Firepower Support
"I take it school life is treating you well?"
Gasping for breath, I turned my head to the right. I had been lying down to rest after a grueling training session when Victor walked over and spoke to me.
"Huh?"
"You made such a fuss about not wanting to go at first."
I had said I didn't want to go, but now that I was actually attending, it wasn't so bad. In fact, it was pretty fun. I got to eat lunch with Appleton, and sometimes I even went to watch Felix practice tennis. The winter chill had completely melted away, and the warm spring sunshine made for perfect outdoor weather.
Victor tossed a towel onto my face, silently telling me to wipe myself off. I used it to dab the sweat pouring down my forehead before draping it around my neck. We weren't the only ones using the massive training ground. The air was thick with the sound of ragged breathing, the explosive booms of various abilities, and dazzling flashes of light that caught the eye. It was utterly chaotic.
"Did you really hate training that much?"
"It's not that..." I pulled the towel over my face at Victor's teasing. I was too embarrassed to look him in the eye.
Today was Wednesday. It wasn't even a scheduled training day with Victor. Because I had deliberately scheduled my academy classes on our usual training days, our sessions had been rescheduled. I thought doing this would let me dodge his brutal workouts, but my shallow scheme had proven utterly useless.
"Jeff~"
Right then, Shine ran over from a distance and flopped down right next to me. The plush mat buckled under her weight, sending a soft ripple through the foam.
"Welcome back," I mumbled.
Shine was just as drenched in sweat as I was. Lying beside her, I gently brushed her bangs aside, revealing her pale forehead—which was also slick with sweat. I took the towel from around my neck and began to wipe her face.
"Smells like Jeff."
Shine buried her nose in the towel and sniffed deeply. I let her keep it and sat up.
"Jeff."
"Yes?"
As I sat there watching the others train, Victor took a sip of water and spoke to me. His next words were delivered in an incredibly casual tone.
"Your next mission has been scheduled."
He sounded as if he were merely asking what I wanted for dinner, causing my brain to lag for a second.
"Huh?"
"A mission?"
Shine had apparently heard him too. She sat up, the towel still wrapped around her face. Flustered, I asked Victor, "Wait, aren't I already on a mission? I thought attending the academy was my mission..."
"What?"
Victor's eyebrow twitched as he turned his head toward me. I could feel the sheer absurdity he found in my words. He set his water bottle down on the floor and asked, "Did you seriously think that?"
"B-but... Shandroi said so! He said our role there is crucial, that we need to gradually change the students' perceptions, and that Grandfather has high expectations."
I nodded quickly as I spoke. I was dead serious. I truly believed that going to school was our mission. I thought there was some deep, hidden motive behind why Amy and Grandfather had sent us to the academy. Was that really not the case?
Victor, who had been looking at me like I was a complete idiot, noticed my eyes trembling with anxiety. He cleared his throat and said, "Ahem... That is a long-term mission. The one we received today is just a simple firepower support gig. It'll be over in a day."
"So I can still go to school?"
"Yeah."
I let out a massive sigh of relief. When he said "mission," I thought we were going to be deployed somewhere for days on end again. If we couldn't go to school, our frail friend Appleton might collapse from waiting for us. I absolutely couldn't let that happen. Just wait, Appleton. We'll bring you a brand-new present.
"We're going today?"
"The order came down from Jean this morning."
"Amy didn't say anything about it, though?"
"Hmm..."
Victor crossed his arms, falling into thought at Shine's question.
"I'll be right back."
He stood up, pulled his phone from his pocket, and walked off to make a call. Even from a distance, I could have easily eavesdropped on his entire conversation using my abilities. But I didn't bother. There was no need. Victor knew how much we detested lies, so he never lied to us. After finishing his call in the distance, he walked back over, scratching his head with a look of pure annoyance.
"It's at 9:00 PM tonight. Go to the office later to check the details."
Shine and I nodded. After training, we took a shower and headed toward the office. On the way, we spotted a freshly steamed little chick waddling in the same direction. Her cheeks were flushed a rosy pink, likely from just stepping out of the bath, making her look incredibly adorable. I dashed forward and poked the chick—meaning Rain—right in the cheek.
"Jeff."
I was the only person in this place who would dare do such a thing to her. Rain immediately recognized me, letting out a soft chuckle as she turned her head. Grinning from ear to ear, I threw my arms around her.
"Rain~!"
I sniffed. The rich scent of body wash and shampoo, subtly mingled with her unique natural fragrance, instantly put me at ease. It felt like hugging a fluffy cloud.
"Rain, did you hear? We have a mission today."
"A mission...?"
Rain blinked, echoing my words. Judging by her blank, dazed expression, she hadn't been told a single thing about it. I grabbed Shine's hand as she caught up to us, while keeping my other hand wrapped around Rain's. As we walked, I began to explain what Victor had told me. Though, there wasn't much to explain, since we had to check the office for the actual details.
"By the way, what does 'firepower support' actually involve?"
"Ah, so that's what it is."
Rain nodded in understanding. She gave us a brief explanation. Firepower support was exactly what it sounded like: raining down massive destructive force on a specific area to assist other team members. She said they usually needed help when intercepting cargo bound for research facilities, especially if the transport vehicles were heavily guarded or exceptionally tough.
"Then why did they ask us for support?"
"Hmm... It's probably because of Amy."
I nodded at Rain's words. The Baekwang power Amy possessed was fundamentally different from ordinary abilities. It was a high-density energy that could nullify all other supernatural powers while simultaneously exerting devastating physical force.
"Though, Amy is probably planning to go alone."
"What?"
Rain's prediction was spot on. When we returned to the office, Amy sat us down and delivered the news.
"For this mission, only Victor and I will be going."
"What?"
"Why?"
Rain, as if she had expected this all along, simply nodded and sank deep into the sofa. Her relaxed expression made me feel a sudden urge to be mischievous. I pulled Rain into my arms and looked up at Amy. Rain squirmed in my grasp, but after I tickled her armpits a few times, she quickly went quiet.
"It's too dangerous for you girls."
"But still!"
"Jeff."
Amy's voice was firm. Under her stern gaze, I had no choice but to hang my head.
"Ugh..."
"You can wait here quietly, right?"
"But... we're a team."
Without a word, Amy slid a white sheet of paper toward us. Curious, I leaned in to look. It was our credit card transaction history. As Shine scanned the page, her face turned paper-white, and she clutched a sofa cushion for dear life. The vast majority of the charges were in-game purchases for an online game. The total amount was staggering—it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she had poured the cost of an entire building into upgrading her virtual weapon. There were simply too many zeros to count.
Gulp. I swallowed hard and peeked at Amy's face. Her expression was completely unreadable.
"You can wait here quietly, right?"
I could practically feel her unspoken warning: Behave, and I might just overlook this bill. I scratched my head and nodded. I had no choice but to be on my best behavior this time. Shine also clutched her head and nodded in agreement. If we messed up, a simple flick to the forehead wouldn't cut it. What if she spanked us? I instinctively covered my rear. Because of that, I lost my grip on Rain, who shot forward out of my lap.
"Oh my god!"
Rain gasped, her jaw dropping as she stared at the statement. Her mouth was open so wide I felt like I could have stuffed my entire fist inside. Amy pulled the dumbfounded chick into her lap as she sank onto the sofa. Rain remained completely frozen, utterly paralyzed by the shock.
"Was the game really that fun?"
Amy asked. Her voice wasn't angry; she spoke in her usual gentle tone. Shine and I exchanged nervous glances, trying to read the room. But no matter how hard we analyzed her, she didn't seem to be scolding us.
"W-well..."
"Did you two spend it together?"
"I... I spent most of it..."
Shine stammered, taking the statement as Amy held it out to her.
"Alright. Shine, did you spend that money because you truly believed it was worth that much?"
Shine couldn't answer. Watching her struggle, Amy let out a soft chuckle.
"Shine, with the money you spent, you and Jeff could have eaten delicious pizza for the rest of your lives. And not just pizza. You could have ordered as much of Jeff's favorite cola as you wanted. Enough to take a bath in it, even."
"Yeah..."
"Do you realize just how much money you spent now?"
Shine's grasp of economics was far from normal. To make her understand the value of money, one had to use rather unconventional analogies. Fortunately, Amy's explanation hit the mark perfectly. Shine nodded, her expression turning quite serious.
"If you had spent that money on Jeff instead, Jeff would have been incredibly happy, wouldn't she?"
"Yes!"
"But you didn't. Back then, you believed that spending it on the game was the right choice. Correct?"
"Yeah..."
"But did you really need to spend that much? Weren't there other ways?"
Amy took the statement back from Shine and crumpled it up.
"I'm not scolding you. We can easily afford this much, but I want you girls to think about the true value of money."
"Y-you can easily afford it?! Let me spend some too! Me too!"
Rain squirmed excitedly in Amy's lap, but Amy ignored her pleas. Instead, she grabbed a lollipop from the table and popped it into Rain's mouth. Rain instantly went silent.
Before heading out for the mission, Amy confiscated the black cards that Shine and I carried.
Bye-bye, my beautiful card...
I handed it over with tears in my eyes. Now I couldn't even buy myself a cola.