Back in time, a few days ago.
When A and Green returned from their late-night walk.
Pink, who had already taken a shower and was wearing comfortable clothes, lay on the living room sofa, watching Yellow play games absentmindedly.
She occasionally checked her smartphone, reading newly uploaded articles or watching amusing videos to pass the time, during which A and Green came back after their walk.
“We’re back.”
Following A into the living room, Green quickly passed by and headed to his room. Just seeing that, Pink could tell what kind of time the two had spent outside.
Yellow also noticed but didn’t pay much attention and continued focusing on the game.
“Yura?”
“Yeah?”
A, about to go to his room, called Pink cautiously, watching Green run past with his eyes, then turned to look at Pink when he heard her voice.
“I want to talk for a bit.”
“Okay.”
Without further ado, she got up from the sofa and followed him to the room.
Once inside, A took off his coat and sat on the bed while Pink sat beside him, pressing against him.
“How was the walk with Green?”
“Just a walk.”
“Really just a walk?”
Pink had already predicted what the two might have done outside, and A, knowing it would be pointless to hide it, awkwardly smiled.
“I’m envious. I wish I could go for a walk too.”
“It’s better to do it at home if you’re going to.”
A understood Pink’s intention to go for a walk, realizing that there wouldn’t be enough tension to enjoy it as much as Green did. Moreover, since Green was with them, they could control the noise level. If it were Pink, A wasn’t sure he could control her sounds.
“So, what’s the talk about?”
It was clear that the walk wasn’t the main topic. Pink asked about A’s intention to call her alone for a talk.
A pondered for a moment how to bring up the conversation. Even though he knew the situation was straightforward, exceptions can always happen.
Since Pink had given him control over the suit, she might consider joining the Spacystro. This thought wasn’t absolute, so A thought there might be a way to gradually bring up the topic.
But after much deliberation, he concluded that direct discussion was the only good option. Turning his head, he looked directly into Pink’s eyes beside him.
“Do you want to join the Spacystro?”
Though surprised, Pink didn’t show any panic. It seemed she had anticipated this conversation.
Even with confidence, A still broke out in cold sweat. Leaving Earth forces to join the invaders’ side was still daunting.
Facing Pink’s direct gaze, A waited anxiously for her response, while Pink, expressionless, eventually smiled.
“What’s wrong? Why are you so tense?”
Holding A’s stiff face, she rubbed it gently.
“I don’t know what answer you’ll give.”
Despite his certainty, A felt an odd mix of emotions and spoke honestly about his current state. Pink chuckled and smiled, looking straight at A.
“Are you really unsure of my answer?”
“No, I know, but I wonder if you might not say anything.”
Nodding, Pink pushed A onto the bed, lying down atop him, burying her face in his chest.
“I thought you’d talk sooner.”
“…Sorry, I was slow to notice.”
Pink had decided to join the Spacystro when she gave A the suit control. Unlike Yellow or Blue, she expressed her decision differently.
Although she didn’t explicitly say it, giving him the suit control showed her firm intent.
“It’s fine. If you hadn’t said anything, I would’ve talked first.”
A was preoccupied with handling multiple girlfriends and investigating the hyper-human, leaving no room to deeply understand Pink’s intentions.
Positively, he was overwhelmed; negatively, he was oblivious. But Pink clearly saw A’s state and, to prevent adding to his worries, didn’t mention the suit control afterward.
“Who else is joining the Spacystro besides Yubin?”
This wasn’t just because A realized her intentions late. Someone else among the members must have said they would join, prompting A to notice.
“Everyone except Yubin.”
“Everyone?”
Assuming one or two members at most, all members except Red had expressed their intention to join the Spacystro.
“What about Red?”
“I plan to talk soon.”
Pink knew A chose to discuss with Red later rather than immediately. As the team leader, Red, despite being young and inexperienced, had a strong sense of responsibility towards the Earth Defense Union.
However, it was uncertain how Red’s views might change due to recent events.
In such a busy period, increasing her worries by discussing joining the Spacystro now was impractical. Thus, A decided to address it after the current situation stabilized.
“Okay. Is there nothing we can do for Red?”
“Help?”
Surprised by the question, A was momentarily speechless, as he hadn’t considered helping Red beyond talking to her.
But he quickly responded:
“Help Yubin more.”
This was a meaningful statement. As the youngest member, Yubin bore more responsibilities than others, especially given her significant role in the recent embezzlement scandal.
She might be under psychological pressure and experiencing greater fatigue than the others.
“Alright.”
Understanding A’s concern for Red, Pink smiled, embracing him.
Currently,
The entire HunterKiller Team knew that A had shifted focus from investigating the hyper-human to searching for Gainesboro’s whereabouts.
As A dealt with his tasks, the team faced their situation head-on without avoiding it.
They were clear victims of the embezzlement and deserved compensation for their losses.
The impact of A’s revealed embezzlement scandal grew daily. Public sentiment worsened with each passing day, and arrows previously divided between the Earth Defense Union and the hyper-humans now focused solely on the Earth Defense Union.
As the investigation widened, interest shifted from just the Seoul branch to all hyper-humans and their associated branches nationwide.
“Looks like we’re swamped again today.”
Yellow sighed, looking down from the office at the reporters gathered at the headquarters entrance.
“It won’t last long. We just need to wait for the results.”
Uncovering the truth was the job of the investigative agency, not the press. Despite previous collaborations, it was inevitable that the truth couldn’t be avoided.
But it was certain that the current interest wouldn’t last long. Having experienced similar situations before, the team knew that public interest could fade quickly.
“So, what should we do now?”
The HunterKiller Team had undergone some investigations related to the embezzlement. Further investigations might follow, but for now, they had some breathing room.
Looking at the computer screen, Pink asked Red, who had been focused, and Red surveyed the team members.
“Right now, A is tracking Gainesboro. I hope we can find ways to locate Gainesboro here too.”
The biggest issue currently was the embezzlement scandal. Examining communication gaps and past records showed that Gainesboro was likely connected to the scandal.
“No, something else.”
Thinking about future plans, Red looked at the monitor again when Pink said it wasn’t about plans.
When their eyes met, Pink pointed to a calendar.
“What’s this? When did this happen?”
The date Pink pointed to was Thursday, meaning the next confrontation was imminent.
“Will we be able to hold the confrontation this time?”
Last week’s confrontation was canceled due to the large crowd. As a member of the Earth Defense Union, it was impossible to skip two consecutive scheduled confrontations.
But with the constant harassment from reporters this week, they couldn’t make specific plans for the next confrontation.
“And we haven’t properly investigated the new three teams.”
With one confrontation canceled and ongoing embezzlement issues, Red had forgotten about planning confrontations.
As the team leader, A was aware of handling multiple tasks simultaneously but felt inadequate.
“Red.”
“Yes?”
When A looked up at Pink’s voice, he found himself embraced by her large chest, struggling to breathe.
“!!”
After Pink released the hug, A could finally catch his breath.
“You have four more heads to think with.”
At this, Red looked around at the team members. Only then did he realize he didn’t need to worry alone.
While the team’s communication improved recently, they had worked together for years.
During A’s hacking attempt, although they hadn’t discussed details, they communicated effectively on the day and received help from other members.
“Right.”
Still feeling the need to handle everything alone, Red remembered working together with the team.
“I want to delegate tasks. Is that okay?”
“Sure.”
All members looked at Red with determination, ready to help.
Seeing their trust, Red divided tasks among them.
Watching the team interact, Pink recalled A’s earlier words:
“Help Yubin more.”
As mentioned, the team’s communication improved recently. Over the past few years, Red was used to handling things alone. Left unattended, she would likely continue doing so.
Thus, Pink felt jealous of A’s care for Red but proud that Red was their team leader.
