“Hello. Older sister. I look forward to working with you in the future.”
“What the hell!”
He remembered every detail of that day—the scenery, the wind, even the smallest things were vividly imprinted in his mind. For Angelique, the first meeting between A and herself was an unforgettable mishap among many experiences she had throughout her life.
Having served as a soldier for a long time in Spacystro, she had accumulated numerous experiences, some of which were quite shocking. However, given that she had maintained a connection with A, their first encounter was unforgettable.
It was when he was newly transferred. A, who was still a rookie at the time, said this during his interview with Siera.
“Yeah. It’s okay to rely on your older sister if you don’t know something.”
“I’m sorry! This guy isn’t usually like this.”
It would be natural to feel bad in such a situation, and it would be normal for a superior to reprimand a subordinate harshly. However, Angelique did not feel bad at all.
Instead, she found the current situation amusing and even thought about allowing A to call her ‘older sister.’ She wanted to end the situation lightly with a smile.
In that moment, it was Siera, who was standing next to A, who felt as if her heart had sunk.
Later, when asked about A’s actions that day, Siera replied, “I wanted to get along quickly with the commander.” At that moment, Siera showed her hostility towards A for the first time.
Hearing Angelique’s response, Siera became even more tense. A, who seemed to have no thoughts, looked confused as if he didn’t understand what he had done wrong. The atmosphere could have become awkward, but Siera tried to change it somehow.
Nothing else happened that day. There couldn’t be any other mishaps beyond A calling her ‘older sister.’
However, for Angelique, that day was enough for A to leave a lasting impression. In fact, after that day, Angelique began to take interest in A, who was then a new recruit.
She wondered what kind of personality someone must have to call a superior ‘older sister’ upon first meeting.
She didn’t view him negatively. But as a soldier, she wanted to understand why he acted that way.
The more she observed A, the more she realized he was often at the center of numerous troubles. There were frequent conflicts with his peers due to differing opinions. It wasn’t always A’s fault.
Sometimes A was the cause, and sometimes it was another peer. Especially with his comrade Kruger, they clashed constantly, and she learned that the two frequently engaged in heated arguments.
From Angelique’s perspective, their behavior was endearing. Having seen many soldiers before, she knew this was a familiar scene, and she could guess that they would collide again in the future.
Although it wasn’t a big issue, there was one thing that needed to be addressed.
At the time, A was bright and cheerful, leading by example in everything. However, he occasionally acted impulsively and sometimes in ways that seemed rash for someone in front.
For instance, during a training session before an operation, A, who was positioned in front, took action contrary to the pre-planned plan to handle a sudden change. As a result, the team’s coordination broke down, and the training failed.
“A. Come over here and sit down for a moment.”
“Yes. What’s the matter?”
Angelique called him to her office, but she wasn’t sure how to start the conversation. Having seen countless soldiers, she found A’s type unique.
He was quick to understand and executed plans swiftly. However, his personality hindered his abilities. He wasn’t incompetent, but his interpersonal relationships were poor.
“Come to my office in the morning from now on.”
“Are you going to assign me cleaning duties?”
Angelique believed that it would be better to keep him close and teach him gradually rather than giving him a lot of information at once. However, the response she received was unexpected—about cleaning.
“No. You’re doing well with cleaning, right?”
“…Do you really think so?”
A looked at the items scattered in a corner of the room. Although she had set up some space in her office, it was far from clean compared to her own room.
“It’s much cleaner than my room.”
“It needs to be clean since it’s a workspace. Wait. So, you mean your room is messy?”
“I think it’s fine to use my room. Could you help me clean it, A?”
Even though it might be an abuse of power, Angelique saw this as a good opportunity. While thinking about how to teach A more, she realized there was a better way to do so.
“The commander’s room? Me? That sounds troublesome.”
“It’s in this condition.”
When Angelique showed A a photo of the disorganized state of her room via a hologram monitor, his expression distorted.
“Wow. It’s a mess.”
Though embarrassed to show her room to others and hear unfiltered comments, Angelique thought it was worth it if it could turn a subordinate into a proper soldier.
When A heard his superior ask for help with cleaning, he initially resisted. But seeing her room, he changed his mind.
He knew A wasn’t good at organizing his office, but he didn’t expect it to be this bad. Given his gentle appearance, he imagined A would also be tidy. This made it even more shocking.
There were piles of trash not properly disposed of, and items that didn’t need refrigeration were left haphazardly. Laundry was draped over a drying rack visible in the background of the photo.
A wasn’t a perfect organizer, but Angelique’s room was so disorganized that it made him want to clean it.
This deep-rooted first encounter sparked a slight interest, and observing further led to the realization that he needed solutions for his problems.
Through these moments, A eventually entered Angelique’s accommodation and stood quietly, looking around the room.
“Your room is a bit messy, isn’t it?”
“Not just a little. It’s really messy.”
Thus, they started cleaning. For Angelique, having this peaceful moment to clean was a pleasant surprise.
“How are you getting along with the unit members?”
“You already know, right? Except for a few friendly people, everyone else is not good.”
“Seems like you argue a lot with Kruger.”
“Different people have different thoughts. I can’t understand why they can’t consider the commanding situation.”
“Kruger switched from officer training to becoming a regular soldier. Maybe that’s why there’s a difference in opinions.”
“Kruger is Kruger. Opinions don’t converge easily with others either.”
As Angelique listened to A, she nodded and paused her cleaning to look at him.
“Each of your peers is capable. I think that’s why their personalities are strong.”
Their individual capabilities were outstanding, making their opinions strong. A seemed to acknowledge his peers’ abilities. The problem lay elsewhere.
“They’re all impressive. They’re incomparable to a regular person like me.”
While acknowledging his peers’ abilities, A struggled to recognize his own. Angelique didn’t bring up this topic to hear this response.
His statement included A, and Angelique acknowledged A’s capability too.
“No, I think A is capable too.”
“In what way?”
Standing out among talented peers proved A’s ability to some extent. But A wanted a more specific answer, and he could tell from her eyes that vague responses wouldn’t suffice.
However, Angelique didn’t need to ponder her response. Since their first meeting, she had always watched A closely whenever he did something noticeable.
She worried and expected his unpredictable actions.
Because she had been observing him, Angelique could confidently speak about A’s strengths.
“Your ability to operate suits is excellent. Among the regular soldiers in our unit, I believe A is the best at handling battle suits.”
“But Seira uses them well too, right?”
“If we consider only combat, I think Seira handles them better. But A utilizes versatility to use them in various ways more effectively.”
“Have I ever used them like that?”
“From how you normally use them, it’s clear. A can definitely do better.”
Despite the confidence in Angelique’s words, A couldn’t fully believe it. Yet, he couldn’t dismiss her confident statement outright.
“Is that so?”
“It’s not enough by itself.”
“Do I lack a lot then?”
“No, it’s not that.”
Angelique found it surprising. Despite occasional accidents, she hadn’t expected A, who usually exuded confidence and led in everything, to doubt his own abilities.
“When listening to others’ opinions, understanding their objectives is important. Your vision is broad. It’s not necessarily bad, but excessive thoughts can disrupt operations. Thus, I think differences arise because some prioritize mission success.”
“Am I the problem?”
“Opinions clash during mission execution, but it’s not just one person’s issue. It doesn’t mean others are problematic. Everyone has the same goal, but the reasons and methods to achieve it differ.”
A couldn’t respond. He still felt it was his problem and wondered if he needed to give up his opinion for smooth communication.
“You’re doing well. You’ll surely improve more in the future.”
Angelique’s voice remained firm. Convinced by her words, A nodded.
“Something feels a bit strange.”
“Why strange?”
“It’s the first time I’ve felt supported after hearing such positive feedback.”
“Really? I thought Seira would say something like that.”
“She’d probably say so.”
To Angelique, A and Seira appeared to be very close. They interacted more frequently than other peers, and despite A’s poor communication skills, they seemed very close.
However, their actual relationship was quite different. Though they seemed like open friends, they were closer to siblings.
Seeing Seira praising him was unimaginable to A.
“If the commander says so, I’ll try harder. So, Commander, please try to keep your room clean too.”
“Huh? With you here?”
“I’m not a cleaner. Then, since you’re here, I don’t need to try, right?”
“No, you do.”
Angelique narrowed her eyes slightly, but her soft and gentle demeanor made her appear non-threatening.
Feeling like she was scolding a child, A couldn’t say anything else.
Seeing the tension in her own eyebrows, Angelique smiled again and approached A, who was quietly sorting through the trash, and hugged him.
“Commander?”
The sudden embrace left A speechless.
“You can definitely do better.”
“Don’t you say this to others often?”
“That’s true, but I say it to you because I’m confident. So, please try a little harder. I’ll continue helping with the cleaning, okay?”
Unable to say no in this atmosphere, A sighed briefly while in Angelique’s embrace.
“Yes, understood.”
“Good. You’re such a good boy. Our A.”
“I’m not a child.”
Being hugged continuously felt strange, but he couldn’t push away Angelique, who was gently holding him without malice, so he stayed still for a moment.
