A guest room aboard the Golden Fleece.
Having finally escaped here with the maids, I braced my hands on my knees and took several deep breaths.
Straightening up and wiping the cold sweat from my forehead, I couldn't help but sigh inwardly. At least we had gotten through it without any real disaster.
I never expected that, after just persuading Neru to move as quietly as possible, we'd end up causing a disturbance anyway.
Although we'd confirmed the surrounding area was safe when we first infiltrated, we had spent far too much time in the engine room. It was only natural that students from Odyssey aboard the Golden Fleece would eventually discover us.
This was something that could have been predicted and avoided entirely.
The problem was that neither I nor C&C had the awareness for it.
I simply lacked experience, while the maid agents had almost never considered hiding themselves while carrying out missions.
By the time we'd been discovered, it was already too late to start sneaking around. All I could do was put on a ridiculously flashy pair of sunglasses to prevent my overly recognizable face from being seen and my true identity exposed.
Still, if that had been the extent of it, there would have been room for negotiation.
After all, while we'd secretly boarded this luxury cruise ship through unofficial means, we had at least prepared forged tickets.
The first Odyssey student who found us had certainly been suspicious about why we were in the engine room and wanted to call for additional security personnel, but her attitude had been fairly friendly.
I firmly believed that with my earth-shattering charm, combined with a convincing ticket, I could have talked my way through it as long as nothing unexpected happened.
And even if she insisted on pressing the matter, how exactly would she deal with me if I resorted to seduction and bribed her with a selfie?
Unfortunately, just as I was about to speak, the unexpected happened.
Without a second thought, Neru charged forward with her submachine gun and unloaded a burst at the Odyssey student, knocking her unconscious on the spot.
The deafening noise that accompanied her instinctively practiced action naturally attracted the attention of the other Odyssey students who had already arrived nearby.
And so, one thing led to another, resulting in our current situation.
But looking on the bright side...
Neru had probably taken care of the only witness, and we hadn't caused too much property damage to the Golden Fleece. If you squinted hard enough, it could still barely be considered a perfect stealth operation that hadn't deviated from its original objective... right?
At this point, comforting myself with that interpretation seemed like the only option, and perhaps it could also serve as an explanation for Yuuka later.
"It seems we're safe now. The retreat went smoothly."
After checking outside, the gray-haired girl adjusted her glasses, turned around, and asked with concern:
"Master, are you alright? Do you feel any pain anywhere?"
If I did, would an excellent maid like Akane massage it and blow on it for me?
That was what I was thinking, but I honestly shook my head.
"I'm fine. Not injured at all."
Thinking back on it, perhaps because there were so many important devices in the engine room, the enemy had been hesitant to fire recklessly.
In sharp contrast, C&C had shown absolutely no mercy.
Great. Another chance for Arona to slack off.
Akane sighed in relief.
"That's good. I'm glad."
Then she looked toward the bed with confusion.
"Oh my. By the way, Commander, who is that...?"
Lying on the guest room bed was a blonde, blue-eyed girl wearing a bunny suit and a V-shaped pair of sunglasses. At that moment, she happened to wake from unconsciousness.
"Ugh... mm..."
The unfamiliar student stared at the unfamiliar ceiling and struggled upright.
"This is... a guest room...? What happened...? Ah! Y-you're...!"
The moment she recognized us, Neru stepped forward and delivered a chop to the back of her neck, knocking her unconscious again.
"She's the student who found us first," I explained.
And the one who had carried her all the way here during our escape was, unsurprisingly, Neru as well.
Hearing that, Karin looked somewhat stunned.
"You actually brought her with us...?"
"We didn't have much choice. She saw all our faces. If we let her go, everyone would know about us."
Neru spoke as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Anyway, let's just let her sleep here for now."
But I suspected the part Karin found surprising was that Neru was the one doing something like this.
Personally, I felt touched that Neru had actually listened to what I'd said.
See? She could do it if she wanted to.
Akane nodded.
"That's true. It can't be helped. In that case, let's tie her hands and feet together first."
Karin added,
"Let's put a blindfold on her too. She's already seen that we're hiding in this room, but who knows what will happen if she gets any more information."
Neru joined in as well.
"And if she wakes up and starts screaming, we'll have to gag her."
The three of them exchanged suggestions and quickly restrained the poor Odyssey student completely.
As a teacher overflowing with virtue, I was forced to watch this cruel scene and couldn't help feeling a little guilty.
"Maybe we should plug her ears too? It wouldn't be good if she overheard something."
Akane praised me immediately.
"Master is so thoughtful."
I humbly replied,
"Not at all. You're giving me too much credit."
After all hostage-management procedures had been completed, Karin asked:
"Akane, what should we do next?"
Just like the Justice Task Force, the person who normally made decisions in C&C wasn't the club president.
"Well, now that we've established our base..."
Akane pondered for a moment.
"While I'd love to head straight to the control room, there's something we need to do first."
"What is it?"
"We need to find Asuna, right?"
Looking around, I voiced my guess.
At some point, before I even noticed, Asuna had gotten separated from us.
I'd tried contacting her, but there was still no response.
"About that..."
Karin said,
"That's basically normal by now. You've seen it yourself, Sensei. We don't really need to worry about Asuna-senpai. Even if we told her something, she probably wouldn't listen."
Akane nodded.
"It's fine to let her act freely."
It seemed Asuna's habit of appearing dramatically at the last moment truly was normal for C&C.
Then Akane continued:
"Before the commander silenced that girl, she said quite a few things. It sounds like there are some special rules aboard this ship."
Hearing that, I froze briefly and glanced at the unconscious girl's outfit.
Earlier, when we'd encountered her, Neru had expressed confusion about her clothing, only to be questioned in return.
Sure, maid uniforms attracted attention in public, but from the girl's tone, it seemed that not wearing a bunny suit aboard the Golden Fleece was something genuinely strange.
And during our escape, although I'd only caught a glimpse from afar, the other security personnel seemed to be wearing the same outfit.
Realizing that, my eyes narrowed.
To infiltrate successfully, did that mean everyone in C&C would have to change into bunny suits?
How excit... regrettable!
The corners of my mouth had just begun to rise when I suddenly stopped.
Wait.
Surely that didn't mean I would have to as well...?
At that moment, Akane suggested:
"As for Master, that's another matter. But I think the rest of us should disguise ourselves."
Thank goodness. It had nothing to do with me.
Meanwhile, upon hearing she'd have to change clothes, Neru clicked her tongue in annoyance.
"What a pain."
"And that's exactly why it'll help us avoid trouble."
Smiling, Akane pulled several items from her bag.
"Here. I borrowed these earlier."
Looking closely, there were exactly three bunny suits.
One red, one white, and one black.
Wait!
Where exactly had she "borrowed" them from?!
And when?!
Why wasn't I invited to help collect the loot?!
"The sizes should be fine too," Akane said with a smile. "I observe everyone quite often."
Still unaware of the issue, Neru praised her.
"As expected of Akane. You're really good at this."
Karin, whose face had been full of confusion from the beginning, widened her eyes and finally couldn't hold back anymore.
"Wait. Did you take these off the enemies we knocked out earlier? And when you say the sizes fit... don't tell me that when you said you observe everyone often, you meant...?"
Thanks to Karin's reminder, I finally noticed that point too.
"Hehe. Let's not worry about such minor details."
With a casual tone, the gray-haired maid brushed aside the subject and beckoned to Neru.
"Commander, come over here. I'll help you put it on."
"Huh? Don't treat me like a child!"
"Oh my. Then do you know how to wear it?"
Neru froze for a moment.
"No."
Akane smiled as though she'd expected that answer all along.
"Hehe. Then allow me."
At that point, Neru could only sigh and accept it.
She really was a child.
Thus, Akane gracefully stepped in front of her commander, preparing to help her change into attire that was still a little too early for her.
But at that moment, another persistent voice stopped her.
"Akane, I'm still really curious about what you said earlier."
Karin hesitated before asking:
"How exactly do you know our measurements...?"
To be honest, I was curious about the answer too.
Because if Akane could determine the measurements of all the other C&C members simply through observation, then perhaps she knew mine as well...
Unlike Karin, however, I knew which questions should and shouldn't be asked.
Akane stopped walking.
Silence fell.
The atmosphere gradually became strange.
"Please don't worry about such trivial matters."
Several seconds later, the gray-haired maid turned back with a gentle smile.
"Alright?"
The black-haired maid stared blankly at her companion with golden eyes before finally nodding.
"...Fine. The mission is more important right now."
"Hey, how does this thing even go on?"
Holding the red bunny suit, Neru frowned and resumed complaining.
"And what's with this shape? Is this really clothing?"
"Oh my, just a moment."
Having dealt with Karin, Akane was about to continue helping her commander change when she suddenly seemed to remember something and looked toward me.
I asked in confusion:
"Is something wrong?"
"Well, how should I put it..."
She walked over to me and offered a slightly shy smile.
"It's not that it would be a problem if things stayed like this. But if possible... well... being watched the whole time is just a little..."
"Ah, sorry."
I pretended to realize it only then, once again lamenting the excessive presence caused by my overly handsome face.
Why couldn't people just ignore me like a normal person?
"Oh, but..."
Akane suddenly changed her tone while maintaining her smile.
"If you'd like to change clothes together with us, that's fine too."
"Really?"
My eyes lit up immediately.
I was about to accept graciously when I remembered the earlier issue.
If I were changing clothes with them, then what exactly would I be changing into?
Cold sweat instantly drenched my back.
Shaking my head vigorously, I declared with righteous conviction:
"No, no. That's bad for my health. You all go ahead. I'll step outside, and you can call me when you're done."
But Akane immediately rejected the idea.
"No, Master. There may still be security personnel patrolling outside after the disturbance. Please remain in this guest room."
"What?"
I was horrified.
If I could watch openly, that was one thing.
But if I could only hear and not see, what kind of torture was that?
For all I knew, Akane was using this opportunity to secretly observe my measurements and prepare for some future scheme!
Although even if she succeeded, I was confident my image in her heart would only become even more magnificent, it still felt rather strange.
"Oh my."
Akane smiled.
"Does Master have some sort of problem with that?"
"N-No..."
Her reasoning was perfectly sound. I couldn't find a single excuse to argue against it.
Wasn't there some method that would let me watch them change while also avoiding any strange risks?
"Hey, Akane!"
At that moment, Neru shouted.
"Are you done yet? What are you talking about with Sensei?"
...And now that Neru had noticed, any chance of achieving the perfect ending from my perspective was gone.
So before Akane could answer, I forced out a difficult reply.
"Then... I'll just use the bathroom."
Akane smiled.
"Hehe~ Very well~ But please don't take too long, Master."
"Of course."
Retreating into the bathroom in defeat, I spent what felt like an eternity, though it was actually only a few short minutes, rereading Noah's poetry collection over and over again.