A Total Mess

"Nice to meet you, Commander. I am Cerise, Vice-Commander of the Ska Mercenary Group."

"...Nice to meet you. My name is Venice."

"Please come in. There is a great deal of work to be done."

"Hmm."

I had offered my hand for a handshake first, yet Cerise ignored it as though she hadn't seen it at all and strode ahead. I followed her with an awkward expression on my face.

By the way... is that mana?

A blue aura swirled around Cerise's entire body, reminiscent of the "ki" ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a Super Saiyan might emit. It was utterly fascinating.

"Is that the new commander this time?"

"Kekeke. Looks like a pathetic bastard who's only good for his looks."

"Let's fleece him properly again~"

As I followed Cerise toward the base building, I overheard thugs leaning lazily in the training grounds spitting curses and accusations at me.

What the hell were those guys? Why were there gangsters hanging around here?

"Those ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠men are..."

Hey, Cerise! Aren't you going to throw those thugs out? ...That was what I wanted to say, but only a short sound slipped from my mouth.

"....Tsk."

Cerise shot them a brief glance filled with something like resentment before turning away.

What was going on? Don't tell me those gangsters were actually members of the mercenary group? For real?

Talent Insight.

Wow! Using my unique ability, Talent Insight, to examine those thug-like mercenary members revealed utterly horrific talents! How could every single one of them lack any ability whatsoever?

Talent Insight.

I checked the ones watching from behind as well, not just the ones in front, but there was no real difference. They were all at the level of random extras you'd pass on the street.

Maybe I should check Cerise too?

Their miserable states were so awful it felt like my eyes were rotting. Just in case, I turned my gaze toward Cerise as well.

"......Huh?"

The unique abilities kept updating endlessly, each description overflowing with the highest praise. And her potential was six stars out of a possible five... This woman was someone who could become a hero representing an entire age?

I stared at Cerise's back in a daze. For someone destined to become a legend, her shoulders looked rather narrow and fragile.

...Tsk. This is pretty tempting.

I am an extreme efficiency gamer. No matter what game I played, I always poured my affection into units with good performance. That was how I stayed at the top of the leaderboards.

And now, something like this—with stats that made my mouth water—was right in front of me?

I couldn't pass this up!

"Please come in."

"...Understood."

I followed the clearly exhausted-looking Cerise inside the base. The interior was so terrible it defied any positive description. The wooden floors were completely rotted, leaving almost no safe place to step. The lobby wasn't just uncleaned—it was a dust-filled disaster. As a bonus, the person who appeared to be the caretaker was slumped over a desk, snoring loudly.

...Wow. This place is a complete disaster. I'll have to tear everything down and start from scratch.

In truth, I'd already suspected as much after seeing the cracked outer walls and plants growing through them before entering. As expected, my suspicions had been correct. They usually were.

"If you wish to mock me, then go ahead and mock."

When I gazed around the base interior with open curiosity, Cerise spoke sharply, her voice laced with clear disgust.

"...Mock you? What are you talking about?"

"Ha. Never mind."

Cerise simply stared at me with dead eyes, as if she had already given up on everything. But... why was she telling me to mock her? This was something that should make one angry, not laugh.

"This isn't something to laugh at. This is something to be furious about."

"........?"

"I'll have to overhaul everything from the first thing to the last."

Cerise's face first showed confusion, as if she'd misheard, but then her expression darkened again. She silently climbed the stairs. Even the stairs had holes in them. If you stepped wrong, you'd be bedridden for weeks.

"This is the office where you will be working."

Following Cerise, I arrived at the office that would become my workspace. Its condition... I won't bother describing it. I looked around the room briefly before settling into the worn wooden chair and speaking.

"Understood, Vice-Commander Cerise. I look forward to working with you."

"....Yes. Then I will take my leave."

I really hope you mean that. Goddammit...

As Cerise left the room, she muttered a small curse. She probably thought I wouldn't hear it, but my superior body allowed me to catch even that tiny sound.

"Whew... There's more than one or two things that need changing."

Now that I was alone with no one watching, my usual way of speaking returned. Overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the task, I quietly looked around the office again. How long would it take to clean all this?

"First, I'll organize the office. Then I'll slowly figure things out."

I had reached the top ranks in simulation games and management games before. This much was nothing. I felt confident.

Alright. This could be fun. Let's do this properly!

"I really hope you mean that. Goddammit..."

Cerise ground her teeth as she left the office. Hair the color of a rare night sky and eyes that seemed to hold blood within them. Her body was packed with solid muscle, and her appearance was certainly pleasing to the eye, but.

Fuck, who cares about that right now?

...Damn it. This really is the last chance...

"Father. What... what am I supposed to do?"

The final request her father had made before his death: to entrust her with the Ska Mercenary Group. Because it was her beloved and always-respected father's last will and final request, Cerise had done her absolute best.

The mere thought of restoring the glory that once commanded the entire empire and protecting her father's honor had filled her with excitement.

Father! I will definitely succeed! Please watch over me from heaven!

Cerise had smiled as she imagined the future where she served the new commander she would soon meet, doing her utmost as vice-commander!

"Kehehe... So you're the vice-commander? Come here for a moment... kekeke."

"....Ah."

At least until a drunkard who looked like he'd crawled out of some back alley took over the commander's office.

Naturally, the management of the mercenary group became a complete disaster. He spent ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠all day drinking and causing drunken scenes. How could anything function properly?

"Commander, in my opinion..."

Still, for the grand goal of reviving the Ska Mercenary Group, Cerise endured even the disgusting stench of the drunkard and offered her advice.

"What are you babbling about! Just shut up and do what I tell you! You're the vice-commander, and I'm the commander!"

"But..."

"I said shut up!"

Crash!

He didn't even pretend to listen to her advice. Instead, he threw the drinking glass he was holding. A shard grazed her cheek, and she felt a slight trickle of blood.

"Ah."

We're fucked.

That was what Cerise thought just three days after the second commander of the Ska Mercenary Group took office.

Fortunately, that second commander was arrested and thrown in jail after threatening and injuring a store clerk while trying to steal alcohol from a nearby shop.

"Right! It's possible for one weirdo to show up! From now on, we'll do better!"

That was what Cerise told herself while preparing for the third commander's inauguration.

Well. That kind of person was rare. She just had to work hard with the third commander to overcome it all!

"Commander! You just need to give a speech from the podium!"

"Ah... yes. Well..."

The third commander's somehow listless demeanor gave Cerise a vague sense of unease, but she didn't think much of it.

"Ahem. Yes... well. I am the third commander. Let's all just take it easy. That's all."

".....Eh?"

Shockingly, the third commander gave not a single order or mission from the moment he took office until the day he retired. In fact, he didn't even properly retire—he simply vanished one day, saying he couldn't be bothered anymore.

By this point, Cerise had half lost her mind. The once-brilliant Ska Mercenary Group that had commanded the entire empire was gone. All that remained was a gathering of trash.

The original members who had protected the Ska Mercenary Group's legacy began leaving one by one, unable to bear the sight of a group with no answers and no future.

The fourth commander.

"You're kind of pretty. Want to date me?"

"...........Ha. Goddammit..."

The fifth commander.

"Just trust me! I'll take care of everything!"

The fifth commander who spoke with such confidence actually seemed to work hard at first. Some income started coming in, and the base stabilized. Seeing the Ska Mercenary Group finally making progress, Cerise had let herself relax a little.

Finally. Yes... from now on, it'll be okay. So...!

At least until the day he stole every last coin they had saved and ran away.

"Ha.... Hahahahaha!!"

Staring at the empty vault and the devastated base, Cerise had gone mad.

"Kuk... Kukuku... Fuck... fuck fuck fuck fuuuck...!!"

She laughed for a long time, then began spitting curses like a madwoman.

"You fucking piece of shit world...! What the hell did I do wrong to deserve this, you son of a biiitch!!"

She poured out all her hatred toward the world. Passersby avoided her as if looking at a crazy person.

...When did I start swearing so much? I definitely wasn't like this before... Fuck it. Who cares anymore.

Time passed like that, and the inauguration of the sixth commander took place. She had sold everything in the base that could be turned into money, grasping at straws as she brought in this new commander.

"This doesn't seem like something to laugh at. Getting angry would make more sense."

"...Huh?"

The sixth commander was somehow a mysterious person. He seemed to possess charisma, and he carried an overwhelming sense of presence.

Ha. Does that even matter? If this fails too... then everything really ends.

"If this commander is another pathetic bastard, let's just set the place on fire and die together. Yeah."

Cerise furrowed her brows again—brows that would never smooth out—and began walking toward the training grounds. Toward that place filled with things lower than bugs, nothing but trash.