Commander, a Limited-Time Event? (1)
Life after returning to Firma settled back into the usual rhythm. There were the occasional minor incidents—a call from Vice President Erhild, for one—but fortunately those were purely personal, with not a word of business in them. I wasn't sure why she kept reaching out, but gaining a connection on the outside was a plus for me. And I got to hear about what was going on inside Berta while I was at it.
Aside from that, things were mostly uneventful. I signed off on the backlog of paperwork, allocated the travel budget for the recent business trip, and skimmed through to see if anyone had caused any trouble. I pulled Rielly into a hug when she seemed quietly lonely, entertained Lucy whenever she came bursting into my office complaining she was bored, and sat through a thorough checkup with Cardia to make sure the incident during the trip hadn't left any lingering effects. And, of course, I was scouting candidates for the next Adjutant.
"It's not fair! I worked my ass off doing everything I was told, and this is what I get?!"
"...What's not fair about it?"
"The term! Extend my Adjutant term!!!"
...Calia had thrown a tantrum over the most ridiculous reason—that she'd lost three days, or something to that effect. If it had been a kid who hadn't finished growing up, maybe I could have let it slide. But watching a full-grown adult carry on like that left a sour taste in my mouth. And why would she even want her Adjutant term extended? If she was occupying the Adjutant seat, what happened to the Information Department? She was the head of it. Why is she doing this to me...
"Hah."
I let out a long sigh and picked up a fresh document. Going by the dates, I hadn't been away that long, but the pile of paperwork was considerable. I'd planned to start on it the day I got back, knowing this would happen—but a certain someone had knocked me out cold, and everything had piled up from there. ...Calia... you again? She'd done it because she was worried about me, so I didn't want to complain. Still, I might hold a tiny grudge this time.
"...Huh? What's that?"
Just then, a document off to my right caught my eye. It was sitting on the approved pile, but it had been set apart from the rest so it would stand out, which only made it more conspicuous. I had a mountain of work that needed handling right now. Even so, a strange feeling came over me. As if something had taken hold of me, I pulled it forward and scanned the contents...
"A Halloween... event proposal?"
...What the hell is this now.
If I didn't know, I might as well ask the person who'd pushed it through.
"Oh, you saw it?"
But her reaction was... kind of off. Oh, you saw it? The way she said it, it sounded like she'd been trying to hide the thing and just got caught. Were they doing something shady behind my back?
"...Am I not supposed to look?"
"Ahaha, of course not. I was going to show you anyway, you know?"
I glared at her with eyes full of suspicion, but Calia just laughed it off with a sheepish grin. ...I guess you need that kind of silver tongue to be Head of Intelligence. Her way with words was no joke. It was infuriating. Utterly infuriating.
"What? Commander, you sulking?"
"No. I was just curious."
"I see~ Our Commander got all sulky because we didn't tell her in advance, huh~."
"I am not sulking...!"
Then, as if trying to change the subject, she completely ignored my protest and pulled me into a tight hug. Oh, come on, would you listen to me...! And stop hugging me at the drop of a hat...! Just because you hug me with that sly look on your face doesn't mean everything's resolved...!
...
Well.
I mean... it might have resolved things a little.
"So, what do you think? I figured it was a good idea, so I approved it."
"Hmm... I don't know."
I managed to lift my head from where it had been buried in her ample chest and thought it over calmly. If it really came down to it, I could just step in and shut the whole thing down. After all, the one who'd approved it wasn't me—it was Calia, acting in her capacity as Acting Commander. ...But quite a bit of time has already passed. I didn't know for sure, but a good portion of the proposal had probably already been put into motion. The event was the day after tomorrow. At the very least, more than half of it would already be done. And I was going to... scrap it? Really? It was an event. From the girls' perspective, they were probably having fun preparing for it. It wasn't like they were doing it just for themselves. Did I really need to rain on their parade like that...?
"...I guess it should be fine."
"Huh? Really?"
Besides, it was about time we lightened the mood around here. The internal problems that had cropped up while the Commander was away had, thanks to my return, been more or less sorted out. Just a few weeks ago, the company's operations had been creaking at every joint. Now things were running smoothly enough that I could even go on a business trip. On top of that, external threats were practically nonexistent. If there was ever a time to take a breather, it was now. Back in the old days, they'd throw a victory banquet after winning a war, right? Those weren't held for nothing. They did wonders for morale. What we were doing was a little different in flavor, but the big picture was the same.
"Alright, fine. Do whatever you want."
My not-so-long deliberation came to an end, and I nodded my permission. It wasn't like I needed to get involved. If they wanted to have fun among themselves, there was no reason for me to interfere. And I could rest a little myself while I was at it. I'd done nothing but work since possessing this body. I deserved this much of a reward, didn't I?
"Really? You mean it?"
"...I'll be reviewing the entire proposal, so don't cross any lines."
...A sliver of unease lingered in a corner of my heart. Well, it should be fine... right?
That night, Calia held a secret rendezvous with someone who had slipped quietly into her room.
"...She approved it?"
"How many times do I have to say it. You still don't believe me?"
That someone was none other than Rielly. Her tone still wasn't exactly warm, but the hostility of the past had long since been discarded. It was a far cry from last time, when she'd come to arrest a voyeur targeting her superior only to get talked into joining in. At any rate, the conversation between the Head of Intelligence and the Head of Security—two of Firma's highest-ranking officers—was, to put it bluntly, not particularly productive.
"What did I tell you? I said it'd be different this time."
"...You seem to have forgotten, but the previous Commander also permitted events of this sort from time to time."
"I know. She just never joined in because she found it too much of a hassle."
...No, even calling it a conversation was generous. It was a conversation in name only. In truth, it was a conspiracy to pull something during the upcoming event. Calia was trying to convince a skeptical Rielly that this time, the vibe itself was different. Even so, the doubts Rielly harbored didn't seem to have vanished. Still, the conversation continued.
"The outfit? You prepared it, right?"
"...I brought it, as it happens. Would you like to see?"
"Tsk. Stuff like this is better saved for later... but go on, show me."
At Calia's remark, delivered as if she were savoring the thought, Rielly opened the black bag sitting beside her. It was a bag of simple design, reminiscent of a briefcase. But the contents inside were... anything but simple.
"Wooow."
"Do you have a complaint?"
"No, no. That's not it."
The moment she peeked inside, Calia let out a cheer that was practically a rave review. Rielly reflexively scolded her for it, but the damage didn't land. The outfit Rielly had personally selected and packed into the bag had stolen every last bit of Calia's attention.
"You really do have some bold taste, huh."
"...I'll take that as a compliment."
"Yeah, yeah. Oh, and I'm not being sarcastic—I mean it."
"I'm sure you do."
"Ah... seriously, I go out of my way to compliment you..."
Whether it was because Rielly had been needling Calia the entire time, the two of them eventually started bickering. Though in Rielly's case, she was just embarrassed that she'd picked out such a daring outfit, even as she pretended otherwise. And Calia had a pretty good idea of that, but the constant sniping had gotten her a little heated. ...And yet, worried the clothes might get damaged, both of them carefully closed the wide-open bag without either of them needing to say a word.
Click.
...A brief silence followed the sound of the bag closing.
"...Do you think you can do it?"
"I have to."
The brief exchange between them carried a sense of resolve—and even a hint of grim determination.
"I swear on my honor. I will make this succeed."
"...Didn't you say at first that we'd try, and if it didn't work, we'd just drop it...?"
"How am I supposed to drop it after seeing this? I'd rather die than give up."
"Well. That's fair."
Having found themselves in rare agreement, the two of them chuckled at the same time. They clashed over work at every turn, so discovering common ground in a place like this had caught them both off guard. ...For the record, the only times the two of them had ever agreed on anything involved a single person.
"...I'm looking forward to this."
"...For once, I agree."
Well... whatever the reason. They had formed, however temporarily, the tightest alliance in the world. Their motives were a little impure, but so what?
"Ah. The Commander's about to take a bath."
And even then, they didn't forget their... duties. This was good news for Firma...
And bad news for the Commander.
"S-so... you're saying..."
This was my mistake.
"You're telling me that for the event, everyone's going to be in costume, so..."
Event or not, I should have stopped this somehow. No—them doing it was fine. I should have driven a stake into the ground and declared that I, at least, was absolutely not participating.
"I have to... wear one too...?"
If I had, I wouldn't be in this situation. If it had been ordinary women's clothing, I could have at least understood. But this? I have to wear this? Why?
"...This?"
Well, of course I'd react that way. Because what Rielly and Calia had brought over, telling me to try it on, was...
"Are you serious...?"
An utterly shameless bikini with barely any fabric to its name.