The initial training design seemed daunting at first but turned out to be less challenging than expected.
They say experience is wealth, right? When designing the training according to the planned method, I applied the information gathered through countless experiences, and surprisingly, no problems arose in the design.
Among the training designs I had done for the first time, the biggest mishap was the preliminary investigation with Ms. Esmeralda.
Could it be because I’ve been through so much recently? It was rather unsettling that things were going smoothly, but since nothing unusual happened, there was no need to worry unnecessarily about non-existent issues, so I decided to lighten my load.
“Parna, could you find file number 1026?”
“Sure.”
After requesting the training files from the invasion of a planet long ago, I returned to my seat and continued reviewing the documents. Although I was uneasy about whether the competitive training design would work well, choosing the competitive format actually made it easier.
There was a problem with planning routes for each team, but since it was an evaluation-based training, we didn’t need to include too many details. We just needed to create specific situations based on the evaluation criteria and observe how each team responded.
“I remember this being quite a challenge before.”
While designing the training, recalling the most frustrating points from numerous previous trainings, a wicked smile formed as I thought about the colleagues I would face during the training.
“Why are you so happy by yourself?”
I turned around at the voice behind me. Ms. Esmeralda looked at me with a puzzled expression, noticing my wicked smile.
“No, it’s nothing. Is there something you need?”
“Not really. I saw Angelique today.”
“Team Leader Angelique? No, I haven’t seen her today.”
In the 1st Team office, there were always people I encountered, including Ms. Esmeralda, the team leader, and Ms. Angelique, who had nearly the same workload. Even though I hadn’t been in the office for long, I hadn’t missed seeing Ms. Angelique any day.
Not seeing her one day wasn’t unusual, so there was nothing strange about not seeing her today.
“Maybe she didn’t come to work?”
I tilted my head at Ms. Esmeralda’s muttering. Since regular soldiers have flexible working hours, team leaders do too. However, they come to work when they have tasks, similar to regular soldiers.
Team leaders with heavy workloads might as well be considered to be coming to work every day except weekends. If they can finish their tasks, there’s no need to come to work, so not coming doesn’t pose a problem.
However, after joining the Seoul Branch, I had never seen team leaders not come to work. Though I rarely came to work, whenever I did, the team leaders were always present.
“Did she say anything special?”
“No, I haven’t heard anything. Is there something wrong?”
Worried she might have caught a cold, I wondered. Even though Ms. Angelique was careful about her health, if her lifestyle hadn’t changed significantly, she could easily catch a simple illness like a cold.
“Do you have anything to pass on?”
“Yes. Anjeleka manages the confrontation schedule, so I wanted to check it, but… Could you ask A?”
“What? Me?”
Surprised by the sudden request to go see Ms. Angelique, I hesitated.
“Is it okay?”
Since there was no pressing work, I had the time. Though I didn’t know why I had to go personally, I couldn’t refuse when Ms. Esmeralda asked.
“No, it’s fine. I’ll go.”
Recalling my visits to her place before, I decided to go. Unlike her usual attentive and caring nature, her room, which was a mess, came to mind.
People change over time, but some things remain constant. Even though I assumed Ms. Angelique had become better at cleaning, I couldn’t picture a tidy room in my mind.
Although I’m not particularly good at tidying up either, I don’t leave trash lying around. Worried, I decided to visit Ms. Angelique’s place.
“If you find the files, leave them on my desk. I’ll be away for a bit.”
After asking a member of Team 1 for the files, I received Ms. Angelique’s address from Ms. Esmeralda. Located near Seoul, it took considerable time to get there.
Since joining the Seoul Branch, the only person’s house I had visited was Seira’s. Having been active here for ten years, it was my first time visiting Ms. Angelique’s place, and I approached with excitement and nervousness.
“Should I bring something?”
Thinking she might not have come to work due to illness, I considered what to bring while riding the subway.
At the nearby supermarket, I bought mostly cleaning supplies. Even though I thought she would have some, I bought them just in case.
Ms. Angelique’s apartment was located opposite headquarters in the Seoul map, so it took a while to get there. The excitement and tension made me unaware of the time until I arrived at her place.
Arriving at the high-rise building, I pressed the doorbell for her apartment in the lobby.
“Who is it?”
Recognizing the familiar voice, I confirmed it was Ms. Angelique’s place and showed my face to the camera.
“Team Leader, it’s me.”
“Ahhh!”
Startled by the scream, I froze in place.
“Is something wrong?”
“Huh? No, nothing. What’s going on?”
Seeing me for the first time, Ms. Angelique appeared equally surprised as I was tense upon my first visit to her home.
“I thought something might be wrong since you weren’t at work. Team Leader told me to check, so I came by. If it’s inconvenient, I’ll leave.”
Even though we had chatted and cleaned together in her room before, there was no guarantee it would be okay now. Saying I would leave, I got an immediate response.
“No, it’s fine. Come in.”
The lobby door opened, and despite her obvious confusion, I wondered if it was okay to enter. But since she opened the door, I decided to go in.
The elevator ride felt endless. Even though it wasn’t very high, it seemed to take forever.
Finally reaching her floor, I walked down the corridor to her door and rang the bell.
“Oh! I’m leaving right now!”
Rushing sounds came from inside. This confirmed her habits hadn’t changed.
The door opened, revealing Ms. Angelique in pajamas.
Her messy hair suggested she had hastily tidied up. If it were me, I wouldn’t have noticed, but living with girlfriends, I noticed these details.
“Come in.”
“Hello.”
With an awkward smile, Ms. Angelique greeted me and glanced at the messy room behind her.
“Are you feeling unwell?”
“No, I’m fine. I just wanted to rest today… Do you want to come in?”
“Yes, please.”
Stepping inside, the disarray became even more apparent. Garbage bags filled with recyclables and overflowing trash cans.
Every step revealed more clutter. An uncleaned summer blanket lay beside the bed in the bedroom, and a plastic container remained untouched on the TV stand.
“You haven’t changed at all.”
“…Sorry.”
Even when I frequently visited her room, I often nagged her about cleaning. At that moment, I felt like I was taking care of her instead of the other way around.
How many people know that despite her seemingly perfect demeanor, Ms. Angelique has low survival skills? I hope no one else knows.
“Not surprising, considering what I saw in the office.”
After checking around the room, I unpacked the items I had bought—trash bags and basic cleaning tools—and rolled up my sleeves.
“You don’t need to clean. I’m just here for a moment.”
“How can I leave this state? Just watch quietly from the corner.”
Usually quiet, Ms. Angelique sat silently on the sofa when I started cleaning. I felt her eyes following me, but I continued without paying attention.
It was the first time I had been to her place since coming to Earth and the first time in a long while that I cleaned her room, yet it felt like just yesterday.
The familiarity of the task made it feel like I had just done it.
“You should wash the plastic containers with water before disposing of them. Earth has different recycling methods.”
“That… slipped my mind.”
Cleaning her room, I realized why it didn’t feel like a long time.
The closest person with low survival skills was SuA.
Since my first visit to her place, I had mostly taken care of the cleaning. Now, she can manage some tidiness, but initially, it was terrible.
That’s when I felt like I was truly cleaning someone else’s room again.
“Anything left behind?”
“Not that messy.”
“Not convincing.”
“Ugh…”
Unable to argue, Ms. Angelique shrugged. I worried she might have had some issue since I hadn’t seen her resting before, but it seemed unnecessary.
She remained unchanged as ever.
If anything, I should worry about the room’s condition from now on.
“At least it’s better than before.”
Progress in sorting garbage was significant.
By the time I considered whether this counted as praise, Ms. Angelique had already smiled.
“Right?”
“Still a mess, though.”
“…”
Again, she found no counterargument.
I enjoyed visiting Ms. Angelique’s place because, despite her usual attentiveness, she knew her own lack of practical skills.
Simultaneously amused and nostalgic, I couldn’t help but smile.
“Is it that dirty to laugh about?”
Though I didn’t laugh at the dirtiness, the sight made me smile, so I didn’t deny it.
“Yes.”
Ms. Angelique blushed and lowered her head. While I often pointed out the mess, this reaction was new.
I expected her to respond normally if I had just casually agreed.
“Team Leader, is everything okay?”
I couldn’t shake the feeling something was wrong. Knowing Ms. Angelique had never shown signs of merely wanting to rest, I hesitated but eventually spoke.
“Just a lot on my mind.”
“Thinking about something?”
“How are the girlfriends?”
Assuming she was thinking about personal matters, I was caught off guard by the abrupt question about our recent situations.
There was nothing to explain; lately, there had been no significant issues. Perhaps, both girlfriends and I were busier, leading to less time for intimacy?
This was purely personal and not something to discuss with Ms. Angelique.
“We’re doing well.”
A straightforward answer, and Ms. Angelique nodded.
“Luche and Seira?”
“Well… Nothing has changed since I last mentioned Seira, and Luche has been meeting less since coming to the 1st Team office.”
Ms. Angelique simply nodded.
“Esmeralda?”
“What?!”
Taken aback by the sudden question about Ms. Esmeralda, I panicked. Though there were serious matters, I had kept our situation confidential, and such reactions undermined the secrecy.
“Esmeralda told me.”
“Oh… I see.”
Ms. Esmeralda and Ms. Angelique were close friends. Their bond was so strong that no one could come between them. If there was any strange vibe, I would have noticed immediately, and Ms. Angelique must have asked Ms. Esmeralda for answers.
“There’s nothing urgent right now.”
“I see…”
Again, she just nodded.
At this point, I sensed discomfort. Ms. Angelique clearly had something to say but seemed hesitant for some reason. I decided to focus on cleaning until she felt ready to speak.
“Let me finish cleaning.”
“Okay.”
Throughout the cleaning, I felt her gaze following me. Wondering what she wanted to say, I couldn’t figure it out until the cleaning was done, feeling a slightly uncomfortable presence.
