I didn’t really know the Commander well while living with him.
Well, to be honest, we weren’t exactly on special terms, were we?
The most I knew was his taste in food and preferences; I didn’t know anything in detail.
“These are the number of agents who applied to our ship.”
“40… that’s a bit much.”
“Yes, it’s still a lot for us.”
“I think it would be better to take a little over 20. What do you think?”
What was certain was that I had definitely improved compared to before; things were much better now.
In the past, he would just throw the responsibility at me without a second thought, but he had clearly changed.
“It might be good to have some combat personnel… What work can’t we do on our ship right now?”
“Just external reconnaissance… since the purification operation has the 2nd Squad, sending someone else outside is also possible.”
“Then it would be good to have agents who can do external reconnaissance.”
“So we can narrow it down to agents who can participate in the purification operation and those who can handle external reconnaissance?”
“For now.”
It wasn’t even working hours, and we were chatting in the commander’s room after finishing our work, but it wasn’t bad at all.
Honestly, the commander was more responsive than I thought, expressing his opinions clearly, which made it easier for me than just mulling things over by myself.
Sure, I had used agents before, but making decisions alone was a hassle.
I couldn’t just use characters from a game as I pleased.
In games, resources just dropped every day, but reality wasn’t like that.
“Hmm… Ah.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I think I’ve found a decent agent.”
While looking through agents on my tablet, I discovered a good one.
To be fair, it wasn’t someone I had picked or used myself before.
But I could tell they were a good agent, and the reason wasn’t complicated…
“I heard this one is a good agent… in the past.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
Yeah, I heard.
I hadn’t used them directly, but in the community, they always advised new players to pick this agent.
She had a really pretty appearance, and her performance was well-regarded, so she was a talked-about character.
Of course, I never got lucky enough to pull her.
“Which agent are you referring to?”
“This one… the agent Aihihorn.”
“Ah, Aihihorn.”
“Yes.”
Aihihorn’s black… dress?
Honestly, I wasn’t quite sure how to express such an outfit.
For now, since I could only see Aihihorn’s shoulder on the screen, it wasn’t a huge issue.
“I’m getting a bit of a vibe reminiscent of Agni…”
“That’s likely because Aihihorn is also a dark-haired one, right?”
The commander’s comment made sense.
There was definitely something in Aihihorn’s appearance that reminded me of Agni.
They both had red hair, but Aihihorn’s cold looks and the horns beside her head were distinct.
I thought the two of them did look a bit similar.
However, unlike Agni, Aihihorn’s horns were huge.
They curled like a mountain goat’s horns… so to speak.
If Agni had dragon-like horns, Aihihorn had a devilish vibe?
“What kind of agent is she?”
“Well… strong.”
“…And?”
“Strong.”
The commander probably thought it was a ridiculous answer, but when it came down to it, that’s all there was to say.
She was just strong.
Honestly, that was the simplest and easiest evaluation.
“She’s a truly strong agent, probably at the same level as Agni in combat.”
Aihihorn was similar to Agni.
Of course, Agni often fought a bit ahead, and they were somewhat different, but Aihihorn was certainly formidable in battle with strong attack power.
Agni was the highest-rated character on our ship, and since Aihihorn was of the same rank, that was clear.
Of course, Agni had been released earlier than Aihihorn, so in terms of offensive capability, she might be slightly weaker, but…
“Let’s recruit her.”
“Yes, let’s do that.”
“3rd Squad will be led by Aihihorn…? Sounds good.”
“I think so too. With a definite attack capability, she will surely perform well in operations. And in other areas… she will likely help as well.”
“Other areas?”
“Well… it’s hard to explain since there’s no description here, but Aihihorn will also assist in external reconnaissance tasks.”
“…?”
Right, the commander wouldn’t easily understand.
Because if she performed well in combat, it’s hard to believe there’d be a good such façade in other areas.
Like someone who’s good at sports and academics, being a social butterfly.
Well, that kind of person does exist.
Anyway, so the commander and I started to decide on the new agents to bring onto our ship.
It was definitely easier deciding together rather than alone.
There were two others working in the office with us, but with the commander, it was simply more comfortable to discuss such matters.
In fact, we were supposed to do this during regular hours, but it felt better to do it freely with the commander.
“Phew… Ah… I think this should be enough.”
“…Well, we have been choosing for over an hour.”
“Yes, if we hadn’t eaten dinner by now, I’d surely be starving.”
Having worked like this after business hours, I was definitely tired.
If I hadn’t eaten before the commander arrived, it would’ve been brutal.
Now, it was already too late to eat dinner, making it tough to have a meal.
I was just glad I had eaten before.
“Ah…”
“Good job today. I feel bad that you, the vice commander, are doing more work than the commander… but thanks still.”
“Just knowing you know is enough.”
I climbed onto the commander’s bed and comfortably lay down.
I mean, I was really exhausted, wasn’t I?
Just earlier, I was sitting on the floor of my personal room, putting a tablet on the table and reviewing materials in that position.
Sure, there was a desk in the commander’s room, but it was cramped, and the chair wasn’t great either.
Anyway, I felt like I had mostly wrapped up my tasks.
Until the new agents arrived and we set off on the next operation, I really wouldn’t have much work.
“Commander.”
“What is it?”
“Why are you looking at my tablet like that?”
The commander seemed to be continuously looking at the tablet I had on the table, which made me curious.
Of course, he wasn’t looking at anything weird; he was just reviewing the new agents’ information, but curiosity couldn’t be helped.
“Do you happen to favor any of the agents?”
“Oh, it’s nothing really. Just because I heard Aihihorn is strong. I’m just looking at the information.”
“…Is that so?”
Well, that could happen.
The descriptions of the other agents and the explanations for Aihihorn were definitely different.
It pointed out what they were specialized in and suggested which roles would be beneficial.
The salary was reasonable, and they were rated agents, so recruiting them wouldn’t be a problem, but Aihihorn was in another league.
I had even begun to express my interest first.
“Do you have a preference for agents like Aihihorn?”
“Why are you asking that…”
“I’m just curious. It’s not any other agent; you’re only looking at Aihihorn’s info, aren’t you?”
“It’s just because you were rambling about her.”
“Hmm… then I’m relieved.”
I said this while semi-laying on the commander’s bed.
I was just so tired.
I’ve been sitting still in the office, and now here I was again, sitting and working, meaning my back and shoulders were just aching.
Luckily, lying on my side like this was a bit more comfortable.
The fact is, I’m not the type to lie down for long, so I couldn’t lay there for too long.
“Oh, um… What do you think about the agents’ outfits?”
“Don’t they seem ordinary?”
“Well, that’s true to some extent, but…”
In talking about Aihihorn, something popped into my mind, so I mentioned it.
The material on the tablet showed her shoulders, but the actual clothing Aihihorn wore was a tad too revealing.
It was a strange dress with a cutout that revealed part of her chest and an exposed back, with the abdomen covered in sheer fabric—truly a lewd outfit.
“What would you do if an agent who wore such revealing clothing came?”
“…What do you mean by ‘revealing’?”
“Um… not showing the important parts, but perhaps parts of the chest are exposed, or the skirt is too short? Something overly suggestive…?”
“…I’m the commander, but is it okay to just critique the attire of the agents as I please…?”
“That’s… I’m not really sure.”
That’s why I asked.
That just didn’t happen in the games, did it?
“Well, excluding me, you’re surrounded by only women. So what’s the issue?”
“That’s…”
“Besides, it’s not like the agents would have conflicts over their clothing, so I don’t see a need to touch on that.”
“…I understand.”
If the commander thinks so… well, I guess there’s no helping it.
I thought Aihihorn’s outfit was a bit risky, but the commander clearly wasn’t the type to have a keen interest in women.
So, I decided to let this conversation slide.
If it became an issue, I could just bring it up later.
“But… do you really need to be lying on the bed?”
“Why do you ask? I’m tired, so why must I sit on the floor? My back and shoulders are already sore!”
“…Can’t you just go back to your room?”
“That’s true, but we just finished work; heading straight back to my room would also be tiring.”
That’s why I was lounging comfortably on the commander’s bed.
The scent was different from the bed I was used to, making it feel awkward, but it was still comfy enough.
I guess the bed was of the same kind as the one in my personal room, but it was comfortable.
“I’ll stay like this a bit longer before heading back.”
“……. ”
“Is that not okay?”
“…Just don’t take too long before heading back.”
“Yes, understood.”
The commander wasn’t completely rigid.
Having spent a long time together, I knew he wasn’t the type to strictly adhere to these kinds of things.
If he were that type of commander, his mother wouldn’t be frustrated about him so much.
“Ha…”
“Why are you suddenly looking at me as you laugh?”
“I just thought of your mother… and I chuckled because of you.”
“Ha…”
Seriously, despite having a title that makes him sound important like ‘Commander’, he had so many frustrating quirks.
It was both amusing and funny, wasn’t it?
If he didn’t have that side to him, I probably wouldn’t be able to be so comfortable around him.
If anything, his silly, frustrating sides and lackadaisical aspects made it easier to be with him as a friend.
While we were chatting, something interesting caught my attention on the small nightstand beside the bed.
“But… what’s up with the tissues on this nightstand? Or is it…”
As I said this, I peeked sideways at the commander.
Of course, before I could finish, the commander stood up and quickly hid the roll of toilet paper behind his back.
It seemed he hadn’t even thought to clean it up at all.
Really amusing.
“Ha-ha.”
“Ugh…”
“Glad to see you’re healthy?”
“Please just head back to your room…”
“I’ll stay a bit longer before I go.”
Anyway, I felt grateful that the commander was the way he was.
If he had a completely different style, I honestly would have found it a bit unpleasant.
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