Evil Organization’s Extra Mr. A

[ 21st Chapter ]

Work makes the rest time seem very short. Even if it’s the same 10 minutes, work makes it feel long and rest makes it feel short. It feels like someone is intentionally reducing the rest time.

I only go out three days a week now. Weekday battles and weekend part-time jobs.

Originally, there were no other days except for battles. When I was watching over Yubin, it was just a quick trip to check the convenience store, so it didn’t feel like work.

But since I started working on weekends, even though I have many more off days than weekdays, the weekdays felt shorter. It felt like all I could see were the days I worked.

At 2 PM on Saturdays, I start work at the cafe. It’s already been three weeks, and each week, Pink has become more talkative. Since we had a minor fight last week, she seems even more boisterous today.

“But that cat suddenly lay down and showed its belly? It was asking me to pet it.”

“Yeah.”

We were talking about meeting the cat after finishing work yesterday, but it feels like we’ve spent an hour discussing this despite spending only about 10 minutes with the cat.

If I didn’t respond, she would pressure me to not ignore her, and if I responded dryly, she would continue talking based on my response. I chose the less tiring option of responding appropriately.

“So when I touched it, it liked it! Look!”

She stopped preparing ingredients and took out her smartphone to show me a picture of the cat.

“Oh, how cute.”

Since I don’t have much interest in animals, I replied casually while continuing to prepare fruit for juice. I needed to finish this quickly to get some rest.

“You’re not fun!”

When she put her phone away, I thought she was starting work, but she hit my back with high spirits. She seems to forget she’s a hyper-human sometimes.

“Yeah. I’m not fun, so let’s focus on the ingredients.”

This week, work felt more like work. Pink was talkative and often talked about HunterKiller, but she never mentioned important information. Although she reconciled with Yubin, she rarely attends meetings, so it’s unlikely she has any crucial information. This made me lose motivation.

Lost motivation affected my part-time job. Actually, not having a part-time job doesn’t affect my ability to eat and survive.

But trying to gather information through part-time work and getting nothing in return left me without energy. Tomorrow, Pink won’t be there as a surveillance target.

“But you’re not coming tomorrow, right?”

“No. I’m meeting friends.”

“Friends?”

It’s surprising that she has friends who can handle her chaotic personality.

“Yes. They work, and we decided to meet because we haven’t seen each other in a while.”

Office workers can only meet on weekends, so they likely decided to meet on Sunday, which is relatively less busy compared to Saturday.

After hearing this, something curious came to mind.

“Do your friends know you’re a hyper-human?”

When asked, she paused, looking into space, then shook her head.

“They probably don’t know. I never explicitly told them. In the past, I didn’t show that I was a hyper-human.”

Given the various gazes a hyper-human receives in society, it’s unlikely she showed it openly when she was in school.

Although I felt uneasy, if these are old friends she hasn’t seen in a while, they would likely accept her regardless of her being a hyper-human. That’s what I thought.

Even if that wasn’t the case, I shouldn’t advise her about this unease. It wouldn’t be beneficial. It’s odd to bring up such a topic just a week after our argument and reconciliation.

“Isn’t it better to talk about it?”

“High school classmates will find out eventually. It’s not too late to tell them later.”

Pink resumed cutting ingredients. I helped her, not taking it seriously.

The next day, Pink didn’t come to work as planned, and I prepared for opening with the owner in the morning.

There might be changes in work hours, and I might open again, so he explained in detail. I also don’t know how long I’ll be working here. If Pink quits or if the surveillance target changes, I might have to quit too.

However, since I need to work for now, I decided to learn carefully.

In the afternoon, another part-timer arrived. Originally, she worked the evening shift and closed the place. We only knew each other by face until yesterday, knowing only that she had been working at the cafe for about six months.

“Hello.”

I greeted her politely when she greeted me first. With Pink gone, I paid extra attention to starting work.

The person working the evening shift had more experience than me, so there were no issues. It’s been three weeks since I started weekend part-time jobs, and I’ve gotten used to the routine.

However, I couldn’t muster enthusiasm. It felt like I had forgotten my original purpose and was just doing real work.

“Ay, do you date Yura?”

“What?!”

A part-timer moving items during dishwashing suddenly asked. I turned around.

“No. The atmosphere is good when we work together, and we have good chemistry. But Yura isn’t here, so it’s hard to perform.”

It’s true that it’s difficult without Pink. Currently, without a clear goal, there’s no reason to exert effort.

The good atmosphere and chemistry seem to be a misunderstanding. The atmosphere is lively only because Pink is excited, and I haven’t matched her enthusiasm.

The good chemistry also seems to be due to me finding tasks to do, but I’m still inexperienced, so it looks like Pink is helping me.

“No, you misunderstand.”

“I see. I was just checking.”

I’m not sure what she meant by “checking,” but it feels like there are strange rumors circulating in the cafe. The owner hasn’t said anything, so he might think it’s just gossip.

“Good work.”

My lack of enthusiasm continued until the end of the part-time job. I changed clothes and headed to the subway to go home. Just being able to leave work makes me feel good, so how great would it feel to go home after winning a battle?

Even though Yubin is my girlfriend, I still want to win when we face each other.

“It’s hot today.”

Looking at the weather forecast, I sighed realizing there was no news of rain. Summer days are long, and the sunlight is still intense, and the heat worries me even after sunset. I arrived at the subway, and as I entered.

“What?”

Next to the subway entrance, I saw familiar pink hair on the bench of a convenience store.

Pink, who claimed to meet friends and skipped work today, was lying alone. Her face wasn’t visible, but given her strong coloration, it could only be Pink.

“You’re already here?”

Thinking she’d stay out until dawn, I was surprised to find her sitting alone before sunset.

Seeing the surveillance target, I hesitated to go straight home and approached her to say something.

“Yura, what are you doing?”

When I spoke to her, Pink turned her head slightly. The scent of alcohol wafted from her, already red-faced.

“Oh! Ah~”

Her attitude changed abruptly, and she raised her voice, lifting herself from the table.

“Alcohol smell. Did you drink since morning?”

I expected her to drink at night, but she must have returned early and passed out. I should have just gone home.

“Yes! I drank alone because I wasn’t feeling well!”

I looked at the bottle of alcohol she placed on the table. There were two bottles of soju and a bag of snacks, and one bottle was empty.

“You said you met friends?”

Not wanting to prolong the conversation, I sent Yubin a message saying I’d be late and sat opposite Pink.

“We did. We did…”

She suddenly weakened her voice, resting her arms on the table and looking at me intently.

“I told my friends I’m a hyper-human, like you said.”

From the introduction, it was obvious what she meant given the current situation and her appearance.

“Gross.”

Hearing her words, disgust surged. According to her, humans and hyper-humans are the same Earthlings. While I understand the reluctance towards an alien presence, I wonder if she feels the same way about close friends.

“What is?”

“I don’t know. It’s just gross…”

Searching for alcohol, she tilted the plastic cup in front of her, and I snatched the bottle from her hand, placing it under the table.

“Just wait a moment.”

I went inside the convenience store, and she watched me enter with her eyes. Holding two bottles of soju, I sat opposite Pink and placed one in front of her, keeping the other for myself.

“Drink.”

Despite being a surveillance target, she wasn’t particularly significant at the moment. However, we had met every weekend for three weeks, laughing, chatting, and even arguing, building a bond. If I were a normal Earthling, I think we would have become friends.

Seeing a friend drinking alone due to a mental shock felt unpleasant.

“Cheers! Cheers!”

Pouring alcohol into a plastic glass, Pink proposed a toast, and I uncapped mine, clinking glasses. Though I’m not a big fan of alcohol, it seemed necessary for Pink to talk while drinking.

“So, what happened?”

“What to do? I overturned everything and left.”

Typical of Pink’s character. But judging by her expression while looking at the table, she must have left immediately after the incident. Despite showing disgust towards her, her friends remained friends until the end.

“Don’t pour anymore. Friends don’t do that.”

I tapped my glass against hers and took a sip. Pink smiled at me, finishing the remaining drink in her cup and refilling it.

“Now I have no friends.”

Sighing deeply, Pink took another sip from her cup.

“I’m here. I am.”

Pink is definitely a high-energy woman. While I’m usually calmer, I didn’t hold any negative feelings towards her.

Honestly, I thought it would be fun to have such a friend. Beyond surveillance, my personal feelings towards her were positive. That’s why I felt good when reconciling with Yubin, and when she apologized, I immediately forgave her. I also thought I was wrong and sent her an apology message, and she replied cheerfully.

“Hmm?”

The only thing I could say to her now is that I’m a friend. At least, unlike the others at the cafe, I don’t have any prejudice towards her. I can do that because I’m a Spacystro. But she has friends at the cafe too.

“There are people at the cafe too.”

“Yes. There are people who like me.”

She gave me a wink.

“Hehe, then we’re friends, right?”

“Yes. We’re friends. Friends.”

We clinked glasses again and toasted. I can’t soothe or solve the pain Pink has endured, but I can listen.

If asked if this behavior is part of surveillance, I can’t deny it. But the anger I felt was more about how she was treated.

We are enemies, but knowing this, I understand the responsibility and burden Pink carries as she fights to protect Earth. It frustrates me that people who don’t understand or care about her efforts insult her, while I, a loser, curse her repeatedly.

As we drank, we ended up having three more bottles, and Pink was lying on the table, drunk.

“Hey.”

To wake her up and take her home, I gently shook her, but she didn’t respond.

“Yura.”

“Mmm…”

She reacted slightly when I called her name, but she didn’t show signs of waking up. The sun had set, and it was time to go home.

“Let’s go home?”

If I knew her address, I’d send her in a taxi, but all I knew was the direction she went when leaving work. She didn’t seem to be sobering up anytime soon, so I decided to take her home. She might wake up halfway.

“Hey. Wake up.”

I carried the unconscious Pink and started walking slowly.