"Don't worry about the manual. I've memorized everything. Besides, there's no time to read a huge manual in the middle of combat. It's better to have it all stored up here," he said, tapping his head. This statement from Koizumi slightly improved Kikyouu's opinion of him. It was a valid point. Could one fight under a superior officer who reads manuals during battle? The answer was no. However, whether he had truly memorized the manual was another matter. Could someone who claimed to have average grades in officer school remember everything correctly? She would need to verify this. "I understand. In that case, would you please teach me the tactics?" "Sure, just wait in the living room chair. I'll make some tea." I pulled out a teacup from the pile of unwashed dishes in the sink, washed it, and poured barley tea from the refrigerator. "Here you go." "...Thank you." I sat down in front of her and sipped my tea. Although the cup before her had been freshly washed, Kikyouu couldn't bring herself to drink from it. Questions arose in her mind. Was the sponge used to wash the cup clean? How old was the barley tea he'd taken from the fridge? Such thoughts made even touching the teacup require courage. Kikyouu couldn't switch her mindset to studying. On the contrary, sitting in the chair had lowered her viewing angle, forcing her to see the current state of messiness up close. "Squad Leader." "What is it?" "I can't relax." "Is that so?" "I can't bring myself to study." "Are you nervous?" "This situation is unacceptable." "You think so?" "This is intolerable." "What is?" "I can't do this." "Huh?" "I can't stand it anymore." "Um...?" "I'm going to clean up!" Kikyouu stood up vigorously, rolled up her sleeves, and began searching for cleaning supplies. "Hey, what about studying?" "Later. In such a chaotic situation, with so many distractions, I can't focus." "You think so? I thought being surrounded by things would make one feel at ease." "No. I can't agree. Regrettably, it wouldn't be inappropriate to describe this as a hoarder's house." "A hoarder's house, huh?" "Yes. There's no room for misunderstanding. Please give me permission to clean." "I don't mind, but what about studying?" "I can't concentrate on studying with all these distractions." "Alright, I understand. Feel free to clean up as you like." "In that case, Squad Leader, I'd like you to wait right there." "Hm? Why's that? I won't be of any help with the cleaning. Wouldn't it be better if I stayed in my room?" "I'll need you to decide which items should be kept or discarded." "Are you asking me to evaluate everything?" "Yes, we wouldn't want to throw away anything important." "That way, the cleanup will take forever. I'll leave it to your discretion, Kikyouu. I'll take full responsibility for anything related to this. Is that alright?" I knew that checking each item one by one to see if it could be thrown away would take an unknown number of days, given the sheer volume of what was essentially garbage. There wasn't anything particularly valuable anyway. The only things that might be problematic to discard were probably my medals, which were likely buried somewhere. But I judged that Kikyouu wouldn't throw away anything related to the military. "Understood. I'll begin cleaning now." Having given up on searching for cleaning supplies, Kikyouu saluted and immediately went to buy cleaning tools from the store, then started a major cleaning operation.

Kikyouu efficiently began clearing away what she deemed to be my junk. Most of it went straight into the dust chute. The chute led to the recycling station in the underground city. There, the items would be broken down into resources and reborn as new things. In this world where resources are precious, everything is recycled. This includes the bodies of the Lunarians. They're a valuable source of protein. Since they can't be eaten as is, they're broken down to the molecular level. Occasionally, Kikyouu's mini dress would flutter in front of me, giving me glimpses of her healthy white thighs. The way her underwear was almost visible but not quite was even better. It enhanced my imagination, leading to various thoughts. However, today I wasn't in that kind of mood. My lust was on the down low. I felt refreshed after having killed Lunarians to my heart's content. But being shown such a sight, the urge to push her down right now was gradually swelling up. I decided to exercise restraint, for now. I should wait until the room is neatly tidied up. I might have to hold back today and tomorrow, but that's fine too. My worldly desires were going into overdrive. Impure thoughts kept arising one after another. She was moving so carelessly in front of a man. My instincts told me she was inexperienced. If I were to indulge in someone inexperienced, there's an appropriate place and method for that. Being too forceful with an inexperienced person could mean there won't be a next time. I should behave like a real gentleman. In my mind, I was formulating a step-by-step plan to "cook" Kikyouu. Kikyouu had only been out of the artificial womb for a year. General common sense was just information written into her brain. She likely hadn't been in the kind of situation I was imagining. Knowledge and experience are different things. Without experience, knowledge doesn't come alive. I thought about teaching her that, among other things besides tactics. Kikyouu's efficiency was higher than expected. On the first day, I could see parts of the floor that had been hidden for a while. This alone could be considered a great achievement in the operation to conquer my dormitory. However, even with this significant progress, Kikyouu wasn't satisfied. "I'll conclude today's major cleaning here for now. I'll continue tomorrow morning. Is that alright with you?" "Hmm, isn't this enough already?" "No, it's not. The floor isn't a place for storing items. I'll put everything away. After that, I'll thoroughly mop and disinfect the place." "Come on, disinfecting? Are you joking?" "I'm serious. We don't know what kind of bacteria or pests might be breeding here." "Well, I guess it's fine. You can do as you please until you're satisfied." "Understood. I'll be here at 0900 tomorrow morning." "At that time, I'll probably still be asleep. Should I register your vein ID? You can come in and continue on your own. Don't worry about making noise even if I'm sleeping. Whether I wake up or keep sleeping will depend on my mood." I took out the personal environmental settings information terminal from the refrigerator and handed it to Kikyouu. The fridge was almost empty, making it convenient for storing valuables. Kikyouu sighed as she received the well-chilled personal environmental settings information terminal. "This PES information terminal is a collection of personal information. It's not something you should entrust to others. Even with regular information terminals, few people allow others to touch them because they can reveal one's hobbies and preferences. Don't you know that with a PES information terminal, one can not only access room entry and change salary deposit information, but even take out loans?" "Your squad leader isn't that stupid, you know. He probably entrusted it to you because he trusts you. Are you going to do something bad, Kikyouu?" I peered up at her face. Kikyouu was surprised, confused, and embarrassed by the fact that she was being trusted so deeply, and her face gradually turned red. "Th-thank you for your trust. As you say, squad leader, I won't do anything other than the authentication." "See? There's no problem." Kikyouu's heart skipped a beat at Koizumi's carefree smile. Still blushing, Kikyouu proceeded with the vein ID registration process to enter this room. Finally, she placed her palm on the personal environmental settings information terminal. The terminal read Kikyouu's veins and set the permission for her to freely enter and exit Koizumi's room. Now, Kikyouu held all of Koizumi's information in her hands. She could learn about his background, even freely access all his assets. He trusted her that much. While completing the procedure, Kikyouu began to notice a faint feeling growing in the depths of her heart. —I might be starting to like this person a little.— "If I may be so bold, from tomorrow I'll clean inside the furniture as well. It's unthinkable to store a PES information terminal in the refrigerator." "Is that so? There's space in there, and I open it every day, so there's no worry about valuables getting buried," I replied. "The refrigerator is for storing food. You don't put valuables in it," Kikyouu insisted. "You're too rigid. Try to think more flexibly," I retorted. "Squad leader, you've gone beyond flexibility. Please have a bit more common sense. Well then, I'll take my leave for today. Thank you for having me." "Sorry for making you clean up. But looking forward to tomorrow too," I said with a smile. Kikyouu saluted at the entrance and closed the door. As soon as the door shut, her heartbeat quickened and her face flushed. She had been holding back, not wanting anyone to see her blushing face. —I wonder if I'll be able to face him properly tomorrow. Can I act normal?— With such girlish worries, she headed home. Meanwhile, I looked around the spacious, bare room and smirked, thinking I could immediately put my plans into action.