"Cough, cough!"
As air finally forced its way back into my lungs, I gasped and opened my eyes. The world slowly came into focus, though everything remained a blur—likely because I hadn't fully regained my senses. I rubbed my eyes and sat up, and that was when I saw Yui and Eugen punishing Roon.
No. I couldn't allow this. I needed to talk to her.
"Cough...! Please stop, everyone... cough!"
Only then did the two of them turn to look at me. They rushed over in a panic, tears streaming from eyes that had been filled with killing intent only moments ago, now overflowing with sorrow and worry.
"Are you okay, Commander!? Tch...! I should have stomped that woman a little more...!"
"Are you all right, husband!? Is there anywhere you're having trouble breathing?"
"Yes, I'm fine... Please don't be angry. Your lovely faces will get ruined...?"
I gathered myself, took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. Only then did I finally make up my mind about what I needed to do for them.
After all, when you thought about it, they were beings from another world. They had come all this way because they had only ever looked toward me. Abandoning them would be a terrible thing to do. This incident had made it painfully clear that if I abandoned them again, they would fall into a bottomless despair.
That was why I had to say what needed to be said.
"Yui, could you help me up...?"
"Are you really all right...?"
Yui looked at me with the pleading eyes of a stray puppy. I had been an idiot to feel burdened by the pitiful love she sent my way. I was part of this world now too, so why had I treated her affection as something I could simply set aside? I felt a pang of regret, though that was something I would need to discuss properly later. For now, there was something I needed to tell Roon.
"Yes. So please, take me to Roon."
"...Understood, husband."
"Then I'll stay by your side and watch. I'll protect the Commander so that woman Roon can't get up and hurt you again."
Yui helped me to my feet and supported my shoulder, while Eugen stood beside me as a guard. As we approached Roon, the severity of her condition became clear. One of her arms had been blown off by Eugen's barrage, and blood was pouring out. She had clearly been beaten badly; bruises covered her body and blood ran from her nose. Yet, as expected of a heavy cruiser, she still looked resilient.
"Roon."
"Ah... Commander...?"
Only then did the light of life return to Roon's eyes. I had so much I wanted to say, but for now, this was all I could manage, and the limitation frustrated me. I knelt on one knee and faced her directly.
"Please come and apologize to me in person. I'm not going anywhere."
"Ah..."
At my words, Roon began to cry. She must have been hurting in her own way, too. The wounds she had suffered during my absence were scars I needed to heal. That was why I told her that, since this wasn't the right setting for it, she should find me and apologize once she had recovered. It would be better for Roon, too. And as for her greatest fear—my disappearance—I told her I wasn't going anywhere to put an end to that anxiety.
"Eugen, please take Roon to the repair dock. I'm counting on you. Let's go, Yui. It's getting late."
"Tch... Then you'll go on a date with me later, Commander?"
"Hmm. Shall we meet again later?"
"That would be lovely, Commander. Hehe."
Smack
Eugen gave my cheek a small kiss, then hoisted Roon over her shoulder and carried her off toward the repair dock. I returned to the Commander's quarters with Yui. When we arrived, the room was no different from the first time I had entered it. If there was any difference at all, it was that Yui was now by my side.
When Yui set me down on the bed and tried to leave, I stopped her.
"Um, Yui... would you sleep with me tonight...?"
"Would that be all right, Commander...?"
"Yeah, but please don't jump me, okay? I'm really just going to hold your hand and sleep..."
If this went any further, I truly felt like I might die of overexcitement.
Smiling brightly, she ran back to her room and hurriedly changed into pajamas. Her hair was tied into a ponytail for comfort, and the gray pajamas matched her hair color, somehow making her look even more pure and innocent. Moonlight spilled across the bed in the Commander's quarters as we lay down together.
"Hup."
The bed felt incredibly soft after so long. She lay right across from me, close enough for me to feel the sweetness of her breath. We just looked at each other like that, quietly, beneath the moonlight.
She gently placed her hand on my cheek and stroked it with a pleading gaze. Her touch brought a strange sense of calm. I lifted my own hand and stroked her soft cheek in return. The feel of her white, delicate, tender skin traveled through my fingertips. I wondered why she loved me this much.
"Yui. Why are you doing so much for me...?"
"....."
She answered only with silence. I decided to wait for her reply, believing she would be honest. Perhaps I was being rewarded for that patience, because after a while, she opened her mouth and began to explain.
"I don't know either... I just met you for the first time, and as I watched the joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness you expressed from the other side, I found myself falling in love without even realizing it. At some point, I simply wanted the lovable you, and when I realized what I was feeling, I wanted to swear myself to you..."
She spoke with tears in her voice. Was she saying this because she was sad?
"That's why I loved you even more when you gave me your oath. Of course, it was also because I was the only one in this fleet who had sworn herself to you, but I was just so happy to have the only connection to you from the other side..."
"But after that, you disappeared... I was so sad... Why did you leave without saying anything? Why did you go somewhere else, making my heart ache and ache like this...? But I loved even that feeling... because only that kind of pain made me think of you..."
"But... but...!"
Her emotions seemed to be swelling. Until now, her voice had been full of despair, but now I could feel only happiness, bright with the promise of the future. I found myself smiling along with her.
"You came back to me...! The fact that you're here has become my precious reality now...! I'm so happy, so incredibly happy... I want to be happy with you forever now...!"
Who was it that said tears were a woman's weapon?
As the moonlight lit her face, I felt my breath catch. The light revealed her expression—she was showing me, and only me, a smile filled with beautiful tears and boundless love. What man could look at that and not fall for her?
I finally understood.
What I was feeling for her was not pity, but love.
I pulled her face into my chest and held her there. She hugged me back tightly. I couldn't see her face anymore, but I knew. She was happy now.
"Thank you, Yui."
"Mm... Commander... thank you for coming back to us... I love you... forever..."
Sniff, sniff.
Only then, finally reassured, did she fall asleep with even, steady breaths. I brushed the hair away from her forehead and kissed it gently, hoping it would help her feel at ease.
Someday, I might go back. I didn't know when, but someday.
Even if that happened, while I was still here, I wanted to do everything I could to make the girls who had trusted and followed me happy.
Under the moonlight, I thought to myself.
No more neglect. From now on, let's all walk the road to happiness together.
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