The members were confused. Although they had heard Yura’s words, they were doubtful about whether what they heard was correct, and I was confused as well.
If all HunterKiller members told me that polygamy was wrong from their perspective, I would have thought, “So this is how Earthlings feel about polygamy.” However, up until Yura brought up the topic, that’s exactly what I had thought.
But when Yura mentioned that it was okay, the confusion only grew stronger. It was impossible to tell which side was right.
“What did you just say?”
Surprised, Yubin asked Yura to repeat what she had just said. While looking at me with a smile, Yura declared to all the members, including Yubin.
“I don’t care how many people A meets. As long as I am loved enough, it’s fine.”
Though her statement made sense to me based on my understanding, the other HunterKiller members, excluding Yura, looked at each other silently, uncertain of how to react.
Naturally, I couldn’t say anything at this moment. If I spoke rashly, who knows what consequences might follow.
While I was grateful that Yura said it was okay, if I had casually responded with something like, “Alright, then I also like Yura,” I wouldn’t have known how others would react.
Considering this, my first action was to observe the reactions of the members.
Milky Way seemed flustered, her eyes darting around quickly while examining the members. With the sudden situation and Yura’s explosive comment, she appeared to be in a daze.
Hayang listened quietly to Yura and then fell into deep thought. The usually kind smile on Hayang’s face was now replaced by a rigid expression, making it hard to understand what she was thinking.
Yubin had the most dynamic reaction. She opened her eyes wide, slightly parted her lips, and stared blankly at Yura. She seemed to find even less sense in Yura’s statement than mine.
SuA, though hidden behind me and unable to be seen, showed signs of being perplexed by Yura’s words through the tension in her body.
“Are you serious?”
Holding her head down in thought, Hayang looked up at Yura and asked.
“Yes, I’m serious.”
Yura’s response was firm. Her light purple eyes stared straight at Hayang, and upon making eye contact, Hayang nodded in agreement.
“Hold on! Polyamory is cheating! Are you really okay with that?”
Yubin urgently questioned. Let’s consider this from a different angle.
On Earth, polygamy is not allowed in most countries except a few. Therefore, the majority of cultural spheres support monogamy, and most people take it for granted.
This means that polygamy is generally beyond the acceptable range.
If Yubin was angry, disappointed, or felt it was time to part ways because of my stance on polygamy, it’s natural for her to ask if it’s okay after hearing Yura’s opinion.
Above all, since it’s not legally permitted, it’s not a choice with a guaranteed future.
“It’s fine. I wasn’t saying this on impulse just now.”
Yura’s gaze and tone conveyed a sense of hesitation. A carefully considered statement carries weight, and the speaker’s will becomes strong in the words themselves.
Yura’s voice was steady, and her gaze was unwavering.
“To be honest, I don’t think I can find a man better than A.”
At Yura’s lowered voice, everyone’s attention turned to her. I too looked at her to hear the rest of her words.
“The job opportunities for hyper-humans are limited, and the income isn’t much either. Plus, they face discrimination because they are hyper-humans.”
Upon hearing this, everyone became solemn. Although I had noticed this during my investigation, it was most strongly felt by all the hyper-humans present here, excluding myself.
“I know there are people who aren’t like that. But to find someone who understands, takes care of, and always loves hyper-humans? I can’t do it. I don’t want to put in that much effort.”
It seemed that finding a new person was no longer possible for Yura. Given that she was considering only me and no other choices, I found myself contemplating deeply.
If Yura had chosen me out of necessity, with no other options, I would honestly prefer if she hadn’t chosen me.
Actions taken out of circumstances rather than genuine feelings eventually lead to repercussions. Even decisions made from genuine feelings come with consequences.
Above all, as long as I remain a member of Spacystro, there will come a time when I separate from her. Once our affiliations differ, an eternal farewell is inevitable.
If Yura says she has no other options besides me at that point, it will only make her life harder.
However, I couldn’t express these thoughts.
My words could influence others and potentially hinder their ability to freely think.
“So, I’m okay. What about the others?”
The members were listening to Yura, and when her question came, Hayang, who had been sitting quietly, raised her hand. Naturally, everyone’s attention turned to her.
“I’m okay with it too.”
Although Yura’s statement didn’t affect everyone strongly, Yubin reacted similarly to her surprise.
Then, I saw Hayang and Yura’s eyes meet, and instantly, I felt a spark between them. At that moment, I realized my initial impression was mistaken.
Yura chose me not because I was the only option, but because she didn’t consider any other choices. By speaking first, she secured the initiative.
Though the outcome of Yura choosing me remained unchanged, the process changed significantly, and the atmosphere in the room felt different.
I thought everyone would be speechless, but once Yura spoke first, it began a silent standoff among everyone.
“I…”
“Hold on! We’re not discussing this right now!”
As Milky Way cautiously tried to speak, Yubin interrupted loudly.
“We need to talk about what we should do right now and what actions we should take next.”
This was the moment I had been dreading. However, it felt mentally easier to share my thoughts than to keep observing everyone’s reactions.
“A month. For a whole month, there was no contact. I waited, not knowing if you were alive or dead. And now, I need to know what happened. Also, we haven’t finished talking about everything related to Spacystro.”
As Yubin said, now, more than anything else, they had questions for me. And I had the responsibility to answer those questions.
“Yeah, your hair has grown quite long in a month.”
Yura, who was sitting on the sofa, approached me, held by SuA’s arm and leg, and started playing with my long bangs.
“This is due to the injury. I was in a cellular activation device trying to recover.”
“Your hair grew long because of that?”
“Yeah, I didn’t have time to tidy up for a month.”
Yura, looking interested, played with my bangs and stared intently at my face. She smiled, and seeing her smile again after so long, I felt a momentary sense of ease.
“What about the month of no contact? You didn’t reply to texts or calls.”
The next voice belonged to SuA. I doubted it was SuA at first because she had reached out.
Unlike others, SuA rarely contacted unless necessary. It was surprising that she had reached out during my absence.
“That day, I was escorted to a spaceship in the Pacific Ocean. So, I couldn’t contact anyone because my phone was with headquarters.”
“How are you feeling? You seemed badly injured.”
Hayang approached me and examined my body. Given the severity of the injuries from the explosion, it was natural to wonder if all the wounds had healed completely.
“Yeah, the wounds healed cleanly. I was weak after two weeks of sleep, but the rehabilitation over the remaining two weeks made me capable of moving without strain.”
Their main concerns were my health and whether I had contact. They asked their questions directly, and I answered promptly, checking if they seemed fine.
I worried a lot about their emotional state and if they had suffered major injuries. Although they may have gone through significant emotional distress, they appeared fine at least to me now.
Despite lingering unease, meeting them in person brought some relief.
“But, if my brother genuinely meant what he said, why did he help us while being a part of Spacystro?”
Yubin looked at me with sharp eyes. It wasn’t a suspicious look; she genuinely wanted to understand my intentions. The sharpness in her eyes was to hide the current anxiety.
Still, just by looking into her eyes, I could roughly gauge her feelings. It was somewhat embarrassing to say such things.
I wondered if it was appropriate to say this and if it would convince them when I said it.
Nevertheless, I decided not to lie.
“I was worried.”
Four members, excluding SuA who was holding onto me, sat properly to listen to my words.
“To be honest, I couldn’t understand why Earthlings discriminate against hyper-humans. And… I truly love everyone. That’s why I wanted to somehow resolve this issue.”
This is my true intention, and this is why I hurriedly gathered information about hyper-humans. Even if it doesn’t reach everyone, I have no regrets about clearly expressing my sincerity.
“I really mean it…”
Hayang sighed and gently stroked my head.
“If there was any ill intent, I would have been angry.”
She smiled warmly and looked into my eyes. I felt both sorry and grateful for her understanding.
“Does Spacystro know about our relationship?”
“No. From what I know, only Luche, the team leader, is aware of it.”
At the mention of Luche’s name, I immediately recognized her as our team leader and nodded.
“How did she know?”
“…Honestly, I felt exhausted halfway through and thought it was impossible, so I told Luche. But the day I told her was the day of the incident, so we haven’t discussed anything else yet.”
Satisfied with the answer, Yubin nodded, and both Yubin and I were startled simultaneously. We must have had the same thought.
The day before the Olympic Bridge explosion, Yubin and I had a fight. I unilaterally got annoyed with Yubin, and overall, it was my fault.
Just as a slight awkwardness arose, I suddenly had a question.
“According to the reports, the Earth Defense Union doesn’t know about our relationship. How is that possible?”
The members’ gazes shifted to Yubin, the leader.
“The guerrilla team effectively collapsed. Indigo is in a coma, Gainesboro is missing, and the rest are under investigation but can’t provide proper statements. Most likely, since most events were centered around Indigo and Gainesboro, they don’t know anything.”
This matched the report I had read. However, it was puzzling that despite having verifiable information, it wasn’t confirmed.
“And the photos taken by the guerrilla team were recovered by us.”
This solved the mystery. If they didn’t know my identity, they would have asked about the photos during the investigation.
By hiding the photos before the investigation, I prevented my identity and my relationship with the HunterKiller team from being exposed.
“That’s fortunate, but…”
Not all concerns were resolved. I too had concerns about reporting to Spacystro if they learned about my relationship with HunterKiller. Given the negative public perception of hyper-humans, if it became known that I was dating a Spacystro, there would be speculation about collusion and various rumors.
And this is just speculation, but it seems the Earth Defense Union isn’t actively preventing bad press about hyper-humans. While it’s good to inform the public, it feels a bit excessive.
Throughout the conversation, Yura continued to fiddle with my hair, and I glanced at her occasionally.
“I was wondering why you were so tired recently. You didn’t tell us or Spacystro.”
“That’s right. It’s not something I could tell anyone.”
Yura kept playing with my hair while talking, and Yubin coughed.
It seemed like Yura was sending subtle signals, and Yura appeared to notice, but she didn’t react much.
“So, what are you planning to do next?”
“I was told to take a break for a while, but since there are a few things I need to do, it won’t be easy to just relax.”
“What things?”
“I need to move because the location of the guerrilla team was discovered.”
At the mention of moving, everyone looked at each other. The atmosphere changed instantly, and I felt a heavy silence. Despite the awkwardness, I decided to continue.
“…But I plan to live at headquarters until I find a place to move.”
After finishing my sentence, I couldn’t help but observe the members who were still aware of each other. The atmosphere was so heavy that I couldn’t think of the next thing to say.
“You’re talking about a house, right?”
“House…”
Yura and Hayang kept muttering the word “house” repeatedly.
Then, SuA stepped forward.
“Come to our house.”
Seeing SuA take the lead, Yura and Hayang glared at her, but SuA ignored them and looked at me.
Though I couldn’t see her face from where I was sitting, her gaze directed at my back was unmistakable.
Before the conversation about the house could continue, Yubin interrupted.
“Hold on!”
Everyone’s attention turned to Yubin, who had gotten up from the bed and was looking at everyone with a clenched fist.
“Why are you all so calm? So… he cheated! Don’t you all care?”
Although the atmosphere changed slightly after Yura’s statement, it wasn’t a subject that could be easily dismissed. Especially given that I didn’t fully agree with Earth’s monogamous culture, it was even harder to understand.
Even after living on Earth for twenty years, one might think they would be familiar with its civilization and culture. However, even people who spend their entire lives in one country often fail to fully understand their own country.
Moreover, learning about cultures at the planetary level rather than national levels makes minor differences seem trivial, making it difficult to grasp the nuances.
“I’ve already said, as long as I am loved enough, it’s fine.”
“I feel the same way too.”
Following Yura, Hayang also said it was okay. Before SuA and Milky Way could speak, Yubin countered their statements.
“Why is it okay?! Living together and loving the same person, isn’t that really okay?”
“Yes, it’s okay. Do you dislike Red?”
“Of course, I do!”
It’s possible to dislike someone. Based on Earth’s mindset, disliking someone is natural. Yura and Hayang’s cases might be special, and it’s unavoidable for Yubin to react like this.
Though I haven’t heard Milky Way and SuA’s opinions yet, they are likely to agree with Yubin.
“I was the first to start dating, why should I give in?! It’s natural to want to be the only one liked and loved!”
Half-crying and shouting, Yubin left everyone speechless. Just as I thought it would end with one final outburst, Yubin pointed at SuA.
“And Yellow, you. Ever since, you’ve been clinging to him. I can clearly see you’re deliberately sticking close!”
Suddenly, the conflict turned towards SuA, and I could feel tension building in SuA’s body as she sat behind me, wrapping her legs around my waist and holding my arms tightly.
“What?”
A voice filled with irritation came from behind. There was no doubt she was frowning and glaring at Yubin.
“He said you’re stopping him from escaping. Honestly, do you think we could escape from five of us in this situation? No, do you even look like someone who would run away in this situation? No, but why are you sticking so closely to him? I want to stick closer to him too!”
