As the year-end approaches, the world naturally becomes more bustling. Whether it’s good or bad news, issues arise, but unless they reach disaster levels, they often get overshadowed by the unique atmosphere of the end of the year.
The terrorist incident that occurred a month ago gradually faded from people’s attention as time passed. It remained in their memories like a ticking time bomb, but it was clear that the media coverage had decreased compared to before.
Thanks to this, when Yubin and I were on a date, we didn’t have to think about the terrorist incident, and I didn’t feel any stress.
“…”
Yubin, who was walking with me, looked at the Christmas decorations placed in front of a restaurant.
“Why?”
“No, I keep seeing the Christmas decorations. It really feels like the end of the year is approaching.”
Seeing Christmas decorations naturally brings thoughts of Christmas. At the same time, it means that the end of the year is approaching, signaling the end of the year.
“I had many things happen this year, and I wonder if I can solve these problems before next year.”
“Oh….”
I don’t know if Yubin and I are thinking about the same problem. She might be thinking about a different issue, but given how many common issues there are, I didn’t think she would be thinking about something else.
Her words made me recall what I had accomplished this year. After becoming a couple, we started investigating the hyper-human, but we haven’t found any leads yet.
It’s certain that the confrontation will resume due to the terrorist incident, but no one knows how the plan will unfold.
The issue with the girlfriends hasn’t become apparent yet. While their opinions differ, and we can’t say everything is fine, everyone seems reluctant to make a big deal out of it now.
The most concerning issue among them is the investigation into the hyper-human.
For the past 20 years, even with the Spacystro headquarters unable to resolve it, I’m doing it alone, so I don’t expect immediate results.
But I can’t help hoping to find at least some clues.
Above all, since this issue is closely related to my girlfriends, it makes me anxious.
“The confrontation will resume, right?”
Yubin, who had turned her gaze away from the Christmas decorations, started talking about the future confrontation schedule.
“It will.”
While I can’t pinpoint when exactly, it’s certain that it will resume. For now, I think it will start after the base construction is completed and stabilized.
It could be as early as the end of the year, but no later than early next year.
“The confrontation will mean fighting with my older brother again, right?”
“So what if we’ve been fighting continuously?”
“There’s a difference between knowing and not knowing.”
“That’s true, but….”
Since my identity was exposed to the girlfriends, the confrontation has been paused, and I’ve never fought against the HunterKiller members while they knew I was a Spacystro soldier.
If the confrontation resumes, I’ll ask them to fight with full force, but Yubin seems to be struggling with this. The other girlfriends might also be thinking about it silently.
“As I said before, fighting with full effort is the best during confrontations.”
“But attacking you… How can I do that….”
During confrontations, I attacked the girlfriends with full force. Perhaps because I knew our current equipment couldn’t bridge the gap in physical abilities.
Even with full force, we can’t deal a fatal blow to the HunterKiller team.
However, the girlfriends’ perspective is different. They seem worried about possibly getting hurt when facing the strong attacks of the HunterKiller team.
“Our team has keen members. If the atmosphere changes during confrontations, they’ll notice immediately.”
Especially Luche, who knows my situation, will surely pay close attention to the HunterKiller members during confrontations.
Perhaps even Siera, who knows my situation, might show interest in our team’s confrontations. This could gradually lead to more scrutiny and likely cause issues somewhere.
“I don’t want to burden anyone, but Yubin is the leader.”
“Yes, as the leader, I need to make a firm decision.”
Yubin held my hand tightly as she composed herself.
“If I feel anything wrong, just hold me tight that day.”
I felt guilty making such a request to Yubin, but given the circumstances, I couldn’t back down.
“Why are you active in the Spacystro army?”
“Huh?”
Just as I thought I needed to work harder, Yubin leaned her head on my shoulder and asked. Should I consider this timing appropriate? I stared blankly at the void, pondering the difficult question.
“I have things to do.”
“Things to do?”
“Yes, it’s something only a few in Spacystro know.”
“If it’s hard to talk about, you don’t have to.”
My gaze shifted from the sky to the floor, and a bitter smile appeared on my lips.
“Thank you.”
Thinking of my parents’ faces, which I can hardly remember anymore, I decided to talk when I was ready. Holding her hand tightly, I said:
“Shall we go?”
“Yeah.”
Meeting with Siera and tidying up the house delayed our outing, leaving us little time for the date.
Though staying out late wasn’t an issue, we already had plans and contacts arranged, so we decided to go home instead.
Observing Yubin’s expression as we took the elevator upstairs.
We had planned to be alone, but circumstances prevented it, so I couldn’t help but look at her.
“Huh? Why?”
Yubin, however, seemed completely calm, making it impossible to guess her thoughts.
“No, I was just wondering if it’s okay to go to someone else’s house. It’s fine to go to your house.”
“If you were concerned about that, why didn’t you suggest going to my place earlier?”
“That’s true.”
“I don’t mind. We’ve all had fun together anyway, so what’s the problem?”
Carrying this uncertain feeling, the elevator arrived at the top floor.
As I entered the password, I heard footsteps coming from inside the apartment.
“Dear, come in.”
Hayang greeted me with a smile.
“Red, come in too.”
“Yeah.”
Yubin smiled at Hayang’s greeting. Was it really okay?
The house was in a mess, and I needed a place to stay overnight. Going to Yubin’s house would have been fine, but since we usually spent time at my place when with Yubin, and I hadn’t visited hers much, I hadn’t considered going there then.
I thought I should contact the others, and since I had agreed to spend time with Yubin, I called Hayang.
Of course, I hadn’t forgotten about the other girlfriends, but the main consideration was that I had agreed to spend time with Yubin.
If we went to SuA’s house, there was a high chance of a conflict between Yubin and SuA.
If we went to Milky Way’s house, even though I intended to spend time with Yubin, it would create an awkward situation where the host would notice.
If we went to Yura’s house, there was a 100% chance that Yura would provoke Yubin, and Yubin might fall for it.
So, considering that I could be most comfortable with Yubin, I decided to go to Hayang’s place.
“Have you eaten?”
As soon as we entered the living room and sat on the sofa, Hayang immediately thought about food. Since I had called after dinner, I assumed Hayang had eaten and planned to handle dinner during the date.
“Yeah, we ate outside. What about you?”
“I ate earlier too.”
While chatting lightly with Hayang, Yubin, who seemed curious about Hayang’s new house, looked around.
“Do you want to look around?”
“Is it okay?”
“Of course.”
Noticing Yubin looking around, Hayang led her to tour the house. There were three rooms including the bedroom. One was a closet, and another was used as a study.
“There are so many cookbooks.”
Yubin’s voice came from the study. Following Hayang’s guidance, Yubin explored the house while I sat on the sofa, spacing out.
“Sorry for suddenly showing up.”
Just then, Hayang, who had come out of the study, shook her head immediately.
“No, it’s fine. I felt like I benefited today since I was with you yesterday and today.”
She smiled, genuinely happy to be with me, and came closer, holding my hand and pulling me up from the sofa.
“Now let’s go to the bedroom.”
“Me too?”
“Yeah. Why are you just sitting here in the living room?”
“For you two to move around easily…”
Yubin came over and pulled my arm. By this point, I felt it would be rude to worry about whether Yubin was okay, so I decided to relax.
Finally, with both girlfriends holding my arms, we entered the bedroom.
“The bedroom is tidy too.”
Sitting on the bed, Yubin pressed the mattress to feel its cushioning.
“Of course, you never know when someone might visit.”
I always thought Hayang kept the house neat, but seeing her subtle glance, I realized she must keep it clean for a reason.
Sure, she’s naturally tidy, but it’s not just because she likes to keep things clean. There’s another meaning behind it.
Though I’ve always noticed her tidiness, I never had a reason to ask why she keeps it so clean, so I never did.
“Hmm… So that’s it?”
Feeling the mattress’s cushioning, Yubin looked back and forth between me and Hayang, then examined the bed with her eyes.
“You did it here, right…”
Indeed, Hayang’s bedroom bed was where she and I had intimate moments. While there’s more to the conversation, Yubin might be recalling the time we had sex in the bedroom when she didn’t know about my relationships with the other members.
Looking at Yubin’s slightly opened eyes staring at the bed, I felt a chill run down my spine.
“Still, I think Red did it more times than me.”
Next to me, Hayang sat beside Yubin. Her blue eyes reflected Yubin’s red hair, and Yubin turned her head, meeting Hayang’s eyes.
“Yes, Blue, how was it with me?”
Then, unexpectedly, they started talking about their experiences with me during intimate moments.
“It was good. You told me what you liked and how to do it.”
“Exactly, that’s important.”
While it’s better than arguing, hearing it firsthand made me feel embarrassed.
“When you did it with Red, did you touch her chest a lot?”
“Mm… It’s not just the chest, but I think I kissed a lot.”
“I noticed that too. Everyone does it a bit differently.”
“Yeah, I felt the same.”
My face feels hot. If they had talked about this in the living room, I wouldn’t have known, but hearing it directly makes me feel like my real-time evaluation is being assessed.
Their gazes turned to me simultaneously.
Red and blue eyes. The contrast made my shoulders tense.
“Huh? Why?”
“Won’t you do it?”
Hearing Yubin, my head felt dizzy. Yubin opposes harems. Even if we all had sex, it’s preferable to avoid having a threesome with Hayang.
But if Yubin asks first, I can’t help but feel conflicted.
“I will.”
Of course, if I intend to participate, I’ll join in.
Still, I need to think about why this is happening… Just as I was thinking, Yubin hugged me and kissed me.
