episode_0058

The next morning, the transport ship touched down on the hangar floor of Terminus Sector 7.

“Everyone, please wait here for a moment.”

“Don’t overdo it, we already owe you a great debt.”

Team Leader Han’s wrinkled hand patted my shoulder.

“What debt? I did it because I wanted to.”

I reassured them and headed straight to Kaien’s office.

As usual, she was buried in a pile of documents but welcomed me warmly when she spotted me.

“Jinwoo, what is it this time?”

She playfully squinted her eyes, as if she had anticipated this situation from the moment she lent me the transport ship.

I gave an awkward laugh and got to the point.

“It’s nothing else, but there are engineers who came with us from the Chronos Mercenary Group. They are certainly skilled individuals.”

I paused for a moment and continued.

“Is there a place in Terminus where they could settle down and work?”

At my words, Kaien rested her chin on her hand for a moment, deep in thought.

“As it happens, there’s an old, abandoned industrial complex on the outskirts of Sector 7…”

She operated her data pad and showed me information about the industrial complex.

“The facilities are old, but the basic infrastructure is still intact, and the space is quite large.”

Kaien readily accepted my proposal.

“We can entrust them with minor maintenance requests and part production.”

“I’m indebted to you again.”

“Nonsense, it’s good for us if our talent pool grows.”

My conversation with Kaien concluded satisfactorily, and I stood up.

“Then I’ll be leaving now.”

“Alright.”

The moment I was about to exit the office, I saw a familiar figure approaching from down the corridor.

It was Nix.

Just as I was about to greet her warmly, she blocked my path and spoke in a resolute voice.

“Talk to me for a moment.”

It was a voice different from her usual bluntness, carrying a certain weight.

“Huh? Oh, okay. What is it?”

Before I could even ask in bewilderment, Nix grabbed my wrist and pulled me as if snatching it.

“Hey, Nix! Where are we going?! Hold on, let’s talk it out, talk it out!”

Ignoring my shouts, she led me to a small door at the end of the corridor.

‘Is she going to trap me in there and beat me?’

When she opened the tightly closed door, it revealed a narrow, secluded room that seemed to be used for storing supplies.

Nix pushed me into the secluded room, then followed inside herself and closed the door.

As we were left alone in the small space, an awkward and heavy silence fell.

I felt frustrated, unable to guess why she had dragged me to such a place, but I waited for her to speak first.

Finally, Nix bowed her head slightly and spoke in a low voice.

“You….”

Her voice seemed to tremble slightly.

“Last time, and this time too… why don’t you ever ask me for anything?”

Nix raised her head and looked straight at me.

Her dark eyes were wavering.

“You ask Scarlet or Kaien-nim for all sorts of things… so why do you say nothing to me?”

She put her hand on her chest, as if frustrated.

“I… I can help you too! Do you think I’m less capable than them? Or… do you just think I’m unnecessary?”

Her voice gradually grew louder and more agitated.

‘What is she talking about?’

I couldn’t understand the reason for this sudden emotional outburst.

“…I heard from the soldiers that you borrowed the transport ship.”

Nix avoided my gaze and mumbled.

“Why didn’t you consult me or ask me for a single word of help? Am I not trustworthy enough? Or… do you just see me as a troublemaker who only knows how to fight?”

Her voice was tinged with deep resentment.

Her usual bluntness was nowhere to be seen.

She looked like a girl feeling anxious, as if she alone was being excluded among her friends.

I hesitated for a moment, flustered by this sudden change in her demeanor.

It was enough to make me wonder if this was the same ferocious woman who had pushed me to the brink of death in the training room.

Could she have a twin? Or did she hit her head without my knowing?

‘No, wait. What did I do wrong?’

Even as I replayed my actions, I couldn’t recall being particularly rude or ignoring her.

On the contrary, I thought I had acknowledged her skill and tried to respect her in my own way.

“Nix, it’s not that…”

“It’s fine. I don’t want to hear it. Of course, you wouldn’t like it, who would want to hang out with a woman who only knows how to fight and is covered in scars?”

She turned away, muttering in a self-deprecating voice while caressing the scars etched on her forearm.

Her gaze was directed at the floor, and her shoulders were slumped.

“…I just misunderstood on my own.”

Those words pierced my heart like sharp shards of glass.

‘No, this isn’t right.’

I had a strong hunch that I couldn’t let her leave like this.

Reflexively, I grabbed her arm.

“Wait, please listen to me.”

She tried to pull away, but I didn’t let go.

Instead, I put a little more strength into it and turned her to face me.

The corners of her eyes were already red, and it looked like tears would burst forth at any moment.

“It’s a misunderstanding. Really.”

I looked straight into her wavering eyes and spoke with sincerity.

“I didn’t want to burden you. It was too dangerous, and I really didn’t want to drag you into it. Scarlet… she got involved out of necessity.”

I paused for a moment to catch my breath.

Nix’s gaze was still full of suspicion, but it also seemed a little softer.

“It was such an urgent situation that I didn’t have time to think of anything else. It wasn’t because I ignored you or thought you were unnecessary, not at all.”

At my explanation, Nix said nothing, just stared at me.

Her expression was still hard to read, but it wasn’t as sharp as before.

I carefully placed my hand over the scars etched on her forearm.

Nix flinched but didn’t pull away.

“And these scars… I don’t think they’re ugly at all. Rather… I think they suit you really well.”

My words were sincere.

I thought her scars weren’t a flaw, but a charm that made her even more unique.

“I thought they were cool, like proof of how strong you are and how much you’ve overcome.”

At my touch and words, Nix’s hardened expression slowly began to soften.

The tears welling in the corners of her eyes streamed down her cheeks.

“Ah…”

Nix hurriedly bowed her head and wiped away her tears with the back of her hand, but

it was already too late.

“…Do you… really think that?”

“Of course. It’s not a lie.”

At my confident reply, Nix silently looked down at her scars where my hand rested for a moment.

And then, slowly, very carefully, she raised her hand and placed it over mine.

It was a warm and soft sensation.

“You’re the first man… to say something like that to me.”

And then, she added something completely unexpected.

“If you want… you can touch more.”

Her gaze subtly shifted from her forearm to somewhere else.

‘…I think she misunderstood what I meant. Anyway, if her mood brightened, then I guess it’s fine.’

Internally, I was sweating profusely, but I tried my best to maintain a calm expression.

It felt like trying to correct her misunderstanding in this situation would only lead to greater confusion.

“Ah, no. It’s fine. This much is already… cool enough.”

I laughed awkwardly and tried to subtly pull my hand away, but Nix held my hand even tighter instead.

She didn’t seem to have any intention of letting go.

“…”

For a moment, a strange silence once again filled the narrow, secluded room.

“I’m sorry. Earlier… I got angry so suddenly.”

Finally, Nix gently released my hand that she had been holding and let out a small sigh.

“Without realizing it… I acted too emotionally. Like a child.”

“No, I’m also at fault for not properly understanding your feelings. From now on, I’ll discuss everything with you first. I promise.”

Nix raised her head, then faintly smiled.

“Really?”

“Of course. There’s no one as trustworthy as you.”

****

Two days passed since then.

Team Leader Han continued his life in the workshop Kaien had arranged, busy with subcontracted work.

‘It’s excessively peaceful.’

I was lying on the sofa in Scarlet’s workshop, killing time.

It was partly because Valentine hadn’t contacted me, but looking back at the past few weeks, I felt like I’d been living a busy life, so this was a gift to myself.

“How long are you going to lie there?!”

Scarlet raised her welding mask and scolded me.

“Just a little longer…”

As I squirmed like a slug, Nix, who had approached my side without me noticing, crossed her arms and looked down at me with disdain.

As usual, she was wearing training clothes today.

“One sparring session would definitely wake you up. Want to try?”

“…Nix, it’s the weekend, why don’t you take a break?”

As I groaned, Scarlet, in turn, chided Nix.

“Jinwoo’s right! It’s the weekend, you should go out and have some fun, why do you keep coming to my workshop?”

At Scarlet’s teasing question, Nix seemed momentarily speechless, cleared her throat, then avoided her gaze and replied in a small voice.

“…Because I don’t have anyone to go out with.”

Sensing that the atmosphere had suddenly become strange, I hastily rose from the sofa and said,

“I, I don’t really have any close friends besides you two either.”

“Right! I’m hungry too, should we go to Auntie Judy’s restaurant?”

Scarlet echoed my words as if she had been waiting.

She grinned slyly and put her arm around Nix’s shoulder.

“I told Jinwoo to buy me meals every day instead of modification and repair fees. I’m going to really make him pay!”

“Nix, I’ll buy you something too if you want.”

At my words, Nix seemed to hesitate for a moment, then nodded slightly.

“…Okay.”

And so, the three of us headed to Auntie Judy’s restaurant for the first time in a while.

Amidst the bustling atmosphere, sharing greasy food and refreshing drinks, we were able to relieve some of the accumulated fatigue and tension.

After finishing our meal and parting ways, I didn’t go straight back to my accommodation but sat down in a small open lot nearby.

I wanted to clear my thoughts.

About my future plans, and the direction I should take in this world.

“Excuse me… perhaps…”

Before I could even raise my head, I heard an unfamiliar woman’s voice accompanied by the sweet scent of ice cream.

“Judging by your attire… you seem to be a pilot.”

She looked completely out of place with Terminus’s rough and crude atmosphere, like someone who had come to a tourist destination.

A pure white off-shoulder dress and long, straight black hair.

In one hand, she held a delicious-looking strawberry ice cream, and with the other, she lightly touched her forehead as if to shield her eyes from the sun.

“Do you happen to know where Scarlet’s workshop is?”

Taking a small bite of her ice cream, she asked in a gentle voice.

‘Her face looks familiar…?’

I couldn’t say anything.

I just stared blankly up at her face.

“Is there something on my face?”

Although she wasn’t wearing her dull black uniform, I instantly knew who she was.

The infamous admiral of the Red Veil Pirates.

Belzero Karmail, why was she here?