Chapter 207: Resumed Invasion Activities (11)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 207: Resumed Invasion Activities (11)
To get straight to the point, our team lost the duel—the first one held in quite a while since the terror incident—just as we always did.
There were several reasons for our defeat, but the biggest was the lack of synergy between the new recruits and the existing members.
The problem was that even if our teamwork had been perfect, I’m not sure we could have won. Team Hunter Killer—my girlfriends—seemed to have realized that our coordination wasn't what it used to be. They launched attacks to sever our links the moment we even attempted to sync up.
Part of the reason for the poor coordination was that it was our first duel together, but Kruger’s absence was also a massive factor. In situations where Luche couldn't command everyone, it was Kruger’s role to give the soldiers appropriate orders based on the circumstances.
Someone needed to act as the bridge or the radio base, but it was difficult for anyone to step into Kruger’s shoes when they hadn't even grasped the general atmosphere of the team yet.
"You all realize your coordination was completely off, right?"
No one could argue with Luche’s words as we sat in the returning bus. I had noticed her clashing with Yubin particularly often today. I expected Luche to cry as soon as the duel ended, but she sat in the passenger seat with a stoic expression.
It seemed she didn't want to show any weakness in front of the new recruits during their first duel.
For several years after Team 3 was first formed, Luche never cried after losing a duel. While it wouldn't take years for the new members to see her usual self, it seemed we wouldn't be seeing her cry after a loss for the time being.
"Sigh."
With a small sigh, I looked out the bus window at the passing scenery. My feelings were complicated at the thought of seeing my girlfriends once we got back.
As I’ve mentioned several times, this was the first duel conducted with both the girlfriends and me fully aware that we were on opposing sides.
Things would definitely be different compared to when I was the only one who knew. I felt strange, unable to even guess what they might say to me.
Once we arrived at Headquarters, we got off the bus and headed up to the office to wrap things up.
Since it was difficult for everyone to fit into the elevator at once, some took the stairs. I waited in the underground parking lot for the elevator to come down.
Luche didn't walk up either; she stood right beside me.
"A."
"Yes?"
"Come see me in my office for a moment once we're up."
"Understood."
It wasn't unusual for her to call someone in after a duel. Not just me, but Kruger was often called in to discuss the match.
The elevator arrived just as I answered her.
During the silent ride up, no one spoke. The new recruits were either in shock from the helpless defeat or stunned by the sheer power gap between us and Team Hunter Killer.
Fortunately, Roy—who I expected to be the loudest—had taken the stairs, so I didn't have to deal with my ears ringing.
After reaching the office, I followed Luche into her room instead of heading to the locker room.
I stood there waiting for her to speak, but Luche just sat in her chair with her mouth shut.
"Is something the matter?"
When I cautiously asked why she had called me, Luche’s expressionless face crumpled, and her eyes began to redden.
"Ugh, hic... Sniff! Uwaah!"
The moment I saw her sobbing, I thought, Ah, there’s the usual Luche, while simultaneously wondering how to comfort her.
It was their first duel in a long time, and the fact that nothing had changed must have triggered her tears.
"Sunbae. Those women are weird!"
"...Pardon?"
I tilted my head at the sudden remark before quickly realizing that the "women" she was referring to were Team Hunter Killer.
"Did something happen?"
"They kept provoking me while we fought! They treated me like an idiot!"
Since I was busy getting pummeled by Su-ah while Yubin and Eunha were fighting Luche, I had no way of knowing what kind of conversation had passed between them.
Judging by what Luche was saying, it seemed someone had attacked her mentally in a way they usually didn't.
If I had to think of someone who would directly provoke her with words, Yura was the first to come to mind. However, I hadn't seen Luche and Yura clash during today's duel.
In the first place, Yura was in a rear-support position, so Luche, who fought on the front lines, almost never ran into her.
Then who exactly had provoked Luche?
"What did they say?"
Simply knowing she was provoked wasn't enough. I needed to understand the nature of the conversation. Since Luche now knew that all of Team Hunter Killer were my girlfriends, asking wasn't particularly difficult.
Well, it wasn't difficult for me to ask, but it wasn't exactly easy for Luche to answer.
"Red... Red did!"
It seemed Yubin had said something. Though it was hard to imagine Yubin provoking Luche like that.
Luche tried to explain what Yubin had said, but the memory of those words seemed to stifle her. She struggled to speak before eventually bursting into tears again.
"Waaaaah!"
Luche collapsed into a crouch in her chair, burying her face in her knees.
Thinking I should comfort her first, I stepped beside her and patted her back.
"Sniff, Sunbae. Why are you dating women like that? Their personalities are awful! They've clearly lost their minds!"
The fact that I didn't feel offended despite hearing her badmouth my girlfriends made me feel even stranger.
To me, they were my girlfriends, but to Luche, they were enemies. I could fully understand why she’d speak ill of them, so it didn't really bother me.
I couldn't exactly take Team Hunter Killer's side here, so I just gave an awkward smile and kept patting her back without saying anything.
Luche lifted her head and looked up at me. Her heavy makeup had smeared instantly from the tears.
I pulled a tissue from the box on her desk and wiped the tears and smeared makeup from around her eyes. Luche squeezed her eyes shut and stayed still, tilting her face toward me.
"Were you hurt by what Red said?"
"Of course! She was provoking me with things that had nothing to do with the duel!"
I wanted to find out what they talked about, but it seemed best not to press Luche for details right now.
If I asked for specifics and she cried even harder, I’d be the one in a bind trying to calm her down.
On the other hand, I was also hesitant to contact Yubin separately to ask how she had provoked Luche, as it would look like I was overthinking the provocation.
"Sunbae. Can't you just stop seeing those women?"
She was essentially telling me to break up with them, but I wasn't in a position to get angry at her for saying that.
I already owed Luche a great deal just for the fact that she hadn't reported my relationship with Team Hunter Killer to the higher-ups.
Besides, from her perspective as a Team Leader, it was only natural to tell me to break up with the enemy.
"That's a bit..."
When I gave an awkward laugh to avoid upsetting her, Luche scowled at me before slowly averting her gaze.
"...Forget what I just said."
She must have realized that telling me to break up just because of some provocations during a duel wasn't right, so she retracted her statement.
However, her bad mood hadn't been resolved, and she still wore a pouty expression. I racked my brain for a way to cheer her up, even if just a little.
"Is there anything you'd like me to do for you?"
In the past, I would just act on whatever idea came to mind to comfort her, but since I started dating, I’ve realized that asking directly is often the best way.
Since nothing came to mind immediately, I asked her what she wanted. Luche, who had been avoiding my gaze while facing me, fell into thought for a moment.
The moment her eyes met mine, I lowered myself to her eye level and smiled.
I did it to create a more comfortable atmosphere for her to speak. Luche didn't look away this time; she stared at me intently before spreading her arms wide.
"Give me head pats."
"Alright."
"And talk to me informally."
"...Alright, I will."
I spoke to her as she wished. While she held her arms out with a pout, I hugged her and stroked her hair.
"Hurry up and praise me."
"You're a good girl, Luche. You worked hard in today's duel."
As I stroked her hair, I praised her with whatever came to mind. Luche seemed satisfied with just that, remaining motionless in my arms.
"...Aren't you acting a bit like a child?"
Ever since I found out Luche was A.T., her behavior seemed to be growing strangely childlike. Hearing that, Luche flinched in my arms and lifted her head.
"No, I'm not."
She seemed to be asserting that she was mature and hadn't changed.
Thinking about it again, her behavior wasn't particularly different from before. Luche had always shown a childlike side from time to time.
"But why did you ask for head pats?"
I was curious why she chose that out of all things.
Luche looked up at me silently, her face flushing slightly as she averted her eyes.
"...Because when you go home, you're going to do this for one of your girlfriends anyway, aren't you?"
I wondered if I really would go home and praise my girlfriends with head pats. It wasn't a 100% certainty, but there was a very high probability that a similar situation would occur.
But did me doing that for my girlfriends have anything to do with Luche wanting it?
Just as I was about to ask what that had to do with anything, Luche broke the hug and spun her chair away from me toward her computer.
"That's enough."
"...Understood."
Since it seemed the situation was resolved for now, I decided to save my questions for another time.
*
After A saluted and left the room, Luche was left alone in the silent office. She stared at the monitor and clicked her tongue.
"Red..."
Luche was determined to get revenge for what happened today. Her will to not lose the battle of nerves against Team Hunter Killer seemed even stronger than her desire to win the actual duel.
The sharp look in her eyes as she stared at the monitor gradually softened into a smile.
"That's one win for now."
She considered the fact that A comforted her before he went to Team Hunter Killer as a victory. Recalling the warmth of A’s touch from moments ago, she beamed with a bright smile, as if she had never been crying at all.