After spending the night with the Commander, a few days had passed.
I worked normally and went about my daily life.
During that time, the Commander didn’t touch me at all; he just continued to work as usual.
Contrary to my worries, he seemed… completely unbothered.
“…….”
Even now, he was busy typing away at his keyboard, while I was the only one fixated on the person to my left.
Am I just worrying too much?
But then again… I couldn’t help but feel anxious.
Really.
*
“Lindera, are you feeling okay?”
“… Yes.”
After Midori and Dolores left the office, the Commander spoke first.
Since he was the only one to engage in conversation lately, I wasn’t too shocked, but it felt a bit awkward.
“I’m glad to hear that… What’s the status of the operation from headquarters?”
“I will probably send over the materials with detailed explanations soon.”
“Well, that’s a relief.”
“… Yes.”
Even though we were just chatting, I couldn’t look him in the eye properly.
I don’t even know why I’m acting like this.
It’s just a conversation.
“Lately, it seems Aihihorn and the other agents have adapted somewhat to the fleet, which is good.”
“That’s right.”
“After we successfully complete this operation from headquarters, it would be nice to add new facilities. That wine bar we visited last time…”
“…….”
I didn’t know if he brought it up on purpose or not, but it made it difficult for me to answer again.
“It would be nice to have something like a movie theater, too. I saw that there were various options when I looked at the gym on the headquarters’ website.”
“Uh… right.”
“By the way, when are you going to do the workout I asked Dolores about? This weekend?”
“Uh… Let’s do it on Sunday. I have plans to go shopping for clothes on Saturday.”
Honestly, I didn’t mind working out with the Commander.
But it was just… a bit tough because of what happened then.
“Clothes?”
“… Yes, it just turned out that way. It’s nothing special.”
“Well, if that’s what you think, then that’s how it is.”
“…….”
I’ve always wondered why the Commander believed my words so easily.
I mean, rather than believing, he just takes them at face value.
He used to ask me a lot, but as time passed, he seemed to be accepting my words without question, like a bit of a fool.
“This time… I plan to buy a skirt or a dress.”
“You usually don’t wear those kinds of clothes, do you?”
“That’s true…”
I remembered what Dolores and Midori said last time.
“I’m sure the Commander will like it if you show him new clothes.”
“If the Commander only wears the same clothes every day and then sees you in something new, wouldn’t that be nice for Lindera too?”
Honestly, it wasn’t the most convincing argument.
It was just… somewhat plausible, but it had the effect of motivating me a little.
The Commander’s work efficiency wouldn’t suddenly increase just because I wore different clothes.
But hey, I said it, so…
“I just thought I’d try it on. I can’t keep wearing just a camisole with some random coat, can I?”
“That’s true.”
“There are times when I wear a sweater, but I’ve just been wearing the same one since I bought it ages ago.”
So, that’s how it is.
Right, I’m not trying to show off to the Commander; I’m just sick of wearing the same clothes.
It’s not like I can’t enjoy having a pretty face and body once in a while. Wearing the same clothes all the time seems odd.
Of course, I’m finally getting used to wearing long formal skirts, but I still think Lindera looks good in skirts.
I mean… I enjoy it…
“… So that’s why I’m going to buy some.”
Enjoying, huh.
I accidentally had a weird thought.
The Commander, who was chatting next to me, seemed completely unfazed while I felt like the odd one out.
“Surely it’s better to wear pretty and nice clothes than to look bad, right?”
“… Yes, that’s why I’m buying them.”
There was absolutely no other reason for buying them.
Just for new clothes.
Yeah, that’s all there was to it.
But… still, if I look pretty, it might feel nice…?
“Lindera.”
“Yes?”
“… It’s nothing.”
“…?”
The Commander suddenly seemed to want to say something but stopped.
What could he have possibly wanted to say?
I was genuinely curious, but it was hard to look at him, so I just gave up.
I don’t know what it is, but… maybe he’s just embarrassed.
He’s been on my mind a lot lately, and chatting isn’t the easiest for me either.
So… that must be it.
By the way, when will Dolores and Midori get back from their break…?
*
“By the way, Dolores. Don’t you think something’s going on between those two lately?”
“I’m sure of it. Something definitely seems to be happening.”
Midori and Dolores chatted casually as they walked through the ship’s lobby.
Since there wasn’t an operation coming up right now, and they had no work to do, wandering outside wasn’t an issue.
With the permission of the Commander and Lindera, they could relax and talk without a care.
“Lindera’s been acting really weird lately~”
Of course, the topic of conversation centered around Lindera and the Commander.
Considering they spent most of the day in the office, it was only natural this would come up.
Especially since Lindera’s actions and reactions were particularly entertaining.
Naturally, they often discussed the two of them when they were away from the others.
They couldn’t just say everything openly in front of them.
“Hmm… I wonder what it could be?”
“How would I know?”
“Um… Ever since the weekend, it seems like she’s been looking at the Commander and then looking away. There definitely seems to be something more going on…”
“That’s… um.”
Even Lindera thought her behavior was odd, but to these two, it seemed even stranger, causing them to come up with wild speculation.
“It’s hard to tell what they’ve been up to, so… we can’t really know.”
“Should we ask?”
“If we ask Lindera, she definitely won’t tell us.”
“Well, that’s true…”
They weren’t trying to badmouth Lindera; they had enough reasons based on their experiences with her.
“Did the Commander confess or something?”
“Even if that were the case, the Commander has been… fairly subdued.”
“That’s… hmm…”
“Sometimes, when Lindera’s working, I notice the Commander watching her from behind…”
“I really don’t get it!”
Midori said that while throwing her hands up in frustration.
She had thought about it but couldn’t make sense of several aspects.
Although they both acknowledged how beautiful Lindera was, they were completely clueless themselves.
They didn’t even understand their own feelings.
“Oh, what about going to buy clothes this time?”
“Shouldn’t we just go this weekend?”
“Are we just getting her a dress or something? Is that enough?”
“Hmm…”
There was a reason why they suggested to Lindera that they should go shopping for new clothes.
Lindera didn’t need new clothes to look pretty, but because these two were so oblivious, nothing progressed.
It wasn’t like they were dating, yet they seemed to flaunt their affection around in the office, leaving Midori and Dolores frustrated.
“Is there a dress somewhere that would truly surprise the Commander with how pretty it is…?”
“With Lindera’s figure… even a bit of exposure would make it look extremely alluring.”
“That’s true. With a chest like that, what man wouldn’t love it?”
Having walked around for a while, they ended up sitting at a cafe and talking.
Meanwhile, in the office, those two were likely spending time in an awkward silence, but that didn’t matter to Midori and Dolores.
“Should we get her some underwear or something?”
“Last time…”
“But really… don’t some special underwear absolutely have to be necessary?”
“Hmm…”
They’d already crossed that line but still remained unaware.
To them, Lindera and the Commander were just incredibly oblivious and short-sighted in important matters.
They didn’t even think about whether those two might have progressed significantly.
Of course, any progress would have been due to alcohol, but since Lindera wasn’t saying anything, they had no idea.
“But Lindera seems like she definitely likes the Commander.”
“Seems so. Every time she’s bored, she talks to him and complains about how annoying it is that he wakes her up every morning.”
“They say that’s because of her position as a Vice Commander…”
“That’s true…”
Every time Lindera stated it was just her duties, the two found it hard to believe.
There weren’t any other subordinates in other fleets or companies who were so comfortable with their higher-ups like Lindera and the Commander were.
To be looking after the Commander excessively while not even dating him was honestly entertaining enough.
“This time, we’ll make sure Lindera… recognizes the Commander! We’ll make it happen somehow!”
“Don’t worry about that. I’ll handle it well.”
“Really?”
“Of course. You just have to trust me, and you’ll be able to relax in the office as if you’re watching a fun drama.”
With that, Dolores smiled slightly at Midori.
Of course, Lindera’s awareness was gradually changing from within.
“Whoa…”
“Hehe… I don’t see any reason to watch you two work out this weekend if I didn’t have a plan, right?”
“Wow, Dolores! You actually had this all figured out!”
“Don’t underestimate a maid.”
With a playful chuckle, Dolores sipped her coffee.
Though it didn’t taste exactly like the coffee she usually drank in the office, she found this sweet taste quite delightful.
“Hehe…”
“But do you really have to smirk like a villain? We’re basically the protagonists here, Cupid!”
“Doing it this way makes it seem more impactful.”
“Oh.”
Midori looked thoughtful as if she had realized something from Dolores’ words.
Then…
“Hehehe…!”
“Hehe…”
They were two oddly laughing figures in the cafe.
The agent sitting behind them surely thought they were strange, but to Midori and Dolores, the possibility of bringing Lindera and the Commander together was far more important.
Besides, neither of them was particularly concerned about that kind of thing anyway.
“Hehehe!”
“Hehehehe!”
“They’re crazy…”
As a reference, the agent behind them muttered this quietly, and despite hearing it… the two continued to laugh.
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