The ship, which had always been landed outside the area, was now floating in the sky.
When I woke up from my sleep, the ship had already started its flight high above in the sky.
Since the ship was floating in the air, bright sunlight was pouring in from the window since the morning.
Well, with it floating in the air, I suppose that’s only natural.
“Yawn…”
I’m so sleepy.
To be honest, since I didn’t dive straight into work from the morning like I usually do, I was sipping on an energy drink in my room.
Normally, I drink coffee, but hey, energy drinks can taste good too.
Right?
If I think purely about taste… this might actually be better.
“Ah. I’m tired…”
Really.
Could it be because I’ve had a lot of work recently due to the operations?
I was genuinely tired since the morning.
“The operation has been planned seamlessly and… it’ll still take a little longer to arrive.”
It was still Saturday, and we were supposed to arrive at the operation area in the evening.
The operation was starting tomorrow, so there were no issues at all.
“Today… I guess I can take it easy.”
If I just meet up with the staff in the office in the afternoon for a quick chat, that would be enough.
Anyway, aside from that, there weren’t any special plans.
For now, I wanted to relax since I wasn’t able to rest this weekend like usual.
I had to work all day tomorrow, so I should rest a bit more today.
“Hah… yawn…”
First, let me stretch and think about what to do with my time.
Hmm.
But… what did I usually do on my days off?
*
“So, you’re here?”
“Yes. I came because I was bored.”
“Ha… well, come in then.”
Bored and with nothing to do, I simply came to hang out in the Commander’s room.
I mean, I was really bored.
Sitting alone in my room with nothing to do, I just dropped by.
Well, this wasn’t my first time doing so either.
It’s not like it was an issue.
“What were you doing? You woke up earlier than usual.”
“Just…”
“Playing a game, huh?”
“Cough.”
As soon as I entered the Commander’s room, the TV was displaying a game screen instead of a channel.
Well, given that the Commander’s hobby was gaming, I had no other thoughts about it.
I just thought, “Ah, it’s that kind of day again.”
By now, I didn’t think it was weird that the Commander liked games.
In fact, isn’t it just plain nice to have gaming as a hobby?
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Just… I’m glad you’re playing in a wholesome way today. Yes.”
“Ah… um. I guess a little gaming is not a terrible hobby?”
“That’s exactly the point.”
It’s better than doing something weird anyway.
So that’s what I meant.
After all, I was the one who ended up like this because of gaming, so how could it be bad?
“Are you going to play too?”
“Is it two-player?”
“Er… Can’t we just use two controllers?”
“Oh, if that’s the case, I’ll join in too.”
I didn’t really know what the game was about, but I had nothing else to do anyway.
Besides, the reason I came to the Commander’s room was to hang out.
Anyway, I got one controller from the Commander and took a seat.
Naturally, I sat on the Commander’s bed.
“…..”
“What game is this? It’s different from the one we were playing last time.”
“It’s just a game where you catch monsters and decorate your house… that sort of thing.”
“Surprisingly…”
It’s quite a childish game.
When I thought of the shooting games or the sword-slashing games we had played last time, this game felt… a bit juvenile.
Catching monsters wasn’t so much about killing them as it was about capturing them.
Of course, there were aspects where you had to catch them, but in comparison to the games I’d recently played, it felt childish.
And decorating a house on top of it.
“It’s nothing at all.”
“Well, just give it a shot. You’ll figure out what the game is as you go.”
“Yes, got it.”
I didn’t really understand it, but since I was bored anyway, why not?
And since it’s a game, it’s definitely going to be more fun than just sitting still in my room, right?
For now, I started the game with the controller next to the Commander.
When it came to character creation… I just thought about making a female character.
As for customization…
“…”
I decided to just loosely base it on my appearance.
*
“…Is this right?”
“Haha.”
Seeing the Commander chuckle at my question shocked me.
I mean… I was genuinely surprised.
Not because of the Commander, but because of the game he was playing.
“Uh… um.”
“I said to just give it a try, didn’t I?”
“I didn’t expect a game like this.”
“Uh… well, I guess it’s fun in its own way.”
Yeah… um, how should I put this, it was purely a fun game.
It just felt a bit twisted in a strange way.
Though it called them monsters, they weren’t gruesomely ugly; they were actually cute monsters.
Because they were the kind of monsters, I thought I could enjoy catching them and building a cozy house… but…
“The corpses rolling around… that really shattered the vibe.”
“What? You’re working those monsters without pay and not even feeding them?”
“I take good care of mine, though…”
I really did take good care of them.
But the Commander’s house looked much better than the one I created.
“This is just how the game is supposed to be.”
“Your taste is a bit… weird.”
“I wasn’t like this at first. I just thought, ‘Oh, this is how the game works’ after messing with it.”
Most of the monsters living in the Commander’s house looked sickly.
Literally sick… I mean, what term could I even use?
They weren’t just weak; they genuinely looked ill.
Like, they had overeating, starvation issues, fractures… and it was overall a black corporate image.
While it felt wrong to even call it a business with no rewards like this.
“There’s no choice. If I don’t treat the monsters this way, our progress will be too slow.”
“Still, doesn’t it seem too cruel…?”
“That’s… true.”
They were genuinely pitiful.
I didn’t even know if I had a soft side, but it was really sad to see.
They looked way too miserable working like that, to the point I’d unconsciously start playing differently from the Commander.
That’s why my own house wasn’t improving and was much further behind than the Commander’s.
My house was a wooden shack, and I barely had facilities like beds or anything.
“How about doing it a bit more lightly, like me?”
“If I do it alone and go too easy, wouldn’t it be boring?”
“Still… seeing you play like this doesn’t seem to suit you at all, Commander.”
Compared to how he usually worked, it was really different.
Normally, he was a kind commander even if he couldn’t do his work, but this black corporate-like management?
“……”
“How about you run your black corporation adequately over there and join me here?”
“Ha…”
“Ah. If you’re relieving stress you get from me this way… I have nothing to say about that, though.”
“Why are you suddenly looking at me with such pity…? Don’t I look trashy?”
Hmm.
Was that the case?
*
“Well, the operation’s preparations are complete, and we have no issues starting the operation tomorrow morning.”
“1st Squad and 2nd Squad are all reporting fine. We skipped training today for some body maintenance! Hah!”
By the afternoon, we were, of course, chatting at the operations room.
Not exactly a meeting, more like casual conversation.
Since the ship was about to arrive at the operation area, I needed to make sure we were fully prepared.
“Hmm… It’s good to know that the preparations have gone well. Tomorrow’s operation might bring changes, but…”
“Since Commander worked hard, everything will go smoothly.”
“It wasn’t just me; it was the agents and you all who did well.”
“Commander, I think your kindness is a bit of a problem, you know?”
Hmm.
Is that so?
The Commander clearly hadn’t done much, and I was baffled about why they were sucking up like this.
In many ways, it was absurd.
Honestly, I was doing most of the work, and it was a little frustrating.
“Honestly, haven’t I done more work than Lindera? I had no choice but to say that.”
“Ha ha… I see…”
“…..”
Well, that’s a fact.
Yep.
It’s a fact that I was currently the one doing the most work on the ship.
I was genuinely working the hardest, and as a result, I had to drink two more cups of coffee than usual.
On top of that, I had to go back to my room and do a bit more work.
“But Lindera, aren’t you wearing the clothes you usually put on these days?”
“Yes?”
“You’ve been in your formal uniform lately. You’re not wearing it today?”
“Ah.”
Suddenly, Midori asked a strange question, and I didn’t quite understand it at first, but as she continued, it became clear.
Today, I wasn’t in my formal outfit that I usually wore on weekdays but was instead in casual clothes.
I was wearing the sweater I’d been forced to buy when the Commander and Midori took me out last time.
The one made for my body, somehow not fitting properly because of it being a hand-me-down from the Commander due to sweat concerns.
“I just came straight from hanging out in the Commander’s room.”
“B-Back from…?”
“Yes. I didn’t do any work, just lounged around in my room… So, I decided to drop by because I was too bored.”
I legitimately came because I was really too bored.
Playing a game with the Commander was genuinely fun.
“Well, since the Commander casually opened the door for me, and I got so caught up in having fun that I lost track of time, so here I am.”
“Ah… I see…!”
“Yes, is it not fitting? It’s the one the Commander checked out last time.”
“……”
“…….”
“Y-yes? It suits you incredibly well, doesn’t it…? Right, Commander?”
“…It does fit.”
Well, I knew that.
Even I could see that the sweater was moderately stylish.
Had it not suited me, I probably would have just been strolling around in my button-up shirt.
Not that oversized shirt from the Commander but rather in my normal dress shirt.
“Haha…”
By the way, what’s so funny to the maid?
Well, she didn’t seem to look that cheerful, but I felt a bit happy.
And with a bit of a compliment, I naturally couldn’t help but feel good.
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