The First Outing (2)
As Garam placed the shopping basket on the counter, Sion pulled out his card wallet with an indifferent expression.
The basket was filled with neatly packed groceries and the bag of dumplings Garam had picked out. As the clerk quickly scanned the items, Sion lightly tapped Garam on the shoulder and spoke.
"Yoon Garam, don't turn your head. Just listen."
"Why, Mister? Is something wrong?"
"I think we're being followed."
"Followed? Where..."
"I told you not to turn your head."
Sion quickly stopped Garam before she could look back, ensuring the tail wouldn't notice.
Sion then scanned the surroundings with a casual face, as if looking for a product. He was quickly able to identify the people who were subtly watching their direction.
One was a man in a teal jumper wearing a hat. He was pretending to read a newspaper with his arms crossed, but his eyes were fixed elsewhere.
Another was a woman putting drinks into her cart. However, her hands kept picking up and putting down the same item three times.
The last one was waiting quietly in the aisle parallel to the checkout, pretending to have earphones in.
"There are three of them."
"Are they cleaners?"
"Hard to say. But the fact that they're tailing us means they didn't approach with good intentions."
Sion observed their movements with subtle eye shifts.
They were definitely trained.
Their positioning was natural.
The three were stationed in spots where they could cover each other no matter which way the targets went, while still being in a position to block them from exiting.
"What do we do, Mister?"
"We'll have to manage somehow. Just like always."
The clerk finished the transaction and handed over the basket.
"Customer, would you like the receipt?"
"No need."
Sion replied curtly, took the basket, and smiled calmly. But at the same time, he gripped Garam's wrist and spoke in a serious tone.
"Follow me without a word. From now on, you must do exactly as I do."
"Okay."
Sion moved away from the checkout and deliberately headed toward the crowded areas. It was to disperse their focus and to prevent them from attacking easily.
However, perhaps because they were trained killers, the three followed them well.
The man in the teal jumper calmly folded his newspaper and followed. The woman who was buying drinks pushed her cart to match their pace. The man with the earphones moved along the side of the aisle as if guarding the exit.
"This way."
Sion suddenly twisted his body in the corridor and slipped toward the food storage area next to the aisle. Garam whispered, looking surprised.
"Mister, what are you doing?"
"I need to check something. Judging by the vibe, I don't think they're cleaners."
Garam and Sion moved to the staff-only door at the end of the hallway.
There was a sign that said 'No Entry' in front of it, but... Sion pulled a wire from his pocket, quickly picked the lock, and opened the door.
"Get in."
"Are we allowed to go in there?"
"It's not exactly legal, but we don't have much choice right now."
The two hurried into the storage room.
Once inside, the cold air and the smell of food greeted them.
"Ugh, it's cold..."
"Bear with it for a moment. I'll finish this as quickly as possible."
Sion lowered his body between the steel shelves.
'...They'll follow soon.'
Sure enough, footsteps were heard in less than ten seconds.
Regular, restrained steps. Three shadows stretched long across the open door.
Just as Sion drew a dagger from his coat for self-defense:
"Null. May we have a moment to talk?"
One of the three asked.
"As long as you aren't cleaners."
"Rest assured. We are not affiliated with Obelisk."
"Who are you with? You look like you've been trained quite well."
"We are with Unity."
Unity.
If Obelisk was a company that performed any request they received, Unity was a group that controlled killers to prevent them from abusing murder.
In short, they were the mediators.
"We heard news that an A-class killer was murdered recently, so we came to investigate. Would you be willing to talk?"
"If that's what you came to ask, why go through the trouble of tailing us?"
"That is... we're a bit on the introverted side."
"...Do you think being introverted is a valid excuse?"
"Oh, please don't misunderstand! We really have no hostility!"
With those words, the sound of something dropping was heard. It was the sound of the Unity killers dropping their respective weapons.
As Sion narrowed his eyes, the man with the earphones sighed and said.
"Actually, we're all fans of yours, Null."
"...What?"
Sion was speechless at the absurd reason. Meanwhile, the female agent next to him blushed and hurriedly added.
"I-it's just! Your record is famous even within Unity. You're unrivaled, clearly the number one among S-class killers, and you even have the record of taking on 100 killers alone when you retired. You're like an idol to all killers, so we didn't know how to approach you..."
At the words of the Unity killers, Sion lowered his dagger.
"...I'm surprised. Coming like that, I thought you were cleaners."
"We're sorry...! We didn't intend to cause a misunderstanding..."
"Forget it."
Sion sighed and stood up, and Garam, who was next to him, burst into laughter.
"Mister, you really are popular. Null is famous, after all."
"Be quiet."
Sion glared at Garam briefly, but the corners of his mouth rose slightly. He turned his gaze back to the Unity agents.
"I assume you don't need photos or autographs?"
"H-haha. No, we're fine."
"Next time, come find me directly instead of tailing me. You looked more like stalkers than fans."
The three killers bowed their heads simultaneously.
"We will keep that in mind."
"We apologize."
"Fine. Let's hear the purpose of your visit."
At Sion's words, the Unity killers immediately began their explanation.
According to their story, Obelisk had recently announced they were going to dispose of a killer who failed a mission. In the process, one killer died and never returned, but Obelisk's cleaners hadn't said a word about it.
Unity, sensing something strange, conducted a small investigation... and discovered that Null was among the killers living in the vicinity.
They explained that the head of Unity had personally ordered them to come and verify this.
"...And so, we were the ones who made it here after winning a 50-to-1 competition among the killers who wanted to meet you, Null."
"Is that so."
Sion was silent for a moment before opening his mouth.
"It's true that I killed the A-class killer."
"May we ask the reason? Since you're someone who retired to live quietly, there must have been a reason for the killing..."
"They tried to kill this child I took in. I asked them to leave peacefully, but one of them wouldn't back down and tried to kill me too, so I killed them in self-defense."
The Unity killers looked at each other and nodded. If Sion's words were a lie and he had been the aggressor, Obelisk would have raised an objection first. However, since Obelisk had kept their mouths shut like someone guilty, they judged Sion's words to be true.
"We understand. Since it was essentially self-defense, we will not demand any separate disciplinary action."
"This is a fairly major issue, so a decision shouldn't be possible this quickly. Did the head of Unity make that judgment?"
When Sion asked, the man in the teal jumper nodded immediately.
"Yes. They had already guessed the situation before speaking. We only came to confirm. If you were to take warning actions against Obelisk, or if Obelisk made any moves, we would have had to mediate."
Sion fell into thought. His fingertips tapped the handle of the shopping basket absentmindedly.
"Obelisk probably knows I killed the A-class killer. They were the ones who ordered this child to kill me in the first place."
"Then, given that it's been quiet so far, it means Obelisk has no intention of doing anything more for now, right?"
"For now, yes. I don't have any intention of responding to Obelisk either, so you can just go back."
The three nodded in unison.
"Understood. We've confirmed everything, so we will take our leave."
"Right. Good work."
The storage door closed, and as the footsteps of the Unity killers faded, only the humming noise of the refrigerator remained in the space.
Garam looked toward the door cautiously and whispered.
"Did they really leave?"
"Yes."
Sion replied, putting his dagger back into his coat.
"As long as they don't break the rules, those guys don't go around killing people."
Garam let out a sigh of relief and sat down on the floor.
"Phew... I really thought my heart was going to explode. We almost ended up in a movie while grocery shopping."
"This is all thanks to you."
"Thanks to me?"
"If you hadn't picked up those dumplings, the checkout would have been faster, and this situation wouldn't have happened."
Garam puffed out her cheeks as if she felt wronged.
"That's a stretch. The dumplings were essential."
"Sure, they were. Your stomach always needs emergency rations."
"Hmph."
Seeing Garam pouting, Sion burst into a chuckle. There wasn't a trace of tension left in that smile.
"Still, it's a relief."
"What is?"
"We didn't have to see any blood today."
Sion nodded slightly.
"It is a relief."
"...Let's go home quickly. I got so nervous I'm hungry. And the dumplings are going to melt."
"Right. Let's go home."
Garam stood up quickly and approached Sion's side. Although tension still remained on her face, a sense of relief was spreading in her eyes.
When they pushed through the door, breaking through the cold, the warm air of the mart greeted them.
Sion walked naturally into the crowd, and Garam followed him, holding the shopping bag in one hand.
"Mister."
"Yes."
"Those people earlier... were they really fans?"
"At the very least, they weren't lying."
"I felt it again just now, but you're really famous, Mister."
"I suppose so. But that's all in the past."