“…Ugh.”

“You’re awake. You must be curious, so let me tell you in advance: it’s 11 a.m. now, and the bus has been on the road for about an hour. We’ll be at the airport soon, so you might want to drink something and get your bearings.”

“…You didn’t say anything, but anyway, all my questions are answered. Thanks.”

When I opened my eyes, I saw a ceiling I didn’t recognize.

The surroundings were completely different from what I remembered. According to my last recollection, a shark had been wrapped around my tail, but now I was sitting in the front seat of a limousine bus, being handed a drink. That’s when I finally realized the situation I was in.

I had definitely slept nonstop for almost 11 hours. That was probably why I hadn’t woken up yet—I had been forced onto this bus while I was out cold. I couldn’t even imagine how tired I must have been to not wake up despite the movement. Given the difficulty of the final mission in the sniper competition, it made sense.

The sweet, ion drink slowly chased away my drowsiness as I moved my stiff body around, trying to figure out where Logan was and what she was doing.

───!

“…Ugh, what was that sound?”

“I knew you’d be awake by now. It would be great if you could put up a sound barrier. That damn bastard seems like he’s not even planning to wake up.”

The noise that came from the back sounded like something that shouldn’t be coming out of a woman’s mouth.

Instead of trying to block it with a sound barrier, I stood up from my chair and turned half of my body toward Logan, who was sprawled out on a makeshift bed behind us. The loud noise quickly faded to zero, and Logan started to stir, purring like a cat before settling into a calm sleep again.

Seeing this, Laurenatina clapped her hands, and Olivia chuckled, adding,

“Shouldn’t we wake her up soon?”

“She’ll wake up soon, now that the youngest is awake. It’s definitely hard to say she’s in good shape, though… Around the end of the last mission, we sprinted for about 2 kilometers with a nearly 100 kg load on our backs. There’s probably a lot of accumulated fatigue.”

“That’s true, but… if she’s still like that when we get to the airport, it might be a real pain.”

“…Ugh, who’s making all that noise?”

It’s said that birds listen to daytime talk and mice hear nighttime talk, and just a little noise was enough for Logan, who seemed like she wouldn’t wake up even when we arrived at the airport, to finally stir.

After handing her a large ion drink bottle, just like Laurenatina had done to me, Logan downed half of it without taking a breath and then leaned against the side of the bus. It was her way of recharging. I, too, sat in an empty seat nearby and tidied up my messy hair.

Now that I thought about it, I realized that most airport lounges had shower rooms, so I figured I’d need to take a shower when we arrived at Orlando International Airport.

I must have been thinking that way, because, before long, the bus was entering Atlanta.

With only about 5 minutes left before we got off, the conversation continued.

“Thanks to the youngest, I’ve been to Disney World in my life. I have no idea what they made there, but damn.”

“I didn’t want to say it, but I agree. I think I remember the youngest opening their wallet again, but if we go there and don’t enjoy it, that’d be a loss, wouldn’t it?”

“…What, you’ve never watched TV in your life?”

Olivia asked with a look of disbelief, but I let out a hollow laugh as I reflected on why Logan and Laurenatina had said that.

Laurenatina – from Vermont. In her hometown, you could often see bears or wolves while walking in the backwoods. She proudly said, “I’ve been holding a gun since I was 4,” and grew up hunting with a crossbow, .22 caliber, and birdshot shotgun.

Likewise, Logan was from Alaska. According to some TMI, her parents ran the largest gun shop in the area where she lived, and they’d personally hunted a brown bear, grizzly bear, or moose at least once every two years.

She used to joke that the reason she turned into a bear was because she killed so many of them that she was cursed.

Anyway, put simply, both the shark and the polar bear had similar childhoods, spent in the mountains and fields, having far more extreme experiences than watching TV or whatever. They weren’t really connected to animated movies that others occasionally watched.

And I, surrounded by such people as snipers, had grown up as an operator, so naturally, I didn’t care about that stuff.

Still, when I thought about it differently, it felt like I might have a chance to dip my feet into that world now. It might be better to think positively about it.

“…Well, if that’s how you understand it, I guess it’s fine.”

“We’ll find out when we get there.”

Before long, we arrived at Orlando International Airport.

Since we didn’t have much time, we didn’t stop for a meal. We popped up the shortest route with our Icarus gear and ran joyfully. After scanning the electronic ticket I had downloaded in advance on my phone, we rushed onto the domestic flight, and within a few minutes, the plane took off. It was truly a close call.

The ticket was booked for a relatively cheap price, so the seat wasn’t very comfortable, and with my tail, I endured about 1 hour and 20 minutes of terrible discomfort. Still, the difficult time eventually ended.

From the always gloomy and occasionally rainy roads of Georgia, we were headed to sunny Florida. Through the small window, I saw a view of residential areas, which you almost never see in Korea. It reminded me of Canada, a land full of lakes, as it revealed its majestic landscape.

Just yesterday, I had been wandering through the Georgia mountains, but now it felt like a new experience.

“After the two of you get off, head to the MCO lounge with a shower. I’ll be going to the parking lot, so don’t take too long.”

“Hah, if I had woken up just a little earlier, none of this would have happened.”

“Sometimes, you just can’t beat exhaustion. By the way, even though Olivia and I carried both of you and walked several hundred meters to put you on the bus without waking you up, you had the nerve to sleep until the bus reached downtown Atlanta… and now you’re acting all confident?”

“Do you really need to add one more line to make things worse, huh?”

Of course, Laurenatina got slapped by the polar bear as soon as we landed.

Anyway, among our group, only Logan and I hadn’t showered yet, so while the owl and shark headed outside, we made our way to the MCO lounge, where we spent about 30 minutes showering and getting ready. It was a surprising thought, but it felt like the era had arrived when you could shower at airports.

After refreshing ourselves, we headed toward the airport exit.

“Finally here.”

“This crazy—why the hell were you hiding behind a pillar, erasing your presence?”

“You think I’d wait in front of an exit with hundreds of people walking around? I don’t want to do a fan meeting.”

“…I get what you mean. Anyway, let’s go.”

I spotted two people hiding with barely any presence, as if they were trying not to be seen by anyone.

We called two supercars from the parking lot, and as the vehicles approached, I blended into the crowd as naturally as possible. Since I stood out more than most people, I even used the optical camouflage feature of my Icarus gear.

When the two expensive-looking cars came to a stop in front of us, the doors flew open like wings to the sky. While people around us widened their eyes and scrambled to turn on their phone cameras, we quickly closed the doors and began leaving Orlando International Airport at top speed.

The sky was clear, and after weaving through winding roads for about 30 minutes, the number of vehicles gradually decreased, nearly to zero. The conversation continued.

“Thanks to the youngest, I’ve been to places I never thought I’d see in my life. Always grateful.”

“No need to thank me. Don’t feel too burdened. I’m doing this because I want to.”

“Haha, I hope the youngest has many more things they want to do in the future… Ow, stop hitting my thigh!”

“You’re really shallow.”

Is this the kind of high-quality conversation people nearing 40 have?

I decided to just ignore it.

It was the start of a short vacation before our departure for Saint Petersburg.

“…Youngest. Is this service part of a VIP reservation or something?”

“Uh… no, that starts tomorrow.”

There was a time when I thought this was all vacation.

Well, it wasn’t completely wrong. At least, when we entered Universal Studios less than 10 minutes ago, it felt that way – but then a kid holding a copyright monster-mouse balloon and wearing a copyright monster-mouse headband suddenly pointed at me and yelled, “Mom! There’s Kaah over there!” and that’s when things started to feel off.

So, what the hell is Kaah?

Anyway, while everyone around me was completely oblivious, wanting to take photos or videos, I, at that moment, disabled every portable electronic device within a 50-meter radius. It wasn’t exactly karma, but it was one of those situations where enough was enough.

At that point, we realized our attempt at leisurely sightseeing was completely out the window, and just as we began to get swarmed by a group of staff who looked like they were headed toward us, I thought, “Well, VIP tours aren’t starting until tomorrow.”

“You’re lucky you don’t have an appearance like the youngest or the polar bear. Olivia’s in the gray zone too.”

“Damn. Should I have worn a hat? If I had, maybe they would’ve just thought I was someone who dyed their hair.”

“We’re not going to leave the youngest behind on this trip. It’s too late for that now. If you really want, buy a hat and rip the top off, and then wear it.”

Naturally, most things could be solved with Icarus gear.

Sorry to those two who had hurried over, but one of the staff members had been sent back as soon as I decided to send them off.

The reason I asked one of them to stay wasn’t for anything special – I just wanted an explanation.

“Have you really never watched Disney animations?”

“Technically, I know what I know. I’ve seen a few, but I don’t think I could enjoy this place as much as an enthusiastic Disney fan.”

“Haha, with that attitude, it’s not really a problem. Sure, people who know what Magic Kingdom Park is will enjoy it more, but that doesn’t mean that those who’ve never heard of it can’t enjoy anything. In the end, this place is for everyone, offering dreams and hope.”

…Really?

For a place that gives dreams and hope, the food prices seem to be skyrocketing endlessly. But, I guess, theme parks are all about selling dreams and hopes.

I pushed those unnecessary thoughts aside as I began to head inside with the staff’s help to explore the place.

“Well, good timing. In about an hour, there’ll be a parade. In about 30 minutes, you’ll see Snow White, Cinderella, Captain Hook, Peter Pan, Ariel, Rapunzel, and Beauty and the Beast passing by on parade floats.”

“Anyone who didn’t get anything out of what this person just said?”

“Do you really think I’ve never read a fairytale? I know Snow White. She’s the one who fights bounty hunters sent by the queen with night-vision goggles in a forest base, and then turns around to shoot the queen, right?”

“….”

“…What? Isn’t that the story? That’s what my dad told me at night in a winter mountain cabin.”

A suffocating silence.

As soon as Logan said something completely unexpected, everyone, including the staff, rolled their eyes, glancing nervously at each other. When I saw Logan blinking her eyes, seemingly wondering if she had gotten it wrong, I realized that her parents had probably made a unique adaptation of the story.

If only there had been more time or if we weren’t so rushed, I would have loved to hear more of the other fairytales her parents had adapted. But unfortunately, the quick-witted staff member, seeing the castle straight ahead, quickly changed the subject.

“That castle in front is Disney Castle. It’s the castle you always see at the start of movies produced by Disney Animation Studios.”

“Oh, I see. I think I’ve seen it once or twice.”

“That’s right. I can confidently say that no one has never seen it.”

Meanwhile, I made eye contact with Olivia.

Maybe she had something to say, so I adjusted my position and moved next to her. What followed was a whisper that wasn’t really a whisper.

“…That castle. Back when we were doing the Florida recovery operation, I was TACP and I blew it up with a 0.3kt B61 Mod12.”

“…Task Force Laser did something like that?”

“One of our old nicknames was ‘Disney Killer.’ That’s when I got that one.”

“Oh, that…”

The memories of the past flashed through my mind at that moment.

That must have been around the time when the project to gather all the manifesters in New York and train them into combat troops had finished. I was starting to operate as a combat unit, capable of doing what one person could do.

In terms of years, it was about two and a half years after I first set foot in New York.

Back then, when the jokes and strange nicknames were tossed around, we’d all chuckle. Later, I found out that they’d basically turned Disney World, covering an area of about 101km², into a place full of craters, twisted scrap metal, and melted ground from the extreme heat.

What was that other nickname we got back then…?

“Destroyer of Innocence?”

“Huh? What did you say, youngest?”

“Oh, nothing. I just realized I have some history with Disney World.”

“Haha, everyone’s got their memories. It’s not that we don’t have connections; we just didn’t realize it until now. You’d be amazed, but there was a big event last month. If you had come a bit earlier, you would’ve seen something far grander and more enjoyable.”

Thankfully or not, the staff member didn’t seem to hear what we were muttering.

Of course, Laurenatina, Logan, and I all shared that memory to some extent. After all, even earlier this year, we literally tore apart Disneyland in Anaheim, California. Though, it wasn’t directly us; it was something our shadows did.

Thinking back, it seemed like we four had made enough of a reputation as the Destroyers of Innocence. But, honestly, most of those things were done out of necessity, so I don’t really feel guilty about them.

We had come too far to feel guilty now.

I quietly followed the staff member ahead and added,

“At least, we didn’t come here to tear down the buildings.”

“Stop with the annoying remarks. We’re not done with the competition yet, are we?”

Indeed.

It was a strange thing to say after coming to the town full of dreams and hope.

It was autumn.