Mob No.100: “Besides, I don’t recall ever permitting you to call me by my name so familiarly.”
It had been 5 days since she, Shiora Dilopers, greeted me, but…
Nothing particularly changed.
With the same shifts, same breaks, I fully expected her to try various underhanded methods of harassment, but there was none of that – just the occasional nod when passing each other at the cafeteria or in the hall.
Frankly, the pressure or something I felt when she first greeted feels so anticlimactic now.
Which makes whatever means she’s using that I’m unaware of all the more terrifying.
An obliviously deaf protag would investigate what she’s doing and get lucky-pervy events leading to friendship, but for me that’s an immediate police trip, so absolutely better not to look into it.
I hope it just passes uneventfully.
But that was wishful thinking.
6 days after she greeted me.
My shift ended, and as I left the cafeteria after a meal, a youth about Diloper’s age, seemingly one of the dismantling crew not a merc, blocked my way.
“Can I help you?”
“You…after doing something awful to her, shamelessly staying here! Unbelievable!”
The youth suddenly hurled abuse at me.
Confused what he meant for a moment, but I quickly understood.
Still, I decided to feign ignorance for now.
“Her…who?”
“Shiora! You shot Shiora down didn’t you! Since she’s been glaring at your ship sometimes!”
I see how this happened…
He must’ve been fed a very colored story of me shooting her down.
And his yelling drew looks and a gathering crowd.
If this continues, while the mercs may understand, I’ll definitely be seen as the bad guy by the dismantling crew.
“Um, non-merc non-military may not know this, but there’s an unwritten rule of [No grudges for the battlefield].”
“Like that matters! It’s unforgivable you tried to kill her in the first place!”
“Well, that would be awful in public, but this happened on a battlefield so-“
“Then you should’ve been shot down by her!”
Ah, crap. This guy.
Seems he’s the passionate justice type like Yuri Prilliella.
These types tend to listen to girls, femboys, and innocent-looking people’s stories, but not ugly or tough-looking guys’ stories.
Discussion is likely futile. He’ll just get angrier if I engage.
I could stun him with the weakest heat gun, but he’s unarmed so I can’t escalate. And firing weapons except emergencies in colonies and cities means getting arrested. And impressions would be overwhelmingly negative.
Can’t believe he tried picking a fight with an armed merc.
He probably has decent brawling experience. And can’t use guns in colonies. And judged me physically weak from appearance. Well I am weak in fairness.
He probably thinks I only shot her down with dirty tricks and ambush since it was in fighters, when that’s normal in battle.
Anyway, no reason to oblige his desire for a beating, running makes me a coward, what to do…
“What’s going on here?”
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As I pondered, Shiora Dilopers appeared on the scene.
Did she come to see her harassment bear fruit?
“Oh, Shiora! It was this guy who shot you down right! I figured it out immediately since I saw you glaring at his ship sometimes! He’s not on his ship now so we can definitely get revenge! I’ll help too!”
Seeing her, the youth proposed they work together, smiling refreshingly.
I expected her to thank him, beam or scowl with rage, then together attack me somehow.
But.
“In the recent war, I sided with the rebels, so I was shot down by a mercenary hired by the imperial forces. However, that was natural as we were enemy and ally on the battlefield.”
She reacted in the same composed way as before, exemplary as a soldier and merc.
“But! Shiora could’ve died with one wrong move! So you’re a proper victim! Let’s bring this guy to justice here and now!”
In contrast, the youth seemed fired up.
She logically rebutted his claim with composure.
“Lives are exchanged as a matter of course in war. I shot down dozens of enemy craft too. From the perspective of those who survived and resent me, I deserve their vengeance.”
“Oh…”
Her words seemed to finally make the youth understand [Since she was on the battlefield shooting down enemies too, some who survived being shot down by her may hold a grudge against her].
“Besides, when did I ever say I resent the mercenary who shot me down?”
Dilopers pressed the youth with quiet anger in her composed tone.
“While vexing to be shot down, that was purely my inexperience. Surviving the battlefield was fortunate. I don’t resent who shot me down. I should have made that clear when I told my circumstances to you and some others present. I don’t recall ever giving name or features. So why did you conclude he was the culprit who shot me down?
She cornered the youth with immense pressure.
“I-I mean… Shiora was glaring at this guy’s ship sometimes!”
“I did no such glaring. It was a model I hadn’t handled so I was curious.”
He states why he concluded I was culprit, shot down by Dilopers.
From the flow, seems she told her circumstances but didn’t give my name.
“Besides, I don’t recall ever permitting you to call me by my name so familiarly.”
Clear anger showed on her face towards the youth.
A trained military aspirant with real combat experience versus a mere brawler civilian, even the same age he doesn’t stand a chance.
Leaving the youth there crestfallen at lacking even friend status from her, I headed to my room.
Then for some reason Dilopers followed and
“I’m very sorry about that Mr. Uzos. Just because I talked about myself it turned into this…”
apologized for the disturbance.
“No, you helped me. I was at a loss what to do.”
It really did help.
Left alone, I or he would’ve been injured for sure.
Seems she currently doesn’t intend revenge on me.
If so, I’ll ask something that’s been bothering me.
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