Evil Organization’s Extra Mr. A – Chapter 70

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Xrecker
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“No, you idiot, not like that.”

It was Friday afternoon. Perhaps because it was the day before the weekend, the arcade was quite crowded even in the afternoon, and I was in the midst of receiving a “lesson” from the one-and-only instructor, Yellow.

Most of her instructions, outside of actual gameplay advice, consisted of curses and sighs, and I’d considered giving up, but I was determined to beat her at least once and gather information, so I persevered.

I’d lost sight of why I was even gathering information at this point.

“This is so frustrating. Is it that hard to block and counterattack?”

“How can I block everything perfectly when I don’t even know what’s coming?”

“What if I did that?”

“We’re not even on the same level; there’s no comparison.”

Our slightly aggressive banter seemed to keep the other arcade-goers away. I didn’t find the current atmosphere unpleasant, though.

It wasn’t that I liked it; it just felt… normal, with Yellow. I didn’t particularly like her, so there was no need to be polite or try to create a pleasant atmosphere.

“Stop staring at your character and watch your opponent. You just have to close the distance and attack based on their movements. Why can’t you do that?”

“You nag a lot.”

I lost another round and released the joystick, my hands sweaty from gripping it so tightly.

Yellow, seemingly frustrated with my performance, stood up, came over, sat down next to me, and showed me something on her phone.

“Watch this.”

“What is it?”

It was a video of a recent fighting game tournament, presumably meant to be a learning resource, and I stared at the screen, though I couldn’t imagine ever reaching that level of skill.

“He’s good.”

“He won the tournament.”

“Is he better than you?”

“I don’t know. I used to beat him.”

She used to beat the current champion? She must be a highly skilled player. She could easily compete in tournaments herself.

“Why don’t you compete?”

“I don’t.”

She gave a firm answer to my question and showed me another video.

“Why not?”

“Do I have to explain everything?”

While she didn’t have to explain herself, her sharp response to a simple question felt excessive. Was it really that big of a deal? If it was, she could have at least told me why.

“I’ll give you some channels to subscribe to. Watch them before you come tomorrow.”

“I can’t come tomorrow.”

“Why?”

Yellow, who’d been watching the video, looked up at me, her gaze sharp, and I flinched.

“Work.”

“Work?”

“Yeah.”

Technically, this was work, and my real job wasn’t my part-time job at the cafe but observing Yellow. While part of my job also involved getting Yu-ra to talk about Hunter Killer, she was tight-lipped about important matters, so I’d almost given up on that front.

“Don’t you work?”

Yu-bin and Yu-ra had jobs, while Ha-yeong and Green were currently unemployed due to their family situations, though Ha-yeong was looking for work.

I’d initially assumed Yellow also had another job, considering her low meeting attendance rate.

“No.”

So that wasn’t it either.

Then why was she so disconnected from the team? It seemed like a deliberate choice. But why?

If she simply found it bothersome, she wouldn’t have been with Hunter Killer for so long. And from my experience fighting against her, she always seemed to be giving it her all during duels. Of course, she couldn’t afford to be careless during a fight, but overall, she didn’t seem like someone lacking in responsibility.

It was just my impression, and she could have been just going through the motions, her heart not in it.

“Why?”

“My family is rich.”

Unlike the other members, she came from a wealthy background.

“Find a match. You should at least try playing against other people.”

She told me to try online matches, and I selected the online mode. I wasn’t sure I could win, but that wasn’t the point. Yellow, who had been playing on the other side, came over and sat down next to me, offering real-time feedback as I played.

“Down! Don’t you know the down button?”

“How can I see that in the moment?”

Her reaction time was incredible. She’d predict the incoming attack based on the opponent’s initial movement and tell me what to do. She even predicted their actions before they moved, saying, “They’re going to do this, so do that,” and she was always right.

Of course, my slow reflexes couldn’t keep up, even with her instructions, and I ended up losing.

“You are seriously terrible at this game.”

I admitted I was bad. The game wasn’t intuitive, and the more I played, the more complicated it seemed, my mind struggling to keep up. Was I overthinking it? But even when I tried to simplify my approach, my movements remained clumsy.

I didn’t know if everyone struggled with fighting games or if it was just me.

“This is infuriating.”

Anyone would be frustrated by constant losses and relentless nagging.

“What are you going to do about it? Get better and win.”

Her logical, irrefutable statements only made me angrier.

“Do you get sick if you don’t nag?”

“What’s wrong with giving advice?”

Yellow flinched slightly, then retorted, her tone more aggressive. I’d suggested she be nicer, but as expected, it hadn’t worked.

“I can come later tonight, after work. How about that?”

I’d probably be having drinks with Yu-ra after my shift, but we could just have a quick dinner instead, which would free up some time to come back to the arcade. I didn’t particularly want to spend more time with Yellow, who annoyed me, when I could be with Yu-ra.

But I wanted to gather as much information as possible before the upcoming training exercise, and even a short observation period would be helpful, so I’d suggested it.

“I don’t like evenings.”

She didn’t say she couldn’t come, she said she didn’t like evenings. Yellow came to the arcade early in the morning, played games, and then went home before nightfall. It seemed to be her routine, not a recent development.

“Why? Do you have something to do in the evenings?”

I asked casually, but she didn’t answer. There seemed to be a reason she avoided the arcade in the evenings. I considered coming back at night but dismissed the thought. I couldn’t waste my time in a crowded arcade full of strangers without knowing the reason.

“I found a match.”

Yellow, who’d been silent, finally spoke as the matchmaking completed, and I focused on the game.

I continued my losing streak, and Yellow, unusually quiet after our conversation about the evening, didn’t nag me even as I lost repeatedly.

As the sun began to set, we left the arcade, and Yellow showed me a few video channels on her phone.

“These and these. They’re good players, so it’ll be helpful to familiarize yourself with their styles. This one teaches easy combos for beginners, so watch this one especially.”

I saved the channels, grateful for the recommendations, even though her tone was still harsh. She was actually trying to help me, despite my initial deception.

“Are you coming on Monday?”

“Yeah, I’ll be there.”

I nodded, confirming my return. Now that I knew where to find her, there was no reason not to come.

“Okay, then watch these videos before then.”

Yellow, starting another explanation, led me to a nearby convenience store, seemingly wanting to elaborate, and we sat down at a table.

While she’d been harsh during our games, her voice was now soft and gentle as she explained the videos, which was a pleasant surprise.

“You should be this calm when we’re playing.”

“What? Do you have a problem with that?”

My careless comment earned me a glare. I wasn’t usually so tactless, but wasn’t it her harsh language that had provoked me in the first place?

“Yes, I do.”

I didn’t like beating around the bush and told her directly that I found her way of speaking unpleasant. I’d expected another barrage of insults, but surprisingly, she didn’t say anything.

“These videos will help. Watch them whenever you have time. It’ll make you a better player.”

“I’m not sure I’ll have time with work.”

“Three minutes, five minutes… saying you don’t have time is just an excuse.”

“That’s true.”

The videos were mostly under 10 minutes long, some even just five minutes, so I couldn’t use lack of time as an excuse. I could easily watch a few videos during my commute or during any downtime.

“So you’ll watch them?”

“Yes.”

“I said watch them.”

“I said yes.”

I responded to her repeated confirmations. I was planning on watching them anyway, since I wanted to beat her.

Yellow continued to look at me, then stood up to leave.

“You can go. I’m leaving, too.”

“Okay.”

I watched her walk away, then stood up and headed home.

The weekend and Monday passed without any significant events. I worked my Saturday shift at the cafe with Yu-ra and went to her place afterwards. On Sunday, after my shift, I stopped by Ha-yeong’s new apartment, and on Monday morning, after going to headquarters, I met with Green.

I watched the videos Yellow had recommended, thinking about how to beat her. And finally, Monday afternoon arrived. I entered the arcade and saw Yellow, already there, playing a game, and I approached her, feeling more comfortable around her after a week of shared gaming sessions and seeing her almost every day.

“I’m here.”

“You’re here.”

While our eyes were on the screen, our greetings were for each other.

“Did you watch the videos?”

“I did. But about the ones you recommended…”

Watching the videos had raised questions. I’d made a mental list of things to ask Yellow and, after exchanging greetings, bombarded her with questions.

Yellow, while playing, patiently answered my questions, explaining the playstyles of the players in the videos, their preferred characters, and their strategies. While I still wasn’t particularly interested in the game itself, I enjoyed learning from her.

“Ah, and about counterattacks…”

I was about to ask another question when Yellow, having won her match, put down the joystick and looked up at me. Her gaze, unusually soft, wasn’t as sharp as usual.

“You really did watch a lot of videos.”

“I watched them whenever I had time.”

Having decided to watch them whenever possible, I’d found surprising amounts of free time. While I couldn’t watch them during work or while I was with others, I’d spent most of my remaining time watching the videos.

Yellow looked at me intently, then looked down, seemingly lost in thought.

“Really?”

While I didn’t know much about her, I’d learned one thing in the past week: while she had a sharp tongue, her emotions were also quite transparent, though I’d mostly observed those emotions during her angry outbursts.

But now, her expression was unreadable as she thought, then she looked up at me.

“Sit down. Let’s play a round.”

While her expression was still neutral, I sensed a flicker of… something in her eyes. A spark of interest, perhaps?

I didn’t know what it meant, so I just did as she asked, sat down across from her, and inserted my coins.

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