Risk Level 4: Girl
The night convenience store doesn't have many customers. Being in a residential area, there aren't many bars nearby either, so it's quiet overall. The land prices around here are steep, so you might wonder how a convenience store stays afloat when it's already this empty, but... the manager owns the entire building. If things don't work out, he'll probably just turn it into a café or something on his own, so I don't worry about it. As long as the part-time pay comes in steadily, that's all that matters. Lately, though, there's been one regular who's been on my mind.
"She's not coming today, huh..."
She doesn't visit often, but whenever she does, she buys soju and snacks in bulk, so I remember her. Well... honestly, it's not the purchases that stick in my memory. It's because she's pretty. Average height, a slightly mischievous air about her, and almost always dressed in a suit... Those eyes of hers are hard to forget. Attractive, too.
".. Ah."
Ding~
"Welcome. Here again today."
The smell of alcohol hits me first. She must have already had a few drinks on the way here. Her cheeks are faintly flushed, almost like she's wearing blush, making her look even cuter than usual. Maybe I should try talking to her today...
"Ah.. Ah, yes. The hangover, uh.. medicine? Where is it?"
"Right over there on the right. You never bought any before, so you must've had quite a bit tonight?"
I did it. That came out surprisingly natural. Now I can use this to slowly start a real conversation...
"Ah.. No, it's not for me.."
Ding~
"...?"
Halloween is still weeks away, yet a man wearing a bizarre clown mask has just walked in.
"It looked like you'd have trouble carrying everything alone. Did you find the hangover remedy for Mr. Woong?"
He's dressed in a crisp suit, but wearing gloves. His voice sounds distorted somehow. Other than being roughly the same height as me, there's not much else to go on.
"Yes.. Just now, um.. I'll grab some soju. How many bottles?"
"Buy plenty. If there's any left over, just leave it as a housewarming gift."
Hey now, why are you chatting so casually with her? I'm jealous.
"Soju as a housewarming gift for Woong? That's a bit much, isn't it? I should pick up some wet wipes or something while I'm here.. Ah, grab that spicy stir-fried intestines for me. I'll snack on it before the delivery arrives."
"Yes, yes."
Who the hell is this "Woong" she's calling so familiarly? Is the hangover medicine for him? What kind of clueless guy sends a woman out to buy hangover remedies for him..
"Please ring this up too."
"Huh..? Yes, you'll need a bag, right?"
"Yes, please pack it."
Hold on. That clown-masked guy's movements are suspicious. Wait, that's..
"Don't you need this?"
"Gasp, no..! Put it down!"
"Oh ho, so you prefer the unused side.."
"Is that sexual harassment? I'm seriously going to get angry."
The clown mask tilts his head and shows her a small paper box with a rabbit drawn on it. I was sure he was completely insane, but the woman herself only blushes a little and doesn't look particularly flustered..?
If she just showed even a hint of discomfort, I could report him on the spot. There's CCTV footage and the most reliable witness standing right here.
"I'm telling you, Woong and I aren't like that yet. You already know everything anyway."
"It was a joke. Just a joke. But 'not yet' implies you're still considering it, doesn't it?"
".. Well, the kid's decent enough, at least."
She never once shows any real dislike until the very end.. Unbelievable.
"Haa, I'm sorry. Here's my card."
".. Yes, payment complete."
Ding~
"I won't be able to come to this convenience store anymore. It was convenient being so close.."
"Ahaha, let's go. Aren't you worried about leaving Woong and the nine-tailed fox alone together?"
The voices beyond the closing door make my lonely heart ache.
".. Fuck."
Today.. I got my heart broken for the first time in my life. I've never even confessed to anyone, but..
".. I loved you, you fucking bitch."
*
".. Field Team Leader?"
"..."
"You've been staring at me for a while now. Do you have something to say..?"
"..."
Of course, I can hear the Field Team Leader's inner voice loud and clear. The problem is there's nothing substantial in it.
'Should I say it? No.. Why would I?'
So what exactly is she thinking..
'Still, I should probably mention it, but.. I don't know when those two will be back..'
I thought some new information had finally surfaced, but "those two" clearly refers to the pair who went to the nearby convenience store for alcohol. The Response Team Leader, familiar with the area, had suggested the errand first. The Field Team Leader hadn't seemed eager to stay here with everyone, so she'd volunteered to carry the bags and followed after them.
In the end, only the Field Team Leader and I remain in the apartment lobby.
As for why we all ended up gathered here.. The Team Leader said something unnecessary again and put me in an awkward spot. That explanation is more than enough.
"..."
Since the situation can't be undone anyway, I decide to appreciate the natural beauty standing right beside me. She's just over 180cm tall, same as me. With heels on, she'd easily reach the late 170s. If she had a different job, I'd bet everything she's a model. Her proportions are that perfect. The memory of that breathtaking figure from our first meeting, when she wore that skin-tight bike suit that left nothing to the imagination, makes it easy to picture what's hidden beneath her current clothes. She really was something else back then..
.. Of course, her chest might be a bit too large for modeling, but personally I think she'd make a fine actress too. Right now she's just in office attire, but even after leaving the store she kept her sunglasses on while walking outside. She's taken them off now and tucked them into her breast pocket, yet.. those sunglasses really suit her. She looks like a celebrity in every way.
".. You must have had some drinks. Your face is a little red."
It almost looks like a blush.. oddly cute.
"Don't talk to me so casually."
"..."
I'd hoped striking up a conversation might ease the awkwardness and satisfy my curiosity, but apparently that was the wrong move.
".. Yes. My apologies."
"..."
'It's annoying knowing you can hear everything I'm thinking. Ha.. Should I just knock him out for a bit?'
I flinched.
I took a step sideways while watching her expression, but that only made it seem like I was reacting to her inner thoughts. So I stepped back to my original spot and pretended I'd moved for no reason at all.
"Hey, you."
".. Yes?"
As expected? She noticed immediately..?
"You have no plans to quit?"
"But this.. I can't just stop hearing things at will."
"Not that. I mean the job."
The sudden question didn't sound like a warning. It was just a question. But asking if I have no intention of quitting..
"If you've been beating me up like that every single day.. I should have run away by now, or at least started hating it here. But you.. you're only getting more confident. You don't even realize this is a place that could kill you, and you keep sticking your head in."
"..."
So what the Field Team Leader is really asking is..
"Yeah. You'll hear it anyway. Do you actually understand how dangerous working here is?"
".. Is that why the training was so harsh?"
"I figured if you got hit enough times, you'd come to your senses. Well, part of it was also to piss off your team leader."
She doesn't even deny it. Haha.. But she still doesn't seem to grasp what it would actually mean for me to quit working at the facility. If she asked whether it's because of the debt from buying a house, that would be one reason. There's something far more important, though.
"I'm fine."
".. Fine?"
'Don't tell me this guy.. actually enjoys getting hurt or something...'
"No..! No, absolutely not. I don't have that kind of preference."
"Arrogant.. Don't answer my inner thoughts like that."
".. I'm sorry."
The sharp glare she shoots while clenching her fist makes me shrink back instinctively. Still, it seems she really was worried about me. As expected, she's terrifying.
"Still.. I'm fine."
"I wasn't worried. It just bothered me seeing that woman getting so obsessed with you lately."
'.. Is it the alcohol? She's talking way more than usual.'
The Team Leader? Obsessed with me.. I don't know about obsession, but she definitely talks more when she drinks. I was also pretty drunk from keeping pace with the President earlier..
Maybe that's why I say,
"I.. I still don't know exactly what the Field Team Leader thinks of me, but.. I'm really fine. This ability I once thought was completely useless has finally become something I can use for someone else.. And I've met so many good people, like Harpy and the Team Leaders..!"
".. Met?"
"... Anyway, that's why.."
Even with liquid courage, having her turn her head and stare straight at me like this is troublesome.. It's scary.
"For a coward, you sure talk well."
"Thank you..?"
"That wasn't a compliment."
It seems the Field Team Leader really doesn't like me.
"Well, if that's how you feel.. there's nothing more I can say."
But she's already saved me twice. Whether she admits it or not, she's clearly concerned about my life. Contrary to my first impression, she has a surprisingly rational side. Though that's only in comparison to the Team Leader.
.. Suddenly I wonder how she and the Team Leader ended up in such a hostile relationship.
'Ha.. I should just say it.'
"So.. what I mean is,"
"...?"
She avoids my gaze for no reason and looks down. Her eyelashes are incredibly long.. No, that's not the point.
.. Anyway, the Field Team Leader who avoided my eyes frowns once, then looks at me again and speaks in a stiff voice.
"Treating you so harshly back then... I'm sorry. It must have been difficult.. I just wanted to say that."
"...!"
.. I was shocked. That sounded like an apology. From the Field Team Leader, no less.
"Ah.."
"What are you staring like that for?!"
Thud-!
"Cough?"
After receiving an apology I never expected and looking at her with wide eyes, she must have found it too burdensome. I feel that familiar impact I've experienced so many times before spreading through my entire body as I realize I'm floating backward through the air.
"Huh.."
And I wasn't the only one who realized it too late. The Field Team Leader lets out a short cry while reaching out toward me.. I thought I might hit the floor or crash into something, but at some point the Field Team Leader who had been reaching for me simply vanishes.
Thud..!
The place I land isn't the marble floor or a wall like I expected.. At least it doesn't make a painful sound, and it doesn't actually hurt. But.. it feels like I'm awkwardly suspended somewhere, half-lying down.
"...?"
"..."
"Field Team Leader..?"
When I lift my head, what I see is.. why does even her frowning face look beautiful?
.. And she's still stunning even from below. No, more importantly, right now I..
"??"
Am I being held by the Field Team Leader? Like she ran faster than the ball she threw and caught it mid-air.. Something like that?
And this familiar yet always breathtaking sensation beneath my right arm is..
"Wait, wait! What are you two doing right now?"
The moment I realize I'm being held in a princess carry, a loud voice echoes through the lobby. It's the Response Team Leader.
"Ah."
"Oops."
Thud, bang!
Because the Field Team Leader immediately pulled her arms away the instant our eyes met—even though we'd already been caught—I end up free-falling straight onto the hard marble floor and landing hard on my rear.
"..."
Whether it's the chest I got punched in or the butt I just slammed into the floor, both are throbbing despite the alcohol. Tomorrow morning I'll probably be covered in bruises. Still, the view and the sensation were worth it.