Midor’s rather unnecessary worry passed after passing by the office, and life went on as usual—pretty uneventful, really.
“Hehe… Hehe…”
“Commander, what will you be doing for dinner tonight?”
“The weather outside is cooler than usual, so should we just eat inside the district?”
“That sounds good.”
“Heh, he…”
“……..”
“I need to take Nana out for some fun this weekend… Hehe…”
“Hey, Lindera, could you help me with this?”
“What’s the problem this time? I thought I had told you everything you needed to know.”
“Huh? It’s not about work. I meant let’s decide on a game to play together next time.”
“Oh…”
Well, it was just plain ordinary.
I spent my time comfortably with the commander, and Midori, who had been worried a lot lately, looked happy.
It was really just ordinary life, a continuous good time.
When I first started working with the commander and Midori, our district had its systemic issues, and there was a lot to do, but that’s not the case anymore.
It had genuinely become a stable job.
I felt good about how much effort I put in from the beginning, helping the commander and Midori with their work.
If it had still been a dreary job after all that effort, I might have seriously considered leaving.
I might be boasting, but honestly, I’m good at my job.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Oh, it’s nothing…”
“There’s something.”
“There’s nothing.”
“Hmm…”
Even if you look at me like that, I won’t tell you.
Anyway, my recent days had been ordinary and happy.
It wasn’t loud or chaotic, just quiet fun for everyone.
So, I was smiling at the commander.
He looked a little curious, but I wasn’t about to spill the beans.
“…Are you all doing this on purpose?”
“Huh?”
“Are you all going on and on about love in the office…! You’re all just making me feel left out!”
“Um…”
Oh.
I had completely forgotten.
…I felt a bit sorry for Dolores, but I really had been spacing out.
I mean, Midori was enjoying a budding romance, and Dolores was pretty quiet…
“…I’m sorry.”
“I want to date too… Ugh… Midori is always grinning over there! And Lindera and the commander keep flirting!!”
“Haha…”
“I want to date! With a handsome man! Right? Going to restaurants! Visiting each other’s homes! Holding hands and going on dates!”
“………”
Hmm… What should I do about this?
She wasn’t wrong.
To be fair, as Dolores said, we weren’t being entirely innocent.
But… it felt a bit unfair.
Isn’t flirting a normal thing?
And another thought crossed my mind.
I shouldn’t say this, but… I felt a little justified.
“…Then isn’t it enough for you to go on blind dates or something…?”
“W-What?!”
“Lindera…?”
“No, I don’t mean it with bad intentions! If you want a boyfriend, why not go meet up in the district on the weekends…?”
“………”
Dolores looked… a bit shocked.
Was what I said that intense…?
I wasn’t sure.
Honestly, I hadn’t really met the commander outside either; it just happened that way.
“I’m sorry…”
“…No, it’s my fault. You’re right. Honestly… Yes. I think I’ve been too passive.”
“….?”
Huh.
Suddenly, Dolores was owning up to her actions.
What’s happening?
What…?
For a moment, I even questioned if I had misheard Dolores.
“…Starting today!”
She suddenly stood up.
Instead of looking at me, Dolores stared at the ceiling.
Though it was blocked by the ceiling.
“I have to go out every weekend and flirt with guys!”
“………?”
“Huh?”
“…Huh?”
Something…
Uh…
Is this right…?
*
The weekend came.
Faster than I expected.
“…Good afternoon.”
“Hello!… Um, are you Lindera?”
“Yes, Nana.”
“………..”
How did it even end up like this?
I didn’t really get it.
Somehow, Dolores said she was meeting a guy at a cafe, and she made a huge fuss like with Midori.
What should I do?
What should I even talk about?
What if I mess it up again?
I was worried, my thoughts racing like a rap.
So somehow… it ended up like this.
“Um… Have you been doing well with Midori lately?”
“Of course! How sweet Midori is! We had a blast at the amusement park last time. And we keep in touch regularly!”
“Ah…”
By the way, I came with the commander.
And Midori came along too.
Since we rode the ship, it was only natural we all came together.
But the problem was, at this table, it was just me and Nana.
Why on earth are we going to the bathroom…!?
And why did Midori say she was ordering drinks!?
“Haha…”
“How does Midori work? I haven’t heard much about that.”
“She just works normally. Since we’re not frontline staff, she does her tasks diligently and without fuss.”
“Ah, I see… So, does Midori have many friends at work? I don’t think she’s bullied or anything… but I’m still worried.”
“……….”
It was certainly said with a smile.
It looked like a genuine concern…
But it felt deceptive, as if there was more behind it.
Almost as if… she knew Midori better than just being friendly…
“…Midori has great social skills, so she gets along well with most people. She talks the most in our office.”
“Oh… Is that so…”
“…Yes.”
…It felt a bit… scary.
I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.
Visually, she seemed a bit more demure than Midori.
But that kind of image felt a bit, just a tad, intimidating.
Her gaze felt somewhat sharp.
“I’ve ordered everything! What were you talking about?”
“Oh, we didn’t discuss much. Just exchanged greetings, right?”
“…Yes.”
Midori’s expression brightened when she arrived, but when her gaze fell on me, it turned cold.
…Why was this regular person so intimidating?
I wasn’t sure why, but I decided to just roll with it.
There was no need to stir the pot for no reason.
Yeah.
“But who’s that person outside?”
“Oh, just a coworker; you know, the one I texted about? That’s him!”
“Ah… The one you’re meeting for coffee, right?”
“Yeah, honestly, I didn’t think it was necessary to come here… but they insisted they were worried about you. So I thought I’d help out. Isn’t a 30-minute chat reasonable?”
“Of course. It’s still morning, after all?”
“Hehe, thank you.”
“Haha…”
There was something… off.
Something felt very different.
When she spoke to me a moment ago, she wasn’t like this.
No, she was polite and sounded friendly, but the sincerity felt lacking.
Yet now, when she spoke with Midori… it was totally different.
“………..”
I decided to move past it.
It felt a bit intimidating, sure, but I wasn’t about to act differently toward Midori, since today was only our second meeting.
Moreover, seeing her treat Midori kindly made me think she was just a bit awkward being one-on-one with me.
I wouldn’t be overly friendly to a stranger either.
Just like when I first met the commander.
“Has your date arrived?”
“Oh, not yet. We’re still 15 minutes early.”
“Got it, I thought I was late.”
Anyway, while watching Midori and Nana chatting away, the commander finally arrived.
As I had told him, the man Dolores was supposed to meet hadn’t shown up yet.
Well, there was still time before the meeting, so I understood.
For now, Dolores was waiting outside for the guy, while we were sitting inside chatting.
Unlike with Midori, we decided against chatting through earpieces this time.
I figured it wouldn’t help my focus, and Dolores usually let her hair down like Midori, so her ears wouldn’t be covered anyway.
“It’s been a while. Last time… we had chicken, that was the first and last, right?”
“Ah, yes. I was a little tipsy then.”
“…A little?”
“…Well.”
“That was more than a little, don’t you think?”
“…Cough.”
The commander casually said “a little,” so I had no choice but to chime in.
Because truthfully… I had really been quite tipsy.
Thanks to that, I had to drag the commander back to the room the last time.
He had been quite the hassle…
“Anyway, about today… you’re really going through a lot because of our coworker. I believe you originally intended to hang out with Midori?”
“Oh, no. It’s not a problem; I’m not wasting much time. You don’t have to bow your head so much, Commander.”
“Thank you.”
The commander interacted with Nana as if everything were normal, and Nana responded the same.
…Why did it feel like I was treated differently?
I wasn’t sure.
“Commander, where are you going after today?”
“Um… Where do you want to go? We just bowled the other day. Want to try something else?”
“I’m not really into billiards. It seems a bit boring.”
“I’m not fond of billiards either. To be honest, I’m not great at it.”
“Shall we go see a movie? Or shopping?”
“Hmm… a bit vague. Just yesterday, I checked for interesting movies, but nothing really caught my eye, and honestly, I already have too many clothes.”
Since our district’s climate is warm year-round, buying more clothes wasn’t really necessary.
Though it was tedious to update my wardrobe by season… I felt a bit regretful.
Winter outfits tend to look prettier than summer ones, after all.
“Ah…”
“?”
Nana suddenly looked at me, and her expression seemed to shift as if she’d realized something.
What was that?
…What in the world was it?
“…That’s how it is.”
“…?”
Then she suddenly mumbled something in a very small voice.
Of course, it was too soft to hear.
Was I not appealing to her?
Well, since it wasn’t the commander and didn’t concern anyone else, it wasn’t a problem for me.
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