I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship, so I Became a Space Mercenary - Chapter 482

Chapter 482: 「This One is Quite Cute, isn’t He?」

At first, Serena’s younger sisters were acting distant, but then they suddenly started flirting with me. However, they were quickly driven out of the salon by Serena’s physical intervention. Watching her subjugate each of them one by one, like doing side missions, was actually kind of amusing—wait, is it really okay to find it amusing to see a beautiful girl in an elegant dress being bent over and screaming? Well, it was funny, so I guess I can’t help it. Despite being noble princesses, including Serena, their interactions felt more like those of brothers rather than sisters.

「You didn’t waver even a little, did you?」

Once Serena’s sisters had been chased away and the salon was quiet again, we returned to having tea with the three mothers-in-law. It was then that Hildegard, the second wife and Serena’s mother, suddenly made this comment.

「Their antics were too ridiculous for me to even think about wavering.」

I replied with a wry smile, and she sighed with her eyes closed. Is she disappointed?

「Indeed, with those antics, it’s a little difficult to consider them as romantic partners... But still, Hiro-dono, didn’t you feel flattered at all being pursued by such young, beautiful women?」

「Well, normally I would, yes, but it’s a bit awkward when the ones doing the flattering are your fiancée’s sisters. Besides, there wasn’t even a hint of romantic mood.」

To start with, they blatantly sized me up when we first met. Then, they suddenly switched to being overly sweet. The change was so obvious that it only left me at a loss for how to respond. If the circumstances were entirely different, I may have felt different.

「Mood...」

「Oh my, oh my... ufufu Serena, this one is quite cute, isn’t he?」

「I see.」

Hearing my response, Hildegard-san looked at me in surprise, Annelise-san, the first wife, chuckled elegantly, and Beatrix-san, the third wife, nodded as if she had come to some understanding. What? What’s with that reaction?

「ufu fufufu, yes... creating the right mood is important, isn’t it? ufufufu.」

For some reason, my response seemed to have hit Annelise’s funny bone, and she started laughing. Why? What was so fun about it?

「A scary battle-hardened mercenary who single-handedly dives into a swarm of crystalline lifeforms and cuts down nearly a hundred of the Ixamal House’s private soldiers without breaking a sweat, talking about ‘mood’...?」

「fu fufu ufufu... oh, I can’t... hahaha!」

Hildegard-san’s words seemed to be the final straw, as Annelise-san doubled over, clutching her stomach in laughter. Is it really that funny? I mean, come on...

「Serena-san, you were drawn to his character, weren’t you?」

「In the end, yes.」

As I indulged in what could be called ‘Mimi-snuggling’—a much superior version of cuddling with a cat— my mental energy started to refill. What? Are you saying that my mental energy might be refilling, but my dignity and manliness are rapidly decreasing? Who cares about that? Flirting with Mimi is far more important.

「Feeling better now?」

「A bit. I’m really worn out from dealing with Serena’s beautiful mothers, who could easily pass as her older sisters. They asked so many questions, it was mentally exhausting.」

I sighed as I buried my face in Mimi’s stomach, and she started to gently stroke my head. I feel like I’ve become a baby, if she continues to spoil me this much, I might regress into full-on baby mode. I must stay strong. I can’t let myself fall that far.

「You must be really tired... Are you okay?」

「I’m not really okay... but you came here because you needed something, right? What’s up?」

「Yes, it’s about Chris-chan. She mentioned that if we’re going to the Dexer System, she’d like to travel with us.」

「That’s a reasonable request. Since we’re headed to the same place, it’s safer to go together.」

How did Chris make it to the Imperial Capital again? Did I ask her about that? I can’t remember if I did or if I just forgot. But well, it’s unlikely she came here on a commercial flight. If that were the case, she’d probably ask to board the Black Lotus rather than just tag along. She most likely arrived on a ship belonging to the Dareinwald House.

「However, we can’t just do it for free.」

「Of course. Even if she’s going to be family, that doesn’t mean we can waive the cost.」

「If we’re providing protection, we’ll need to go through the Mercenary Guild properly.」

At the very least, we’ll need to ensure that the compensation we receive is seen as reasonable by both the Mercenary Guild and other mercenaries. It doesn’t have to be in cash; payment in goods like local specialties or trade items would be fine, a special favor might be good too. I might be a Platinum Ranker, but if I were to undercut the price for a noble’s request, the Guild would definitely be upset with me. After all, nobles are prime clients for high-ranking mercenaries like those in the Platinum or Gold ranks.

「I guess it’s best to discuss those details directly with Chris. Alright, let’s go. Thanks to you, Mimi, I’m feeling much better.」

「Really...? If you’d like, you could rest a bit more... you know?」

「...What time is it?」

「If it’s just a little longer... just a little bit more, okay?」

Alright then, let’s flirt just a little more with Mimi before heading out. Just a little!Fôllôw new stories at no/v(e)lb/in(.)com