Suddenly, upon hearing about her birthday unexpectedly, I thought about doing something for her, but it was hard to do anything immediately. If I had some time to prepare, I would have at least sent a light gift.
Even thinking a little, Green wasn’t the type to go around telling everyone about her birthday. Even if she were to celebrate it, she would probably just make a casual gathering with a few acquaintances.
However, my assumption was completely wrong. The only acquaintances Green had were all HunterKiller members, and she hadn’t told them about her birthday either. Not only did she not plan on having a casual gathering with a few acquaintances, but the idea of being celebrated on her birthday didn’t even cross her mind.
I don’t know the reason, but for some reason, Green wanted something different today because it was her birthday. It wasn’t just a matter of semantics; for her, her birthday was a reason to create a slight bit of specialness.
The evidence was in the surprised look she gave when I reflexively congratulated her. She looked like someone who never imagined receiving birthday congratulations.
Indeed, Green’s family environment was so bad that it was almost unimaginable anywhere else, and given such an environment, it was impossible for her to receive birthday congratulations from her family, especially from her father.
Added to this introverted personality, Green had never experienced celebrating birthdays with anyone else. For her, the concept of celebrating a birthday wasn’t even present.
Moreover, what she desired as a slight change from her usual routine was also minimal.
Even though it was Green’s birthday, I couldn’t abruptly change my schedule to spend time with her somewhere. Although I wanted to do something for her immediately, due to my recent sensitive state, I thought it would be unwise to change my plans rashly.
A single mistake could lead to suspicion and exposure of my identity. Even without my mistakes, the precarious state made it necessary to move according to a clear schedule to avoid revealing my identity to Green, who knew me as a regular office worker.
For these reasons, going out with Green was difficult, and I asked if there was anything she wanted. Her response was to hold hands.
Holding hands isn’t difficult, but I couldn’t help wondering why she suggested that. The answer came quickly. Green believed that this was the extent of the special thing she could enjoy on her birthday. Though it might just be my guess, seeing her genuinely happy and smiling when holding hands made me certain.
To be honest, it was just holding hands. It doesn’t require being in a relationship or being close. It’s a common act. There were many things I could do for her on her birthday, and I was willing to do whatever she wanted, even if it didn’t come up immediately.
Green seemed to be getting happier, and her changing demeanor made me want to support her more.
She wanted to hold hands, which was something I could do right away, but it felt somewhat disappointing that the only thing she wanted on her special day was to hold hands.
But feeling disappointed didn’t mean I could act recklessly. Given the unusual situation, I needed to be more cautious than anyone else, and I realized this quite late.
“Hey.”
“…”
“A!”
While pondering what else I could do for Green, a startling sound caught my attention, and I turned my head. Klugger, frowning deeply, was looking at me from beside. Curious, I stared back at him.
“Why?”
“Why? Because you didn’t respond when I called, so I shouted.”
“So, why did you call?”
“To give you this.”
On the tablet he handed over, various survey items were listed, including evaluations for the training from soldiers. Klugger, who rarely came to headquarters during weekdays, was here because of this.
“Did you finish?”
“Yeah, I was just about to.”
“Really?”
With a light conversation, I started the survey by clicking on the screen with a touch pen. Klugger sat silently in his place, and after a brief exchange, we both remained silent.
Though I’m not much of a chatterbox and neither am I quiet, Klugger isn’t particularly quiet either. Considering he usually creates a good atmosphere within the team, his silence felt awkward.
Our awkwardness stemmed from a dinner we had not long ago.
“Are you hurt?”
Fixating on the screen, I asked, and Klugger paused his work and looked at me.
“I’m fine, how about you?”
“I’m always tough, aren’t I?”
“As long as you’re not hurt, that’s good. It’s fortunate no one got seriously injured.”
“That’s true. I never expected it to happen at the dinner table.”
Although such incidents occurred, it was slightly difficult to bring up the first time, but there was no awkwardness or discomfort in the conversation. We hadn’t done anything wrong to each other, and the awkwardness stemmed from a difficult situation that was hard to put into words.
Having lived together in the same unit for a long time, Klugger and I had many conflicts, but now, we rarely fought over trivial matters and communicated more within the team. Additionally, the one who sided with Luche when she and I were bickering as usual was this guy.
“Forget about it. Thinking won’t change anything.”
“It’s not about what comes out of thinking. Is it okay not to report?”
At my words, Klugger stopped. I was also deeply considering this issue. Logically, since it happened outside working hours, it was our own responsibility and didn’t need to be reported to Luche.
The problem was that those involved were hyper-humans, and while they were invaders, their actions weren’t entirely controlled. Reporting a conflict outside work hours wouldn’t be necessary. However, it was strictly forbidden to engage in conflicts with hyper-humans outside of combat situations.
The Earth Defense Union also had similar rules, but since they didn’t know we were Spacystro, discussing it further would complicate matters.
Regardless, we avoided any contact with hyper-humans out of respect for the rules. A sudden conflict could escalate quickly, and handling it would burden our direct superior, Luche.
“There’s nothing good about reporting to Luche.”
Actually, considering it as a conflict between Earthlings wouldn’t be problematic. Frankly, the various reasons mentioned were mere excuses, and the main reason we didn’t report was because we feared Luche would be shocked hearing we fought without her presence.
Spacystro had lived in space for a long time, and due to the relative nature of time, age wasn’t used to distinguish ranks within Spacystro. Only rank mattered, and although seniors were respected to some degree, in our experienced team, seniority was meaningless.
Luche was our direct superior, but despite not caring about age, her youth as the youngest in the team couldn’t be ignored. Moreover, her occasional immature behavior was noticeable. Despite this, I didn’t want to put her in a shocking situation.
We had our own regrets toward Luche, but she felt guilty too, thinking every defeat was her fault.
“If you don’t want to speak, I’ll stay silent too. It seems others are leaving it to us.”
Even among soldiers, everyone has their own roles. Klugger is a leader-like figure among the soldiers, and he respects my opinion as a fellow soldier. As I believe in the importance of hierarchical structures, I always follow Luche’s orders.
Though I’ve been in the military longer, Luche’s tactical abilities far surpass mine, and I have no intention of disputing this. She is younger, more capable, and higher in rank than me. My only asset is my experience, which is why I follow her without question.
“It’s strange for soldiers to take on responsibilities. It’s fortunate opinions are unified.”
Regardless of how opinions were formed, the fact that they were unified was a relief.
“…You’ve softened up quite a bit.”
“Me?”
Unable to ignore Klugger’s playful comment, I reacted. It seemed he was suggesting I had changed over the years. While I had become less prone to anger, this realization was relatively recent.
“Back then, you’d be making a fuss over decisions in the soldiers’ midst.”
“I still have complaints.”
Spacystro has a strict hierarchical structure. Unlike ordinary companies, fighting often accompanies missions, and sometimes lives are at stake, making hierarchy crucial.
When people gather, order naturally divides. While I think roles can be divided among soldiers, I don’t like the idea of priorities. If Klugger were correct, back then, I might have started with “What a mess” and gone on to say all sorts of things.
“Many ways of expression have changed, you know. Come on.”
Klugger’s comment made me wonder if there were significant changes in my recent behavior compared to before.
“Isn’t it just that your past behavior was abnormal?”
“Are you saying you noticed?”
Laughing, I kicked the chair Klugger was sitting in.
“Just kidding. You trying to make things abnormal?”
“Hey, man, kicking a chair while sitting is ridiculous.”
“Why so noisy?”
As our usual light banter grew slightly, Luche opened the office door and peeked in.
“No issues.”
Everyone in the office already saw us, and knowing we were the source of the noise, I preemptively explained to Luche that it wasn’t a big deal.
I assumed Luche would react and go back inside, but surprisingly, she opened the door fully and came out.
“Again, fighting?”
“Not again.”
“Yes. Compared to A and Luche, I don’t even fight.”
“When did I ever fight?!”
Luche, who never considered our bickering as actual fights, spoke with a tone of genuine injustice. Of course, Klugger also didn’t consider our bickering as real fights. Just as we all agreed that burdening Luche was undesirable, teasing her was a common practice.
“You always fight. Fighting in the parking lot, in the car, and after returning.”
Listening to Klugger, I realized we fought much more often than I thought. Thinking about it, I smiled, and seeing my sudden laughter, Klugger looked at me as if I had gone mad.
“Why are you laughing suddenly?”
“No reason, just old memories came up.”
“What old memories?”
Since coming to Earth, Luche had shown interest in my old memories. But they were stories that could only be known by those present at the scene.
“Nothing much.”
“What is it?”
“Why? Back when we were in the fleet. Remember when new biroids arrived?”
Upon hearing unfamiliar stories, Luche clammed up, and Klugger burst out laughing.
“That was fun. I think you went crazy back then.”
“You drove me crazy too. Kid.”
Just as I was starting to enjoy the old stories, Luche suddenly kicked the chair I was sitting on.
“!!!”
Unable to react to her sudden action, I fell to the floor, and Klugger dodged me.
“How amusing.”
I was annoyed by Klugger’s amused reaction, but what bothered me most was Luche kicking the chair.
“Why?!”
“Finish the survey quickly and submit it!”
Being told to hurry with a task that could wait until later left me speechless.
“What!”
How could I express my dissatisfaction? Stunned, I watched Luche suddenly raise her voice, and missing the timing, I stood up and sat back down.
“If you have orders, you should follow them quickly. Stop chitchatting.”
“Do you realize how unreasonable that is?”
Realizing how unreasonable it was, Luche stayed silent. But standing next to me, continuing the survey, she didn’t seem upset.
“Did you finish the survey, Luche?”
“No. I was working until just now, so I need to do it now.”
“Then get your tablet. Let’s do it together.”
“…Okay.”
Silent, Luche hurried to fetch her tablet from the office.
Although the survey wasn’t meant to be shared, it still provided an opportunity for conversation.
Thinking this, I waited for Luche to return, and Klugger glared at me.
“What are you staring at?”
Using the tone I usually use when talking to him, I replied, and Klugger sighed and shook his head.
“This guy hasn’t changed at all, whether in the past or now.”
“But you said he changed earlier?!”
I couldn’t tell if he had really changed or not.
