“Oh, my side.”
I thought it would end with just a kick to the ribs in the hot spring, but the rage of my teammates didn’t stop there.
Even though it was only one night, the fact that we had struggled so much in such a short time made their punches relentless. I felt the hit on my side even as I soaked in the hot spring, dealing with the punches.
“Let’s call it quits here; I’m grateful.”
“But nothing has changed. What is there to be grateful for?”
Honestly, I expected them to gang up on me to some extent, and I was actually hit less than I thought I would be.
“Did the training go terribly wrong?”
Theo, who had just finished a quick shower, said as he entered the hot spring last.
“Honestly, I was surprised when Team 3 won first place. It wasn’t easy for the other teams either, but our team had a really tough training.”
The part I paid the most attention to while designing the training was how to make it hardest for Team 3, even without me.
It wasn’t just about wanting to torment my teammates. I didn’t want to hear that the training was designed to benefit Team 3.
No matter how it was designed, it would have been difficult for Team 3, but I specifically designed the training to be extra hard for them.
“Thanks to you, we ended up in a mess. Half of us had to retire, and although we plugged in the USB, Theo and I had to retire at the end too.”
“I didn’t expect Esmeralda to hand us over right there.”
Many people were injured during the training, but thankfully no one was seriously hurt. The injuries were minor, mostly bruises, so I wasn’t too worried. However, I was a bit concerned about Esmeralda’s electronic weapon hitting her directly.
“But how did you fight? I could only see your movements through GPS, so I don’t know exactly what you did.”
Kluge narrowed his eyes as he stared into the void, obviously feeling bad about something as he recalled the strategy again. His gaze shifted from the void to me.
“What were you thinking when you designed this?”
“I set it up so that without good teamwork, it would be impossible to break through.”
The training I designed kept the participants under constant pressure, making sure they couldn’t relax even for a moment. The best way to break through was to flow like water, quickly overcoming obstacles and reorganizing in relatively safer areas.
But for Team 3, whose coordination was off, this was nearly impossible. Kluge was aware of their return and had some tactical ideas, but it wasn’t a problem that could be solved quickly.
“If that doesn’t work, we’ll have to resort to extreme tactics.”
There are also tactics where you ignore team coordination and push beyond the limits of the training equipment’s AI to break through.
The Kluge I know wouldn’t choose such an extreme tactic. He always plans meticulously and minimizes risky actions.
“That’s what we did.”
I didn’t immediately understand Kluge’s statement.
He broke through the situation with an extreme tactic? Kluge?
Looking at Kluge with a shocked expression, I turned to Theo, who nodded silently.
“I let everyone move according to their own characteristics. All I did was give direction and check remaining supplies.”
“You actually used that kind of tactic?”
“Yeah. I’ve never done anything like this before.”
Although the outcome was successful, Kluge seemed displeased that he had to adopt a completely different strategy from what he usually does. He washed his face in the hot spring water.
“It was just luck. Honestly, it was a plan where any of us could have retired at any time.”
“Right. I thought you’d never do something like that.”
“But once I decided to succeed, I just went ahead.”
It was impressive that everyone could perform their abilities effectively without wearing battle suits, which are specialized for individual performance.
“So you found out something about the problems with Team 3?”
“There’s something. I’ll talk to the Team Leader later, but everyone’s characteristics are very distinct.”
I immediately understood what Kluge was getting at.
I vaguely knew each person’s distinct traits. Despite that, I had tried to align with the strategies we had used before. But Kluge apparently judged these strategies as ineffective during the training.
“I wanted to use the same tactics as before, but I gave up. We need to think of tactics that better utilize individual abilities. That decision is up to the Team Leader.”
I think Luche will reflect Kluge’s opinion to some extent. Luche is the Team Leader and excels in many ways, but Kluge has more experience.
“You should also consider using the equipment you’re accustomed to.”
“Me? Is that possible?”
He seemed to momentarily forget about the equipment he used before and then shook his head after realizing something.
“Yes. You might find it challenging.”
“If we use tactics tailored to individual characteristics, I’ll have to think a lot more. Given my current position, it’s unlikely to change soon.”
In the past, when I wore battle suits, I used weapons with strong firepower. At that time, we were deployed in combat within the Motherland, and many used powerful weapons.
I was one of them, and using the equipment I used on Earth would have been too dangerous.
If battles took place in the city center, using weapons with strong firepower there would result in buildings collapsing almost instantly.
“I don’t know if my opinion will be reflected in future confrontations, but I’m aware of it.”
“Yeah. Let’s keep watching. There are plenty of other things to solve besides confrontations.”
Somehow, Kluge, Theo, and I ended up sitting separately, and the atmosphere naturally led to a somewhat heavy conversation.
“How’s the HunterKiller Team doing?”
“What about it?”
“Aren’t you guys finding something by working together? Are you okay with that?”
“I haven’t told my girlfriends yet. I haven’t spoken to them since reporting to the higher-ups, so I haven’t looked at the data either.”
Above all, due to the recent training design, I haven’t had time for anything else.
Remembering that there haven’t been any major orders from above lately, I felt a headache coming on.
“There’s no confrontation right now, so I was a bit curious about the situation.”
“I haven’t been able to pay much attention to my girlfriends because of training preparation. When I return, I’ll have to make up for the time I missed.”
“That’s devotion.”
Was he envious of my having girlfriends or was he adapting to my absence? Theo laughed bitterly.
“I never imagined you would have multiple girlfriends.”
“Why not?”
“Don’t you remember when we were planning to invade Palaeus?”
“Oh…”
Listening to Kluge, I remembered one of the old events I had forgotten.
Decades ago, we invaded a planet called Palaeus, and one of the high-ranking officials we met there had many wives.
“He thought you wouldn’t consider having a harem, so I listened carefully to what he was saying.”
“Right. I heard him then, but I forgot.”
While chatting with the high-ranking official who lived with numerous wives, he said:
“If you want many wives, you’d better prepare yourself. With the right preparation, your body won’t survive.”
At the time, it was irrelevant to me, but I listened carefully to his words.
Next to me, Kluge remarked, “I doubt that will happen. This guy is the issue.”
Thinking back, Kluge must have known the atmosphere around me to some extent even then.
“Is it hard?”
Before answering Theo’s genuine question out of concern, I needed to think for a moment.
“It’s hard.”
To be honest, it’s not easy to say it’s not hard. Even in a normal relationship, it’s not all smooth sailing, let alone meeting five people and living together.
We haven’t had serious fights yet, which I think is because my girlfriends are considerate of me.
Nighttime was also not easy. Although I rarely reached my limits due to sufficient stamina, it’s not accurate to say everything went smoothly.
“But it’s worth it.”
Though the situation is difficult and there’s no guarantee that everything will go well in the future, I can maintain this relationship because each girlfriend is precious to me and I care for them.
Reflecting on my relationship with the Team Leaders, I anticipate greater challenges ahead, but I can handle it given my past experiences.
“I don’t want to see that.”
As I spoke about my girlfriends, Kluge frowned, and the emotions welling up inside me were instantly shattered.
Friendship and relationships are complicated. If I were in the same situation as the others, I would have reacted the same way, so I kept quiet.
Most importantly, raising my voice to argue now would make me an easy target.
“Let’s go. How long are you going to stay in there?”
“Yeah, let’s go. Whether it’s sleep or drinking, we need to rest.”
Stretching, the three of us left the hot spring. As we dried off and put on robes, the warm bodies met the cold air, causing yawns and a sense of relaxation.
“Senior!”
First, we headed toward the guest room, but Roy waved and ran over from afar.
“Didn’t you take a bath?”
“I only showered in the room.”
Roy, a creature with wolf genes, had never liked bathing much. While he maintained cleanliness by showering daily, he had never been seen soaking in a bath.
“But who are you looking for?”
“Ei, Senior.”
“Me? Why?”
There’s no reason for Roy to look for me now.
I tilted my head at his words, and Roy got straight to the point.
“The Team Leaders are looking for you.”
“The Team Leaders?”
“Isn’t it because of the training?”
“Oh…”
Theo’s words made me realize the reason immediately.
Colleagues would naturally take rest today or tomorrow and then handle the training details, but as the designer, I had tasks to complete right after the training ended.
Discussing the training with the Team Leaders was natural, so I accepted that I couldn’t relax and sighed.
“Where are they?”
“They asked me to come to the guest room they use.”
“Got it. You go ahead. I’ll talk to the Team Leaders and join you later.”
“Alright.”
Training may have ended, but the work wasn’t over. It’s natural to finish the assigned task, so shaking off the laziness, I adjusted my shoulders and headed toward the Team Leaders’ accommodation.
Arriving at the large four-person guest room, I knocked on the door, and a voice came from inside.
“Who is it?”
It was Luche’s voice.
“It’s Ei. I came as you requested.”
The door opened shortly after. Luche’s face was still flushed from the recent shower, and her ash-gray hair still had droplets of water.
Opening the door in a robe, Luche smiled as soon as she saw me, and behind her, the Team Leaders were seated in the room.
“Come in.”
“Excuse me for a moment.”
Wanting to quickly wrap up the training discussion and return to rest, I entered the room.
