Despite no immediate major changes, I received news from my superiors that I had been eagerly awaiting. It felt almost as if I had heard something substantial.
Even though nothing much had changed, receiving encouragement from Ms. Angelique and reaffirming that my actions should align with my beliefs was a significant gain for me.
If things were to go wrong, I believed someone would surely catch me. Only recently did I realize how many people were looking out for me after I got girlfriends.
I boarded the subway to head home from headquarters.
I figured I would probably arrive home before my girlfriends. Checking my smartphone for any news articles that might have popped up in the brief time, I turned it on.
There wasn’t any new news, but just because it hadn’t been made public yet didn’t mean I could be complacent about my girlfriends’ situation.
Once my girlfriends arrived home, I planned to tell them about the information I received at headquarters today and lay out future plans.
While I wasn’t sure whether not pushing for confrontation would be good or bad, I thought it would at least allow me some respite from fatigue.
“I wish I could go out and relax.”
As I moved through the subway, gazing out the window.
It was still winter, so cold days persisted, but the sun was intense and the sky was clear.
Is this what they mean by the sky being indifferent?
The indifferent sky, not caring about my frustration, made the beautiful weather feel somewhat unwelcome.
Muttering to myself about going out, I suddenly realized that only a few weeks remained until the February training.
Oh, right. Under activity restrictions, can I participate in training? Based on the orders I received, restricted activities refer to ‘confrontation,’ not ‘training.’
When I visit headquarters next time, I should check if I’m allowed to participate in the training.
Klugger must be thinking about returning too, so perhaps misunderstanding can be cleared, and we can both perform well in the next training.
Without realizing it, I didn’t even confirm where the training would take place. Though it’s not a trip, I hope we go somewhere that allows for sufficient rest.
From important to trivial matters, I found myself thinking about various things, and before I knew it, I reached the station.
Stepping outside to head home, my phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Yeah, it’s me. Are you outside?”
Hayang called, and I wondered what she wanted at such a busy time.
“I’m on my way home now. Why?”
“Can you do the shopping for me?”
Hayang usually takes care of cooking, so she typically handles the shopping too. Sometimes, we go together, but lately, due to her busy schedule, we haven’t gone together.
“Send me the list. Will I be late?”
“I don’t know when I’ll finish.”
“Alright. I’ll handle the shopping. Take your time and come back.”
This was the first time Hayang asked me to do the shopping.
It seems she might struggle to finish work before the store closes.
Since there’s nothing else to do at home besides daydreaming, I decided to go shopping as requested by Hayang.
There’s a supermarket near the station, so instead of heading home, I went straight to the supermarket.
I assumed she would send the list while I was en route. Then I remembered that Hayang always carried the items she bought, whether alone or with me, which seemed a bit inconvenient despite not being heavy.
Not long ago, during the radio base assault mission, I rode in Ms. Angelique’s car. Having a car for everyone to use wouldn’t be bad.
Although buying snacks at the corner store isn’t a big deal, I need to think more and discuss with my girlfriends. It doesn’t seem like a bad idea, though.
“Oh.”
However, there was a problem. I don’t have a driver’s license.
Living on Earth, most travel is done via public transportation, and I rarely need to drive far by myself, so I never felt the need for a car.
When traveling to a spaceship, we use warp devices, making cars unnecessary.
But now that I live with my girlfriends, having a car would make traveling together much easier.
Maybe it’s time to get a license?
Since I’ve never discussed cars with my girlfriends, I don’t know if they have licenses.
Seeing them ride motorcycles in confrontations suggests they have licenses, but I’m unsure if they’re motorcycle or car licenses.
Just then, a message from Hayang came. She sent a list of items to buy, and as I checked each item, a loud noise came from nearby.
Curious, I turned my head and saw a large truck descending rapidly down a hill just ahead.
On an empty afternoon road, a large truck was speeding downhill, with no signs of braking.
The driver appeared panicked, unable to control the steering wheel, continuing to descend the hill.
It was clear a collision would occur, and a child was crossing the crosswalk below.
A young elementary school student, seemingly unaware of the truck coming down, was slowly crossing the crosswalk.
Deciding between stopping the truck or avoiding the child, I instinctively acted.
By the time I jumped to grab the child, the truck collided with a wall. While the driver might be in danger, I couldn’t guarantee the child’s safety by stopping the truck.
Given my stance as a Spacystro, intervening in such situations is inappropriate, but there was no time to consider that when saving the child.
I grabbed the child and ran to the side, and almost immediately, the truck collided.
Not with the wall, but with a sound that wasn’t loud. The truck’s shadow loomed over me as I held the child.
“Are you okay?”
Two young men stood in front of the speeding truck. One looked around 2 meters tall, and the other had dark gray hair, both exerting all their strength to stop the truck.
In a daze, I looked up to see one of the young men checking the situation.
“Are you okay?”
I immediately checked the child’s condition. The child, wide-eyed in shock, said nothing. Fortunately, they seemed unharmed, and I sighed in relief.
“The child seems fine.”
“What about you?”
“I’m fine too.”
The man with dark gray hair smiled, relieved that there were no injuries.
“Oh!”
The driver, crying, stepped out of the stopped truck.
The middle-aged man had been in a state of panic driving the uncontrollable truck and approached me and the child lying on the ground.
“Calm down, sir. No one is hurt.”
“The brakes aren’t working. Are you really okay? Is the child safe?”
“Yes, we’re fine.”
The gray-haired man calmed the middle-aged driver and stood up to reassure him repeatedly.
“Hey, kid. Are you okay?”
“Yes.”
Though panicked, the child confirmed they were unhurt, confirming no injuries.
“We should call the police. Are you okay?”
The gray-haired man dialed his phone to report to the police.
Staying here could expose us to the police.
Although it was silly to say after having contact with the police, a single encounter didn’t mean I could be less cautious.
“I should go.”
Even if suspicious, it’s best to leave hastily. After checking the child’s condition, I bid farewell to the young man and the truck driver.
“Just tell the police what happened.”
“I don’t have time…”
Afraid of being caught, I made an excuse and hurried away.
I heard the gray-haired man calling behind me, but I didn’t turn back and pushed through the crowd.
Feeling somewhat relieved after moving away from the accident site, I leaned against a corner of an alley.
“That was a surprise.”
I never expected to witness such an accident firsthand.
Though I’ve had countless unique experiences, not everything can be experienced. Being in such a situation and reacting to save the child felt lucky.
After calming down, I leaned off the wall to head to the supermarket for groceries when something landed in front of me.
“Lucky. I thought I missed you.”
It was the gray-haired man who had stopped the truck with the bulky man earlier.
“Huh? Why are you here?”
“The police haven’t arrived yet. I asked a friend to check the scene briefly and came here.”
He had been searching for me and came over immediately upon finding me.
“Thank you for saving the child. I am Hyper-human from Earth Defense Union. I am Dark from Team Endurance.”
From the moment he stopped the truck, I realized he possessed extraordinary abilities, quickly concluding he was a Hyper-human.
I had heard of him before. Although I had no detailed information, I heard from my girlfriends that a new team, Team Endurance, had formed after Team Guerrilla disappeared.
My girlfriends didn’t know much about them either, so I never imagined meeting them this way.
“…”
Meeting him surprised me. Aside from my girlfriends, I had only met Hyper-humans from Team SpecialForce and Team Guerrilla.
Among them, Team Guerrilla was an unwanted connection, so meeting a new Hyper-human wasn’t entirely comforting.
“You don’t need to be afraid. I’m not here to cause harm.”
Seeing my slight resistance, Dark thought I was scared unnecessarily and spoke in a reassuring tone.
“I came to express my gratitude again. My friend and I were on patrol when we saw the truck coming down. Even if we had stopped it, the child could have been injured. Thank you for protecting the child.”
“Patrol?”
More than his gratitude, the word ‘patrol’ stuck in my mind.
“Yes. Since coming to Seoul, I haven’t had anything specific to do, so I patrol every day, hoping to help anyone in trouble.”
I didn’t know much about Team Endurance because they hadn’t participated in confrontations. The reason for not participating was unclear, but given recent internal turmoil within the Earth Defense Union due to embezzlement, they likely weren’t paying attention.
Under these circumstances, Team Endurance took initiative to find their own role.
“I never imagined encountering such an accident.”
“Neither did I. I was on my way to do some shopping.”
Even without me, they would have saved the driver and the child. Yet, Dark came to find me, perhaps to thank me again.
“Amazing. Even as a Hyper-human…”
Unconsciously, I expressed my admiration seeing his actions.
Perhaps because I had seen the worst with Team Guerrilla? Or because they were the successors of Team Guerrilla?
Seeing my girlfriends, I realized Hyper-humans were facing persecution.
So, despite being a Hyper-human, I admired him for helping others purely.
“People with power should help. If you think ‘I could have helped’ later, it will be too late.”
Seeing him without hostility, Dark forced a smile.
“Sometimes, even if you help, you get criticized.”
People are diverse, and even knowing this, I hadn’t considered that Hyper-humans would actively help.
Recently, I met a boy who was a fan of Team HunterKiller. Despite the world’s harshness, there are those who understand and support Hyper-humans.
Thus, it’s not strange for Hyper-humans to help others.
“It was nothing. They would have been safe even without me.”
“But it’s important to thank those who do good deeds.”
Despite his name, Dark had a very bright aura.
“Thank you again. The police might arrive soon. I should go.”
“Take care.”
Bowing once more, Dark ran off, paused, waved at me, and returned to the scene.
Recently, Yubin mentioned people’s views on Hyper-humans.
Perhaps our conversation influenced him?
Yubin continued fighting to protect Earth, but as time passed, the situation didn’t improve, and Yubin couldn’t remain optimistic.
Yet, her dedication to protecting people remained unchanged.
Meeting Dark briefly and talking with him made me clearly feel his strong beliefs.
“What an amazing person.”
