“…Why do you keep looking at me like that?”
“Just… worried?”
“…Huh?”
I really didn’t know the reason, but it felt awkward since the Commander kept staring at me.
Is there any reason for it?
But I couldn’t think of one.
“Why don’t you just get some sleep?”
“Hmm.”
“…Stop looking at me and just smile with your eyes.”
“I didn’t mean to.”
Even if it wasn’t intentional, it was weird that you kept looking at me.
It wasn’t like there was any girlfriend to be worried about…
It was exhausting to be watched while lying on the bed fiddling with my phone.
Just days ago he didn’t act like this at all, so why was he now…?
“No, um…”
“Is there a problem?”
“Just… the staring…”
“Hmm.”
“…I’m going to sleep now. You should handle whatever you need to.”
I turned my body and said that.
Speaking to the Commander felt really strange in many ways, so it couldn’t be helped.
Right now, it was better to just shut up and sleep.
After turning around, I faced the wall and got ready to sleep completely.
At least I was relieved that I couldn’t see the Commander looking at me with that worried expression anymore.
“…Hah.”
I really didn’t understand why he was acting like this.
I must not have done anything weird.
“Really, why is he…?”
Seriously, why…?
*
“Hmm…”
Lindera was asleep, while the Commander was awake, looking at her.
It wasn’t for any other reason—Lindera looked beautiful while sleeping.
The Commander often had such thoughts, but today there was a specific reason he couldn’t help but think so.
‘It’s definitely different here from the ship…’
Since arriving in Zone 00 where the headquarters was located, the Commander felt that things were surely different.
The situation was definitely different in his eyes compared to Zone 07.
“Hah…”
As the Commander and Lindera walked together, a lot of eyes were on them.
He was used to feeling gazes on him, but today it felt distinctly different.
When on the ship, most of the gazes were from the Agents.
Naturally, they were all women.
That’s why when he was walking with Lindera, more often than not the attention would be directed at him rather than her.
But today was different.
Not only was it an internal zone, but there were also tons of people milling around, unlike Zone 07…
“…They are staring a lot.”
While many people were crowded around, passersby were looking at Lindera way too much.
And I mean really.
“I didn’t realize it being surrounded by only women on the ship, but…
As they walked outside, the Commander was aware of the attention being directed at Lindera, which was unbeknownst to her.
And because of that, Lindera was naturally more attractive than she thought.
With her hair down and wearing comfy clothes, her natural beauty was revealed even more.
As a man, the Commander couldn’t help but feel the gazes from other men on Lindera.
That’s why he intentionally took her hand and led her along.
“…Should I get a little closer?”
“………”
Sitting beside the sleeping Lindera, the Commander was deep in thought.
The reason, of course, was Lindera.
Having feelings for Lindera, the Commander wanted to get closer.
But the problem was Lindera’s reaction.
Lindera had her own reasons, but the Commander had no clue what they were.
“If someone else shows up…”
The Commander mumbled this as he caressed Lindera’s head, which was now in a deep slumber.
If Lindera had been awake, she would have probably panicked and asked what he was doing, but she was already too far asleep.
“…I don’t like this.”
A slight obsession had formed within the Commander without him even realizing it.
Lindera didn’t know it, and the Commander didn’t fully recognize it either.
For two people who’d never been in a proper relationship, understanding each other’s thoughts was tricky, and understanding their own thoughts was even harder.
“…I hope something progresses before we go back to the ship.”
“Hmm…”
Not knowing the Commander’s worries as he mumbled to himself, Lindera slept with a peaceful expression.
The Commander thought Lindera was just cute.
‘At least she didn’t refuse holding hands… That’s a relief.’
The Commander was filled with thoughts of holding hands again the next day.
She had actually permitted it before, and she showed no signs of disliking it.
It was already a hand he had held once, and he never thought she’d refuse to hold hands again.
*
“…Are you asking to hold hands again?”
“There’s a lot of people around, isn’t there?”
“Well, that’s true…”
The Commander’s insistence on holding hands had my head spinning.
Why did he want to hold hands so badly…?
“Isn’t it better than getting caught up in the crowd and causing trouble?”
“…You seem pretty used to holding hands?”
“Well, it’s not odd, right?”
“That’s true, but you’re acting like it’s no big deal.”
The Commander held my hand without a care in the world.
Originally, I hadn’t intended to hold hands, but since the Commander just took mine, I couldn’t do anything about it.
After all, I was physically outmatched—it wasn’t like I could shake it off.
So, I had no choice but to… stay like this.
Why is he so keen on holding hands…?
“…Shall we go?”
“Can we?”
“…You’re not going to let go anyway, are you?”
“That’s true. I’m glad you know that.”
“Hah…”
It felt like the old Commander before we got close… how should I say this, he was hard to read.
“Shall we go?”
“…Yeah, let’s go.”
And so… we started walking outside again.
This was my first time in Zone 00, and since I had nothing else to do, I just wandered around.
I really hadn’t expected to wander like this, but here I was, wandering.
The Commander had a smile on his face, even though I didn’t understand what was so great, and we were still holding hands as we walked.
“…All the buildings are so high that it feels odd with less sunlight.”
“True enough.”
“Our side gets too much sun; it’s almost uncomfortable. This is definitely a wealthy zone.”
“That’s certainly true.”
I answered like that and kept walking.
After all, the situation with the Commander was more important than answering him.
How it looked to others to see me holding the Commander’s hand was a mystery, but I certainly didn’t want to know.
“Commander…?”
“What?”
“Do we really need to keep holding hands like this…?”
“If you don’t like it, I could hold hands differently? Like interlocking fingers?”
“No, that’s not what I meant.”
Though there were a lot of people, it wasn’t as crowded as last night.
We wouldn’t get lost amidst the crowd, and besides, we could always just text each other.
“But I think it’s better to hold hands instead of parting ways for no reason.”
“Even so…”
“Why? Are you getting all flustered holding hands?”
“N, no?!”
Caught off guard by the Commander’s sudden question, I couldn’t help but make a strange face.
My face felt a little hot…
“What… are you talking about? Why would I be like that…?”
“Then that’s good.”
“Well, yeah…”
“Is it good? I thought we agreed to stroll together, but if you don’t want to…”
“No, it’s not that! It’s just… it’s nothing.”
Why can’t I get my expression under control?
I felt bad for wanting to give the Commander a snarky reply, but alas, I couldn’t.
It was like trying to cheer up a depressed dog after the rain…
I… might be weaker against the Commander than I thought.
“…Lindera, do you like hot dogs?”
“Well… I eat most things.”
“Then let’s buy one while wandering.”
“…Do as you please.”
It was already confirmed the Commander wouldn’t listen to me today.
He was currently holding my hand rather forcefully.
“……..”
As we moved with our hands still linked, one thought crossed my mind.
That was…
I wondered if my hands had started sweating.
After all, it wasn’t warm, but it felt moderately warm, and since the Commander was holding my hand, I couldn’t help but think that way.
Could it really be no problem?
If I said my hands were sweaty and smelly or sticky, that would be a bit… awkward.
“…Commander, can you let go of my hand for a moment?”
“Why?”
“Just… let go for a second.”
“…Are you feeling uncomfortable?”
“No, it’s not that. I just have something to do.”
I just wanted to wipe my hands.
It was fine if I was holding hands; it was just that I didn’t want the Commander to hold my sweaty, sticky hand.
As much as I didn’t care, I was sensitive about that kind of thing.
Actually, I was generally particular about cleanliness.
So, it was only natural.
“I just need you to let go for a moment. When have I ever lied…?”
“…Fine.”
“Hah…”
Finally, the Commander let go of my hand.
Thanks to that, my right hand, which had been held tightly, was freed.
I pretended to mess with my phone while trying to wipe my hands on my clothes.
It wasn’t much, but I thought it would be right to dry my hands somewhere, and there wasn’t anywhere else to wipe them.
“…What’s this?”
“…Your left hand was free.”
As I tried to casually touch my phone with my right hand, the Commander came next to me and grabbed my left hand.
His hand was big, so holding it felt incredibly pronounced.
“……..”
I really had no idea what this guy was doing.
Why was he acting so worried and doing these things since we left headquarters the other night when he didn’t act like this at all?
I definitely didn’t dislike his actions; it was just… something continued to nag at me, and I just wanted him to let go for a bit.
Holding hands with a guy like this… it was definitely not something I was used to.
But it didn’t mean I disliked it, either.
So, I had no clue how to manage this.
It wasn’t like I could say I truly disliked it, but the reason the Commander was going out of his way to do this… it surely didn’t exist.
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