029. Massage (2)
029. Massage (2)
※ This chapter contains sexually suggestive illustrations. Please be advised before reading.
8 PM.
Laika returned to her personal room.
At least, her body did.
It felt as though her mind were still back at the Manufactory.
Her mind remained there, still hesitating.
What should I do?
Should I get a core replacement from the Commander?
Should I receive Phase Resonance Therapy from the Commander?
Thinking about it rationally, of course she should accept it.
It wasn't only because she desperately wanted to carry Seo Se-rin's weapon while going to recover her remains.
That desire was burning fiercely too, but there was another reason.
Ice Shell was a danger zone her former self had failed to conquer.
Especially if she encountered the Frost Phantom that had overwhelmed her again... Honestly, with only a standard-issue shield that had no skills, Laika wasn't confident she could win.
No—forget winning. She wasn't even sure she could properly protect the Commander.
In that kind of situation, an A-rank weapon and a new core would be a huge help.
Maybe, even if she faced the Frost Phantom again, she wouldn't have to run away helplessly like before.
So.
If she focused only on the mission and looked at it calmly, there was no real choice.
Besides.
If she was being honest.
"......I don't hate it, either."
After checking once more that no one else was around, Laika muttered.
True to her word, she didn't hate it.
The idea of receiving a naked massage from the Commander.
She herself didn't know why.
Had she always been some strange girl who liked being massaged naked? Of course not.
If she imagined showing another man her naked body and letting him touch her, she hated the idea with every fiber of her being.
If it were a situation where she had to receive it from a man who wasn't the Commander...... she would rather give up the mission entirely and accept disposal.
But when she thought about it being the Commander, the story changed completely.
Because the Commander's lap was firm and comfortable to sit or lie on.
Because the woody scent that filled her nose whenever she pressed close was comforting.
And because the hand that sometimes stroked her head was pleasantly rough, and whenever something was difficult, he always tried to help...
He had even spent the entire night searching until he found out about the gift she'd thought she would never learn of.
He didn't give up on this Laika.
During today's date, he showed her so many fun things, delicious things, and pretty things.
More than anything else.
Truly more than anything else.
He possessed a past exactly like her own.
The one person who understood how she'd spent her life hiding away and running from things.
When she imagined revealing her bare, unaltered body to that person who understood her and being touched by him, she didn't dislike it at all.
......More than that, she even felt her heart fluttering a little.
She was even glad that she'd been given a chance to grow closer to the Commander this way.
So Laika's heart wasn't the problem.
The real problem was.
How the Commander would see a girl like her.
Laika and the Commander weren't exactly dating or anything.
Laika, who was 'nothing' to him in that sense, would let the Commander see her naked purely for work-related reasons.
She would allow it, opening up her body to be seen and touched.
Would the Commander be disillusioned by that fact?
Would he be disgusted, thinking, 'So you were just this kind of girl?'
Would he look down on her and think, 'Were you the kind of girl who'd strip for anyone whenever circumstances called for it?'
Laika was afraid of that.
No, it was more than fear.
Just thinking about it made her feel like her heart was being ripped out and thrown into the darkness.
So if it meant being hated by the Commander, if it meant being seen as an easy, loose girl, she would rather die.
So... what should I do?
What should I really do?
Should I just tell him honestly? That it's okay because it's him.
That I... like the Commander.
...No. That's not it.
First of all, Laika still wasn't quite sure if her own feelings could even be called 'liking him as a man'.
Even if those were her feelings, Laika didn't have the courage to reveal them.
And even if, by some chance, she squeezed out that courage...... didn't the Commander already have Sion?
"...Sion..."
She had to be dating the Commander.
She had to be. Sion was his mother-like childhood friend and had been his partner biodroid for three years at the Academy.
On top of that, the Commander was open-minded about relationships with biodroids.
It would practically be a crime if they weren't dating.
What dealt the finishing blow to that guess was the story the Commander had told her a little while ago.
—I've done it once with Sion, too.
The Commander had said he gave Phase Resonance Therapy, which is to say, a naked massage, to Sion.
There was no way he would have done such a thing if they weren't dating.
So, as expected, there was no room for Laika to come between them.
......Laika didn't really mind being second, though.
...More than that, she had no confidence she could ever be a woman worthy of being the Commander's first, so if anything, she'd rather be second.
...And anyway, an upright person like the Commander surely wouldn't want her butting in.
"Uwaaaaa......."
More importantly, why was she focusing on this pointless tangent?
What mattered right now was how to make Phase Resonance Therapy happen without making the Commander hate her.
After her thoughts wandered to Sion, she'd done nothing but burn with jealousy toward her.
She really was the worst kind of woman.
She was troublesome, emotionally messed up, and a bottom-tier washout who only caused trouble for others.
......Even if she was like this, the Commander still patted her head, though.
How many times had she gone around in circles at the edge of the problem without ever reaching an answer?
—Tok-tok.
Suddenly, the sound of knocking resonated against the wall.
Who could it be? Laika, sprawled on the bed, wondered for only a moment.
—Laika. It's me.
Ah, it's the Commander.
It was the Commander, and the Commander was always welcome, so she should go open the door right away.
She dashed over out of habit and turned the doorknob... then froze.
"......Euheot?!"
Wasn't now a strange time for him to just drop by like this?
But by the time she realized it, it was already too late.
The doorknob had already turned.
Thinking he'd been given permission, the Commander simply opened the door.
The Commander's face appeared through the half-open doorway.
That characteristic scent reminiscent of trees.
Laika relaxed without meaning to, but she tried not to let it show as she asked.
"Wha, what is it......."
At her words, the Commander held out the envelope he was holding.
What was inside...... Laika's gym clothes.
Ah—then Laika realized she was still wearing the dress she'd bought on the date.
And she'd put the gym clothes she'd taken off into a shopping bag, which the Commander had carried for her on the way back.
And that, in the confusion, she hadn't gotten it back.
The moment she put it all together, the Commander spoke a little sheepishly.
"Sorry for dropping by at this hour. But you don't have many other clothes, right? And you have a mission tomorrow, so... I was worried sleeping in an uncomfortable dress might leave you in bad shape."
"Ah, yeah....... Th, thanks."
Laika hurriedly took the envelope.
She took it, but.
But the Commander didn't turn to leave.
Laika herself didn't close the door either.
Neither of them spoke.
The only sound audible was the faint vibration of the aquarium filter running.
What they were hesitating about, they both knew.
Knowing exactly what they were hesitating over was why neither of them could easily speak.
So.
So here, Laika had no choice but to muster her courage
and bring things to a proper conclusion.
"Hey."
Having resolved that, Laika asked.
"Commander...... you're dating Sion, right?"
A question out of context.
The Commander was naturally bewildered.
"......What?"
Laika didn't lose her momentum there.
Instead, she grew even bolder and began speaking with a decisiveness that surprised even her.
Wasn't the Commander dating Sion?
Since they were dating, touching Laika's naked body would probably be an unpleasant experience from the Commander's standpoint too.
And it would also be disrespectful to Sion, who had helped the Commander grow into the person he was.
Even if they couldn't meet right now, lovers were lovers.
The only naked body he had any right to touch was Sion's.
So.
"......I won't get the core replacement. Without doing it, I'll do my best on tomorrow's mission...... and I'll definitely prove it."
At least for now, the fact that she was the most useful biodroid to the Commander.
The fact that her current self could protect the Commander.
She would prove it all, no matter what.
"...Uh."
Unlike Laika, who was boldly declaring her ambition, the Commander was still dumbfounded.
But that was only for a moment.
The Commander smiled with satisfaction and stroked Laika's head.
Then, with a voice as pleasant as that smile and gesture, he spoke.
"Alright. Work hard. I'll do my best too."
"Yeah......!"
Laika answered with all her might and tried to close the door.
And just as she was about to close it, the Commander casually added something as though he didn't particularly care whether she heard.
"Ah, but Sion and I aren't dating."
I see. They're not dating.
Anyway, goodnight, Commander——
......Huh?
"Wha, whaat?"
Beolkeok. Laika yanked the door back open.
The Commander was startled, but Laika standing in front of him was far more shocked than he was.
So the Commander blinked at her and answered blankly.
"We're not dating. Sion and me."
"R-Really...?"
"For real."
The Commander answered bluntly, still looking as if he had no idea why Laika was reacting this way.
Laika, for her part, still couldn't grasp what was going on.
"Bu, but still......!"
Laika objected.
"But you said she was your mother-like childhood friend and your partner biodroid...! I-Isn't it only natural that you'd be dating her...?"
"Nothing in the world is a given."
"We, well, even sooo...... Even so, there's what's common......."
Laika kept protesting despite having no real argument left.
The Commander spoke to her casually.
"With her, it was more like... I always saw her as something beyond a romantic interest."
There was no hint of a lie in the Commander's voice or expression.
No, there was probably no reason for him to lie in the first place.
The Commander truly wasn't dating Sion.
Even though he wasn't dating Sion, he had just used Phase Resonance Therapy simply because the situation turned out that way.
And even after that, far from coming to dislike Sion... he still cared about her and was still searching for her.
Which meant.
Which meant——
"I'll do it."
"Hm?"
The Commander, not catching what she meant.
Laika clung to his sleeve so he couldn't leave and pleaded.
"D-Do it to Laika too...... naked massage......!"
***
With Sumire's help, Laika safely had her core replaced.
The result was exactly as expected.
Her Strength stat rose to B+.
At the same time, a Status Abnormality occurred.
[Status Abnormality]
- Phase Maladaptation Syndrome (NEW!)
The body's immune system is causing a hypersensitivity reaction to the suddenly changed internal phase. All ability scores drop by two ranks.
So.
Now there was no other way.
There was no choice but to go forward.
Truly, there was only that method, but.
"Are you really okay?"
Si-hu asked.
It was not a meaningful question at this point. As mentioned, now that Phase Maladaptation Syndrome had set in, they had no choice but to perform Phase Resonance Therapy.
Not that he hadn't known it would come to this.
If anything, Laika had brought this situation on herself. A little while earlier, she'd pestered the Commander, insisting she absolutely wanted the replacement. If he didn't let her do it, she'd burst into tears. She wouldn't be able to perform properly on tomorrow's mission either.
Laika had been the one making unreasonable demands and acting spoiled.
The result was this.
Nevertheless, as her Commander and as a man, Si-hu felt responsible.
That sense of responsibility was why he was still asking for Laika's opinion one last time, even if only as a formality.
"You really won't regret it?"
At that question, Laika, who was sitting on the Commander's bed, carefully nodded her head.
"......Yeah."
Her voice was barely audible.
A face flushed red.
And her breathing was slightly excited, almost restless.
Her freshly showered white skin was soft and dry, with a faint pink flush.
With nothing but a shower towel draped over that skin, Laika spoke.
"Please, take good care of me....... Commander......."