First Encounter
When I arrived, a small girl with a cold air was sitting on a bench.
She matched the descriptions of the Journey member whom Lisa mentioned.
As I approached...
The girl, who was absentmindedly flipping through a huge stack of papers, met my eyes.
Then, with a put-upon sigh, she gathered the papers and walked over.
Hi, are you the Jour—
You're the Journey Captain, right?
...Yeah. Did you wait long—
No. Not particularly.
My name's Haydee.
I'm the Vice President of the Morrel Ocean Traders.
And...
Here. Take it.
It's my Journey invitation.
That should be enough proof of identity.
Okay, we're done here.
See you at the training session.
After saying what she had to say, she turned to leave without a second thought.
Wait a second.
*...Sigh*
Is there a problem?
Oh, I get it. So that's not enough proof?
*Sight* What a hassle you are.
Haydee slid a sheet from an envelope and handed it to me.
Read it. Everything you need is there.
This document certifies the bearer as Vice President of the Morrel Ocean Traders.
We request safe passage, convenience, and protection for the bearer.
Failure to comply will be met with legal and any other means at our disposal.
Satisfied?
Still, how about a quick introduc—
...I already finished my—
But there's nothing in here about you.
...What?
I want to know about you.
...Hey.
Are you brain-damaged? Or just an idiot?
Spouting cringey lines like that at our first meeting...
*Sigh...* Listen.
I'll make it clear.
I have zero interest in getting close to you.
I didn't join the Journey to play some pretend games.
I just needed a convenient public excuse.
Excuse...?
...I shouldn't have said that.
Forget it. It's nothing.
I was just muttering to myself.
Anyway, you get the point now?
Don't do more than what's absolutely necessary.
So don't make things complicated.
*Scoff* Team, friends, bonding...
...They're all meaningless.
This Journey too...
It's just a one-year play, in the end.
With nothing left to say, Haydee turned away without a hint of regret.
Looks like our new Journey member doesn't want to get close.
But... should I really let things be like this between us?
Her training will take a hit if I don't know anything about her.
...Maybe I should force a little more conversation.
Haydee.
...?
...You still have more to—
I hurried to catch up with her, but...
I tripped over a stupid rock, of all things.
...?!
I couldn't make a fool of myself by face-planting in front of a new member!
With that conviction, I twisted mid-fall and...
...
...
...Hey.
...So this was your plan from the start...
N-no! You've got it wrong!
...You pervert.
Try that again and...
I'll drag you to a court. Mark my words.
And for the record, you won't win.
Morrel's legal team doesn't come cheap.
After a long round of excuses, I barely cleared the misunderstanding.
But wiping the contempt from Haydee's eyes would take time...