“Yawn…”
“……….”
“Lindera! Happy Monday!”
“Oh, Midori. Good morning.”
I met Midori on the way to breakfast.
It felt like it had been longer than usual since I last met anyone except the Commander over the weekend.
“Is the Commander not… hello? What’s up with the face? Why does it look so bad?”
“…There’s something going on.”
“Huh… are you sick or something?”
“…It’s not that, so don’t worry.”
“Uh… okay!”
The Commander, who was next to us, said that to Midori with a slightly tired face.
Hmm… Do I look that worn out?
The Commander looked a bit tired, but not sick like Midori said.
He’s even standing strong this morning!
Anyway, we slowly walked to the cafeteria for breakfast.
When we arrived, we received more food than usual.
I guess I had just been munching on snacks from my room all weekend, so it felt nice to eat a proper meal.
“Does it feel like we got… a lot today?”
“Hmm… Really?”
“Yeah. It feels like 1.5 times more than usual! The Commander has about twice as much!”
Both Midori and I could clearly see that our trays were filled more than usual.
I usually don’t eat that much, but today was even more so.
Hmm… But I really drained my stamina over the weekend, so it makes sense to eat well this morning.
Especially for the Commander.
“But Lindera looks good today despite it being Monday! Don’t tell me something good happened?”
“Really? Nothing special, though.”
We chatted while eating.
The Commander, who was sitting with us, was scarfing down his food and wasn’t participating in the conversation at all.
By the way, what did Midori mean when she said I looked good?
After finishing breakfast, I stopped by the bathroom and looked in the mirror… but I didn’t really feel any different.
Just seemed normal to me.
If anything, it felt like I overdid it with the Commander over the weekend, as my back was slightly sore, and I had more muscle aches in my legs.
“Hmm…”
Well, regardless of Midori’s comments, I truly enjoyed spending the weekend alone with the Commander.
I was a bit surprised to spend the whole weekend locked up in my personal room, but being with the Commander was nice.
Peaceful dates were good, but sometimes I didn’t mind getting a little reckless.
Maybe I should try again this weekend.
Both the Commander and I felt a bit tired from the weekend, but he’s been working out lately, so it’s fine.
“Lindera? Are you… thinking about something?”
“I wasn’t really thinking much. Why do you ask?”
Once we got back to the office, the Commander suddenly asked a strange question.
It felt a bit abrupt…?
“No, it just seemed like something was on your mind.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. You’re not thinking something weird, right? Huh?”
“Yes, I’m not. I just went to the bathroom for a moment. What could I have been thinking about?”
I was merely reflecting on what I did over the weekend.
It felt somewhat like he was suspecting me, which bothered me a little.
I’m not some villain plotting in the bathroom; I’m just a regular Vice Commander.
“Haha… well, that’s a relief…”
“…?”
He looked a bit relieved.
But that made me feel uneasy.
Did he really think I would do something strange?
I’ve never done anything that would negatively impact him!
I couldn’t help but glare at the Commander.
Why was he looking at me like that when I hadn’t done anything wrong?
“Why are you looking at me like that…? Is there something wrong? I don’t think I did anything weird…”
“…It’s just a bit tricky to say here.”
“…?”
We were in the office.
Dolores and Midori were casually in the office too.
What could be so inappropriate to say here?
I withdrew my glare and couldn’t help but look perplexed.
“…I’ll tell you later.”
“..?”
“…When are you going to stop talking, huh? Aren’t we supposed to be working?”
“Oh.”
“…I’m sorry.”
Thanks to the Commander, I ended up getting scolded by Dolores.
And at the same time, I remained irritated that the Commander wasn’t telling me what was going on.
*
“What was that all about? I even got scolded by Dolores this morning. Can you tell me now?”
“…There are other agents in the cafeteria.”
“…???”
What on earth could be so serious that he couldn’t say it?
I was genuinely perplexed at the Commander’s refusal to tell me anything.
What was so sensitive that he wouldn’t just say it to me?
Why couldn’t he talk about it when there were agents around?
What kind of topic was this?
I thought about it while having lunch.
Dolores, sitting next to me, looked at me as if to ask what nonsense I was up to, but there was nothing I could do.
The Commander wouldn’t say anything.
“Dolores.”
“What?”
“…I think the Commander is acting a bit odd. He’s suddenly making strange comments.”
In the end, I had to throw that at Dolores, who was sitting beside me.
Anyway… I didn’t really know what was going on, but it seemed like the Commander had something he wanted to tell me.
Maybe he couldn’t speak up because there were others around.
“Lindera.”
“Yes.”
“…You know, keep the romance for just the two of you.”
Dolores scolded me like that, but I felt there was a way around it.
“I’ll introduce you to a good guy if I find one.”
“I’m pretty sure the Commander is dealing with some weird thoughts. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be so reticent to talk to you, Lindera.”
“Yeah, seems like it.”
What was clear was that Dolores was more ambitious than I thought.
Hmm… Actually, the only guy I know is the Commander, but that’s not a big deal.
After all, the Commander mentioned having a friend, so wouldn’t it be possible to introduce him?
I wouldn’t be the one doing it, but I was the matchmaker.
Yeah, I thought it would be fine.
“…Hey, why are we suddenly talking about matchmaking…”
“Isn’t the Commander at fault here?”
“No…”
“I think so too.”
“Me too!”
“…Suddenly?”
Even Midori sitting next to the Commander chimed in to attack him.
Hmm… not bad.
This was better than just me being targeted.
At least I wasn’t the only one being attacked.
“But what’s really the problem that you can’t talk about in front of us? Honestly, it frustrates me more to listen to you being so vague.”
Then came Midori’s words.
I didn’t feel the need to add anything to Midori’s comment and remained silent.
Honestly, I desperately wanted to hear the answer.
I felt if I spoke more, the Commander would keep quiet.
“…Do I really have to say it?”
“Ehhh… wait, you really weren’t going to say it?”
“It’s a bit disappointing, you hid it from Lindera until the end.”
“…There are too many agents in the cafeteria.”
“Anyway, since you and Lindera are dating, no one would dare to come near you, right?”
“……..Is that so?”
“……..”
The Commander responded to Dolores’ words with a hint of agreement.
But… I had a vague idea.
I knew very well that it wasn’t true.
Even on the way to the cafeteria, at the cafeteria, and in this situation, numerous agents were watching the Commander.
I wasn’t overly sensitive like some ninja or assassin.
But there was an instinct to sense it… something like that.
Even the sound of the chopping knife from behind had the jealousy vibe.
Most likely that’s Soan.
“……….”
But the agents weren’t crazy people.
If they were that type, they would’ve threatened me or posed a danger earlier.
…But that was somewhat terrifying.
Just using three fingers, I might get killed in a flash, right?
It would literally be a quick death.
Anyway, the important thing was that the Commander was still unwilling to speak to me, and I just wanted to hear it now.
“Just say it already.”
“…Fine.”
It was better for the Commander to just say it outright rather than keep hiding it.
Sure, he wasn’t the type to openly talk all the time like he was overflowing with confidence.
But this time, he had kept me in suspense with some unknown topic, so it was about time he explained why.
“…No, it’s just that being cooped up in your room all weekend was maybe a bit too much… that’s what I was trying to say…”
“………?”
He looked a bit flush as he spoke, seemingly embarrassed.
“…Huh?”
“…This is why I didn’t want to talk outside…”
“……..Oh.”
Oh.
Wait a moment.
“………”
…I felt embarrassed.
I honestly didn’t expect him to say something so direct.
And in the cafeteria where all the agents were present!
In a situation where everyone was focused on our conversation—or rather, the Commander’s words.
“…W-What are you all looking at? Just continue having lunch…”
I said that to the agents who were all staring at me and our table.
The attention was too… overwhelming that I reacted without thinking.
“…Lindera.”
“………..”
As soon as I said that, I sat back down and tried to hastily clean up my plate to bury my face.
No matter how I thought about it, this was way too embarrassing.
In front of dozens of agents.
And that too, audaciously…
“…If that’s what it was… you should’ve at least warned me…”
“…I was the one who kept quiet about it.”
“Ugh…”
Seriously… I really felt like my head was going to explode.
It was more than a simple headache… my head felt so hot.
And so did my face.
With my head down, I couldn’t help but contemplate how to get out of here and return to the office.
…Maybe I should just leave work early???
I just spent my weekend treating my issues with the Commander.
But how did it end up in front of the agents…
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
