episode_0118

Those who passed the test with excellent grades had to climb up onto the podium.

I have to stand in front of so many people.

It was clear that the person must have felt tremendous pressure.

“Jeff.”

“Ugh!”

I followed Shine’s hand as she grabbed my hand and pulled me along.

After passing through the long crowd of people and arriving in front of the large platform, I swallowed dry saliva.

Yes, the people who got good grades on the test were me and Shine.

If you can quickly subdue your opponent without taking any damage, it seems like you’ll get high scores.

I looked up at Amy, Victor, and Lane sitting on the judges’ bench.

At that moment, Rain met my gaze and waved.

It was clear that all the people sitting in those seats were team leader level personnel.

I looked away from the three people and looked at the others.

From the woman named Vapor I met at the training grounds to people I’ve never seen before.

They all seemed to be emitting an extraordinary aura.

I hid behind Shine because their gaze was burdensome.

Shine stood in front of me as if protecting me, blocking the gaze of others.

But even if you block the view in front, you can’t block the view of the people standing behind you.

I feel like I’m going to throw up.

My hands were sweating from the tension.

“Everyone, forward.”

Shine and I weren’t the only trainees who achieved excellent results.

A long line of trainees lined up next to us.

Amy, who had been looking at the trainees, stood up and spoke.

At her words, all the trainees began to walk up the stairs leading to the podium.

“Let’s go.”

While I was hesitating, most of the people had already gone up the stairs.

Shine grabbed me and dragged me up to the stage.

I climbed up to a high place with a clear view and looked back at the long line of successful candidates.

The number was not large.

A number that does not exceed three hundred.

Among them, there were a total of five people who achieved excellent results.

Me, Shine, and people I’m seeing for the first time.

They were exchanging glances.

“Everyone worked hard.”

Amy spoke to those who stood on the podium.

“I don’t like talking long. I’ll keep it short. Those of you who have excellent grades will be placed under the team leader of each team. You can learn a lot by following them.”

“Over there…”

At Amy’s words, the man standing next to me raised his hand and said.

He seemed to have something to ask.

“Yeah. Tell me.”

“You said that we are placed under the team leaders, but do we choose the team leaders?”

“Unfortunately, you don’t have a choice. The team leader makes the choice. You can refuse if you want, but…”

Amy trailed off and looked at the man intently.

“Are you going to refuse?”

“No!”

“Okay. Then let’s get started.”

Amy said so and sat down.

What are you starting with?

I was just thinking about that.

thud!

With a loud noise, the platform he was standing on shook violently.

My body was shaking violently, and I was losing my balance, but I was able to avoid falling thanks to Shine holding my hand.

“I am Cairo. I am the team leader of Team Blaze.”

The man who got up with those words had a huge build.

She was taller than Amy.

He was over two meters tall, and it was painful to look up at him.

His fiery gaze scans me, Shine, and the other successful candidates.

He ran his large hands through his auburn hair.

His features, which had been hidden by his bangs, were revealed, and the face of an extremely ferocious old man appeared in his place.

“Jeff, I have an offer for you. Join our team.”

After the man who introduced himself as Cairo finished speaking, silence fell over the room.

I was shivering with extreme nervousness, but I was able to come to my senses when a small water droplet flew near my cheek and burst.

“Huh?”

In my head that had turned white, Cairo’s words were played again.

Jeff. That’s my name.

So you offered me to join the team?

I was so embarrassed that I waved both my hands and cried.

The gaze that had been searching the empty space passed by Shine and turned to Rain.

Rain smiled slightly and shook his head.

This time I looked at Amy.

Amy met my gaze, but she showed no reaction.

“Answer.”

“Yes!”

Cairo asks for an answer with a slightly uncomfortable expression, perhaps because he made her wait too long.

I was startled and reflexively screamed.

“I refuse!”

As soon as I finished speaking, Cairo’s expression began to crack.

It seemed like he never thought he would be rejected.

“Really. Really?”

“Yes!”

“I didn’t mishear, did I?”

“Yes!”

My voice grew louder and louder.

My voice was distorted because I was so stiff, and it came out funny, but I couldn’t pay attention to that.

My rejection was met with murmurings from all sides.

The more this happened, the more discouraged I became and I had no choice but to curl up.

It felt like I was about to burst into tears, as if I had done something terribly wrong.

“Okay. Then, shine.”

Kiiro’s gaze turns to Shine this time.

He opened his mouth with a look of hope.

No, I tried to open it.

“I hate it too.”

Two consecutive rejections.

He opened his mouth with a look of great hurt.

“If Jeff doesn’t go, I won’t go.”

Shine said that and held my hand tightly.

The tension in my body slowly disappears as the warmth flows through my hands.

Cairo, who was in shock, wiped his dry face at Shine’s reckless words.

Then he let out a deep sigh and pointed to the man who had first raised his hand.

The man accepted without even saying no.

Cairo handed the man a flame-shaped emblem and sent him down from the stage.

This time, another team leader stood up from his seat.

“Jeff.”

He also pointed out me first.

“I refuse!”

I declined this time too.

The first rejection was difficult, but the second rejection was easy.

“I hate it too.”

Shine also refused again.

The rumbling grew louder.

The rejected team leaders looked dumbfounded, while the team leaders who had not yet been selected looked at them and laughed.

“Jeff.”

“I refuse!”

“Jeff.”

“I refuse!”

A series of rejections.

The team leaders who had been sitting in silence also began to slowly open their mouths.

From people asking about my identity and Shine’s, to people saying that I’m too expensive.

I ignored all the gazes and held Shine’s hand tightly.

After so much time had passed, it was finally Amy’s turn.

Judging by the way they stood up and called out their names in the order they were seated, it was clear that this time it would definitely be Amy’s turn.

As I expected, Amy stood up.

“Amy?”

“Amy doesn’t have a team?”

The team leaders were very confused.

It seems like this has never happened before.

“Amy, the leader of Team Harmonize. Jeff.”

“Yes!”

I happily answered Amy’s call.

“Are you coming?”

She held out her hand with a playful smile, as if asking something obvious.

I nodded vigorously and jumped up from my seat.

Amy reached out to me, grabbed me, and pulled me into her arms.

Although the others were very surprised, Amy acted as if she didn’t notice their gaze.

“Good job, Jeff. You worked hard.”

“Yes.”

Amy praised me endlessly.

As the hand stroked my head, my face relaxed and all the tension in my body disappeared.

I snuggled into Amy’s arms and rubbed her cheek.

“Okay. Come down now.”

Amy let me down from her arms and took a small silver emblem out of her pocket.

It was a lion head that didn’t look much different from the old Shine design mark.

“Wait a minute! Amy. You made a team?”

“Yeah.”

The woman sitting next to me screamed in shock.

To that, Amy simply nodded as if to ask what the problem was.

“No way. Because of those kids?”

“Yeah.”

I looked ahead, hiding behind Amy’s legs.

Shine hasn’t been called yet.

I think it’s like one person is assigned per team, but what about Shine?

As I looked at Shine with worried eyes, Amy stroked my head.

“It’s okay. Go down.”

I nodded and stepped down from the stage, holding the silver emblem carefully.

Next up after Amy was Lane.

She was sitting, but she jumped up loudly, spraying water droplets in all directions.

Tiny water droplets began to dance in the air, forming a rainbow.

“I’m Rain!”

She shouted loudly as if introducing herself to everyone present.

Everyone’s eyes are focused on Lane.

“I was the team leader of Team Raincoat!”

Rain, who had climbed onto the desk, continued speaking while spinning around.

“But not anymore!”

The murmur grew louder as she spoke.

Team Raincoat seemed to be a pretty famous team.

“Team Harmonize’s 2nd team leader! Rain! I’ll choose Shine!”

Rain’s gaze turns to Shine.

Shine also looked at Rain.

Shine didn’t say anything.

The more this happens, the more Rain’s expression begins to slowly crumble.

As Rain started to cry, Shine slowly opened her mouth to answer.

“Okay.”

“Wow!”

Rain shouted with great joy.

Rain jumped down from the desk and approached Shine, handing her the silver emblem.

“No! Wait a minute! What is Harmonize and what is Team Leader 2?”

The moment Shine received the emblem, the man who had been looking dissatisfied stood up from his seat in anger.

I desperately searched my memories.

Bluish golden hair that sticks out.

A nervous impression.

Eyes slit to the side.

I think the name was Kevin, if I remember correctly. Or maybe not.

Anyway, it wasn’t a very favorable impression.

“Is this a newly created team?”

Rain looked back with an innocent expression as if asking what was the problem.

Kevin was speechless at Rain’s attitude.

“If you have any complaints, go to Jinhan and tell him. Since this is a team that Jin approved.”

Lane spoke boldly.

Kevin, who had been angry at the words “Jin” spilling out of her mouth, shut his mouth tightly and lowered his head.

“No complaints? Shine and Jeff are ours.”

Rain shouted proudly.

She was so confident that she didn’t even notice that her skirt was slightly rolled up.

I shot a small electric current through Rain’s exposed white legs.

“Ugh!”

Rain jumped up as if he felt a slight tingling sensation.

She noticed that the hem of her skirt was riding up significantly and quickly straightened it.

Luckily, the panties weren’t visible.

Lane returns to her seat.

Shine came down from the stage holding the emblem in her hand.

She came right up to me and stood right next to me.

She had to stand in line, but she didn’t even care.

“Shine. You have to line up.”

“No. I’ll be close to Jeff.”

I looked at the instructor standing at the very front and took a look.

But the instructor also watched Amy and Rain’s expressions and didn’t say anything to me or Shine.

After Rain’s turn, it was Victor’s turn.

People’s eyes were focused on Victor’s mouth.

Victor got up from his seat and ran his hand through his hair with an annoyed expression on his face.

It was a habit that came out when I really didn’t want to do something.

“Team Harmonize’s 3rd team leader. Victor. No one will choose him.”

After saying that, Victor just sat down.

The room was filled with silence.

So, all the events ended and the after-party began.

The stadium where the game was held was filled with delicious food.

As Shine and I stood there, holding hands, people began to whisper from a distance without even approaching us.

“Hey guys!”

At that moment, Lane, who had disappeared with the team leaders, returned inside the stadium, shouting loudly.

She started running towards us, waving her hand.

The sound of small footsteps was unusually loud.

“Rain!”

“Amy and Victor are waiting!”

She immediately grabbed Shine and my hands and started running again.

Shine and I ran along the lane, exchanging glances.

I ran through the crowded stadium and down the long corridor.

People’s eyes were flying at me, but I was happy because I was running with Rain.

I had a smile on my face.

Tadadadad-!

Three small footsteps overlapped and echoed through the hallway.