Mob No. 104: “Alright, alright. You win. I have no intention of getting close to her again. Okay? End of discussion.”
“Ah, I have something I want to ask you. Is that okay?”
I stopped in my tracks after confirming there was no one around and spoke to her, Miss Dilopaz.
“What is it?”
She also stopped walking.
“How did you manage to find me?”
This was the biggest mystery.
The number of combat ships I’ve shot down, both manned and unmanned, is quite substantial. And there are plenty of others around who’ve achieved similar results.
On top of that, in the heat of battle, you have to pay attention to every direction, so it’s not easy to keep track of your opponent.
In response to my question, she straightened her posture and answered.
“I know my unit faced off against the 11th Fleet. Since the combat ships of the regular forces are standardized, it was clear that your ship wasn’t part of them—you were a mercenary. From there, I asked an acquaintance in the military. I remembered the color of your ship.”
I see. It’s not surprising that someone in the military would have access to my assignment information.
Still, it’s impressive that she managed to remember the features of my ship in the chaos of battle.
“I see. Well, one more thing. When we first met, you called me ‘Khaki Dust .’ That wasn’t just about the color of my ship, was it? What did you mean by that?”
This was the next question.
She had referred to the color of my ship’s paint as if it were some kind of epithet—a nickname.
Epithets, or nicknames, aren’t officially documented, but they’re typically given to individuals who’ve achieved significant accomplishments, at least at the Bishop rank.
The only exception is Lambert-kun—or rather, Rossweisse-san. If you’re at that level of skill, you might earn one.
By the way, if you’re not even at the Bishop rank and you start calling yourself by an epithet, you’ll definitely be laughed at.
In response to my question, she seemed oddly excited.
“I heard this from my military acquaintance as well. Some of the forces you faced referred to you by that epithet.”
Why? I’ve only been doing behind-the-scenes work that’s dull and practical. Why would I get an epithet?!
And I’m only at the Knight rank!
Well, I guess rank doesn’t matter to the enemy, and they wouldn’t know unless I told them.
It’s fortunate that not many people are using it.
But that military acquaintance of hers must know about it.
In that case, does Major Burnnext know about it too?
If so, he’ll definitely try to recruit me again. Ugh, what a hassle.
Well, I’ll deal with that if it happens…
Then I decided to ask the core question.
“One more thing. Why did you tell him your personal story?”
If she shared her personal story, it could reveal that she’s sided with the rebels, but it would also ensure that my information gets passed on to others.
She probably anticipated that the young man would act the way he did and used that opportunity to cut him off.
This is just my speculation, but if it’s true, she’s a terrifyingly cunning woman.
“Well… at first, it wasn’t him. I was talking to some girls around my age who were part-time demolition workers, and they asked me why I became a mercenary. I tried to refuse at first, but they kept pushing, so I ended up telling them…”
As she started talking about how she shared her personal story, I noticed she seemed oddly happy.
Maybe she doesn’t have many friends and isn’t used to talking to other girls her age?
“Then, while I was talking, that guy suddenly showed up and started talking to me in a really familiar way…”
I see. That young man is a block of communication violence.
I use the term block of communication violence to describe people who, even when meeting someone for the first time, address them casually, drop honorifics, and force their way into conversations.
Ancient texts apparently had a shorter way of describing such people.
I know it’s biased, but I’ve encountered them a few times and have been inconvenienced by them.
Well, even if it was just a coincidence that he was nearby, the fact that she shared her personal story caused trouble for me.
So, even if it’s unclear how effective it will be, I need to make this clear.
“If you feel bad about what happened, I’d appreciate it if you could refrain from sharing your personal story to avoid creating more misunderstandings like this. Also, let’s keep our distance as before. If we happen to cross paths, a simple nod will suffice. That’s better for both of us.”
“Yes. I’ll make sure not to talk about it in the future.”
For some reason, she responded with a salute.
She’s being very solemn, but… is she okay?
If this attitude is calculated, it’s honestly a bit scary.
After that, six days passed without incident.
The demolition work was progressing smoothly, and everything was expected to be completed on the final day.
Miss Dilopaz kept her distance even more than before. I didn’t confirm it, but I think she stopped glancing at my ship too.
I thought everything would end without any issues.
But on the morning of the final day,
that young man appeared in front of me again.
It was definitely going to be a hassle, but he didn’t seem like he’d leave without a conversation.
“What do you want?”
“Fight me in a VR dogfight!”
For a moment, I didn’t understand what he was saying.
Challenging a mercenary who’s been piloting combat ships to a VR dogfight is already questionable, but more importantly, I don’t see the point.
“Huh? Why?”
So I genuinely asked.
In response, he looked angry and,
“You shot down Shiora, right? I bet you used some cowardly trick! In VR, you can’t use those tricks! So I’ll beat you down! If I win, don’t ever get close to Shiora again!”
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I’m pretty sure he got scolded for calling Miss Dilopaz by her first name so casually…
He’s got strong nerves. Truly a block of communication violence.
Or maybe they became friends after that and he got her permission?
Well, as he said, I have no intention of getting close to her or even wanting to.
If that’s the case, this is simple.
“Alright, alright. You win. I have no intention of getting close to her again. Okay? End of discussion.”
I never planned to get involved with Miss Dilopaz anyway, and if a mercenary loses to a civilian, that weird epithet will probably disappear too.
When he heard that, the young man looked stunned for a moment, then grinned triumphantly and said,
“Of course! A coward like you would never win a fair fight! Don’t you dare get close to Shiora again!”
He shouted loudly, looking pleased, and then walked away.
Finally, I can get back to work.
I left the area, boarded my ship, and began my security duties.
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