Chapter 76 Part 7: Exam

After finishing all the training, I wiped off my sweat and sat down.

Rain and Shine were sitting on either side of me.

They were holding similar water bottles in their hands.

Rain’s was a bright yellow chick water bottle, and Shine’s was a cool dinosaur water bottle just like mine.

As I was sucking on the straws on the top of the dinosaur and chick water bottles to replenish my water with electrolyte drinks, Amy approached me.

“Is everyone having a hard time?”

I nodded while rubbing my sore limbs.

“It’s probably because I’m still getting used to it.”

Was that really the case?

I looked back at Rain at Amy’s words.

Rain’s tired face.

The sight of Rain sucking on the chick water bottle with a sad expression didn’t look familiar at all.

“Are we going to do this every day?”

“Yeah.”

I gaped at Amy’s words.

Does that mean I have to do this hard work every day?

I even had to study for today when I went back to my room.

It’s something I chose…

I chose?

I felt a small doubt rising in my mind and carefully put down the water bottle I was holding.

“Shine.”

“Huh?”

“I… I chose it, right?”

“What?”

Shine pulled out the straw in her mouth and asked back at my question.

“This is… starting the same job as Amy.”

“Yeah. That’s right. It’s what Jeff wanted me to do.”

“Right?”

“Yeah.”

My hazy memory became a problem.

An empty void.

Maybe that’s why I wasn’t confident in myself.

I carefully reached out and grabbed Shine’s hand.

“Thank you, Shine.”

“What?”

“For always being by my side.”

I lowered my head right after saying the words.

It felt a little awkward to say them with my mind clear.

“Thank you too, Jeff.”

Shine said, pulling my hand.

I was weakly dragged into her arms.

“You’ll stay by my side for the rest of my life, right?”

All my life.

I rolled the words Shine had said in my mouth.

Maybe not?

I couldn’t even imagine that I could be separated from her.

The outside is too dangerous, so it would be safest to stay by Shine’s side, who could always protect me.

I smiled slightly and touched Shine’s cheek.

“Should we go back now?”

“Isn’t Amy training?”

“I’m in recovery, so I should rest for about a week.”

“Recovery?”

“It has to do with my abilities.”

What did Amy mean by recovery?

As I looked up at her curiously, Amy’s large hand came down on my head.

“I’ll tell you later.”

Her hand ruffled my hair as if it wasn’t right now.

I got out of Shine’s embrace and stood up.

The sweat that had been flowing down began to cool down and take away the warmth from my body.

It’s a little cold.

As I was thinking that, Shine came over and linked arms with me.

“Jeff, are you cold?”

Shine acted as if she knew what I was thinking.

I nodded, feeling strange.

“I’m cold too!”

At that moment, Rain, who had been watching our actions, came over and linked arms with my other arm.

Suddenly, I was caught on both sides, and I looked at Amy for help.

“You three have gotten along so well.”

But Amy just smiled and didn’t save me.

“Are you going to go already?”

The moment Amy got up from her seat, taking our water bottles, a woman approached and asked.

The tight-fitting material revealed her body without hiding it.

As I stared at the woman’s body as if I was entranced, Shine covered my eyes.

“Shine?”

I turned my head here and there, but Shine didn’t move her hand away from my eyes.

“Jeff likes big ones?”

“Huh?”

While I was flustered by Shine’s unexpected question, Amy answered.

“Yeah. I’m going to go back now. The kids are done with their training.”

“They’re them, right? The last time…”

“Yeah, I saved them.”

I shook my head, gripping Shine’s hand tightly in frustration.

“Rain. Help me.”

Thanks to pushing away with all my might, I was able to escape Shine’s hand that was blocking my vision, but my vision was sealed again by Rain’s hand that flew right next to me.

It was pitch black, and I couldn’t see anything.

Rain and Shine’s arms were squeezing my body.

I was held by the two and couldn’t do anything.

“I’m going to see!”

“Don’t see!”

A fight between those who wanted to see and those who wanted to stop seeing.

I shook my whole body back and forth, but it was nearly impossible to break the strength of the two.

“I saw you fighting on the road… It wasn’t an ordinary ability. Are you raising me as Victor’s successor?”

“Victor’s?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t think so at all.”

“But… I learned how to control my ability directly from Victor…”

“It’s just a simple control method. You guys learned it too, right?”

“But in that video…”

“Vapor.”

“Net!”

The name of the woman who just answered seemed to be Vapor.

Since I couldn’t see ahead, I had to rely on the sounds I could hear to guess everything.

“Show me!”

“No!”

I desperately tried to move the small hands that were covering my eyes, but all my efforts were in vain.

“These guys can’t.”

“But! The leader of Team Lightning is someone who deserves to be…!”

“Victor chose him, didn’t he?”

“But…. How could I….”

“Vapor. Be confident. Victor trusted you and chose you.”

With that, there was no more conversation.

After feeling the presence next to Amy slowly disappear, I asked Rain and Shine.

“Are they gone?”

“Yes, they are.”

“Then I want to look forward now.”

At my words, Rain and Shine’s hands that had been covering my face finally withdrew.

Blink, blink.

My blurry vision gradually became clearer.

I looked around, searching for the large object I had found earlier.

“It’s no longer there, Jeff,” Shine said as she grabbed my arm.

There were many things I wanted to ask the woman named Vapor, but I couldn’t ask any of them because of Shine and Rain’s interruption.

When I looked gloomy, Shine’s face hardened and said, “Bigger is better, right?”

I kept my mouth shut without answering Shine’s question.

On the way out of the training grounds, I asked Amy, “Who is Vapor?”

“He was a member of the team that Victor led.”

“Leaded…?”

“Yeah. Victor has retired now.”

When I first met Victor, Amy had told me.

She knew that his injuries had completely healed.

That would make sense.

“Victor retired and handed over the team leader position to someone named Vapor?”

“Yeah. That’s right.”

“But I think Vapor didn’t want the position?”

“That’s also right. Vapor is very capable, but he’s weak-willed.”

“Then why did Victor give the team leader position to Vapor?”

“Because we’re short on talent.”

I nodded, thinking of the people filling the training grounds.

Even with that many people, it meant that finding someone with the leadership to lead a team wasn’t easy.

“Is Team Lightning a team made up of lightning-type users?”

“Yeah. It’s the team with the strongest firepower among our members.”

“Don’t worry about Jeff! Jeff and Shine will be joining my team, Raincoat!”

As I nodded to Amy’s explanation, Rain, who had been quietly listening from the side, interrupted and shouted.

Team.

Team.

I’d never thought about it deeply, but it was something I had to think about at least once since I had officially joined here.

“What team is Amy on?”

“None.”

“Huh?”

“I always work alone.”

I looked dumbfounded at Amy’s answer.

If Amy didn’t have a team, my plans to work with Amy’s team would all fall apart.

In that case, would I have no choice but to work with Raincoat?

When I looked back at Rain, she looked at me with sparkling eyes, as if she had already decided that I would join her team.

“We’ll really make a perfect team!”

I pictured Shine, Rain, and me.

The three short girls standing side by side.

It wasn’t a very good picture.

I was sure to attract attention wherever I went, and Rain didn’t look very attractive.

“So… you can’t work with Amy?”

I asked, reaching out and grabbing Amy’s hand.

Small tears welled up in my eyes.

My gaze became blurry, and my nose turned bright red.

I felt like tears would fall at any moment.

“Does Jeff want to work with me?”

“Yes… I want to work with Shine and Amy. Just like I always have.”

Amy stopped at my answer.

As I followed her, I couldn’t help but bump my head against her long legs.

“Then let’s make one?”

“Ah! Amy! Are you sure you’re not going to make a team?”

“I think it’s about time we make one.”

“No! Jeff should join my team!”

“Isn’t it about time we do a major team reorganization?”

“No!”

“I guess it’s a good thing Victor retired from his position as team leader?”

“No!”

Rain started to run around in all directions, pulling out her hair at Amy’s words.

Doo doo—

The Rain chick, who had been threatening the people around her by swinging her arms, suddenly ran in the opposite direction.

She disappeared so quickly that I didn’t even have time to call her.

“Rain…?”

“She’ll be back soon,” Amy said.

Amy didn’t seem to be worried about Rain running in the opposite direction and led us to the room.

After finishing the shower in the room and drying my hair, Rain returned just as Amy had said.

“I disbanded the team!”

With a rather shocking declaration.

Can a team be disbanded that easily?

“Really?”

“Yeah!”

“Then I won’t get the team leader bonus anymore?”

“Ahh…!”

“The team leader’s vacation won’t be there either?”

“Ahh!”

“The right to refuse business trips will be gone too?”

“Ahhh!”

“Disbanding the team. Didn’t it happen too quickly?”

“Ahhhh!”

Rain fell to her knees with a tearful face.

“Uh… Amy….”

“I told you that the team reorganization period is approaching. Are you trying to fool me again?”

“Heeeeeeling….”

Amy got up from her seat and quickly picked up the fallen Rain.

Amy treated Rain no differently than she did us.

It was a strange sight considering Rain’s age, but when you just look at her appearance, it wasn’t strange at all.