After that, I flirted with Mimi a little more before moving to the rest area together. We didnât do anything that would require a shower. It was perfectly wholesome. Got it?
ăOh, welcome back. Did you have a nice, intimate time?ă
As soon as we entered the rest area, Neve greeted us with a grin. Despite being inside a mobile pod, she seemed to enjoy being able to move around freely and often roamedâ or rather, took walksâ around the ship. We just ran into her just as she was taking a breather in the rest area, it seems.
ăWe werenât being intimate. Also, where did you even learn that phrase⊠I guess you had no shortage of sources, huh.ă
ăExactly. Soldiers are all pretty vulgar, after all.ă
When I tapped lightly on Neveâs mobile pod with my fingertip as a warning, she gave a sarcastic smile inside the pod and shrugged her shoulders.
ăYouâre too influenced by my appearance, Captain. I may look like this, but Iâm a 24-year-old adult woman, you know?ă
ăâŠIâll do my best to adjust my perception.ă
I understand it in my head, but when I look at Neveâs appearance⊠Her height isnât much different from Tina and Wiska, but her body is so thin. Really slender. Thin and delicate.
ăIf you stare at me that much, even Iâll get embarrassed⊠So, could you wait just a little longer? Iâll ask the doctor to hurry and make me capable of handling such activities.ă
ăI wasnât looking at you like that. Well, thereâs no need to rush, just make sure to follow Dr. Shoukoâs instructions closely. Youâre in good hands with herâsheâs a specialist, after all.ă
ăAye aye, Captain. So, you did end up getting cozy, didnât you?ă
ăI told you we didnât! You really like these topics, donât you? Are you that interested, you pervy brat?ă
I tapped on the glass of Neveâs mobile pod again, but this time, her response was surprisingly serious, both in tone and expression.
ăOf course Iâm curious. Until now, I couldnât even move my body freely. I thought Iâd just die without experiencing anything a normal human would. But now that I have a chance at a healthy body, of course Iâm interested. Isnât that natural? Despite how I look, Iâm a 24-year-old woman whose body is recovering its normal functions.ă
ăWell⊠yeah, thatâs true.ă
ăPlus, Iâve recently started being able to eat some flavored liquid foods. Sweetness is an amazing thing, Captain. Even when my stomach is full, I want to keep eating.ă
For some reason, listening to Neve makes me feel a bit sad. The sweet liquid food she is talking about is probably just a basic nutritional paste from a food cartridge with minimal processing and simple flavoring. It provides all the necessary nutrients, but itâs far from what anyone would call delicious.
ăWhen your body is in better shape and you can eat regular food, letâs have some really good meals together, okay? Right, Mimi?ă
ăYes! Iâll prepare lots of delicious things that Neve-chan will love!ă
Mimi, who had been quietly watching the exchange between Neve and me, clenched her fist with enthusiasm. When Mimi gets excited like this, she tends to come up with dishes like âalien creatures that look like they might attach themselves to your face and parasitize you (with a mild, creamy flavor)â Iâm getting a bit worried⊠well, if it comes to that, Iâll step in and help. Iâve gotten pretty used to the bizarre delicacies Mimi prepares. Surprisingly, they often taste pretty good⊠though there are some spectacular misses from time to time.
ââ â
After seeing Neve off as she went for another walk, I settled down in the rest area and started the procedure to contact Chris. I linked my small data terminal to the large holo-display in the rest area and sent a communication request to Chrisâs personal address through the terminal.
ăIâve been waiting for you, Hiro-sama!ă
Suddenly, her face filled the screen in an extreme close-up. The large holo-display magnified the impact, making Chrisâs beautiful face and blooming smile dominate my entire field of vision.
ăOh, uh⊠sorry for keeping you waiting. I was a bit worn out and had to take a break.ă
ăYou met with the people from Holz House, didnât you? In that case, itâs understandable.ă
Chrisâs face, which had been displayed in an overwhelming close-up, smoothly zoomed out. It seems Mimi subtly adjusted it. The holo-display allows for quite a bit of freedom in projection positioning, after all.
ăLetâs get straight to the point. You mentioned wanting to come along with us to the Dexer System, right?ă
ăYes! Since itâs a great opportunity, I was hoping we could join you. My ship is currently docked at the Grakkius Secundus Colony, but itâs a small craft, so could we bring it aboard the Black Lotus?ă
ăThereâs one hangar free for a small ship, so taking it aboard shouldnât be a problem. However, it wonât be free, and weâll need to go through the mercenary guildâă
ăNo need to worry about that! Iâll make all the necessary arrangements without any issues!ă
Once again, Chris gave me a full, beaming smile that almost felt overwhelming. Something feels strange here. We arenât meeting face-to-face so I canât use my psionic abilities to sense her thoughts, but something is strange, I canât shake the feeling that Chris is up to something.
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ăIf youâre saying that much, Chris, I trust you. I know you wouldnât do anything that would make me sad or uncomfortable. So, Iâll leave everything to you.ă
ăâŠO-Of course. You can count on me.ă
It might be my imagination, but I noticed a slight bead of sweat on Chrisâs face after I expressed my complete trust in her. Is she planning something after all? Well, knowing Chris, I doubt sheâd do anything that would truly bother me, even if she is indeed planning something.
ăAs long as youâre handling the contract side of things smoothly, there shouldnât be any practical issues. The Black Lotus has enough empty rooms, too. You mentioned you had two companions with you?ă
ăYes, Edeltrud, whom I introduced to you before, and Guterune, whoâs waiting aboard our ship at the Grakkius Secundus Colony.ă
ăGuterune-san, huh? Is she also a female knight?ă
ăYes, sheâs my bodyguard.ă
That makes sense. When an unmarried noblewoman travels with a ship, it wouldnât be appropriate to have a male knight onboard as her bodyguard.
ăSo, weâre transporting a small ship and three personnel, two of them bodyguards. Mimi, can you work with Chris and Mei to handle the paperwork? Also, check if thereâs anything else we need to do in the Imperial City. If everythingâs clear, weâll depart as early as tomorrow.ă
If we dawdle too long, that Fucking Emperor or the Imperial Princess might try something again. I wouldnât be surprised if those two came up with something like, âOh, youâre heading to the Holy Vuelzarus Empire, right? Why donât you take Princess Luciada along as a diplomatic envoy? Gahaha!â They might come up with something even worse too. Just thinking about it makes me feel like I might cough up blood. Thereâs no way Iâm letting that kind of trouble land on us.
ăIâm going to check with Tina and the others to see if weâre ready for launch. Chris, besides dealing with the mercenary guild, make sure to get everything ready to leave your accommodations. Oh, and I guess Iâll give Serena a heads-up, as well.ă
If we leave the Imperial Capital without telling her, she will probably sulk later.