Honestly, I don’t think it’s my fault, but for now, I decided to go along with their opinions.
I don’t think I did anything weird to the Commander.
Why are they scolding me like this?
“Hmm…”
But did I really do something wrong?
I never considered that I might’ve made a mistake.
“Why do you have that wronged expression on your face?”
“Hmm… I just lived a normal life, but it seems like I’m being framed.”
“Sigh…”
“I lived normally. I didn’t do anything strange.”
I felt wronged.
I hadn’t done anything bad, yet I was bombarded with complaints since yesterday afternoon.
If anyone saw me, they might think I was a little kid who stole ice cream from a convenience store or something.
Seriously, this treatment is ridiculous.
“Do you really think it’s too much, Commander…?”
“Yes, it is.”
“…”
That’s an overly definite answer.
I went to wake the Commander this morning, and I suddenly felt wronged right from the start.
I was just doing my job as a Vice Commander.
From today, I was being unjustly defamed.
Is this the fate of a diligent Vice Commander?
“I feel wronged.”
“If you did that to someone else, they might misunderstand, so just tone it down a bit…”
“Are you saying it’s okay to do it to you, Commander?”
Well, isn’t that what it implies?
If it can cause misunderstandings with others, then it wouldn’t with you, right?
“Sigh… Are you doing this on purpose?”
“Excuse me?”
“This is seriously dangerous… in many ways.”
“Excuse me?”
What are they talking about all of a sudden? What did I do to be considered dangerous first thing in the morning?
“Why can someone who looks attractive be this clueless?”
“Am I attractive?”
“……”
“Why aren’t you answering this time?”
*
“Midori, work has been really tough lately.”
“It’s not the work itself that’s hard… it’s because of Lindera, isn’t it?”
“I haven’t done anything wrong…”
I could hear the conversation between the two of them from the office.
No, they were so blatant that they had no intention of hiding it.
“This morning, what was that conversation about? The scariest part is that they have no self-awareness.”
“Exactly…”
“I feel wronged…”
I thought I was doing my best to hold back.
No, I was just responding normally.
So why am I being defamed like this?
I genuinely felt wronged.
What did I do to deserve this condemnation from both of them?
“Can you stop maligning me and focus on your work…?”
“Maligning?”
“It’s not maligning…”
They immediately rebutted my claim with their refutation.
It genuinely felt like maligning, yet they immediately malign me again.
Both Midori and the Commander seemed to share a profound understanding with each other.
The fact that their understanding aligns against me felt a little ridiculous.
“My defamation recently has been intense. I haven’t goofed off during work; I’ve just been working hard…”
“No, it sounds strange saying that to the Commander!?”
“I just answered because the Commander asked…”
“No! That’s what’s strange!?”
“…….”
Their fervent rebuttals made me feel even more wronged.
It’s not like I had any malicious intent; they keep saying that my words are somehow weird.
I only provided normal responses!
Seriously, they keep making me out to be the bad guy.
“I feel wronged…”
“But what’s even more wronged is the Commander… Just look at the bulletin board lately…”
“Excuse me?”
“…It’s nothing!”
Midori’s last words were whispered so quietly that I couldn’t hear them.
I’m not sure what it was, but since it was said so softly, it must not be important.
“Anyway, let’s handle the work first. Don’t both of you want to get off work soon?”
“…Yeah.”
“I understand…”
With that, the defamation duo finally stopped and focused back on their work.
But really, my defamation lately has gone too far.
At this point, are they intentionally trying to make my life difficult?
Of course, even though they malign me, they’re not bad people.
There’s definitely some small misunderstanding that’s causing them to act like this toward me.
What misunderstanding it is, I still don’t know.
*
“Commander, here’s the report related to the Critenium obtained from the last operation.”
“Thank you.”
“Since a considerable amount is still left in the lake, I think we should request additional equipment… but we collected a fair amount.”
“In that case, we can use artillery in the next operation as well.”
Honestly, I hoped for more Critenium, but since we still lack equipment, we couldn’t gather it perfectly.
I suppose we’ll have to request additional equipment to Headquarters.
Otherwise, we’ll have to upgrade our Critenium mining equipment.
“By the way, Commander, when do you plan to order the equipment for the agents?”
“Is it insufficient?”
“It’s not that it’s lacking, but we need to boost the combat power of the main squads, right?”
I told the Commander that.
To be honest, while in the game you could farm or buy equipment, now you can’t obtain it through farming.
It has become reality, and in reality, you don’t just shower bullets around by hunting monsters.
“If I may personally recommend, it’s best to prioritize agents equipped with their own weapons, like Agni, as a later task.”
“Then firearms for collective use would be best.”
“That’s not a bad choice.”
The equipment currently available to buy isn’t great either.
In fact, for 5-star characters, it would be more efficient to use the equipment initially allocated.
Moreover, for 4-star characters, even if it wasn’t specialized equipment, they could still achieve better efficiency with high-end gear than with common gear.
And most of the agents in 1st and 2nd Squad are mainly 4-star and 3-star.
“Correct! Midori, get a new phone!”
“…That’s not a combat tool…”
“Hehe.”
What even is that “Hehe…”
It was a sudden remark, but actually, Midori could get a new phone.
Of course, there wouldn’t be significant combat efficiency, but just a slight improvement.
“Anyway, let’s upgrade the equipment for the agents in the 1st and 2nd Squads. Since if it’s that Commander’s desk, I feel like I’ll hear something strange again, just manage it yourself.”
“If someone sees it, they might think I’m engaging in sexual harassment or something…”
“What’s the problem this time…?”
I tried to be considerate!
But this time too, they say there’s a problem with me.
The situation was definitely getting more and more unjust.
What did I do wrong for them to keep criticizing me like this?
“Anyway, please order smoothly. If you go next to them, won’t you just malign me again?”
“But I think it’d be better if the two of you don’t stick too close together!”
“…That’s too much.”
That was a bit hurtful, given Midori’s overly positive remark.
If anyone heard, I would seem like a germ-infested human.
“Oh, how about ordering a shield for Gumi?”
“I think that’s a good idea. It seems like the shield they usually use is definitely worn out.”
“Then one shield… and about bullets…”
“I recommend those that penetrate well.”
Most contaminated entities seem not to have their faculties intact.
They won’t stop just from feeling pain.
Sure, if you shoot at a critical area like the head, they would naturally fall down.
“But if you keep giving feedback there, wouldn’t it be better just to come over here instead?”
“If I go, you’ll complain about the closeness again.”
“Of course, that’s because you’re too careless.”
I felt wronged, but for now, I stood up from my seat.
Based on the Commander’s words, it would definitely be better to just inform them by standing next to them rather than speaking from a seated position.
It’s easier to see the screen directly and give feedback rather than trying to guide without visibility.
I had been here purposely because the Commander and Midori kept discussing, but…
“But I was trying to be considerate, and ultimately, didn’t the Commander pull me over here?”
“Oh… That’s true!”
“Midori, whose side are you on?”
“Well… Lindera has said strange things, but she helps with work a ton, so wouldn’t it be better to side with Lindera?”
“Heh.”
I chuckled lightly while looking at the Commander.
Of course, it was in a supervisory role, but since we were somewhat close, this much was okay.
In fact, I was the one who helped Midori more with her work.
And I also helped the Commander with his tasks, after all.
“From the start, it seems like the Commander is completely under the control of Lindera… Just based on work, it looks like Lindera is the one in charge.”
“……”
“Lindera does say funny things a lot… but she does handle everything, doesn’t she…?”
“…..”
The Commander was left speechless by Midori’s comments.
But it was a fact anyway.
Unlike the maligning I received, this was genuinely a fact.
“Sorry.”
“You don’t have to apologize… that’s even sadder.”
“Commander, you don’t need to worry too much. Even if you’re a mediocre Commander… isn’t it the Vice Commander’s job to support that?”
He looked too gloomy, so I tried to lift his spirits a little.
It wouldn’t be decent for a handsome guy to have such a gloomy face.
“And you’ve been doing well recently. Of course, there are still many tasks you can’t manage by yourself…”
“…..”
“Pff. Mediocre Commander.”
That wasn’t entirely untrue.
In reality, he still had a long way to go concerning work-related matters.
But he was managing the agents on the ship excellently.
He was quite adept at managing the diverse agents’ faces, which I couldn’t do.
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