“The Commander can’t drink wine well, so… just handle it… No, I won’t.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ll just manage things myself.”
The Commander is terrible at drinking, after all.
It was only natural for me to make sure they drank moderately.
Controlling the Commander’s drinking wasn’t strange at all.
“Is it that serious…?”
“Exactly. You’ve drunk several times, and you still think that way?”
“I have pride too. Do you think I drink until I get drunk every time?”
“…….”
“Just say I’m right.”
“That’s true.”
Hmm.
I didn’t want to respond, but since they wanted it, I couldn’t help but speak up.
Anyway, the Commander and I arrived at a wine bar.
It wasn’t huge, just a nice little place with a decent atmosphere.
As soon as we walked in, a distinctly different fragrance welcomed us, along with a truly different vibe.
“The music is nice.”
“Definitely… We don’t get to hear classical music onboard the ship often.”
“We can hear a bit at Easter’s Café though.”
“We don’t go there often, do we?”
That’s true.
As the Commander said, we didn’t listen to this kind of music regularly.
Plus, with the elegant decor accompanying the music, the atmosphere felt even more special.
I figured the Commander would feel the same way.
“Just sitting here like this… It really feels nice. It’s not a lively atmosphere, but I think the Agents would like it.”
“…Yeah, that’s the reason we came.”
“Let’s order some wine and snacks, at least.”
Since we were going to drink wine anyway, and it’s not good to drink on an empty stomach.
I ordered a nice wine and some suitable snacks.
Cheese and grilled shrimp, perhaps?
“Being here makes the atmosphere feel better.”
“…True.”
With wine poured into pretty glasses, the ambiance definitely improved.
It was a vibe I didn’t usually feel, so it was quite novel…?
I was simply sitting with the Commander in this pleasant spot, but it was surprisingly better than I expected.
“What about the wine…?”
I slowly swirled the glass of wine, taking a look at it.
I wasn’t an expert on alcoholic drinks, but it looked like a decent one.
“It does seem good. It’s definitely different from the wine sold at convenience stores.”
“…Is it really okay to drink?”
“One sip should be perfectly fine. It’s just wine, and it doesn’t have a high alcohol content.”
I nodded and allowed the Commander to have some.
With such a lovely atmosphere and good wine, it would be too much to prohibit drinking.
And besides, we wouldn’t just drink one glass and leave, so it was fine.
I could simply make sure to stop at the right time.
We clinked our glasses lightly and took a small sip of each other’s wine.
It wasn’t a lot—just a casual taste… that sort of thing?
It wasn’t a wild drinking party; just taking our time to enjoy was completely fine.
“How is it?”
“It tastes like a soft drink.”
“That’s just how wine is.”
“Well… at least I’m not planning to drink too much.”
“Glad to hear that.”
Really.
“Commander, you should try this too. It’s cheese…”
“…?”
“I hope you’d become my guinea pig.”
“…What?”
I handed the Commander a piece of cheese, saying that.
It wasn’t anything strange, just a regular cheese snack, but if it tasted bad… they wouldn’t eat it.
So, I thought I’d let the Commander have the first bite.
I doubted it would be a problem.
Probably?
“Hurry and eat it. You’re not someone who can’t eat this, right?”
“…Fine.”
Instead of taking it directly from my hand, the Commander took it with fingers.
Still, the aroma of the cheese seemed good; I was curious about the taste.
“What do you think?”
“…It tastes like cheese.”
“…Can’t you explain it a bit better?”
“Well… I just couldn’t quite feel the taste at first… I think I need another bite.”
“Ha…”
I couldn’t even deal with their nonsense.
The Commander suddenly started rambling, but still, I handed them another piece of cheese from the plate.
Even though the Commander talks uselessly, they are still my Commander…
As a Vice Commander, I should just bear with some of their silliness, right?
“How is it? Is it good?”
“It’s definitely different from the cheese in pizza and stuff. It has… a rich flavor?”
“Oh…”
Now I was getting eager.
Hearing the Commander say that, I decided to eat a piece of cheese from the plate right away.
Rich flavor, huh? That sounded promising.
“…Oh.”
“Is it good?”
“Surprisingly… it’s really good. I think I understand why you said it has a rich flavor.”
It truly seemed nice.
It wasn’t incredibly delicious or anything, but it was definitely a good taste to enjoy while sipping wine.
Paying this much for a piece of cheese felt a bit off, though.
But I decided to overlook that considering the atmosphere and the fact that it wasn’t the usual taste.
“By the way… stop saying weird things.”
“What do you mean?”
“What was that about being my guinea pig just now?”
“Oh… I meant I wanted you to be my test subject.”
“It’s not that I didn’t know the meaning of the words…”
What was that?
I trailed off mid-sentence.
Lately, it seemed like the Commander often stopped speaking mid-sentence, and I just rolled with it.
“Is there a problem with that?”
“Well… no… not really.”
“Hmm…? Are you hiding something from me? Why do you always stop talking?”
“Just let it be. Just drink your wine.”
“Uh… alright?”
The Commander said that while extending their wine glass, and we clinked glasses again.
I had something else I wanted to say, but since the Commander reached out their glass…?
By the way… maybe it was the dim lights and the nice atmosphere?
The already ridiculously handsome face of the Commander looked even better than usual.
“Commander.”
“What?”
“Do you wear makeup or something usually?”
“…What?”
“No… I’m not saying anything weird…”
Seeing the absurd expression on the Commander’s face made me start to make excuses unconsciously.
I was just saying they looked better because I kept looking at them.
“You just… look handsome, that’s all…?”
“…….”
“Plus, your eyelashes are long! I don’t know much about makeup, but I was just curious to ask.”
“I don’t.”
“That’s good. I was just asking out of curiosity.”
I truly just asked out of genuine interest.
Deciding to let it go, I continued.
“By the way, do I really need to go to the garden or the DVD room tomorrow?”
“Who are you going with, then? The highest-ranking person on the ship is you, Commander, and I’m next!”
“No, that’s not what I meant…”
“If you don’t want to go, just say so.”
If the Commander didn’t come, I would feel a bit disappointed, but it wasn’t a major issue.
Of course, it would be better if the Commander went along for the experience, but disappointment is part of life.
“…Ha.”
“Why are you sighing again?”
“…Fine. Let’s go together. I’m worried about sending you alone.”
“Really?”
They suddenly talked about being worried.
I was a little surprised but not overly shocked.
Worrying is something that colleagues or close friends can do for each other, after all, right?
“Um… thank you?”
“…Anyway, how about we go in the afternoon tomorrow? There’s no need to rush.”
“Sure.”
Personally, I wanted to fill my time quickly and lie down on a bed to rest, but…
Since the Commander suggested going tomorrow…?
My personal desire could step aside for a bit, and going as the Commander suggested would probably be the best choice.
The Commander liked resting in their room, and I had dragged them out today.
” *
“Hehe…”
“Remember to drink moderately.”
“Why are you saying that…? I’m not tipsy yet….”
My head felt a little, just a tad dizzy, but I was definitely not drunk.
Just a little tipsy, that’s all?
I wasn’t completely wasted and was able to think straight!
I was still walking normally without any help from the Commander!
Although I did stumble a bit here and there.
“More importantly, the time is awkward now. Let’s head to the DVD room quickly. Isn’t it close?”
“…Am I really going all the way there?”
“Anyway, there’s no curfew for getting back to the ship, so do we really need to rush in now?”
I didn’t get why the Commander was so eager to go back.
We still had time, and I didn’t want to return immediately…
I just wanted to hang out for a little longer with the Commander, walking around outside…
“Just a little longer… Please stay a bit more with me…”
I said as I lightly grabbed the Commander’s arm.
Can’t we just hang out a little more?
We’re only planning to watch a silly movie and come back, nothing strange.
It was still a lively time with plenty of people in the streets.
“Is that not okay…?”
“When you sigh like that, I start to worry…”
I was afraid the Commander would collapse from stress.
Of course, before collapsing, I should be taking care of them…
“If you have a headache, do let me know. I’ll find a way to give you a vacation…”
“I’m not having a headache… Just… don’t say such things.”
“Were my words unpleasant to you…?”
“No, it’s not that…”
“I’m sorry…”
I bowed my head apologetically.
Because my Commander didn’t like it, right…?
I thought we could go to the DVD room and watch a movie together…
“…Let’s go.”
“What…?”
“I said let’s go… Before I change my mind. Let’s hurry and see a movie and come back.”
“Oh…!”
That’s my Commander!
They kindly accepted my suggestion!
“Hehe…”
“Ha… Your innocence is almost too much to deal with…”
“What did you say?”
“Nothing at all.”
What was that?
Why do I keep stopping midway through what I want to say…?
I wasn’t sure what was going on, but the Commander said we would go to the DVD room!
It would definitely be fun!
Although I hadn’t been to one yet… I was sure it would be a blast.
After all, Dolores even texted me to say I should go with the Commander!
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