Jeff Wants to Get to Work
After a pleasant breakfast, Shine and I began our studies. The office was quiet. The scratching of pens and the rapid clatter of typing filled the room. Rain was also busy doing something on her personal laptop. The laptop's bulky chassis gleamed in bright yellow, with a tiny chick drawn in the corner.
Having nearly finished my boring schoolwork, I was doodling in the corner of my workbook when a sudden curiosity struck me.
"Hey, Rain."
"Yeah?"
At my call, Rain looked up. Her blue eyes turned toward me.
"What happened to your teammates?"
"My teammates?"
"Yeah."
"You mean Hughes and Lionel?"
"I don't know their names. But the people we met at the restaurant back then—they were your teammates, right?"
"Yep."
"You guys seemed so close, but then you suddenly disbanded the team."
"Yeah."
"Didn't Hughes and Lionel say anything about it?"
"Not at all. If anything, they were waiting for the team to disband."
"Why?"
"It's dangerous work, you know? They both started families, so they were just waiting for the right time to retire. They only stuck around because of me, really."
"Were they the only ones on your team?"
"Yeah. Our team always operated in a small group."
I recalled the man with glasses and the muscular man. I didn't know what their abilities were, but they had left a good, lasting impression on me.
"They stayed just for you?"
"Yeah. They said they'd worry too much if I was left on my own."
"How long did you work together?"
"Probably around seven years?"
"Seven whole years?"
My jaw dropped at Rain's answer. Just how long had she been doing this job? Come to think of it, I didn't even know her age.
"Um, Rain? How old are you?"
"I'm twenty-two."
If she was twenty-two, that meant she had been doing this since she was at least fifteen. I eyed her skeptically. She had a tiny stature and an incredibly youthful appearance that made it impossible to believe she was in her twenties. A sharp little canine peeked out from her lips, adding a playful touch to her face. I couldn't believe it at all.
"That's a lie."
Shine, who had been listening from the seat next to me, muttered quietly. Hearing this, Rain shook her head in protest.
"It's not a lie! I'm a twenty-two-year-old adult!"
"No. You're a kid, Rain."
Shine countered, flipping open a picture book on the desk. It was a page with illustrations distinguishing children from adults.
"Look. It says right here that small people like this are children."
"That's..."
"You, Jeff, and I are all children. Books don't lie."
"No! I'm an adult!"
"Rain, are you saying this book is wrong? Is everything I'm learning incorrect?"
"Ugh... Well..."
"Look closely, Rain. It says tall people are adults. But you're short, just like us."
Rain mumbled, unable to find a retort. Her face gradually flushed red. Seeing her shoulders tremble, she looked like she was about to cry. I quickly got up from my seat, rushed over to Rain, and hugged her.
"Jeff..."
Buried in my embrace, Rain snuggled deeper. I let out an awkward chuckle and patted her back. Shine watched us with a look of deep disapproval.
"Shine. You shouldn't tease Rain."
"Okay."
Amy, who must have been listening to our conversation, scolded Shine. Shine obediently nodded and apologized to Rain.
"I'm sorry, Rain. You're an adult."
"Hmph."
Fortunately, Rain accepted the apology. She gently pulled away from my embrace. Her slightly flushed face looked like a cute little apple. Once I was sure she wasn't going to cry, I went back to my seat.
"Jeff. Hug me too."
As if she had been waiting for the exact moment I sat down, Shine slid into my lap. Before I could even react, she wrapped her arms around my waist. I let out another awkward laugh and patted her back just as I had done for Rain. Seriously, taking care of kids is hard work.
While we were enjoying this peaceful moment, Amy received a phone call.
"Jean? What's going on?"
Shine, Rain, Victor, and I all turned our eyes toward Amy. Feeling the weight of our collective gaze, Amy stood up and walked away to get some privacy.
"The kids? All of a sudden?"
As Amy drifted further away, I watched her retreating back and quietly slipped out of my chair.
"Jeff, where are you going?"
"Shh."
Seeing me move, Shine prepared to follow. I signaled for her to be quiet and crept over to Amy's desk.
The chair Amy had been sitting in just moments ago was still warm with her lingering heat. I slipped off my shoes and climbed onto it. Because of my short sitting height, I had to stand up on the chair to get a good look at the desk. I was incredibly curious about what Amy was working on. If possible, I wanted to help her. After all, she had done so much for us.
"Hmm..."
Standing on the chair, I stroked my chin. The screen of Amy's laptop was packed with tiny, dense text.
"Jeff, I want to see too."
Shine hopped up and down from below. I nodded and made some room for her. Shine kicked off her shoes as well and climbed up onto the chair beside me.
"Is this what Amy was doing?"
"Looks like it."
Circumstances... Strike... Plan? Evidence?
"It's full of difficult words."
"Yeah."
Staring blankly at the screen, I unconsciously reached out. My small hand twitched and hovered over the keyboard. An incredibly familiar sensation. A familiar situation. A familiar scene. If only there were a cup of cooling coffee sitting next to me, the picture would have been absolutely perfect.
"Jeff, you shouldn't do that."
Shine's voice suddenly snapped me out of my reverie. She grabbed my outstretched hand and pulled it back.
"If you mess with it, Amy will scold you."
"Ah, right."
"Do you want to drink five glasses of green juice?"
"No way!"
I shook my head frantically at Shine's warning and jumped down from the chair. The day we got caught sneaking chocolate, we were forced to drink five glasses of green juice as punishment. I had suffered from terrible nightmares that night. I had absolutely no desire to repeat that experience.
Just as Shine and I scrambled back to our original spots, Amy returned from her phone call outside. She narrowed her eyes as she looked at us.
"Did you two visit Jean yesterday?"
Shine and I shut our mouths tight, exchanging nervous glances. Rain was also trembling, her face turning pale.
"W-Well..."
"Jeff. I told you not to get too close to Jean."
Amy let out a soft sigh as she spoke.
"I know, but..."
"Nothing strange happened, right?"
"Strange?"
"Like feeling dizzy, or having weird thoughts you wouldn't normally have."
"I don't think anything like that happened."
"That's a relief, then."
Amy muttered quietly as she walked toward us. Rain's trembling grew even worse. *Rattle, rattle.* The desk I was sitting at was practically shaking.
Approaching us, Amy firmly pressed down on the head of the shivering Rain.
"Rain. I asked you to take good care of the kids, didn't I?"
"Gyaaaah..."
*Squeeze, squeeze.* The pressure on her head grew stronger and stronger. Rain writhed in agony.
"Phew. Everyone, stand up."
Releasing Rain's head, Amy sighed and spoke. Shine, Rain, and I immediately sprang up from our seats.
"Let's go."
"Where are we going...?"
"You said you wanted to go on a mission."
"A mission...?"
Amy turned and walked back to her desk. She grabbed her jacket from the hanger, slipped it on, and looked back at us.
"Grab your bags. We're heading out."
"Yes, ma'am!"
I nodded and answered enthusiastically. Though Amy made it sound casual, it seemed Jean had asked her for a favor. I wiggled my hips in excitement, and Shine was just as thrilled.
Shine and I slung our dinosaur backpacks over our shoulders and stood up. Rain also put on her chick backpack and lined up right next to us.
"Isn't Mr. Victor coming?"
"No."
While everyone else was preparing to head out, I found it strange that Victor was just sitting there, so I asked. He replied with an utterly disinterested expression.
"Why not?"
"Too much trouble."
"It'd be better if we all went together."
"I refuse."
"Mr. Victor."
"No."
"Come with us."
I pitter-pattered over to Victor's desk and clung to his arm. Meeting my gaze, Victor shut his mouth tight. His stubborn eyes wavered slightly.
"Victor has a nasty personality, so he's not gonna come."
Rain's voice chimed in from behind me. At her words, Victor's eyebrows twitched violently.
"Let's go."
Victor stood up from his seat and gathered his coat and belongings. I threw my arms wide and cheered.
"Yay!"
Rain stared at Victor in utter disbelief, but he simply ignored her. And so, the five of us stepped out of the office.
As Amy locked the office door, I asked her a question.
"Ms. Amy, where are we going?"
"Another branch."
"Another branch?"
"Yes."
"Is that the mission?"
"That's right. That's your mission."
I was deeply disappointed by Amy's answer. I had expected there to be other buildings besides this one, but I was hoping for something cooler and more dangerous, not just visiting another branch. I wanted a place where I could unleash my full power.
"We're not going to fight, are we?"
"No. We're just going to do a quick inspection."
My energy deflated. I slumped my shoulders and leaned my head against Shine. Shine gently stroked my hair.
"You all brought your emblems, right?"
"Yes."
"Make sure to pin them to your chests. It'll be trouble if you lose them."
"Okaaaay."
I pulled the silver emblem from my pocket and pinned it to my chest. Its sleek design caught the light and gleamed brilliantly.
"Victor."
"What."
"Do you really care about the kids that much?"
Victor didn't answer Amy's teasing question. He simply averted his gaze and turned his head away. Chuckling softly at his reaction, Amy turned around and spoke.
"Let's go!"
"Yay!"
Rain, Shine, and I threw our arms wide and followed close behind Amy. After walking down a long corridor, Amy suddenly stopped in front of a flight of tall stairs. She pulled out her phone and tapped the screen a few times, seemingly sending a message to someone. A moment later, a massive wormhole materialized right before our eyes.
"Do we have to go in there again?"
"Yes."
I stared at the wormhole with a grimace. Just looking at its unsettling, undulating surface made my stomach churn.
"I'm going first!"
Leaving us behind, Rain took a running leap and dove straight into the wormhole. *Swoosh.* The wormhole rippled slightly as it swallowed her whole.