In the G-5 Base Commander's office, Ortoren had just pulled a lighter from his pocket and was about to spark the cigarette between his teeth when the door was shoved open without warning.
Who the hell? Daring to disrespect me, Ortoren?
He looked up toward the doorway and saw Gion, face dark, leading Smoker inside.
Oh, it's Gion? Then it's fine.
As she entered, Gion's eyes first fell on the lighter in Ortoren's hand—the very one she had given him. That lifted her mood slightly, but the next second her gaze landed on the tie at his neck.
She knew Ortoren too well. There was no way he could tie something that neat and proper on his own—he didn't have the skill.
"Hmph!" Gion's brief good mood vanished. She gave a cold snort, stepped up to Ortoren, and ordered, "Head up."
Ortoren froze, lighter still in hand, cigarette clenched in his teeth. He tilted his head back, eyes full of confusion.
Gion reached out, undid his tie, and re-knotted it. "Crooked. You don't care about your image at all."
Ortoren ???
Crooked? But it looked fine in the mirror just now!
He didn't think much of it, assuming he'd somehow messed it up with a careless movement.
After retying the knot, Gion asked, "Why did Rouge come?"
"Robin and the others said they missed me," Ortoren answered casually.
Then, after a pause, he proudly lifted his chin. "Though maybe it's just my imagination… I felt like Rouge missed me too? Could it be my handsome charm is just too hard to hide?"
The words were barely out when Gion suddenly yanked on his tie. The collar cinched tight, nearly choking him.
"Cough, cough, cough…" Ortoren sputtered, struggling. "Hey, hey—trying to murder your superior?"
Gion's eyes turned icy. "You don't have improper thoughts about Rouge, do you?"
True to his blunt nature, Ortoren admitted between coughs, "I'm a man, aren't I? Having the occasional improper thought—isn't that natural?"
"Then what about me? Have you ever had improper thoughts about me?" Gion asked through gritted teeth.
That stopped Ortoren cold. He stopped struggling and lifted his gaze to hers. In Gion's eyes he saw anger, hurt, and even the shimmer of unshed tears.
A pang of guilt struck him, and his voice softened. "Of course I have. Like I said, you're beautiful, with an amazing figure. For a man to have thoughts like that—isn't it only natural?"
The truth was, Ortoren didn't care much for romance. He put his career above all. Still, when it came to beautiful women, he always had stray thoughts—not just about Gion and Rouge, but even Stussy, the queen of the Pleasure District.
And in his mind, what was wrong with that? Thinking wasn't a crime.
Gion, hearing that, was stunned. In her impression, this bastard was always stiff as a board. Yet under pressure, he'd just openly admitted she was beautiful, that her figure was good, and that he had improper thoughts about her. It was… unsettling.
All at once, her irritation and anger gave way to embarrassment and shyness.
Her eyes darted away. She let go of his tie, smoothed it back into place, and muttered awkwardly, "If… if you want to… you could be bolder. You'll never know if it'll work unless you try. Courage… cough… don't fear failure… give it a shot."
Her face flushed even deeper. Not daring to linger for Ortoren's reply, she spun on her heel and dashed out.
At the doorway, Smoker stood frozen, heart pounding. Wait—was this a free show? G-5's battlefield? The Base Commander's messy love life?
Would Benn-senpai kill to silence him later?
And something didn't add up. Why did Gion-senpai sound so righteous? Wasn't Ms. Rouge supposed to be Benn-senpai's wife?
This was too messy. Was this the chaotic, decadent world of the upper ranks?
Ortoren exhaled, scratching his head in confusion. "Be bolder… What does that mean? Is Gion telling me not to just think about it? That I can actually try?"
Was she saying I should act on those thoughts? Was she hinting I could take multiple wives? The bolder the man, the greater the reward?
"I really have been letting the times and morals constrict my vision!" Ortoren slapped his thigh and said, thoughtful.
Come to think of it, he'd never given it serious thought: this world wasn't exactly some enlightened age. Neither law nor custom strictly required a person to have only one wife, right?
Hell, his own mother had had who-knows-how-many husbands, and nobody ever made a fuss.
"I've been far too conservative. Our family should embrace that kind of tradition…" Ortoren stroked his chin, smiling to himself.
When he had time he ought to invite Gion out for a meal—he hadn't taken a proper break in ages. A little trip together would be nice.
...
Smoker cleared his throat, feeling awkward as if forgotten. "Benn-senpai?"
Ortoren snapped back to reality, a little embarrassed, and waved him over. "Come in, sit down. Don't be so stiff. Like you said, we're senior and junior. At Headquarters nobody had your back—those bastard nobles took it out on you. But here at G-5 it's different. Once you're with us, you're under my protection. In this New World, G-5's the one doing the bullying; no one dares bully G-5."
Smoker was moved. Whether Ortoren's words were mere politeness or not, having the Base Commander—one of the Marines' bigwigs—say that directly carried real weight. He'd never felt that at Headquarters.
As for the earlier clash with the royals—Smoker didn't think he'd done anything wrong. Those nobles didn't treat people like people. As a Marine, his sense of justice made him stand up for servants who were being beaten to death. Was that wrong?
"Thank you, Benn-senpai," Smoker said, visibly touched.
After Smoker sat, Ortoren smiled. "Zephyr-sensei even contacted me—told me to take care of you. Said you're got potential. If you grow strong, you'll become a pillar of the Marines."
Smoker scratched his head. "I'll work hard not to disappoint him."
Ortoren nodded, then asked, "Graduating as top of your class under Zephyr-sensei means your fundamentals should be solid. I don't need to fuss over that. Strength comes from constant training and building combat experience—no shortcuts. Rank-wise, you finished as the top student and you're holding a Lieutenant Commander title; that's awkward for everyone. When the time's right I'll restore your Captain status. Now tell me—what do you want? Since you've come to G-5, any role you're hoping for?"
"Yes!" Smoker didn't hesitate. "I want to go to the front lines—where the fighting is fiercest!"
"Ambitious!" Ortoren banged the table. "That's the G-5 spirit. Fight the toughest battles, kill the fiercest enemies, earn the biggest bounties, drink the finest liquor, sleep with the most beautiful women!"
Smoker blinked. Was there no talk of justice at all here?
Before he could protest, Ortoren continued, "In a few days, our G-5 Rear Admiral Issho will be back. He's in charge of the hardest frontlines. I'll arrange for you to train under him."
"Yes—thank you for your guidance, Senior!" Smoker immediately saluted.
"No need for formalities. Call me 'senpai' and we're family. Here you don't have to suppress who you are. G-5 thrives on being unruly—we do what HQ can do, and we do what HQ can't. Out in the field, I have one rule: don't disgrace G-5. Everything else—say you go and behead a member of some allied royal house? I'll have your back." Ortoren said it with unmistakable swagger.
...
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