Chapter 43 : Glorious return!

“Maruya, are you okay?”

“Yes, yes…”

“My butt still hurts.”

“It wouldn’t be bruised, right?”

“‘Ucha, ucha… Huh? Commander?’

“What? It’s the Commander. Already back?”

At the moment I was rubbing my sore bottom, two women who had been cleaning with mops nearby ran toward the bald man, their footsteps making a sound, “tada-tada-tada.”

One of them was a pink-haired woman with a rather gentle impression.

The other was a woman with slightly sharp features and striking red eyes.

The pink-haired woman had her eyes closed. No, wait. Upon closer inspection, she was squinting.

Maybe she was sleepy from all the hard work, or maybe she just normally kept her eyes like that.

Is this the so-called “squinting character”?

I guess it wasn’t just a random nickname for someone with a mysterious vibe.

Seeing her in person, she definitely looked pretty suspicious.

“Long time… No, that’s not it. Commander, did you find Bada?”

“Of course, this commander doesn’t experience failure, you know.”

“Ah, I see… That’s right.”

The pink-haired woman looked around before shrugging her shoulders, glancing back at the bald man.

Although she didn’t say anything or even open her eyes, I could roughly guess what she wanted to say.

So this is what it feels like when someone curses you with their eyes. Interesting.

“Hmmm…”

The woman with red eyes was holding a mop in one hand and… was sipping something that looked like tomato juice? While cleaning.

“Today’s blood taste is really bad, Commander. Didn’t you say that freshness was important?”

“That’s just tomato juice.”

“How many times do I have to tell you that it’s not just tomato juice?”

“…Blood taste?”

Now that I think about it, the small print on the tomato juice pack said “Blood Pack.” What the heck is that? She’s not a vampire.

Now that I look more carefully, she’s even wearing a large container on her back.

I wonder if that’s heavy.

Thinking about it, I used to pour grape juice into a glass and pretend it was wine. Brings back old memories.

“I caught the sea, as I aimed for. It turned out to be a healthier reason than I expected. But what was the unhealthy reason?”

Lulu, who had briefly glanced at Bada with a pout, let out a small sigh and continued.

“I remember Bada was left alone here before. Do you remember what happened back then?”

“Ah, no… I don’t remember.”

Bada muttered softly, casting her eyes sideways. At that, the pink-haired woman, the red-eyed woman, and the bald man, as well as Lulu, all gave her a look that clearly said, “Of course, it makes sense.”

What in the world happened back then? I couldn’t help but tilt my head.

“When was that again… Ah, I’m pretty sure it was when Bada first joined this command.”

“Hmm, I do remember. We had a party to celebrate at that time.”

“Wait… wait a minute! That was a little… public…”

“Hmmm.”

The pink-haired woman, slowly reminiscing about the past, opened her eyes.

So, the squinting character opened her eyes.

Before she opened her eyes, she had a very gentle expression, somewhat similar to Lulu, so I didn’t think much of it, but when she opened her eyes, the atmosphere completely changed.

Her neatly organized eyelids revealed the dark eyes hidden beneath them.

“Eek…”

I don’t know if it was because of the contrast to her earlier gentle expression, but my body shuddered involuntarily.

It was scary. Really scary. How could someone’s eyes look like that? They were completely dead eyes.

The so-called vampire woman who had been standing beside the pink-haired woman also seemed startled and was now trembling inside the container she had been carrying.

…When did she get in there? She was so fast.

“You remembered.”

“Ugh!”

Realizing her slip of the tongue, Bada quickly covered her mouth. But it was already too late.

You can’t put spilled water back in, can you? Well, maybe if you squeeze it back into a towel, you can.

Anyway.

“Hiccup.”

“Right now, we have other guests besides Bada, so please keep it appropriate.”

“…Sorry. Didn’t see it.”

Lulu, unable to stand it, blocked the pink-haired woman’s way and sharply scolded her.

Only then did she seem to notice the surroundings and gave an awkward smile while looking back and forth at the duo, Commander and me, who were both looking at each other with dumbfounded faces, and then smiled awkwardly.

“Ah, seriously, Squad Leader! I told you to stop opening your eyes!”

“…You’re fast when it comes to running away, aren’t you?”

“Who do you think made me that way?!”

The red-eyed woman, who had been shaking in the container beside the pink-haired woman, now stood next to her, looking angry.

It was hard to believe that just a moment ago she had been trembling in the container. Now, she had her arms crossed and a stern expression, making me laugh involuntarily.

Talking about being cool with things like “I’m the boss” and “taste of blood”—she looked like a complete fool.

She went into the haunted house, saying it wasn’t scary, only to come out crying like a little child.

“…?”

“When Bada first joined this command, Commander, you handed her a card and told her to eat whatever she wanted.”

“Sending all three cat beast-kin at once was my biggest mistake.”

“Right. If someone had been there to stop the sea and the others, that disaster wouldn’t have happened.”

Instead of the pink-haired woman called ‘Squad Leader,’ Lulu continued explaining.

…What was that disaster supposed to be?

Honestly, I kind of expected it when I saw the three cat beastmen, but I still have to hear them out.

“Right! You told us to eat whatever we wanted…!”

“But I didn’t think you’d eat Churu until your stomach was about to burst.”

…It seems that incident was quite a trauma for her. The bald man gazed at Bada with the expression of an old man who had seen everything in life.

His expression was so realistic that, for a moment, I had the illusion that his dark circles had reached down to his cheeks. Even though he didn’t actually have dark circles.

Thanks to that, Bada, who was about to argue back, was left speechless, scratching her cheek slowly with cold sweat running down her face.

…If his dark circles are visible even when they don’t exist, just how much Churu did he eat?

“The one he ate back then was made with premium ingredients, so the commander had to struggle quite a bit to pay off the cost. Even now, thinking about it brings tears to my eyes.”

“W-Wait. I’m really sorry about that time! I truly regret it…!”

Anyway, compared to that incident, this one is nothing more than a drop in the ocean. And it’s not even for Bada’s personal gain…”

Lulu suddenly stopped talking and walked briskly behind me.

This feels… unsettling.

“Wait a second. Don’t tell me—”

“Yes, it’s exactly what you think it is.”

Ah, no…! Before I could even say anything, Lulu locked her arms under my armpits and lifted me high into the air.

“…Let me clarify. It wasn’t for Bada’s personal gain, but because she wanted to play with her friends.”

“Oh, I see. Then there’s nothing we can do about it.”

At Lulu’s words, both the pink-haired woman and the red-eyed woman nodded in understanding.

Wait, but was it really necessary to lift me up just to say that?

“Then, the disgraceful saying, ‘Entrusting Bada with a card is like entrusting a fish to a cat,’ will finally disappear, right?”

“Hmm, that depends on Bada.”

“No, it won’t.”

…There was a saying like that?

Bada must have had a tough life. Her dark past turned into a proverb—there’s no greater humiliation than that.

“Alright then. Since the misunderstanding is cleared up, I’ll be heading to my office now.”

“Wait a moment. Where do you think you’re going?”

“…Ah, hahaha, Lulu, this commander is very busy. So, if you could just let go of my hand…”

As the bald man tried to sneak away while glancing around nervously, Lulu swiftly put me down and grabbed his shoulder instead.

…I think I felt a breeze when she moved just now. She’s really fast.

“Where do you think you’re running off to? The commander isn’t going anywhere. At least not until he replenishes my blood pack.”

“Miss Vampire, cleaning comes first. Blood supply can wait.”

“But what about my tomato ju—no, my blood, which is running out in real-time?!”

The red-eyed woman shook a small, now-empty blood pack.

I remember it being completely full… She already finished it?

“That’s unfortunate. But it’s not like you’ll die from not drinking for a little while, right?”

“That’s not the point! This is the source of my motivation…!”

“…Fine. Never mind. Let’s just clean.”

Just by the pink-haired woman slightly opening her eyes, the red-eyed woman was immediately subdued.

…She looks so pitiful. She’s completely under control.

“Alright then. Guests, please follow me to the reception room. The commander and Bada will be staying behind to clean, so let’s move quickly.”

“Ugh.”

I want to play with Maru too…

“…Commander, I can hear you. And don’t worry, there’s not much cleaning left. Now, everyone else, this way.”

With Lulu’s command, the situation was quickly sorted out.

Despite their obvious reluctance, the bald man and Bada were dragged away by the pink-haired woman and the so-called “vampire” with red eyes.

“Everything is going according to plan.”

…Lulu’s voice sounded oddly cheerful. Her usually cool demeanor was softened by a small crescent-shaped smile.

Was she really that reluctant to clean…?