Chapter 8

*Crash! Bang!*

“I told you to throw away the trash when it’s full!”

“Ugh, uhh…”

“…”

The trash clumped together in mid-air and neatly flew into a plastic bag that was already floating in the air.

“Game consoles and manga should be put back in their place! If you use them, you should clean up after yourself! Don’t expect others to do it for you!”

“Sniff…”

“…”

The manga scattered on the floor began to float and slot themselves back into the bookshelf, while the game console moved to the corner to charge its battery.

“And the blanket! I told you if you don’t wash it, mites will grow! Did you wash it?”

“I, I did…”

“Then why didn’t you do it? And why didn’t you wash the clothes?!”

“Waaah! Sis, my underwear, my underwear!!”

As the pile of clothes on the floor began to float, the training room instructor blushed and jumped around in a panic.

Upon closer inspection, it was clear that some rather flashy underwear was floating in the air.

“Maker!”

“Yes, Astra. I’ve already closed my eyes.”

To prove it, Maker even put on a blindfold, prompting Astra to start scolding the training room instructor again.

“You’re a girl! How can you walk around so carelessly, even if it’s just inside the house?!”

“B-but… no one comes looking for me except when it’s time to train the staff…”

“Did you forget about the mission I assigned you today?”

“I’m sorry…”

Astra continued to scold her for a while.

“I can’t live like this, seriously!”

*Whoosh! Swish!*

*Ding—* “Laundry in progress—”

*Clatter! Bang! Crash!*

Even as she scolded the training room instructor, Astra didn’t stop cleaning the room.

‘…What’s going on?’

A hikikomori daughter and her mom?

Somehow, Astra’s scolding reminded me of a mother’s nagging. Maybe it’s just my imagination.

‘Of course, I don’t have a mom.’

But if I did, I imagine it would feel something like this.

“Got it? This is the last time I’m cleaning up for you!”

“Y-yes…”

About 10 minutes later, when I took off the blindfold, the room looked completely different.

It was so clean it almost seemed to sparkle.

“You’re really good at cleaning.”

“This is the last time, the last time! I only did it because the training room instructor is so lazy it’s frustrating!”

It definitely doesn’t seem like the last time…

As I watched her turn her head away with a pout, I decided to steer the conversation toward the mission.

“So, is this the training room instructor?”

“…Yes, despite how she looks, she’s actually a high-ranking officer in charge of training our organization members.”

“H-hi…!!”

The training room instructor jumped up to greet me under Astra’s gaze.

But perhaps because she had been sitting for too long, her legs gave out, and she started to tip over.

“Ugh.”

Astra sighed as if this was a common occurrence and used her psychokinesis to catch her.

“…She’s quite the enthusiastic one.”

That wasn’t a 90-degree bow, it was almost 180 degrees…

“Haha… Y-you’re Maker, right? N-nice to meet you…!”

“The pleasure is mine, Training Room Instructor.”

She smiled awkwardly at my response.

“……”

I glanced at her, then turned my gaze to Astra.

Astra. Is this for real?

You’re sending her on a mission with me?

“……”

She avoided my gaze and turned her head away.

***

After finishing the introductions with the training room instructor, we were on our way back.

In the slightly awkward atmosphere, I broke the silence.

“Are you planning to use me as her babysitter?”

“…Babysitter? She’s 23, you know.”

“Then what am I supposed to be?”

“…A helper?”

“Babysitter it is.”

Honestly, seeing how clumsy she is, I can’t help but feel uneasy.

It feels like she’s going to mess up the mission somehow.

“Knowledge Sharing would be perfect for this mission, though.”

Knowledge Sharing.

The training room instructor’s ability allows her to store all information in her mind and share it with others—a simple yet powerful ability.

With her perfect memory as a passive skill, as long as she can extract the information, all she needs to do is memorize it and escape to succeed.

“Sigh… Of course, her ability is perfect for this mission, but the mission itself is a bit too difficult for her to handle alone.”

To summarize Astra’s words:

The research data we’re targeting has been converted into digital form and is encrypted.

The training room instructor can crack the code, but she needs to be undisturbed while doing so.

‘Also, we need to prevent the researchers from self-destructing and deleting the data.’

“It’s definitely a tough mission to handle alone.”

“Right? It’s not that I don’t trust her because she’s clumsy, but your ability and adaptability make you the most suitable for this mission!”

‘So you don’t trust her.’

Even I, who know her from the original story, lost trust in her after seeing her like this. Astra, who’s been living with her for years, must feel even worse.

“Well, I get it. I already knew I was being deployed as a precaution.”

“R-right? It’s all for the success of the mission!”

“Yes. That’s true. Though it’s a bit sad to be forced into a mission.”

“……”

Well, it’s true.

Don’t you feel a little guilty bringing up the forced mission thing?

The mission itself isn’t the issue, but it’s clear I’m being assigned to babysit someone.

And you introduced her as a fellow officer, but you don’t even trust her.

‘This is practically a scam.’

Not that I’m angry or anything.

I just think I can use this to squeeze something out of Astra.

‘If she’s the same as in the original story, she’s only good for taking down B+ level villain organizations or dealing with dispatched heroes.’

Her clumsiness… makes me uneasy too, but I can handle it, right?

Even if my teammate is a bit unreliable, I can’t miss the chance to restore the Chief’s power (= rise through the ranks and live safely).

As I smiled at her, she seemed to feel guilty and bowed her head deeply.

“Ah… Come to think of it, forced missions don’t come with rewards, do they?”

“……”

“Well, I do owe Eclipse a debt, and as an officer, it’s my duty to accept any orders you give, Astra.”

“……”

“You must have assigned me to increase the mission’s success rate.”

It’s fine. Really.

The more I smiled, the more Astra’s green eyes wavered.

Ah~ My heart aches~

‘Maybe if you give me some compensation, this wounded heart will feel better~’

She stopped in her tracks and stared at me for a moment.

“Sigh… What do you want?”

Don’t act all dramatic.

She let out a deep sigh and demanded an answer from me.

“It’s nothing much. I just thought it’s about time I started building my own team.”

“…You want to form your own squad?”

“Yes. I can’t keep borrowing squads from other officers forever.”

I know a lot of strong individuals from the original story, but I can’t just recruit them as I please.

If they’re not even verified, that’s one thing.

But if I bring in a villain from a hostile faction or someone operating independently without proper permission, I’d be treated as a spy.

“Where will you recruit members from? Everyone in the organization already has their own affiliations.”

“I’ll pick up some rough diamonds from outside.”

Astra rested her chin on her hand and pondered.

After a while…

“…You’ll take full responsibility for them, right?”

Meaning, if I bring in a spy, it’ll be on me.

It was her way of giving permission.

Hearing that, I smiled.

“Of course.”

One month into my life as a villain officer, I was officially allowed to form my own team as the Secretary.

***

The next day.

The training room instructor and I gathered in Astra’s office to hear the mission briefing before heading out.

“U-um, does the outfit matter…?”

“Outfit?”

At Astra’s question, the training room instructor silently looked down at her own outfit.

It was a tight-fitting outfit designed for speed, with steel armor covering her shoulders, arms, and legs.

Her chest was also quite exposed, making the whole outfit rather… eye-catching.

Perhaps conscious of me, she glanced my way and tried to cover her chest as much as possible.

“A-anyway, our goal is to steal information… so it’s better to be less noticeable, right…?”

“Our main goal is the research data, but there’s something more important.”

“W-what is it…?”

“The complete annihilation of everyone who knows about the research.”

I nodded at her words.

‘We need to monopolize the information.’

If other villains or heroes get their hands on this information and succeed in developing or mass-producing a cure, even if the Chief regains his former power, it could become a huge hassle.

Worst case scenario, they might end up fighting among themselves and self-destruct before the final boss even arrives.

So whether we find the information or not, the researchers are basically targets for elimination.

“That’s why there’s no need to be stealthy.”

“O-oh…”

“There are enemy troops as well, so it’s better to be prepared for combat at any moment.”

“Got it…!”

The training room instructor nodded at my words and smiled proudly after responding energetically.

“Then, let me explain the mission.”

Astra used her ability to hand over the documents to me and the training room instructor.

“I’ll only say this once, so listen carefully.”

With a serious expression, Astra signaled the start of the mission.

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