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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Xrecker
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The peaceful time shared between the two factions, who usually faced each other with weapons drawn, their animosity restrained only by the rules of engagement, didn’t last long. But they made the most of that brief respite, a single day of truce.
While they hadn’t intended to enjoy each other’s company, seeing them relax and have fun together made me realize that peace could sometimes be found in the most unexpected places.
There were no farewells as the sun set and they parted ways. The temporary peace was over, and they returned to their usual adversarial roles. It wasn’t the return to normalcy that was unusual; it was the brief moment of peace that had been special, and neither side lingered, knowing that dwelling on it wouldn’t change anything.
“They’re gone.”
“They are.”
“Good work today. You must have been bored, unable to even talk.”
Having been the referee for all the games, unable to even respond to their protests, I’d been quite frustrated, but seeing the Hunter Killer members enjoy themselves had lifted my spirits. Had that single day, spent with us, been special for them, a highlight of their long-awaited trip?
“We lost in the end, didn’t we? You should have won, at least here, since you always lose in the duels.”
We’d lost by a narrow margin, and Ruche smacked my back playfully as I teased her.
The smack stung, but seeing her smile, I knew she wasn’t offended.
“Did you have fun?”
“Yes, I did.”
Spending time with Hunter Killer, their usual opponents, seemed to have been a pleasant and unusual experience for Ruche, who usually led our team in their duels.
“I hope we have another opportunity like this.”
“I doubt it.”
While it was phrased as a question, Ruche’s tone suggested she didn’t think it would happen again. But the fact that she’d even asked suggested a part of her wished for it.
“You never know. Let’s get some dinner.”
“Let’s.”
I watched my teammates heading back to the lodging, gathering their belongings, and followed Ruche, also carrying her things. The first day of our trip, our only free day, was almost over, and we had to prepare for tomorrow’s training.
Back at the pension, the Hunter Killer members stretched, tired from all the activity.
“Dinner time?”
Blue, excited about cooking, asked her teammates. They’d agreed that Blue would cook during the trip, and the others, wanting to help, started to get up from the sofa, but Blue stopped them.
“It’s okay, you guys rest.”
While cooking together could also be fun, there would be other opportunities. Blue wanted to showcase her cooking skills, and having received constant praise from A, she was feeling confident. She rolled up her sleeves and headed to the kitchen, and the others watched her go.
“She’s like a mom.”
“A mom, indeed.”
Pink agreed with Red’s quiet comment, and Yellow, seeing them staring blankly at Blue, got up and followed her to the kitchen.
Blue’s eyes met Yellow’s as she was taking out the utensils and ingredients.
“Why?”
“I thought I could help.”
“It’s okay.”
Blue, touched by Yellow’s awkward attempt to help, smiled and placed a cutting board and a knife on the counter.
“Can you chop onions?”
“You just peel and chop them, right?”
“Right. Can you chop these onions for me? I’ll handle the rest.”
Yellow took the bag of onions and started peeling them at the sink, and Blue, having delegated a task, started preparing the other ingredients.
As she peeled the onions, Yellow replayed the day’s events in her mind.
Having struggled to connect with her teammates, she’d wanted them to have a good time today.
They’d even invited her on the trip, even though they could have easily left her out.
Then they’d run into Spacetroe, and she’d tried her best in the competitions to secure the beach for her teammates. While the highlight of the trip had come sooner than expected, she wondered if they could have had even more fun.
“What are you thinking about?”
Blue approached Yellow, who’d stopped peeling onions, and looked at her. She always had a soft spot for Yellow, and Yellow knew it. That’s why she could share things with Blue that she couldn’t share with the others.
In the past, she wouldn’t have been able to express herself properly, but she was different now. She’d made a friend, and he’d shown her the importance of seizing opportunities.
“Just… thinking. Wondering if I should even be here.”
Yellow still had some unresolved issues. She wanted to apologize to her teammates for her past behavior. While you couldn’t undo the past, you could learn from it and move forward.
Yellow didn’t want forgiveness; she just wanted to apologize sincerely, even if it meant being scolded.
“Still thinking about Green?”
Blue, having witnessed the incident, immediately understood Yellow’s concern. In the past, she wouldn’t have known, only receiving updates later, but she was more attuned to her teammates now.
“Yeah.”
“Why don’t you just apologize?”
“Will that be enough?”
She wasn’t sure. In Yellow’s experience, there had never been a resolution to her conflicts with others; they’d either ended in broken relationships or unresolved tension. So, an apology, to her, had to be something special, a grand gesture of sincerity.
“Yes, it will be.”
Blue knew her teammates, after years of working together, were good people. And she’d never doubted that. She’d also been the first to recognize Yellow’s struggles with expressing herself.
Yellow looked at her teammates, Pink and Green, sitting on the sofa, watching TV. Red was in the shower.
“Go ahead.”
Blue gently nudged Yellow’s back, encouraging her. Despite her gentle voice and small stature, she seemed larger than life in this moment.
“Okay.”
Yellow walked towards the living room, her gaze fixed on Green. She remembered her reconciliation with A and decided to trust Blue’s advice. She wouldn’t brush it aside or pretend nothing had happened; she would apologize and make a fresh start.
Green, seeing Yellow approach, made space for her on the sofa, assuming she was coming to sit down. But Yellow just stood there awkwardly, and Pink also looked at her.
“?”
Green tilted her head in confusion, and Yellow took a deep breath, preparing herself. While she’d thought she was ready, her heart pounded in her chest as she was about to speak.
Apologizing to A had been nerve-wracking, but this was different.
She couldn’t hesitate any longer and spoke, her voice soft,
“…I’m sorry about before. I shouldn’t have said those things.”
Her single, clumsy sentence was filled with unspoken emotions and meaning, and Green, sensing her sincerity, was momentarily stunned, then smiled. Pink, however, was the one who looked surprised, her eyes wide. Having been on the receiving end of Yellow’s harsh words for so long, she hadn’t expected a genuine apology.
“I told you it was okay. Were you still thinking about it?”
“I didn’t apologize properly.”
“It’s really okay. You said it because you were worried about me.”
“But I still shouldn’t have said those things.”
“Then let’s just forget about it, okay?”
Yellow looked at Green, her eyes asking, “Is that okay?”, and Green nodded. It had been easier than she’d expected to apologize to Green. But the journey to this point had been difficult.
The incident, the reflection, the processing of emotions…
And then the choice: to apologize or not. And choosing to apologize was the first step towards resolution.
Conflict and reconciliation were a natural part of human interaction. But Yellow, now more than ever, after her experience with A, understood the power of an apology.
Then Yellow’s gaze shifted to Pink.
Pink, surprised by the unexpected apology, avoided Yellow’s gaze.
“I’m sorry.”
Her apology, encompassing all their past conflicts, was even more succinct. Their complicated history had made it difficult to express herself.
Pink couldn’t meet Yellow’s eyes, flustered by her unexpected sincerity.
“Yeah, I’m sorry, too.”
“But I don’t think I can change.”
“I’m not asking you to.”
Pink still didn’t like Yellow. But the others’ words had made her realize that the Yellow she knew and the Yellow they knew might be different, and she wondered if she’d been judging Yellow unfairly, based on her preconceived notions. While their relationship could improve, Pink wasn’t the type to suddenly become affectionate towards someone she disliked, and having such a long history of conflict, she didn’t expect a sudden change.
An awkward silence fell over the living room, and Blue, smiling at their exchange, was about to speak when the bathroom door opened.
“Why isn’t anyone coming in?!”
They all turned their heads at Red’s voice. She stood there naked, her body wet, pretending to be upset that no one had joined her in the shower.
She’d actually overheard their conversation from inside the bathroom and had deliberately called out to them, wanting to lighten the mood.
“What? Did you want company?”
Pink, sensing Red’s intention, stood up from the sofa and unwrapped the towel she’d been wearing, revealing her swimsuit underneath.
“Yellow, come on in.”
“Huh… me?!”
Red, grabbing Yellow’s arm, who looked flustered, pulled her towards the bathroom. Pink, seeing Green’s uncertain expression in the sudden chaos, unwrapped the towel Green had been wearing.
“Green, let’s go.”
“Uh… isn’t it a bit crowded?”
Green wondered if the bathroom was big enough for four people, but they heard Red’s voice from inside.
“It’s okay. The bathroom is huge.”
Pink pushed Green towards the bathroom, and Green, unable to resist, followed. Yellow’s swimsuit had already been removed by Red. As Red had said, the bathroom was spacious enough for all of them, and Pink, after pushing Green inside, poked her head out into the living room.
“Blue, aren’t you coming?”
“Me too?”
Blue, who’d been preparing dinner, paused and looked towards the living room, a smile spreading across her face at their invitation, and she took off the t-shirt she’d been wearing over her swimsuit.
“Okay.”
Pink went into the bathroom, followed by Blue, and the door closed, the sound of the shower and the girls’ laughter echoing from inside.
While the sudden, impromptu group shower had been unexpected, none of them minded.
The Hunter Killer members, after years of distance, were finally starting to connect, not individually, but as a team.
“Your boobs are huge!”
Red’s voice, exclaiming at Pink’s bare breasts, a sight she’d only seen when Pink was wearing a bra, was the loudest.
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Hehehe, what fun and heartwarming moments…