Chapter 176: The Red-blooded Dreamer (2)
Having subordinates has its perks; it means I don’t have to do everything myself and can just wait for reports. It’s like setting up an auto-hunting game while I munch on snacks—pretty comfortable, right?
However, this convenience can quickly flip into a catastrophic flaw. If I watch quietly, I might blurt out something like, “Wait, is that a Cthulhu over there?” when absurd situations unfold. Even though I hate getting involved, my instinct to call out the wrong moves surges up.
— I can’t make any progress.
“What?”
Caught in this dilemma, the former 2nd Manager, now Charles, came up with a miraculous answer. If the boss is frustrated with the reports, then why show anything at all?
No cause, no result. That’s one outrageously crazy answer. Is he out of his mind for real?
“What have you been doing all this time?”
Charles, the recently morphed 2nd Manager, seems to have regressed over the past three days. Not that long, but knowing his usual explosiveness, he should have kicked things off by now. Especially with the Red Wave looming, it’s better to act fast. But to waste three whole days?
‘So he’s pretending to be a grad student now.’
Has he been downgraded to that level in terms of competency too? How far can one fall, Mr. Charles?
As these serious thoughts crossed my mind, the 2nd Manager’s expression became somewhat nuanced, acknowledging the awkwardness of the situation.
— Miss Christina simply won’t let me go.
That unexpected remark made me stop and think for a moment.
“To that extent?”
— Yes.
His resolute answer made ME feel embarrassed. I knew Christina cared about her new junior, but I didn’t realize it would interfere with the 2nd Manager’s progress.
‘He’s not even a real junior.’
Charles is neither an assistant teacher nor someone meant to linger in the lab forever.
In fact, he’s older than Christina. They even paid attention to his age when crafting his identity…
— What can I do? Since she’s the minister’s niece, I can’t just walk out.
His resigned complaint had me tapping my chin in thought. Thankfully, Christina wasn’t causing him any trouble, but we ended up in a situation where absolutely nothing got done.
“I’ll handle it, so just be ready to move.”
After a moment’s contemplation, I presented a simple solution. If he can’t get out on his own, then I’ll pull him out myself.
I mean, come on, there’s no way Christina would pull a “Hehe, you can’t go!” when the Prosecutor is the one on the hunt!
— Understood.
My reassurance seemed to soften the previously tense expression on the 2nd Manager’s face.
‘How interesting.’
Seeing him all smug and cocky, it was refreshing to see this side of him. Could he really feel that pressured just because she was the minister’s niece?
Maybe it’s not just about her lineage; perhaps there’s some compatibility factor too. How fascinating!
Right after hanging up, I headed straight to the lab to pick up the 2nd Manager. How dare he make me intervene personally? What a cheeky manager he is!
“Sorry, I need to have a word with him for a moment.”
“Haha, no problem at all. Feel free to take him whenever you need.”
Luckily, Gerhardt let the 2nd Manager go without any fuss. Since he was placed there based on my request, it seemed he didn’t mind me whisking him away for a little while.
Though Christina shot the 2nd Manager a look filled with pity, I chose to ignore it. Was it just my imagination, or did she look like a mother bird whose egg was snatched away?
“Haaa…”
The moment we stepped away from the lab, the 2nd Manager let out a deep sigh.
“Was it really that hard?”
“Even just sitting still was torture.”
His shivering response to my casual question was quite memorable.
“I’d have had something to throw back at her if she had annoyingly piled work on me, but I couldn’t retaliate since all she showed me was kindness.”
Poor guy had a rough three-day stint; once he started talking, he couldn’t seem to stop.
Had they dumped a mountain of work on him, he could’ve confidently finished it and walked away. If he had been treated poorly, he could have given it right back.
But he couldn’t get used to someone rushing over at the tiniest twitch from him. At one point, he joked he felt like she thought he was a sugar figure that might shatter at a mere poke.
‘So, it’s overprotection, huh?’
Hearing the 2nd Manager’s earnest testimony, the term sprang to mind unbidden. This was definitely overprotection—the kind usually reserved for late-born children.
…Isn’t this kind of the same situation since he’s a junior found late?
“Since I’ve specially taken you out, make sure to work hard.”
I shook off those wandering thoughts and gave the 2nd Manager a supportive pat on the back. A subordinate must pay back the efforts of their superior.
“If I wasn’t here, the Executive Manager would’ve had to run around—”
“Shut it.”
No need to win this argument with brutish logic.
The 2nd Manager sprang into action, perhaps finally invigorated by fresh air after three days.
‘Is he actually working?’
While I blabbed about auto-hunting and guidance, it was hard to pin down exactly what the 2nd Manager was up to. I just hoped he was handling it well.
Superficially, it looked like he was just goofing off, but oddly enough, he proved adept at gathering the necessary intel. That’s the hallmark of a legit information agent, huh?
— “The 2nd Manager should really be in the Information Department instead of the Prosecutor’s Office.”
— “Then you should go there too. What makes you think you’re any different?”
The Prosecutor’s Office needed its own intelligence network; no one wants to be plagued with annoying coordination work with the Information Department for every little action, right?
I took a swig of water, feeling slightly more composed as I volleyed back at the 1st Manager.
‘Why does she always come at this time?’
Holding back a sigh, I sneaked a glance at her. Why did she keep showing up every night at my quarters?
Contrary to my fears, she hadn’t been visiting the clubroom. I found myself touched, thinking, hey, maybe she wasn’t here to pester me.
“Executive Manager! I’m here!”
But nope! She strolled right into my quarters instead of the clubroom. This kid seems to take joy in breaking her own records of my expectations.
“Go back.”
“Aw, that’s so harsh! I made the trek all the way here to hang out!”
“That’s enough. Go back.”
What kind of subordinate shows up at their superior’s quarters—especially in the middle of the night? It’d be horrific even if the boss showed up in a subordinate’s space. Is this some form of reverse harassment?
But unable to withstand the 1st Manager’s whining, I ultimately let her into my quarters. My karma is on a bizarre path!
‘Maybe this is better?’
I tried to think positively. While the 1st Manager’s face is known around the academy, maybe it’s better not to shout from the rooftops that she’s here.
This beats her stirring things up in the clubroom. Yeah, this is definitely better… I should be grateful.
“Have some more of this.”
“Wow! Thank you!”
I cranked up my happiness to an insane level and pushed the bread Louise made towards the 1st Manager. Originally, it was intended for her, but she never showed up in the clubroom, so it ended up with me.
‘She’s really enjoying it.’
I stared blankly as the 1st Manager munched on the bread. Is this where the “nomnomnom” sound effect comes in handy?
*
Seeing the Executive Manager casually offer me bread made me smile. That was definitely the reaction I expected.
‘He’s definitely the type to speak up if he doesn’t like something.’
Of course, he’s one to grumble verbally but eventually givens in after a few routine complaints. If he truly hates it, he tends to act rather than just talking.
He has a distinct personality. It’s not usual to fend off something one would eventually accept.
‘But I like it.’
His behavior reminded me of a moody younger sibling—super endearing! Moments like these were the only times I remembered he was younger than me.
But I couldn’t bask in pure happiness just because I figured out the possible cause of his peculiar behavior, probably tied to the incident with the Six Swords.
Having lost everyone he held dear, he hesitated to forge new bonds. Somehow, those poignant memories kept him from completely shutting others out.
‘This is something I shouldn’t know.’
In my line of work, I’ve become way too adept at reading minds. I’d rather not peek into the Executive Manager’s thoughts.
“Why are you staring?”
Was I staring too intensely? The Executive Manager opened his mouth in his usual curt manner.
“You should have some too. Here!”
I shoved my sinking mood back up into cheerful territory. As his underling, I can’t be feeling down in front of him. Showing a merry demeanor is key!
“I gave it to you to eat, and now you’re handing it back—”
“Here!”
I popped the bread into his mouth, blocking his futile rejection. Although he shot me a glare filled with curses, he still opened up.
“It’s delicious, isn’t it?”
I felt oddly proud, almost like I was feeding a lover.
He probably hasn’t been spoiled like this by the Lady yet, huh? The Executive Manager isn’t fond of having others do tasks for him.
It takes a bond that lasts through two years of tears and joy for such teasing to even be possible!
“The bread should sit there—”
“Have another!”
I had to stop his unromantic remarks with more bread.
‘This is nice…’
This moment was pure happiness; I couldn’t help but smile during this intimate time shared only between us.
Though we’ve worked alone together before, and even during the third honor incident, sharing bread like this felt suspiciously like a cozy date.
‘I need to ease their pain.’
The Red Wave targeting the academy and the spies already infiltrating within—from them, this moment of ours wouldn’t even have a chance of existing.
Letting them off was simply not an option. Doing so would merely earn me the Executive Manager’s disdain.
So, I’ll set things up to be as painless as possible and make sure they’re well sedated!
*
As soon as I was about to speak, the 1st Manager promptly kept pushing bread into my mouth, pressing down on it as though trying to pry it open.
This feels like a culinary form of torture! What on earth is this treatment from my subordinate?
‘Does it taste bad?’
Watching her stuffing food without breaking a sweat raised some reasonable doubts. But she was usually up for anything bread-related, right?
…Well, maybe she just had enough to eat!
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