Chapter 84: Late-Summer Sea, Training, and... (9)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 84: Late-Summer Sea, Training, and... (9)
Travel is, in essence, the act of relieving the fatigue of a weary life by gazing at unfamiliar landscapes and enjoying novel situations. Considering how it serves to refresh those living through the repetition of daily life, travel is truly a wonderful thing.
Though travel brings its own kind of exhaustion, it leaves people with something far more precious and significant.
For the members of Hunter Killer, this trip was exactly that. These women, who for years had never opened their hearts to one another and maintained a strict distance, had gradually drawn closer. It became a time to learn about the things they had neglected or simply hadn't known about each other.
Of course, knowing the unknown doesn't turn the other person into someone else. Knowing what you didn't know simply means discovering where you were mistaken and what you were missing about the person you already knew.
Until now, to the other members, Red had been a remarkably mature person for her age—someone who shouldered every burden alone and tried her best to lead a team that lacked harmony. However, through this trip, they realized she was just an ordinary twenty-year-old girl and the youngest member of the team. Yet, as mentioned before, knowing this didn't change their opinion or evaluation of her.
Red was still the leader of the team, carrying many responsibilities, and that remained unchanged. It was simply that by discovering a side of Red they hadn't known, the members were able to open their hearts and feel closer to her.
This didn't apply only to Red; it was true for every member. Through this trip, they filled some of the gaps from the past few years where they had remained strangers to one another.
"They’re completely out."
On the bus ride back, Red and Pink—suffering the aftereffects of playing so hard—were fast asleep, leaning on the shoulders of Green, who sat between them.
"They did seem to have the most fun."
Yellow and Blue watched the two sleepers, soothing their own lingering regrets about the trip ending while reminiscing about the good times.
Meanwhile, Yellow continued to listen intently to the members' conversations, even though one might expect her to be sick of the romantic topics that had dominated their talk. She listened to understand them better, anticipating that speaking recklessly would only cause more trouble.
As if reading Yellow's mind, Blue frequently nudged her to participate in the conversation even while they discussed dating. Since Yellow had no romantic prospects nearby and the only man in her life was a single male friend, the conversation naturally turned to him.
As the dialogue clicked into place bit by bit, Yellow realized that she, too, was capable of smooth communication.
"It’s straight back to a duel once we return."
"I know. It’s going to be hectic again."
Returning to one's original life after a trip is something everyone in the world experiences. No one complained about it. As Yellow and Blue talked, they felt a strange sense of anticipation for the daily routine they were returning to.
"What’s the first thing you’re going to do when we get back?"
At Blue's question about her upcoming plans, Yellow fell into thought for a moment. She hadn't thought of anything specific to do after the trip. However, since she had rested and played so much, she felt like playing the games she’d been missing.
"I’m going to play games with my friend first."
"With your boyfriend?"
"I told you, he’s not my boyfriend."
When someone mentions a close member of the opposite sex, listeners always find it fun to frame it as a romantic relationship. This was especially true for Red, Pink, and Blue, whose romantic cells had been working overtime lately; they reacted almost excessively whenever Yellow or Green—who rarely talked about men—brought one up.
They weren't teasing to be mean; they were enjoying the situation and hoped Yellow and Green would join them in talking about romance. Of course, every time it happened, Green would give an awkward, troubled smile, while Yellow would adopt a cryptic expression that was hard to read.
"But it’s not like you hate him, right?"
"Of course I don't hate him. But... how should I put it? It’s complicated."
To Yellow, her relationship with A was extremely ambiguous. It had started as a connection she couldn't easily explain to others, evolved into a friendship, and she felt they had become quite close.
Having come on this trip right after resolving a brief rough patch, and hearing so much talk about romance, she found herself naturally conscious of him. But every time she did, she couldn't shake the feeling that it was "complicated."
She certainly didn't dislike him. Favor and goodwill toward the opposite sex can easily evolve into deeper emotions. However, when Yellow thought about her relationship with A, she wondered if that was the right path.
Truly, if she and A were to become a couple, would their current relationship as gaming buddies be able to continue? That was her first thought. For Yellow, it was still hard to see A as a romantic interest; his presence as a friend was much larger.
But on the other hand, she wondered: how long could this friendship actually last?
For someone like her, whose human relationships had always been extreme, a person like A was a very important friend and a precious connection. Even when she tried not to think about it, she couldn't help it whenever the members brought up dating.
"That's how it starts. You go from 'hey you' to 'hey babe' before you know it."
Pink, who had just woken up, chimed in. Having met A as a part-time coworker, become friends, and now his lover, she didn't see Yellow's dilemma as a big problem. In fact, from Pink's perspective, if they kept maintaining their relationship like this, Yellow would likely end up dating that friend sooner or later.
"Yellow, you're pretty and have a great chest, so if you set your mind to it, you could make him your boyfriend in a heartbeat, right?"
"When you put it like that, it sounds like I'd be seducing him with my body."
"Why not? If you have the weapons, you should use them."
Pink had a point. Human beings are naturally attracted to beautiful and charming members of the opposite sex. No matter how much one tries to deny it, that fact never changes. And there isn't a man alive who would dislike a charming woman approaching him with a bit of sex appeal.
Naturally, if a total stranger did that, he might feel burdened or try to figure out her ulterior motives, but even then, the barriers against a charming person tend to be low. It’s even more effective when it’s someone he already knows.
That’s how friendships between men and women are. They seem like they won't budge once the bond is solid, but given the right catalyst, the relationship can flip like a coin.
"Well, it's Yellow's business, so if you don't feel like it, you don't have to, but..."
Pink's voice trailed off as her gaze naturally drifted toward Yellow's body. Yellow's frame momentarily stiffened at the hint of lewdness in that look.
"I wonder? How long will it last?"
Yellow didn't realize it. She didn't know that a woman of her caliber inviting a man to her house to play games was, in itself, a massive act of temptation.
Pink knew. She knew that Yellow's actions were an unconscious form of self-appeal, and that there were few men who wouldn't be shaken by it.
Of course, not every relationship in the world works that way. But based on the circumstances, Pink felt that the development of their relationship wasn't far off.
Good luck, Yellow's friend.
Unaware that the "friend" was her own boyfriend, Pink was inwardly rooting for the relationship between Yellow and that friend to progress.
While this conversation continued, Green, who was sandwiched in the middle, was having a miserable time. It wasn't that she was physically exhausted. It was just that every time the topic of romance came up, she couldn't erase a certain person from her mind. She kept imagining a relationship that went further than she intended, only to hurriedly snap back to her senses over and over again.
"What about Green? You're still seeing that person who helped you, right?"
Having finished her thoughts on Yellow, Pink's next target was Green. Since Blue was also very interested in Green's situation, everyone's eyes naturally turned toward her.
Startled by the sudden attention, Green fidgeted for a moment before eventually nodding.
"Yeah. We meet up occasionally."
"And?"
"Huh?! And what?"
Green, failing to grasp the layers of meaning in Pink's question, asked back. Just by seeing Green's reaction, Pink could mentally measure her current state and the overall vibe.
"Like, do you like him more as you keep meeting? Are you getting closer?"
Blue was very interested in the story of the man who had helped Green during her difficult time. Even though her situation and Green's were different, there were strange commonalities that piqued her curiosity.
"I-It's not like that. When we meet, we just eat and talk. He’s a really good person, but..."
A smile spread across Pink's lips as she watched Green blush and trail off. She thought that if there was such a thing as pure, fresh feelings for the opposite sex—something she had never experienced herself—it must look like Green right now.
Blue also smiled at Green's reaction, which felt like it could make anyone watching feel all tingly. Unlike Yellow, Green's feelings seemed clear. However, since it looked like Green herself hadn't made a firm decision yet, Pink didn't drag it out and ended with just one short sentence.
"If it doesn't seem to be working, just pounce on him."
"?!"
Naturally, Green was the most shocked, and just seeing her reaction made Pink and Blue smile. As Red woke up from the rising noise and joined in, the conversation among the members grew even more boisterous.
*
"Are the results out?"
The following Thursday morning. Before heading out for the duel, I went to work and approached a colleague handling administrative tasks to check the training results.
"They'll be delivered straight to the Team Leader."
I nodded at my colleague's reply that they didn't know yet and headed to the locker room to change. My colleagues who had arrived earlier were already changing, so I stood in front of my locker and started putting on my gear.
For our team, which doesn't produce great field results but consistently performs well in training, training scores were inevitably important. Of course, a high training score doesn't mean we get more funding. But it does make a big difference in our morale.
"A. I heard from Team 1 earlier—the 1st Team Leader was praising you a lot."
Kruger, one of the colleagues who had arrived before me, approached as I was changing. Already in his black suit and only missing his helmet, he was looking at me with a somewhat proud expression.
"Praise? From Esmeralda? Why?"
"She must have checked your report from this training. She said the content was great and the delivery was so good that it had a huge positive impact on the coordination of the entire exercise."
I didn't think I'd done anything particularly worthy of praise. While controlling the field, I had communicated with our team members and the field control personnel from other teams. It seemed that the other teams' control personnel, who heard my reports over the open server, were influenced by them, which apparently helped boost the overall training performance.
"Really? Well, that’s good."
"What’s with that? Are you saying praise from your former Team Leader is no big deal?"
Ban, who was changing his shoes, snickered at my nonchalant reaction, and I scoffed.
"You think praise from Esmeralda is no big deal? I used to get chewed out so much when I was directly under her."
Receiving praise from my former direct superior, Esmeralda, was definitely not a small matter. The reason I reacted so casually was simply because it felt so surreal that it didn't quite sink in.
"Let's assemble."
Just then, the locker room door opened, and Daniel, the driver, gave the signal. My colleagues and I finished changing, left the locker room, and headed to the vehicles parked in the basement. We set off for the duel as we always did.
The setup of the duel was so similar to usual that it was hard to believe we had all been playing at the beach together just a few days ago. The result was a victory for the Hunter Killer team, as always, and Spacetro retreated into their vehicles, as always.
*
After pulling their bikes into the basement of the Earth Defense Union Seoul Headquarters, the members took off their helmets and boarded the elevator in high spirits, intoxicated by their victory. The elevator, rising from the basement, stopped once on the first floor before reaching the third floor where the Hunter Killer office was located.
"Oh? It's Hunter Killer. Did you have a good vacation?"
"Yeah."
A woman from another team stepped into the elevator. She seemed gregarious, but the Hunter Killer members, who had only just become close with each other, responded with a businesslike attitude toward a member of another team they had no reason to be close with yet.
It wasn't a problem, of course. This was how most Superhumans from different teams treated each other. To put it in perspective, it was the kind of distance you'd have with a coworker from another department in a typical company.
There was one exception: Blue, who had been active as a Superhuman for a long time despite her low attendance due to looking after her "nephew," had a slight acquaintance with her.
"Is Team Special Force not going on vacation?"
"We all go separately. There's no reason for us to go all together."
She was a member of Team Special Force, which, like Hunter Killer and Team Guerrilla, belonged to the Seoul Branch.
While there weren't walls between their members as thick as those that had been in Hunter Killer, they weren't close enough to go on a trip together either.
If anything, the Hunter Killer team going on a trip all together was the unusual case.
Soon, the elevator reached the third floor. As the members stepped out one by one and Blue was about to follow, the woman caught her.
"Blue."
"Yes? What is it?"
Blue turned around, wondering what was the matter. The woman stared at her intently, then stepped closer and spoke quietly.
"Are you getting married, by any chance?"
"Huh?!"
The talk of romance, which Blue had never mentioned to anyone outside her team, was known to a member of another team. And it wasn't just about being in a relationship; it had escalated to talk of marriage.
"Who did you hear that from?"
"I heard White saw you before?"
By the time Blue realized a strange rumor was circulating behind her back, it had already grown much larger than she could have imagined.