Always facing each other with weapons drawn, they fought as if to kill but couldn’t due to predetermined rules. The peaceful time they had was not long. But they made the most of the one day of peace they had.
Though they didn’t plan to enjoy it from the start, seeing them enjoy it made me realize that peace can come so easily sometimes.
As the sun set and it was time to part, there was no need for farewells. It was just a return to their usual adversarial relationship after the peaceful time ended. Going back to normal wasn’t special; the special thing was being able to enjoy peace for a while, and knowing that nothing would change even if they gave it meaning.
“Gone.”
“Indeed.”
“All day without talking, I suffered.”
Although I felt frustrated not being able to speak even when receiving protests due to judging all the matches, seeing the HunterKiller members having fun made me feel better. Would the two days and three days they spent with us be special for her, who looked forward to the trip?
“So we lost in the final score? If you lost in the competition, why not win here?”
It was a close defeat, and Luche playfully hit my back for saying something unnecessary.
I felt the sting on my back, but seeing Luche smile, I knew I wasn’t upset.
“Was it fun?”
“Yeah, it was fun.”
The time HunterKiller could play, which they usually faced in competitions, was special and enjoyable for Luche too, who commanded our team.
“I hope we get such opportunities again.”
“Do you think it won’t?”
Though it was a question, Luche’s tone suggested she believed this kind of time wouldn’t come again. Yet, asking the question meant she also wanted to continue enjoying these moments.
“Who knows? Let’s go eat.”
“Okay.”
Watching my teammates head back to the dorm with their luggage, I took Luche to the dorm. The first day of the only time we could play during the two-day, three-night trip was almost over, and I needed to prepare for tomorrow’s training.
HunterKiller members stretched out in the base to shake off the fatigue from moving their bodies all day.
“Should we eat dinner?”
Excited about cooking, Blue asked the members. Blue had been assigned to cook during the planning phase of the trip, and the members were about to get up from the sofa to help, but Blue stopped them.
“It’s fine. Just relax.”
While it was fun to do things together, Blue wanted to show the members a meal prepared by themselves. Confident from always receiving praise from A, Blue rolled up their sleeves and headed to the kitchen, and the members watched their back from the sofa.
“Mother.”
“It’s mother.”
Pink replied to Red’s muttering, and Yellow noticed the two people staring blankly at Blue’s back and got up from the sofa to head to the kitchen.
Just as Yellow approached and their eyes met, Blue started speaking.
“Why?”
“Thought I might help.”
“Even if it’s okay.”
Pleased that Yellow came to help, Blue smiled and took out a cutting board and placed it on the counter, then took out a knife.
“Do you know how to cut onions?”
“Just peel and cut, right?”
“That’s right. Cut the onion for me. I’ll handle the rest.”
Listening to Blue, Yellow took out an onion bag from the sink and peeled the skin. Assigning one task to Yellow, Blue started preparing other things.
Peeling the onion, Yellow recalled the events of the day.
Unable to properly express themselves to the members all day, they wanted to create a situation where the members could enjoy playing today.
They were able to join the trip despite not needing to be there.
Then they met Spacystro, and to create a situation where the members could play, they gave their best in every match. The best moment to enjoy the trip came sooner than expected, and they regretted not being able to play more joyfully with the members.
“What are you thinking?”
Next to her, who had stopped peeling the onion, Blue came closer and looked down at her. Blue was the one who looked at Yellow with the softest gaze among the members, and Yellow knew it.
Before, they might not have been able to convey thoughts or had problems in the process, but now it was different. Having made friends, they realized the difficulty of seizing opportunities.
“I was just thinking about various things. Wondering if I’m in the right place.”
Yellow still had one unresolved matter in their heart. They wanted to somehow resolve their behavior towards the members so far. While filling a leaking bucket with water was impossible, blocking the leak and refilling it with new water was possible.
Yellow didn’t want forgiveness. Even if they were scolded, they wanted to apologize sincerely by expressing their true feelings.
“Still worried about Green’s incident?”
Blue, who had been present during the recent issue, immediately understood Yellow’s concern. Before, they might not have known the overall flow after receiving delayed information, but now they had the leisure to see the members.
“Yes.”
“How about apologizing as is?”
“Will that be enough?”
They weren’t sure. For Yellow, solving conflicts with others hadn’t existed until now, and relationships had either broken or remained ambiguous due to continuous collisions. Thus, an apology seemed to require a special and sincere intention.
“Yes, that will be enough.”
Blue knew that the colleagues they had worked with for years were good people and had never doubted that thought. They also knew that Yellow struggled with expressing their emotions honestly and communicating effectively.
After hearing Blue, Yellow looked at the members watching TV on the sofa, except for Red who had gone to shower.
“Come back.”
Pushing Yellow’s back with their palm, despite being smaller, Blue felt like a larger presence among the members.
“Got it.”
Walking to the living room, Yellow’s gaze turned to Green. After making peace with A and deciding to trust Blue’s advice, they wanted to clearly apologize for their mistakes and start anew earnestly.
Noticing Yellow approaching the sofa, Green assumed they were coming to sit and made space. But Yellow didn’t sit and stood nearby, and Pink’s attention also shifted to Yellow.
“?”
Seeing Green tilt their head, Yellow prepared to speak. Though they thought they were ready, speaking actually felt difficult.
While nervous when apologizing to A, this felt even harder.
Realizing they shouldn’t prolong the hesitation, Yellow slowly began to speak.
“…I’m sorry. I was too harsh.”
In Yellow’s hesitant words, many emotions and meanings were packed, and Green, who immediately sensed it, was momentarily surprised but eventually smiled. Surprisingly, it was Pink who widened their eyes in shock. Pink, who had been at odds with Yellow the longest, never imagined Yellow could apologize so sincerely.
“It’s fine. Were you still concerned?”
“Seemed like I didn’t apologize properly.”
“It’s really fine. It was a worry-driven comment.”
“Still, I did speak harshly.”
“Then let’s consider that incident over?”
Looking at Green with a questioning gaze, Yellow nodded. They felt they could apologize to Green more easily than expected, but they also realized the difficult journey leading up to it.
There were incidents, time to think, and emotional resolution.
And choosing between apologizing or not. When the moment came to choose, apologizing led to an easier resolution.
Everyone repeats the cycle of conflict and reconciliation. But Yellow felt the impact of an apology more strongly than ever before, especially compared to A.
Yellow’s gaze then shifted to Pink.
Surprised by the unexpected development in front of them, Pink felt Yellow’s gaze and avoided eye contact.
“I’m sorry for everything so far.”
Apologizing for all the conflicts with Pink, the words were straightforward. Clearly, conveying messages to Pink, who had built a complex relationship, must have been challenging.
Unable to meet Yellow’s gaze due to their awkward actions, Pink replied.
“Yeah, I’m sorry too.”
“But I don’t think I can fix it.”
“You didn’t even say to fix it.”
Pink still disliked Yellow. But listening to the members’ words, they realized the difference between the Yellow they knew and the one everyone else knew. Gradually, they wondered if they had only seen Yellow within a fixed frame.
Relationships could certainly improve. However, Pink wasn’t naturally inclined to be overly friendly to those they disliked, and given the long-standing issues, they didn’t expect immediate changes.
An awkward atmosphere settled in the living room, and when Blue saw this and smiled, about to speak, the bathroom door opened.
“Why isn’t anyone coming in?!”
All eyes turned to Red at the sound of their voice. Completely naked and wet, Red felt sad that no one had come to shower with them.
In fact, they heard the conversation in the bathroom and pretended to be upset, shouting loudly to shift the mood.
“What? Did you want to shower together?”
Pink, who understood Red’s intention, got up from the sofa and untied the towel wrapped around them, revealing their swimsuit underneath.
“Yellow, come in too.”
“Huh… me too?!”
Red grabbed Yellow’s arm in a rare state of panic and pulled them into the bathroom. Seeing Green, who was confused by the sudden chaos, Pink untied the towel wrapped around Green.
“Let’s go together, Green.”
“Huh? Isn’t it too crowded?”
Four people entering the bathroom at once seemed crowded, but Red’s voice could already be heard.
“It’s fine. The bathroom is huge, plenty of space.”
Forced into the bathroom by Pink, Green didn’t resist and entered. Already dragged in, Yellow had their swimsuit removed by Red. As Red said, the bathroom was spacious enough for all members to fit, and Pink peeked out of the bathroom.
“Isn’t Blue coming in?”
“Me too?”
Stopping to check the living room’s atmosphere, Blue smiled and took off the T-shirt they were wearing over their swimsuit.
“Okay.”
Pink went into the bathroom, followed by Blue, and the door closed. Along with the sound of the shower, the noisy voices of five women echoed from the bathroom.
Despite the suddenness and spontaneity of the simultaneous shower, none of the members felt any resistance.
HunterKiller members were beginning to narrow the gap, not individually but together, after a long period of unchanged relationships.
“Big chest!”
Red’s voice, who had only seen Pink in underwear before, was the loudest as they saw Pink’s bare chest for the first time.
