Ch.99Welcome Home! (6)

#099

“Didn’t you say earlier that it was confined only to Nevada?”

This topic William just brought up wasn’t written in the draft either.

“That’s what happens when you focus only on the incidents. I thought so too. We needed to look at the bigger picture.”

“…Look at the bigger picture?”

William stood up briefly from his seat and brought over a large album from the table.

“Take a look at this.”

When he opened the album, instead of photos, there were clippings from Las Vegas daily newspapers.

[Congressman Kringle Moves to Lobbying Firm… Does This Company Actually Exist?]

[Closed Rock Valley Casino, Known to Have Shut Down Due to Executives’ Arrests…]

[Launch of New Gang… North Las Vegas Mayor Edwards Creates Controversy: “There’s No Problem”]

There were many other articles as well, some of which Dexter had heard about in passing.

But they weren’t articles worth specifically collecting and preserving.

“Aren’t these just ordinary news stories?”

“That’s what I thought too.”

William pointed to the first article in response to Dexter’s comment.

“This Congressman Kringle is practically the central figure among Nevada’s representatives.”

“I’ve heard that, but why does that matter?”

“I believe that organization started by targeting Nevada congressmen. This lobbying company mentioned here also has many suspicious aspects.”

“Sure, whatever. And this casino…”

Dexter’s expression stiffened slightly.

He knew the identity of this casino—it was where the gang boss who died in Guantanamo had worked, and it was connected to the captain.

“When I asked someone who knows, they said the arrests were connected to the government.”

William connected various other articles to argue that “the organization operating covertly on Earth actually exists.”

Himena, who had been listening quietly, found his argument somewhat plausible and nodded along as she listened to William’s story.

‘This is the complete opposite of earlier.’

A while ago, Himena had been bored, but now it was Dexter who was getting bored.

After some time had passed.

“And also during the MK Ultra Project…”

Dexter glanced at his wristwatch, realized that more time had passed than he thought, and looked back and forth between Himena and William, who were engrossed in the conversation.

“Sorry to interrupt, but I think it’s about time I should be going.”

William blinked a few times, looked at the small desk clock in the trailer, and slapped his knee.

“Oh my, that’s right. You said you came from Boston? You must be tired, go get some rest.”

“I would have stayed to hear everything if I could, but I have some things to do today. I’m sorry.”

“No, no. It’s my fault for keeping a busy person. Thank you for your time.”

William extended his hand, and Dexter shook it.

During treatment, William—a normal elderly man—was somewhat sharp and strict, like a humanities professor.

“That was fun, it’s a shame. See you next time.”

When Himena smiled sweetly, William also grinned, as she was practically the first young woman to treat him so well.

“It was a bit rocky at the start, but I enjoyed our conversation.”

After saying goodbye to William, the two stepped outside the trailer.

“…Didn’t you say he was somewhat mentally ill?”

Himena was amazed at how William seemed not only mentally stable but also grasped situations much more sharply than most experts would.

Meanwhile, Dexter, who remembered seeing him protesting at the prison, just shrugged.

“He’s become much more normal after receiving treatment.”

William, who had no reason to seek treatment and had left his condition untreated, began actively participating in his own treatment after meeting someone who acknowledged his research.

For Himena, who had expected to meet someone mentally disturbed, it had been a more enlightening time than anticipated.

“I’d like OSA to provide intensive care for him.”

Honestly, she was interested.

The reason senior agents had given up on William was because of his mental illness, but seeing him living a normal life and contributing to global peace with Dexter’s cooperation made her want to officially bring him into OSA.

“You should be careful. I think security has gotten tighter since the NSA incident.”

“What do you mean, tighter?”

Of course, Himena hadn’t noticed William peeking at her through the curtain gap, so she couldn’t imagine that was what Dexter meant by “tighter.”

Dexter had assumed she’d seen it and was surprised when she looked at him with complete ignorance.

“Oh, you didn’t see? There was a newspaper on the table right next to the door.”

“Yes. What about it?”

“There was a gun under that newspaper.”

“Holy shit.”

Thinking about it, he was someone who had single-handedly fought against government agents.

Realizing she could have ended up with bullet holes in her body if she’d responded incorrectly, Himena shuddered briefly.

“Come on, he wouldn’t have shot you.”

Seeing Himena’s reaction, Dexter headed toward his pickup truck and continued:

“It’s almost dinner time. Let’s go get something to eat.”

“Sounds good. Hmm, what should we eat?”

At Himena’s question about menu selection, Dexter fell silent for a moment.

For Dexter, who only cared that food went down and digested well, this was the most challenging question.

‘What should we eat?’

Seeing Dexter deep in thought until he started the car after getting in, Himena rolled her eyes and said:

“Should we eat something simple?”

By “simple,” Himena meant somewhere inexpensive where they could eat plenty.

Normally, Dexter would have agreed with Himena’s suggestion, but today he was thinking differently.

“…Don’t you think it’s been too long since we last met to just eat something light?”

He meant they should have a nice meal in a place with good atmosphere since they hadn’t seen each other in a while.

Himena, who rarely had meals at nice places recently, nodded at Dexter’s suggestion.

“There’s a place I was recommended.”

Although he had received the recommendation from another correctional officer, he had never actually been there, and he wasn’t sure if Himena would like it.

‘Well, let’s just go and see.’

And so, Dexter and Himena left the trailer parking lot and headed to the restaurant.

* * *

“I won’t tolerate ordering small portions.”

“…Let’s calm down a bit.”

“I’m not joking. This place really smells amazing.”

Sitting across from Dexter, Himena was displaying both anger and impatience with her brow deeply furrowed.

“Didn’t you eat lunch?”

“…A few chocolates maybe? I skipped lunch to work and came straight here.”

Since Himena hadn’t shown any signs of hunger, Dexter, who had no idea she was hungry, protested:

“Why would you go to such lengths to meet me? You need to eat properly.”

“I don’t care. Just know I’ll curse you if you order too little.”

The unstoppable Himena began ordering what was clearly more food than she could finish as soon as the waiter arrived.

“Steak! Medium rare, and this too, and french fries… the largest size please! Drink? Mojito. Don’t bring it in a glass, bring the whole bottle. Yes, a quart.”

“…Are you going to eat all that?”

“Of course I am?”

Dexter chuckled at Himena’s confident gaze, which seemed to ask why he would question something so obvious.

“Fine, whatever. Enjoy all you want. Oh, I’ll have wine please.”

Dexter, who had expected an intimate atmosphere, carefully decided to abandon that hope as he watched the table fill up with food.

‘I’ll just treat it as treating her to a meal, whatever.’

And so began Himena’s feast.

She didn’t eat sloppily, grabbing whatever was within reach. Rather, she ate with such refinement that to Dexter, she looked like British royalty dining according to proper etiquette.

The problem was that her speed was astonishingly fast.

“You’ll choke eating like that. Slow down, no one’s going to take it from you.”

“……”

Himena didn’t respond to Dexter’s words and remained focused solely on eating.

Watching her, Dexter, who had prided himself on being a big eater, had to reconsider that notion.

Dexter, having eaten airplane food for lunch, enjoyed his meal at a much more leisurely pace.

Not long after, Himena, whose stomach was somewhat full, took a sip of the mojito in her glass and let out a deep sigh.

“Ah, I feel alive again…”

“Anyone would think you were starving.”

The plates around Himena were in a state of near annihilation.

“…What can I do about being hungry?”

“You finished those huge french fries, demolished the steak… I’m not even sure if there was a salad. There’s not even a trace of dressing left.”

“…Are you going to criticize me for eating?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

Dexter took a sip of his wine and averted his gaze as Himena glared at him.

“By the way, why did you go to Boston?”

“Oh, didn’t I tell you?”

“No. You just said in a gloomy voice, ‘I’m going to Boston for a while…’ and that was it.”

Dexter was dumbfounded when Himena imitated his voice in a ridiculous manner.

“When did I ever speak like that?”

“You did. But really, why did you go?”

“May 14th was Mother’s Day, wasn’t it? So I went to visit my parents’ graves for the first time since returning to Earth.”

What had been a casual question suddenly received such a heavy response that Himena almost spat out the mojito she was drinking.

“Wh-what? Your parents passed away?”

“Wow, aren’t you a bit too disinterested?”

Dexter looked at Himena with an exaggerated gesture and his mouth wide open, causing Himena’s eyes to tremble uncontrollably.

“I-I didn’t know. I’m sorry…”

Seeing Himena’s genuinely apologetic expression, Dexter stopped teasing her and waved his hand dismissively.

“No, I was just kidding. You couldn’t have known since I didn’t tell anyone else either.”

Dexter smiled lightly as if it were nothing, and only then did Himena’s expression soften.

“It’s been over 15 years since they passed away. They died a few months before I went to space.”

“Ah…”

As Himena nodded heavily, Dexter scratched the back of his neck.

“I didn’t mean to make the mood so heavy. Anyway, I had a good trip. I also talked with neighbors, and the good thing about Boston is that it doesn’t change.”

After this, Dexter brought up stories about his neighbors Lily and Mila, deliberately changing the subject to prevent Himena from worrying about him.

“They were just little kids 15 years ago, but now they’re about your age. Wow, seeing that really shows how much time has passed.”

Watching Dexter speak so casually, occasionally nodding to show she was listening, Himena realized something.

‘I haven’t really made much effort to get to know Dexter until now.’

The time she had spent with Dexter wasn’t short, and she had received a lot from him.

Just the Abomination case alone was significant, and Dexter becoming an honorary OSA agent was also one of the things that happened after he helped Himena through various twists and turns.

However, Himena now realized that she didn’t know much about Dexter.

When Himena’s expression turned somewhat gloomy upon this realization, Dexter, who had been enthusiastically talking, asked with confusion:

“…Is it boring?”

“No, that’s not it… The more I listen, the more I feel like I haven’t shown much interest in you.”

Thinking that a woman’s heart was truly unpredictable, Dexter smiled gently and said:

“Who was it that personally retrieved my pickup truck from long-term parking and drove it right in front of me?”

“That was obviously…”

“Do you know how many people wouldn’t do something so obvious?”

Dexter poured another glass of mojito for Himena as he spoke.

“There aren’t many people who care about others when they’re this busy themselves. And we’ve known each other for less than half a year.”

Himena nodded at Dexter’s words.

“Don’t overthink it, just keep it simple. I don’t want to have a relationship where we burden each other with debts.”

“…Sometimes when I hear you talk, it feels like I’m talking to someone much older than me.”

Dexter snorted at Himena’s words as she looked at him with curiosity.

“Come on. You’ll be thirty in a few years too.”

“Heh, and by then you’ll be almost forty.”

The two continued their playful bickering even as they handed the bill to the waiter.

“I said I’ll pay.”

“No, let me treat you today.”

“Hey, I brought you to this restaurant, so I should pay.”

“You help me a lot usually, so let me pay this time. Please. Even if you don’t like creating debts, this isn’t right.”

Unable to overcome Himena’s stubbornness, Dexter reluctantly agreed to let her pay.

But Dexter had only bent, not broken.

“Then at least let me leave the tip?”

“You’re quite stubborn yourself, aren’t you?”

As the two were chatting and heading back to the car after leaving the restaurant, Himena’s phone rang.

“Hello? Auntie, what’s wrong… What? Wait, please slow down…!”

The person calling Himena was her housekeeper, Auntie Renata.

“Yes, yes… I understand. So I need to go to that police station? Yes… I’ll go right away.”

As soon as Himena hung up, Dexter asked:

“What happened?”

“Renata’s daughter has been arrested. I don’t know what the charge is… but I need to go to the police station right away.”

“Let’s go. I’ll drive you there.”

The two immediately got into the pickup truck and headed to the North Las Vegas police station.