Another long day. The office was quiet save for the sound of pen scratching paper and my secretary's rhythmic breathing. I paused, sparing an upward glance. Naganami was sprawled out on the sofa in the corner of the room, snoring softly. The sort of sight that would send even Concord into diabetic shock, frankly.
Leaning back in my chair, I stretched some life back into my limbs. There was always much work to do, and yet it had felt especially busy of late. After returning from my visit to Northern Parliament, there had of course been quite the backlog, and now the Sakura girls were having another of their war games. I shook my head, as if to chase away the exhaustion creeping into my shoulders.
My gaze wandered once more onto the sleeping itachi girl. She'd definitely been very excited when I'd first asked her to help in the office. To the point where she'd even asked Belfast about borrowing one of the Royal Navy's maid uniforms. But before long, things had ended up like this.
A thought rose in the back of my mind. I'd once read that skunks were crepuscular animals, meaning that they're most active during morning and evening. Actually... what type of kemonomimi was she? I was a bit worried I'd hurt her feelings if I went out of my way to ask. Regardless, tanuki and weasels happen to be crepuscular animals as well—so whatever polecategory of animal she was didn't much matter. I ended up thinking of her as an itachi girl, since "itachi" referred to several similar mammals. And whatever sort of kemonomimi she was, the word crepuscular described her quite aptly. She began and ended each day strong, but, well... most afternoons inevitably felt quite long.
A growl rumbled from my stomach, interrupting my moment of reflection. "Maybe it's for the better she's asleep," I muttered, scratching my cheek in embarrassment. After finding a stopping point with the legion of work on my desk, I quietly removed myself and left the room.
The mess hall wasn't too far away, and the floor passed quickly underfoot. Before long, I arrived to find it about as I'd expected. It was a bit late for the typical bustle you'd see during lunch, and there was no line to be served. I ordered a reuben and steak fries with a dill pickle on the side.
After gratefully receiving my meal from the cafeteria staff, I greeted several kansen in passing and found a seat at an uninhabited table.
Being the one and only Shikikan at port had its ups and downs. It would have been quite easy to ask whether I could accompany some of the girls, but it really wasn't quite that simple. In fact, in order to avoid... complications, it wasn't uncommon for me to eat in my office. Weird as it might sound to some, the end result was me coming off as a bit of a recluse. My office wasn't precisely an option at present, given the dozing itachi girl on the sofa. But ultimately, it really wasn't a big problem. Or at least it shouldn't be.
The sandwich I'd ordered hit the spot and, as I finished up, I already felt rejuvenated. Taking to my feet, I made my way to the side of the cafeteria. After placing my plate and tray in the dish rack, I washed and dried my hands.
Making my way back to the entrance, I paused and headed once more to the cashier.
"The sandwich was excellent, thank you. Oh, but do you mind if I order something to go?"
Omaha, the kansen on duty tittered brightly. "Of course, Shikikan. You've been working hard lately—just remember to take care of yourself, okay?"
"Huh?" I asked dumbly. "Oh, it's not for me. It's just that Naganami fell asleep and I figured she'd be hungry..."
Her lips curled into a grin. "Oho? Sure thing, Shikikan. What'll it be?"
My cheeks reddened with embarrassment, and I found myself wishing I'd simply taken Naganami to lunch with me. I shook it off and glanced at the display case. "Anpan and one sweet bread, plus a strawberry milk."
"Mhm, sure. What kind of sweet bread, Shikikan?"
"That one," I said, pointing to one of the sweet breads. "With nuts and raisins."
Omaha's eyes glittered with appreciation. "Oho? I see you're a true man of culture, Shikikan~"
"Uh, like I said, it's not for me," I protested half-heartedly.
However, Omaha hadn't seemed to have heard. After she'd fetched the items and rang me up, I paid before turning to head back to my office.
"Shikikan-sama~" an all-too-familiar voice called to me. It was the port's most notorious vixen, and one of the reasons I often chose to eat lunch in my office. Akagi herself stood between me and the entrance of the cafeteria, her lips curled into a rather pleased smile.
"Ahh, Akagi, you look well," I mumbled with an awkward grin. "You did excellent in our last sortie. You have my gratitude."
Her face brightened at my words. "Anything for Shikikan-sama. Anything to demonstrate my bottomless devotion~"
I chuckled awkwardly, unable to come up with a response. Eventually, I gathered my nerve and asked, "So? Was there something you needed, Akagi?"
Having finished her fun with me, Akagi's expression turned business-like. "Shikikan-sama, you simply must remove that filth from your office," the vixen said bluntly.
"Ah?" I tilted my head in confusion. Acrid feelings slowly pooled in my stomach as her words finally sunk in.
"That rodent's stench is already rubbing off on you, Shikikan-sama," she explained, wrinkling her nose in disgust. "How about you allow me to—"
"Request denied," I interrupted her sharply. "Anything else, Akagi?"
Her lips curled into a sultry pout, but there was decidedly a bitterness in her eyes. "But Shikikan-sama, I insist—"
"No," I answered simply, shaking my head. "We go through this every time a new girl is helping me. You're just feeling jealous and overprotective, Akagi. I'm sorry, but you'll just have to deal with it."
The look in her eyes softened and the kansen let out a small sigh.
"Besides," I added, "you've been my secretary before, and... you remember how little work we got done, right?"
Mischief glinted in the vixen's eyes. "Perhaps once you're caught up with your work—"
"It'll be a while before that happens." I offered her an apologetic bow. "Oh, but I'll try to bathe more often. Thanks for the heads-up about it."
"Ara? Perhaps I can—"
"And please try not to be too hard on the younger girls, Akagi." I scratched my cheek sheepishly. "Hey, I kinda have to get back to work, so... do you mind?"
The kansen pouted once more, but finally conceded. "Please, excuse my thoughtless words, Shikikan-sama."
I gave her a smile and proceeded back to my office.
As I opened the door, Naganami stirred on the sofa.
"Mn?" she asked, rubbing her eyes drowsily.
I couldn't help but grin at the sight. "You hungry? I got some lunch for you, Naganami."
Her lips opened in surprise, but her expression brightened almost instantly. "You didn't have to, but thank you very much!" The itachi girl removed herself from the sofa and came across the office to me.
Before I could hand her the bag in my hand, she wrapped her arms around me in a warm hug. "Thank you, Shikikan," she murmured blithely, "I love you~ "
My stomach did a somersault before I could mentally check myself. This kind of thing... it wasn't uncommon for Naganami. She really was a cuddle bug, after all. With my spare hand, I gave her a pat on the head. "No problem," I offered casually.
After she finally released me, I handed Naganami the lunch I'd gotten her and settled down to continue my work. The itachi girl made a variety of happy sounds as she ate her lunch. Even though she was never a picky eater, I had a pretty decent idea of what sorts of food she liked by now.
Though she'd been quiet for a while, I soon noticed my secretary staring at me. So intently that I was surprised she wasn't making a 'jii' sound.
I raised my eyes from my desk, glancing sidelong at her. "You need anything, Naganami?"
Her lips broke into a smile. "Oh, I was just wondering how I can help."
Fishing out my wallet, I placed a bill on the side of my desk. "Do you mind getting some water from the machine for me? I'm a bit thirsty."
Her eyes sparkled as she leapt to her feet. "Yes, I'd be happy to, Shikikan!"
The kansen took the bill and hurried out of my office. It wasn't a minute before she'd returned with a bottle of water she proudly presented.
"Thanks, Naganami," I said, graciously accepting the water from her.
"Mn," she agreed brightly. "I guess I can clean, too. I'm not as good as Sheffield or Belfast, but even so..."
I paused to drink some water, then returned to work. Meanwhile, Naganami dusted, cleaned, and watered the plants. She certainly had useful moments, including when she was still awake after eating lunch.
Warm afternoon sunlight shone through the window into the room. As though my crepuscular secretary's lethargy had rubbed off on me, I could feel drowsiness creeping into my shoulders.
Like earlier, I found a stopping point in my work and removed myself from the desk. This time, however, I plunked down on the cozy sofa and slouched back lazily. My eyelids felt... really heavy.
"Eh?" Naganami made a surprised sound and then softly added, "You really have worked hard today, Shikikan."
It certainly had been a long afternoon, and a bit of a break wasn't entirely unwarranted. "Naganami?" I mumbled drowsily.
"Mn? What is it?" she asked, glancing sidelong at me.
"Wake me up in twenty minutes, will you?"
She considered for a moment, then nodded in agreement. "Of course, Shikikan," she chimed happily.
Surrendering to my exhaustion, I shut my eyes. It had been a long day.
The sunlight spilling through the open window was tinted with the orange of evening. I opened and shut my eyes blearily, wondering how long I'd been out. It had certainly been more than just twenty minutes, by the looks of it.
A gentle breath sounded nearby, and I promptly noticed Naganami had fallen asleep with her head on my lap. She was curled up on the sofa next to me, hugging her own tail.
"Well, that would explain why it's so late," I muttered to myself. A smile crept onto my lips, seeing her like that. She really was an undeniably sweet girl, even if a bit of an unreliable secretary. And... well, she's quite pretty, too. I gently placed a hand on her head, appreciating the warmth of her hair.
"Mn?" The itachi girl stirred in my lap. Arching her back, she stretched her limbs and pressed closer to me. "Is it time to work again, Shikikan?" she asked with a yawn.
I snorted in response. "Well, we've had a good rest and the pile of work isn't getting any smaller."
Naganami's eyes fluttered open and she glanced up at me. "Oh," she mumbled with a frown. "You asked me to wake you up, didn't you? I'm sorry, Shikikan. You just looked... so cozy that I really wanted to join you."
A weary sigh escaped my lips. It really should be illegal for girls to be this cute. Frankly, the fact that she was pouting just made her even more adorable. "It's fine," I told her. "If anything, I'm ready to burn some of the midnight oil."
The itachi girl's face erupted into a bright smile. "Me too, Shikikan! We can get through this together~" she chirped brightly.
My lips traced a faint smile as I continued running my fingers through her soft hair.
"Eh? Shikikan, you can feel my tail, too. It's softer than my hair."
I shook my head quietly. "This is fine, Naganami."
After a pause, she beamed happily at me. "Thank you, Shikikan," she whispered.
"Uh, what?" I peered down at her, unsure exactly what to think.
The kansen removed her head from my lap and sat up. Her cheeks reddened as she glanced demurely at me. "Being like this makes me really happy." Her lips curled into a pretty smile, and her amber eyes glinted with adoration.
My cheeks flushed and I shifted my gaze to the window. The port outside was dyed orange from the evening light. "No problem," I muttered idly. After standing up, I turned back to Naganami. "Let's go get dinner. It's been a long afternoon, hasn't it?"
"Mn," she agreed happily. "Let's go!"