Chapter 80

Any amount of athletic prowess doesn’t make it easy to win at a sport for the first time in your life. Moreover, if the opponent has physical capabilities equal to or greater than yours, it becomes even more difficult.

I had never seen the HunterKiller members wrestling, nor did I know if they knew how to wrestle when talking to each one individually. Looking back, it might seem funny that we were having a conversation about wrestling. As a fake foreigner who seemed to know nothing about sports, it was odd that I suddenly brought up wrestling….

Regardless, given that the HunterKiller members are Korean, they must have had some basic knowledge about wrestling. It would be practically impossible for our leaders, who had no information, to win.

“What? You don’t know how to do it at all?”

Although they had chosen a favorable event, they didn’t seem to think we had zero information. That’s reasonable because from their perspective, we are longtime enemies and have been fighting for a long time, so they probably thought we would have a lot of information about Korea and combat.

Actually, this guess wasn’t entirely wrong. However, the information they had was only general cultural information, and they only had an understanding of individual members of the HunterKiller in terms of combat information.

“Did you know how to do it then?!”

Siera, who lost easily in the first round, got angry. Yura also showed her temper, and I hope it won’t escalate into a big fight here.

“Referee.”

I was startled by Yura calling me. Her voice, which usually sounded affectionate with a nickname, sounded colder without any emotion.

“Can we play the first round as a practice game?”

“?”

I was stunned by her saying she would nullify the game just won, and then I realized how Yura-like it was.

But Siera, who had no idea about Yura, stood up from the sand and glared at Yura.

“What? Do you think it’s too easy and ignore it?”

“Yeah. Because it’s too easy, let’s do it again.”

She chose the event because she wanted to win quickly, and winning quickly was the best situation. However, Yura can’t overlook unfairness. Moreover, although she is active and likes to play, she wouldn’t miss this chance to play with someone who could physically clash, even if it’s an enemy.

If everyone agreed, I didn’t mind making the first round invalid.

“Is it okay?”

“Anyway, it’s just for fun. It’s fine if you teach me a bit while playing.”

“What if you lose in the next match?”

“…If losing one round of wrestling would make me lose, I wouldn’t have lost earlier.”

SuA smiled after hearing Yura’s last comment. I hadn’t heard about the conflict between the two, so maybe they had already reconciled, and I hadn’t caught up on the situation yet.

Looking at the HunterKiller members, there seemed to be no one opposing Yura’s opinion.

Our leaders, although Siera seemed a little upset, didn’t have a reason to refuse making the first round invalid, and the other leaders didn’t insist on it either.

After nodding in agreement with the leaders’ opinions and looking at Yura, she said “Thank you.” and hit my shoulder with her palm. Though it was meant sincerely, I felt the difference in power compared to when my boyfriend hits me or when a Spacystro soldier hits me.

“Come over here.”

Siera, feeling humiliated for having to redo the lost game, stood still on the sand instead of approaching Yura. Yura pulled Siera’s arm impatiently waiting for her.

“Ah!”

Due to the significant physical advantage Yura had over Siera, Siera couldn’t use any strength and was led by Yura’s hand to sit facing each other again.

“I’ll just teach you the basics. Figure out the rest yourself.”

Yura began teaching Siera wrestling, and Luche and Esmeralda, who didn’t know anything about wrestling, approached and learned by watching Yura’s demonstration.

The atmosphere became relaxed instantly, and I, watching as a referee, found myself doing nothing and standing there blankly watching them for a moment.

“?”

When a shadow appeared, I looked up and saw a large parasol above me. Puzzled where the parasol came from, I turned around and saw Green awkwardly smiling while holding the parasol upright on the ground.

“Are you tired from refereeing? Even wearing a mask.”

Of course, I knew Green had a passive but kind personality. But I didn’t expect Green to be kind to me, someone whose identity Green didn’t know. Given how much I’ve been thinking about Green lately, this situation felt very satisfying.

Unable to respond, I nodded vigorously, and as Green smiled and bowed, he returned to the team members.

“Do you really need to do that to an enemy?”

“Still, it’s hot today, and you’re refereeing alone under the blazing sun.”

“It’s just that I’m kind.”

Seeing Yubin hugging and praising Green, I couldn’t tell who was the older sister and who was the younger sister. This allowed me to glimpse how well Yubin leads the team and creates a good atmosphere within.

For some reason, it was difficult to imagine what Yubin was like with the team members, but seeing her directly, I found both similarities and differences with my thoughts.

“……”

Was I staring too obviously at Yubin and Green? I felt the sharp gaze of SuA piercing through me. For a moment, I forgot that I was here as a Spacystro soldier, feeling a warm sensation.

At the same time, I also felt grateful to be here as a Spacystro soldier. If I were here as A, the foreigner known to them, a disaster would surely have occurred.

“That should be enough, right?”

“Good. Let’s go.”

Before I knew it, Hayang had joined on the sand and was teaching wrestling with Yura. After giving the basics, both sides agreed to proceed with the game.

Putting aside the fleeting happy feeling and uneasy emotion, I decided to focus on the current situation and the refereeing.

Yura and Siera sat facing each other and held each other’s arms. After confirming their readiness, they stepped back, and the two stood up simultaneously.

In the tense atmosphere, I observed their eyes and the whistle signaling the start of the game. Yura and Siera pressed their bodies against each other trying to push each other.

Yura had an advantage in physical strength and knowledge of wrestling, but Siera’s rich experience wasn’t negligible. She endured Yura’s attempt to overpower her and firmly maintained her stance.

“!!”

Even though Yura had taught the basics, she seemed surprised when her anticipated attack was blocked immediately.

Soon, she showed a genuine competitive spirit, and I wondered if she made such expressions during battles behind her helmet.

This time, Siera tried to trip Yura’s leg, but something seemed to block her, preventing her from easily attacking. When Siera’s expression twisted, Yura grabbed her leg and pushed her down.

As Siera fell, Yura fell on top of her, sending sand flying everywhere.

“This one was a bit tough.”

Yura’s words were sincere. She couldn’t afford to let her guard down against Siera’s technique she had mastered in an instant, and she had done her best to compete with her.

“Your chest is too big to get close!”

“You always use your chest to push me away every time you try to get close, and you’re not exactly small either.”

As I naturally looked towards their chests, I felt certain my neck would snap if Siera noticed. So, I quickly shifted my gaze upward, blew the whistle, and announced Yura’s victory.

Yura, who was lying on top of Siera, stood up and offered her hand. Siera took Yura’s hand and stood up. Despite their adversarial relationship and starting the game to take the position, the sportsmanship of the two was admirable.

“I lost. Sorry.”

“There’s no help for it. It’s your first time.”

Luche came up onto the sand with a confident air, as if handing over the game to Siera. From HunterKiller, Yubin came out, and after swimming, these two became opponents again.

“Three matches in a row. Aren’t you tired?”

“A leader must lead by example.”

Confident as Yubin was, I knew she had no experience with wrestling.

We hadn’t discussed individually whether they had wrestled before, but I remembered seeing a news article about wrestling while watching TV together.

When Yubin casually said, “I don’t know anything about wrestling,” I recalled it. Since it was a casual remark, I didn’t respond and moved on to the next topic, but now that we were wrestling, it came to mind.

The problem is that Luche also lacked experience. In the end, it was a match between two people who had never wrestled before, making the outcome even more unpredictable.

“Have you ever wrestled before?”

When Hayang approached and asked while Yura was brushing off the sand, Siera replied nonchalantly, “Yeah,” and nodded.

Honestly, I was curious too. Who had Yura wrestled with before, considering wrestling requires an opponent?

“Back when I just became a hyper-human, I used to throw all fights with kids into wrestling.”

I had thought about it several times, but it’s better not to anger anyone. Angering someone could lead to a dire future for one person.

“Be careful with your swimsuit.”

Hayang adjusted Yura’s slightly skewed swimsuit during wrestling. Normally, I would have watched, but knowing my situation, I averted my gaze. However, I resolved to prevent her from wearing such a swimsuit in the future.

The result of the second match was unexpectedly Luche’s victory. Although both didn’t know how to wrestle, I had thought Yubin might win, but Luche quickly flipped her to the side, deciding the match in an instant.

“Sorry. If I had won, it would have ended there.”

“It’s okay. We still have one more round.”

Team members comforted Yubin, who had become gloomy after losing the match. As someone who had closely watched Yubin eagerly awaiting the trip, it didn’t feel good to see her lose. Even if it was a competition to teach how to play in the sea, losing didn’t matter.

“Leave it to me.”

The HunterKiller member who came out was SuA. Standing at over 170 cm, she was the tallest among the HunterKiller members. The team leader from Spacystro was Esmeralda. Like SuA, Esmeralda was also one of the taller vice-leaders in Spacystro, standing slightly taller than SuA.

This was an exciting match to look forward to. Esmeralda, whom I served as a direct superior in the universe, was famous for her outstanding combat skills. And SuA was the only HunterKiller member who fought using martial arts.

As someone who had experienced both sides, I couldn’t help but be excited.

The two lightly bowed and faced each other, grabbing each other’s arms. Despite being enemies, they showed politeness to each other, especially Esmeralda. SuA simply followed Esmeralda’s bow. I hoped they wouldn’t curse during the match.

The whistle blew as they prepared, and it was clear they were pushing each other with visible force. Their rigid strength clashed, quickly softened, and they held their strength without letting go, observing each other’s movements. The tension of the sudden power struggle was palpable, especially as it was the final match.

“Yellow. Fight hard!”

“Cheer up!”

“Esmeralda, please win!”

“Team 1 Leader, win!”

Both teams cheered loudly for their respective teammates. While listening with their ears, they focused their eyes and bodies on their opponent’s movements. They knew a split-second weakness could determine the outcome, but the exact moment was unpredictable.

It felt like watching two assassins with hidden weapons facing off.

The cheering voices were silenced by the tense atmosphere of the two silent individuals. Each word they spoke seemed like it could break their team’s concentration.

As the referee, I had to watch intently, as tense as the players, not knowing when or how the outcome would be decided. I needed to observe carefully and make accurate judgments.

At that moment, SuA sent her center of gravity and pushed Esmeralda. But Esmeralda turned sideways, receiving SuA’s force and falling to the side. Before falling, SuA pushed her weight onto Esmeralda, knocking her down.

The decisive moment lasted only about three seconds, leaving those watching speechless. Having closely observed the match, I felt the need to inform everyone of a fair result. Even if someone sighed in regret, the role of a referee was to remain impartial.

I raised my hand and announced their victory, blowing the whistle for HunterKiller. The Spacystro personnel watching all sighed in regret.

It wasn’t the regret of being deprived of the opportunity to play, but the regret of losing a fair match. By now, everyone had focused so much on the game that the question of occupying the sand area no longer mattered.

“Wow!!”

HunterKiller members genuinely celebrated, hugging SuA together. Seeing SuA, who was unsure how to react to the close physical contact with the members, was amusing. Watching everyone celebrate their first shared victory in a match rather than a competition, I couldn’t help but smile under my mask.

After the trip, I would have to listen to this story repeatedly, but I felt the need to enjoy it.

“It was fun.”

Esmeralda, representing HunterKiller, approached and offered a handshake. At the end, SuA, who had competed in wrestling, responded to the handshake.

Though we were enemies, the atmosphere wasn’t friendly enough for applause. Still, as a referee who witnessed a fair match without any dirty tactics, I clapped. Soon, applause spread throughout.

We were enemies, and although it was a match to take a position, I realized we weren’t dishonest individuals.

“Then shall we return?”

After finishing the greeting, we started packing our bags as Esmeralda’s voice echoed.

“Over there.”

As we slowly began packing, we heard a voice directed at us. Turning around, we saw the HunterKiller members looking at us.

“In such a vast place, it feels a bit lonely being just us. How about another game of beach volleyball?”

Yubin addressed the team leaders, and they exchanged glances. Soon, Luche stepped forward with a cynical smile.

“Don’t cry in frustration just because you lost.”

It seemed a relatively peaceful time would extend a bit longer.

Feeling immense gratitude for the moment when HunterKiller members and Spacystro could comfortably coexist, I packed my bag to return to the accommodation.

“Referee! Where are you going?!”

Stopping at Yura’s loud voice, I turned my head again.

It seemed the time to be mindful was not over yet.