Three days after receiving Serena’s message, we were checking our outfits on the Black Lotus to head to the Imperial Castle together. Oh, when I say ‘together’, I don’t mean Chris is coming with us. Today’s event was to celebrate our achievements as mercenaries, so there was no reason for Chris to join the ceremony with us. She will probably attend as Earl Dareinwald’s representative, though. Also, Mei and Neve weren’t coming with us either. Mei is an artificial intelligence, so while she was technically recognized as a person, she didn’t qualify to participate in this event. At least, as long as she was my maidroid, her actions were considered mine. If she were to start acting independently as Mei, a single AI, it would be a different story… Somehow, the circumstances around that are complex and mysterious, so I don’t quite understand them.

「How do I look, Boss? Does it suit me?」

「Yeah, it suits you. You look cute.」

I complimented Tina, who was wearing a black dress with red accents that matched her hair color. It might sound like an unimaginative compliment, but honestly, she really is cute.

「Don’t call me cute, say I’m beautiful. I’m an adult lady, you know.」

「You’re cute, you’re so cute.」

「Geez, can’t you put a little more effort into it?」

Seeing that I wouldn’t call her anything else than cute, Tina started to pout. Even if she wants me to call her beautiful, she looks much more cute than beautiful… While she was small in stature, she wasn’t flat, and she had round hips. When she was wearing her usual jumpsuit that showed off her body lines, she gave off a bit of a sexy vibe, but in a dress like the one she was wearing today, which didn’t emphasize her body lines as much, she just looked cute rather than beautiful or sexy.

「Big brother, do you think I’m cute too?」

「Very cute.」

I gave the same deep nod of approval to Wiska, who was wearing a dress identical to Tina’s, but with a white base and blue accents. They’re twins, after all. When seen like this, they look very similar, but their mannerisms and expressions reveal their distinct personalities.

「It’s a bit tight…」

「Well, with your assets…」

This time, Mimi and Elma were in suits rather than dresses. I called them suits, but they were more like formal military uniforms. If I brought Mimi in a dress, it would emphasize her striking resemblance to Princess Luciada… A lot of people saw her in a dress at the previous ceremony, so it’s a bit late for that. Still, it was better to prepare for the worst. However, Mimi does look uncomfortable. It can’t be helped. With that chest armor… Elma seems comfy though—whoops, she glared at me.

「Hmm, I don’t think this kind of clothing suits me…」

「That’s not true, Doctor. It looks very good on you.」

「Really…? It feels too frilly and I can’t relax.」

When I looked away from Elma, I saw Dr. Shouko, looking uneasy in her dress, being coaxed by Kugi, who was wearing her usual space shrine maiden outfit. Kugi’s outfit was slightly more elaborate than usual, with more accessories, but it seems her shrine maiden outfit was considered formal attire suitable for official events, so she basically looked the same as always. In contrast, Shouko-sensei was in formal wear. Her usually disheveled long hair was neatly styled atop her head, and the dress, though modest in color, perfectly highlighted her body’s lines. Her chest armor which rivals Mimi’s, is impressive as always, it’s too sexy. Well, she is going to drape a shawl over herself that will help hide her body lines, so hopefully, it will reduce the stares.

This time, we divided the crew’s attire: those involved in combat wore military uniforms, and those who weren’t wore dresses. Originally, I wanted Kugi to wear something similar to Mimi and Elma’s, but her tails made it impossible. We couldn’t use the existing designs, and a fully custom-made outfit wouldn’t be ready in three days, so we had to give up on that idea.

「Wow, that’s amazing. You have quite the selection, Captain.」

「Indeed. It’s impressive, isn’t it?」

I joked with Neve, who had graduated from the medical pod and was allowed to move around in a semi-autonomous multifunctional wheelchair—it was floating, so it didn’t have wheels—since yesterday, while looking at the girls. By the way, her wheelchair also functioned somewhat like a simplified treatment pod, making it quite expensive. Neve told me she’d pay for it when she could, but equipping the ship is part of the captain’s responsibility, so I politely declined her offer.

「Do you think I’ll get to wear something like that eventually?」

「Well, with your fair skin, Neve, you might look good in gothic lolita.」

A girl with white hair and fair skin in black gothic lolita attire would indeed be striking. Mimi doesn’t wear such outfits often… sigh. There are a lot of types of lolita fashion, but it’s best to leave it to that store staff. If you say to them: ‘Please find an outfit that suits this girl.’ They’ll surely find something good. Sometimes, they bring too many attires because all of them are a good match, and sometimes they end up brawling between themselves due to differences in opinions, but those are minor issues.

「Hey, you took so much time leering at us and criticizing our outfits, but you aren’t going to say anything about your own?」

「Who cares about a guy’s outfit? Anyway, the one you all picked for me is super comfortable. Thanks.」

My outfit was similar in design to what Mimi and Elma were wearing, only a bit more extravagant here and there. I might say ‘extravagant’ but it wasn’t overly flashy—just tasteful enough to be elegant, I don’t care much for gaudy clothes.

「Well then, shall we head out? Our ride should be here soon.」

While we, the group in suits would be able to use public transport without issues, it wouldn’t do for the ones in dresses. Serena had arranged for a vehicle from the Imperial Space Navy to pick us up, which is why we dressed up on the Black Lotus. Otherwise, we would have had to bring our outfits and change at the palace. As I was mulling this over, our ride arrived, and we boarded it while Mei and Neve saw us off. The vehicle Serena had arranged wasn’t an intimidating vehicle with a big gun on the roof but more like a subdued shuttle bus. Unlike regular shuttle buses, this one could fly though.

「Hmm… not bad. I will give you my approval.」

「Thanks. You look as elegant as ever.」

「I’m wearing the same outfit as always after all.」

Serena, who was waiting for us inside the flying shuttle bus, shrugged her shoulders. True to her words, she was dressed in her usual white military uniform. The only difference was that she had medals pinned to her chest instead of her usual insignia.

「Someday, I’ll show you how I look in a dress.」

「That sounds delightful. Although you look beautiful in your usual military uniform too.」

Honestly, when I think of Serena, this is the image that comes to mind—it suits her so well. First impressions are important, after all. She was in her military uniform the first time we met too.

「…Is he always like this?」

「Yes, he is pretty much always like this.」

「Yeah, he often gives straightforward compliments.」

「I see…」

Listening to Mimi and Elma’s replies, Serena blushed slightly and looked at me with a slight glare.

「What?」

「…You didn’t use to say such flattering things before.」

「Well, that’s true. Serena, you’re very beautiful, so being aloof with you was pretty tough. I was always thinking about how gorgeous and beautiful you were when I was talking to you.」

「Oh, enough… I get it, I get it already.」

Serena, her face now bright red, hid her face with one hand and extended her other hand towards me, as if to heed me to stop. Hmm, I see?

「Eek!?」

「Haha, lovers’ hold!」

So, I intertwined my fingers with hers, holding her hand like lovers do. Haha, her reaction is funny—ouch, ouch, ouch! I get it! I’m sorry! I’m sorry for teasing you! Please forgive me! My hand’s bones are breaking!

In the end, Serena didn’t let go of my hand until we reached our destination. She did ease up on her grip, though.