I Became the Lieutenant Character in a Cute Girl Game

Chapter 1

"No, this doesn't make any sense."

Feeling the strangeness of the eerily pleasant voice, I sat back down on the bed.

It was impossible to understand.

It wasn't like I had played Catharsis for 50,000 hours or anything.

I was just a casual player who had been playing for about a month.

Even then, I mostly focused on the story, barely paying attention to things like rankings.

But why on earth had I become Lindera?

It made no sense at all.

"I’m not even the protagonist, not some random extra…"

Why did it have to be an NPC?

Why, of all things, did it have to be a woman?

And seriously, why Lindera of all characters?

"It’s not like she has any special abilities…"

The characters in Catharsis, more precisely, the agents, weren’t ordinary humans but had unique traits.

Of course, since they were game characters, that was only natural. But I didn’t mean "special" in a generic sense; I meant they were fantasy-like.

Some had superhuman strength, others had bodies that were part animal, or they possessed bizarre abilities.

"If only I had turned into a character with amazing powers…! I wouldn’t be complaining like this!"

Yeah, if that had been the case, at least I wouldn’t be this angry.

At the very least.

"Sigh…"

I decided to sort out the situation properly.

My head hurt in many ways, but first, understanding this ridiculous situation was the priority.

I turned on the tablet on the small bedside table.

A password.

For some reason… I unlocked it effortlessly.

It clearly wasn’t mine—it had to be Lindera’s tablet. But for some inexplicable reason, I could unlock it.

"What the hell is going on…"

I didn’t really understand, but I opened the memo app on the tablet.

After all, I couldn’t see any paper or pen in the room, so I had no choice.

"Alright... I’ve been possessed by this weeb game Catharsis. And not even as a character with any special abilities, just a plain old human character."

In Catharsis, a game full of characters with extraordinary abilities, I ended up as a completely ordinary secretary character.

Of course, she was incredibly beautiful.

So much so that players even demanded she be made a playable agent because of her looks.

She was prettier than most 3-star and 4-star characters.

A blonde, suited secretary character.

Though officially, she wasn’t a secretary but a lieutenant.

If you were a guy… it would be hard to resist this character.

Simple, but true.

"But why me…?"

Everything else was fine, but why did it have to be me?

For now… I decided to set this thought aside.

I had already thought about it way too much…!

"For now… Lindera’s role is to assist the player."

Her basic functions included helping strategize during battles and providing guidance. Beyond that, there wasn’t much else.

In the game, aside from the story, there wasn’t much for the secretary character to do.

There were other NPCs for the shop, and she didn’t participate in combat.

"In the story… she scheduled the player’s appointments, made coffee, and served as a conversational companion…"

I started jotting down things in the memo app, but the list wasn’t very long.

It was just typical secretary tasks.

Recordkeeping, management, assistance.

Recordkeeping involved tracking the player’s expenditures and actions, while management focused on resources.

Resources were a crucial element in both the game and the story.

"Wait a minute…"

As tasks for Lindera popped into my head, I immediately checked out the window.

The outside wasn’t entirely ordinary, but at least it was on solid ground.

It wasn’t an incredibly flashy city, but there didn’t seem to be any immediate problems.

"Phew…"

At least I wasn’t floating in the air.

There was a simple reason for this worry.

In the game, the player frequently moved to other areas using ship-like vessels.

"Maybe… the main story hasn’t properly started yet?"

The main storyline rarely took place in this Area 07. Most of it unfolded elsewhere.

The player’s objective was to purify contaminated areas, which was why the player was called the "Purification Commander."

"Well… thank goodness."

Maybe it was because I had become a secretary character—or rather, a lieutenant character.

I felt genuine relief that the player hadn’t shown up yet.

After all, assisting some random stranger was… a nightmare. If some weirdo suddenly became the Purification Commander of Babel Area 07, I’d run away immediately.

Not that I had any idea where I’d go.

As I was half-heartedly making notes and passing the time, a sudden message arrived.

"......"

With my hair tied to one side and a suit on, I left the room and walked down the hallway.

Right now, I am a bit nervous.

It was awkward enough to suddenly become Lindera, but the situation itself was nerve-wracking for several reasons.

"Ha… How could this happen on the very first day…"

The sudden message was simple.

A new Purification Commander was arriving in Area 07.

Technically, they were a provisional commander.

Along with that information came a text from the boss, summoning me to evaluate this new commander.

"Whew…"

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves.

Of course, it didn’t fully work, but it seemed better to do it now rather than after opening the door.

"May I come in?"

My tone was a bit different from Lindera’s usual speech.

Normally, Lindera used extremely formal language.

But since the person inside was the boss, I opted for a slightly lighter form of politeness at the door.

Soon, a middle-aged woman’s voice invited me inside.

Though my nerves were on edge, I tapped my ID card against the door, and it opened.

Ah, I’m really nervous.

"Lindera, you’re here?"

Behind the open door sat a middle-aged woman in a luxurious chair.

She wore a suit that looked expensive and even sported sunglasses, radiating an air of elegance.

"It’s been a while. Nice to see you."

"You’re still as blunt as ever."

"Should I take that as a compliment?"

"Take it however you like."

I was quite nervous, but I did my best to mimic Lindera’s demeanor while continuing the conversation with the boss.

It might not have been the most ordinary situation, but for now, I was just an employee speaking with the boss.

The boss had slightly graying hair due to age, but her youthful appearance made her look quite impressive.

"You’ve probably already heard, and I just sent the file over. Take a look."

"Yes."

At her words, I sat down next to her.

It wasn’t common for the boss to be present for evaluating an employee, but considering Lindera’s role and that the boss ran Marduk, it made sense.

After all... this was practically a PMC.

"The name is... ■■■..."

"...?"

I couldn’t catch the name.

Like interference in an old radio, the name alone was lost amid static when the boss spoke.

The name section on the file also appeared... blank.

As if it were a secret.

Or as if there was no name at all.

"Age 23, quite young compared to other commanders. Started as a mere grunt and climbed the ranks rapidly, paving a smooth path to promotion."

"I see."

Though the situation felt extremely strange, I responded for now.

I had no idea why I couldn’t hear the name, but considering all the inexplicable things that had already happened, I just rolled with it.

"Though not a field agent, the physique isn’t bad. You’re probably about a head shorter, Lindera."

"Haha."

"Broader shoulders than I expected, and the face... quite handsome."

My mood soured.

Not that I had been in a great mood before, but learning that the player was a man just made it worse.

As the boss said, he was tall with a pretty good build.

The photo on his profile... Honestly, he was good-looking.

A black-haired man with a cool demeanor, sporting a pompadour hairstyle.

"How about it? You’re about the age to find a partner..."

"Boss. We’re at work."

"Fine, fine. Can’t even joke around after so long?"

Her response was expected, as was mine—both as myself and as Lindera.

After all, neither I nor Lindera had any interest in men.

Really, absolutely not.

"The vice president already read through it, but you should go over it too. He’s the person you’ll be assisting, after all."

"Not yet. He could still fail the assessment..."

"Lindera, you know better than anyone. The assessment today isn’t a real assessment."

"...Yes."

I knew.

Anyone who made it this far was practically already appointed as a Purification Commander.

Today’s assessment was merely... a surprise event.

A literal surprise event that wouldn’t amount to much and wouldn’t significantly impact future outcomes.

Which only highlighted how twisted the boss could be.

"I looked through the file, and he doesn’t seem problematic. Most colleagues gave positive reviews. The only criticism... is that he works too much."

"That’s no different from you, so I suppose it’s not a problem."

"......"

"By the way, why are there so many compliments about his looks?"

Indeed.

"Boss, he’s arriving soon."

"Lindera?"

"Yes."

A voice came from the speaker installed in the room, and I quickly prepared as the boss instructed.

My preparation was simple.

I needed to make coffee.

"Come in."

A man’s voice came from outside the room.

Though he stated his identity, I couldn’t hear it again, which only added to my annoyance.

Anyway, the boss gave permission, and I stood slightly behind her chair instead of sitting next to her.

With the sound of dress shoes clacking, the man whose image I had seen in the file began to enter the room slowly.

His attire was a black shirt, matching the profile, with no visible discrepancies.

Just like in the file, he had black hair and black eyes, styled with a pompadour.

Though I couldn’t tell his exact nationality, he was undoubtedly handsome.

Was the player supposed to be of mixed heritage?

I wondered but couldn’t answer myself.

After all, the game rarely showed the player’s appearance.

"So, you’re the rumored employee."

The man didn’t sit right away but stood a bit back and saluted.

The boss, seemingly satisfied, casually raised and lowered her hand, signaling him to be at ease.

"Starting from Babel 03, you climbed quite quickly in just a year."

"Yes."

"If you had failed... you would’ve been heavily criticized and possibly forced out. But your decisiveness and ability seemed to go hand in hand, leading to great success."

"Yes."

"Certainly... You’re the kind of talent our vice president would love."

"Thank you for the compliment."

Their conversation flowed naturally, and the man responded to every question.

So far... he seemed fairly ordinary.

Not much different from how the player was depicted in the story.

"You know the role of a Purification Commander, right?"

"Yes."

"Answer."

Holding the tablet in both hands, I quietly listened to their exchange.

Though the situation was strange, I couldn’t help but enjoy seeing the story of Catharsis play out right before my eyes.

After all, Lindera didn’t have a role in this part of the story.

"A Purification Commander uses agents and airships to conduct purification operations in areas contaminated by Crittanium."

"Go on."

"Additionally, they manage the assigned Babel, ensuring the safety of agents and the protection and treatment of civilians."

The unnamed player answered the boss’s questions flawlessly.

It was as if he had a textbook open and was reciting it verbatim.

His words matched the in-game dialogue perfectly.

"You know your stuff. I’m not one to dislike someone who follows the rules and acts by principles."

The boss took a sip of coffee as she spoke.

Of course, those words weren’t truly sincere.

"But a real talent... is not like that. A real talent is...

—Attention, attention.

The boss’s words were abruptly cut off by a loud announcement.

The volume of the speaker was almost deafening, as if signaling an emergency.

But I didn’t react.

I already knew this would happen.

Because... I’d seen it all in the game.

—Crittanium contamination detected nearby. Immediate action is required. Attention.

"How you handle unexpected situations is what truly matters."

"...Pfft."

I chuckled softly.

Quietly enough that neither of the two in front of me could hear.

Because... It was a little funny.

"Lindera. Assist the 'provisional' Purification Commander in resolving the contamination."

"Yes."

"..."

I briefly answered the boss, sneaking a glance at the player’s face.

He looked visibly flustered.

Yeah, he probably only expected a standard interview, not a real-life situation right off the bat.

If he was this startled already, knowing how chaotic things would get, I could already imagine how much trouble awaited him.

"Commander. Please follow me."

I spoke to the player, whose expression was a mix of confusion and naivety.

Setting aside the fact that I had suddenly become Lindera, I had to keep the story moving.