kitty stretched out an arm, trying to hook it around Isis's shoulders. The height difference made that impossible, so she settled for placing a hand on Isis's shoulder instead. "My actual cousin! Can't you tell?"
The teacher's suspicious gaze shifted between them several times before settling on Isis, leaving the troublesome new student aside.
"Miss Hunter, may I ask what happened here? Could you also show me some identification?"
It was a perfectly reasonable request. Isis handed over her Hunter's Notes and scratched her head. "Sorry, that was my fault.
"Kitty is my cousin. I got a little excited when I saw her and picked her up. I think everyone misunderstood..."
The teacher's gaze sharpened at the six-star insignia embossed on the cover of Isis's Hunter's Notes. Without opening them for a closer inspection, the teacher returned them immediately.
"I see. Sorry for the trouble."
With that, the teacher began dispersing the crowd. Once most of the curious students had drifted away, the teacher gave Isis a polite nod and left.
As Isis was about to put away her notes, she saw Kitty staring at her with sparkling eyes. A torrent of words immediately poured out. "Isis! You're already a High Rank Hunter?!
"That's amazing! Way better than my useless old man!
"Oh, right! I entered the Royal Academy two months ago and moved to Dundorma. I went to your house looking for you, but they said you were away on some kind of expedition. Did you just get back?
"Did you come here just to see me?"
Isis felt a little awkward, but she did not want to lie. She answered honestly, "Not really. I didn't know you were in Dundorma. I came to the Royal Academy on business."
Kitty was a little disappointed that she had not received the answer she wanted, but her easygoing nature soon swept that disappointment away.
"If there's anything I can help with, just say the word! Whether you need to find someone, borrow equipment, or look up information, I've got connections.
"Oh, right! Let me introduce you. This is my sidekick, Quinna!"
The girl who had been following Kitty wore a small pair of glasses and looked frail and bookish, far more like a scholar than Kitty ever did. She muttered softly, "Since when am I your sidekick?"
"And this is Isis, the cousin I've told you about a million times! She's amazing! When she was eleven, no brat in all of Dundorma could beat her!"
Isis could only smile helplessly at Kitty's way of introducing her.
She had never liked fighting people, but this little one certainly did.
Kitty was the daughter of Isis's mother's younger sister. When she was six or seven, she had stayed at Isis's house for a while.
Back then, she had gone around picking fights with everyone, declaring that she would become the boss of all the children in Dundorma. Whenever she lost, she brought her opponents to challenge Isis. Somehow, Isis had ended up with the title instead...
Isis held out her hand and shook hands with the bespectacled girl, who looked like a timid little rabbit, introducing herself properly.
Kitty had long wanted to see the cousin she had idolized since childhood, so there was no chance she would leave right after their reunion. When she heard that Isis had come to look up information about a Monster, she eagerly offered to serve as her guide.
Curious herself, Quinna stayed with them as well.
Being a High Rank Hunter certainly came in handy. After a brief check of her credentials, Isis passed through the gate and entered the Royal Academy without difficulty.
The three chatted as they walked toward the library.
"Kitty, didn't you always say you wanted to become a Hunter when you were little? Why did you end up at the Royal Academy instead of attending the training camp?" Isis asked the question that had first come to mind when she saw her cousin.
Kitty slapped a hand over her face. "Ah... That's a really sad story."
Quinna chimed in, "Kitty has complained to me about it plenty of times. Her father started training her to become a Hunter when she was twelve, but after a few months, he gave up and said she had no talent for it at all..."
"Fine, I'll tell it myself." Kitty pursed her lips and took over. "Dad said I was pretty agile, but my frame was too small and I wasn't strong enough to meet the minimum standards for becoming a Hunter. I refused to believe him. I thought I just hadn't finished growing and that I'd be six feet tall in a few years!"
Kitty let out a heavy sigh. "But I stopped growing years ago. My hands are too small to grip a sword hilt properly, and no matter how much meat I eat, I never get any stronger. There's no hope of me becoming a Hunter. Mom was pretty happy about it, though. She started forcing me to study more. Who would've guessed I actually had a decent brain? After a few years of studying, I really did get into the Royal Academy. According to Dad, I inherited everything from Mom except my rough personality."
Isis smiled and ruffled Kitty's hair. "That's true. You even inherited her looks. Auntie is famous for her beauty, and little Kitty grew up to be very pretty too!"
"Very pretty?" Quinna gave Kitty a doubtful look.
Kitty shot her a sidelong glance, smoothed her soft but messy short golden hair, composed her expression, and put on a serene smile.
"Whoa!"