A Bit... Different

"…Is everything alright?"

The boy's voice suddenly pulled me out of my thoughts, bringing me back to reality.

We were sitting by the table, eating dinner together, and the boy was telling me about… well, something. I didn't know, since I haven't been paying attention at all.

By now, I was used to his chatter, and usually I would half-listen to what he had to say. But today, I was so focused on trying to figure out how to lead the discussion to TROA's HR department, that I ended up getting completely lost in my own thoughts.

Three days have already passed since I met that Alyssa girl, and I was yet to learn anything new.

Technically, there were plenty of ways I could get him to talk. But since I wanted to be absolutely sure that he wouldn't notice anything out of the ordinary, it made bringing up the topic much more difficult. I might have been overthinking it, but better safe than sorry. I didn't want to risk the boy trying to find that girl behind my back, regardless of how unlikely it seemed.

And that wasn't the only problem I had. Now that I knew that the organization members could completely suppress their outlier aura, I was constantly on edge. If I couldn't sense their presence, I never knew if they might be observing me from somewhere, preparing for a surprise attack.

As a result, I was feeling frustrated all the time. It seemed like there was nothing I could do. It was even more annoying than when I unsuccessfully tried to lure out the organization in the previous world.

I haven't even scheduled the next meeting with that girl, so I had no idea when and where she might show up this time.

I sighed and looked at the boy. "Yeah, why do you ask?"

He bit his lip. "Well… It's just that… You seem a bit… different recently," he said, with unease clearly heard in his voice. "More tired? As if something is troubling you?"

I frowned, slightly concerned by his response. Was it that visible? I always thought that he wasn't too intelligent, but maybe I misjudged him. Or at least, even if he wasn't smart, he was quite sharp when it came to reading people. It seems he was good at picking up on social and emotional cues. I hate to admit it, but probably much better than me.

But thankfully, that also meant he knew when to shut up and not to pry.

It would be enough to throw him a sharp glare, but I didn't want to ruin the amicable atmosphere that somewhat developed between us. And so, I cleared up my expression, and answered in a calm tone. "It's nothing serious, don't worry about it."

As expected, the boy didn't ask anything more, even though there was still some worry left in his eyes.

I could try questioning him about his plans for the future, whether he would like to return to the organization if he had such a chance, or intends to stay with me, but what was the point? Even if he were to say that he would follow me no matter what, could his answer really be trusted?

I put down my fork and lit a cigarette. "So, what were you telling me about just now? I kinda got lost in thought and didn't catch it," I changed the topic.

"Oh, I was just talking about that new guy who joined the team last week." The boy relaxed slightly and continued his story. "I was on the shift with him yesterday, and it was a complete nightmare. Well, it wasn't really his fault, but there was this customer that…"

I was smoking my cigarette, paying just enough attention to his chatting to catch anything that would let me naturally switch the topic to the organization, but there was nothing I could comfortably use. If I were to bring the HR now, it would feel way out of place.

I observed him maintaining a perfectly expressionless face.

Maybe I should come up with something to test his loyalty. If I could trust him even a bit more, then I could just question him openly, without worrying he might find out about my meeting with that Alyssa girl.

Or perhaps that would be a great way to test him. Let him know the organization appeared, and observe what he will do next…

It would definitely give me the answers, but I felt it was simply too early for that. Earning someone's loyalty might take time, and it would be a shame to lose such an obedient subordinate just because I acted prematurely.

I sighed, put out my cigarette, and got up.

The boy has already finished his dinner and his story, and was currently cleaning the dishes. "By the way," he spoke up, seeing me about to walk away. "What about that training you mentioned?"

Right. I completely forgot about that.

"I'm too busy right now, I'll let you know when I'll have a bit more time," I just gave him an excuse to dismiss the topic.

I still haven't figured out how to boost the bullets. Well, I haven't even made another attempt after that first time. Since the meeting with that Alyssa girl, I had other things to think about, so it slipped my mind.

"Oh, alright." The boy's face dropped a bit in disappointment, but he didn't complain.

"I'll try to make some time for it soon," I said before going back to my room.

Although honestly, I wasn't so sure when the training can happen, or if it can still happen at all. Of course, I would definitely keep on working on boosting the shots. There was no way I'd stop until I figure it out. However, I didn't know if having those mock-up battles with the boy right now was such a good idea anymore.

After all, what was the point of improving his skills, if I might need to kill him in the near future?