“Based on Agni’s criteria, there’s a contaminated entity charging from the 3 o’clock position.”
– I know without you saying it.
“Then that’s a relief.”
Today, as per usual, the operation began ordinarily. The ship floated in the sky, and below, agents were fiercely fighting.
The surrounding environment was a pure white snowfield. Originally, there should’ve been mountains and fields below, but that was not the case now. All that was visible was snow.
“Midori, how much supplies do we have left below?”
“We still have plenty!”
“Then one in five minutes.”
“Okay~”
I was getting used to operations now, but having a lot of snowfall was a first for me. Even among agents, there were those accustomed to the cold and those who weren’t, so I paid a bit more attention to supplies.
Honestly, it would have been nice to just dress warmly from the start. Well, I was already used to agents wearing light clothing.
“Dolores, get ready to send out the 3rd Squad a little later.”
“Got it.”
“Lindera…”
“?”
“Just handle it.”
“Yes.”
It definitely felt like operations were now proceeding more easily than before. If in the past, it felt like I was the one commanding rather than the Commander, now my work had decreased, making it a little easier.
This was how operations should have been done.
“I suppose for Aihihorn as well, this is the 3rd Squad’s first operation?”
“Ah, not exactly. Some of them worked elsewhere before. So, it probably isn’t their first time.”
“Then that’s a relief.”
It’s tricky to handle agents on their first operation. Their movements tend to be a bit stiff, and it’s definitely better if they’re somewhat skilled in various aspects.
If I recall correctly, more than half of the 3rd Squad members were experienced. Of course, not all were combat personnel, but that was hardly a problem.
Aihihorn and the other agents were all eager to participate in this operation, right?
– The rabbit is darting that way!
– Got it, nya!!!
– Gyaaaah!!!
“We need to advance a bit more to reach the core’s location.”
“First, let’s deal with the contaminated entities then switch out the squad before advancing again.”
“That’s true, but… it seems there are more contaminated entities than we estimated.”
There were more than what we gathered from initial reconnaissance. Of course, the level of contamination was rising, so that might contribute.
However, the current situation wasn’t exactly favorable.
“Hmm…”
“What do you think we should do?”
“The 2nd Squad… cannot effectively fight in the current battle.”
“Due to lack of mobility.”
“Yes. That’s correct.”
In this operation, agents generally needed to master the art of hit-and-run tactics. After all, the mountain rabbits were quite dangerous.
Their attack patterns were simple. They just charged at us, headbutting. That was it.
But the problem was that these weren’t just normal mountain rabbits. They had horns like unicorns on their heads and were larger than humans.
Honestly, at that size, they seemed more like horned dump trucks than rabbits.
“The reason the 1st Squad is fighting like that now is probably… because they’ve been engaged for a while.”
“…?”
“Rabbits have good hearing, don’t they? The sudden combat at the start was because IIDU was making a ruckus… Using the 2nd Squad might actually be more effective than we thought.”
That doesn’t mean the 2nd Squad wouldn’t make noise. But if we instructed them to keep quiet from the start, they’d probably follow through.
After all, the 2nd Squad was composed mainly of agents in their mid-twenties rather than teens.
“Let’s drop the 2nd Squad somewhere else and move to the core’s location.”
“Hmm…”
“Let’s avoid combat as much as possible and keep it as short as we can. Mobility may be lacking, but if we move stealthily…”
“Let’s give it a try.”
“…Really?”
“Well, looking at the 1st Squad’s situation, isn’t it better to do something at least?”
Honestly, I had just thought of that hard, but I didn’t expect to get an immediate affirmation.
I had just thought of that too, after all?
Sure, the rabbits’ keen hearing was a well-known fact, but that wasn’t a definitive claim. It was just as likely that the 1st Squad was ambushed for a different reason.
Yet the Commander confidently accepted my suggestion.
“You said it; could anything you’ve said be wrong?”
“…….”
“Dolores? Tell the 2nd Squad to prepare for deployment.”
“Yes.”
“………”
The Commander quickly directed Dolores to take action after I added a little extra to my statement.
He believed in me more than I expected.
Of course, that might have been due to my past assistance to him… but still, I felt a bit surprised.
Was I that trustworthy to him?
“Lindera?”
“Y-yes?”
“Why are you staring like that? Do you have something to say?”
“Ah, no. Nothing at all…”
Did I unconsciously keep staring?
I felt a strange sensation but had to focus on the operation now.
Right, I had to concentrate.
The pounding in my heart was not what mattered right now.
*
The operation concluded neatly in the end.
It felt a bit awkward since it was my first time in the snow, but the new agents we brought along performed admirably, so there weren’t any major issues.
After all, our ship’s capabilities had increased in various ways.
It was only natural for things to be resolved more easily.
“I think this kind of equipment is something I’ve never worn before.”
“Really? We haven’t worn it, so seeing it on you feels like a first.”
“Right! We can go to contaminated areas in our bare skin.”
“That’s true…”
Every time we went to contaminated areas, those who didn’t need to wear these kind of suits were the ones who were the most comfortable.
Though these suits clung to my body a bit, since I had to wear it to go out, I just wore it.
“It’s a bit like a spacesuit.”
“Is it? The helmet does give off a bit of that vibe!”
“Still, at least you can see your face well. That’s a relief, right?”
“Yes, yes!”
“Um…”
With Dolores and Midori’s help, I finally had the suit on.
It appeared I needed to wear this to go to the contaminated area.
“Is your chest feeling tight?”
“It is.”
“But it can’t be helped. Otherwise, it would be too loose and look even weirder. It’s better to look pretty than look like someone who can’t wear clothes, right?”
“…Yes.”
That much is true.
It seemed better to look fitted than awkwardly loose…
After all, my figure wasn’t bad; I had quite a nice body.
Rather than looking weird, being fitted like this felt better.
In fact, looking at my reflection in the mirror didn’t seem bad at all…
“…Could I have one outer coat? I can’t just go out in this suit alone, it’s embarrassing.”
“Okay, I prepared one anyway.”
“…Thank you.”
What a relief.
Going out wearing just this white bodysuit and a helmet seemed quite… exceedingly embarrassing.
It felt like my belly button line was showing a bit too, so in various ways, it was a bit… embarrassing clothing.
“…Have you gotten dressed, Commander?”
“Yes, I’ve got everything on. I’ve been waiting in front for a while now.”
“…Is that so?”
Underneath, I was wearing underwear, on top of which was the white bodysuit.
On top of that, I wore a heavier jacket.
“…Well, it’s pretty.”
I said that while glancing at the mirror.
I mean, since I have a good figure and face… this was the norm.
Unlike the last time when I bought clothes for the gym, there was no exposure, and it felt a bit less embarrassing.
Of course, the way my body line did show was still embarrassing in its own right.
“Commander, I’ve finished… putting it on.”
“Then we can go out now.”
“Yes…”
The Commander wore a black suit, unlike my bodysuit.
Contrary to how mine looked, his seemed surprisingly… more ordinary.
“…….”
What’s up with that?
Why is mine the only one that clings so much…?
“Lindera?”
“Yes?”
“What are you staring at?”
“Ah… um… I’m just astounded by how different the suit feels since it’s my first time wearing it. It’s fascinating.”
“I suppose… it’s not every day you wear this.”
Exactly.
So that’s why it feels embarrassing.
The strange sensation I felt every time the Commander looked my way was probably due to that too.
– Kya ha ha ha!!! Take that and die!
– You die, you idiot!
– Ebeebe!!
“By the way, Commander…”
“…Yes.”
“…It seems a bit too noisy.”
The situation was that most of the agents had disembarked from the ship that had landed on a suitable flat area.
Since we had already destroyed the cores nearby and sufficiently defeated the contaminated mountain rabbits, everyone had come out.
Naturally, with nearly all agents aside from a select few outside, it was loud.
It felt even louder than being outside actually enjoying the snowy environment.
“…Let’s move to a quieter place.”
“Sounds good.”
So we began walking with the Commander.
Neither of us particularly liked noisy environments, after all.
Rather, we preferred a calmer and quieter atmosphere if possible.
“…….”
“…….”
It was definitely quite a while since I heard that unique sound coming from stepping on the ground.
The crunching noise was something I hadn’t heard outside of snowy areas.
I don’t know the exact reason, but we were walking slowly in silence.
We were close enough that even a slight movement of our hands would touch each other’s.
Though we didn’t hold hands or anything.
We weren’t even dating…
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen snow.”
“…You mentioned that before the operation started.”
“Did I?”
“Yes.”
“Then let me put it differently. It’s been a long time since I’ve walked in a snowy place with someone else.”
“…Me too.”
I rarely walked with others in general.
To be specific, I hadn’t really hung out closely with others… I could say it had been a long time.
Ever since becoming Lindera, there had been few instances like this where it was just the two of us walking together.
If there were any, it was during walks like this with the Commander.
“By the way, Lindera. Are you cold?”
“…Huh?”
“I mean, the suit should automatically regulate its internal temperature, right?”
“That’s… true.”
Even though it was a bodysuit, it featured quite a bit of technology.
Even now, walking on a snow-covered surface, I didn’t feel cold.
After all, the suit kept the internal temperature warm.
“I noticed you were wearing a thick coat, so I was curious. If you are cold, we should probably head back to the ship.”
“Ah, no… you don’t have to.”
If I had known this would happen, I would have just taken it off from the start…
Wait, that’s not right either.
Honestly, just showing off the bodysuit felt a bit embarrassing.
It wasn’t just anyone, it was the Commander; showing it to him… felt quite shameful.
But if I didn’t clarify things properly here, that would also be an issue.
– Sreeeeaaak…
“I’m not wearing it because I’m cold…”
“…?”
As I slowly unzipped, I continued talking to the Commander.
“The suit I’m wearing inside is surprisingly more… form-fitting…”
“…Excuse me?”
“It shows my body too much… that’s why I wore it.”
“……..”
I unzipped and removed my jacket, exposing only the bodysuit.
The sight of me in that perfectly fitting white bodysuit was now revealed.
I had deliberately put on a jacket to avoid showing this, but here we are.
Despite feeling a bit emboldened, I needed to provide a proper explanation…
The Commander looked a bit puzzled, pausing in the middle of whatever he was going to say as he just stared… making me feel even more embarrassed.
I felt like he should at least say something; it would make things a lot better.
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