Mae’s eyes went round.

Even after looking again, it was still Hildebert—the same person she often spotted in the company cafeteria and frequently saw in the media.

The last time she had seen Hildebert was during the sports festival broadcast.

She had been so shocked when someone who had looked perfectly fine during the event suddenly collapsed the moment it ended.

She had heard it was only a brief seizure and that he recovered quickly, but after that, nobody at headquarters had reported seeing Hildebert, so Mae had occasionally wondered how he was doing.

But Hildebert was on medical leave, so he wasn’t doing patrols. He didn’t even have an SNS account.

And it wasn’t as if she were close to any of the special-duty staff, so there had really been no news at all....

I’m glad he looks okay.

Mae looked at Hildebert, who was sitting by the window, firmly tapping away at his phone.

Up close, he’s prettier-looking than I thought.

Because he was tall and broad-shouldered, she had never really thought that before.

Maybe it was because he was sitting down, or maybe because she could clearly see his eyelashes.

His yellow eyes are fascinating up close too.

There was a reason that unknown fan accounts dedicated solely to close-ups of his eyes had so many followers.

One of her coworkers always said there needed to be an account devoted only to collecting orange eyes....

“Ah.”

Those golden eyes looked at her.

Mae flinched in embarrassment, but the special-duty operative who had lifted his head to look at her face gave her a faint smile.

It was a polite smile.

Mae awkwardly smiled back and gave a small nod.

“One iced matcha latte, please.”

How did he know?

The door hadn’t even made a sound when it opened. She tried to calm her pounding heart as she inserted her credit card into the reader.

“We’ll bring it to your table.”

The clerk, wearing a blue apron with a yellow Banana Soda pin, spoke.

Mae nodded and looked around for a seat.

Hildebert had already lowered his head again and was back on his phone.

Well, I guess.

As she walked toward the table opposite him, she thought:

Special-duty Badgers really do have some strange sense.

She had seen it several times before—how they would suddenly whip their heads around and knock away a Creature flying at them, despite there being no sound at all. The instincts of people who hunted Creatures on the front lines had to be different from those of office workers stuck at desks.

And Hildebert was the most powerful combatant among all the special-duty staff.

Which meant he was the strongest being on Earth.

If you thought of it that way, noticing her gaze probably wasn’t even a big deal....

[Red Shirt Survivors / M.W: I came to the café and Indoor-Meals is here]

Anyway, the moment she sat down at the opposite window table, she opened messenger and typed that.

Her coworkers responded immediately.

[Red Shirt Survivors / BC: omg]

[Red Shirt Survivors / BC: Why are you at the café right now?]

[Red Shirt Survivors / T.W: no way]

[Red Shirt Survivors / T.W: Does Indoor-Meals look okay?]

[Red Shirt Survivors / M.W: I dumped the report on the team leader and emergency escaped lol]

[Red Shirt Survivors / M.W: I came to Banana Soda]

Her coworkers sent jealous accusations flooding in.

Mae grinned and answered the question.

[Red Shirt Survivors / M.W: Indoor-Meals looks healthy]

[Red Shirt Survivors / M.W: It’s literally just me and Indoor-Meals in this café right now]

[Red Shirt Survivors / BC: holy sht]

[Red Shirt Survivors / BC: Talk to him]

[Red Shirt Survivors / M.W: what are you even saying]

[Red Shirt Survivors / M.W: If you’re curious come over, it’s empty and nice]

[Red Shirt Survivors / T.W: jealous]

[Red Shirt Survivors / T.W: can’t... something just got dropped on us from upstairs and it’s an emergency]

[Red Shirt Survivors / BC: I’m telling you, talk to him! You two even have something in common]

[Red Shirt Survivors / BC: And I heard Indoor-Meals has a really good personality]

[Red Shirt Survivors / E: fck!]

One of the quieter coworkers flashed in and vanished.

That was common enough in the company group messenger, so Mae ignored the coworker who had left behind a single curse and opened her document window.

Just as she was about to tap on messenger again, her matcha latte arrived.

“Thank you.”

She happily took a sip of the ice-filled drink.

Meanwhile, messages continued to pile up in the chat.

One of Jack Black’s passionate fans suddenly popped in, begging her to please ask Hildebert for Jack’s autograph.

Mae replied that she’d ask if the chance came up, but it would probably be difficult.

She also refused another coworker’s suggestion that she buy Indoor-Meals a drink.

The group chat of a little over ten close coworkers quickly shifted to another topic.

Soon, the topic moved to something even juicier.

[Red Shirt Survivors / T.W: You know Marlowe, right]

[Red Shirt Survivors / M.W: yeah]

“Marlowe” was a teammate of her coworker, nicknamed that because he gave off a Philip Marlowe kind of vibe.

Not exactly the nicest personality, but stylish enough to be fairly popular.

[Red Shirt Survivors / T.W: You know he dated Pherom and they broke up]

That was famous gossip.

Back when everyone found out the Personnel Director had been dating someone on their coworker’s team, the dopamine rush had been unreal.

[Red Shirt Survivors / M.W: I know]

[Red Shirt Survivors / BC: Why? Are they getting back together?]

[Red Shirt Survivors / T.W: Apparently he’s planning to settle it today at HQ]

[Red Shirt Survivors / M.W: ??????????]

Mae almost spat out her matcha latte.

She stared at the messenger as question marks flooded in.

[Red Shirt Survivors / XA: wait]

[Red Shirt Survivors / XA: what does “settle it at HQ” even mean]

[Red Shirt Survivors / XA: Is he going to ask him to get back together?]

[Red Shirt Survivors / T.W: no idea]

[Red Shirt Survivors / T.W: anyway he left his seat 30 mins ago and still hasn’t come back]

[Red Shirt Survivors / BC: Did he storm into the Personnel Director’s office?]

This was incredible gossip.

Mae became completely absorbed in chatting with her coworkers for a while. She learned that Marlowe had dressed up more sharply than usual today, and that the Personnel Director still hadn’t left work.

Also that Marlowe had somehow gotten hold of the Personnel Director’s schedule today....

I should’ve accepted that transfer opening in HR last time!

She was inwardly mourning the fact that she couldn’t witness such thrilling drama in person when she heard the sound of a chair scraping.

Since she hadn’t heard any footsteps at all, Mae assumed it must be Hildebert standing up.

It wasn’t.

Suddenly, Choi Yun was sitting across from Hildebert.

Wh-what what what what?!

She nearly screamed.

When did he come in?!

She hadn’t heard a single footstep. Mae was horrified at the Badger who had appeared without sound or warning.

Yun crossed one leg over the other and silently watched the man seated opposite him. His black, reptilian eyes were fixed on the brightly smiling Hildebert.

Mae hurriedly typed.

[Red Shirt Survivors / M.A: Labtil has appeared]

It was her first time seeing Choi Yun this close too.

[Red Shirt Survivors / BC: gasp]

[Red Shirt Survivors / BC: Did he come to see his junior?]

[Red Shirt Survivors / BC: that’s insane]

[Red Shirt Survivors / A.T.C: handsome?]

Honestly, Yun was even harder to see than Hildebert.

Even though Choi Yun was a first-generation Badger.

He almost never came to the cafeteria. He rarely went to cafés either. She had heard there was a very high chance of seeing him if you visited the research wing, but in seven years of working here, Mae had only gone there exactly three times.

[Red Shirt Survivors / M.A: insanely handsome]

[Red Shirt Survivors / M.A: but terrifying]

For some reason, he had an overwhelming presence.

They said Hildebert was the strongest one.

But even if she felt like she could speak to Hildebert, she felt like she could never speak to Choi Yun. His eyes held no warmth at all, and even the slight crease in his brow—as if something displeased him—was frightening.

She could understand why the military deserter capture squad was feared.

As she thought that, Yun spoke.

“What is this?”

He seemed to be referring to the paper bag on the chair beside Hildebert.

From the corner of her eye, Mae saw Hildebert say, “Ah, this?” and place the paper bag on the table.

“Ami gave it to me this morning.”

The white-haired Badger took something out of the paper bag in a clattering stream.

A cactus-shaped toy appeared.

Six identical cacti.

“Do you know this?”

Hildebert flicked the switches on the toys on and on and on.

Then he hummed softly.

“I just woke up from a dream....”

He sings well.

That was what she thought.

At least, until the six cacti lined up beside each other twisted their bodies and followed in voices two keys higher.

[I just woke up from a dream~]

“Pff—”

She clapped a hand over her mouth to hold back the burst of laughter.

[I just woke up from a dream~]

[I just woke up from a dream~]

“Aren’t they cute?”

The timing between the toys was all off, making the lyrics overlap.

Mae saw Yun shoot them an utterly incredulous look.

Whether he cared or not, Hildebert hummed softly again.

“A dream we had no choice but to say goodbye to....”

[A dream we had no choice but to say goodbye to~]

WHAM!

Yun smacked the cactus dolls.

Mae hadn’t even seen the man’s arm move. Only the afterimage of something flashed briefly across her vision.

Strike.

All six flew under the table.

Crash!

“Ah! Yun!”

Hildebert gasped and bent down to gather the cacti that had fallen like bowling pins.

[Ah! Yun!]

[Ah! Yun!]

“That’s too much!”

[That’s too much!]

[That’s too much!]

Mae barely managed to swallow the matcha in her throat.

Then she silently praised her own self-control for not spraying her drink everywhere.

Though the painful struggle not to laugh was far from over. She bent over, covering her mouth, her whole body trembling.

Yun’s chilly voice rang out.

“Don’t pick them up. Throw them away.”

[Don’t pick them up. Throw them away.]

The cacti’s echo resonated through the café....

The sound of a chair scraping the floor followed. Yun was standing up.

Practically folded over, Mae watched Hildebert hurriedly switch off all the cactus dolls.

He scooped the fallen toys into one hand and piled them back on the table.

“No. Ami gave these to me.”

“My house doesn’t still have those in it, does it?”

“There are probably about six there. Ami gave me half.”

A sigh followed.

“They were probably fine when they were still in the store.”

“I was treating them perfectly well. You’re the one who resorted to violence.”

Is Hildebert able to sass Yun like that because of his own martial skill?

“By the way, did you check the group chat? Rick and Jack should be here soon.”

...Jack?

Jack Black?

Mae could barely process the sudden turn of events.

She had come here planning to spend a quiet afternoon in a peaceful new café with nobody around.

And Rick—did that mean Ricardo Sordi?

That second-generation Badger famous for writing consistently excellent reports?

There were rumors he dressed so well that even the “Philip” from her coworker’s office would cry in defeat. Was that really true?

At this point, Mae completely gave up on outlining her report.

The moment she told the group chat that Ricardo and Jack seemed likely to arrive soon, Jack’s passionate fan came sprinting in.

[Red Shirt Survivors / J.W: AUTOGRAPH!!!!!!!!!!!!]

[Red Shirt Survivors / J.W: Why am I even here]

[Red Shirt Survivors / J.W: Is this even a company??????]

[Red Shirt Survivors / J.W: Black company Black Badger!!!!!]

She was just typing that Jack hadn’t arrived yet, so they needed to calm down—

when the café door opened.

Two tall men entered.

Mae instantly knew both of them had only recently returned from a mission. They were dressed in casual clothes, but there was still a faint scent of wind clinging to them.

It was the smell that always came from Badgers returning from outside the Core.

That was why office workers often said the special-duty staff smelled like wind. They even called Badgers who had just started doing patrol duty “still carrying the smell of wind.”

Anyway, this is such a bizarre experience.

Mae quietly listened as Ricardo, ordering an espresso, and Jack Black, ordering orange juice, walked over and sat at Hildebert’s table.

Hildebert asking how the mission had gone, and Jack replying that they hadn’t found anything unusual this time.

Ricardo Sordi arching a brow in confusion as he stared at the cactus dolls.

Yun silently watched Hildebert.

“So. What was the announcement?”

“Ah.”

By the time the drinks for the late arrivals came out, Yun finally spoke, and Hildebert turned his head.

“There are two big things.”

Everyone in the café went silent, ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ waiting for Hildebert to continue.

“First, I filmed that commercial.”

“You picked the right product, right~?”

“Good work. Did Yoow help you well?”

“Stop doing weird crap and just sign the consent form.”

Various reactions flew at him, but Hildebert didn’t answer any of them.

Instead, he continued.

“And next month, I’m returning to work.”

Mae watched all three pairs of eyes widen at once.

Unlike her, they didn’t keep silent.

“What?”

All three men spoke at the same time.