The Field Team Leader's Refusal
"So the place we're heading to is the Field Team Leader's office, right?"
"That's correct. Though it's more of a personal room than an office. The final defensive line is located there as well, and it shortens response times for deployments. Come to think of it, this is only your second time visiting the 0th floor since you joined, isn't it?"
"...Yes."
The floor the Team Leader pointed to with her fingertip was one I recognized. It was the same dim interrogation room where I'd submitted my documents for employment.
"By the way, what exactly is this 'final defensive line'?"
"It's the abbreviation for FDL—Final Defense Line. And as the name suggests, it's the last line of defense against an all-out assault from below."
"What does that have to do with the Field Team Leader's office...? Ah."
Of course it was connected. It was hard to think of her as an ordinary person when she possessed strength and presence that defied common sense, along with those chilling eyes.
"If you ask, I can accompany you, but there's a high chance she'll react even more negatively. Are you sure you want me to come along?"
"...Please."
"Very well. That room right there is the Field Team Leader's personal quarters. There are no records of her leaving for the field, so she should still be inside."
I felt embarrassed, but I had hoped she might at least open the door for me. Instead, she simply stood with her hands behind her back and nodded toward the door, gesturing for me to knock first. She wasn't going to slip away while I wasn't looking, was she?
"Hoo... haaah..."
My legs were already trembling, and I hadn't even knocked yet. But I had to stay strong for Harpy's sake. One more deep breath... Now, knock—
"Ah, just a moment."
"?"
Just as I raised my hand to knock after calming myself with a long exhale, the Team Leader grabbed me by the scruff of my neck and yanked me aside. In the very next instant—
CRASH—!
BOOM!!
"?!"
The sturdy metal door was smashed inward, crumpled as if struck by something enormous, and sent flying all the way to the far end of the corridor with a deafening screech.
THUD! RRRRRRRRRRRR...!
CRASH...!
"Haha, I was hoping to avoid this by not coming here."
If I had still been standing in front of that door, I would have... And that... was a foot?
"...What the hell are you doing?"
At the sound of a woman's voice tickling my ears, I whipped my head around. Through the cloud of dust, a smooth, slender leg stretched out from beyond the ruined doorway and slowly lowered.
The reason the door had flown off was now clear, yet I still couldn't believe what I was seeing even with my own eyes.
...Didn't that hurt?
"I asked you a question. What are you doing?"
The person who stepped out of the doorway was none other than the Field Team Leader—the very woman I had wanted to meet, though not like this.
"Ah, I thought it was you standing in front of the door and was about to say sorry for almost hurting you."
"Quit babbling. And why were you loitering in front of someone else's personal room in the first place?"
She was talking to me. For a moment, my presence had shrunk so small between the two Team Leaders that I had become invisible.
If I left things like this, the actual business would be pushed aside and they'd just start another war of nerves. It already seemed to be happening. But the door was open now, and the Field Team Leader had come out herself, so I needed to state my purpose first.
"Ah, no... I have documents that require your approval, Field Team Leader."
"Approval? From me?"
The Field Team Leader took one more step out of the dust cloud and approached me. How could every single one of her sharp features radiate such sensuality...? Even thinking something like that in this situation was impressive, but she really was selfishly beautiful.
She wasn't wearing the daring riding suit from our first meeting, unfortunately... Instead, she had on a tailored black suit pants that accentuated her long, model-like legs, paired with a black dress shirt whose top two buttons were undone.
She looked me up and down as if inspecting something unpleasant, then suddenly frowned and snatched the documents from my hands.
Surprisingly, she read through the contents carefully. Even though she was a team leader, she could still show this serious side when it came to work.
And... I hadn't noticed it right away, but that same scent from before was slowly drifting out from her personal room and seeping deeply into my nose. It was the same dizzying fragrance I'd smelled when I first met her in the hallway.
Why did this sweet scent make me feel increasingly elated? I had a feeling the answer would be positive...
"I refuse."
"..."
"The contents don't really matter to me whether I approve them or not, but I'll say it again. I refuse."
If I said I had no personal desires regarding this outing, that would obviously be a lie... But Harpy had been so excited and happy when she heard about going outside. To reject it just because she said "no"...
"But for Harpy to go outside, she needs—"
"Hey."
"...Yes?"
"I said I refuse."
"..."
The low, threatening voice tightened around my throat. My arms, which had started to rise in protest, froze in place. When she leaned in with her coldly hardened face, the vertically slit pupils inside her golden eyes stared straight at me, making the threat even clearer. If I opened my mouth again or moved even slightly, I had the ominous feeling I'd end up just like that crumpled door lying at the end of the hallway.
The premonition completely sealed my throat shut.
"You might not know this since you haven't been here long."
"...Gulp."
"If you're talking back like this because you feel safe with that woman behind you, you're making a huge mistake. There's really nothing trustworthy about that—"
I couldn't even breathe for fear of making a sound, but she was far more terrifying than the fear of suffocation. The scent had completely filled my head now, and dizziness swirled around me along with nausea, yet the compulsion not to breathe still blocked my throat.
Just as despair began to set in that this was all wrong...
The Team Leader who had been watching from behind finally stepped forward.
"If you need to vent, isn't one wall and one door enough? That habit of yours—going berserk the moment you get angry—really needs fixing by now."
"Habit? Fix it...? Hah, what am I supposed to do when just seeing your mask makes my blood boil?"
"Why? Does it remind you of when you were dragged here?"
CRUNCH...!
The sound of grinding molars. At the same time, an indescribable violent aura began pouring out from the Field Team Leader right in front of me. The unknown scent that had been occupying my mind with its hazy comfort transformed into something ominous that stabbed at my entire body, as if it had taken physical form and was pushing me away.
"I miss those days too, actually. We were pretty passionate back then, weren't we?"
"...I can't hold back anymore."
Shhhhhh...
Her golden eyes suddenly turned red, and her black hair began turning white from the roots...?
...!
"Ah!"
At that explosive moment—
"..!!"
"...!"
A bright, cheerful girl's voice pierced through the narrow gap between the two massive whales.
"Hurk...! Hah, cough!"
Along with the lively exclamation, the strange pressure choking my neck and the scent stinging my nose vanished like a lie. Thanks to that, the tiny shrimp caught between them could finally breathe again.
After gasping for air and confirming I was still alive, I looked up to see the Field Team Leader standing there with her arms crossed, pretending nothing had happened—as if she hadn't just worn that terrifying expression moments ago.
Her eyes had definitely... and her hair too. I couldn't have imagined that.
"Cough... Ah?"
More importantly, what was that voice I just heard? I definitely heard it, but when I looked around, there was no one there. Both Team Leaders had suddenly gone quiet, leaving me feeling like I'd been possessed by a ghost.
"You little rascal!"
"?!"
"I told you last time not to go around breaking things everywhere!"
That bright voice came again. And this time, it was coming from right below my chin.
"Eek?!"
Startled by the sudden voice from below and the glimpse of a black figure, I stumbled backward before finally seeing who it was.
In front of me stood a girl with incredibly long hair, wearing a cute face while trying to look stern. She had one hand on her hip and was glaring at the Field Team Leader.
When had she...? There hadn't been any presence at all... And this facility, even if it was a lower floor, was still dangerous for a child.
Her long black hair stretched across the corridor floor. Even though my attention had been completely captured by the Field Team Leader, it was hard to believe I hadn't noticed someone approaching right up to my chin.
"..."
And that wasn't the only strange thing. The Field Team Leader, who until moments ago had looked ready to destroy everything in sight, was now quietly listening to this little girl's scolding without a single word of protest.
A pair of small bare feet touched the cold corridor floor. She was small enough that her head barely reached my navel, wearing a cute black dress with an oversized doctor's coat draped over it, the hem dragging along the ground... And on the name tag at her chest was unmistakably written her code name.