LuShe led me out of the headquarters, and we took the subway to arrive right in the middle of Myeongdong.
“Senior! Look at this!”
LuShe’s voice was high as she eagerly walked ahead, and I followed her slowly.
“Go slowly. Go slowly.”
Since we had come out of the headquarters, my tone towards her returned to the old senior-junior relationship.
Though I had been under LuShe for ten years, it wasn’t difficult to revert to our previous relationship.
It was fortunate that there was no sudden use of informal speech from me at the headquarters, likely because of the long period of hierarchical relations maintained between us.
The relationship between me and LuShe is already known to everyone, but I still address her with respect at the headquarters because our current roles are not like the past teacher-student dynamic.
In the past, despite having equal ranks, there was an up-down relationship in terms of education. However, I have spent more time in a leader-subordinate relationship with her than the period we were together in the past. Currently, she and I are clearly in an up-down relationship.
I don’t think anyone would look unfavorably on me if I used informal speech with LuShe at the headquarters. Although I’m unsure about the new colleagues who recently joined, the existing colleagues know well about the relationship between LuShe and me.
However, the reason I address LuShe respectfully at the headquarters is the same as why I address Seira, an old friend, with respect in public. This is due to the clear hierarchical relationship between us based on our positions.
The command system is important, and one cannot disrupt the hierarchy as much as in a workplace.
Although people often say my personality has changed significantly compared to before, I still maintain some principles and rules.
Even though it might not be convincing to say this while dating a HunterKiller team member, I thought,
“How about this? Doesn’t it look delicious?”
Following LuShe, we ended up at a street stall selling waffles.
“Weren’t we going to eat?”
I asked, seeing LuShe looking at a dessert shop. She looked at me with wide eyes, seemingly questioning what the problem was.
“Is it okay?”
“It’s not that it’s not okay, but if we eat dessert first, we’ll get hungry faster, and then it will be hard to finish dinner.”
“Then let’s eat dinner first.”
“What do you want to eat?”
“I don’t know.”
Facing her straightforward response, we decided to choose the menu together. Although lunchtime had passed, I thought we could have a late lunch since I skipped it to write a report.
“Shall we eat something light?”
“I’m okay with anything.”
Neither LuShe nor I have picky eating habits, so although the choice is wide and can be challenging, we usually manage. We chose a pasta restaurant.
We sat by the window where we could see the street.
LuShe was intently looking at the menu, and while she chose her dish, I stared blankly out the window.
“What are you going to eat, Senior?”
“Something reasonably priced.”
Since learning that LuShe was once ATi, whenever we are alone, I feel like we’ve returned to the past.
Not only in mood, but also in how we approach everything, I feel like I’ve gone back in time.
“Then let me choose for you.”
“Okay.”
After flipping through the menu, LuShe pressed the bell next to the table to call a staff member and decided on all the dishes.
“We’ll have the B set, this, and this. And please add another drink.”
While watching LuShe, who was excited about the food, a thought suddenly came to mind.
“But is it okay to walk around like this openly?”
Unlike me, who wears a helmet during confrontations to hide my identity as a regular soldier, LuShe uses heavy makeup during confrontations, making her unrecognizable. Yet, she exposes her face externally.
In the past, when she received a lot of media attention, many articles featuring her photos were published. Since then, we haven’t had much time alone together, so I don’t know how things were before.
Recently, interest in the hyper-humans, including the HunterKiller team and Seoul Branch, has increased. Even though this seems unrelated to LuShe, during one confrontation, so many people showed up that it had to be canceled.
There were those who paid attention to LuShe, the only member of Spacystro showing her face, and her face even appeared in photos taken of the HunterKiller team.
Of course, her face hasn’t been exposed as much as the HunterKiller team, which is currently at the center of attention. However, given the increase in external exposure of the girlfriends, LuShe began to worry.
“It’s fine. It’s fine.”
LuShe waved her hand with a smile, saying there was no problem.
“Before and now, no one recognizes us. Occasionally, there are fan posts online, but no one has ever recognized us outside.”
Hearing that, I couldn’t help but laugh slightly.
Fans of Spacystro, who came to invade Earth.
Considering the amount of media exposure, it’s natural to receive some attention, which is a normal phenomenon.
“Still, we should be careful just in case. We can’t stop going out, but we need to be cautious.”
“Got it.”
LuShe nodded, listening to my seemingly meddling words until the end.
“But what do you think about the recent atmosphere within the team, Senior?”
Since we went out to eat, I tried to avoid work-related topics. It would dampen LuShe’s joy if I brought them up.
However, since LuShe brought up work-related matters first, I had no reason to avoid it.
“The atmosphere is a mess. During confrontations, we don’t coordinate well. It’s chaotic. Kruger needs to come back quickly.”
“Will things immediately improve if Kruger comes back?”
It’s natural for LuShe to doubt. I believe Kruger is far more capable than me. Perhaps the problem is being put off until Kruger returns.
“I don’t know. What do you think? Alt and Roy also just joined, and Theo is here too.”
“Theo doesn’t seem much different from before. Roy is the same, and Alt, I just met him, but he doesn’t seem bad.”
I am worried about how to adapt to the new members and the overall team atmosphere.
It would be good if we had time to adapt, but these individuals are highly acclaimed for their achievements across various regions, so they have very distinct personalities.
“If this continues, it will affect our confrontations.”
“What should we do about the confrontations?”
“Until orders are given, we should continue as usual.”
At the mention of “as usual,” LuShe closed her eyes in thought. After opening her eyes, she narrowed her eyebrows and looked into the void, shook her head, and tapped her chin with her fingers.
“Assuming we handle the confrontations as usual, should we check the team atmosphere during the training next month?”
“Are we going to carry out the training as planned?”
Given the many events recently, I wondered if the scheduled training would proceed as planned. But after asking, I realized that while I was affected, the internal atmosphere at headquarters hadn’t changed much.
“First, we should handle the confrontations as usual, and then the training should also follow routine. Given it’s the first training for the newly formed team, we can’t skip it.”
“Has the location been decided?”
“This time, we’re going to the mountains.”
In summer, we go to the sea. In winter, we go to the mountains.
Although it feels like a vacation, this has been the case every year, so I accepted it.
Just as we were discussing, our ordered food arrived.
The amount of food LuShe ordered was surprisingly large. Even at first glance, it seemed like too much for two ordinary people to eat, but I didn’t worry about leftovers.
Since living with SuA, my appetite has increased, and LuShe eats quite a bit, so I didn’t think it would be a problem.
“Let’s start with dinner.”
“Yeah!”
LuShe answered loudly and started eating the white-colored pasta in front of her. After watching her eat, I began my own meal.
Feeling hungry after skipping lunch, both of us ate voraciously.
“Hey. Mouth.”
“Hmm?”
While eating the fried rice we ordered together, LuShe turned her eyes from the bowl to me at the sound of my voice.
The pasta sauce she had just eaten was dripping down her chin.
“Ugh.”
Without saying, “I told you your hands would be busy,” I took a tissue from beside the table and wiped her mouth.
“Eugh!”
Even though I was just wiping the sauce from her chin, LuShe tilted her head and frowned.
“Why are you making that sound?”
I paused, thinking I had done something wrong, and asked after wiping her chin.
“I don’t know.”
It seems like a natural sound she makes. “I see,” I replied nonchalantly and continued with the rest of the meal.
We quickly finished a considerable amount, and as we emptied the last bowls, we leaned back against the chair.
“I’m full.”
Feeling satisfied with the fullness, we both panted.
“Then shall we go for waffles now?”
Although I was surprised by the idea of having dessert after such a big meal, I didn’t have any reason to discourage her from eating.
“Alright. Let’s eat.”
“Hehehe.”
LuShe, who had been distracted for a moment, lit up with excitement at the thought of going for waffles.
After standing up and settling the bill, we went outside.
The sun was starting to set, and the streets were much busier.
“Be careful not to get lost.”
“I’m not stupid.”
LuShe remembered the exact location of the waffle shop and led the way. Following her from behind, I watched her walking ahead.
There were many street vendors on the street, and one caught my eye.
“Hmm…”
One vendor was selling cheap rings.
Suddenly, I remembered that on Earth, couples often wear matching rings.
I hadn’t paid attention to it before, and since I didn’t pay attention to my girlfriends, I hadn’t thought about it.
“Maybe it would be good to buy a ring?”
Even though I didn’t say it, I knew there must be something I wanted to do.
I hope my girlfriends don’t refrain from telling me what they want just because I have to take care of many people.
Deciding to give them proper rings as gifts soon, I turned to follow LuShe again when I heard a voice in front of me.
“That person. Isn’t it Spacystro?”
Someone’s gaze was directed at LuShe.
Realizing that LuShe, who was placing an order in front of the waffle shop without knowing anything, was being noticed, I felt a sense of dread.
This shouldn’t draw attention.
