Mob No. 92: “I’m not taking on any jobs for a while, so it’s all good. You might think it’s strange for a mercenary to say this, but [combat] and [extermination] missions are exhausting. You feel the same way, don’t you?”
The day I returned to Planet Ytts.
After having a small celebration with Gonzalez, I went straight home.
Work is always tiring, but especially so when it involves [combat]—noble disputes, dealing with foreign forces, or suppressing rebels. Naturally, I fell asleep as soon as I got home.
When I woke up the next morning, it was already 10 a.m. I decided to have lunch out and started by tackling the laundry.
Though, all I had to do was separate the colors and toss them into the fully automatic washer-dryer.
The latest models can fold the clothes for you, but they’re expensive, so I gave up on that idea.
While the laundry was going, I cleaned my room. Just vacuuming up the dust and wiping things down with a damp cloth, then drying them off.
Once the laundry was done, I folded it and stuffed it into the closet.
After that, I changed and headed out for lunch. I usually stick to fast food or cheap diners—no fancy restaurants for me.
Plus, I planned to take it easy for the next five or six days, so I also went grocery shopping.
The first day went smoothly with lunch and shopping done without a hitch.
From the second day onward, I spent my nights and mornings immersed in anime, games, light novels, and the internet.
I hunted for materials and climbed the rankings in Creature Hunter Brace: Starbreaker, binge-watched the fourth season of Somewhere Mystic Summoner Ring, and finally read the novelization of Maiden War Chronicles that had been sitting on my shelf. It was a fulfilling few days.
On the morning of the fifth day,
it was the release day for the new volume of Assassin x Family.
I had gone to bed before midnight the night before, so I woke up at 5:30 a.m.
I could’ve gone back to sleep until the bookstore or Animember opened, but I felt sticky and wanted to soak in a spacious bath for once. So, I got ready and headed to a 24-hour spa.
This massive spa, Relaxation Healthland, had everything: baths, a spa, restaurants, various entertainment facilities, and even lodging. It’s impressive that it’s open 24 hours.
I packed a large bag with a change of clothes and a towel, and a separate backpack for the new book, then headed to Relaxation Healthland.
The main hall, which could be called the entrance, was spacious with a high ceiling, giving it an open and airy feel.
The interior was bright and clean, and since it was early in the morning, there were mostly elderly people around, though I spotted a few families here and there.
I bought a spa ticket and took it to the counter.
The tickets were made of special paper, and the design changed monthly, apparently attracting collectors.
After checking the ticket at the counter, I received a key for a shoe locker, stored my shoes, and finally entered the changing room.
I put my belongings and clothes in a numbered locker, locked it, and entered the bath area with just a towel. I rinsed off and then soaked in the large bath.
“Ahhh…”
I have a bath at home, and the ship’s shower is refreshing, but this sense of openness is something else.
As I was enjoying this blissful moment,
“Hey, isn’t that you, kid?”
I heard a familiar voice.
“It’s you… You look rough, though. Are you okay?”
“Had a bit too much to drink last night. I’m hungover. Came here to sweat it out.”
“You can’t sweat out alcohol in a bath…”
It was Bernard Zag, a former police officer and fellow mercenary, older than me.
Despite his age, he looked fairly fit.
“Ah, this feels good. A beer after a bath would hit the spot, huh?”
“Didn’t you drink too much last night?”
“I’m not taking on any jobs for a while, so it’s fine. You might think it’s strange for a mercenary to say this, but [combat] and [extermination] missions are exhausting. You feel the same way, don’t you?”
“Yeah. [Escort] and [security] jobs pay less, but they’re easier on the nerves.”
Unless you’re desperate for money, a battle junkie, or someone who treats the battlefield like a game, most mercenaries take a few days off after [combat] or [extermination] jobs.
Standing on the battlefield is just that draining.
“Pirates are going to be on the rise for a while…”
“Yeah, the children and heirs of the rebels are falling from grace…”
“It’s better than a full-blown war, though. So, what are you up to after this? I’m heading to a place that serves drinks in the morning.”
“I’ve got some shopping to do. I’ll probably have breakfast here first.”
That was the end of our conversation.
I don’t talk much with Bernard, but this kind of relationship works for us.
After soaking in silence for about five minutes, I said,
“Well, I’ll be going now.”
“Alright. See you at work.”
With a quick goodbye, I left the bath.
After getting out, I headed to the lobby to have breakfast at the restaurant. On the way, I spotted a familiar figure arguing with a female staff member.
“Please, can you at least wear it properly?”
“It’s too tight like this.”
She was tall, around 180 cm, with sharp, dark eyes and black hair that reached her back. I only knew one woman like that.
“Miss Gerhilde?! What are you doing here…?”
Talking to such a beauty was risky for me, but I had something I wanted to ask, so I called out to her.
But I immediately turned away after that.
This massive spa, Relaxation Healthland, offered a free rental service for yukata, traditional Japanese robes.
Wearing one allowed you to move freely throughout the facility.
The design was cute and popular among women, but it had one troublesome feature—
it was very easy to come undone.
Gerhilde was wearing the yukata, but the front was barely covering her chest, the waist was barely held together by the belt, and her left leg was exposed almost up to the thigh. She looked like a fanservice character straight out of a manga.
“You’re… Ah, the one from my hangar. Thanks to the map you gave me, I was able to contact my sister. I owe you one.”
Gerhilde spoke to me without a care for her state, but every time she moved, it felt like something was about to be revealed, and I couldn’t handle it.
The men around us—fathers and grandfathers—were cheering, while the women were either pinching or hitting their husbands, whispering disapprovingly, or clicking their tongues in annoyance.
The female staff member was flustered, trying to fix Gerhilde’s yukata. She’s a good person…
Once the staff member managed to fix the yukata and gave Gerhilde a light scolding before leaving, I spoke to her again.
“Why are you here?”
“My avatar is a cellular body. To keep it clean, bathing and consuming organic matter are essential. Though, it doesn’t produce waste.”
I wanted to ask why she was on Planet Ytts, but she answered why she was at the spa.
So,
“You were with the military during the war. Was there a reason for that?”
I decided to ask directly.
“Actually, like my sister, I’ve found a partner. Through their connections, I’ve been cooperating temporarily. Nominally, I was part of a special unit. Though, I only go when I feel like it.”
She answered surprisingly straightforwardly.
Like Rosweisse, for these ancient weapons with their own will, human intentions probably don’t matter much.
Just as I was about to ask who her partner was,
“By the way, have you consumed organic matter yet?”
she asked,
“Organic matter… Oh, breakfast? No, I’m about to.”
“Then come with me. My partner says it’s better to consume organic matter in a group.”
Is this one of those “food tastes better when shared” things?
I didn’t want to risk making her unhappy, so I obediently followed.
The restaurant offered a buffet-style breakfast. I signed up, got a table, and grabbed some coffee, toast, butter, ham and eggs, salad, and milk.
As for Gerhilde…
“Hoh. You’ve got a good balance of organic nutrients. Balancing nutrients is important when consuming organic matter.”
She came back with an impressive selection.
“Carbs, aka sugars.” — A whole loaf of sliced bread.
“Protein.” — 20 slices of sauce-less roast beef.
“Fats.” — 10 pats of butter (5g each).
“Vitamins.” — A mountain of undressed salad and cut fruit.
“Minerals, aka inorganic matter.” — Two medium jugs of milk.
“My partner complains about this. Says the nutrient balance is perfect, but…”
I wanted to comment on the quantity and the lack of flavor, but I sensed a mix of pride and dissatisfaction in her expression,
“Indeed, the nutrient balance seems perfect.”
so I just agreed for the time being.
Certainly, Rossweiss had ordered something sweet, so I felt that the sisters must have different tastes.
During the meal, when I asked who her partner was,
“I was told not to say due to the conditions of the contract,”
was all I got in response, leaving me with no foothold to continue the conversation.
After that, the conversation didn’t flow, and the breakfast became a quiet affair.
After finishing my bath and having breakfast with Gerhilde at the restaurant inside the facility, we headed to the main street of Block 65 in the bustling district where [Anime Member] was located.
This block was lined with stylish cafes, trendy bookstores, chic eateries, boutiques, cosmetic shops, and jewelry stores, and the flow of people was quite diverse.
After weaving through the crowd and arriving at the bookstore inside the [Anime Member] building, I first picked up the latest volume of [Assassin × Family]. I also bought the new volumes of [Miss Corinna is Bad at Speaking] and [The Escape Master Princess], which I had forgotten to purchase earlier.
After that, I started browsing aimlessly.
Then, for some reason, I felt someone’s gaze on me.
When I looked around to find the source, I quickly spotted it.
Two high school-aged girls were glaring at me.
Honestly, I didn’t recognize them, and I had no memory of doing anything rude to them.
Perhaps they were new mercenaries who had been fed all sorts of nonsense by the protagonist-type people—those annoying types.
If that was the case, I definitely shouldn’t get involved.
If I wasn’t careful, just making eye contact could land me in trouble as a criminal!
So I quickly finished my purchase and left the store.
Fortunately, they didn’t follow me any further.
Just as I thought I had escaped the gaze of those two girls, I ended up running into someone even more troublesome.
“I’ve been looking for you!”
“Ah, Doumo…”
It was Fialka Tiursad, also known as the Leopardess.
“Got a moment? There’s something I want to ask you.”
“Make it quick, please.”
“I’m afraid not. The matter is important, so I’ll need some time.”
Tiursad approached me with a serious expression.
I knew she wasn’t a bad person, but she was someone I couldn’t quite get along with.
I glanced at the android maid, Sherry, for help, but the response I got was, “Give up.”
Realizing there was no escape,
“Alright…”
I replied, immediately regretting it.
“Then let’s go to my usual spot. It’s almost lunchtime anyway.”
I thought we’d talk at a nearby café, but I ended up being whisked away in the ridiculously expensive limousine owned by the Tiursad family.
The place I was taken to was a top-tier restaurant in the Empire called [Tears Meal], a place Tiursad had frequented since she was a child. It had its main branch in the imperial capital and branches only in the Empire’s major cities and the former capitals of its colonies.
What’s more, we didn’t enter through the regular entrance but arrived on the rooftop by air car—a VIP entrance method.
To have such an incredible place as her usual spot—what else could you expect from a bishop-class, ultra-rich young lady?
Even though such places usually have a strict dress code, perhaps because I was with Tiursad, I wasn’t stopped despite my casual attire.
When we were shown to a private room, the tension only increased.
Even when the waiter handed me the menu, I couldn’t understand the names of the dishes—not because I couldn’t read the words, but because I had no idea what “such-and-such style” or “such-and-such preparation” meant. Moreover, I panicked when I saw the prices.
Then,
“With Uzoss-sama’s earnings, a place like this shouldn’t be a problem, right?”
Maid Sherry said something outrageous.
“Th-that’s a joke, right? The threshold is way too high, and my wallet is in trouble!”
I don’t want anyone to think that a commoner like me can just waltz into an ultra-luxurious restaurant that clearly selects its clientele!
Sherry, too, is clearly tailored for the upper class…
“Then I’ll leave the dishes to you.”
Tiursad, being used to this, smoothly placed the order.
After the order was done and it was just me, Tiursad, and Sherry left,
“So… what did you want to talk about?”
I asked, hoping to get out of there as quickly as possible.
Then Tiursad’s expression turned serious,
“You saw that ship that fired the red beam directly, right?”
She was asking about Gerhilde, who had appeared as part of the 7th Fleet’s detachment that day.
“From a distance, yes.”
“What was your impression of it?”
“Impression, you say…”
I couldn’t exactly say, “It’s the strongest ship in the universe,” could I?
“It had incredible firepower, I guess. If you want to know more, why not ask the 7th Fleet directly?”
Well, in reality, Gerhilde herself wasn’t officially part of the military but had only cooperated temporarily.
I didn’t expect to hear that from Gerhilde herself, though.
Since I was struggling to respond, I shifted the responsibility to the 7th Fleet, which Gerhilde had been under at the time.
Given Commodore Thorncheed’s personality and abilities, I thought he’d be a suitable partner for Gerhilde.
“They won’t tell me because it’s classified military information.”
But the 7th Fleet, being what it is, waved the “classified military information” card.
“Then there’s nothing we can do.”
At this point, there really was nothing to be done, so I had to give up.
“But why are you so curious about it?”
I didn’t think Tiursad would go so far as to want Gerhilde for herself, but maybe she was trying to use her power to force something… That’s probably impossible.
Commodore Thorncheed is an count, so he wouldn’t just hand over a secret weapon.
Besides, Gerhilde herself might kill me for even suggesting it.
Moreover, Gerhilde already has a partner, and I don’t know what kind of person she chose.
Since she seemed like a military type, maybe she gets along well with military people.
“I don’t know which manufacturer built that ship. If I could find out, maybe I could purchase it or have my father’s company research it…”
So she definitely wants it, huh?
Well, it’s an incredible ship, so I can understand the feeling.
Anyway, I thought the conversation was over, so I could just leave… but that wasn’t the case.
The food was about to arrive, and I didn’t have enough money to pay for it, nor did we have much in common to talk about.
For me, who wanted to finish the meal as quickly as possible, the fact that Fialka had ordered a course meal was nothing short of a nightmare.
However, Tiursad seemed lost in thought, so the lack of conversation was a small blessing.
The food was probably delicious, but I wasn’t used to it, so I couldn’t really tell.
Of course, Tiursad paid the bill.
The cost of the meal for two could buy a decent used air car, so there was no way I could afford it.
☆ ☆ ☆
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
【Side: Rubina Ladoum】
That day, I had come to Planet Ytts with my sister.
The reason was that I had reserved a figure of my favorite character, [Onizuka Ura], from the social simulation game [Oni’s Ambition], at a store, and I was there to pick it up.
As soon as we arrived on Ytts, we headed to the designated [Anime Member] store, and I was able to get my hands on the figure of [Onizuka Ura], my favorite character from [Oni’s Ambition].
I was in the best mood after getting the figure, but then that guy appeared in our line of sight.
He was the pilot of the dusty battlecraft that had shot us down before.
As my sister Elisa had said, once we saw the exchange images, it was immediately clear who it was, and when I found out it was a chubby otaku, I was filled with intense anger.
Why couldn’t it be a cool, handsome guy, a dandy older man, or a cute crossdresser instead of some chubby otaku!
I wanted to hunt him down and kill him right away, but I had work from the Duke, so I couldn’t.
Running into him here like this, I must be lucky.
I immediately reached for my gun to kill him.
“No, sis. Didn’t the Duke tell you not to cause trouble?”
But my sister Elisa grabbed my hand to stop me.
“But! Don’t you feel frustrated too?”
“Weren’t we supposed to hone our skills to win next time?”
“But I didn’t expect it to be such a gross otaku!”
I couldn’t accept that the strong enemy who had defeated us so easily was someone like that!
But the strength he showed in defeating us was real. That much was certain.
“That’s just your own bias, sis. I’ll say it again: if you commit murder here, it’ll cause trouble for the Duke. Besides, maybe he’ll turn out to be handsome if he loses weight.”
“No way someone like that could become handsome!”
Elisa tried to reason with me while staring at the guy.
During our exchange, he noticed us and quickly left the [Anime Member] store in a fluster.
He probably didn’t recognize our faces, so he might have thought we were suspicious.
But normally, it’s him who should look suspicious.
Well, I’ll let him off this time. I’ll just defeat him in a duel next time!
“More importantly, are you done with your shopping?”
Well, putting that gross otaku aside, since we had been split up earlier, I asked Elisa if she had accomplished her goal.
“Yes! All done!”
Elisa was holding two large paper bags with a big smile on her face.
I’ve never seen what she buys, but I’ve seen her occasionally engrossed in reading with a scary smirk on her face.
Not too long ago, she was muttering something like, “The Titan Trooper’s Len is so bad at attacking × Ami’s seduction is godly!”
What on earth did she buy this time?
Maybe I’ll sneak a peek at it next time.
★ ★ ★
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