“So what happened?”
“N, no?”
“I thought you must have had more to the story since you drank a lot that day.”
After the weekend, we asked that question to Dolores, whom we hadn’t seen in a while.
The atmosphere was nice, and the people around were okay, so we thought we’d let it go.
But surely something must have happened.
I asked with the expectation that there would be something.
Honestly, a young man and woman drinking together? There’s no way something didn’t happen, right?
They might not have gone all the way, but they must have done something.
“Did you?”
“N, no?! Why would we do that on our first meeting?!”
“Oh.”
Hmm.
This is boring.
“…Is that so.”
“Are you being too obvious about being disappointed?”
“…No.”
But honestly, hmm.
I felt like if I pushed the conversation any further in that direction, Dolores would scold me, so I decided to keep quiet.
But come on, they drank together, got tipsy, a man and a woman, isn’t it normal for something to happen…?
“There’s nothing weird like that in what Lindera thinks. It was just… just nothing happened, so don’t ask weird questions.”
“I didn’t ask anything weird.”
“Your expression was weird from the start.”
“…Is that so?”
Was it?
I wasn’t sure, but it didn’t seem like Dolores’s story was all that exciting.
I honestly had high expectations.
But there was nothing I could do about it.
I thought for sure something would have happened.
“Well… uh, we just slept together.”
“…You’re not saying you just slept with that little guy, right?”
“I told you we didn’t?!”
“…?”
Huh.
Huh.
“…What are you talking about?”
Seriously, what does that even mean?
I couldn’t understand it even after hearing it.
You said you slept together.
So why?
You didn’t do anything?
?
???
My brain was completely muddled.
That was how hard it was to wrap my head around Dolores’s words.
They drank together, and a young couple slept together, but didn’t do anything?
Of course, that could happen… But Dolores’s situation was something else, right?
If the guy was that eager, then why no action?
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“…I just can’t believe it.”
I could only look at her in disbelief.
Why…?
“…Even so, I can’t just do that with someone I just met…? I’m not some kind of maid. For now, we just decided to stay friends.”
“……….”
“…But isn’t Lindera also someone who just slept with the Commander at the beginning?”
“Well, that is true, but the situation is different.”
“What’s different…?”
“I just happened to sleep with him, but Dolores’s intentions are surely different.”
“Even so, I wouldn’t be that hasty to sleep with someone I just met! Not that desperate?!”
“……….”
Hmm.
Still… that’s a bit disappointing.
It’s not that it was absolutely not fun, but I honestly just felt disappointed.
I thought this time, our Dolores would finally have some success.
“It was just… a bit shocking. Like, it was as if we had done something…?”
“Excuse me?”
“We did wake up in the same bed the next day, but I went to bed purposely without my underwear…”
“…?”
I slowly listened to Dolores’s words.
I understood it wouldn’t make sense, but still…
I mean, yeah, that could happen.
Honestly, her size seemed small, and I thought if they just went for it they could just solve it, but she held back.
Well, that was her decision, so I decided to understand.
Slowly, we left it for the next meeting, which I thought would be nice.
“…So what are you going to do? For the next meeting.”
“I… don’t know. Help me…”
“…Okay.”
We made plans, but the funny part was that we almost ended up running away when we parted ways with that bartender.
Still, we exchanged numbers and even made a promise to meet again for an apology, so that was a relief.
At least it was good to know that Dolores wasn’t completely hopeless as a perpetual single.
“Um…”
“What are you two doing?”
“Oh, after I broke up with Midori over the weekend, I went to a small bar, and I think Dolores finally met a guy to her taste.”
“…Huh?”
“I had a slight suspicion it might be a dangerous taste, but since she’s an adult… it should be okay.”
Probably?
“….Why do you treat people like they’re strange…”
“…Haha.”
“…I really didn’t mean it that way…”
But honestly, I thought it was a little… strange.
Seriously, he was shorter than me, and genuinely seemed like a risky taste.
If Dolores were a guy and that bartender was a girl… then I could really say that was dangerous, right?
Anyway, we spent the morning chatting like that.
The Commander was half-napping in his chair from playing games until late the previous night.
“Oh, did Midori get home okay? I didn’t check yesterday because I was so busy…”
It was only in the afternoon that Dolores asked that question.
Even in the morning before working and while working, she hadn’t asked about Midori’s weekend.
“Oh! That’s right! I had a date that day!”
“O….”
What a setup. The office wasn’t even a place for girl talk anymore.
Never thought I’d be part of such conversations with women, but somehow, here we are.
Well, I didn’t dislike it.
Honestly, it was fun.
“So what did you do?”
“Uh? We just spent the night at the arcade together?”
“…Huh?”
“Why?”
“………..”
“Uh……..”
Both Dolores and I were stunned.
No way, we broke up around lunchtime, but they were at the arcade until night?
Doing nothing but playing games?
“…What did Nana say?”
“She loved it! She took pictures of us at the arcade, and they turned out really well!”
…Hmm.
Well, if she liked it, then that’s something.
Sure, that makes sense… But doesn’t that mean they didn’t just play games all night?
Honestly, I was a little surprised.
“And then what did you do?”
“After that, I went to Nana’s house! We couldn’t be loud since I was at home, but the neighbors moved out this time! So we could make more noise than before at night!”
“Umm…”
Well, it seemed like Nana was taking good care of Midori.
So I understand that.
“…But why are we all just talking and not working?”
“””Ah.”””
…Thinking back, it was still working hours.
We had gotten so used to these love-related conversations.
We almost forgot it was work time.
“…Let’s get back to work, and then talk later.”
“Y, yeah…”
Honestly, it was just nothing major.
We were just sharing things that happened over the weekend, but I couldn’t figure out why it was so enjoyable.
We resumed work after that.
As the Commander said, it was time for afternoon tasks.
We still had work left, so it was only natural.
Of course, it was funny how we all completely forgot about work and kept talking instead.
“Commander.”
“Yes?”
“Can you really play games all day?”
“…Suddenly?”
“I was just curious after hearing Midori’s story. I mean, isn’t it tiring to just play games at the arcade all day?”
Honestly, I found it hard.
Working all day felt easier than playing games all day.
I had worked long hours before, but I had never played games to the point where I lost track of time.
During my dates with the Commander, we didn’t just sit and play games all day either.
When we played games, it shifted from gaming to some skinship halfway through…
Naturally.
“Umm… I think I could.”
“…?”
“I have other things to do besides playing games. It’s not that I can’t do it.”
“Is that so…?”
I knew the Commander liked games, but to that extent?
…Is it possible he’s a bit of a gaming addict?
I wasn’t against gaming, but I wasn’t the type to play for hours on end.
“…You’re totally a gaming addict.”
“No, I don’t! During dates, I took breaks to go out or do other stuff?”
“Hmmm…”
Honestly, I didn’t think he was a gaming addict.
As the Commander said, he didn’t spend all day playing games.
Though, not now, but in the past, the games I played usually had a limit on how many hours you could spend a day.
Once your set stamina ran out, you’d have to recharge it with in-game purchases or other resources before playing again.
It might be a little different for him.
The games the Commander usually played were varied.
That might be something… right?
With so many games, it makes sense that it’d be less tiring.
“Um…”
“Why?”
“I was just thinking, maybe it would be nice to actually play games for a good while.”
“…Suddenly?”
It was sudden, but I felt like it would be fun.
We had never actually spent an entire day just gaming together before.
“Commander, what do you think about clearing a story-based game in one day next time?”
“…Suddenly?”
“Doesn’t that sound fun? In that case, I think it would be nice to really do it. Honestly, I haven’t played games in a while.”
I suggested it after remembering that Midori had spent all night at the arcade over the weekend.
The Commander enjoys games and I like being with him, so I thought it could work out.
In reality, the Commander would probably like it too.
“If you don’t want to, that’s fine…”
“No, it’s okay. In fact, I played a bit late yesterday, so I haven’t been gaming much lately.”
“Then that sounds good. Of course, you can choose the games, Commander.”
Honestly, I didn’t know much about the games here.
I just thought it was best if the Commander chose himself.
As long as it’s not a horror game… that’s definitely a no-go.
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