Chapter 47 - Area D (4)

What had he done?

For Yehyeon to say something like that... For a start, I couldn't even picture him furious. He was gentle in private and mild-mannered in office.

So he did get angry?

I swept the scraps of ingredients on the cutting board into a corner and met Ami's eyes.

"What did he do to make the commander-in-chief so angry?"

"Two weeks of vacation set it off."

Ami held her elbow and explained in her clear, bright voice.

"The head of HR normally comes in at ten and leaves at four."

"What?"

"Then he took two weeks off during the busy season."

... He did actually work, didn't he?

My jaw dropped at those unimaginable office hours. If he came in at ten and left at four, when did he have time to do any work? It wasn't as though he would skip lunch, either.

Besides, as far as I knew, he had a desk job and didn't even go out into the field.

Walker and Aki weren't surprised, though. Apparently this was common knowledge. Looking at me, the only one appalled, Ami continued.

"It had been building up for a while."

"... Understandably."

"All those scandals were private matters, so Yehyeon kept out of them even though they bothered him. And the head of HR's spectacular scandals were hardly anything new. Still, Yehyeon had been telling him that, even if meeting people was his job, he spent far too little time in the office."

"And then he took two weeks off when he should have been watching his step."

"Exactly. That devilish talent of his had kept him from getting chewed out all that time, but he picked the wrong moment to push Yehyeon's buttons."

No wonder he'd been angry.

I was beginning to wonder how he had held his temper that long. Memories of my first day resurfaced: everyone's astonishment that Zhu, the head of HR, was coming back to work after leaving for the day. Even Ska had been surprised to see him.

So that really had been an astonishing event.

Aki, who had been listening quietly, slowly shook her head.

"The commander is terrifying when he's angry."

"Ska told me bits and pieces."

Ami's eyes curved with amusement.

"They'd come back to the office from a business trip, and suddenly Yehyeon just stared at his monitor for ages, completely expressionless. Then he said, in this utterly flat voice, 'What is this?'"

"When he saw the head of HR's leave request."

"Yes. Mr. Zhu's leave request. Yehyeon stared at the screen for a long time, then quietly went down to HR. The head of HR's secretaries say they'd like to cut what happened next out of their memories."

"How has he managed not to get fired?"

"Because no one can match his genius for reading and handling people."

My round-eyed senior's explanation was simple.

"Even then, he pulled off the feat of bringing Will in, and Yehyeon only just forgave him."

William Walker threw down the dishcloth again.

The kitchen was more or less clean, and the curry was ready. Walker lifted the enormous pot. I offered to carry it, but he refused.

Rather than asking again, I quickly gathered the dishes. Our two seniors pitched in as well.

We carried dinner down the cool corridor. The sight made it feel as though we were the only people left in a ruined world.

We ate in what had once been the Gothic art gallery, making use of things that would once have stood behind red ropes bearing "Do Not Touch" signs. We pulled up desks and chairs that must have been exhibits and sat down. As we set out the meal, drops of curry splashed onto a walnut desk.

But how on earth had he persuaded Walker to join?

And how many scandals did a person have to cause to make Yehyeon say something like that?

When I casually asked as I set out the curry, Ami burst out laughing.

"The head of HR is the greatest homme fatal I know."

"Huh?"

"You'd better watch out too, new recruit," Aki said offhandedly.

She stared straight at me as my eyes widened.

"You're a pretty face. You never know when he'll try to seduce you."

"Me?"

"More than a few Badgers have fallen for the head of HR before they knew what was happening, then gone through absolute hell."

"But me?"

"Somehow, I don't think Hilde is Mr. Zhu's type," Ami murmured, almost to herself.

"If he were, I think he'd have made a move ages ago... And Yehyeon hasn't given Hilde any special warnings..."

She dragged over chairs for the others, who would be on their way to the gallery, and this time she really was talking to herself.

"For various reasons, Yehyeon would know more about Mr. Zhu's love life than anyone..."

Why was that?

"You made it good, I hope?"

I was about to ask when Tvein thumped me on the back.

All that came out of my mouth was a strange noise. Once I recovered, I saw that my seniors had gathered in the gallery. They seemed to have come after taking some time to get themselves sorted out.

They were dressed more comfortably now, but still had their weapons.

One by one, they settled into the furniture that had once been exhibits.

Only the senior called Bobby was absent. Apparently she was still on duty in the control room. At safe points, everyone took turns keeping watch there.

There was so much new information that my head was spinning.

For now, I ate. I put the memories of the two-tone-haired researcher, the information about Zhu, and everything I'd learned about the safe point and Area D to one side. Under a barrage of nagging from Richard Green, I silently spooned down the hot curry.

* * *

The shittiest part was dealing with the waste.

That was what Ami had said. Food waste. Garbage. Whatever it was, we had to handle it all ourselves, so there was no avoiding it. She said plenty of people struggled with those chores, and that I would too.

But I was fine with that sort of work. For anything dirty, all I had to do was get it over with quickly and wash afterward.

The truly awful part was shooting lessons with Richard Green.

On my first evening in Area D, he dragged me outside as soon as I finished cleaning up. Then, without preamble, he shoved his gun into my hands and began a crash course in shooting.

Ami argued that I should be allowed to rest after spending over ten hours on edge getting here. Iho argued that a proper break would help me concentrate and learn better. Their efforts were wasted.

Besides, I had no talent for shooting.

Just a few months without practice, and everything felt unfamiliar and new. I couldn't count on things coming back to me the way they had with driving or swordsmanship.

"It appears your training officer really hasn't taught you even the basics of shooting."

I thought I'd kept up fairly well considering how long I'd neglected practice, but Richard Green's assessment at the end of the crash course was cold.

His voice was heavy with what sounded like disappointment.

"You lack even the fundamentals expected of a new recruit."

"I'm sorry."

"And your shooting is mediocre."

"I'm sorry. I'll work harder."

"I haven't seen your swordsmanship, but if this is the extent of your talent for shooting, your talent with a sword is likely just as mediocre. You don't seem to have the talent of the two young pups who came with us."

"... I'm sorry."

I should at least be better at it than shooting...

"There's no need to see it. It's late, anyway."

"I'll work hard."

"Very hard."

"Richard, keep going and you'll make the half-wit cry," Jason Tvein put in with a snicker.

Ignoring his oily tone, Green gave a surly order.

"Since I can't even count on you for long-range support, you'll be our driver for the time being."

Utterly battered, I obeyed.

I trudged back into the building. Darkness was beginning to settle, and the breeze was cool. I dragged my heavy legs toward my cot.

After a quick wash, I lay there without moving for a long time.

An overwhelming sense of inadequacy washed over me. I'd never felt this bad about myself even around Yun. Though in his case, I supposed he never expected anything of me in the first place, so there was nothing to disappoint him.

Ami and Iho did their best to comfort me in my despair.

Before leaving to relieve Bobby on watch, Iho said, "No one meets his standards."

He took a crunchy bite of an energy bar and looked at me through tired eyes.

"Even Aki and William, those so-called geniuses of the century, get nagged by Richard. Don't let it get to you, new recruit."

"Exactly. You're doing great, Hilde!"

Ami dragged her cot over beside mine, then looked down at me with her round eyes as I lay there dejected.

"Ordinary recruits don't even come out this far at this stage. These are exceptional circumstances. Considering that, you're doing incredibly well!"

"Thank you. But it's true that I'm no help with long-range support, isn't it?"

"Hilde, were you goofing off while everyone else was learning to shoot? No, you weren't," Ami said firmly.

"You just learned things in a different order. And that was my brother's decision. Don't be silly and blame yourself."

As Yun had said, I would have suffocated without Ami.

William Walker and Aki were so naturally talented that they didn't really know how to comfort someone. So Iho and Ami went out of their way to look after me. Thanks to those two kind seniors, I was able to pull myself together again.

Ami even kindly gave me a crash course.

"The magazine is just as important as the gun itself. If it doesn't feed the rounds properly, the gun won't fire. That's why you have to check your magazines over and over."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Did my brother teach you how to inspect your weapons?"

"No. He did check the gun I carry, but all he said was that with my shooting skills, I was very likely to shoot an ally, so I should avoid drawing it if possible. Nothing beyond that..."

"I see. Weapon checks start with zeroing. Just listen for now. Go prone, facing forward, and fire five rounds at a target ninety meters away. Then look at the shot grouping on the target and adjust your sights so the next shots hit exactly where you want them."

I understood. Though in my case, it would be hard to tell whether the sights were off or I was simply a bad shot.

In any event, Ami didn't criticize my terrible shooting.

"The way my brother zeroed it might not suit you, Hilde. Things like the distance between your eye and the sights can make a difference. So it's best to zero it yourself later."

After that helpful crash course, I got ready for bed, going over what she'd taught me.

I closed my eyes, prepared to get up at five in the morning. They'd at least taken pity on me as the newest recruit and assigned me the last watch. I couldn't have been more relieved that I wouldn't have to wake up in the small hours.

I'd have to work hard not to be a burden tomorrow, too.

Would I be driving that rickety military vehicle again?

Surely not. There was probably another vehicle somewhere in this building. With those thoughts, I slowly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

I woke at three in the morning.

Because Aki shook me awake.

"Get up. Now."

"The building's completely surrounded." My senior's rough voice struck my ears.