Evil Organization’s Extra Mr. A – Chapter 62

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Xrecker
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Every Thursday was duel day between Spacetroe Team 3 and Team Hunter Killer. It wasn’t completely fixed, and occasionally there were changes, but unless something special came up, it always took place on Thursdays.

Last week’s duel was canceled due to the monsoon season, and this week’s was also canceled due to concerns about the continuing rain. However, the rain finally stopped, and the sun appeared in the sky after a long absence. Of course, they couldn’t just reschedule the canceled duels, so Hunter Killer decided to hold a team meeting on Thursday, their regular meeting day.

“Hi.”

Blue entered the meeting room, her expression brighter than usual after moving into her new apartment, and greeted Red and Pink, who were already there.

“Welcome.”

“Just the two of you?”

“It’s not even time yet.”

The three of them, having arrived early, sat down. Red, sensing Blue’s curious gaze, wondering what they’d been talking about, started the conversation.

“If you don’t have any vacation plans, we were thinking of a team trip, maybe a two-day, one-night getaway.”

“A trip? Where to?”

Blue’s eyes widened at the mention of a trip.

“We just started talking about it. We haven’t decided on anything yet.”

This summer’s monsoon season had arrived quite late, and they hadn’t had a chance to schedule any vacations. The Earth Defense Alliance officially considered its members on duty seven days a week, whether there were active missions or not. While the duels were now scheduled regularly, initially, they’d been more frequent and often occurred without much notice.

“Really? Let’s talk about it when everyone’s here.”

They needed to hear from Green and Yellow, too. Even with their annual summer vacation, Hunter Killer, lacking in team cohesion, hadn’t gone on any team trips. While their individual circumstances made planning difficult, the three of them thought a team trip might be nice.

Green entered the meeting room just then. They exchanged greetings, and as Green sat down, about to start their usual pre-meeting discussion, Pink changed the subject.

“Green, how are things going?”

“Things” referred to Green’s family situation, which the team members now knew about. This was only the second time she’d been to headquarters since the incident.

“They’re going well. I think I’ll be moving soon.”

“Moving?”

“Yes. I can’t stay there any longer.”

While the team members didn’t know the details of Green’s living situation, they understood it would be difficult for her to stay in the same house with her father.

“Do you need anything? Should I help you move?”

Blue, having just moved yesterday, knew how much work it involved and offered to help, but Green declined.

“No, I haven’t finalized the moving date yet, and there are still things I need to take care of.”

A shadow of worry flickered across Green’s face as she mentioned the things she needed to take care of. The others noticed but didn’t pry, respecting her privacy.

“How about everyone else? I heard Blue moved.”

Green, having missed meetings and only receiving updates through messages, was curious about Blue’s situation.

“Yes, I moved yesterday, and everything’s settled.”

While there were things she couldn’t share with the team, Blue confirmed that she’d moved. Seeing her relieved expression, they understood that things had gone well.

As they were catching up, Yellow entered the meeting room, without a word.

“You’re here?”

“Yes.”

She gave a short reply to Red’s cheerful greeting and glanced at Green before sitting down.

Green, feeling Yellow’s unusual attention, looked at her and smiled awkwardly.

“Hi.”

“Hey.”

While Hunter Killer had always lacked communication, Yellow was the most reserved, making even a simple greeting feel uncomfortable. Yellow gave a curt reply to Green’s greeting and sat down.

“Since everyone’s here, let’s start the meeting.”

Red started the meeting. Her voice was energetic, the entire team finally gathered, and the members focused on her words.

Since the duel had been canceled, there were no results to report, and the meeting focused on future strategies against Spacetroe. The meetings didn’t usually lead to any significant changes.

They were already highly skilled individually, so the meetings were mainly for reviewing strategies and confirming their understanding.

“Frontline: me, Green, Yellow. Memorize the rear support procedures and stick to the rotation.”

Red emphasized their coordinated movements at every meeting; it was essential for their teamwork.

“Green and Yellow, stay alert and respond to Pink and Blue’s movements in the rear.”

Red displayed their tactical formations on the large screen, and the team members responded. Yellow just nodded silently, but Red knew she understood and proceeded to conclude the meeting.

“That’s all for today. Any suggestions or comments?”

No one raised their hand. There usually weren’t any special requests, so Red was about to adjourn the meeting when Yellow raised her hand.

“I’d like to review the rotation with Green absent.”

Everyone looked at Yellow, surprised by her suggestion, then at Green.

“Me?”

Green, taken aback by the unexpected suggestion to review formations without her, looked at Yellow, who glanced at her briefly before turning to Red.

“It’s not difficult to review. Is something wrong?”

There had been instances where one or more members couldn’t participate in a duel, and they had backup strategies for such situations.

“She’s attending the meeting today, but there might be days she can’t come. She seems to have a lot on her plate.”

“No, I can make it to the duels, and I won’t let it affect the team…!”

Yellow’s sharp gaze interrupted Green mid-sentence.

“Don’t half-ass it with a misplaced sense of responsibility. You’ll just be a burden.”

Yellow’s harsh words stunned everyone into silence. Red, who had been looking forward to their post-meeting chat, her face darkened at the sudden shift in atmosphere.

“Why did you even come to the meeting today? You should have taken care of your personal matters first if you were busy.”

“…I’m sorry. I didn’t want to burden the team by not coming.”

“Did you consider how your unfinished business would burden the team?”

Green lowered her head at Yellow’s sharp rebuke.

“Come on, guys. We’re not bothered, so don’t feel bad, Green, and Yellow, calm down, whatever’s going on.”

Blue, the oldest, though there wasn’t a formal hierarchy based on age, tried to diffuse the tension with a smile and was about to place a comforting hand on Yellow’s shoulder when Yellow shrugged her off.

“What’s going on? You don’t know?”

While they were concerned, Green’s situation was a sensitive topic. None of the team members had known about her struggles, despite having worked together for three years, which had been unsettling. Not knowing itself wasn’t the problem.

But if they’d known earlier, if they’d been more attentive, they might have been able to help sooner. It was natural to feel regret, to wonder if things could have been different.

“Something like this happened to a teammate, and no one knew. She didn’t say anything, and we didn’t ask. Do you think that’s normal?”

The stress of realizing you could have done something sooner, been more attentive… it was a familiar feeling, a common reaction to hindsight. The other team members also felt a sense of helplessness and frustration at not being able to help Green earlier.

They were angry and frustrated with themselves, filled with regret, but they didn’t express it openly. Yellow, however, was letting her emotions out.

While I understood her feelings,

“You’re not one to talk.”

Pink, who had been quietly observing Yellow, finally spoke, her usually cheerful and playful light pink eyes now cold. Pink and Yellow’s gazes locked.

“What?”

“I haven’t been attending meetings regularly either, so I’m not in a position to judge, but you, with the lowest attendance rate, shouldn’t be the one saying this.”

Pink hadn’t been attending meetings regularly before she started coming every week. But she knew Blue and Yellow had the lowest attendance rates. She’d rarely seen them at meetings; they only showed up on duel days.

While Blue technically had a lower attendance rate than Yellow, her circumstances were understood. She’d been incredibly busy with childcare, even though she’d recently moved out, so the team had tacitly agreed that her absences were justified.

However, Yellow’s situation was different.

“I don’t know your circumstances, so I won’t judge, but you’re the last person who should be criticizing others, considering we’ve been tolerating your absences due to your temper. Anything to say?”

“Are you picking a fight?”

“Does it look like I’m not? Did you think we’d be eternally grateful for you taking down Indigo that one time?”

Green was the most flustered by Pink and Yellow’s sudden confrontation. Feeling responsible, she wanted to intervene but couldn’t bring herself to step between the two tense figures.

“So, you think it’s okay that no one knew about her situation? Making her come to meetings and even participate in duels while she’s dealing with this? Who’s going to take responsibility if something goes wrong during a duel?”

“Who said anything about making her do anything? I’m just saying you’re not the one to talk. Even Red, who’s closest to Green, isn’t saying anything, so who are you to butt in?”

The two of them, their voices rising, suddenly became aware of Red’s presence and looked at her. Red was standing by the screen, silently observing.

“Are you done?”

Red’s voice, usually cheerful and bright, almost as energetic as Pink’s, was low and subdued. While she was the youngest, she was the team leader, and the members, even those who rarely attended meetings, acknowledged her leadership and abilities.

And as their respected leader, her mood dictated the team’s atmosphere. She’d always been understanding of their absences, taking on their responsibilities and handling everything efficiently, so they’d forgotten something.

That while she tolerated their lack of participation in meetings, she hated internal conflict.

While disagreements were inevitable in any team, Hunter Killer’s operational structure, with most of the work falling on Red, meant they rarely had discussions, let alone arguments. So they’d forgotten.

That Red, in the early days of her leadership, had fiercely put down any team infighting.

While all the members were older than Red, they respected her as their leader and heeded her words. That’s why they were now so acutely aware of her mood, and Red, surprisingly, had a smile on her face.

“Red?”

Pink called out to her, puzzled, and Red clapped her hands together loudly.

“Let’s have a chat after the meeting.”

Red, who had been observing with a stern expression, now smiled.

“A chat? About what…”

Yellow, who rarely had conversations with her teammates, seemed taken aback, but Red’s smile didn’t waver.

“It’ll be short. Let’s try… communicating.”

Red was actually happy about this.

Her meetings usually consisted of just her and Green, with the other members absent, but today, despite the duel cancellation, everyone was here.

While she’d tolerated their absences, disliking internal conflict, this current situation wasn’t entirely unpleasant. Perhaps because of their increased communication lately, she saw this tension as a sign of their growing emotional connection, a way for their unspoken feelings to surface.

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