Lover

9

An Aspiring Barista Out of Nowhere

What kind of bolt from the blue is this?

I walked to the Director’s office with the Team Leader of Department 2, Team 3. I tried to run, but the Team Leader stopped me, saying there was a lot I needed to hear.

“You know who Riegel is, right?”

Having to hear this while walking down the corridor, I really hate it.

“The son of the Riegel Banking Group, I hear.”

“Sebastian Riegel. 31 years old, the eldest of Michael Riegel’s two sons and one daughter. He’s a famous Oriental enthusiast.”

His nuance slightly implied that I caught Riegel’s eye because I’m Asian. It was unpleasant, but I didn’t want to pick a fight with someone who was briefing me, so I was just planning to grumble a bit.

“Talking about someone’s preferences like that…”

But the Team Leader shook his head.

“He’s blonde. It’s dyed.”

“Shit, is he a pervert?”

His hair was almost down to his waist, and it’s all blonde? And he dyes it all black and goes around like that? Is he crazy?

“It’s said that after he was kidnapped and returned as a child, he showed mental symptoms due to severe stress. In the end, he completed most of his education through homeschooling and is on leave from university. Well, it’s almost like he dropped out. He gets along well with his family but lives alone because he’s eccentric. But his house is also in an Oriental style. As far as I know, his only interests are such Oriental hobbies, but suddenly it’s been revealed that he has connections with Canaris. Today, right now.”

“So he wasn’t on our radar until now?”

At my words, the Team Leader replied with a face like the world was ending.

“On the radar? Honestly, he barely exists in the real world. You saw him, right? Did you see his eyes? That person’s eyes are originally blue!”

Wow, he’s committed to the concept. He was even wearing contacts.

The eyes I saw on Riegel were black.

I could understand what he meant by ‘barely exists in the real world’. It’s baffling that someone who was living as a shut-in, just indulging in his Oriental obsession, suddenly has connections with a terrorist group.

The Team Leader used the stairs with me. Although it was a situation where we needed to hurry, it seemed he had a lot to tell me.

“Anyway, when Riegel appeared, honestly, our team had to change our approach. But now Riegel is showing tremendous interest in you, Team Leader. He’s even refusing to leave the Security Bureau unless we release you.”

“Does that work?”

“Michael Riegel is known for his extreme affection for his family, and he’s said to do anything for his eldest son in particular. His son was nearly killed after being kidnapped because of him, and is suffering from mental illness as a result. Until he was kidnapped, he was a bright son with very high academic achievements.”

I didn’t know Sebastian Riegel had such a sad and painful past… I remembered him sitting quietly in the transport bus, thinking about something.

I thought he was just putting on airs, but was he actually a bit scared? Remembering being kidnapped?

I didn’t think he would be that kind of person…

I thought he was just a rich, long-haired pervert, but he’s actually someone with a sad past.

To be honest, it makes me dislike him even more.

Complicated people are tiring. And such people tend to complicate even normal situations. In the Security Bureau, each Team Leader chooses their team members, and I never work with people who have unresolved sad pasts, complex personalities and values, especially PTSD – no matter how capable they are. Such people have extreme mood swings and complicate situations more than a tangled thread.

“Michael Riegel has already started putting pressure. We have to send him.”

“So you want me to accompany Riegel home?”

It’s not that I can’t do it, but what if he asks to be friends? Do I have to do that too? Should I add him as a friend on FacePage?

I held back from being sarcastic, not because I was afraid of the Team Leader in front of me, but because I was afraid he might say, “Yes! Do it right away!” I don’t want to go all the way to Maderke to beat up Canaris bastards during the day and manage FacePage friends at night.

Besides, many places there don’t even have cell phone reception.

“Ha, ha. It’s not exactly accompanying…”

Suddenly, the Team Leader’s words trailed off. His awkward smile looked ominous.

Why? What are you trying to make me do?

As I stared at him, he turned his head away. Then suddenly, saying “Just a moment,” he took out his phone and started contacting someone.

“Where are you? What? We’re on the 3rd floor, of course. Ah, no, near the stairs. Why are you there! Come over here right now!”

I wondered who he was talking to, leaving me standing here like this, but I soon found out. The face of the man running up from the second floor was very familiar.

Lee Martin was running with a red face.

“You’re out of shape.”

That’s the first thing I said when Lee arrived. At that, he flared up.

“I’ve done a year’s worth of exercise today!”

“That’s the problem, that it’s a year’s worth.”

If you drink that much and don’t exercise at all, of course you’re out of breath just running up a few stairs.

As I clicked my tongue, Lee shook his head vigorously as if he didn’t want to hear it, then said to me:

“Armin Schnieke. 28 years old. Former martial arts athlete. Has a history of making a living as a fighter in illegal gambling rings.”

What is he talking about? Why would I do illegal gambling? I honestly served as a mercenary right after graduating high school.

“Currently working part-time at a café, preparing to get a barista certification.”

“What are you talking about? Is there another Armin Schnieke besides me?”

“It’s your cover identity. I’ll send you the address on your phone.”

What the…

As I blinked, I finally realized what was going on.

When I turned to look at the Team 3 Leader, he tried to escape, saying, “Oh my, I have some overtime work left!” I grabbed the hem of his clothes. He nearly lost his balance and screamed, but couldn’t say anything to me and just looked back at me with a face full of guilt.

“What does this mean?”

It seemed Lee finally understood the situation too.

“Ah, you haven’t been told yet?”

When I turned my gaze to Lee, he made an awkward sound. As he tried to retreat down a few steps, I said one thing.

“You’re just going to leave if I get angry?”

It’s easy for you to say, but did you guys request my cooperation for this task? I haven’t received any orders. My mission is in Maderke. I have nothing to do with a crazy rich Oriental-obsessed long-haired man.

As I widened my eyes, Lee frowned and quickly climbed up the few steps to stand in front of me. Then he wrapped his hands around mine, which were still holding the Team 3 Leader’s clothes, and carefully started to unfold my fingers one by one.

“We just found out too.”

His tone was soothing.

“Hey, we’ve been running around with our pants on fire… no, with our knees on fire. It’s not just that Riegel asked for you to be released, his lawyers have volunteered to be your legal representatives.”

“How can they be my representatives without my consent?”

“Theoretically, that’s true, but if you were really a civilian nobody, how could you refuse lawyers provided by Riegel in this situation? To be natural, it makes sense not to refuse the lawyers. That’s why I brought your cover job now. You don’t even remember your cover job, do you?”

That’s true.

Thinking back, I vaguely remember that my old cover job was something like that. A martial arts athlete. And now a fighter who gets into the ring for illegal gambling.

There were several reasons for that setup, but one of them was because I was sending too much money to my father. There weren’t many jobs that earned a salary like mine at my age, and it had to be a job where I wasn’t home often and didn’t use my brain much, so I think that’s why I got that setup. If I wanted a more diligent setup, I was advised to get certifications, but things like heavy equipment certifications require quite a bit of study and time investment, so I couldn’t do it.

But a café part-timer?

Avoiding my suspicious gaze, Lee continued.

“Department 2 has emptied one safe house. To use as your home.”

“Why a house?”

“Riegel’s going to take you home, right? For that, you need an address.”

No matter how oblivious I am, I couldn’t miss what this meant.

“You’re planning to insert me into this operation?”

As Lee kept trying to loosen my grip, I let go of the Team 3 Leader’s clothes, almost throwing them away. The Team Leader staggered. Seeing my rough attitude, Lee became serious.

“It’s really difficult to approach Riegel. How can we miss an opportunity like this?”

“If anything happens to my team members rolling around in Maderke while I’m here, who’s going to take responsibility?”

Has the Maderke protest dispersed? Is it all fine because we killed the ringleader? If my kids all die while catching the remnants, who’s going to take responsibility then? Why should I be rolling around here for something I don’t even know about, instead of looking after my team’s safety and performance?

Seeing my cold eyes, Lee responded to my question with another question instead of answering.

“Then if Canaris gets their hands on an energy bomb and blows up more than half the capital, who’s going to take responsibility for that?”

…What bomb?

I turned my gaze to the Team 3 Leader. I’m not sure if I was looking at him to ask “What does this mean?” or to confirm “Is this true?” I don’t even know myself in what sense I was looking at him.

The Team 3 Leader nodded at my gaze.

“It’s true. According to the intelligence we’ve obtained, Canaris is trying to purchase an energy bomb. And it seems that Sebastian Riegel’s meeting with the Canaris executive today was to ask for identity verification and to start the purchase process for that energy bomb.”

I thought it sounded too unrealistic. A bomb? Blowing up half the capital? I thought it was nonsense, but on the other hand, there was a part of me that thought these guys might be capable of it.

Maderke was small but still a proper provincial city. These are the guys who shook up that city, incited protests, and caused it to be locked down for three months. They would do anything if it meant this country could return to socialism. They wouldn’t even blink an eye if it meant blowing up the entire capital. Even if hundreds of thousands or millions die, to them it would all be a trivial sacrifice for their grand purpose.

I sighed. My team members are important too, but how could I ignore this situation?

“28 years old, currently a café part-timer aspiring to be a barista, okay. But Department 2 needs to send an official request.”

At my words, the Team 3 Leader emphasized, “We will definitely submit a cooperation request by midnight today.”

If our Director retires, the Department 2 Chief has a high chance of becoming the next Director. It means there’s no harm in getting on Department 2’s good side.

So, I guess it’s okay to cooperate with each other to some extent.

…It’s not like I have anywhere to retreat to anyway.

I let out a sigh.