episode_0205

“…It’s awful.”

With a clink, Ashe sets down the cup of coffee.

Even though she made the coffee herself, she can’t bring herself to say it tastes good, even as a courtesy.

The tools Apple used are subtly cumbersome and complicated for an ordinary person to handle. Even after spending quite some time on it, Ashe, who is using them for the first time, found it difficult to use them satisfactorily.

If she didn’t know how to make it well and was going to make it carelessly because it was a hassle, it would have been nice if she could compromise and accept it even if it didn’t taste good, but unfortunately, Ashe is laid-back but has a picky palate, so it seems she couldn’t just let it go.

“…What’s wrong? It’s fine.”

“Liiiies~. There’s no way Rahe, who’s pickier than me while pretending not to be, would say this is okay.”

“You want me to be honest?”

“…Just a moment. Let me prepare myself mentally.”

“Then I’ll tell you.”

“I said wait…”

Rahe lightly sips Ashe’s coffee, then sets the cup down coldly and says,

“It’s a waste of ingredients, so I’d rather you not make it from now on. I think that would be better.”

“……Ugh….”

“It’s okay, though. It’s not completely unusable. If you say you’re ‘practicing for later,’ I can fully understand and bear with it.”

Rahe adds, referring to the coffee as muddy water.

Ashe herself didn’t like the coffee, but she didn’t expect to hear such harsh criticism.

Moreover, she can’t blame Rahe because she was the one who urged her to speak.

Rahe is right, she doesn’t think it’s really muddy water, but if the result of using expensive beans and all sorts of tools is this bad, there’s really nothing she can say….

“Sigh~. Apple’s coffee was so delicious. Once you taste it, you can never forget it. It raises the bar for coffee so high.”

“……That’s true. No matter how hard I try, I can’t make coffee as delicious as Apple’s.”

“Right?”

Ashe sits on the sofa with her feet up and her knees bent, a bad habit.

Although her legs and arms cover it, Rahe can clearly see her underwear.

Ashe has always been like this, and Rahe used to scold her to be more careful each time, but she gave up when Ashe showed no intention of fixing it.

And she only shows this side because they’re close. In places with other people or men, she looks more proper than anyone else.

That’s why Rahe, who has a strict personality, doesn’t point it out anymore and just lets her do what she wants.

“Apple, huh~.”

“……? Is something going on related to Apple?”

“Remember that 【Lesserat】 subjugation operation that Squad 7 carried out the other day? You know we’re in charge of the cleanup, right?”

“I heard about it.”

“Right~? Their hideout was in a city we manage, too~.”

Ashe said that with eyes that were hard to tell if they were open or closed, then tilted her coffee cup and drank the coffee she had made.

Then, as if she couldn’t satisfy herself, she frowned slightly.

“Oh my, it’s awful~. …Well, that means I have no choice but to keep hearing that name, whether I like it or not~. That reminds me of the coffee that kid made, and that’s why I came looking for you… Yeah.”

“That’s true. I’m sorry I couldn’t treat you to delicious coffee.”

“And after all that, I got called muddy water~.”

“If you don’t want to hear that, you could just stay still without making any, or practice alone until you can make it well, then do it.”

“That’s true~.”

Ashe admits it frankly and takes another sip of her coffee.

The texture on her tongue and the way it goes down her throat aren’t good, and above all, it tastes burnt and bitter.

It’s hard to believe that she used the same tools and beans as when Apple was around.

“……By the way.”

Ashe looks down at the black surface of the coffee she made and continues in a low voice.

“Rahe, I have a question—that 『Lesserat Subjugation Operation』 a while ago, did you really command it?”

It was still a light tone, but it was somehow different from the playful atmosphere so far.

It was a light tone, but the intention and atmosphere hidden within it signaled seriousness.

“……Why are you asking that? Was there something strange that bothered you?”

“Lots. A lot. Besides, it happened in ‘my territory’.”

As she said earlier, the 【Lesserat】’s hideout was in Squad 4’s jurisdiction.

However, due to the location, that area is between Squad 4 and Squad 7, so it’s not so easy to say that.

In addition, it’s a special area that operates under special rules, so it may not be appropriate to argue whether it belongs to Squad 4 or Squad 7 in the first place.

The reason why Rahe was strongly reprimanded by her superiors for this subjugation operation was because the area she was involved in was a problem.

A very complex and dangerous place with various factors such as drugs, politics, and many influential figures from the political and business worlds.

Although the circumstances were what they were, it’s not very smart to rashly touch such a place without reporting it to the higher-ups.

Moreover, she should have told Squad 4, which is in charge of that area, and its captain, Ashe, even more.

After reviewing the report, it seemed that the operation Rahe carried out was very dangerous, and as such, she needed more capable colleagues.

If the opponent was even a little stronger, and if the members of Squad 7 were even a little weaker, it could easily be assumed that it would have been a much more dangerous and precarious mission.

Ashe couldn’t understand why Rahe, who cherishes her subordinates and can make calm and rational judgments, had carried out such a clumsy and hasty operation.

Above all.

There was a strange sense of discomfort in the report she submitted that was hard to describe….

She can’t express it accurately….

“Rahe.”

“……Why, Ashe?”

“You’re not thinking of anything strange, are you?”

At some point, the coffee cup that Ashe was holding was on the table.

Ashe has her gloved hands clasped together, and her eyes are slightly wider, revealing her eyes as she carefully examines Rahe as if to gauge her.

The relaxed and laid-back atmosphere she had at the beginning has disappeared.

The current Ashe is exuding an aura of authority befitting a captain who leads a squad.

“I always think so. I believe you are a good colleague to trust because you, Rahe, are innocent and strict.”

“But at the same time, you’re too hard on yourself.”

“I also think that the way you carry so many things as if they’re nothing and act to achieve perfection is very dangerous at the same time.”

“Because you’re so upright and perfect now, I’m afraid that if you were to slip up, you’d go farther than anyone else.”

“Rahe, I’m going to ask you. I’m asking you as a colleague, peer, and friend from the same Hero Association.”

“Is your heart for 『Justice』 still the same now?”

“Is your 『Justice』 something that can be asserted in this place without any problems?”

“Can I still trust you?”

“……Rahe, will you answer me?”

Ashe says.

Ashe says.

Ashe says.

Her eyes are carefully examining Rahe, as if she won’t miss even the slightest movement or change in expression.

Ashe’s ability may seem invincible at first glance, but even if she does her best, she can’t beat Rahe.

If Rahe shows any suspicious signs, if Rahe tries to attack Ashe.

Ashe will have no choice but to be helpless.

That’s why she’s nervous.

That’s why she stays tense so that she can engage in battle at any time.

She can’t win the battle, but if she doesn’t relax, she has a fifty-fifty chance of being able to escape.

“My, 『Justice』….”

Rahe muttered softly, looking down at the coffee cup that she had half-emptied.

She is a strict and sincere woman who values rules above all else.

Therefore, punishing villainous criminals for the sake of a society where order, law, and rules are upheld is her unwavering 『Justice』.

But is it still the same now?

Was there really nothing hidden in the previous 『Lesserat Subjugation Operation』?

Is her heart the same as before?

Rahe thinks about such things for a brief moment, and then drinks the remaining coffee with a peaceful expression.

“……Ashe, no, Captain Ashe.”

Rahe called Ashe.

She answers her question as her friend and as the captain of Squad 7, who has many responsibilities.

“I think I know what you’re worried about. And I know that you’re worried about me.”

“But there’s no need to worry. I am now and always will be Captain Rahe of Squad 7, and my 『Justice』 has never wavered even once.”

“I am a flawed person who tries to choose the best means for everyone, but I am trying my best.”

“……Of course, there is no way to prove these things, but that’s why I have no choice but to ask you to believe me.”

“So will you believe me, Ashe?”

“No—will you believe me, Ashe?”

Rahe answered Ashe in the strict and solemn honorifics that she usually uses.

However, even then, she ends up reverting to a comfortable tone as a friend at the end.

She doesn’t want to lie to her friend.

She only wants her friend to believe in her.

That sincerity is contained in Rahe’s words….

* * *

Ashe is suspicious, and Rahe is pleading for her innocence.

It was a short discussion, but surprisingly, it came to a conclusion early.

-Okay, I’ll believe you.

In response to Rahe’s defense, Ashe quickly said she understood and replied that she would believe Rahe’s words.

After that, without bringing up such suspicions again, they shared some small talk and topics related to work.

Ashe is now about to leave as if nothing had happened.

“Ashe, are you really okay with believing me? You’re believing me?”

Rahe asked Ashe, who had approached the door of the captain’s office to leave.

Then Ashe turns around, smiles at Rahe, and says.

“I can’t imagine that the immaculate Rahe would be lying. No matter how I listen, it sounds like a genuine heart without lies. It’s not very good to keep arguing about it here~.”

Of course, she continues.

“Honestly, I still think the 【Lesserat】 thing is strange and wrong… but Rahe is human too, so if I think she just made a rare mistake, I can understand it~.”

Ashe said that with a smile, waved her hand in farewell, and left the captain’s office.

Only Rahe remained in the captain’s office, sitting on the sofa and silently gazing at the door Ashe had left through for a while….