Chapter 132: Evil Female Executive ~The Only One in This World~ (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 132: Evil Female Executive ~The Only One in This World~ (2)
Spacetro. Having lost their homeworld to an external invasion, their goal was to find a habitable planet where no civilization yet existed. However, finding such a planet in the vastness of space was harder than finding a needle in a desert.
Ultimately, to maintain their finite power while searching for a home, they traveled across the stars engaging in "invasion activities." Their purpose was to secure the energy required for interstellar travel using technological resources, not to establish colonies or rule over other civilizations.
For Spacetro, who had long possessed the technology for space flight, there was little benefit in ruling planets with far inferior technology. If anything, destroying a rare civilization was a loss for them and the entire universe, never a gain.
However, the civilizations that encountered these visitors from space did not see things so simply. Many planets treated Spacetro’s proposals as mere sugar-coated words, leading to wars that bordered on total annihilation.
In the end, Spacetro would uplift the technology of the planets they invaded to obtain the necessary resources. Those who sought peaceful cooperation rather than forced occupation through military might often found themselves fascinated by Spacetro.
Yet, no matter how noble the intent, there were more civilizations in the universe than one could imagine, and interests did not always align.
Even within a single planet, conflicts and clashes broke out at the drop of a hat; thus, those who viewed the extraterrestrial Spacetro with suspicion and caution far outnumbered those who welcomed them with open arms.
While these "invasions that weren't quite invasions" could proceed easily if interests aligned, the immense effort required to understand one another meant Spacetro had spent a very long time sailing the stars in this manner.
*
"Eating alone today?"
"Huh?"
A man carrying a tray sat down across from A, who was eating in the cafeteria. A glanced at the young man—who had dark blue hair and a refreshing impression—before focusing back on his meal.
"Where’s Seira?"
"Afternoon duty."
"How unusual. You didn't pull a double shift with her?"
"Anyone listening would think we’re glued at the hip every day."
The dark-blue-haired youth snorted as if A’s words were absurd.
"You are together every day. There are even rumors that you two are a married couple."
"I told you we aren't. Want me to cut your tongue out?"
A threatened him while holding a fork with a piece of salad poked on the end, but the young man only laughed. This youth was Theo, a soldier with the same engineer specialty as A, working on the same team.
Working with A could be exhausting at times, as A’s sensitivity spiked whenever he saw a broken fighter jet or malfunctioning equipment. However, Theo trusted him and worked alongside him with a smile every day, knowing that A was thorough and that such sensitivity was necessary when handling delicate machinery.
"Someone from the medic team asked me to introduce them to you, but the others stopped her because of the Seira rumors."
It was true that A and Seira spent a lot of time together. However, even when both insisted they were just long-time friends and nothing more, no one believed them. Some even went as far as treating them as a package deal, like a married couple.
A was well aware of the rumors. He denied them every time, but the rumors showed no sign of dying down. Eventually, he reached a point where he simply gave up responding.
"Do whatever you want. I already said it’s not like that."
"So, should I introduce her to you?"
"Forget it. What's the point of an introduction?"
A had little interest in romance. It wasn't that he didn't understand the process of dating and marriage; he simply lacked interest in the opposite sex.
It wasn't that he was interested in the same sex, either. He just lived a life focused on his work and his hobbies.
Above all, even when people offered to set him up, it never actually led to anything, and since he rarely had encounters with women, his interest naturally waned.
"It’s because you keep turning down introductions that the rumors keep spreading."
"..."
A’s spoon stopped halfway to his mouth at Theo’s remark. The man had a point.
The rumors about him being in a relationship or married to Seira weren't exactly pleasant. It wasn't that he disliked Seira—not at all. He just hated people talking about something false as if it were a proven fact.
But he couldn't deny that his consistent indifference toward women was fueling those rumors.
"No, wait. It doesn't have to be me. Seira just needs to start dating someone."
A frowned as he spoke, feeling a wave of annoyance at the mere thought of finding a partner he didn't even want just to settle a conversation about romance he'd never experienced. Theo glared at him with "ax-eyes," cursing him with his gaze.
"You crazy bastard. What did I just say?"
"What?"
A frowned, genuinely confused as to why Theo was sighing and looking at him with such sharp, pathetic eyes.
"I said because you and Seira are always together, the rumors are so bad that people are afraid to be introduced to you."
"So?"
"You idiot! Because she's always with you, Seira isn't getting any introductions either!"
Theo’s voice rose in frustration at A’s inability to grasp the situation. When A finally let out an "Ah," as if he finally understood, Theo realized that A hadn't been failing to understand—he just hadn't cared to.
"Good grief. Seriously."
"But Seira probably hears the rumors and tells people they aren't true too, right?"
"You two can deny it until the end of time. Who’s going to believe you when you’re always stuck together?"
"I told you, we aren't together that much!"
Exasperated by A’s stubbornness, Theo lost his appetite and put down his spoon.
"Do you even realize how popular Seira is?"
"How the hell would I know that?"
Theo, who maintained various relationships across different departments, had a keen ear for gossip within the Aviation Corps. Since he was close to A, he was also friendly with Seira, and several men had approached him asking for an introduction to her.
Theo was willing to play matchmaker if Seira was interested, but every time he brought it up, the suitors would tuck their tails and run.
‘Can you guys even handle A?’
Unlike Theo, A wasn't the type to build many social connections. He focused strictly on work and his rotating hobbies. His reputation for being prickly during work had spread throughout the Aviation Corps, so even those who didn't know him personally knew of him.
"I’m begging you, stop causing trouble for everyone else. If you don't have anyone else, just start a family together and live happily ever after."
"This crazy bastard comes to the cafeteria just to talk nonsense. If you have time to flap your gums, finish your food and go get some sleep."
Theo could only sigh at A’s attitude. While not as many as Seira, there were occasionally women who asked to be introduced to A. However, A remained consistently indifferent, and Seira would usually brush it off whenever the topic of men came up.
In the end, Theo was the only one stuck in the middle doing the annoying work. He often wished the two would just date or get married already, but whenever he brought it up, A’s reaction was always the same.
"If you're at the cafeteria, just eat your food quietly. Why is your voice so loud?"
Kruger approached along with a silver-haired boy, and the two set their trays down and joined the table.
"What? That’s a strange combination."
"We ran into each other out front."
Theo tilted his head at the rare pairing, but Kruger answered dismissively. The silver-haired boy tied back his shaggy hair and began to eat. The one thing that set him apart from a normal human was that he had no ears on the sides of his head. Instead, they were on top.
They weren't human ears, either, but animal ears like a wolf's, and they twitched every time he took a bite of food.
"Senior. Are you binge-watching dramas again today?"
The boy turned his gaze toward A while eating. A gave a half-hearted "Yeah" and continued his meal, prompting the boy to bring up what he wanted to say.
"I heard something interesting is going to happen soon."
The boy belonged to a different branch than A, Kruger, and Theo. While the three of them were in the Aviation Corps engineering branch, the boy was a soldier in the Aviation Corps infantry, specializing in ground combat rather than piloting.
They didn't cross paths often, but since they all lived within the Aviation Corps, they were somewhat close.
"What is it?"
A’s brow furrowed again, suspecting something annoying was about to happen.
"Are you curious?"
Thinking A would find his news entertaining, the boy chuckled and didn't get straight to the point. A stared him down intensely.
"Roy. If you stall any longer, I’m going to crack your skull with a spanner."
Despite the tone that sounded more like a sincere threat than a joke, the boy—Roy—didn't lose his smile and finally continued.
"I heard some learning-type Bioroids are coming soon."
At those words, the three engineers sighed in unison.
"If you're saying that..."
"Yes. I heard a few are going to the engineering team."
Another collective sigh.
"But looking at the model numbers, they’re in the final stage."
Only after hearing that did they let out sighs of relief rather than the heavy ones from before.
"So they aren't like you?"
"What do you mean 'like me'? Even if I was a bit of a handful, it hurts my feelings when you say it like that."
Bioroids. Before invading a planet, Spacetro would collect information and create artificial lifeforms based on the DNA of the dominant civilization.
This was to understand the genetic structure and more clearly grasp the appearance of the planet's inhabitants. However, creating a new lifeform artificially was an unimaginably complex and long process, and one part of it involved having them live among Spacetro soldiers to learn various things.
And the silver-haired, wolf-eared boy before them—Roy—was also a Bioroid. Back when he was still in his learning phase...
That is, back when Roy wasn't "Roy" but just a serial number and model name, he had been sent to A’s engineering team for learning, and the three of them had suffered greatly.
"And it’s a bit much to still treat me like a nuisance just because I only had information back then."
"You still cause trouble now."
Roy was mischievous and had a long track record of incidents. Since they had been responsible for his learning and now worked in the same Aviation Corps, news of Roy’s antics always found its way to the engineering team.
"Still, I don't throw spanners at people like you do, Senior."
The truth of the statement made A’s spoon stop. Theo and Kruger barely suppressed their laughter.
"Is that my fault?! It’s the fault of the idiots who loiter around the equipment!"
"It’s because they don't listen when you tell them nicely. So, you don't know which engineering team the new Bioroid is going to?"
"No. I just heard one is going to the engineering branch."
Praying that the newcomer wouldn't end up on their team, the three engineers continued their meal.
*
There are various duties within the Aviation Corps. Although Seira was a fighter pilot, everyone pulled guard duty regardless of their specialty. Thanks to the large number of personnel, the schedule was manageable, and since they worked in shifts, it wasn't particularly difficult.
Having finished her shift, Seira stretched and removed the armband from her uniform sleeve.
"Good work."
"Yes, you too."
An unfamiliar face arrived for the next shift. After passing on the necessary briefings, she finally left the Aviation Corps Combat Information Center.
Since it was a hub where important information flowed, it wasn't uncommon to see medics wandering about. Seira’s gaze fixed on a particular spot.
"Did you ask him to introduce you?"
"I did, but the older girls warned me not to."
"But you'll still take the introduction if he gives it, right?"
"Of course. I saw him once, and he seemed like a nice guy."
Two female medics were walking down the hallway, chatting. Seira stepped in front of them.
When Seira—whom they had never met or spoken to—suddenly appeared, the two women looked at her, wondering what was going on. Seira smiled and looked at the woman who had said she would take the introduction.
"Hello. Sorry for the intrusion, but I think I might have misheard a name. Who was the person you were being introduced to?"
The woman had no obligation to tell a complete stranger, but since it wasn't a secret, she spoke cautiously while meeting Seira’s eyes.
"Um... A, from the engineering team... Hieeeek!!"
Seira’s dark eyes bore into her as she leaned in close. Startled by the terrifying, piercing gaze that seemed to see right through her, the woman stumbled backward.
And then, she belatedly remembered what the other medics had told her when she asked Theo to introduce her to A.
That by A’s side, there is a black-haired woman who glares with terrifying eyes at any woman who even looks at him.
"Who... did you say you were getting introduced to?"
Realizing that the woman in front of her was that person, the medic tried to protest that it was none of her business, but the words wouldn't come out. She slowly avoided Seira’s gaze and tried to shuffle past her.
"I-I’m not! I won't take the introduction!"
Unable to endure the sharp, dark eyes, the woman fled the scene with her colleague. Seira watched the two medics run off into the distance before her expression softened into a relaxed smile.
"I wonder what my little rascal is up to today."
With a hum and a cheerful skip in her step, she headed back toward the dorms.