Rhodes Island Landship.
An alarm rang out in a tidy room. In one corner, the uniform of a Rhodes Island Elite Operator hung neatly, and a sword was mounted on the wall like a decoration.
Yujin opened his eyes.
[Good morning, Leader.]
"Doesn't feel like a good morning..."
He had planned to sleep in, but the ever-present AI beside him wouldn't allow it. Since Kal'tsit had told him to take some time off, it felt like he was wasting a meaningless vacation.
Yujin sat up blankly and straightened his clothes. A vacation. It wasn't like he had been running himself ragged lately, yet Kal'tsit had insisted he rest.
"Take a moment to enjoy some leisure," she had said. Honestly, Yujin wished she would treat the Doctor with half the warmth she showed him. Kal'tsit was exceptionally cold to the Doctor, yet warm to Yujin. Even when he first met the Doctor, the subtle emotional currents had been baffling.
"Yaaawn...!"
He stretched, working out the kinks in his muscles. A day on Rhodes Island was always busy. It was the largest landship wandering the wastes, capable of housing a massive population and fully self-sufficient.
Rhodes Island was also the name of the organization Yujin belonged to. While nominally a pharmaceutical company, its reach extended into countless fields, and it possessed enough armed force to be considered a PMC for self-defense.
Yujin drank the coffee that was prepared every morning. Opening the curtains, he looked out at the vast Terra wilderness beyond the window.
"What's the point of a vacation if there's nothing to do?"
Finishing his coffee, Yujin threw on his coat—emblazoned with the Elite Operator insignia—and stepped outside.
Even now, looking at the fully automated ship, he couldn't hide his amazement. It was a vessel unlike anything from his previous world.
"Good morning, Leader!"
"Yeah, morning."
People passing by bowed to him. Yujin waved back casually as he walked.
Ordinary daily life. The lack of incidents meant peace. Considering what they had been through, Rhodes Island had been running at a breakneck pace for a long time.
"Whew. since I have nothing to do, maybe I'll head to 'Just One More Drink'."
Drinking in the morning wasn't a great habit, but it had been a while since he indulged. And drinking alone was boring, so he needed to drag a friend along.
As he walked past the training grounds, someone emerged from inside.
Perked feline ears, dark blue hair swaying, and blue eyes that locked onto him.
"Blaze."
"Ah! Leader!"
Fresh from a morning workout, Blaze burst out with refreshing energy. She naturally linked arms with Yujin, rubbing her hair against him.
"Marking!"
"You do this every time we meet..."
Blaze pulled her face away but kept her arm linked tightly with his, forcing Yujin to look away.
Your chest is touching, you idiot...
He didn't say it out loud, but he averted his gaze. What he didn't know was that Blaze enjoyed his flustered reaction.
"Hehe, where are you headed?"
"To 'Just One More Drink'. I want a drink."
"Whoa, day drinking is bad! Especially right after you wake up!"
Blaze pouted at him, though it looked more like a kitten pretending to be angry. Yujin scratched her chin, and she purred, leaning into his touch.
"It's been a while since I had a drink. And when else can I do this?"
He couldn't drink on missions, so he had to seize these moments. Even when he smoked, Blaze would hiss at him like a cat.
"Ugh, if you put it like that, I can't stop you."
Everyone on Rhodes Island knew Yujin was on vacation. Knowing the heavy responsibility he carried leading the Elite Operators, no one questioned Kal'tsit's decision to give him a long break.
"I was wondering who to drink with. Want to join me later tonight?"
"Sure! I'll bring the beer and snacks—Ah."
At the end of the corridor, gray hair swayed as a figure appeared. A woman with an intense presence, like smoldering ash, wearing the Elite Operator uniform.
Blaze's expression instantly turned cold, but Yujin, oblivious, waved.
"Talulah?"
"Good morning, Teacher."
Talulah bowed her head slightly, then looked at Blaze. Blaze narrowed her eyes, and Talulah returned the gaze with a condescending stare.
"Where are you headed?"
"I had business in the training room. I left something behind..."
Talulah looked back and forth between Yujin and Blaze, her gaze settling on their linked arms.
"That doesn't look very proper."
"Oh? This? Well, it's always like this with Blaze..."
"Still, it might look bad to others."
Perhaps Yujin's biggest flaw was his denseness. Despite both possessing Arts of flame, the temperature in front of the training room seemed to drop below freezing. An operator who was about to leave the gym saw them and immediately turned back inside.
"None of your business, is it?"
"Don't misunderstand. I'm only saying this because your actions might reflect poorly on Teacher."
Blaze gritted her teeth and glared at Talulah. Talulah didn't back down, meeting her gaze evenly.
Caught in the sudden cold war, Yujin looked between them in confusion. Blaze suddenly relaxed her expression and patted Yujin's back.
"Um, Leader. Sorry to hold you up. I'll come by later tonight, so wait for me, okay?"
She pushed him, urging him to leave. Yujin, having no choice, waved awkwardly and vacated the spot.
Once Yujin was gone, Blaze and Talulah faced each other. There was no need to hide anymore.
"Still acting like a stray cat in heat, I see," Talulah remarked dryly.
It was a harsh comment that would have made anyone else gasp, but Blaze responded with practiced ease.
"At least I can get close enough to act like one. Unlike someone who's too ashamed of what she's done to even ask for attention. It's pitiful to watch."
Silence hung in the air. Talulah's face twisted, but Blaze maintained her confident smirk.
"You almost burned Leader to death... and yet you have the nerve to stick your face in here? It's annoying."
"Hmph. Says the one who was nothing but dead weight in that moment."
Talulah stepped forward until she was nose-to-nose with Blaze. She scoffed.
"If that's all you amount to, there won't be a place for you here. There are far more people wanting to stand by Teacher's side than you think."
The words cut deep. Blaze shut her mouth and glared. She wanted to retort, but Talulah spoke first.
"Ah... did I already take that spot?"
"…You crazy bitch."
Crackle. The sound of fire igniting filled the air. The temperature, previously freezing, began to skyrocket. But Blaze cooled her head and looked into Talulah's eyes. She knew there was one emotion Talulah could never erase when looking at Yujin: Guilt.
"Taking your anger out on me? Sorry, but you'll never reach Leader. If you had a conscience, you'd reconsider your position."
Blaze covered her mouth and giggled. Her eyes looked down on Talulah, mirroring the earlier condescension.
"You envy me? Even though I lack your talent, I'm the one always by Leader's side."
The gap between Talulah, who possessed flames that could burn the world, and Blaze, who fought through sheer effort, was immense. But there was one thing that wouldn't change.
"You know it too. Leader isn't the type to cast people aside easily. Oh, except maybe the person who stabbed him?"
The heat flared again, hotter this time. Arts are deeply connected to the mind. If Talulah couldn't control her anger, her power would leak out.
"Angry?"
Seeing Blaze's smirk, Talulah's pupils narrowed into vertical slits. Dragon eyes. The eyes that had once mercilessly burned the world.
Contrary to the heat, her gaze was icy cold.
"You little..."
Just as the temperature reached a critical point, a warning beep sounded in the corridor. A girl with white hair broke the tension.
"It's hot..."
With a cute noise, green eyes looked at the two. Talulah and Blaze instantly doused their killing intent and looked at the young girl.
"Rosmontis!"
Blaze squealed and hugged her. Rosmontis, sweating in her light dress, was lifted into Blaze's arms.
"Don't fight... Yujin said comrades shouldn't fight."
"Of course! We weren't fighting. Right, Talulah?"
"…Right."
Talulah answered reluctantly and patted Rosmontis's head. The situation had de-escalated, but the two continued to glare at each other.
"Let's go! Big sis will play with you for a bit!"
That was the end of it. Was it fortunate, or just a temporary truce?
"Ugh, my head..."
Yujin clutched his head, nursing a hangover from day drinking. Logos was sprawled on the sofa next to him, groaning, while Thorns and Elysium were passed out nearby.
It reminded him of the time the operators held an office chair race. Logos hosted, Mechanist built the track, and Yujin gathered the participants for the ridiculous contest.
Blaze was disqualified for setting her wheels on fire trying to use Arts for a boost. Misery and Outcast crashed into each other. Ace was disqualified after Yujin physically threw him off the track.
In the end, it came down to Logos, Scout, and Yujin... until Kal'tsit and Amiya saw the chaos and shut it down. Technically, Yujin was in the lead, so he counted it as a win.
"Leeeeaaaader..."
"What are you even saying..."
Logos crawled across the sofa, reaching for water with slurred speech. At this rate, Yujin wouldn't be able to drink with Blaze tonight.
So!
Yujin used the healing Arts he had once learned from Nearl. It was a double-edged sword: success meant curing the hangover, failure meant passing out cold.
Like a coin flip, he succeeded and regained his energy.
He could almost see Kal'tsit saying, 'I didn't give you a vacation for this...' But a vacation was his to spend, right?
With plenty of time left, he planned to visit a resort later. Dossoles or Siesta sounded nice. He knew the geography well.
With hopeful thoughts, Yujin grabbed a cup of water nearby and took a swig.
"Pfft!"
If it hadn't been a cocktail that looked exactly like water, he wouldn't have spat it out. He had just downed more alcohol.
"Who the hell put this here..."
Stumbling, Yujin collapsed back onto the chair like a wet rag. When Blaze arrived, he was doomed to drink again. She was a heavyweight; in a drinking contest among Elites, she'd be near the top.
What started as a small day-drinking session eventually drew in more people. By evening, the Elite Operators gathered for a full-blown party.
Naturally, the place became a disaster zone overnight. It was a typical day on Rhodes Island... until Kal'tsit arrived the next morning, grabbed Yujin by the ear, and started shouting.
========================
The website for reading paid chapters is available on my Patreon. The number of chapters on Patreon: 92
Link: patreon.com/UltraMagnus_T