I Became the Lieutenant Character in a Cute Girl Game

Chapter 3

"Hmm..."

I scrolled through the profiles of the agents assigned to Babel 07 on the tablet.

After all, I had become Lindera, and I had to do what Lindera would normally do.

It was a sudden situation, but it wasn’t anything too difficult.

"This is easy."

I had successfully completed today’s tutorial and shown the commander to his room, so now I had some free time.

Of course, I had to spend that free time reviewing the agents' profiles, but at least it was better than sticking by the commander's side all day.

"Anyway, missions only come down occasionally... For now, all I need to do is introduce the agents to the commander and handle all that stuff about developing the district."

Just like in any typical anime-style gacha game, the early phase involved gradually collecting characters and upgrading buildings.

Of course, in Catharsis, instead of buildings, you upgraded ships.

"Since I’m not a field agent but more of an office worker, there’s nothing to worry about."

There really wasn’t much to stress over.

My role was just to give advice if the commander made questionable decisions and provide relevant information.

And occasionally make coffee.

That was pretty much it.

For a non-combatant character like Lindera, that was the extent of my responsibilities.

"But still... The thought of living as a woman from now on..."

Being stuck in Catharsis was one thing, but having to live as a woman—that was the real problem.

I understood that in a game where 90% of the characters were female, this might have been inevitable... but it still made no sense to me.

Honestly, being reborn as a homeless guy might’ve been better...

"...No, Lindera is better than that."

After all, the game's world wasn’t exactly bright and hopeful.

It might actually be safer to be a support character.

Even if Lindera was just a regular human woman, living in a safe environment was probably the better option.

At least living on a ship was better than being on the streets.

Not to mention the bed was soft and cozy.

"I never thought I’d live to wear... women’s underwear."

I glanced at the bra casually draped over the chair.

At first, I didn’t even know how to unhook it, but after some struggle, I managed to take it off.

The real issue was that I had taken it off, but I’d have to put it on again tomorrow.

Honestly... It was already making me feel a bit empty inside.

Wearing women's panties... felt even weirder.

The absence of something between my legs that should’ve been there, the smoothness...

"Dammit."

The existential crisis hit me hard.

***

"Hey! Midori!"

"Huh?"

"You hacked my computer, didn’t you!"

"Nyaa."

"Because of you, I couldn’t check the forums yesterday!"

"Nyaaaa! Stop hitting my head!"

The ship's interior was filled with noise from early morning.

No missions had started yet, and we weren’t even in flight, but if it was this loud already... it was bound to get even noisier in the future.

I had woken up early, taken a shower, put on that cursed underwear, and changed into Lindera’s usual suit before stepping outside.

Oh, and of course, I tied my hair to the side, just like Lindera.

"Whew..."

It was the second day in Catharsis.

The tutorial had gone well enough, and today was the day when the first chapter of the story would truly begin.

Of course, the real reason I left my room was just to grab breakfast.

I figured a proper meal would be better than eating in my room.

Though, technically, the agents prepared the meals.

"Ah, Miss Lindera. Good morning!"

"Good morning."

"Today’s breakfast is egg fried rice. Enjoy!"

"Thank you, as always."

As I looked at the fried rice being served onto my tray... I was honestly surprised.

Of course, I kept my reaction neutral since I was still playing the role of Lindera.

The reason was simple.

The food looked way more delicious than I had expected.

"......"

If I hadn’t been Lindera, I might’ve reacted differently.

The aroma of the egg fried rice was just... really good.

In the game, it would have been just a line of text, but now things were different.

Back then, food was just an SD image and a few lines of text, only meant to boost the characters’ stamina.

But now, it was real food.

And it looked seriously tasty.

"...Ah."

Just as I was about to take my first bite with the spoon, something hit me.

I realized...

"I didn’t wake him up...!"

I had come to the dining hall without waking up the commander.

"...Sigh."

Maybe I realized it early enough? Or maybe it was just because I had gone out to eat breakfast so early.

Not too much time had passed.

Only about 15 minutes later than the usual wake-up time...?

"Ahem!"

Standing in front of the commander’s room, I cleared my throat and prepared to enter.

Since he was likely still asleep, I had to open the door myself.

I took the ID card from my pocket, tapped it against the door lock, and waited for it to open.

Just as I expected, the room was completely dark.

On the bed... something that looked vaguely human was lying there.

-Beep!

I hit the switch next to the door, turning on all the lights like I was in a motel room.

Of course, he still didn’t wake up, so I had no choice but to take off my shoes and step further inside.

Really... All I wanted was to eat breakfast, and now here I was.

"Commander."

"......"

He lay completely still, as if he were dead.

It seemed I had more work to do.

Of course, I could hear the faint sound of breathing, and his chest rose and fell with each breath, so he wasn’t dead.

The commander, despite my calls, continued to sleep soundly.

"Sigh... Commander."

I had to call out again, this time with a bit more volume.

"......"

"Sigh..."

Maybe it was because of my persistent noise, but he began to turn his body toward the wall.

From the very first day... things were already getting annoying.

I should’ve just stayed and finished my breakfast instead.

Since calling him wasn’t enough to wake him up, I had no choice but to gently grab his shoulder and shake him slightly.

"Commander, it’s time to wake up."

"...."

When I gently shook his shoulder, he finally opened his eyes.

His unnecessarily handsome face looking at me made me feel strangely uncomfortable.

"It’s breakfast time."

"Ah..."

"I’ll wait outside until you’re ready."

"Got it. I’ll get ready quickly."

I responded with a simple "Yes," closed the door, and waited outside.

Well... his hair was a bit messy, and he wasn’t properly dressed.

It would definitely be better if he tidied up before coming out.

Since he needed to get along with the agents, it was only natural to prepare himself.

Most of the agents in Babel 07 were kind, but that didn’t mean they liked people who were unhygienic.

"Anyway... what kind of work will I have to do today?"

For the time being, it seemed my main task would be teaching him about his job.

The so-called daily quests—though now they weren’t quests but actual work—but since I didn’t have to do them myself, it was fine.

"And... maybe I’ll introduce the agents to him next?"

Honestly, I wasn’t super close with the agents either, but I was definitely looking forward to it.

After all, seeing characters I had only known from the game in real life was exciting.

And unlike the male commander, they were all pretty and cute female characters.

"......"

I realized I was smiling too much at the thought, so I brought my lips back to a neutral position and continued my thoughts.

"Sigh... There’s more to handle in a day than I expected."

"Compared to other Babel districts, I believe this is actually on the lighter side."

The commander seemed a bit overwhelmed by the list of daily tasks I had just shared.

If there had been agents around, they might have been a bit disappointed.

But we were still in the office, so no agents were present.

"Commander, if the workload is too much, you can delegate some tasks to the agents. Of course, each agent has tasks they excel at."

"But I don’t know the agents well enough yet, so that’s not really an option."

"You didn’t read the file I sent yesterday?"

I had sent him a file with all the agent profiles.

It was supposed to help him get to know the agents better before meeting them, making his job as a commander easier.

But he hadn’t read it.

"More importantly, Lindera."

"Yes."

"It seems like there aren’t many agents in this district yet."

"That is correct."

"Did the previous agents resign all at once under the former commander?"

"...Yes."

Babel 07 had always started with a low number of agents.

There were even facilities we couldn’t use because we lacked enough staff.

The reason was simple—the previous commander had been a complete failure.

"The former Purification Commander of District 07 mismanaged the area completely."

"......"

"As a result, most of the agents left the district. Currently, only the first squad is available for purification missions."

"I feel like I just heard something I shouldn’t have..."

Exactly.

Even I thought that Babel 07 was... pretty much a mess in the beginning.

Maybe it was because he already had a lot of work, but hearing about the state of the district seemed to make the commander look even more displeased.

His expression, which already looked somewhat weary, now appeared even worse.

Regardless of his handsome face.

"Commander, there is no need to worry."

"?"

"The agents who left can be replaced with new ones. Unlike the previous commander, you have been acknowledged by the boss as a competent leader."

I didn’t really have to say this, but if he ended up slacking off, I’d have to pick up the extra work. So I had no choice.

Since I already had to assist him, it was better to encourage him than to watch him sigh all day.

"Besides, I will always be here to assist you, Commander, so there is nothing to worry about."

"...Thank you. I understand."

"Very well. Then, let’s begin today’s tasks. First, please look over this document..."

Honestly, I didn’t care about the commander’s feelings. I just wanted to finish work quickly and get back to my room to relax.

Especially because this bra was so uncomfortable—I wanted to take it off as soon as possible.

Seriously... My back hurt, my shoulders ached, and it was incredibly uncomfortable.