I Became the Lieutenant Character in a Cute Girl Game

Chapter 4

It had been three days since I started working as the lieutenant to the nameless commander.

Fortunately, nothing difficult has come up yet.

Was it because the story hadn’t fully started, or because it was still the commander’s adjustment period?

Either way, I always preferred easy over difficult.

"First... Keep the agents in the dining hall as they are... The ship's security unit..."

Well, if there was one difficult thing, there was.

Though it wasn't an immediate need, it was something that absolutely had to be decided.

"Why are there only 20 agents...?"

The ship was lively and bustling, but the number of available agents was less than 20.

And even among those, the only combat-ready squad was the first squad.

"And even they are mostly 2-star and 3-star agents..."

In Catharsis, agents ranged from 1-star to 5-star.

Naturally, 5-stars were the best, while 1-stars were the worst—a typical ranking system.

Lower-ranked characters required fewer resources and were useful in the early stages, but in the end, they were still low-tier characters.

To progress smoothly, you needed at least a 3-star squad to push through the story. Most squads were filled with 4-star and 5-star agents.

That was why the current situation was such a problem.

Low-tier agents could be assigned to non-combat tasks, but their numbers were too low, and there were far too few agents for combat or external operations.

"Should I... run a gacha tomorrow...?"

In the game, it would have been a gacha, but now... things were different.

Instead of drawing cards to get agents, I had to recruit them.

It wasn’t like those mobile games where you manufacture dolls or weapons. It was more realistic—and therefore, more problematic.

"What kind of agent would want to come to a dump like Babel 07...!"

If only the previous commander hadn’t been so useless!

"There are too few agents for the security unit, a shortage of mission-capable agents, and only one squad available for external operations..."

"...."

"Just how many agents left during the previous commander's term?"

"Approximately 100."

I was honestly shocked when I read the file.

In the game, it was just mentioned that the previous commander was terrible, but there were never concrete numbers.

"Nearly four-fifths of the agents left... No wonder there are so few on the ship."

"Commander, have you posted the recruitment notice?"

"I did. Of course... I don’t expect many applications yet."

At least the commander wasn’t as incompetent as his predecessor.

He was more capable than I expected. When I pointed out issues, he showed the will to address them immediately.

He had already acted on what we discussed yesterday.

Of course... as he said, there was no way a lot of applications had come in yet.

"Send me the link. I’ll check it whenever I have time."

"That would be very helpful. I’ll send it over."

"Yes."

A few seconds later, a link popped up in my private messenger.

I never thought I’d exchange phone numbers with a guy... but it was an unavoidable choice for efficiency.

It wasn’t like I wanted to, seriously.

Anyway, I clicked on the link the commander sent.

Fortunately, the previous commander hadn’t tampered with the budget, so the office equipment was in good shape.

There were several working computers, the printer functioned well, and all the tools needed for work, like large screens and projectors, were operational.

"...Commander?"

When I saw the screen, I couldn’t help but be surprised.

I had expected maybe 10 applications if I was optimistic. If I was being realistic, perhaps 5.

After all, the previous commander had been so terrible, and this new commander was unproven, so it was only natural to expect low interest.

But... the reality was far beyond my expectations.

In a surprising way.

It was enough to make me call the commander over to see it himself.

I gestured for him to come over, and he approached my desk.

It wasn’t a big deal since he was only sitting next to me.

"......"

"......"

And we both stared at the screen in silence.

Because... the result was genuinely shocking.

"Lindera?"

"Yes?"

"Is this... real?"

"Uh... yes, it is."

"Any chance of a hack?"

"Not many people would be capable of hacking Marduk’s server..."

The commander was so surprised that his eyes widened.

At the same time, his expression was still somewhat lifeless, which felt a bit... off.

But I understood his reaction.

Because...

"50 applicants...?"

"...Yes."

There were 50 applicants.

Not 5, not 10, but 50.

That was 2.5 times the current number of agents on board.

"Commander, when did you post this?"

"At midnight. Just before I went to sleep..."

"...."

Wait, seriously?

No matter how I thought about it, this number made no sense.

Even the commander and I were genuinely surprised.

We both looked a bit silly—our cool exterior clashing with the baffled expressions on our faces.

Though, not to the point of looking like complete fools with wide-open mouths and eyes.

At least our good looks saved us from that.

"...It seems we’ll have a lot of work starting today."

"...Yes."

As much as I wanted to hire all 50, it simply wasn’t possible.

Because Babel 07 had no money!

Given the current state of our resources and budget, hiring everyone was impossible.

Out of the 50 applicants, maybe 20? 30 at best?

The thought of it was truly disappointing.

It was a genuinely sad story, which made it all the more depressing.

To think that I had to discard nearly half of the fifty applicants—it was like pulling a 50-pull gacha and only keeping half of the results!

"Commander, may I make a request?"

There was something more important to discuss before diving into this sad story.

"What is it? Go ahead."

"May I handle the selection of the new applicants this time?"

"You want to do it?"

"...Yes."

Taking on more work might have seemed foolish, but I wanted this responsibility.

Because if the commander ended up missing out on a top-tier character... that would be a disaster.

Especially if a 5-star character was in the pool.

That's why I went so far as to use the word "request" with this man.

Normally, this kind of task was the commander's responsibility, not mine.

"Hmm... Alright, I'll leave it to you this time. Anyway, there’s still a lot to do, and I don’t know the agents well enough yet."

"Thank you."

I stood up and bowed slightly to the commander beside me.

If he had refused, I would have been genuinely upset.

I wanted to bow more deeply to show my gratitude, but... the discomfort of my chest moving around stopped me.

Damn it.

"But... are you sure? This isn’t a small amount of work."

"It’s fine. If it’s for you and Babel 07, it’s not difficult at all."

I responded to his unnecessary concern and quickly turned my attention to reviewing the applicants for any hidden gems.

Personally, I hoped for a few 4-star characters rather than a single 5-star, but...

Still, there was a certain charm to 5-stars. It would be nice if there were a couple.

With 50 applicants, there had to be at least a few 4-star or 5-star candidates... Right?

I really hoped so.

I still had no idea why so many applied, but I wished for as many good agents as possible.

"Alright then. I appreciate it."

"You're very welcome."

***

I decided to handle the applicant screening after regular work hours.

Though I wanted to dive in immediately, I couldn’t afford to do so just yet.

There were few agents available, so I needed to finalize their assignments first.

Things like the kitchen and cleaning duties weren’t too hard to arrange, but for units like the security team or external exploration squads, I had to be more thoughtful.

Of course, when new agents arrived, I might have to adjust things again.

"Nyaahaha! You want me to work in the office now?"

"Yes, Agent Midori."

"The last commander told me to stick to cooking, but now I’m getting a complete job change!"

"I’m aware of your skills with electronics. Would you prefer to work in the research lab or the workshop instead?"

"N-Nyaha! Actually, I’ve always wanted to work in the office!"

I added Midori to the office team.

There was no way I could stay in the office all day, and it wasn’t feasible for just me and the commander to handle everything.

"Agent Midori, is it? I look forward to working with you. I’m the new Purification Commander of Babel 07, ■■■."

"Whoooa?! We’ve got a totally handsome commander here!"

"......"

Once again, the commander's name was inaudible.

But unlike me, Midori didn't seem to notice anything strange.

Normally, someone as chatty and loud as her would ask again if they didn't catch a name, but she didn’t.

"Agent Midori. From now on, your job will involve document processing and report writing in the office."

"O-Okay! But... Lieutenant, if I don’t do well... does that mean I’ll really get sent to the lab or workshop?"

"That decision lies with the commander."

I added a subtle warning.

Midori was a 4-star ranged damage dealer.

She was skilled with electronics and could handle almost any electronic device.

Her sharp mind made her a decent fit for office work, and her hacking skills meant she could be useful for intelligence gathering in the future.

Of course, her playful nature and emotional tendencies made her somewhat difficult to manage.

"A-And, Commander! If I work hard, you’ll give me breaks sometimes, right?"

"I’ll consider it."

Despite preferring comfort and disliking physical work, her personality actually made her easier to manage than expected.

"Nyaaha! I always knew I could count on you!"

How could she say "always" when this was our first official meeting?

The commander's reaction to her words wasn’t much different from mine.

Well, I guess things would sort themselves out.