Hilde Pov

I do not know what to do right now.

A guy I do not know who possesses powers that are extremely advanced in mankind was recruited into my squad, Fenrir Squad.

I hoped to at least bully him a little bit as he was threatening me at our earlier encounter with a mountain of a stack of paperwork but....

"Robot! Stop trying to create more work for me, damn it!" I shouted releasing my stress considering I had to look into more paperwork that Y/n solves.

"Eh?"

3rd Pov

"Master has already lost it, huh?" Shi Yoon said with sweatdrops.

"Hn."

"That being said, Y/n, is your power also making you smarter?" Shi Yoon asked Y/n who already finished one more piece of paperwork.

"Oh...Well, yes." Y/n answered with some hesitation.

"I see, must be nice, huh."

"Pretty much, I guess?" Y/n said solving again another piece of paperwork and making Hilde flips.

"Robot!"

"Ah, sorry. Need some help?"

"........Yes."

Y/n Pov

I helped Commander Hilde in solving her paperwork which made her lose it and ease her stress by solving it.

"Hah, that's another stack done. Now then, time to look at another stack." Hilde bemoans looking at another stack and looks and found that the mountain of the stack has been neatly organized. Courtesy of me because I can't really help much considering my skills is usually based on finances and accounting."Hah, thanks for the help, Robot."

"No problem, Commander," I replied in my poker face and usual tone.

Timeskip by Y/n is helping all Ops members solve their work and decreasing their workload by a large margin.

I then clean up my desk and prepares to return home.

"Bye Bye," I said making everybody looks at me and I just stood awkwardly.

"Oh, bye Y/n." Shi Yoon was the one who responded first.

"Um, Bye Y/n," Mina said it though she was blushing.

"Bye, Robot," Hilde said in a casual manner and I see that her hostility has dissipated.

"Bye Bye, Mr." Seo Yoon who's the one who said that.

Then, I go to avoid any more embarrassment or OOC for me. I walk back to my home carrying my bags as well.

'Time for a new training place.' I thought excitedly to test what my nanite can do without relying too much on Meta-Nanites.

I reach and enter my home and put food for my cat and clean up a little around the house and pat my two cats.

(Seo)

(Yumi)

(Not my art.)

~Meow~ The two cats then hopped on my lap while meowing.

"How cute," I said unconsciously smiling as well. After I said that, the two cats become even more affectionate and I play with them for one hour and put them to sleep.

'Now, Omicron. Have you done what I asked?' I thought.

"Yes. Certainly. Do you wish to enter now?"

'Yes!'

Then, a portal appears and I walked into it. The scene then changes and I look around.

"Not bad," I said looking around.

"Alright, Omicron. Show the list of what my nanite can do without Meta-Nanites."

"Understood, Showing Master list.".Then, a holographic screen appears and I see all the nanite manipulation powers.

"Damn, this much...Wait, now that I think about it, how much 1 day in here in the outside world."

"1 hour in the outside world is equivalent to 1 day in here, Master."

"Fair enough.Time to train." I said to myself.

3rd Pov

The days goes by without any problem and Y/n explored many functions of nanite manipulation without relying purely on Meta-Nanites to recreate the same effects. The Ops department is relatively becoming more efficient with Y/n's addition with reduced the mountain of paperwork to a small 2 cm height stack left and Mina's increases in taking more missions in less than a week and worrying Hilde, Shi Yoon, and Y/n who just observed her.

And now she even left for the mission just only after 5 minute-break.

"Hmmm, she's trying to run away," I said to no one.

"Hm? What do you mean, Y/n?" Shi Yoon who is beside me.

"Mina, she's trying to run away."

"Oh, you mean her..." Shi Yoon said and I nodded."But run away from what?"

"That feeling when you lose everything and near death door," I said and my eye dilate a little bit remembering when I had PTSD of nearly being killed.

"I see." Shi Yoon said and looks at Hilde who looks at us two.

"Talking behind someone's back isn't good, you know." She said typing on a computer.

"Sure, just like your typing skills." I retorted making Hilde gains a tick mark and Shi Yoon sweats a little bit. Hilde's typing skills can be summed as one word. Terrible.

Y/n finishes yet another piece of paperwork and takes another one and sees Mina coming in.

"Mina-" Y/n said but got cut off.

"Later, I got to do another mission. Sorry Y/n." She said before going out again.

"........This reminds me of when I got rejected," I said dejectedly.

"Ah, I assume you have a girlfriend?"

".....Ex," I said based on previous Y/n memory.

"I-I see." Shi Yoon said not expecting that answer.

"I wonder how a person like you managed to get a girlfriend?" Hilde said while stopping typing on her computer.

"I...don't really know, perhaps because she thinks that I was easy, oh well, the past is in past." Y/n shrugged before going back to work.

Y/n Pov

I continue my work while remembering the previous Y/n's girlfriend who betray him when Corruption Effects were ongoing when he was 15 years old and the day the previous Y/n mother also got infected with Corruption Syndrome along with his father after trying to save him at school.

Flashback

The previous Y/n runs along with his friends to run away from the C.Os that were looming. The hallway in school is broken down when a C.Os appears and Y/n was behind in position.

They turned to the right path with the left path blocked by rubble that falls down. They continued to run until his friends at the front stopped and open the door.

"Hurry! Here!"

One by one follows and suddenly a big C.Os appeared there and was walking towards them. The one that opens the door entered hurriedly and there were 3 more people that still need to enter and one of them was the previous Y/n's girlfriend. All of them start to hurry as well but when Y/n tries to enter after he was last.

"Close the damn door! We'll be killed if you let him in!" One of  Y/n's 'friends'

So, the door was shut and the Previous Y/n furiously tries to open the door he looks at the glass with his girlfriend's face in terror.

"Open the door! Please! Open it!" The previous Y/n shouted and the C.Os was getting closer and closer.

His girlfriend then steps back and the C.Os was nearing almost ten meters previous Y/n looks around and found another path.

And that, he learned the lesson of betrayal, and his mother and father also got infected from Corruption Effects trying to save him with his mother at the hospital and died to make sure she don't turn to a Corrupted Object and his father committed suicide to avoid previous Y/n getting hurt because of him and they couldn't pay the hospital insurance.

Flashback end.

3rd Pov

Y/n was holding a paper and was looking at it then suddenly, a circuit-like light began appearing and things around his surrounding began floating little by little and Y/n's face was blocked by his hair.

"Robot?" Hilde notices this then Shi Yoon and then ALT S quad.

"Robot!" Hilde shouted and runs to Y/n and grabs his shoulder.

"Huh?" Y/n said before looking around and found the everyone was looking at him and looking at his surrounding which was a mess as many things fall.

"S-sorry, I will clean it up," Y/n said with stutter and embarrassment.

"Is everything okay?" Hilde asked.

"Yeah....at least, I think so," Y/n said with a little hesitation.

*Exhale*" You can go to lunch now. We'll take care of the rest."

"You sure, Commander?"

"Yes. Now go." Hilde commanded and Y/n leaves to the rooftop but not before buying a can of drinks.

"Master, he-"

"Just give it a rest, Shi Yoon," Hilde said cutting him off to avoid a long discussion.

"What happened, Commander?" Seo Yoon asks looking at the mess.

"Y/n.Seems like he has an issue."

"And how do you know that?"

"His face."

"Face?" Shi Yoon and Seo Yoon said at the same time.

"........." Hilde shuddered."Go back to work.Don't worry about it."

What Hilde sees was indeed terrifying because she had seen Y/n's bloodlust but his angry face was never yet seen and just now, she sees it.

A desire to destroy, torture and many other things to be described, and yet an aura that she sees earlier also appears but bigger and more monstrous.

'Who....are....you?' What Hilde thought yet she also feels a connection that can't be explained and she tells herself.'I will uncover who you are no matter what it takes.'

The days go by and Mina is stills going recklessly on a mission .Y/n tone down his anger and support Fenrir Squad making them more efficient and strategic but not today because Shi Yoon was trying to please Mina.

Scene Change.

At an unknown location.

A woman is running from being attacked in the base. She huffed and suddenly she stand back avoiding an attack that was directed at her face. She then attacked the person and goes running again, the group of attackers appears and she handles each of them leaving her with a light wound.

"Being shot two times in the arm and one in the leg....Who knew being popular is hard." Jane Doe said.

Then, a person appears wearing questionable clothes and a group of attackers surround her making her stop.

Replacer Queen

"You know, I'd never expected you to be a girl who risks her life for a man," RQ said with a smirk.

Jane Doe then attacks RQ which is of course blocked by her.

"That's because you never meet the real man yourself," Jane replied.

".......Perhaps, You're right," RQ said.

"And that you obsess over someone who is ignorant in this entire matter," Jane said.

"........."

"Shouldn't you give up on him? He already got into some weird company last I heard." Jane said.

".....That's a different matter. Kill her."

Jane then jumped up to the nearest window and falls to the ground. A vehicle then appears and takes her.

The squad which RQ brought was shocked and the leader of the squad commanded to find her but fails and asks RQ whether to pursue her. A man with a purple suit appears but his face is hidden by shadows.

"That won't be necessary."??? Said."Variables like this are what makes destiny interesting."

"The notion that variables can be controlled with limited resources and manpower is hubris."

"I-it's the commander!"

"Commander."

"You mean Deputy Commander."

"...Yes, sir.Deputy Commander." RQ did as a command."Are you sure we don't need to pursue them?"

"No need when it is not necessary to spill your friend's blood...unless I'm wrong?"

"I...Never mind, please issue your next guidance, sir."

"We might be rushing but we have collected most of the pieces and one last...treasure."

"Are you sure, sir? We haven't secured Alternative Factor and he's being protected by Delta Seven."

"It's alright, my adjutant. There's no need to tie to one solution when there is a better course for action."

"If you say so."

"Very good."??? Said.

"Execute Operation Terraside."

Scene Change-at the same time.

"Care for a beverage, Mina?" Shi Yoon said to Mina.

"No thanks, I'm not thirsty," Mina replied.

"How about Cafeteria, I think they have something special today." Shi Yoon said.

"I appreciate it but I've got an operation in ten minutes," Mina said

Y/n Pov

I've just come back from a mission and let's just say I'm exhausted because someone has gotten reckless recently and I just sit on a chair in the break room with my head to the back blocked by a chair stand which helps as a makeshift wall and it doesn't help that I can hear Shi Yoon trying to please Mina.

"Well, I wouldn't say something is wrong but I've seen you haven't eaten anything today." Shi Yoon said."And not to mention, Y/n has been covering you from danger when in mission today and he's there sitting tired."

Mina looks at me who is staring at the ceiling huffing tiredly.

"Master, would you like for me to make her submit?"

'No, and that's final.' I thought.

".......I'm not hungry yet and I'll take a bite once I get back," Mina said.

"You know, Rookie. This isn't trench warfare. People don't even fight this hard during wartime."

I stand back my head and look at Hilde.

"So, I can assume that you are older than you look now?" I said making Shi Yoon laugh softly and Hilde just relieved her stress by sighing.

"Stop being reckless and cool your head."

"....Sorry, Commander. I really don't have time right now. I'll let you nag me when I finish my mission, Commander." Mina said going out and looking at me with a sideglance which I notice and her eyes for some reason, I could sense fear.

And she goes out ignoring Hilde's advice. Hilde looks at Mina's figure which is fading away and look at me.

"No, If I said anything, she will rebel and cause a problem. If you want to force her, ask Vice Pres." I said cutting off squabbles.

"....I haven't said anything."

"Well, I know, that you want me to stop her from taking the mission to stop her being suicidal but I can't because she will rebel against me and create drama," I said.

*Sigh* Hilde sighed hearing my answer."Guess I should ask Soo Yeon."

"Exquisite deduction as always, Y/n." Shi Yoon praised me.

"Sure, as long as you don't slack off." I said making Shi Yoon flinch."You don't want to test me, aren't you?" I said with a smile which is completely natural.

"S-sure." Shi Yoon said in fear and Hilde goes to Vice President to tell her about this matter.

'I guess it's time for me to increase my intelligence.' I thought and put my head on my hand which is on the table.'Time to rest for a bit.'

'Omicron?'

"Yes, Master?"

'Help me understand deeply blue and indigo aura manipulation. I need it.'

"Certainly."

A/n: Episode 4 of Counterside has been published and I need knowledge on how to construct a storyline. But as usual, constructive criticism is appreciated.