“Commander~ Here are the documents you requested.”
“Oh.”
“And here’s your coffee. You must be a bit tired, right? I made it sweet just for your taste!”
The office was bustling with work due to the mission coming from headquarters.
I had been busier than usual, working hard like a caffeinated squirrel.
Not that someone else seemed to share my sentiment.
“Is there anything else you need?”
“No, just making this coffee was more than enough.”
But I couldn’t wrap my head around why they were bringing more coffee since I already had two cups today.
And I couldn’t understand the lack of thought from the one handing it to me.
Now there were two cups of coffee on their desk, even after they had already polished off one in the morning and another in the afternoon.
Sure, it wasn’t like they were downing triple shots of espresso or anything, but it was still coffee, and caffeine is caffeine.
Too much of it definitely wasn’t great for the body.
Especially since our dear Commander liked to dump a mountain of sugar into their coffee, too.
“Sigh.”
I really couldn’t tell if they had any common sense left.
With so many tasks ahead, getting a headache from all this wouldn’t bode well at all.
And let’s not forget, the Commander wasn’t exactly the poster child for physical fitness; they rarely exercised.
Sure, they seemed healthy in the mornings, though.
“R, Lindera…?”
“Yes.”
“Uh… would you like some candy? This one’s tasty…”
“Thank you, I appreciate it. I’ll enjoy it.”
I was taken aback when Midori suddenly offered me candy, but it looked good enough, so I graciously accepted it.
Like Midori said, it was just the right amount of sweetness.
For some reason, it helped clear my mind a bit.
“How’s your work today, Midori?”
“Well… I wrapped up the morning tasks, but I’ve got more than usual today, so it’s tough!”
It was true; we had a larger workload than normal.
What with the upcoming operation and preparations we needed to make.
We had a pile of work ahead, and there was no way to delay any of it.
“Then I’ll help with some of the afternoon tasks. The person next to me seems capable enough to handle things…”
“Uh… is that okay? What about the Commander?”
“Didn’t I mention? I’m sure the maid will manage just fine, so I see no need to interfere.”
They were doing just fine on their own, so why should I stick my nose in?
Having a Vice Commander who leans on other girls irked me a bit, to be honest.
Considering how much I’d helped them in the past, was it really okay for them to suddenly rely on a maid?
Seriously, I had been helping out this whole time!
“Sigh…”
“Ah, if you’re tired, you can take a break.”
“Pfft, how long has it even been since the afternoon work started!”
Well, that was a relief.
Anyway, we were expecting some work from headquarters soon, so I needed to check the ship’s key functions and supplies, which kept piling up.
The 1st Squad had also ramped up their training intensity a notch, getting ready for the operations.
Of course, the headquarters would assign us tasks that matched our capabilities, but if we weren’t prepared, we’d definitely run into trouble.
Solid preparation led to success, and I needed to guarantee that today’s tasks were done properly.
“Dolores, I’ve sent the email. Please read it and handle it quickly.”
“Yes.”
“The Commander should hurry up… No, never mind.”
I figured they’d manage just fine on their own.
Well.
*
Word came that the Boss had returned to headquarters, and not long after, the Commander received a mission.
This time, we had to move a bit more than usual, but it wasn’t like it was going to take ages.
We had asked for the extra tasks to receive more, so it wasn’t anything unexpected.
The missions we usually got were always close to us, so this was a bit of a change.
But it wasn’t something so drastically different either.
In the end, our target was still purifying some contaminated areas.
“This operation will take place quite a distance away. We might be up in the air longer than usual, so be prepared for motion sickness.”
“Huh? Are we going to stay in the sky the entire time? No landing?”
“The contamination is more severe than we anticipated, so it can’t be helped.”
“Whaaat….”
Unfortunately, it couldn’t be avoided this time.
The contamination had indeed increased significantly compared to usual.
Maybe it will even reach levels 3 or 4.
I wasn’t sure about the exact details, but it would probably be serious.
“Anyway, this operation might take more time than usual.”
This was genuinely one of those unavoidable issues we just had to accept.
Given that we were several kilometers away for this mission, its contamination stage was particularly high, meaning the operation would take longer.
“So where are we doing this?”
“It seems we’ll be operating in a field quite far away from Babil. I’m not sure of the core’s location, but it should be somewhere suitable.”
“Hmm… a field, huh? It might be taller than expected.”
It wasn’t just any field; it was spacious and likely filled with an annoying number of contaminated entities.
“I suspect the contaminated entities will be bugs, hindering our visibility.”
“Right, we’ll have to conduct the operation during the day.”
“Thank goodness burning the grass won’t be an issue.”
That was a genuine relief, just like the Commander said.
If someone had said not to burn the grass, this operation would have been a real nightmare.
With gigantic bugs flying and scuttling around, we couldn’t afford to leave the grass standing.
Especially since it only served to hinder our view.
“And we can just burn everything with Agni!”
“That’s the plan. Besides, we have molotovs and termite bombs as well… if we use them wisely, this should be easy.”
“So when are we heading out?”
“That’s up to the Commander to decide.”
It wasn’t like I was the Commander; they should handle it themselves, for sure.
After all, they hadn’t been listening to my suggestions lately; why ask me now?
“Well… but you know better than I do, right? You should have more insights into this.”
“Considering the contamination is worse than usual, I think we should aim to reach the operational site within a week.”
There was no pressing need to stick to a specific timeline, but getting there by then seemed wise.
Honestly, I didn’t want to give a half-hearted answer, but since they asked, I needed to avoid any odd decisions.
Especially since the contamination level was higher than normal, we couldn’t afford to delay our tasks.
“Let’s aim to arrive by this Sunday, then. Inform the 1st Squad members accordingly.”
“Yes.”
“Any other preparations you think we might need?”
The Commander was asking me when they had been bonding with the maid these days.
Why were they pouring all these questions at me now?
Well, I had to admit I knew more about this than the maid, that was a fact.
It was just sound logic, so I didn’t act smug about it.
“First off, since Agni will likely set the field ablaze, we’ll need some fire extinguishing tools. And seeing as there will be many contaminated entities, protective gear for the agents is a must.”
To be honest, neither Easter nor IDUU were the ideal fit for this operation.
Unless we were going to deploy certain members from the 2nd Squad, protective gear would be essential.
The exact members from the Squad for this mission hadn’t been finalized yet, but one squad should be sufficient.
Having Agni on our side made that possible.
“Easter and IDUU will provide cover for Agni, allowing them to focus solely on roasting those contaminated entities. So protective gear will be especially critical.”
While Gumi, our tank, was present, the number of mobs was overwhelming, so we had no choice.
One tank wouldn’t be able to draw aggro from them all.
“Um… just a personal thought, but if the number of contaminated entities is too high, we might need to consider deploying the 2nd Squad as well.”
“Then we should prepare the 2nd Squad. Starting tomorrow, they’ll ramp up their training.”
“Yes, I’ll take care of that.”
By the way, it was hilarious how the maid had been chitchatting during work hours.
Now, during meetings, she only spoke to me; it was a bit absurd.
In fact, this was the maid’s first time actively engaging in a command room operation.
I had nothing to say nor could do anything about it.
“Heh….”
“…….”
Was I reminded of the maid catching my eye the other day, while subtly making fun of me?
To be fair, I couldn’t help but give a slight smile at the thought of it.
Seeing that twisted expression of hers was oddly satisfying.
“That aside, Commander, I think it’s better to gather the 2nd Squad and inform them directly. It’s a good opportunity to check in on their condition. Is that alright?”
“That’s not a bad idea. Let’s wrap up this meeting for now…. I think this is sufficient for today. Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
I shot a message to the 2nd Squad, got up from my seat, and started walking.
Actually, there wasn’t much left to discuss in the meeting.
The documents we received today pretty much covered everything.
Time to check on the 2nd Squad members along with the Commander.
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