Ch.51Again, it’s you! (4)

#051

Deputy Director jumped at the sound of Dexter’s booming voice that struck his eardrum through his ear canal.

As if he’d heard a gunshot nearby, the Deputy Director’s ears instantly filled with ringing, and he angrily shouted:

“What the hell do you think you’re doing!”

Dexter didn’t look at the Deputy Director but instead stared at the aide who seemed ready to grab him at any moment.

“Just try to grab me. See what happens.”

After warning the aide, Dexter turned his gaze to the Deputy Director, who was pressing his palms against his ears, trying to recover from the deafening sound.

“You…!”

“Listen here.”

Dexter cut the Deputy Director off before he could speak.

“I’ve been asked to become an OSA agent twice, and I refused both times. What does that tell you? It means I’d rather die than do it, right?”

“……”

“I told you nicely. I don’t want to do it. I won’t do it. I just want to live my life in peace.”

Dexter placed his hands on his hips and hung his head low.

“So why do you keep bothering me?”

“It’s our duty to not let your skills go to waste…”

“Duty?”

Dexter, who had been looking down, raised his head again.

“What duty? You federal agents couldn’t even manage your equipment properly, letting a civilian mess with alien artifacts and forcing him to live in space for 15 years. You bastards have no right to talk.”

“Watch your language!”

“Shut your mouth. What if what I touched wasn’t a distress beacon but a bomb? Or some unknown chemical weapon? What would you have done then? I let it slide because suing seemed difficult, but don’t you understand the gravity of the situation?”

The Deputy Director looked uncomfortable at Dexter’s accusation but remained silent.

“I stayed quiet because I didn’t want to see my home planet destroyed because of some neutrality treaty, not because I’m an idiot.”

Dexter stared intently at the Deputy Director and continued:

“I just want to live my life in peace. Why do you keep bothering me?”

“Mr. Hughes, please stop. Okay?”

Seeing that Dexter might grab the Deputy Director by the collar at any moment, Himena grabbed his arm to stop him.

“Why don’t we sit down at the table right now and go through this point by point? This isn’t about my skills—I deserve proper compensation for the damage done, and even that wouldn’t be enough.”

When Dexter spoke with an irritated voice, the Deputy Director, who had been glaring at him, showed an unexpected reaction.

“Negotiation? Good. That’s something we should have done in the first place. When would be convenient for you?”

“Right now works for me.”

The Deputy Director looked at the intimidating aide standing beside him and asked:

“Do I have anything scheduled after this?”

“You have a meeting in 10 minutes. Tomorrow from 2 PM to 4 PM is free, though.”

The Deputy Director nodded at the aide’s response and turned to Dexter.

“Fine, come to my office at 2 PM tomorrow. We’ll have time for a ‘serious’ negotiation then.”

The Deputy Director was a veteran with nearly 30 years of service at OSA.

While he didn’t completely dominate the atmosphere like Dexter had done, he certainly knew how to intimidate OSA agents.

After glaring at Dexter for a moment, the Deputy Director left the hallway. Watching him leave, Himena began slapping Dexter’s back with her palm, putting considerable force into it.

“Are you crazy? Have you lost your mind? Even if you did nothing wrong, how could you speak to the Deputy Director like that?”

Dexter didn’t try to stop Himena’s slaps and simply took them while responding:

“He was getting on my nerves.”

“You usually keep your temper in check!”

“That’s because people usually don’t irritate me.”

Although Dexter’s physical fatigue had mostly disappeared after his two-hour nap, his mental exhaustion remained.

Normally, he would have shrugged it off and forgotten about it, but this time he felt he had reacted a bit too strongly. He sighed deeply and said:

“I don’t know. But it’s something I had to do eventually, and if I didn’t cut it off cleanly like this, they’d just keep coming back.”

“You don’t think I’m being clingy, do you?”

“You are clingy.”

“…?”

“But I don’t exactly hate it.”

In the end, it was an ambiguous answer about whether he liked or disliked her clinginess, and Himena rolled her eyes in thought before giving up on trying to understand.

Watching her, Dexter cracked his neck from side to side, loosening up his body, and said:

“Ah, will you continue working for the rest of the day, Ms. Himena?”

“…Of course. Just because you’re taking a break doesn’t mean I am too.”

Seeing Himena’s pouty face, Dexter chuckled and said:

“Could you write up a brief summary of today’s investigation and send it to me?”

“The investigation results?”

“It seems wrong to just let it go.”

Dexter rubbed his shoulder where he had been shot.

For his safety and the safety of those around him, he felt he needed to be more thorough with his preparations going forward.

“And please contact me if any aliens come looking for me.”

“Are there aliens looking for you?”

“There might be.”

‘They could be friendly, or they could be hostile.’

Dexter swallowed the rest of his thought without saying it aloud.

“Anyway, thank you for today. I’ll definitely repay you later.”

“Oh, I didn’t help you expecting anything in return.”

“Really? So I don’t need to pay you back?”

“Hey!”

Dexter grinned at Himena, who was glaring at him with wide eyes, and pointed at her with his index finger.

“Just kidding. See you tomorrow.”

“Should I call another agent to take you home?”

“Come on, I’m not a child. But please put in a good word with old man Pete. Tell him to let me get some proper sleep at home.”

Himena was secretly surprised that Dexter even knew the name of her supervisor, and she walked him to the parking lot where his pickup truck was parked.

“It’s just like usual.”

“Huh? What is?”

“You seeing me off, and me driving away.”

“Ah.”

Now that Dexter mentioned it, Himena realized it was true.

She often escorted Dexter, and he would walk to his car and drive home.

“Wait, shouldn’t it normally be the other way around?”

“You’re just noticing that now. It’s because you’re usually the one helping me. Today is a bit different though.”

“Y-you’re right.”

Usually, they would go investigate or have meals in Himena’s car, so even if Dexter wanted to drive her home, he couldn’t.

“When’s your day off?”

“Huh? I think… four days from now?”

“Perfect. Let me escort you for once. Let’s have a meal together.”

Himena was flustered by Dexter’s straightforward dinner invitation.

“What? Are you asking me on a date?”

“I said let’s eat together. How is that a date? Do you count every meal together as a date?”

“N-no, not really.”

“Then how about we meet for lunch?”

“S-sure. Around noon in four days?”

When Dexter nodded, Himena smiled brightly and nodded back.

“Promise, don’t forget. For real.”

“I won’t forget. I’m the one who suggested it, why would I forget?”

Dexter, who had already gotten into his pickup truck, casually said:

“Don’t get into any trouble, and call me if anything happens.”

“Am I a child?”

“How many years apart are we? Six or seven? That makes you a kid to me.”

“Geez. Are you going to tease me till the end?”

In response to Himena’s complaint, Dexter grinned, started the engine, and slowly backed up while saying:

“See you in four days.”

“Drive carefully!”

Though his injured shoulder prevented him from raising his arm high, he could still wave lightly, which he did to Himena as he left the parking lot.

As Dexter exited the parking lot and merged onto the road, Himena touched the wireless earpiece in her ear and said:

“…This is Himena. He’s moving in his own vehicle, so please pay special attention.”

As soon as Himena finished speaking, two agents in a black sedan headed down the road Dexter had taken.

Worried that Dexter might be attacked again, Himena had arranged for agents to ensure he made it home safely.

“He’s a genius at making people worry, really.”

Himena sighed deeply, looking in the direction of Dexter’s home.

* * *

On his way home, Dexter stopped by the Oasis Bar, devoured three cheeseburgers, and then went straight home where he slept for 12 hours straight.

After that extended sleep, Dexter woke up much earlier than usual, at 2 AM.

With nothing particular to do so early, Dexter turned on his Earth computer, launched the internet browser, and typed six characters into the search engine:

[Damage compensation lawsuit]

Countless search results appeared instantly.

‘The internet truly is a treasure trove of knowledge.’

The first article he saw was about a man who had filed a damage compensation lawsuit against the state government after being wrongfully arrested and imprisoned for about 17 years.

Dexter’s jaw dropped when he saw the amount.

‘About 60 million dollars?’

Though the outcome hadn’t been determined yet, according to the article, the man had filed lawsuits against both the city and county for wrongful conviction.

The settlement he demanded was 30 million dollars from each, totaling approximately 60 million dollars.

‘Compensation for the 15 years of my life that were wasted. Is that time really worth 60 million dollars?’

The “wronged man” in the article Dexter read wasn’t so much being compensated for his time as his lawyer was sending a message to the state government.

It was more like punitive damages with a message: don’t mistakenly arrest the wrong person.

However, having been away for 15 years, Dexter knew nothing about American law.

‘But did I really suffer 60 million dollars’ worth of damage?’

Worrying about unnecessary things, Dexter eventually searched for “24-hour lawyer consultation” in the search engine.

After sifting through thousands of law firms that appeared in the search results, Dexter found one that offered consultations via chat.

Since he couldn’t tell them he had been in space for 15 years, Dexter pondered for a moment, then sighed deeply as he looked at his work uniform hanging behind the door.

‘I guess this is the only option?’

-I have a brother who was wrongfully imprisoned for 15 years. If the state and federal governments are clearly at fault, how can he seek compensation?

>Oh dear, I hope he gets released soon. However, it depends on the charges…

Having turned his fictional brother into a criminal, Dexter placed a notepad and pen beside him and began meticulously writing down the rights he could obtain from the Deputy Director and the reasons for them.

By the time the consultation ended, the front page of the notepad was filled with extensive information.

However, Dexter, who had usually left the thinking to people like Eliya and solved most problems with force, stared intently at the notepad.

‘I’m a bit uncertain about this.’

After careful consideration, Dexter decided he should meet with Himena before meeting the Deputy Director to have her check the content.

‘One way or another, I’m going to win.’

Dexter clenched his fist, determined to extract what he wanted, even if it wasn’t the full 60 million dollars.