“Commander, 15:23. We’ve returned safely!”
“Glad to hear no one seems to be hurt. I’ve just received the handover from the exploration team, so… take it easy.”
The squad that went on the exploration has returned.
Though it wasn’t a formally organized squad, it was their first time, so that alone was a good achievement.
Everyone came back completely unscathed, and it would be even better once we knew what resources were gathered from the exploration.
After all, the efficiency of exploration is quite high compared to the investment.
“And Easter will provide a brief report shortly…”
“Of course. I’ll head to the cafe first and get it to you by the end of the week.”
“Okay, everyone, feel free to head out.”
As the Commander spoke, the agents began leaving the room one by one, but for some reason, Aihihorn was the only one who stayed behind.
What’s going on?
The Commander and I couldn’t help but feel puzzled as we glanced at Aihihorn, who remained in the room.
Why isn’t she leaving like everyone else?
“Do you have something to say?”
“Contractor?”
“What about it?”
“It was a boring combat. Just walking, driving around, and finding supplies in dull moments.”
Aihihorn dragged a chair over and sat down, crossing her legs in a way that almost revealed her panties.
“…….”
“Hmm. The operation will commence soon, but since there hasn’t been an operation until now, I sent you out. Didn’t you like it?”
“Life is filled with dullness, and the outside is chaos and boredom. I came here to relieve that boredom.”
“Hmm…”
By the way, wearing such a short skirt and black stockings like that—doesn’t she feel embarrassed?
Of course, I’m not a woman to begin with, but it just seems too provocative.
The Commander would surely find dealing with a woman like that exhausting.
“So what do you want to happen?”
“I want to enjoy some entertainment.”
“Entertainment, huh…”
“…….”
What’s up with that?
Aihihorn’s gaze towards the Commander felt oddly strange.
It was just like how she usually looked at him… sensuous and subtly provocative, but something about it felt off.
I felt unsettled by her flirtatious vibe.
“…This time, a gym has been added inside the ship. Why don’t you check it out?”
“Oh, that exists?”
“What about you?”
“I don’t see anything coming from keeping a boring Commander occupied like that. I guess I’ll try that first, and we’ll work on adding more facilities for the agents.”
She seemed like she had something to say but ended up just rambling on.
Perhaps it was because something bothered her.
I’m usually not the type to easily get caught up in emotions, but for some reason, I acted that way.
Well… I hadn’t done or said anything wrong, so it shouldn’t be a big deal.
“Is that so… It seems interesting enough… Okay…”
“…?”
“It seems the contractor’s contractor is more daring than expected…”
With that, Aihihorn left the room.
As we watched her walk away, we…
“Stop staring at her butt.”
“I wasn’t!”
“Just because she’s wearing sexy clothes doesn’t mean she’s trying to show off to the Commander.”
“…I know that.”
I just joked around.
There was no need to overthink things.
Aihihorn was not the only one who was weird—there were definitely more strange agents around.
So I just shrugged it off and prepared to move on to the next topic.
“By the way, sitting here comfortably… honestly feels nice.”
“If the Boss saw this, he’d be upset.”
“I know. I listened to him back then.”
“Then I’m glad.”
The Boss really hated seeing someone lounging comfortably in the Commander’s seat.
Though, to be fair, it was mostly me who was draining the Commander’s time with work.
Because I kept assigning tasks, right?
“Oh, I finally had a long chat with my mother. It was… nice in many ways.”
“What do you mean?”
“In the past, she would have been nagging me nonstop, but thanks to you, we just had a normal check-in.”
“Ah.”
So, that’s what it was.
It had been quite a while since I last met her, and I hadn’t paid much attention lately.
Hearing about her mom made me think I should call her again sometime.
“I really wonder how she’s been doing.”
“Although it’s a fake relationship, I’m glad the Commander is happy.”
“That’s all thanks to you. Next time, I’ll treat you to some expensive meat—better than what my mother gave last time.”
“Yes, I look forward to it.”
I didn’t decline.
After all, I deserved it for working hard, right?
“…But why did I think of that?”
“What do you mean?”
“Even if it’s fake, isn’t pretending to be in a relationship a bit uncomfortable?”
The Commander asked, still sitting.
It’s true that I had been quite casual about my role as the Commander’s fake partner.
Must be a bit weird for him, honestly.
If I weren’t the Commander, I wouldn’t have done it at all.
“You’re the Commander, so why would I?”
“…”
“Ultimately, for the Commander to be well, I have to work comfortably, right?”
“Ah.”
There was no reason to change a Commander who listens well, works fine, has a good personality, and is without flaws.
Especially since this isn’t a completely safe world; there’s no reason to throw away a stable job!
What if a strange replacement showed up instead of the Commander… that could really stress me out!
“That was… what you meant.”
“Why do you ask? Did something happen?”
“…Maybe that’s it. Anyway, let’s… get moving. The two in the office might be gossiping about us by now.”
“Is that so? Then how about stopping by Easter’s cafe on the way back?”
Perfect timing, because Easter just returned and headed straight there.
We should grab some nice coffee while we’re at it!
I could make it, but honestly, it’s best left to someone who’s been brewing coffee in a real cafe longer, right?
*
“…You two went shopping yesterday?”
“That’s right…”
“…Why didn’t you tell us?”
“Um… I thought it wasn’t necessary since we were just buying some clothes for the Commander and me…”
Out of nowhere, Dolores asked me, and I casually answered.
Why is she suddenly asking this?
I was shocked when her eyes changed after I mentioned the workout clothes I bought just moments ago.
I had just bought things normally, so why this strong reaction?
It’s not like it was the first time going shopping with the Commander!
“Why are you surprised? It isn’t our first shopping trip.”
“I’m just… surprised. Since I joined, there hasn’t been any shopping like that.”
Ah.
Is that so?
Thinking back, it seems like the Commander hadn’t gone shopping since Dolores started working in the office.
Yet it’s not that strange…
“Well, we spent time together in the Commander’s room. Shopping shouldn’t be a big deal.”
“I’m not saying it’s a problem…”
“More importantly, what about the items the exploration squad brought back?”
“Overall, they’re not bad. We got more Critienium than expected, and they gathered other resources well, too.”
That’s a relief.
I was a bit worried when Aihihorn came back babbling nonsense, but thankfully, it seemed the exploration went well.
If they couldn’t do their job but were chatting nonsense… that would have been a real problem!
“Hmm… But Dolores.”
“Yes?”
“Isn’t there a lack of entertainment on our ship?”
“…Huh?”
I thought of Aihihorn’s words and asked that.
Honestly, I spend more time working on the ship, and when not, I often hang around in the Commander’s room.
But suddenly, boredom and entertainment come into play.
Hearing that made me wonder, so I asked.
After all, the ship isn’t a recreational area…
“Umm… Well, yes?”
“…Really?”
“Well, it’s not built for fun, but there’s definitely a shortage of entertainment. Aside from personal rooms and the cafeteria, there’s nothing else, right?”
“Hmm…”
That’s true, but…
“What if we add more fun facilities to the ship? Just like the new gym, we could add facilities that the agents will enjoy.”
Maybe that would reduce the odd agents wandering around bothering the Commander with unnecessary chatter!
Thinking of that made me realize it didn’t sound like a bad idea at all.
Of course, things like a gambling den would be off-limits, but healthy places to spend time at!
Well, we’d need to discuss it further, of course.
“Wouldn’t that be okay?”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, especially if it’s a place where Lindera and the Commander could use together, so they could have dates outside the Commander’s room!”
“That’s true… wait, what?”
Dates?
Did I hear that right?
“What did you just say?”
“A date?”
“…I’ve never had such a thing.”
“Given that you’ve been snuggled up in the same room, that’s practically a date!”
“No, it’s definitely not.”
Never.
There’s no way I’d go on a date with a man.
I mean, come on, that’s just not rational!
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