“Oh come on~~”
“…?”
“What were you two doing over the weekend?”
“Uh…”
As soon as I arrived at the office, Midori suddenly started talking to me.
And she was grinning…?
“What’s up?”
“Don’t you know? The fleet’s been buzzing like crazy!”
“Really?”
I wasn’t paying much attention, so I wasn’t aware.
It’s not like the agents have been quiet for a day or two.
I thought she was just whining about how annoying it was to come to work, but she was talking about the Commander and me.
“Yeah. Didn’t you know?”
“Um… no. I was just waking the Commander and eating in the cafeteria.”
To be honest, I was so distracted that I really didn’t have the time to care.
Chatting with the Commander… I didn’t need to focus on other agents gossiping about us.
I preferred talking to the Commander over others anyway.
It was just that.
“But what’s all the buzz about?”
“Huh? They’re all making a fuss because you two went to a hotel!”
“………”
Ah.
“I heard it was a super expensive place? Is that true?”
“…Yeah. That’s right.”
“Heeeeh…”
Midori was looking at me with intrigued eyes.
Sure, I could understand that, but it still made me feel a bit embarrassed.
And to think the agents actually saw that.
It was a bit absurd.
There probably weren’t many people entering the hotel building besides me and the Commander, so how on earth did they figure out it was us?
Honestly, I didn’t think my looks were anything special—just ordinary black hair and blonde hair from behind.
Did they just recognize us from our backs?
That’s… a bit creepy, maybe.
“What do you think they did at the hotel~?”
“…You know, right?”
“Hehe. Just asking. But they said it was super pricey. How was it?”
“It was amazing. Honestly, it was even nicer than our headquarters…”
It really was.
I felt a bit guilty saying that to the Boss, but the hotel was incredibly high-end.
To put it frankly, our headquarters was just big, nothing more.
Sure, maintaining good facilities with that size was impressive, but it didn’t have that luxurious vibe.
“Oh… should I check it out next time…?”
“If you have the money, you could probably stay there all the time. The view of the interior reflected in the window was breathtaking. Oh… and the restaurant was incredible?”
Honestly, aside from various things in the hotel… that’s all I remembered.
The night view I saw while in the bathroom with the Commander, the delicious dinner we had together.
Other than that, I could only think of it as a very upscale place.
“Commander! Tell me another highlight! Lindera can’t say more.”
“…Suddenly?”
“Yep!”
Just like that, the Commander reacted to Midori lounging comfortably on the sofa.
Asking the Commander out of the blue—typical of Midori.
“Uh… I mean, isn’t that about it…?”
“Wait… there seriously wasn’t anything else? It’s a super expensive hotel after all…?”
“Hmm…”
Thinking back… um.
I really was too preoccupied with other things in the hotel to care about anything else.
Well, there was another reason I couldn’t pay attention to other parts, but…
“But why the sudden question?”
“Huh? I’m saving money so I can visit next time!”
“Are you going alone?”
“Umm… that’s a secret!”
“…?”
What could it be.
Something felt off about Midori’s smile.
It wasn’t the usual playful smile.
More like… something she was hiding.
Hmm…
“……..”
Midori’s laugh seemed to carry a hint of… pleasant imagination, but that must just be my imagination.
It’s not like Midori suddenly had someone she liked or anything.
After all, she mostly hung out with the office crew; aside from that, she didn’t seem to get close to anyone else, as far as I could remember.
Except for that one friend I heard about once?
*
“Uhehhe…”
“…What are you intensely staring at?”
“Kyah!?”
“………”
I was just heading to the bathroom when I decided to speak up from behind Midori.
Come on, isn’t that a bit too much to get startled?
I was just curious because she was practically nose-deep into the monitor.
“What’s wrong? Did you see something strange?”
“Uh, no…?”
“…?”
Unlike a moment ago, the screen she was looking at was the wallpaper.
She must’ve accidentally hit a shortcut key.
But that didn’t erase my memories.
What she was looking at earlier was the hotel where the Commander and I went.
She’d been grinning while checking out room layouts and prices on the website.
“Is there a problem?”
“Not… really…?”
“Hmm…”
She really looked like she was hiding something.
Was she embarrassed about being found out?
Didn’t she mention she’d be going next time…?
“Oh, just a heads up—depending on the direction, the night view changes, so keep that in mind.”
“Eh, eh… heh!?”
With Midori making a silly voice, I left the office to head to the bathroom.
I wasn’t sure who she was planning to go with, or why, but it was a shame to keep such good news to myself.
Even though the hotel was relatively central, the night view differs by room.
Letting her figure it out on her own sounded like a good idea.
Hmm… but really, who was she planning to go with?
I wasn’t overly concerned, but there was still some natural curiosity.
It wasn’t like there were other men around…?
No matter how I thought about it.
Really, no matter how I thought about it, aside from the Commander, it would be impossible to meet another man on this ship.
Even the mechanics who visit occasionally are all female agents.
Plus, our area had less work than the others, so hardly anyone came by… Not to mention, it’s effectively none.
“Hmm…”
Well, as long as it’s not the Commander, I’m fine.
Actually, even if it’s the Commander, it wouldn’t be a problem.
Midori’s not small, but she wasn’t bigger than me either.
“Besides, I’m a bit taller…? More mature…?”
In many ways, I could boldly say I fit the Commander’s taste better than her.
I could never say that to anyone else.
Anyway… I returned to the office.
When I got back, Midori glanced at me but didn’t start a conversation.
Usually, she would’ve, but… was there some reason not to?
Well, for now, I continued with my tasks.
I didn’t need to pry into what was on Midori’s mind when she didn’t want to share.
I had my own problems, too.
“Commander.”
“Yeah?”
“What’s for dinner tonight?”
“Well, aside from what Soan makes, is there anything else…?”
“Hmm… it feels like a hassle to go to the area, but…”
“However?”
“…I feel like having something different because it’s been a while.”
“Ah…”
Seems like we often end up with Soan’s cooking for dinner.
Of course, it’s not that it tastes bad at all, but honestly, I think it’s about time for a change.
There’s Korean, Japanese, Chinese, but most of Soan’s dishes have been Western—steaks, soups, stews, salads, that sort of stuff…
Maybe because I’ve been eating out more lately, I wanted something different.
“Should we order in?”
“Ooh…”
It was a pretty good idea.
It’s not like delivery isn’t an option all the way out here; we’re just a bit away from the main area.
As long as the delivery fee is fair…
“Chicken?”
“Ooh…”
It’s been ages… chicken…
And delivered at that…
I couldn’t pass this up.
It’s been quite a while since I ate chicken, especially delivered chicken.
Or was it maybe never…?
I hardly ever order in, it was getting confusing.
Anyway…
“Let’s have chicken for dinner. We should order before we finish work.”
“Yeah. That sounds good.”
“If we get two… we can also use it as snacks next time we drink…”
Killing three birds with one stone.
Eating chicken after so long, dinner with the Commander, and using it as a snack for drinks later.
Chicken really is a creature of many blessings.
Yep, definitely.
I continued chatting while working.
Now it seemed like the operations notice might come down soon, but it’s not urgent.
There were only tasks I could chat my way through.
“…I want chicken too!”
“…Eh?”
“Is that not okay…?”
“Uh…”
I was startled by Midori’s sudden statement.
I never expected her to suggest eating chicken together all of a sudden.
Of course, it wasn’t a bad thing… but it was pretty unexpected…?
“Why the sudden invite?”
“Just…? I want to hang out since it’s been a while…? Is that… not okay?”
“………”
“………”
The truth is, her cute and pretty appearance felt a bit unfair.
Honestly, I didn’t really have to agree to Midori’s suggestion, given that it was sudden and a bit annoying.
But since I got along well with her… I found it hard to turn her down.
Especially given her somewhat pitiful expression.
And combined with Midori’s slightly youthful cute appearance…
“…Alright. I suppose having dinner together isn’t an issue. Uh…”
I glanced over at Dolores.
Out of the four of us in the office, it would be strange to have three enjoying dinner together while leaving one out.
“Of course, if you’re suggesting it, I’m in.”
“…Then let’s eat together in my room.”
Well, that was decided.
…It was a bit surprising that it came to this, but it was also a little confusing for both me and the Commander.
One thing was clear: such arrangements should totally be kept between the Commander and me, without others knowing.
…I was thinking to eat chicken and have a sweet date in the Commander’s room.
Not that it was bad, but it felt a little awkward to say it outright.
Originally, I thought we could talk a bit about my issues too… but what can you do?
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