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

stuff like that would happen, Boss?”

“……Uh, maybe.
You never know.”

I couldn’t look Tina in the eyes and moved my gaze away awkwardly.
I also bought a multi-function camo cloak that I wasn’t sure I’d ever use a while back as well, but I haven’t worn it until now, and it ended up gathering dust in a corner of Black Lotus’s cargo hold…… Uh, well, Mei actually cleans it periodically, so it’s not like it’s literally dusty or anything.

“Anyway, don’t sweat the small stuff.”

“You don’t look like it, but you’re surprisingly prone to squandering your cash on pointless stuff sometimes huh, Boss.”

“It’s not pointless, okay.
I’m sure it’ll come in handy someday.”

“Let’s just leave it at that then.
Tina-chan is a nice girl after all.”

“Hooray for the nice Tina-chan!”

“Ahaha, you’re saying that in monotone though.”

Tina giggled happily.

“Why’d you tag along with me instead of the others anyway, Boss?”

“I’m only saying this because it’s you Tina, but girls take way too much time shopping y’know…… Especially for clothes and stuff.”

I’m walking together with Tina in the shopping mall right now.
We’re in the middle of checking out the cutting-edge product boutiques around the mall together with everyone earlier.
Then I and Tina excused ourselves from the rest of the group and started looking around for interesting stuff on our own.

“That’s true.
Whee also likes to doll herself up, so she takes way long to choose her clothes and all.”

“Aren’t you gonna buy clothes though, Tina?”

“I’m leaving that to Whee, so it’s okay.
Our three sizes are pretty much identical anyway.”

Tina gave me a thumbs-up sign and a wink.
Are you really fine with that, you unreliable big sis?

“How bout you, Boss? You aren’t shopping for clothes either?”

“I’m gonna consult with everyone later regarding that cutting-edge material clothing line stuff and order some articles with similar designs to my current get-up so it’s fine.”

“I have a funny feeling there are several similar-looking sets of clothes lined up in Boss’s closet.”

“Hahaha.”

She hit the nail on the head so I better just laugh it off.
But these clothes are comfy, functional, and easy to store away y’know.
People would also recognize you as a merc easily with these clothes on, so I feel they’re very convenient.

Tina and I went around some more shops until my portable terminal’s ringtone rang out from my jacket pocket.
Have Mimi and the others finished their shopping? Well that was quicker than I expected.
I took out my portable terminal and took a look at the screen.

“Boss, your face…”

It looks like I unconsciously made a pretty ugly expression.
The name displayed on the terminal screen wasn’t Mimi, Elma, nor Mei.
It was Major Serena.
Err, she was recently promoted, so I guess it’s Lieutenant Colonel Serena now.
Anyway, it was Lt.
Col.
Serena’s name.

“Yes, this is Hiro speaking.”

『It’s been a while, Captain Hiro.
You’re all doing fine, I hope?』

“Thankfully.
We’re staying at Earl Dareinwald’s villa right now.
So, what do you need this time?”

『You’re cutting right to the chase? It’s not bad to be straightforward, but you’re a Gold Star recipient and a Platinum-ranked mercenary, so isn’t it fine if you showed a bit more composure and tolerance?』

“Well now.
That was rude of me.
I’ll reflect on it properly.”

I honestly apologized to Lt.
Col.
Serena.

『That’s more like it.
I’m calling about our deal regarding the purchase of combat bots.』

“Okay.
Have you obtained permission?”

『Yes.
The approval order from the imperial military was sent to me earlier.
I’ll send the digital certificate to your terminal after this, so just pay a visit to the military bot manufacturer whenever it’s convenient for you.
If you show them the certificate, you’d be able to make your purchases with no trouble.
I’ll also send the letter of introduction I prepared for you.
House Holz is one of the major shareholders of Eagle Dynamics, so they’ll properly accommodate your needs if you show them my letter.』

“Roger that.
Thank you very much for your help, Lieutenant.”

『With this, I’ve properly paid off my debt from the Crystal Campaign.
This time, it’s your turn to pay me back for all the trouble you caused me in the capital, okay?』

“Yeah, yeah.
Please go easy on me.”

『Fufu…… Until next time then.』

The call was cut.
Just what was she fufu-ing for huh!? I wonder just what kind of troublesome stuff she’s gonna drop on me next time…… I’ve become able to easily access gateways, so it’s scary to think that she’ll be able to call me over no matter where she was in the empire.
Sheesh.

“I was planning to continue shopping here in the afternoon, but I guess we’ll have to change our plans huh.”

“We’re gonna buy some combat bots, right? I’m really looking forward to it.”

I guess she’s excited about being able to see the latest military combat bots.
Tina seemed quite pumped up.

Actually, I’m excited as well.
There are no hot-blooded males who hate fighting robots after all!