Chapter 83: Late-Summer Sea, Training, and... (8)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 83: Late-Summer Sea, Training, and... (8)
When I first heard my role was field control, I thought it would be a relatively easy assignment compared to the training we usually did. Our team wasn't the type to fall apart just because I was missing, and since we had always performed well in training every year, I wasn't particularly worried.
However, after familiarizing myself with the training details, the instructions I received on the day of the exercise were significantly different from what I had imagined. I thought my job was simply to control civilians approaching the training grounds and keep them away. Instead, it involved managing civilians near the active combat zone while simultaneously relaying intelligence gathered from the outside to my allies to designate their training routes.
Of course, they wouldn't move strictly according to my directions; they were expected to move fluidly in response to the ever-changing situation within the training grounds. It seemed the evaluation criteria for this exercise focused on achieving objectives while responding to irregular situations.
I realized this was going to be much more of a hassle than I expected, but by the time I received these details, I had already parted ways with my teammates. Only the field control personnel, including myself, remained.
Yet, once the training actually started, I found I didn't have much to do. Although I was connected to my teammates via radio, no specific information was coming in, and there was no data from the outside for me to relay. I spent my time standing on one side of the path leading to the training grounds, baking under the hot sun.
Was it because my teammates were performing better than expected? On one hand, I couldn't help but think, I guess they don't really need my help that much. I eventually understood why they had specifically chosen experienced personnel for field control, but given how things were turning out, I couldn't help but wonder if that had really been necessary.
「This is 3-3. Moving to the next point.」
「3-4, confirmed. Rear is clear.」
I heard my colleagues' voices through the radio attached inside my helmet. Since these were reports made over the public channel, they weren't exactly directed at me personally. Even hearing them didn't help, as I had no additional information to provide them in return.
I just stood there blankly, mapping out the training grounds in my head and imagining where and how my comrades were moving. Based on the training details I’d memorized, I could tell they were proceeding without any issues.
The training opponents were Spacetro soldiers stationed in this region and examiners sent from the main fleet. "Main fleet" referred to the Spacetro ships located in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans; apparently, these examiners had come from the ship in the Atlantic.
It didn't really matter where the examiners were from. All we had to do during the training was engage them according to the plan and achieve our objective. The goal of this exercise was to pass through a course leading to the summit of the mountain, defeating mock-battle opponents along the way. Our score would be calculated based on our time and performance upon arrival.
Despite the differences in climate, thousands of teams across the globe were taking the same test, creating a sort of internal ranking competition. Since our team always excelled at training, consistently producing good results every year, I wasn't all that worried.
Anyway, I guess I'll just kill time here and respond if anything happens, I thought. But I had overlooked one thing: problems always arise exactly when you think everything will be fine.
After that scuffle with the members of Team Hunter Killer yesterday, I didn't think I'd run into them today. In fact, the thought hadn't even crossed my mind. Our only day to play was the first day; today, the second day, we had to focus on training, so I didn't have the mental leeway to worry about encounters.
"Huh? Spacetro?"
But I never dreamed I would run into Hunter Killer again on the path leading to the training grounds. And of all people, why me again...?
Unlike yesterday’s swimwear, the Hunter Killer members were dressed in light summer clothes. I didn't know where they were headed, but they were passing right by the path to the training grounds and came face-to-face with me in my suit.
"What are you doing in a place like this?"
If we were on the beach, they would have naturally assumed I was there to play. But standing in front of a mountain path dressed in a suit would look suspicious to anyone. It wasn't a completely deserted area, but since it was a weekday, I hadn't run into a single person until now—and of course, the first people I met had to be the Hunter Killer members.
Yubin looked at me with wary eyes. Honestly, my heart stings a little every time I receive that kind of look from my girlfriend. Still, I can't reveal my identity, so I have no choice but to accept it as my own karma.
Since I couldn't speak, I couldn't explain why I was here or ask where they were going. Unable to answer their questions, I just stood there with cold sweat dripping down inside my helmet.
Knowing that Spacetro's rank-and-file soldiers don't reveal personal information to prevent leaks, the Hunter Killer members didn't press me further with questions. However, just because they didn't ask didn't mean they weren't speculating.
"Aren't they up to something weird here?"
"Dressed in a suit while pretending to be on vacation. No matter how you look at it, it's suspicious."
Yubin and Yura took turns guessing why I was there. When I turned my head to avoid their stinging glares, I met Hayoung's eyes, which were also filled with wariness. Does she always look at Spacetro like that from behind my helmet?
Receiving that sharp gaze from Hayoung hurt twice as much as the glares from Yubin and Yura. I truly felt like I was doing something wicked.
"……Should I just try taking his helmet off?"
At Su-ah's bombshell suggestion, I hurriedly turned my head and backed away. If they found out I was dating all of them at once, the situation would become uncontrollable—but if it were revealed right here that I was also Spacetro, things would reach a point beyond any possible salvation.
"Isn't that a bit much? He'll hate it if you try to force his helmet off."
"I was just saying. Who'd actually be interested in these guys individually?"
I felt relieved by Green's words, and Su-ah's admission that she was just talking also put me at ease. But my relief was short-lived; before I knew it, Yura had stepped up beside me and was glaring at me.
"I'm asking if you're up to something. You can at least express yourself with your body, can't you?"
I desperately shook my head to signal that I wasn't doing anything. Normally, it would be right for them to look at me this way, but perhaps I'd grown too accustomed to their kindness lately? I just couldn't get used to this.
As I shook my head at Yura's question, I sensed a presence in the distance and turned my head. The Hunter Killer members must have felt it too, as they all instantly turned their gaze toward the inner forest. Recognizing it as part of the training, I was the first to confirm the presence: it was the mock-battle opponents moving through the woods to climb the mountain.
It was a situation I needed to report, but being unable to use my voice, I was left speechless. The eyes of the Hunter Killer members turned back to me once again.
"What was that just now? I thought you said you weren't doing anything. What is Spacetro doing here?"
Yubin asked in a sharp voice, but realizing once again that I wasn't in a position to answer, she gave up on getting a response.
"What should we do?"
"Even if it's something strange, we can't exactly start a battle right now."
Hayoung provided a fundamental answer to Yubin's question. Just as she said, combat is not allowed outside of scheduled duel dates. It sounds like a simple rule that could be easily broken, but it is surprisingly heavy; in fact, every duel across the world takes place strictly according to a precise schedule.
"But we can't just ignore it entirely."
Yubin's suspicion was reasonable. It was strange for Spacetro to be gathered in a place where they were vacationing. Of course, we had played sports and hung out together, but that free time had ended yesterday. From today, we had returned to the original relationship between Spacetro and Hunter Killer.
Therefore, it wasn't strange for them to be suspicious of a Spacetro soldier in a suit on a mountain path. If only I could speak, I would have explained clearly and sent them away. While we aren't supposed to speak to prevent personal information leaks, it isn't an absolute rule. There are cases where speaking is necessary, and soldiers often speak to control civilians at the scene during scheduled duels.
The biggest problem, however, was that the people in front of me were Hunter Killer. As an individual Spacetro soldier, I could speak to send them away. But as the man named A, it was impossible. Even though I was wearing a suit and it would be hard to identify me just by the voice coming from inside the helmet, I couldn't leave anything to chance.
If my identity was ever to be revealed, I wanted it to be by my own will someday. Only then would I feel prepared for the karma I would have to face.
Of course, things in this world rarely go as planned. My identity could be exposed in a completely unpredictable situation. However, in this current moment, I just had to make sure I didn't leave any openings.
So, what I had to do was desperately persuade them to leave, and then report the movement of the mock-battle opponents I had just spotted to my comrades.
And so, an abrupt game of charades began.
"What is it?"
I desperately used gestures to express that I was the referee from yesterday.
"What? Today? Right now?"
When I held my hands in place to indicate our current location, Yubin started guessing.
Then, I moved my arms in a large motion to represent a time different from now—not today, but yesterday.
"Next? Before?"
"Isn't it 'yesterday'?"
As Yubin guessed, Green chimed in from the side. I pointed at her to signal that yesterday was correct. Then, I mimicked the shape of a shirt and made a referee gesture. This time, Yura got the answer.
"Yesterday's referee?"
Overjoyed that my intent had been conveyed, I made a large circle with my arms.
"How can we be sure you're yesterday's referee?"
Since all Spacetro soldiers wear the same suits, it's impossible to identify individuals while they're suited up. As Su-ah said, there was no way to definitively prove I was the referee from yesterday, but Yura shook her head.
"It's probably him. His build is similar to my boyfriend's, so I was watching him a bit yesterday."
"!!!"
My body froze in shock at her words. Naturally, since we're the same person, our builds would be similar, but my physique isn't particularly unique—it's the kind of build you see anywhere. For what reason had she been watching me?
"You were watching him?"
"Yeah. The shirt looked nice, so I was thinking of buying a similar one for my boyfriend."
My tension eased knowing she hadn't been watching out of serious suspicion. If Yura buys me a Hawaiian shirt, I'll make sure to wear it.
Feeling relieved, I resumed my charades.
When I acted out that we had played hard yesterday, the members guessed correctly. Now I had to express that Spacetro had an organizational schedule today, which was quite difficult.
"Today, you guys... are doing something?"
"What are you doing?"
Thankfully, the sharp-witted members managed to guess that we were doing something. I performed motions for running, crawling, and fighting, then made a gesture of an examiner grading.
"Moving and fighting?"
"A physical... test?"
"Grading?"
Hayoung guessed "grading," so I gave her a big circle with my arms.
"It sounds like they're undergoing some kind of evaluation."
"Is it similar to how we compile our performance statistics?"
Since it was a situation where they couldn't just barge in and fight, the Hunter Killer members, who only wanted to check if something strange was happening, nodded as if they understood after confirming it was a Spacetro organizational event.
"I guess so."
They didn't entirely drop their suspicious glares, but since there wasn't much they could do, the Hunter Killer members kept a bit of distance and prepared to leave.
"But they really are indistinguishable. Even though we duel them every time."
"Really? I can actually tell a few of them apart."
"How?"
"There are just some people whose movements are always similar. This guy is probably one of the ones who duels us."
My heart felt like it was sinking again at Yubin's sharp analysis. It seems that even if we wear the same suits and helmets, if you watch the similar movements of the same enemy every week, you can tell them apart. She had instantly noticed that I was one of their regular opponents, perhaps because my charades had shared some of the same nuances as my combat movements.
The problem was that her analysis might not stop here; it could potentially be directed at me in my daily life. I'd better be careful for a while.
"Let's go. There's nothing we can interfere with right now, and we're here on vacation too."
One of the reasons I wanted the Hunter Killer members to leave quickly was so they could enjoy their vacation, since this wasn't a big deal. Although it was a training exercise that happened twice a year, I didn't feel anything special about it after doing it for so long. It was essentially a competency evaluation rather than actual training, so there was nothing for them to be wary of.
I understood they had to be cautious because of our opposing positions, but from my perspective, I didn't want them wasting their precious vacation time on something they didn't need to worry about.
"Let's do that."
With Yubin's answer, the Hunter Killer members went on their way, though they kept glancing back at me. I didn't know why they had come this way in the first place, but I felt relieved now that they were leaving. I waited until they were far enough away that they wouldn't hear my voice.
The moment the Hunter Killer members disappeared from sight, I turned on the radio inside my helmet and reported to my colleagues, predicting the movement path of the mock-battle opponents I had spotted earlier.
Afterward, news came in that my colleagues had defeated the opponents I'd found. We exchanged countless other reports from different teams, and the training proceeded smoothly.
After the storm had passed, the first thought that came to mind wasn't relief that the training was over.
I guess I'll have to keep dealing with situations like this from now on, won't I?
It served as another reminder of the relationship between the Hunter Killer members and me, and a seed of anxiety about the future began to sprout.