In the dim light of an old TV, hotpot on two smokeless stoves continued to steam. MDR and AA-12 quietly enjoyed their meal.
"Commander… what kind of person is he, really?"
AA-12 suddenly asked softly.
Lux's attitude toward M99 today had changed her impression. From what MDR had said before, she thought their Commander was extremely vulgar, but clearly, he wasn't a bad person.
"Hm? Oh, you're still hung up on the panties thing? That really was a misunderstanding. Lux was just joking and teasing 416. He didn't expect her to take it seriously."
"Honestly, MDR thinks 416 really wanted to hear that order. This whole thing is my fault. But MDR's nature is like this—it won't change. In short, I was wrong, and I'll do it again next time."
"But look, even though Lux sometimes knocks me on the head, he never withholds food or drinks from me. So he's a very gentle Commander."
"And the food here is great, right? Completely different from standard-issue rations. Honestly, I'm pretty lucky to have ended up by the Commander's side."
MDR stuck out her tongue and said mischievously,
"Hehe, is that so?"
AA-12's gaze gradually went unfocused, as if she were thinking about something else.
---
Early in the morning, Lux slowly opened his eyes, just in time to meet HK416's beautiful pale-golden pupils beside him.
"Good morning, Lux. Today, I won't lose to anyone."
"Mm, good morning. Didn't you sleep well last night?"
"Why do you ask?"
HK416 asked in confusion.
"Well… if you slept well, shouldn't you still be asleep instead of staring at me? Or did I snore?"
"Yes, but I really like the sound of your breathing, Commander, so I slept very soundly. Don't worry, I just woke up a little early."
Looking at HK416's smile, as beautiful as a blooming lily, Lux felt his heart skip a beat.
"S-so cute… Ah, can you show me that smile every morning?"
"Oh? That's a very bold statement, Commander. That's practically like asking 416 to cook for you every morning and sleep beside you every night—basically a marriage proposal."
UMP45 teased cheerfully, appearing beside them at some point.
"M-marriage proposal???"
HK416's cheeks rapidly heated up. A burst of white steam practically puffed out, and her eyes rolled back as she fainted straight into her sleeping bag.
"Oh hoho, she actually crashed from emotional overload? With such powerful processing capability, she still fainted over something like this?"
45 laughed as she looked at HK416, who had passed out from excitement.
"Longing and love… are emotions that can't be measured by numbers."
AA-12, with dark circles under her eyes, walked over and said calmly.
"H-hey, she passed out—what do we do?"
"Leave her be. She'll probably wake up on her own in a bit."
UMP45 replied with a grin.
Still worried, Lux reached out and lightly touched HK416's flushed cheek. A sharp pain shot through his finger from the intense heat.
"Hey, hey, this is practically boiling temperature!"
"Ah, Tactical Dolls do have the risk of cognitive meltdown from overheating. Commander, you'd better help cool her down."
AA-12 reminded him kindly.
Lux quickly took a clean towel out of the system space and placed it over HK416's face, then poured a bottle of mineral water onto it.
White steam instantly rose from the towel as the water evaporated.
Only after confirming that the physical cooling had worked did Lux let out a sigh of relief.
Just as he was about to turn around and scold UMP45, he realized she had already run over to the grocery store window and was observing outside.
"Tch. As expected of that fox-like cunning."
Lux clicked his tongue.
"Hiss—"
A sharp inhale came from beside him.
Lux turned around and saw that HK416 seemed to have woken up.
"Oh, HK, you're awake. Are you feeling okay?"
Lux removed the towel and asked with concern.
"Ah… you took it away."
HK416 let out a slightly regretful sound.
"Huh? Wouldn't it be uncomfortable to cover your nose with a wet towel and breathe deeply?"
"The smell…"
HK416 muttered softly, almost inaudibly.
"Sorry, I didn't quite hear that. Could you say it again?"
"It's nothing! I'm getting up!"
HK416's face reddened as she sat up from her sleeping bag.
Lux smiled and didn't pursue the matter further, instead starting to prepare breakfast.
After a hearty breakfast, Lux directly unplugged the two large refrigerators and stored them in the system space.
Everyone got back into the seven-seater van. Including 45 and the others who joined yesterday, there were now eight people total, but fortunately, the Tactical Dolls were all slim-built beauties, so it wasn't too cramped.
"Commander, should we split into two cars? I can drive too."
UMP45 asked.
"No need for now. The grain depot is pretty far. I might not be able to handle the whole drive alone. It'd be better if you took over halfway."
"Then I could just drive from the start, you know~"
"That'd be tiring, doing the whole trip alone…"
"I'm a Tactical Doll. Don't underestimate me~"
UMP45 narrowed her eyes.
"45, that's the Commander's kindness, not underestimating you. You should tell the difference. He just doesn't want you to be that tired."
HK416 said seriously from the passenger seat.
"Is he really that kind-hearted? Heh heh heh."
UMP45 let out a vague chuckle.
"416 isn't lying. The Commander really is very kind. You should accept his goodwill."
MDR also chimed in.
"Whatever. Stop arguing. I'm sleepy."
AA-12 complained quietly while leaning against the window. The van quickly fell silent.
No one wanted to disturb AA-12, who had voluntarily stood watch all night.
Soon, with the rocking of the van, MDR also gradually fell asleep.
Lux carefully avoided wandering zombies on the road to prevent jolts that might wake AA-12 and MDR, who hadn't slept all night.