The conversation between Dolores and the bartender continued.
Seriously… um… it felt almost too easy.
“So, bartender, you already own your own building at such a young age, huh?”
“Well… you could say that. It’s not fully in my name, though.”
“That’s impressive. I actually don’t have anything like that. I don’t have anything saved up, and I don’t really have a burning desire to do something special anymore…”
“Wasn’t being a maid your dream?”
“I was going to go that route, but it seems like people with money don’t really see shape-shifters as real people… I just ended up making more money this way.”
“Ah…”
…Are they really meeting for the first time today?
Watching these two talk was honestly ridiculous.
Right now, they were more normal and enjoying the conversation compared to when I spoke with someone I met earlier today.
Of course, it wasn’t that the bartender didn’t listen to Dolores; it was just too…
“Fufu, you don’t have to look so sorry for me. Oh, could you share another story with me?”
“Of course. I have quite a few stories to tell.”
“Oh wow.”
“……….”
Dolores, why are you blushing…?
Even the Commander next to me noticed that Dolores seemed different than usual.
She usually had a cute way of speaking, but today it felt like there was a hint of artifice mixed in.
As if… she was trying to be charming.
Covering her mouth with her hand while laughing and drinking faster than usual.
“Commander.”
“Yeah?”
“We should head out soon. Dolores, we’re going to have our little date now. You can go in alone.”
We decided it was unnecessary to stay any longer. The Commander and I were in a situation where we didn’t really need to participate in the conversation.
So I just said we were leaving.
“Sure, go ahead.”
…But isn’t she sending us off a bit too easily…?
Shouldn’t she at least say goodbye while looking this way instead of keeping her eyes on the bartender?
“…Commander, I think Dolores might have a slightly unique taste.”
“Suddenly?”
“…Yeah.”
I definitely didn’t think she liked women like Midori did.
After all, she had never shown any interest towards either me or Midori before.
But today… the way she looked at the bartender was definitely a little hot.
Even though she hadn’t touched the snacks, the way she sipped on her drink was different.
She usually enjoyed her beer chilled.
“…Hmm.”
“Why are you looking at me suddenly?”
“I just glanced.”
It seemed like Dolores had some interest in the Commander at one point.
Of course, after some time, she didn’t really act like that… but back when she first arrived, there were moments like that.
Back then, I thought Dolores was… something like that.
You know, the type that flaunts their sexy body and enjoys showing off… something like that.
“I thought you liked pretty things, regardless of gender.”
“Isn’t that normal?”
“It is.”
So, I didn’t think it was that strange.
She’s smaller in stature and has less muscle than our Commander, but her face is youthful and she could definitely be called cute.
Of course, I definitely preferred the Commander.
I mean, he’s tall and in many ways better, I think.
“Why are you suddenly holding my hand?”
“Just… can’t I? We used to hold hands all the time.”
“That is true.”
We were lightly walking for dinner while holding hands.
Honestly, I originally intended to take a walk like this earlier, but had to deal with some stuff with the others until a little while ago…
But still, I thought it would work out fine.
I decided not to think too negatively.
After all, what mattered was that we were on a date, and I enjoyed evening dates as well.
“I guess today was a bit disappointing.”
“Well, it’s unavoidable, right? I felt a little uneasy leaving Dolores alone, and we were together anyway.”
“Thank you for thinking that way. We were supposed to be on a date, but somehow ended up bringing another person.”
“Wherever Lindera says to go, I’ll go.”
It wasn’t like I could just go anywhere, but it was nice to hear.
However, he didn’t exactly have a fake expression.
“By the way, it seems like all the people working in the office have ended up in relationships.”
“That’s true. I didn’t think that would happen at all.”
“Right? I didn’t expect this to happen either.”
Four people… Honestly, I was the most shocked to be in a relationship.
Especially since it wasn’t with anyone else, but the Commander, who I was honestly suspicious of at first.
If you showed the past me the present me… would I be incredibly shocked?
The past me had a bit of a repulsion towards dating men… or, more accurately, just being close to men.
If the past me saw the current me, it would probably think of me like some female animal.
Considering how I spend the night with the Commander…
“Lindera?”
“Y, yes?”
“So where do you want to go now?”
I was lost in my thoughts when the Commander’s question interrupted them.
Of course, it wasn’t that important.
“Hmm…”
Now, where should we go?
I came out without really thinking about it, so I was a bit uncertain.
It wasn’t like I wanted to watch Dolores and the bartender continue chatting at the bar…
“Are you… heading out?”
I pointed towards one tall building lined up in the city, which had a sign that read ‘Motel’…
“If you don’t like it, just say so…”
“………”
I felt a bit embarrassed.
Though I had been there a few times before, saying we should go to a motel in front of the Commander still made me blush.
The Commander didn’t seem to have any sense of embarrassment when suggesting it.
*
“But is it really okay to close the store like that?”
“Of course. I mean, there weren’t that many customers today, anyway.”
“That may be true, but don’t you expect more customers to come to the bar from now on…?”
After Lindera and the Commander left, only Dolores and the bartender remained at the bar.
Once he realized no customers were coming in after they left, the bartender naturally closed the shop.
He flipped the open sign to closed and locked the door.
“And I think I should focus more on the one drunk person tonight.”
“I wasn’t that drunk… I barely drank anything, right?”
“Haha…”
While Dolores said that, she had already emptied two glasses of highball.
On top of that, she had drank some beer earlier, so she was already feeling a little tipsy.
“Whew…”
“Um, do you like fried food?”
“I? Well… I like anything if it’s tasty…”
“Then please wait a moment.”
Since she had been drinking without snacks this whole time, the bartender had no choice but to prepare another snack for her.
Regardless of Dolores being a shape-shifter or having a robust body, she still experienced hangovers like anyone else.
“It’s fried chicken. Try it with the sauce.”
“Oh……. You seem to be an amazing cook… The snacks also look tasty…”
“Well, you can’t run a shop while only selling alcohol.”
“Still… it really is delicious. Thank you.”
Before she knew it, the bartender had also taken a seat at the same table as Dolores.
Despite being shorter than Dolores, under normal circumstances, it wouldn’t have been right to look up at her. But now, this was not the case.
Tipsy, Dolores had her elbow propped on the table and her face and body leaning slightly forward.
Of course, she was definitely more sober than when Lindera was at the bar.
About half an hour had passed, and she hadn’t been continuously drinking strong stuff after the beer.
“Did you enjoy the drinks?”
“Yes! They were really delicious. Our Commander is awful with alcohol. We can’t drink much every time there’s a team dinner. Though the Vice Commander is decent at it… Anyway! So it was really tasty…”
“I’m glad to hear that. I was worried because your expression didn’t look good when a pretty guest like you came in.”
“Hehe…”
“Actually, the reason I became a bartender was that my parents loved alcohol, but they always drank cheap and bad stuff, so I tried making my own once. They loved it so much that I started doing this.”
It felt refreshing to share that with Dolores.
Though she was tipsy, she was not so drunk that she couldn’t understand.
After hearing it, Dolores thought the bartender was more pure, almost childlike.
This wasn’t without influence from the bartender’s slightly youthful appearance.
“I feel like our bartender might actually be quite popular…”
“Are you joking? Who would like a small man like me?”
“Well… you might be short, but…”
‘Honestly, you’re cute.’
I thought he was better looking than the man I saw earlier today; I was definitely thinking that while intoxicated.
No, even if Dolores was not drunk, she would have surely thought so.
Dolores had always preferred a more aesthetic type rather than someone who was just rough and manly.
It was just that she had never encountered someone who was small and cute like the bartender before.
That’s why, when she first worked on the ship, she had shown a bit of interest in the Commander.
“Don’t you drink at all, bartender?”
“Um… actually, I sell alcohol but I’m not very good at drinking… haha…”
Ah, I see, thought Dolores softly.
Dolores quietly said this to herself while her eyes were directed towards the bartender’s slightly thin wrist.
“I’m thinking of having one last drink. Do you have anything a little stronger? I think it could cheer me up.”
“Um… just give me a moment.”
Saying that, the bartender got up again and walked back inside the bar.
He then pulled out a bottle of clear alcohol, orange juice, and ice, starting to prepare a cocktail.
“It’s a screwdriver cocktail. It’s a bit strong, but since you said it’s your last drink…”
“Fufu, thank you. Really.”
As Dolores looked at the finished cocktail, she also gazed at the bartender.
Blonde hair, pale skin.
And while looking into his blue eyes, she truly felt he was aesthetically pleasing.
Dolores hadn’t realized it until now, but he had the perfect appearance for her tastes.
A guy who was cute yet didn’t give off an overly feminine vibe.
“So, have you never been confessed to by a girl, or even dated one?”
“Haha… well, that’s true. It’s a little sad.”
“I see… I’m the same. In many ways, we’re sad comrades, huh?”
“That could be one way to look at it. But considering how pretty you are, I think you’ll definitely find someone good.”
“…Yeah, I think so too.”
In that moment, Dolores, slightly tipsy, had her blue eyes sparkling brighter than usual.
Though the bartender didn’t catch on to it.
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