“Hoo… Commander, have you finished all your work?”
“I still have a bit left for the afternoon. Why do you ask?”
“I’m quite far from being done. The workload has increased a little this time, so I’m not used to it… Hehe.”
“If it’s too hard, send me the files later. Didn’t you help me last time? I’ll return the favor.”
“Really? Thank you so much! You’re the best, Commander!”
“Haha.”
Why is he laughing again?
The more I see that idiot, the more I wonder about his lack of common sense.
It’s better than having a bad relationship with the agents, but does he not realize how little authority he has?
That’s probably why the agents pull off such strange tricks against him, the so-called Commander.
“Ha…”
Yesterday, I was praised by the boss, and honestly, I should have just held back.
At least the conversation with the boss ended well, but there were many things to improve upon.
One of those things included the Commander’s awareness.
“By the way, is it because you’re a maid? You’re really good at making coffee. Honestly, it’s beyond my imagination.”
-Splash!
“Oh ho! Of course! I’ve worked as an agent, but I also used to work at a small cafe!”
“A cafe…? We have a small cafe on our ship too. If you’re free later, I recommend checking it out. An agent named Easter runs it, and it’s not bad at all.”
“Really? I haven’t had much chance to explore the ship, so I had no idea there was such a place!”
It was unbelievable.
How both this maid was acting and how easily the Commander was falling for it.
If they were planning to attack our ship, that naive man would be fooled in an instant.
Seriously, how could he be so gullible?
“Ha…”
In the first place, the cafe run by Easter was located in the ship’s lobby, and moving to the private rooms went through there, so it was impossible not to see it.
Especially since the cafe operated until evening, I ran into it every time I went to the restaurant for a meal.
It was really frustrating in every way.
“Then how about the Commander taking me there today?”
-Crack…
“Me?”
“Yes! Or we could eat lunch together, and that’d be nice too. Would that be inconvenient for you?”
“Well… dinner is a bit tricky.”
Is he just clueless?
Is he unaware of everything?
Or does he lack both?
I really felt like sighing at his obliviousness, while he was blissfully chatting with the maid.
If the Commander’s face was of an average guy, he clearly had no experience with girls at all.
He probably had no experience with guys either, and the only friends he had were nerds who played games together.
“Tsk…”
“Lindaera?”
“Y-Yes?”
“What were you thinking so deeply about? I wanted to ask you something for a moment.”
Suddenly, the guy poked my shoulder and started talking.
He had just been talking to the maid like that, and now he was being weird.
“What is it?”
“Oh, I was wondering if we could go to the cafe together later. Dolores mentioned she hasn’t been there yet. It’d be nice if Midori could join too.”
“Oh… is that what you meant?”
“Yes, so what do you think?”
I didn’t expect him to suddenly ask me like this.
Well, he probably wasn’t thinking this through deeply, but I was slightly relieved.
At least the Commander isn’t some foolish guy who would go to a cafe alone with a girl.
We did go together once, but I wasn’t really that type anyway.
“Do as you like, Commander. After all, you’re my superior, aren’t you?”
“That’s true, but your decision might be better than mine, right? If you have more work today, then… that might be a bit awkward.”
“….”
Honestly, I’m not sure if he has any awareness, but I’m glad he’s not a bad guy.
He knows how to compliment subtly too.
“Then after lunch, let’s take a break at the cafe together. Since you suggested it, how could I say otherwise?”
It wasn’t that I was trying to suck up to him or anything.
If we were going anyway, it was better to go as a group rather than just the two of them, for multiple reasons.
It was better than causing misunderstandings by them going together.
That’s why we agreed to go as a group.
“That player… Commander… really is dangerous…”
Midori mumbled from a distance, but I didn’t pay much attention.
It wasn’t the first time Midori said something strange.
*
“Why did you suddenly call me out while I was working?”
“…There’s something to discuss.”
It wasn’t about work, but something more important than that.
Otherwise, there would be no reason to step out of the office and talk in the hallway.
“What is it?”
“…The boss hasn’t left yet and is staying at the hotel. I’m just here to let you know we might run into her a few times.”
“…Why?”
That’s what I want to know too.
I honestly didn’t expect it to turn out like this.
Somehow, the boss ended up staying with us a little longer.
If I hadn’t gotten a message, I honestly wouldn’t have known.
“I don’t know the reason. Anyway, she said she would stay with us for a while, and instructed us not to inform the other agents or anyone else.”
“Huh….”
It was absurd.
The title of ‘boss’ didn’t do justice; she was practically the head of a PMC-like company and one of the most influential figures in this era.
In a situation where national borders were becoming quite blurred due to corruption, she had played a major role… if she stayed for just two more years, there would probably be a biography published about her.
Everything about this situation was sudden and uncomfortable.
“From what I gather, she seems to be planning to take a vacation. She likely intends to check on our side while resting here.”
“What should we do?”
“Well… we just need to act normally, right…? I’m not too sure, but the fact that she doesn’t want her identity or whereabouts revealed likely means she’s looking to relax.”
I was able to say that because I knew more than the Commander.
After all, our area was more peaceful than others, making it a comfortable place to live.
She probably wanted to take a break from her duties at headquarters.
Plus, it seemed like she wanted to spend some time with me as well.
“But is it really okay to tell me…?”
“I thought it’d be better for you to know, Commander. It’s preferable to accidently bump into her and cause a scene, right?”
“……”
“Isn’t that right?”
He smiled again as he said that.
He was looking for a response but also giving a warning.
With how oblivious and careless he was, it was better to give him a heads-up.
Even if he didn’t roam outside much, it was still good to have forewarned him.
“Got it.”
“By the way, you seem to have been chatting a lot with Dolores lately. More than with me or Midori, who you’ve been working with for longer.”
It was just a little awkward to head straight back, so I continued talking.
The main topic had already been covered, and this was just small talk.
“Oh, that’s true. Since it’s her first time working on our ship and her first time in the office, she tends to ask a lot of questions and seems to need a lot of help.”
“…Really?”
“Well, I remember asking you for a lot of help when I first started. I’m just returning the favor.”
This was a different story than back then.
Back then, I was helping out purely out of goodwill since it was all new to me, so I guided her step by step.
“Haha.”
“I mean, I like to think I’m doing better at my job than I was before. That’s why I’m helping Dolores. Honestly, it feels quite rewarding.”
“…Is that so?”
“It is.”
Honestly, it was ridiculous that Dolores, the maid, thought of me as someone purely there to help her.
If Midori saw it, she wouldn’t think so at all.
“Oh, Commander. Let’s skip the small talk for now. Do you have time this weekend or Friday?”
I just thought of it suddenly as I spoke.
It really was a spontaneous thought.
I didn’t need to bring it up now, but… something just came out.
Originally, I thought about doing it alone, but the thought suddenly changed.
“Suddenly? Well… as usual, I do have time. Why do you ask? Planning to play games in my room?”
I often play games in his room, but that’s not what I meant this time.
I wasn’t going to play in his room; I was planning to do that in mine.
I cleaned up last time, but honestly, it wasn’t exactly spotless and left a lot to be desired.
My room was cleaner and way more convenient to use.
Playing games in the Commander’s room was fine, but that wasn’t the reason this time.
“No.”
“Then what’s the matter?”
“This weekend… how about we have some drinks in my room?”
“…?”
He looked puzzled.
I wonder if I made that same expression the first time he suggested we play games out of the blue.
Well, I guess that’s possible.
“I received some drinks from the boss, but I don’t have anyone to share them with. What do you think?”
“……”
“Isn’t it a bit lonely to drink alone? That’s why I thought to ask you, Commander.”
I didn’t really have anyone else to drink with anyway; he was the only one around.
Honestly, aside from the Commander, I had no one to drink with at all.
“Ha…”
By the way, I was a bit curious about the drinks the boss had given me.
They must be good since they were expensive… right?
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