Chapter 155: Quintessential A (10)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 155: Quintessential A (10)
Yura’s hands, which had hesitated at first when she started cutting my hair, soon moved without a hint of doubt. While she wasn't exactly a professional, she used the knowledge she’d studied on her own and her natural intuition to neatly trim my overgrown, shaggy hair.
When the word "Done" left her lips and I looked straight ahead, I was quite satisfied with the reflection in the mirror. It was a bit shorter than I had expected, but compared to before, there was nothing noticeably strange about it.
There were no uneven patches, and to put it simply, it was a clean, sharp cut.
"How is it?"
Yura, who hadn't shown a hint of anxiety while cutting, only now started glancing at me nervously, wondering if I might dislike it. I looked at her through the mirror and smiled.
"It’s great."
Hearing my answer, Yura muttered a small "Thank goodness" with a wide smile spreading across her face. She then brushed off the fallen hair from the newspaper draped over me.
Once I tore off the newspaper and removed the towel wrapped around my body, I saw a version of myself that looked much sharper than when I was shaggy.
"I’ll go wash my hair and get ready before we head out. Take a break."
Yura, who had worked hard to cut my hair, nodded and went out to the living room. Left alone in the bathroom, I tidied up the floor and washed my hair, where stray clippings were still hiding here and there.
By the time I finished drying my hair and stepped into the living room, Yura was waiting for me on the sofa. A shopping bag sat on the table in front of her.
"What’s this?"
As I approached and sat beside her, I tried to peek inside the bag, but Yura closed the top, hiding the contents.
"You can look at this later. Look at me first."
"Okay."
I checked to see if anything looked weird after washing my hair, and Yura nodded, seemingly satisfied with the hairstyle she had created.
"Good. It’s clean. Now you look like my boyfriend."
"Was I not before?"
"Regardless of whether it suited you or not, you’d let it get way too messy."
Just as Yura said, before her hands touched it, my hair had grown so disheveled that it wasn't even a matter of whether it looked good.
To judge if long hair suits someone, you have to grow it out and then style it properly. Hair that’s just grown out messily isn't even in a state where you can have that discussion.
"Is everything okay at the cafe lately?"
Knowing well the recent issues surrounding Superhumans, I was worried about the atmosphere around her, since she worked at a cafe where many people came and went.
Even though she stayed in the kitchen and didn't go to the counter, it was a major incident—one where it wouldn't be surprising if the people she’d worked with for a long time changed how they viewed Superhumans.
"After you left, the Boss tried to hire a few new people, but they were all terrible."
"Really? Did the Boss’s hiring standards go up in the meantime?"
"Not exactly. It’s just that she decided to tell them upfront that their coworker is a Superhuman."
I couldn't help but be surprised that she had made such a radical decision. From the perspective of people looking for work, it was obvious they would refuse if they were told their coworker was a Superhuman in the current social climate.
"She didn't say that back when I started."
"What did the Boss say during your interview?"
When I first applied for the part-time job with the intention of investigating Yura—Pink of Hunter Killer—the Boss hadn't asked many questions during the interview. She only asked for my name and where I was from. I gave her my name and the fake background I’d prepared, and that was it.
"She didn't say much. Just asked a few basic things and told me to start the next day."
"That is usually our Boss’s style."
Talking about the Boss made me feel guilty all over again for quitting without even being able to say goodbye properly.
"But were they all like that?"
I wondered if there might have been at least one person who was willing to work without discriminating against Superhumans. When I asked, Yura furrowed her brows.
"There was one."
"Really? Are they still working there?"
"No. I twisted his arm, so he quit that very day."
Did I hear that right? Usually, the expression "twisted" is used when someone subdues a criminal by wrenching their wrist.
But she twisted his arm? Knowing Yura, I realized she didn't mean it figuratively—she had literally twisted his arm. I was momentarily speechless, and Yura pressed closer to me.
"He was a guy, and he kept ogling my body and asking me out. He followed me into the storage room and tried to touch me, so I just twisted it right then and there."
Yura is my girlfriend now, so she doesn't mind when I touch her, but she was originally someone with very high walls.
She had no mercy for men who approached her with ulterior motives. Hearing that he had tried to put his hands on her, I could understand why she’d twisted his arm.
"Well, I'm glad there wasn't a bigger accident."
"The only big accident recently was that incident."
She described it vaguely as "that incident," but both Yura and I knew exactly what it was.
Yura, who was leaning on my shoulder, suddenly snapped her head around and stared at me. Feeling her intense gaze from the side, I turned my head to meet her eyes.
"That day. How much of it do you remember?"
"How much?"
To be honest, I didn't remember that day very well. Because I had been severely injured, the last thing I clearly remembered was the moment I saw the Hunter Killer members while being held by Indigo. I remembered nothing else.
I only found out after waking up that all the Team Leaders had been deployed to the scene and that a cruiser had even been dispatched to transport the wounded.
"I don't remember much. I remember being collapsed on the ground and seeing everyone, but that’s it."
"What about when you threw a stone at me?"
I was confused by her claim that I had thrown a stone at her. In a situation where it wouldn't have been strange if I’d died right then, I threw a stone at Yura?
I couldn't remember it at all, so I looked at Yura with blank eyes. She smiled and said, "I figured you wouldn't remember."
"You really are a man of many sins."
At Yura’s sudden words, which came without a proper explanation, I racked my brain trying to figure out what kind of wrong I had committed in that brief moment.
But no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't recall that day. It wasn't just that the memory was fuzzy; it was as if it had been cleanly cut off.
"I suspected you might not remember."
Yura, who had seen my injured state clearly, had expected my memory loss. She leaned back against the sofa and slowly explained it to me.
That day, Indigo had taken me hostage and threatened the Hunter Killer members. When he ordered them to strip to humiliate them, Yura had stepped forward.
And I, collapsed as I was, had thrown a stone at Yura to stop her.
Since she was explaining what happened in that specific moment, the story wasn't long. I couldn't hide my shock that such a thing had actually happened when I had no memory of it.
"I really did that?"
"Yeah. You have no idea how cool you were."
Yura’s expression had momentarily darkened while explaining, but she smiled again the moment our eyes met. The smile on her face showed no sign of fading as she told me I was cool.
"That’s why I decided it was okay for A to see everyone. I thought about it for a month, but I just couldn't forget that moment."
Yura spoke with a voice full of sincerity, her face flushing slightly. I listened quietly to her serious tone, which was a departure from her usual playful and bright self.
"Even when I thought about you seeing the other members... whenever I remembered what you did for me that day, I just couldn't imagine finding anyone better than you. And I like you so much that I don't even feel like looking for anyone else."
There had never been a clear distinction for Yura and me—not when we first had sex, nor when we started dating. We had been swept up in the atmosphere and began wanting each other's bodies, and as that relationship continued, it naturally became a romantic one.
Since we’d never had the chance to hear each other's heavy, sincere feelings, it felt a bit awkward to hear her speak so seriously, but I was happy that she was sharing her heart with me.
"Thank you. I know that seeing everyone is considered wrong on Earth, but honestly, it still hasn't quite hit me why it’s so wrong. I guess you could say I only understand it intellectually?"
After Yura finished, I shared my own sincerity with her as if in response.
"I think you might feel like this lacks conviction or doesn't sound sincere if I say it now, but... I like you too, Yura."
Conveying my feelings felt strangely embarrassing. When I spoke without being able to hide my slightly reddened face, Yura’s face flushed deep red.
"Th-this is a lot more embarrassing than I thought."
"Y-yeah..."
Even when we first realized we were in a relationship, we had never felt this kind of youthful awkwardness. This atmosphere was quite cringeworthy for us, but since we didn't dislike it, we held each other's hands and didn't let go, despite the awkwardness.
"......What about the others?"
Having heard that I liked her, Yura asked about my feelings for the other women. Her tone wasn't jealous or aggressive.
She was genuinely asking how I felt about them, and the moment I heard her, I decided to answer truthfully, without regard for the current situation or atmosphere.
From the moment I had faced everyone at the house, there were no more lies to tell.
"I like the others too. To the point where I can't rank who I like more."
It was certainly an answer an Earthling wouldn't be able to understand. And it was a statement that could have thrown cold water on the hard-won romantic mood.
Even after answering, I couldn't help but watch her reaction. I looked down at our joined hands for a moment before slowly raising my head to look at Yura.
The moment our eyes met, Yura smiled.
"That’s a relief. I was going to beat you up immediately if you said you only liked me after everything you've done."
I felt a momentary chill, sensing the sincerity behind her words even as she spoke with a laugh.
Yura really didn't seem angry at all about the polygyny—the harem. With a beaming smile, she picked up the shopping bag she’d set aside, placed it on her lap, and pulled out the contents.
What came out of the bag was her Superhuman Suit, colored in pink and white.
"!"
I never expected to see the suit I’d only seen during our duels here at home. I couldn't hide my surprise, my eyes widening.
"There haven't been any duels since that day, and there were a lot of annoying things going on, so I just kept the suit with me."
With that, Yura let go of my hand, stood up, and suddenly stripped off the clothes she was wearing.
Yura was completely naked in an instant, but having seen her naked body several times already, there was nothing to be surprised about there. What surprised me was what Yura did next.
Yura lowered the zipper on the front of the suit and stepped right into it. It was my first time seeing a Hunter Killer member actually put on their suit, so I watched the scene intently from start to finish.
When she pulled up the front zipper, she looked quite different from how she appeared during our duels. Normally, the suit was skin-tight, but now it hung loosely and limply on her.
It wasn't so large that it didn't fit her at all, but it definitely wasn't the look I remembered.
Without a word, Yura placed her finger on a black pad about the size of two knuckles located on the neck of the suit. Immediately, the suit shrank in size, becoming perfectly fitted to her body. At the same time, the zipper line on the front vanished, and she became the figure I remembered.
"How is it? Being with me while I'm in my suit?"
"I'm feeling a lot of things right now, but why did you suddenly put it on?"
I now knew how the Hunter Killer members put on their suits. But what I was curious about was why Yura was wearing it now.
I didn't think she’d put it on just to show me, so I asked out of curiosity. Yura rummaged through the shelf under the table and pulled a needle out of a small container.
"Give me your hand."
I obediently held out my hand to Yura. She said, "It’ll sting for a second," and lightly pricked the tip of my index finger with the needle.
It didn't hurt, but with a momentary sting, a single drop of blood appeared on the tip of my finger.
Yura put the needle away and placed her own finger on the pad on the suit's neck.
"Put your finger here."
As Yura instructed, I placed my finger with the drop of blood onto the pad where she had her finger. The size of the pad was just right to be covered when both she and I placed our fingers on it simultaneously. Yura remained still and silent.
Soon, a white light flashed twice from the edge of the black pad. I was startled by the brief flash, but I stayed still without pulling my hand away.
"There, it’s done."
"Done? What is?"
I pulled my hand away at her words, but I didn't understand what was "done." Yura took the hand I’d just removed from the pad and placed it back on it.
I felt the pad vibrate slightly, sending out a few pulses like a signal. While I was waiting and wondering what the signal meant, Yura’s suit became loose again, just as it had been before it tightened to her body.
The center zipper line that had disappeared also returned. While I was staring, wondering what was happening, Yura placed her finger on the pad again and made the suit fit her body once more.
"Wh-what?"
Yura took my hand and placed my finger on the pad, but her own hand didn't touch it. I was shocked and flustered that the suit had changed while only my hand was touching it. Seeing my bewildered eyes, Yura smiled with her eyes.
"Now, as long as A touches this pad, you can adjust my suit however you want, whenever you want. You know what that means, right?"
Yura’s words carried many implications. The first thought that came to mind was that Pink of Hunter Killer had given her suit authorization to a Spacetro soldier, A. I could also sense that this held a tremendous amount of meaning.
"Are you serious?"
Because I was flustered, I couldn't accept it immediately and felt the need to confirm her true intentions.
Yura said, "Of course I'm serious," in a matter-of-fact tone. She then raised her index finger and pressed it to her lips.
"But it’s a secret from the other members."
Then, Yura stared at me with a smile full of sensuality. In that moment, I regretted the promise I’d made to myself not to have sex until the situation and my thoughts were sorted out.
"Hey."
"Yeah?"
Looking at Yura in her suit, a question suddenly occurred to me. I’d actually been curious about it for a while, but it had been awkward to ask, and I felt like I already knew the reason, so I hadn't brought it up. But now, I felt like I could ask.
"Who came up with the Hunter Killer codenames?"
"We each came up with our own."
"Is the color, by any chance..."
"Yeah. Hair color. It was too much trouble to think of something else, and it’s easy to remember."
It matched my theory so perfectly that it was almost anticlimactic.
"But," Yura added as I was nodding in understanding.
"Pink isn't just my hair color."
I knew what she meant, but she always seemed to make bold statements without hesitation.
Of course, I knew the meaning of that color better than anyone else, so I let out a hollow laugh and regretted the promise to myself once more.