LIGHTNOVELSTORY “Not bad.”
“Then, that’s a relief.”
The movie the Commander and I watched together wasn’t that bad.
No, if anything, I could say it was quite good.
It wasn’t anything special, but it was a film that made me laugh and enjoy myself.
“The action scenes were better than I expected.”
“Well, it was a genre like that from the start. Isn’t it expected?”
“That’s true… But it was still better than my initial expectations.”
The story was just an ordinary action movie.
There were no superpowers, but the protagonist, with a gigantic body of 2m 20cm, was taking out criminals… Honestly, that seemed like a superpower in itself.
The protagonist’s punches that sent criminals flying were exhilarating to watch.
Even with a regular storyline, it provided enough enjoyment through that exhilarating thrill.
“By the way, the protagonist’s body was enormous.”
“That’s right. I didn’t expect him to be that big; he’s not even an agent.”
“Well, it must’ve been CGI.”
“I thought so too.”
After all, agents were all women, and a regular man couldn’t possibly have a body that size with all that muscle.
It was ridiculous how absurdly large he was.
I honestly wondered how a person could really get that big while watching the movie.
If that protagonist truly existed, he would have been twice my size.
Given that my height is just over 160cm.
“Well, I’m glad we watched the movie. I was a bit worried.”
“Why were you worried? You were the one suggesting to watch it, and I just went along with it. It shouldn’t have been that big of a deal.”
“Yeah, I know. It was just a worry that came up.”
“Why do you always think like that? When we usually play games in the room, you always make the game choices on your own anyway.”
I really didn’t get it.
You did whatever you wanted most of the time.
Now suddenly acting like this?
Well, I had gotten used to the fact that he wasn’t the smartest person, so I just let it slide.
If he were a smart and capable person, he wouldn’t have needed to rely on me for help.
Of course, it was my first time doing this job, but the lack of reason to ask for help was truly the case.
“More importantly, let’s get up now. We’ve seen all the credits and the cookies, right?”
“Yeah, let’s get up. So where are we going?”
“Hmm… Is there anywhere you want to go? We still have plenty of time.”
Now that the movie had truly ended, all that was left was a screen that showed nothing.
And the audience going out of the theater.
Just like them, we stood up from our seats and slowly went outside.
“Hmm… What do you want to do for lunch?”
“Since we left without eating, it wouldn’t hurt… Is there anything you want to eat?”
“Nothing.”
It was unavoidable that we had to go for lunch.
Honestly, I was a little hungry too since we had skipped lunchtime to watch the movie.
Of course, it wasn’t like we could keep watching movies without eating.
Although the Commander had eaten tanghulu before watching the film.
“So, how about meat?”
“…Isn’t that a bit much for lunch? I’m hungry, but that’s a bit excessive.”
“Is that so…? Then how about tonkatsu…?”
“Didn’t Soan make cutlets for breakfast last time?”
Why was he struggling so much to choose a menu?
It was genuinely ridiculous.
Honestly, it seemed like we were capable of having some fun outside, but menu selection was abysmal.
We had just enjoyed a great movie and stepped out, and suddenly it was all about grilling meat or eating tonkatsu.
“Then… how about pasta?”
“Hmm… well, that doesn’t sound bad.”
“Okay, then let’s go with that…”
“I believe there’s a place nearby. We can go there.”
Pasta wasn’t bad.
It was definitely better than the cup ramen the Commander usually ate in the room, and it tasted good too.
I hadn’t particularly enjoyed it before, but maybe it was because Soan, who worked at the restaurant, was excellent at cooking.
Recently, I found myself enjoying it quite a bit.
*
“Commander, how was your day off without work?”
“Very relaxing… for now.”
“That’s a relief.”
This was probably the first time he had a weekday off, so of course, it would feel relaxing.
Besides, he wouldn’t have another day off like this on a weekday in the future… so I guess he should enjoy it.
It had been two months since he had his first weekday off, but because of his role as Commander, this was a bit of an impulsive move.
Originally, he shouldn’t have taken a break like this.
He looked quite jealous when Midori mentioned her day off and clearly didn’t want to work, so he decided to do it.
“But starting tomorrow, you’ll have to work normally.”
“I know that. That’s why I’m enjoying this break.”
“I’m glad you know. Still, I might let you take a day off like this again occasionally.”
“Really?”
The Commander looked thrilled at my words.
It seemed like today’s fun was really enjoyable for him.
I thought I ought to let him take a weekday off every month or so.
“Yes, really. Of course, you’ll need to do well at work to get a day like today, but I’m here, right?”
“Looks like I have another reason to work harder.”
Lately, he had been working for quite a while, and his workload was increasing.
As a Commander, he couldn’t help but feel some exhaustion and boredom.
Of course, it looked like he was struggling when he started a new task, but…
He had adapted to being a Commander on the ship now.
I thought he might manage decently even if I were absent.
Of course, it would drop off significantly in terms of efficiency.
“By the way, why aren’t you wearing a skirt?”
“Yes?”
The Commander suddenly asked, looking at my lower half.
I didn’t understand why he was asking about skirts, but it felt a bit perverted.
“What kinda creepy nonsense is that?”
“No, I’m not saying anything weird. I’m genuinely curious. Don’t you always wear pants?”
“I don’t think it’s a problem.”
I didn’t know why he was asking suddenly, but it wasn’t a problem.
Wearing a skirt or pants wasn’t an issue at all.
In fact, given how ordinary I was with no exposure, shouldn’t I be considered the normal one?
Of course, it wasn’t the official uniform.
“I asked out of genuine curiosity. Usually, agents or female employees I met in my previous job wore skirts often…”
“……”
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Nothing.”
I glared at him for a moment.
He was suddenly going off on a tangent!
Of course it’s true that skirts are part of agents’ clothing.
If you ask if they are suitable for combat, I could honestly say no.
But claiming that the women I met at work wore skirts often was a bit much.
Because that was genuine manipulation!
“Did you ever meet those women outside of work?”
“Outside of work? Hmm… Does encountering them on the way home count?”
“…Yes, exactly.”
He really had a thick head about some things, diverging from his appearance.
Just from what he said, it was easy to feel that way.
“Well, I did invite them along on the way back since I was driving an autonomous car anyway.”
“Hah.”
“But then I remembered, the person always wearing pants at work suddenly wore a skirt on the way home.”
“……”
Is he really that dumb?
I genuinely wondered if the Commander had some problems.
Even I, who had never dated, could see that was a sign of attraction!
Clearly, it looked like they were going to spend time together with the excuse of heading home and then do those kinds of things.
“So what did you do?”
“What could I do? I dropped her off home and went straight home.”
“…Yeah, that’s enough.”
The Commander looked at me with confusion, but that was more than enough.
It was better than letting him realize the fact that he was attracting women.
If that kind of situation arose and he ended up messing around with the agents on the ship, it would definitely be a disastrous outcome.
There’s no denying that with agents like Soan, who could genuinely cause some trouble.
“Why did I ask that? No, more importantly, why aren’t you wearing a skirt?”
“Oh.”
Thinking back, the topic was originally about that.
My mind wandered off elsewhere for a moment, but it was a legitimate question.
A skirt.
The reason I didn’t wear a skirt wasn’t a hard question at all.
“I’m just a bit embarrassed.”
“…Were you aware that ’embarrassment’ was a feeling?”
“Of course! What kind of strange human do you think I am?”
“Not that way.”
What a strange thing to say all of a sudden.
Listening to the story about the female colleagues I mentioned earlier, I was sure he wasn’t a pervert, but I had absolutely no idea what he meant.
“Sigh… It’s just that there’s an official outfit, and I was curious why you were wearing only casual clothes instead. The official outfit is a skirt, isn’t it?”
“Ah… Well, while there is an official dress code, it’s not like I’ll get fined for not following it, right? So I just wear it.”
“…I see. Understood. Sorry for the strange question.”
“You don’t need to apologize. If I had a fixed outfit and was out wearing different clothes, I’d probably be a bit curious too.”
The Commander’s point was somewhat valid.
Honestly, I had to admit I wasn’t doing things right there.
It wasn’t like I would get fined for not wearing it, and skirts just feel awkward, so I can’t help it.
Besides, having been a guy for over 20 years, I would be resistant to suddenly being told to wear a skirt.
“Anyway, Commander, it’s definitely nice to be out and about like this today.”
“I’m glad to hear that… Well, I didn’t find it bad either.”
After boarding the autonomous vehicle to head back, I said that.
It was indeed my first time going out with the Commander like this, and the movie was enjoyable, and the pasta was delicious.
Moreover, wandering around the area was definitely more fun than work.
Next time, I thought it might be nice to not just play games in his room on a holiday but to go out and have fun instead.