Dress…
No matter how I thought about it, I couldn’t shake the feeling that it was truly dangerous.
I could understand things like women’s underwear or sanitary pads.
But a dress? That’s honestly a whole different level.
“Sigh…”
It’s honestly strange to be suddenly invited to a party, and then to be told to wear a dress.
I couldn’t even find the words to say anything more to the Commander.
I was just too flustered at the time.
“How on earth do I wear a dress…”
No matter how I looked at it, that was a very feminine garment.
Not just feminine, but a piece of clothing that was truly only meant for women.
Underwear I wore out of necessity because, without it, my chest would hurt, but a dress wasn’t like that at all.
It was to show off femininity or something along those lines.
Honestly, I didn’t hate the idea of following the Commander to the founding anniversary party.
After all, I was genuinely worried about the Commander and couldn’t shake off my anxieties.
I was worried, and that’s all there was to it.
“Ugh…”
Thinking about the dress made my heart race even faster.
Maybe it was the thought of an embarrassing future…
“This is driving me crazy…”
*
“Lindera! Here’s your coffee!”
“Ah, thank you.”
“Hmph… Now I can make coffee pretty well too!”
Though, honestly, it seemed a little watered down…
“I can definitely say you’re doing better than before. I hope to count on you next time too.”
“Hehe…”
Still, I had no intention of cursing at Midori who made me coffee.
I was simply grateful.
In reality, Midori was making better coffee than before.
At least, I was relieved she wasn’t drinking it as seriously as the Commander did.
“By the way, why is the Commander working so hard?”
“Uh… I don’t know.”
“He’s really hammering away at that keyboard…”
The Commander had been furiously writing reports since yesterday.
What was going on?
It was shocking to see the Commander, who used to casually write reports, suddenly working so diligently.
Was it his time to die or something? No, that couldn’t be it.
For some reason, ever since the operation ended a couple of days ago, it was definitely strange he was working so hard.
“Is something going on?”
“…?”
“I mean, isn’t it a bit weird how suddenly he’s working so hard?”
“That’s…”
It really was true.
Regardless of the reason, it was unusual for him.
“Just ask him!”
“…Me?”
“Yeah!”
“……..”
Why was I the one being assigned this task?
Of course, I was the Vice Commander, but it felt a bit awkward to talk to the Commander, and it was a bit tough.
But… I was curious after all.
I was really curious why the Commander was suddenly working so hard.
“Commander?”
“?”
“Are you alright?”
I cautiously asked.
The moment our eyes met, my heart raced a little faster, but anyway.
“What?”
“Um, you’ve been working really hard since yesterday…”
“Ah…”
“Just wondering why all of a sudden. I’m a bit worried.”
The Commander was typing while talking to me.
Sure, he could multitask, but still, it felt like he was working a bit too hard.
He used to work pretty lazily…
“Well, there’s nothing particularly difficult, I just want to finish up quickly. The operation’s over, so there’s no need to drag it out.”
“That’s true, but you seem to be working too hard…”
I was a bit concerned.
What if he worked too hard and ended up harming himself…
“Maybe you should take it easy… There’s no urgent deadline.”
“Hmm… I guess I’ll finish this up, and then take a break.”
“…Yes.”
Well, if he said so.
I couldn’t really dictate to him.
I had no choice but to let it slide for now.
Of course, the rapid typing sound from beside me still bothered me.
So, I returned to my seat and started my work again.
I had reports and various tasks related to the recently finished operation to do.
Of course, there was still plenty of time before the deadline, so there was no major problem.
I could take it easy without a doubt.
-Tap tap…
“……..”
Still, I was hearing the Commander’s typing continuously for some reason.
What if he got so tired from all this work that he couldn’t attend the upcoming party?
Well, the party was weeks away, so it wasn’t a big issue, but…
I was way too worried.
It was all because the Commander usually didn’t do much work.
“…Sigh.”
It was just so frustrating.
I really wanted to hold myself back, but something was really bothering me.
It wasn’t because I had any weird thoughts, it was just that I genuinely… didn’t like it.
“Commander.”
“?”
“Would you like to step out for a moment and take a walk?”
“I’m just going to finish this…”
“No. Right now. Let’s go.”
I couldn’t stand the hesitation, so I said that and started pulling the Commander up from his chair by holding his hand.
“Lindera? Why all of a sudden…?”
“Just quietly follow me.”
“…?”
Today, I couldn’t understand why the Commander seemed so bothersome.
He was even more bothersome than usual.
He could be a bit annoying at times, but today it was off the charts.
I mean, recently he had seemed pretty cool too…
“Why are you…?”
“Just quietly follow me…”
Even after saying that, he kept spouting strange comments.
Holding the Commander’s hand, I pulled him outside and kept walking.
Because he kept babbling nonsense…
“You keep telling me to rest. That I should take it easy… Why aren’t you listening?”
“…….”
“Can’t you hear me? I’m worried because you’ve been working non-stop since yesterday.”
“…No, that wasn’t what I was trying to—”
“It’s great that you’re working hard, but you also need to think about your health. You’ve been typing non-stop since morning, except for lunch. So please, take it easy…”
I continued speaking non-stop.
There was just so much that bothered me about all this.
“…Do you prefer the old me more?”
“Eh, wha?! That’s not what I meant!”
I accidentally raised my voice.
After all, the Commander just said something so ridiculous!
Preferences?
What kind of nonsense was that all of a sudden?
“Stop saying weird things… Just listen to what I’m saying…!”
“Sorry.”
“Sigh… Suddenly spouting strange things…”
“I figured you preferred me working effectively…”
“What does that even mean…?”
Every single word from the Commander made my head spin.
Somehow we had walked to a corridor somewhere on the ship.
Who would have thought it would turn into a headache of a conversation?
“Is taking it easy really better?”
“…Of course. How could I not worry if you’re working hard without taking a break for even a minute?”
“…Then I’ll take it easy.”
“…?”
I really couldn’t understand why the Commander was acting this way.
He used to work so lazily, so why this sudden change?
Had he finally lost it? No, that couldn’t be it…
“But why did you bring me all the way here?”
“Just… you weren’t listening to me, were you? I told you to take it easy, but you keep banging away at the keyboard.”
“Is that why…?”
“…Yes.”
Thinking back on it, I felt a bit embarrassed.
I really shouldn’t have dragged the Commander out just because I didn’t want him working too hard.
Being in this situation together was a bit embarrassing too.
“Why are you smiling?”
“…Was I laughing?”
“Yes, so why are you smiling at me?”
Suddenly, the Commander lifted his lips and smiled subtly.
It wasn’t a loud laugh, but it was certainly noticeable.
And while I didn’t hate that expression, I was just puzzled since it seemed so unexpected.
There wasn’t really a good reason for him to smile all of a sudden.
“Uh… I just felt a little good, I guess.”
“…?”
“It’s nothing. How about we stop by a cafe together?”
“…Huh?”
“Since we’re out like this, it feels odd to just head back right away. We could use some time to relax, just as you said.”
The Commander’s sudden suggestion to go to a cafe confused me even more.
He had been so serious about his work just moments ago…
Not to mention the earlier odd comments about preferences…
I continued to feel a sense of weirdness about it all.
The Commander wouldn’t suddenly have any strange thoughts about me, would he? Why on earth was he saying these things?
With the Commander’s strange actions, I felt all flushed and didn’t even know what to say.
“Let’s go.”
“C-Commander?!”
The Commander suddenly grabbed my hand.
Not just my wrist, but my hand itself, which left me even more shocked.
His hand was definitely bigger and thicker than mine.
And it was so strong that I could hardly pull away.
“About taking a break… it’s because it’s you, Lindera.”
“That wasn’t my intention…”
“Then shall we go back to work…?”
“No… that’s not what I meant…”
This was feeling too cheeky.
It was both strange to suddenly suggest a cafe while holding my hand, and equally weird to pull away from the Commander’s grasp.
Really.
“Let’s go and order the coffee you like, and I’ll get dessert I like too. We can eat together… is there a problem with heading back to the office afterward?”
“……..”
“The silence means you’re okay with going back and working, right?”
“No! That’s not at all what I said! …I didn’t say that.”
Did my response please him somehow?
The Commander once again raised the corners of his mouth at my answer.
“Let’s just take our time at the cafe. Like you said… we need to rest, right?”
“Understood…”
This wasn’t what I expected… somehow, I ended up going to a cafe alone with the Commander.
And it was during work hours.
Why… did it turn out like this?
I was just worried about the Commander working too hard, and I was simply saying it.
Was that a good resolution…?
With these vague feelings and this ambiguous situation, all I could do was follow along, still holding the Commander’s hand.
I mean, walking slower than the Commander’s usual pace might as well be a courtesy, right?
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