Indigo, who had been reduced to a pulp, was left behind as Luche continued to watch the confrontation. Luche, who had been observing with a calm gaze, smiled at me when she saw me approach.
“You worked hard.”
Luche harbored negative feelings towards Team Guerrilla, despite there being no specific incidents like those with the HunterKiller team. These feelings stemmed from their attitude and stories heard through Siera, who was usually the 4th team leader.
Luche showed no sign of surprise seeing my hidden self, which I rarely revealed to others. She patted my shoulder comfortingly.
“Go wait in the car first. I’ll join you once everything’s sorted out.”
I nodded in response to Luche’s words and passed by her side, leaving the battleground. Though I could hear the sounds of cleanup starting alongside Luche’s voice, I didn’t pay attention and headed toward the parking lot.
Daniel, waiting for today’s confrontation to end while passing time in the car not far from the battleground, saw someone in a suit approaching. The person, identifiable as A through their signal transmission despite the helmet obscuring their face, walked slowly toward the car.
“Why is that guy coming alone?”
The atmosphere felt different from usual. A was returning because the confrontation had ended, but no other people were visible behind him. Unlike his somewhat retreating posture, A approached the car steadily, step by step.
When A neared the car, Daniel leaned out the window and called out to him.
“Why are you here alone?”
A remained silent. Thinking he was sparing words due to wearing the suit, Daniel noticed A’s silence even after getting into the backseat.
“What happened? Why are you speechless?”
Daniel asked as he looked at A in the backseat. Seeing A, Daniel’s expression hardened. Without his helmet, A sat still, staring into the void with bloodshot eyes.
Daniel didn’t press further, sensing A’s intense anger. He waited for the rest of the team to return.
Thinking things had calmed down, Daniel recalled the recent situation and felt renewed anger toward Indigo and Team Guerrilla. However, unlike before when he nearly killed Indigo, he maintained his rationality.
Not doing anything caused him to keep his composure, realizing he had lost control momentarily due to adrenaline rush during the confrontation.
Had he attacked Indigo in that state, he would have killed him. Fortunately, his teammates prevented such an outcome.
It was fortunate he could legally retaliate against the source of his anger, but killing him would bring new problems.
As he thought about how lucky it was not to kill, he saw his teammates approaching from afar.
Team members boarded the car one by one, but there was none of the usual commotion. Likely because of me.
“All aboard?”
Luche checked the last member and, after hearing Kruger’s affirmative response, got into the passenger seat.
Though it was their first victory in ten years, the atmosphere was heavy. Everyone seemed unsure what to say first. I broke the silence.
“I’m sorry. It’s my fault.”
Hearing my words, the team laughed heartily.
“Haha! What for? We won thanks to you!”
“Yeah, we were already itching to crush those guys. Feels great.”
Each adding their thoughts, the team gradually lightened the mood. They were aware of my loss of control and aggressive attack.
“Really? Thanks.”
“Next time, don’t get so worked up when facing the Guerrilla team.”
“Never seen A so enraged.”
After Jack’s comment about A’s unusual behavior, everyone noticed it was the first time seeing such a display in front of the team.
“But thanks to A’s movements, we collected good combat data.”
Amidst the chatter, I listened silently. After changing suits at headquarters, I encountered Luche standing outside the changing room.
“Lushi. You’ve been through a lot today.”
Although it was our first win, I didn’t feel like celebrating. Despite crushing Indigo, who had an arrogant attitude, something felt off.
“Can we talk for a bit?”
“Yes.”
Smiling, Lushi led me to her office and we sat on the sofa. She sat opposite me, watching me intently.
“What do you want to say?”
“Did something happen with the Guerrilla team?”
We hadn’t told Lushi about the incident at the banquet. It wasn’t necessary to bring it up at work, especially since it wasn’t a positive event. We didn’t want to upset her.
But given today’s atmosphere, Lushi must have sensed something. My uncharacteristic rage against Indigo indicated trouble, and Lushi wouldn’t miss such a thing.
It was time to speak.
What happened with the Guerrilla team was known only among us, but keeping it a secret now would exclude Lushi.
“In fact…”
Starting a difficult conversation, I explained the incident during the banquet to Lushi. She listened silently, her expression unchanged.
When I mentioned our one-sided defeat, she remained unmoved. She seemed to fully understand and comprehend our situation.
“So, you were hurt after that call?”
That night, after our encounter with the Guerrilla team, we had a video call with Lushi. We lied about drinking and falling, but Lushi remembered our conversation that day clearly.
Since there was nothing left to hide, I confirmed it and Lushi sighed deeply.
“So, did you take revenge?”
“…It’s not quite complete yet.”
While I couldn’t tell Lushi about my grudge against the Guerrilla team, it wasn’t solely due to our conflict. Despite beating them severely, I still felt unsatisfied.
Lushi smiled and stood up, and I looked up at her. She approached and hugged me suddenly, and I stayed still in surprise.
“That’s how it was.”
Whispering softly, Lushi stroked my hair. Despite having many emotions to express, she seemed determined to praise me for today’s victory.
“…Sorry. I didn’t say anything.”
If I could have kept it a secret, I wouldn’t have felt guilty. But since I had to tell Lushi, it felt wrong to keep it from her afterward.
“No, it’s fine. You did it thinking of me.”
Lushi must have felt some disappointment, but she understood why we didn’t tell her.
“Go home and rest. This is our first victory since the 3rd team reorganization. I’ll report it well.”
“Understood.”
Lushi released the hug, and I stood up, saluting her before leaving the office.
After A left, Lushi sat back on the sofa and sighed. She had suspected something was wrong when she saw injuries that weren’t from drinking, feeling incompetent as a team leader.
“……”
Sitting quietly and looking at the ceiling, Lushi took out an old notebook from her pocket. She always carried this notebook, which contained a single photo inside.
A photo of a man in a mechanic’s uniform with black hair and an unknown girl with silver hair.
“Senior…”
Muttering, Lushi closed her eyes.
“Lushi!”
Just then, the door opened, breaking the silence.
Siera, who had rushed in, looked at Lushi with considerable surprise.
“Did you meet the Guerrilla team?”
“Yeah. Actually, I was planning to go with you to see the director.”
“How did it go?”
“A won the fight. Didn’t you just see him leave?”
Hearing A had just left, Siera glanced outside the office and shook her head. They must have missed each other due to a slight misdirection.
“Were you hurt? Who knows what kind of strange tricks they might have used.”
“Yeah, we won completely.”
Though not doubting the team’s abilities, Siera knew the Guerrilla team sometimes used weapons that could be lethal. She was relieved to check A’s safety, who had actively fought.
“Good. Let’s go see the director.”
“Okay.”
Closing the notebook and putting it away, Lushi stood up with Siera to head to the director’s office.
Meanwhile, the HunterKiller team, returning victorious, went straight to the director’s office instead of the changing room.
Without knocking, they barged in and caught the director mid-call.
Red, visibly angry, stomped over and slammed the desk.
“What’s going on?!”
“Send them to the lab… I’m on a call right now. Come back later.”
Ignoring Red’s interruption, the director firmly stated his reluctance to talk.
He tried to assert authority by suggesting they come back later, but the HunterKiller team members, far from intimidated, were not easily cowed.
“We’ve said multiple times that team changes aren’t allowed during confrontations! Why did you arbitrarily adjust today’s schedule?!”
Frowning, the director raised his voice at Red. However, faced with the collective glare of the entire HunterKiller team, he felt intimidated.
Unable to show his unease, the director raised his voice even more.
“I’m busy right now, so come back later!”
Seeing the director avoid a crucial discussion, Red prepared to yell. But something flew past Red, grazing the director’s face and shattering against the wall behind his chair.
Turning around, Red saw Yellow, whose veins were bulging with anger, glaring at the director.
Yellow had thrown a vase filled with water from beside the director’s office door.
“This son of a bitch thinks he’s done something great?”
Angered by the lack of communication, Yellow suppressed her fury. Knowing top-tier hyper-humans worldwide were watching, the director’s hands trembled.
“These brats think they can act however they want?! Because you didn’t report properly, Indigo from the Guerrilla team was sent to the lab!”
Red, accustomed to regular reporting, found it absurd. She couldn’t understand which part of the report was missing.
Clearly, someone was trying to pin their mistakes on the HunterKiller team. Just as Red lunged to grab him, a cold voice echoed in the room.
“Everyone, let’s cool down first.”
Blue calmly suggested retreating to the HunterKiller team’s office on the third floor. Though there was much to discuss, they decided to take a step back temporarily. No one objected.
Blue’s sharp gaze and emotionless tone contrasted sharply with her usual gentle demeanor. Her restrained anger was far more terrifying than Red and Yellow’s sudden outbursts.
“Alright.”
The decision was Red’s. Realizing the director would find excuses to avoid discussion, Red decided to take a step back.
Ultimately, they had won the confrontation. By stepping back, they could address the issue more effectively than if the director had avoided it.
Members glared angrily at the director and left one by one, with Pink remaining, smiling at him.
“What?”
Pink, who stayed and stared at him intensely, finally spoke before leaving.
“Stupid kid.”
With that, Pink left, slamming the door loudly.
Alone, the director clenched his teeth, realizing he couldn’t do anything against the HunterKiller team in the current situation.
“Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it.”
