The Commander’s expression hadn’t changed much, and there we were, both seated.
Despite the lively sounds coming from the party that started off quietly, we remained in silence.
“…Seriously, what’s wrong with you?”
The reason was the Commander.
I had been trying to talk to him non-stop, but it was the complete opposite for him.
While I was chattering away, the Commander was giving me nothing but silence.
“Sigh… What kind of man can’t even respond properly…”
“……..”
“Sigh…”
He usually showed a bit of a frustrating demeanor, but I never thought he’d be this frustrating today. An 8-year-old kid would probably do a better job at communicating than him.
Without any answers from him, I could only ask questions, which made it all the more confusing.
What on earth was I supposed to do?
We’d been talking normally and having fun until just now.
“If you keep not talking, Commander, I can’t really do anything either…”
“…I have nothing to say.”
“…Should I just go to another table then?”
I said this seriously.
I actually said it out loud.
It was just so annoying…
I hadn’t done anything wrong, but watching him give me nothing in return… I couldn’t help it.
“I came to the party, and if I’m just going to sit here quietly without talking, why am I even here?”
“Uh…”
“Honestly, isn’t that true? I was planning on just sending you here, but I came along. I even dressed for this. If I was going to sit quietly like this, I wouldn’t have come at all. Why on Earth would I spend nearly a week riding in a car for this?”
“Lindera? I had no intention of…”
“It doesn’t matter what your intention was.”
“………”
Even if it wasn’t on purpose, that doesn’t excuse this.
How many times did I ask and how much did I worry?
It was too much to brush off with just the excuse of not intending to.
I genuinely felt concerned when he suddenly looked upset.
Now, I felt like an idiot for worrying about him…
“Ugh…”
“I’m sorry.”
“Whatever. I’ll just go have fun over there.”
I got up from my seat, saying this.
I couldn’t have a light-hearted chat with the Commander in this situation.
“………”
I broke away from where I was sitting next to the Commander.
I didn’t care if he followed me or not; I just walked away.
Since I was out, maybe I should grab another glass of champagne.
I wanted to knock back some alcohol to lift my spirits since I was feeling down.
There were plenty of people around… So, I wouldn’t overdo it.
It’d be better to just get tipsy quickly and sleep than to cause a scene in a place like this.
“….Tsk.”
I was genuinely feeling quite down.
It wasn’t just anyone; it was the Commander, who usually treated me well, acting like this.
“I really don’t get what his deal is.”
I kept muttering to myself as I walked in this confusing situation.
People were staring at me, probably wondering why I was walking alone, but I couldn’t care less.
After all, it was a party.
What kind of party it was, I had no idea, but it was a party nonetheless.
Walking around shouldn’t be a problem.
“Sigh.”
I decided to just drink some champagne.
After all, I’d need to chug three or four glasses to get drunk anyway.
“Is there anything tasty around here…”
I left the plate I had been using behind and was lightly thinking of grabbing something to eat since I had no plans to go back.
Originally, I had planned to eat something while sitting with the Commander.
But look at where we ended up.
Maybe I reacted too abruptly or too strongly.
The Commander probably had his reasons for acting this way toward me.
But, I was also a person, and I couldn’t help it.
A person who had been getting along just fine suddenly acting like this was unexpected.
The Commander being so cold to me was beyond what I had imagined.
“…Did I treat him too poorly?”
While sipping on my drink to clear my head, that thought crossed my mind.
Of course, the Commander was more at fault, but I felt like I might have treated him a bit harshly.
“Are you alone?”
“…No.”
“Then why are you wandering around by yourself?”
“Just got some business to attend to.”
Suddenly, a guy approached me.
He had dark skin… or was it just a tan?
I didn’t know, but it wasn’t a great time to chat when I was already in a bad mood.
I just wanted to be left alone.
“Seems like you’re alone. Want to grab a drink with me?”
“…No thanks. I’m fine.”
Talking casually like that was… a bit rude.
One thing was for sure, he didn’t have any manners.
I wasn’t someone who could be swayed by such a suggestion.
I had no interest in him, looks-wise, anyway.
“Being alone is fine, so you should just leave.”
“Haha, too much rejection is unattractive, you know?”
“…Stop with the weird comments… Just go.”
I refused him like that.
There had been someone else before sitting next to me who acted like that, but at least he backed off faster.
Why wasn’t this guy leaving already?
I barely managed to suppress a sigh and had to say something as best I could.
Well, I didn’t even know who he was, did I?
“Haha… you don’t know who I am?”
“…No, not really.”
Hmm.
Was he some kind of rich kid?
I genuinely had no clue who he was, and that’s why I answered like that.
Usually, people who say stuff like that are the spoiled brats from wealthy families.
Of course, I had never experienced such a thing myself.
I never had the chance to meet that type.
So I found it somewhat funny.
“Hah!”
“………”
I was desperately trying to hold back laughter.
It was just funny.
Was he really the son of a president or something?
At least there weren’t any kids of the boss around.
If that were the case, there’s no way I’d have been receiving all that attention from the boss.
“Hmm…”
“So, do you feel like grabbing a drink with me now? Huh?”
“Um…”
Holding onto my drink, I thought about it.
Definitely not the boss’s son; so, maybe he was some executive’s kid…?
There’s no way someone at the Commander level would be bragging around.
After all, most of the people here were probably on the same level as the Commander, right?
“I’ll pass. I’ll drink alone.”
“…What?”
“Not my type.”
I simply said that.
That was usually the go-to way for girls to reject a guy’s offer.
Back when I was a guy… I mean, it happened to me.
I approached some pretty girl, and she’d just say I wasn’t her type… simply turned me down.
Thinking back on that makes me a bit melancholic.
But, I ended up prettier than the girl who turned me down back then, so…
Should I be glad about that?
“Then… I’ll just…”
As he said that, he picked up a glass and seemed to turn his body to walk away.
I really didn’t want to keep talking to him.
“…Don’t be so standoffish, just have a little drink with me.”
“………”
Suddenly, he grabbed my wrist.
I wanted to curse at him so badly, but the venue wasn’t the right place for that.
“I clearly said I wasn’t interested.”
“You’re just playing hard to get, right? Come on, just a little drink and we can go.”
“Let go of this.”
“Hey, I’m not trying to harass you or anything, okay? Huh?”
The more we talked, the more unpleasant he became.
From not asking before sticking to informal language to grabbing my wrist without permission… it was genuinely disgusting.
When the Commander had held my wrist or hand before, it didn’t feel this sticky or gross.
That was at least… apart from the fact he had held it firmly enough to be painful, there was nothing wrong with it.
“Let go.”
“Ahh…?”
“…What?”
Suddenly, a hand touched the guy’s wrist that was holding mine, and I heard a familiar voice in my ear.
Lifting my head slightly, I saw…
“It’s my Vice Commander.”
The most familiar voice and face I could recognize, looking at the guy with a very serious expression…
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