“That was quite a sight, huh?”

Suo-senpai returned to us with a satisfied expression after trying out the sword-shaped Soul Armor.

“Oh, welcome back, Suo-senpai.”

“Welcome home, onii-chan.”

“…Why is Hinoura rolling on the floor?”

“Kotomi? Yeah, she’s just let’s leave her be.”

“I’ve been tainted. I can never get married now.”

As Kotomi lay on the lab floor, crying with her hands covering her face, Suo-senpai looked puzzled, but we could do nothing.

“Come on, Kotomi, calm down. Anyway, that Doctor Kirigaya just teased Hinoura-san and left somewhere in a flash, didn’t she?”

“Even so, Director Kirigaya’s behavior was quite extreme, leaving everyone without guidance.”

Secretary Natori-san apologized to Doctor Kirigaya with a deeply apologetic expression.

“It’s alright. We don’t expect much from that person anyway.”

“Even someone like her becoming the director of this institute implies her significant achievements. If the director had a more normal personality, they’d probably be in an important position at the headquarters of the Military Joint Command by now…”

Natori-san murmured wistfully.

Calling your superior “someone like her” indicates the institute has a pretty open atmosphere.

Thinking that, we followed Natori and continued the rest of the tour.

“Thank you for today.”

As our tour ended and we approached the exit, we thanked Natori for guiding us.

“It’s just about dinner time. So why not have dinner at the institute’s cafeteria? It serves authentic Okinawan cuisine prepared by local chefs. Researchers tend to be holed up in their labs, so we make sure to provide good food. I highly recommend it.”

“Um, is that alright?”

“And your meal expenses will get covered by the director’s pocket money.”

“””””Thank you very much.”””””

We nodded without hesitation.

“Thank you. I’m sure Director Kirigaya will be delighted to have company since she can hardly leave the institute premises due to security reasons.”

Natori smiled as if she were personally pleased.

“Oh… so she’s with her again…”

Perhaps still traumatized from earlier, Kotomi hugged Chuusuke and voiced her anxiety.

“Are you okay, Kotomi? Should we skip it?”

“Protect me this time, Yuu?”

“Got it. I’ll make sure to protect you from the doctor’s clutches this time.”

Skipping a meal while traveling is truly appreciated, so this time, I made a promise with Kotomi.

For someone like me, who often has to foot the bill or even pay extra, it’s especially appreciated.

“Anyway, Natori-san seems devoted to Director Kirigaya. Could it be that they have a close relationship beyond just boss and subordinate?”

As if asking a straightforward question, Marin-chan, a middle schooler, suddenly asked Natori-san with a mischievous look.

“Ahaha! Being that close to her even in private would be too much to handle.”

Natori-san casually deflected Marin-chan’s straightforward question with a smile full of adult composure.

If Doctor Kirigaya were here, she’d probably be shocked… thought the group present, as we headed to the cafeteria.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

“Doctor knew I was coming here because Toshi-nii contacted her.”

The Okinawan dishes we had for dinner in the institute’s cafeteria were all delicious.

However, when rice came with the Sōmen Champuru set, my thoughts momentarily paused.

“That’s right. Colonel Kogai passed on a message to Kamiya-dono, saying, ‘Don’t send trivial updates to the business email account’, and entrusted a message to Kamiya-dono.”

“Then tell Toshi-nii, ‘I won’t stop♪,’ Doctor.”

“Aye aye, Captain.”

Dinner with Doctor Kirigaya, pulled out from the lab by Natori-san, became quite lively.

“But Doctor Kirigaya’s way of talking, is it deliberate? Is it perhaps to ward off men?”

“Oh, Hayami, you’re sharp! I’d like to say yes… but unfortunately! It’s just my natural self~. Even Mother said to me, ‘You’re the type that could get the other party interested just from the arranged marriage photo, but it all ends the moment you meet…’ with a resigned face… Can I cry? Is it okay to cry?”

“Doctor… Recently, whenever I go home, there are several arranged marriage photos piled up on the living room table, making it hard for me to go back…”

“Oh~ Hayami, are we comrades~? At this age, such talks pop up, and it’s annoying. Well, well, cheers.”

Since they were close in age and active as Soul Armor users in the military, Doctor Kirigaya and Hayami-san began to pour cups of Awamori.

“The only designated driver got into drinking.”

Unfortunately, the disdainful glances from us high schoolers towards the two drunk adults were. Unfortunately, it’s not noticed by the individuals themselves.

“I’ll arrange for a substitute driver.”

“Sorry, Natori-san.”

Well, Hayami-san probably wants to drink while on a trip, and it wouldn’t be fair to make her endure it all the time.

I didn’t expect them to start drinking on the first day out, though.

“Natori-san, I don’t want to get into an arranged marriage anymore~ Please marry me quickly~ If you do, you can have this unnecessarily heavy chest all to yourself~ although it’s never belonged to anyone~! Oh, and since Natori-san has such a poker face, it’s unfair, so drink up~”

“Sexual harassment, power harassment, alcohol harassment, right? If you apply to the Personnel Department, even if it’s outside the transfer period, you might be able to leave this institute through personnel transfer.”

“Nope, not happening!”

“No deal! No deal!”

Drunk Doctor Kirigaya and Hayami-san bantered with Natori-san, but he either handled it casually or didn’t mind at all.

But the tipsy harassers paid no heed to such responses.

“Why, Natori-san, why aren’t you satisfied with Doctor Kirigaya? Such a talented researcher who has achieved so much at a young age looks attractive once polished, and has a nice body~”

“Oh, great job, Hayami! Say it, say it~!”

Beside Hayami-san, who was making follow-up remarks with a drunken tongue, Doctor Kirigaya cheered and egged her on.

“We want to keep work and personal life separate.”

Today, Doctor Kirigaya and Hayami-san teasing him, Natori-san seemed particularly bothered.

But the two drunkards paid no heed to her icy responses and continued to laugh and drink.

At that point, there was no trace of what could be called intelligence.

“Sorry, Natori-san. Our teacher…”

“No worries. They’ll settle down soon.”

As Natori-san had said, soon the two drunkards’ heads became heavy, and they fell asleep, their heads resting on the dining table.

“Doctor Kirigaya seemed even more excited than usual. She must have been happy that an old acquaintance visited.”

The caring Natori-san gently removed Doctor Kirigaya’s glasses, which looked like they could be scratched by her lenses.

Removing the glasses, Doctor Kirigaya still looked beautiful.

“Despite being a passionate researcher fascinated by Soul Armors, why didn’t she show much interest in you, Yuu-kun?”

With a simple and innocent tone, Meena asked a curious question.

“…Well, she probably got tired of me since she examined me so thoroughly when we first met.”

“Sounds rather suggestive when you put it like that…”

“Haha…”

I gave a vague laugh in response to Mina’s reaction.

“Oh, it seems the substitute driver has arrived at the institute’s main gate.”

Natori-san informed us while looking at her smartphone that, had received a notification.

“Come on, let’s get going. Let’s carry Hayami-sensei. Natori-san, thank you very much. Please give our regards to the Doctor when she wakes up. Heave-ho.”

With a single shout, I lifted Hayami-san’s body.

“Whoa! Yuu, amazing!”

“Hey, are you planning to carry Hayami-san like a firefighter’s carry?”

Mina and Suo-senpai were surprised to see me lifting Hayami-san onto my shoulders.

“It’s handy when someone throws up in their sleep. It keeps my clothes from getting dirty. I used to carry drunken colleagues like this on the battlefield.”

“What an unpleasant piece of battlefield trivia.”

Since Hayami-san carried me like this when I was feeling unwell the other day, it’s my way of returning the favor.

“Alright, let’s go.”

“Let’s film this and use it as blackmail material against the older folks later♪”

With a smile, Marin-chan started filming me and Hayami-san with her smartphone.

Since we’re out of the no-filming zone, the camera function restriction on smartphones has been lifted, much to Speedy-san’s disadvantage.

[Hopefully, this will divert attention from Doctor Kirigaya’s apparent indifference to my Soul Armor ability.]

The flashy move of carrying Hayami-san on my shoulders was intended to divert everyone’s attention.

[Well, they can see right through it, Master.]

[Don’t remind me, Kon. I’ve given up on Marin-chan.]

While inwardly grumbling to Kon, I walked towards the car, making sure not to look at Marin-chan, who was probably laughing mischievously behind me.