The Commander and I continued to explore the streets together.
It was just a different street from the one we wandered around yesterday, but it felt incredibly different.
The street the Secretary mentioned was definitely a place where young people would hang out.
It was lively in many ways, filled with excitement.
There were people playing guitar and busking, and some mysterious cultists…
“…Everything is great, but I think there’s one problem.”
“…Yeah. Why are there so many cultists?”
“Still… didn’t we manage to get through it somehow? The methods were strange, though.”
There were indeed a lot of cultists trying to talk to us.
Some called it a religion, while others claimed they were doing some psychological tests, but luckily we managed to slip past them.
“Acting like a couple here makes it a bit easier, doesn’t it?”
“…Yes. Well…”
“Isn’t it better than talking to the strange people?”
“…You have a point.”
The Commander had a point.
In fact, he had skillfully maneuvered through.
But to be honest, the method was a tad… embarrassing.
While holding hands and walking, we suddenly found ourselves in a tricky spot when a cultist approached us, and the Commander took action.
He put his hand on my shoulder and started speaking in a sweet tone, pretending to be a couple, saying we had a restaurant reservation…
The reality was, we hadn’t even decided where to eat.
Anyway, after pretending to be a couple a few times, the odd people faded away.
I only felt a bit embarrassed that this was the method… but the outcome was good.
“Remembering what I did with my mom last time makes it a bit funny, doesn’t it?”
“Not really.”
“Really?”
I don’t get why he’s enjoying this.
“…Can I take my arm off your shoulder now?”
“Just hang on a bit longer. What if they come back?”
“…Alright. Just a little longer.”
“Right.”
And so, I walked with the Commander’s arm draped over my shoulder.
Maybe it was because his arms were thick, but it definitely felt heavy. But as he said, I guess I had to endure it for now.
“…What do you want for dinner?”
“How about wandering a little more? There are a lot of performers, and still much to see.”
“If the Commander says that…”
“What about getting some cotton candy over there?”
“…Sounds good.”
I was a bit hungry, plus I liked sweet things.
Also, doing nothing while just wandering felt a bit disappointing.
Perhaps it would be nice to grab something while walking around?
Anyway, we each bought a cotton candy from the Commander.
Holding the cotton candy and wandering around felt somewhat like a date… but then again, we were just friends.
It wasn’t a date at all.
Just a slight sightseeing outing.
“Lindera, is it tasty?”
“It’s sweet, so I like it.”
“Do you enjoy it?”
“It’s not super sweet like chocolate, but I like it just fine.”
I wasn’t a fan of overly sweet things, but this sweetness was different.
Of course, the Commander would probably enjoy it more than I would.
Which made sense since the Commander really had a sweet tooth.
He would always enjoy having snacks while working in between.
I was sure I had stashed some snacks away.
And somehow, out of nowhere, he had bought some snacks.
“………”
“Why are you staring like that?”
“I’m just… astonished.”
Honestly, I was just baffled looking at the Commander.
Even when he drank coffee, I saw how much sugar he put in…
“When we go back, I really think we should start exercising.”
“…Are you just suddenly saying that?”
“Yes, I’m genuinely worried about the Commander’s future.”
I couldn’t help but wonder if he might develop diabetes.
It was hard not to feel that way.
At this rate, he could seriously end up with it…
“…Sigh.”
“Do you dislike this closeness?”
“It’s nothing. I’m just used to this now, so it’s not a problem.”
“Really? Then I guess I can stay like this longer.”
“…Yeah, go ahead.”
I didn’t say anything more to the Commander and just kept walking.
With his unnecessarily thick and firm arm resting on me.
Being this close, I could catch a hint of the Commander’s scent… and it smelled surprisingly nice, maybe he had put on some cologne.
“…Sigh.”
“What?”
Why was he acting like this?
*
“Ha… Ha… Really…”
“Why?”
“You’ve been acting strange lately…”
“What seems strange?”
“Just…”
Everything seems strange…
Talking strange, doing strange things…
“About the drinking… you’ve been way too close lately… You know that? Do you?”
It was something said after drinking.
Since I had some drinks, a little candid remark here should be no problem.
Right, we had even had sex after drinking… so saying this shouldn’t be a big deal…
“Why do you keep wanting to hold my hand…? Why do you keep doing that…? Am I your girlfriend or something?”
“Was it bad?”
“Whether it’s good or bad doesn’t matter… Suddenly wanting to hold hands is just weird… for real…”
The alcohol was cooling my nerves nicely.
So I just kept drinking.
The taste was just your average mass-produced distilled alcohol… but it was refreshing…
Something felt stuffy, so without realizing, I kept drinking.
Each sip of the cool alcohol made me feel a bit better.
“Ha…”
“Aren’t you drinking way too fast?”
“What? Is it wrong if I drink a bit while you keep holding my hand without permission?”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Hmph…”
In any case, I decided to eat some snacks instead of just drinking.
I wasn’t sure if they were worried or not, but at least they seemed to care…
But even so, I would definitely not stop drinking!
Drinking at a place that sells alcohol was no problem at all.
Plus, it had been a while since I last drank… or was it?
The last time I drank was at that sushi place…
Hmm… it had been around 5 days.
So it shouldn’t be a problem.
“It doesn’t taste good.”
“Then don’t drink it…”
“Order me another drink.”
“…Sigh.”
Anyway, since the bill would be on the Commander.
It shouldn’t be a problem to order a drink or two.
After all, I had been taking care of the Commander a lot lately.
So doing this shouldn’t raise any flags.
“Probably…”
“…What is it?”
“…Hurry and get me some good alcohol.”
I didn’t know what the Commander was going to order, but it had to be better than this.
Better than this bland nothingness of a drink that had no flavor.
“Faster, pleeeease…”
“I heard you, but stop clinging to me…”
“Buy it quickly… please!”
“…Sigh… What am I, a dog?”
I muttered something quietly, but it didn’t seem to get noticed.
Well, like always, I’d just blurt out nonsense.
The Commander saying strange things was an ongoing issue; he was always the type to talk nonsense.
Lately, it was clear he was acting weird, constantly grabbing my hands and shoulders…
Was he some kind of perv now too?
“Do you like holding my hand that much? You’ve been doing it a lot lately.”
“…It’s just holding…”
“That’s not enough of an explanation when you’re doing it unexpectedly and holding it all the time.”
“…Do you dislike it?”
“Do you seriously think I’d prefer you to hold my hand?”
That was a completely absurd answer.
It was unfair, odd, and simply wrong to keep asking me if I disliked it every time when I asked a question.
But I genuinely couldn’t understand why he kept wanting to hold my hand.
Like, what was the big deal? Was he worried I’d run off like a cat?
Me?
Why?
That couldn’t be.
“Uhh…”
“Lindera. Just to check…”
“What?”
Suddenly, the Commander fiddled with his glass and tried to talk to me.
He could just say it normally. Why wasn’t he looking at me too?
Was he about to say something strange?
“…Never mind.”
“…What?”
“Just drink some more. Here’s your drink.”
“Are you purposely trying to avoid me? I was expecting something serious!”
I was honestly baffled and more confused than before.
He completely shattered my expectations!
He clearly hadn’t had a drink, so why was he acting like this?
I couldn’t grasp why he was acting this way.
Could it be that what he was drinking wasn’t really just water?
It’s not like it was any sort of alcohol, right?
I couldn’t understand the situation, thoughts swirled, and I seriously doubted what was inside the Commander’s glass.
“Lindera?!”
“Mmm…”
So I took a sip…
It was water.
Just plain lukewarm water.
If anything, it was slightly refreshing… but still, water.
“Umm… it’s water…”
“Why on earth did you suddenly drink my water…”
“Well, you kept saying weird things… I thought you might have been drinking alcohol… so I took a sip, but it was just water…”
“…Sigh.”
The Commander next to me let out a sigh, and I felt like I wanted to do the same.
Why can’t he just say something properly when he hadn’t had a drink?!
“What were you really trying to say? Hurry up and tell me!”
“Wait, you’re too close…”
“Speak nowwwwww!”
“You’re already touching me, so just…”
“Don’t wanna say?”
For real, I couldn’t understand why he was responding like this.
Anyway, looking closely proved he looked even more handsome.
His eyelashes seemed longer than I remembered…
Hmm…
“Ugh… ha…”
“Are you going to keep quiet?”
“It’s just… it really isn’t a big deal, so I didn’t ask you about it…”
“If it’s not a big deal, then you should just say it! Are you really that dumb?”
The Commander had his moments of being foolish plenty, but he seemed extra dense today!
I was the one who had drunk, why was he being so weird?
“…If you promise not to make fun of me, I might say it.”
“I won’t make fun of you! I swear!”
“…Fine.”
I really couldn’t help but wonder what on earth he was holding back.
Honestly, I was more curious now than ever before.
At this point, hearing what he had to say was more important than the drink I had just downed.
He had ordered another drink for himself, but still!
“…Do you happen to have a guy you’re in touch with or…”
“………”
“Is there some guy you know around?”
I wanted to ask him gently but curiously…
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