The next day, in the headquarters conference room, the officers were discussing the training plan proposed by A the previous day.
“I agree.”
Without hesitation, Luche raised her hand at the suggestion of competition between teams. Although this proposal was disadvantageous to the current Team 3, Team Leader Luche decided to choose this method because she knew her team’s condition better than anyone else.
“Are you sure? Team 3 has a lot to prepare.”
“It’s natural that there will be a lot to prepare for training.”
Luche didn’t consider the amount of preparation as a problem. The biggest issue was the lack of time.
If they focused on training for two weeks, there wouldn’t be any problems, but not all teams would concentrate solely on the competition. They also had to compete and handle specific tasks.
Moreover, the members of Team 3 were well aware of their current situation, so they were already thinking about countermeasures before the competition.
Usually, they would prepare to synchronize their breathing, but since the soldiers were unaware of the many tasks the officers had, the impact of the radio base raid operation was significant. Without the team leader’s initiative, the soldiers didn’t know what to do.
As a veteran with long experience, she didn’t disobey the leader’s orders or act on her own. As a result, they faced unresolved issues and frustration.
“I think everyone in our team would accept this without objection.”
“That’s good news. What about the others?”
Esmeralda, who was leading the meeting, checked the opinions of Angelique and Siera.
Angelique smiled and said, “It’s fine,” showing no opposition.
Siera nodded in agreement, indicating her approval without saying anything.
“Then we need to set up the overall training schedule.”
Just as they were about to discuss the training schedule, Luche quietly raised her hand.
“Luche, why?”
“Which team is A going to participate in for this training?”
This was an important matter for Luche. A was a special existence to her, and the current precarious Team 3 would become even more vulnerable if one member left.
Although the training content hadn’t been finalized, they needed A to achieve some results.
“I don’t think A will participate.”
“Why not?!”
“A will be in charge of designing the training. It’s an advantage for someone who knows the training content to participate in the training.”
What Esmeralda said was correct. Since A was assigned to design the training due to the ban on competition, it didn’t make sense for the designer to participate in the training.
“What about the team leaders’ participation?”
“The team leaders can’t avoid participating. They’ll design the training to some extent, but I plan to leave the design of situations during the training to A.”
It was reassuring that the team leaders could participate.
However, the absence of A was a significant drawback for Luche, and they needed someone to fill A’s role.
Although A often claimed to be unhelpful, Luche believed that A played a crucial spiritual leadership role in Team 3, just like Krueger.
Even though A had been absent when tasks were assigned, colleagues who knew A’s actions trusted him greatly.
Although the personnel had changed significantly and new soldiers only knew that A had received many punishments, Luche believed that they would learn about A’s many achievements through the punishment process.
“Okay. But what is A doing?”
“Looking for accommodation.”
“Isn’t A coming to the meeting?”
“Just waiting for the decision. A is busy with work.”
Luche silently chuckled at A’s characteristic approach without commenting.
The transmission process might lead to different outcomes, but Luche trusted the people she knew and focused on her own work.
“What accommodation are you considering?”
“We’re currently reviewing the candidates. We need to check them out as soon as possible.”
“Will Team 1 be in charge of the preliminary inspection again?”
“Yes. That’s what the administrative team does.”
While preparing for the training, the administrative team from Team 1 always handled the accommodation search and preliminary inspection. There was no problem with continuing the usual procedure.
“Let’s talk about the training schedule.”
*
While the team leaders were holding a meeting in the conference room, I scrolled down to look at the accommodation candidates.
There were many candidates, and none of them were bad. The difference was only slight, so no one would complain about any choice. Moreover, the training site near the accommodation was well-equipped, making the selection even more challenging.
I would have chosen freely from one or two candidates, but with too many options, it became difficult to decide.
Amidst this, the hot spring accommodation mentioned by Esmeralda yesterday kept catching my eye.
Located in a hot spring village near Gyeonggi, one of the accommodations and a large area were acquired by Spacystro, making it an excellent place for training.
“What are you doing?”
I turned my head at the familiar voice behind me.
A large man was standing behind me, looking at the monitor.
It was Kirk, a colleague working in Team 1.
“Looking at accommodation candidates.”
“Accommodation. Going somewhere nice again?”
“Of course. Resting is part of the job.”
Kirk nodded while looking at the hot spring village on the monitor, showing interest.
“The scenery is beautiful. Will you go for the preliminary inspection if we choose here?”
“You want me to go for the preliminary inspection?”
“Sure. You need to check if the accommodation is good and if the training site is suitable.”
I had never known that preliminary inspections were conducted during training until now. This made me realize how much I had neglected many tasks since arriving on Earth.
“I might not go.”
Although it wasn’t confirmed, if I had to go for the preliminary inspection, the probability was high as I was in charge of the training design.
“Are you going for the preliminary inspection?”
“Will I? I switched to the administrative team to keep the house empty.”
He was once a resident of an invaded planet who had served as an infantryman and later as an engineer in space. After coming to Earth, he served as a regular soldier.
His conversion to the administrative team after starting a family, especially after his daughter Eunji was born, seemed unusual.
“How is Eunji doing?”
“She asks every few days when her uncle will come over.”
“Isn’t that risky for a father?”
Silence.
I chuckled and engaged in trivial conversation when a greeting came from the office entrance. Esmeralda had just finished the meeting and entered the office, and those who saw her greeted her.
“The team leader is here. I have to get back to work.”
Kirk patted my shoulder, returned to his seat, and greeted Esmeralda. She came to me and lightly bowed, returning the greeting.
“How was the meeting?”
“They all agreed with the proposal. Luche was the first to agree, right?”
That made sense. Although it was a bad proposal for Team 3’s situation, it was the best way to improve efficiency.
Whether she knew I suggested it or not, I knew Luche would agree if I proposed it.
“That’s good. Did you discuss the training details?”
“Yes. I’ll pass the documents when they’re ready. How about the accommodation?”
“Hmm… I’ve looked at several. This one seems the best.”
I showed her the hot spring village she had first discovered and shown interest in. Esmeralda’s lips twitched slightly as she tried to hide her approval.
“What do you think?”
“Huh? I think it’s good.”
Just then, someone hugged me from behind.
“A!”
Before I could identify who it was, I felt the person hugging my neck and rubbing their cheek against mine. It was Luche.
“Hello, team leader.”
To avoid awkwardness, I greeted her casually.
Luche smiled and continued rubbing her cheek against mine.
“Is this where we’ll stay?”
She immediately showed interest in the accommodation, knowing I was looking for one.
“Yes. The accommodation is spacious enough for men and women to use separately.”
Men and women would need separate accommodations. While individual rooms wouldn’t be an issue, it was necessary to separate them since they were traveling together.
Team 3 had no women, but Team 3 was the only team without women.
In Teams 1, 2, and 4, there were women among the soldiers, so ignoring them by saying “our team has no women” wouldn’t be acceptable.
Suddenly, I wondered:
“By the way, team leader, why doesn’t our team have any women? Is there a special reason?”
Considering the capabilities within the 6th Fleet, there were plenty of women who could be hired. Siera had been promoted to team leader, but there were also outstanding women among the regular soldiers.
“Huh? We can’t have women chasing seniors.”
Now, she was openly expressing her thoughts.
They had accepted only male members because of such unreasonable reasons.
Given the situation, I couldn’t help but check Esmeralda’s reaction.
While I was used to Luche’s behavior, seeing her act this way in front of others was rare.
Especially with Esmeralda being present…
“Hmm!”
Esmeralda cleared her throat, giving a subtle hint.
It felt more like a warning to be cautious since other people in the office might hear.
“But separating men and women makes it hard to play together.”
“It’s for training. You have to endure.”
Luche, still hugging me, puffed her cheeks to express dissatisfaction, but it didn’t affect my calm view of the training.
“At least we can play a little when we have free time. Don’t worry.”
“Really?!”
While I appreciated Luche’s happiness, I couldn’t guarantee how things would go during the actual training.
“Are you going for the preliminary inspection?”
“I probably have to. I’m in charge. What about you, team leader?”
“I… ugh. It’ll be tough.”
I thought briefly about finding a way, but since Team 3 had stopped competing with Team HunterKiller and needed to investigate other teams, Luche’s workload had increased. Finding time for the preliminary inspection within this week was nearly impossible.
“I’ll manage with the Team 1 people. Don’t worry.”
“The preliminary inspection is a 1-night, 2-day trip. Is that okay?”
“Um…”
I assumed it would be a day trip.
Reflecting, there was much to see and the accommodation needed to be tested, so a 1-night, 2-day trip was reasonable.
The issue was that I had never gone on a 1-night, 2-day trip without my girlfriends.
Last summer, I went for training, but at that time, the girlfriends didn’t know my identity, and they had gone on a trip during the training period.
Though the girlfriends found out later, meeting girlfriends on a training trip meant they weren’t really separated.
“I think I need permission first.”
I thought the girlfriends would readily agree, but I also wondered if they would give permission given that this hadn’t happened before.
“If I can’t go, it can’t be helped. I’ll include you in the preliminary inspection team. Talk to your girlfriends if they agree.”
“Understood.”
Since it was a task and there were no concerning elements, they might grant permission.
…Maybe they will? First, I’ll go home after work and discuss it.
