As the sun began to set, and the blue sky gradually turned a shade of purple, countless falling stars started to appear on the horizon.

“Wow! How pretty!”

“Yeah. But those are actually debris from the destroyed pirate ships though.”

“They’re beautiful, but filthy at the same time huh.”

“Alright, you two. Can’t you be a little bit more, you know, romantic…?”

“Those debris include the remains of filthy criminal uncles, so isn’t that far removed from being ‘romantic’?”

“It’s not like we can be sure the pirates are all composed of dirty-looking uncles, Hiro-sama. What if there were aunties, young men, or women within the crew?”

“That’s beside the point, okay?”

Anyway, since they included dead pirates, I just couldn’t bring myself to enjoy the sight of those shooting stars. Well, if we discounted that fact, the brilliant shower of lights did look pretty.

Alrighty then. Let’s stop paying attention to those shooting stars with dirty elements and confirm the current situation.

We managed to defeat the combat robots sent by the enemy earlier, succeeded in boarding the Krishna, and were now waiting for the commotion to die down while in the safety of the ship’s energy shields. It was next to impossible for combat robots to breach this ship’s energy shields, so we were relatively safe as long as we holed up inside the ship.

Meanwhile, a security force consisting of this planet’s defense robots arrived at the island and started mopping up the remaining enemies. Right now, the defense forces have already managed to destroy the invading spherical combat robots, but since there was still a chance of a small assassination-specialized bot being sent together with the regular combat bots in order to take Chris’ life, we decided to remain inside Krishna for the time being.

Oh, and we had the maidroids, including May, get off the ship earlier. Depending on the situation, we may decide to directly fly outta here after all. The gorilla robot and the rock crab robot already went back inside the forest as well. I really wanted to ride on top of that rock crab.

However, since it was boring just standing around the ship, we all gathered inside the dining room and were now whiling the time away by watching holo-videos. We just finished watching the documentary compilation regarding the sea environment on Sierra III that was sent to us by Miro earlier.

Oh, and it was already dinner time, so we were eating our meals while watching the vids. Tonight’s menu was pizza created by our trusty Tetsujin V. There were a lot of toppings to choose from, and right now we’re having a pizza topped with my favorite chicken teriyaki. The chicken drenched in salty-sweet sauce and the pizza really paired well. Ginger ale also went well with the meal.

“So what do we do now? Will we get in touch with Commander Serena after all?”

“About that… well, doing so would guarantee our safety after all.”

It’s been roughly a week since we holed-up on this planet. The message we sent to Chris’ grandfather might have already reached him. If so, then perhaps her grandfather was already arranging for Chris’ rescue.

Also, I bet Chris’ uncle is feeling like his behind’s on fire right now. Yeah. It would be nice if his sneaky behind really did catch on fire for real. Well, his plans are close to falling apart anyway. So what would such a cornered individual do? If he were the type to give up and cut his losses calmly after failing, Chris wouldn’t be stuck in this sort of situation. There’s a good chance he’ll get desperate and try to kill Chris without caring for the consequences.

“Well, she does owe us, in a sense. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind taking us into her protection for the time being.”

“Ara, you’re talking like a seasoned mercenary now, Mimi.”

“Well, of course. I’ve been learning a lot from you two and developing day by day after all.”

Mimi, who was praised for her mercenary-like thinking, puffed up her bountiful chest proudly. Umu. Mimi’s breasts are doing great today as well. Are those amazing knockers also developing day by day, I wonder? How curious.

“What kind of person is that Commander Serena?”

“Oh, uh, simply put, an unfortunate beauty, I guess.”

“Unfortunate beauty?”

“And an unruly drunk.”

“Unruly drunk?”

“Um, she’s an Imperial military lieutenant commander who commands an independent anti-pirate star fleet. She has a sort of, um, connection with Hiro-sama.”

“Just say she’s a persistent stalker, Mimi.”

“Yep. Stalker is the word.”

“Um, a persistent stalker…? Is it really okay to contact her then?”

Chris displayed a really worried expression. Well, of course, she would.

“Uh, um… She’s also a lady hailing from a Marquis House. What House was it again?”

“House Holz, I believe.”

“Marquis Holz… They’re a distinguished family boasting of many members who achieved great success in military and political fields. I haven’t had an opportunity to meet with members of that House though.”

“I see. What about you, Chris? What do you think about getting help from the Imperial military?”

“Let’s see. Since the situation is as it is, I think doing so would best ensure our safety–”

“I think you don’t need to involve Chris and Earl Daleinwald in this matter. You can just decide for yourself, Hiro. There’s no need to bother Chris about this.”

“Is that so?”

“Yup. And also, we’ve just been singing to that Lieutenant Commander’s tune every time. It’s just fair that we’re the ones who’ll make use of her this time, right?”

Elma made an evil-looking grin. Oh boy. I’m guessing she’s planning to dump all the troubles resulting from the pirate attack to LtCdr Serena later huh. Well, that actually doesn’t sound too bad. It’s true that LtCdr Serena’s been dragging us around every time we meet her, so it’s high time she paid back what she owes us.

“Yosh. I’ll contact Commander Serena then.”

“Before that, wouldn’t it be best if you got in touch with Miro first?”

“Oh, right. Okay then. Mimi, get me a secure line.”

“Yes.”

Mimi fiddled with her tablet terminal and got a hold of Miro.

『Yes. What seems to be the matter, everyone?』

“Well, the lodge was damaged, and it’s not in any state for us to continue enjoying a vacation, so we were thinking of departing from this planet early. What are the procedures for doing so?”

『Yes. There are still some days left for your stay, but if you insist on departing from Sierra III, then the remaining days will be canceled. However, since we allowed for a situation that caused our guests inconvenience, I would like to present you with a special discount coupon for use on your next visit.』

“That sounds lovely. It was fun, so how about we come here again?”

“That’s right! The food was really delicious too!”

Elma and Mimi were smiling happily after hearing Miro’s offer. Un, certainly. I also greatly enjoyed our time here since I finally had the opportunity to drink some carbonated stuff.

『By the way, will you go ahead with the maidroid purchase?』

“Eh? Uh, y-yeah.”

“Were you planning on leaving May-san behind, Hiro-sama…?”

Mimi gave me a stern gaze after hearing my hesitant reply. Please stop, Mimi. Don’t look at me like that.

“Well, isn’t it okay? Since May’s specs are quite high, it would be reassuring to have her with us if we get ourselves wrapped up in a situation like this again, right?”

Elma was pushing for purchasing May as well for some reason.

“Yeah, I guess……”

“Why do you sound so reluctant?”

“It’s a guy thing. You wouldn’t understand.”

Please imagine this, everyone. There’s a lifelike figure crammed with all the obsessions and fetishes a guy keeps deep inside his heart, and the women close to the said guy can freely see said figure. Furthermore, the said figure can move, talk, and shows absolute loyalty to the guy, who’s technically her creator. She even calls him Master. Just what kind of shameful play is that!?

Ugh. I know, I know. I get what you guys are saying. Why am I still hung up on that when it’s already out in the open, right? But it still feels complicated, okay. I practically designed May’s appearance from the top of her head down to her pretty toes y’know. It still feels hella embarrassing. Well, I’m glad the two of them have accepted May, at least.

“Yeah, you’re right. Having May around is certainly helpful in various ways. How do I pay for her?”

『Yes. Thank you for your purchase. Please feel free to bring May along on your travels then. All necessary information will be relayed to Orient Corporation, so please go to the nearest Orient Corporation dealer shop to complete your purchase at your convenience. They will also retrieve the data for the trial period once you do so.』

“Understood.”

『She will be losing my support, so there will be some performance drops until you take her to the dealer shop for the necessary upgrades. Please do take note of that.』

“I see…… I guess we’ll have to get her upgraded as soon as possible then.”

And so, it was decided that May will be the newest addition to our crew. The necessary procedures were simple enough. I finished the purchase via remote payment and had Enels deducted straight from my account.

“I will be in your care from now on, everyone. Thank you for having me.”

May boarded Krishna and made an elegant bow in front of us.

“Yeah, glad to have you.”

“Please take care of me as well, May-san.”

“Welcome. We’ll be counting on you then.”

“Yes.”

May raised her head and went in front of me.

“I hope to be of service to you for a long time, Master.”

“Y-Yeah.”

I managed to nod back while feeling slightly pressured by those black eyes peeking through the back of her red-framed glasses.

“Hachooo! A-Achooo!”

“Commander… Are you sure you didn’t catch a cold?”

“That’s weird…… The medical check showed I wasn’t sick.”

“Commander! There’s an unknown ship breaking through Sierra III’s atmosphere, and it’s trying to establish contact.”

“Unknown ship?”

“Yes. I’m checking the model now…… Ah…”

“?”

“I’ve managed to identify the ship in question. It belongs to a Gold-rank mercenary affiliated with the Mercenary Guild. It’s Captain Hiro’s ship, ma’am.”

“Eh……? Aaaaaah!?”

Krishna sent out a communication request to the flagship of the independent Imperial anti-pirate fleet, and before long, a familiar face showed up on the cockpit monitor.

『It’s been a while, Captain Hiro.』

“Yes, it has. Hello, Commander Serena. It looks like you’re doing well.”

『Yes. We’ve been having great success lately. I hope your skills haven’t dulled due to being on a vacation though.』

LtCdr Serena was smiling, but I could sense a really dark aura behind that beautiful smile. I’m sure she’s just jealous because we’ve been living it up on a resort planet lately.

“Hahaha. I just didn’t want to get in the way of your job, Commander. Man. The vacation on Sierra III sure was a blast though. The food was delicious, and the sea was amazing.”

『I see. That sounds lovely. Fufufu……』

The dark aura oozing from LtCdr Serena’s smile intensified. Oooh. How scary.

“Hahaha. By the way, Commander…”

『What is it, Captain Hiro?』

“I seem to recall you still owe us from last time, right?”

The smile on LtCdr Serena’s face twitched after she heard my question. Hahaha. What a good expression.