"HK, if you don't mind, can you support me for a bit?"
"Of course. Do as you like."
Lux draped his arm over HK416's shoulder and leaned his weight onto her, easing the pressure on his injured leg.
"Um, Lux, if you want to cry, it's okay to cry. Whether it's acting spoiled or wanting comfort, I'll accept it all."
"Anything you want to do, I'll do it for you. And-and if you want panties, that's okay too."
HK416 said, her face slightly red.
"Ahem, just letting me hold onto you like this already helps a lot."
Lux said awkwardly.
"Y-yeah… they've already been worn for several days anyway."
HK416 lowered her head and said dejectedly.
"Well, it's not that I dislike them. If you ask whether I want them, of course I do. It's just that I'd be treated like a pervert."
Seeing her gloomy expression, Lux helplessly leaned close to her ear and whispered.
"Um… thanks."
HK416's expression instantly brightened, a happy smile appearing on her face.
"Th-then I'll secretly give them to you tonight."
She whispered, blushing.
"Wait, let's stop there for now. If this keeps going, I think my heart's going to overload."
Hearing such words from such a cute HK416, his rationality was already on the verge of zero. While pushing her down wouldn't be bad, yesterday she'd almost had a mental overload just from holding hands. What would happen if he really did it was anyone's guess.
He didn't want HK416 to suffer a mental collapse from getting too excited over his momentary desires. And if things stopped halfway, their relationship might become extremely awkward afterward.
It was better to slowly let her get used to intimacy through milder forms of closeness.
"Commander, we've found the dormitory area. There are no zombies left inside. It seems they were all drawn out earlier by Sten's gunfire."
UMP45 came out of the building and waved with a smile.
"Rabbit, go upstairs and find a sniping position to watch the main gate. AA-12, Lianne, you two guard the gate. If any survivors try to enter, warn them once. If they ignore the warning, open fire and eliminate them."
Lux said.
"Roger."
The three nodded.
Lianne ran over and slammed the gate shut. Supported by HK416, Lux followed UMP45 into a small dorm room.
Four bunk beds were lined up inside.
"It looks like there were eight staff members here including guards, and all of them have already been killed. This area should be safe now."
"Unfortunately, the defensive system here is far too weak. And once other factions react later on, they'll definitely try to come here for food supplies. Otherwise, this place would actually be pretty suitable as a settlement."
After HK416 helped Lux lie down on one of the beds, Lux began analyzing the situation.
"Hehe, so what are the next orders, Commander?"
"Or should I decide on my own?"
UMP45 asked.
"Everyone rest on the beds for a while. We've been sleeping on the ground for days—having a bed is a rare luxury. Three hours later, three of you rotate with those guarding the gate."
Lux said calmly.
"Understood. A short rest doesn't sound bad."
UMP45 quickly climbed onto the top bunk above Lux and lay down to rest.
Sten also silently lay down on another bunk bed.
"Lux! I want chips and cola!"
MDR sat down beside HK416 and demanded, looking at Lux on the bed.
"Are you hungry again…"
Lux sighed and took out a bag of chips and a cola, handing them to MDR.
"It's not that I'm hungry. Look, it's rare to have such a safe environment—wouldn't it be a waste not to eat something good to celebrate?"
"Life is about enjoying the moment!"
MDR took out a chip and brought it to Lux's mouth.
"That's true."
Lux smiled and bit down on the chip.
"416, have one too. They're really tasty."
Without waiting for permission, MDR held a chip out in front of HK416.
"I don't need any. My internal energy reserves are quite full right now."
"Just try it. It tastes pretty good."
Lux also smiled and persuaded her.
"Then you should eat the good food, Commander. As long as I can stay by your side, that's enough for me."
"Oh come on, I actually think girls feeding each other is really cute. Eat it for me, okay? I want to see cute girls sticking together."
"T-that's really too much… ah~"
HK416 complained with a red face, then obediently opened her small mouth.
MDR brought the chip close, but just as HK416 was about to bite down, MDR suddenly pulled her hand back and stuffed the chip into her own mouth.
"You don't get any, hehehe~"
"Y-you! Are you messing with me?!"
HK416 said angrily.
"Hehehe, because angry 416 is really fun. And with the Commander right here, you can't beat me up. I love seeing that look where you dislike me but can't do anything about it."
MDR said smugly.
"T-this is exactly why I shouldn't trust you."
HK416 shot her a glare.
"Alright, this time I'll really give it to you."
MDR took another chip and fed it to HK416. HK416 chewed hard, and MDR suddenly felt as if her own bones were being chewed, cold sweat breaking out.
"Lux, are you satisfied?"
After finishing the chip, HK416 looked at Lux.
"Yeah, you two are both extremely cute."
"Ahem, since Lux says so, then… another one."
HK416 cleared her throat.
"You just want to eat, don't you? Why not just say it? No one can resist the destructive power of chips!"
MDR laughed.
"Commander, if you want your wound to heal faster, I suggest you get some proper rest. The human body heals wounds faster during sleep."
UMP45 said calmly from the top bunk.
"Hehe, then I'll sleep for a bit. If you get hungry, prepare dinner yourselves. The ice in the fridge should be almost melted by now, and once it's gone, the food inside will spoil. Hotpot might be our last meal."
As Lux spoke, he took a refrigerator out of the system space and placed it in the open area, then put out several smokeless stoves, along with rice and bottled water and other ingredients.
"Commander~ Since we finally have a rare moment of peace, I want to try drinking some alcohol! Didn't we pick up a whole lot of booze that day?"
MDR asked with a grin.
"Well, if you want to drink, go ahead. I won't be drinking with you."
Lux said as he took out a jug of beer and a bottle of red wine, handing them to MDR.
"Got it, got it."
MDR happily took the beer and wine, then ran over to sit on a bed nearby, curiously studying the label on the wine bottle.
Lux closed his eyes in relief. It had been a long time since he'd been able to lie down on a comfortable bed and sleep properly.