Green received a message and left headquarters to arrive at the park. She sat quietly, waiting for her to arrive, who had not yet arrived. They had decided to properly talk about the gift they would give to Green, whose birthday was yesterday. Usually, gifts are given after knowing the birthday in advance, but since they only found out yesterday and lacked the ability to be thoughtful, they decided to directly ask instead of thinking awkwardly.
Looking at the tree that she was gazing at while sitting on the bench, they waited for her arrival. Soon, they turned their head towards the familiar presence felt from afar. Green slowly approached them and their eyes met. She flinched, slightly averting her gaze, but then approached confidently.
“Hello.”
“Hello.”
They greeted each other with smiles, but Green seemed unusually tense today.
“It’s quite hot today, isn’t it?”
“No, no!”
“What?”
“No, uh, yes. It’s hot.”
Was she tense? They felt she was nervous, and her inexplicable tension was palpable.
After observing for a moment, Green sat on the bench. The tension in her was obvious, and missing the chance to bring up the topic of the birthday gift, a silence lingered.
“Did you wait long?”
“No, I just arrived too.”
“Oh…”
The awkwardness between them was so thick that it was hard to find the usual easy conversation. Despite wanting to ask what was wrong with Green, they didn’t feel ready to confront her directly, like a balloon with a needle in front of it.
It felt like they should wait until Green spoke first.
“How was your day today?”
“Huh?!”
Asking about the meeting as usual, Green, who was tense, didn’t think that far ahead. She was startled by hearing their voice and turned towards them, but when their eyes met, she averted her gaze.
“I was just asking about how your day was with the team members…”
“Oh, it was good.”
There was no way around it. They couldn’t understand why Green was so tense, but continuing this atmosphere was suffocating.
“Do you want anything?”
Deciding not to wait for the right moment, they brought up the topic of the gift. Avoiding eye contact, Green glanced at them.
“Do you want something?”
Not realizing the conversation was prompted by her birthday, Green looked puzzled.
“Yesterday was your birthday. Since I didn’t do much for you, if there’s anything you want…”
“No! It’s fine!”
Startled, Green waved her hands urgently. Yesterday, even when asked to hold hands, she had refused firmly, indicating it might be difficult to get her to say what gift she wanted directly.
Continuing to ask would only repeat the cycle of asking and refusing. From here, they would have to figure it out on their own, but even with keen observation, finding the right thing was challenging.
“Alright. You don’t need to be so surprised.”
Tense and more rigid about the gift, they tried to ease the atmosphere by smiling and speaking casually. Only then did Green’s tension seem to lessen slightly.
From here, it was a matter of choice. Should they ask what was wrong with Green or wait for her to speak? It felt like if they continued like this, lunchtime would end, and they wouldn’t hear it today, which felt like a bad outcome.
First, they thought about why Green was tense. If she was nervous about speaking, it likely wasn’t because of any incident with the team. If it were work-related, she would have shown more concern than tension.
So, she must be about to tell them something important. Although they hadn’t done much, the big event of her birthday yesterday made it hard to imagine what could be so serious as to make her this tense.
What could it be? What exactly happened?
Thinking deeply, their eyes met again, and Green quickly averted her gaze.
“I…”
“There!”
In the midst of an endless situation, calling out to Green, who responded with a tense voice, they both spoke at once. Green turned to look at them.
“You go first.”
Although they yielded to let Green speak first, the overlap made Green hesitate again, unable to start her intended speech.
“Can I say it a little later?”
“Sure, that’s fine.”
Instead of rushing, it seemed better to wait patiently. Though they didn’t know what she was going to say, it felt like a significant decision.
Thinking this, they started feeling tense too. Why was Green so tense about telling them something? Could it be about a major issue at home?
If that were the case, it would be better to listen without regret. However, it was just a guess.
“Since we went for lunch yesterday…”
They told Green about the day at headquarters, excluding Spacystro information and focusing on anecdotes with colleagues. Green, lacking social experience, always found their stories interesting.
Thinking it might help ease her tension, they began talking without noticing her tension. Observing her reactions, they noticed that Green, who usually listened intently, wasn’t focused on their story today.
Still, deciding to wait, they shared some anecdotes with Klugger, speaking as if gossiping.
“I love it!”
“Uh… What?”
Caught off guard by the sudden comment, they were confused. Love? What? Did she mean she loved their story?
For a moment, they couldn’t understand her intention. Realizing what she meant took only a moment.
Unable to hide their surprise, they looked at her. Her trembling eyes reflected their expression, and without realizing it, they thought ‘why?’ and struggled to maintain composure.
Unintentionally, they were close with four out of five HunterKiller members. Casually, they maintained these relationships, and openly, they were seeing all four simultaneously.
This situation inevitably led them to think about Green. In their mind, they concluded that Green shouldn’t be involved. This wasn’t because they disliked her.
All HunterKiller members were good people, including Green.
Knowing her backstory before the others, they didn’t want to place her in a stressful environment.
While they cared for others, they believed Green shouldn’t be entangled in a romantic relationship with them. If their true identity was revealed, everyone would be affected, especially Green, who might not be able to handle the damage.
This might just be an excuse. Maybe they felt they shouldn’t get entangled with the last member either. Or, that was how they felt.
The number didn’t matter. The crucial point was that HunterKiller and Spacystro were adversaries, and they were Spacystro while the others were HunterKiller.
Though they knew it was too late, they still felt they shouldn’t get entangled with the last person.
Lost in thought, they realized they didn’t know what to say. Just as they noticed, Green had spoken, and there was a brief silence.
Lifting their gaze, they saw Green looking down, trembling.
“…I’m sorry.”
Her voice showed no tension, but a heavy weight settled over them.
“No, you don’t need to be—”
“Sorry for saying unnecessary things. I…”
A moment of silence. Their lack of response and the visible confusion left a significant impact on her.
They needed to say something. But what? Did they like her too?
Hearing this, they questioned themselves why. Without having sorted out their thoughts, saying such words wasn’t genuine but rather out of pity.
One shouldn’t treat someone’s sincerity with pity. Throughout their interactions with SuA and three other women, there was no pity. While they might have felt pity momentarily, they took responsibility for their actions without pity.
“I’ll go now…”
“Galaxy!”
Hurriedly calling after her, Green ran away without looking back, heading straight for her house. If it were someone else, they might have chased after her, but with Green, they were unsure how to act.
With support from the team and resolve, they felt confident enough to convey their feelings. However, they didn’t realize their confidence was excessive.
Brother was amazing. Meeting accidentally at the park, he talked with them every time and offered a helping hand when they were in tough situations.
They fell in love. Like sunlight entering a dark room, they felt a ray of light in their life, making them feel special.
They forgot. Seeing Brother’s surprised face after hearing their words, they returned to reality. They weren’t special; Brother was. He helped them not because they were special but because he was kind.
They had forgotten this obvious fact.
Realizing this, they understood. They couldn’t be together.
When they expressed their feelings, Brother was surprised, and his thoughts would be complicated. They had made Brother, who kindly helped them, feel confused.
They only caused trouble for others. With the encouragement of the team and Brother’s kindness, they had forgotten this. The thought that they didn’t have much time left before moving added pressure.
If they moved, they wouldn’t meet anymore. There would be no reason for him to visit them at their new place. Thus, they felt the need to clarify everything now. They had only been thinking about their feelings, neglecting Brother’s help.
“Gah, sob, sniff!”
Returning home, they leaned against the closed door, feeling utterly pitiful.
They despised themselves for thinking they became somewhat special due to Brother’s kindness.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry…”
It was their fault. Their impatience ruined everything.
They knew they couldn’t return to their original state. If they could turn back time, they’d go back to before gaining confidence. Or perhaps, before meeting Brother.
Then, Brother wouldn’t have to worry about them, and they wouldn’t cause him trouble. Perhaps, it would have been better if they hadn’t been born at all. Then, Mom and Dad might have lived happier lives.
Everything fell apart because of them. They had ruined everything. They couldn’t do anything without help from others. They were worthless.
“Sob, gasp, sniff!”
They needed to apologize. They relied on Brother’s kindness, liked him without permission, and made him uncomfortable.
Even if they moved and everything ended, they needed to apologize. But, would he even look at them?
Meeting was already uncomfortable, so could they really meet and apologize?
If they couldn’t turn back time, they wished for one last chance to apologize.
Now they knew. They weren’t special. They only caused trouble. They couldn’t be together.
Being with Brother made them feel good, made them laugh, and was enjoyable. Realizing their helplessness hurt, and it was painful to rely on Brother when they were so powerless.
“I’m sorry…”
Their apologies were only heard as sobs.
It was over.
It’s okay. It’s just a flicker of light turning off.
It’s just returning to normal.
“Galaxy.”
Raising their head at the familiar voice outside the door, they stood up and stepped back, staring at the tightly shut door, wondering if they had imagined it.
“It’s me. A. Are you inside?”
Why? Why did he come?
Making him confused.
Even though they felt they had learned something, hearing Brother’s voice from behind the door brought happiness and unease.
What if he got angry? What if he yelled? What if he hit them?
They knew he wouldn’t, but if it happened, they should endure it silently.
Accept it. Because of them.
“Yes…”
“Can I see you for a moment?”
Answering with a trembling voice, they heard Brother’s voice again.
This might be the last time. Regardless of what happens, they needed to apologize properly.
Resolving to do so, they grabbed the doorknob with trembling hands.
