A week has passed since I came home.
To be precise, it looked more like an accommodation in a US military base than a house, but to me, this was home.
It wasn’t because I was used to walls and wire mesh, front gates, and marines.
It was convenient, of course, but for another reason.
my colleagues.
The people staying in the building next door or across the street were Jake, Rachel, Marcus, Jose and Harry.
It was perfect.
I could get tired of seeing the same faces I see during battle, even while on vacation, but I couldn’t.
Since playing the game Lareple a few years ago. And it was because they were believers enough to entrust my back while going through life and death together.
As well as reliability and competence.
But one of those who believed so much was packing his things.
Marcus.
On the way home, I announced my retirement, and on the day I arrived, I immediately reported that I would quit, and I was even packing my movers.
Naturally, I had many concerns.
‘Is this right… … ?’
It is said that everything has been resolved now, but at one time he was a person whose name was listed on the dark web.
So, I waited for a long time at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, and even after entering the United States, I was waiting at the mission where the Marines stood guard.
By the way, are you leaving because you quit your job?
Marcus said that nothing was wrong, that he was fine because he had somewhere to go, but he couldn’t make it that easy.
While I was thinking of asking for Marcus’ safety guarantee or residence in my own way, on the other hand, I thought that I might be asking for preferential treatment or making Marcus uncomfortable.
So when I went to the building of Marcus, the doujin next to me, he greeted me with a wry smile.
“hehehe, the second guest has arrived.”
“second?”
“Yes, he has been talking for a while since he came.”
At that, as I looked inside the residence, José appeared with a cup of coffee, as if he had become the owner of the house.
“lee! I’m here?”
“uh? uh, but… Ugh, it’s all sorted out… … .”
The interior he was looking at was ready to leave at any moment.
Only a few necessities are available.
Housewares, furniture, and appliances were all well organized and stacked neatly.
Enough to get off the bus and finish it in 5 minutes.
“Yeah, I thought it would cause a nuisance.”
“Are you a nuisance? At least you’re using an empty room?! How about staying a little longer? I heard you didn’t tell me to leave right away?”
Jose made a noise instead of me, and Marcus shook his head.
“If you’re going to quit, you should leave, even for the successor who will come in.”
“Andrey? Did you even contact him? He’s coming, so did you tell him to leave?”
“If you’re going to keep doing that, go get a coffee and go.”
“What are you talking about? Are your kids holding me?”
With those words, Marcus’s daughters appeared as if they had been waiting.
“… Stop and go upstairs, boys.”
Marcus called the children and sent them to the stairs, which was strange to see again.
This was because Marcus’ family, who were originally characters in the game, had never been implemented in the game, and was only mentioned in words.
My age didn’t come out, but I knew exactly here.
11, 7, and 6 years old, respectively.
Among them, an 11-year-old kid greeted them as if they were all grown up and went up, but the 7-year-old and the 6-year-old stomped up with clutter in their hands like pranksters at that age.
“Anyway, boring things are the same at home.”
“… Your daughter is amazing in that respect.”
It was when Jose complained and Marcus laughed at the words.
trudge.
I heard heavy footsteps coming through the open front door, and then a large Jake appeared.
“Marcus? Oh, Jose and Lee were here too.”
“uh?! Jake? if… Did you really come here to issue an eviction order? isn’t it? yes?!”
Jose hesitated, then asked in amazement.
It was because, unlike Jose, who goes everywhere for trivial reasons, Jake did not come unless he was on business.
So I, too, was wondering what Jake was going to say.
“Unload your load.”
His words were short and heavy.
At the same time, I wince and look at him, but José’s voice bursts out.
“yes?! What kind of small grain is that? To unpack… … !”
“You have to stay here.”
“Ooooooh! also! Oh, what is the reason? Maybe it’s because of the wanted bounty?”
While Marcus, the person involved, was still, Jose asked feverishly.
While I think I’m good too.
Another word was heard.
“The position has been changed, to the office team.”
“Team Leader? What kind of small grain is that?”
Marcus, who had only been listening, finally spoke up, but Jake shook his head as if to explain.
“This is not my judgment.”
“yes?”
“I gave you an order from above.”
“Why on earth… Why?”
“They said it was classified.”
“… Are you saying that the reason for the change of position is confidential?”
“Yeah, it looks like something is going on inside. or outside. No matter what your experience and ability, or the information you know… I have no intention of letting you out.”
“I didn’t say anything like that when Robert was gone… … .”
Jake responded to Marcus’ outburst.
“I was just contacted too, but I agreed.”
“Are you the team leader?”
“You can reflect the field opinions well, right? Your experience is too much to throw away.”
After that, José’s voice added.
“It was rather good. At least Dalya will welcome this decision.”
Jose said the name of Marcus’s wife, that is to say, Jesu.
Then the words continued as if they were divine.
“Will your kids like it too? It’s safe, it won’t hurt… go ahead and tell me No, if you feel embarrassed about being an office worker, can I go up and tell you? My mouth itches.”
“I will do that, so shut up. I can’t get any rest.”
Marcus, who was silent, looked at Jake.
“Then what about Andrei? What is your successor?”
“Oh, yes. Andrey Morus.”
As I watched while waiting for the words to come after that, Jake replied with a harder tone than before.
“It went as you wished.”
“oh!”
An exclamation came out.
As Marcus knew well, it was because he was good enough to work with me and one of the people I could trust.
A Caucasian of Eastern European origin who left the French Foreign Legion, he can speak several languages, and beyond that, he is a character with good guts as well as a rough and straightforward wit.
There was nothing better than working together.
He said he had a rough mouth and used a few swear words, but that was no big deal.
It was because there were those who cursed more severely when they were active duty in the special forces, and there were many seniors who ordered difficult absurdities over trivial things.
A bit harsh was not a problem.
Above all, unlike Andrei’s harsh mouth, his judgment on the field was fine.
They were the type to make accurate judgments in the field and faithfully fulfill those judgments while verbally swearing.
Truly the perfect soldier.
However, Jake’s expression did not brighten when he said this.
Jose also recognized him and raised his voice.
“Wow, finally he’s coming. I’m not bad either… Is the team leader okay? You don’t look very good?”
It was because Andrei had bluntly talked about the god Jake believed in, and his shoulder had been shattered with a single punch.
It took a long time for surgery, treatment, and rehabilitation.
Of course, the relationship between the two could not be bright.
As I looked at this, Jake opened his mouth as if he had been waiting.
“So I have a suggestion.”
“What is it?”
“Lee, the deputy team leader, you take over.”
“Are you the deputy team leader?”
I asked reflexively.
It was because I didn’t know that I would be the deputy team leader in real life as well as in the game.
Of course, it’s not a big deal, but I didn’t even think about it, so I just blinked my eyes.
Jake’s explanation added.
“Isn’t Andrei trying to talk to you?”
“ah… A little less.”
Even when we first met, after hearing the results of the operation, they saw me differently.
After working together, he never had a temper with me.
As I was thinking about that, Jake added.
“So it won’t be difficult to deal with… The deputy team leader has the authority to command and carry out operations alone in the absence of the team leader. In such a situation, you are the only one who can save the whole team and carry out the operation. Jose and Rachel are great too, but they don’t compare to you, do they?”
“what… Then we will work hard.”
I said nothing wrong, so I nodded, and Marcus tapped me on the shoulder.
“It’s something to celebrate, isn’t it, Lee?”
“It’s because you fell for it, so what… … .”
Receiving his words, Marcus asked with a grin.
“You don’t need to raise your words just because you’ve become the deputy team leader, right?”
“ah… Heh heh heh.”
From nob le mt l dot com
Laughter came out on its own.
It was because Marcus got back what I said to him back when he was assistant team leader.
The moment I tried to answer this lightly.
Tiliri-
The cell phone bell rang.
It was not for personal use, but for business purposes.
By the time the atmosphere cools down.
Before I knew it, I answered the phone from Jake, and we talked while asking and answering briefly.
about 10 seconds.
At the end of the call, Jake looked at us.
It was a more stern expression than when Andrei said he was coming in.
“Pick up equipment to train for about 4 weeks, and wait in front of each accommodation until 15:00.”
“… yes?”
It’s been a week since fifty.
Of course, the operation only lasted a few days, but there was another important thing.
4 weeks of training.
This was enough to complete a tolerable military education and receive the corresponding patch.
It’s not bad from my point of view, where my daily life is training, but I still didn’t understand it easily.
Because the rest period or training period is not right.
It wasn’t like the mercenary system of 8 weeks of work and 4 weeks of rest, but there was no case where a mission was suddenly given a few hours in advance.
Since it was a special-purpose operation, I don’t know if it was rushed because time was running out, but what I heard was a 4-week training.
When he tried to ask why, Jose raised his voice.
“Why are you doing this all of a sudden?”
“Something happened.”
“No, what kind of training is this?”
“I’ll be working with Delta, like a real operation.”
“… … ?!”
He hesitated at Delta Force, a Tier 1 US special forces unit and Jake’s home unit.
“Are you talking about active duty?”
“okay. They seem to be preparing for a big operation.”
After Jake said that, he shifted his gaze to Marcus.
“Sorry, but here I am. I’ll be back soon.”
It was not like the 4-week lodging and lodging training with the active Delta Force, but the way he spoke as if he was going to go on a 4-day camping trip.
Marcus chuckled and replied.
“It’s not regrettable that I did a lot of training during my active duty… Go anyway In the meantime, let’s adapt well to the position.”
After that, Jose’s sigh was heard.
“… Ha, I don’t know how to keep up with these monsters.”
“You have to work hard, your belly has come out lately.”
I replied briefly, but his face wrinkled as he looked at me.
“It’s already started, damn it.”