"The current situation is already so bad, but you still have the heart to organize a sorority?" Gentiane looked at Helianthus, who was sitting beside her in her Griffin uniform, as she hesitantly sniffed the soft drink in her cup.
"Although it's not an officially organized Griffin event, the boss agreed to it. The main reason is that the number of personnel intending to resign has increased recently, probably because of the stress from the war," Helianthus explained.
"Relaxing? I don't feel relaxed at all. On the contrary, I'm even more tense," Gentiane said, tasting the drink and glancing at Helian. She had sensed that Helianthus's state was completely different from her usual working condition, as if she were a taut clockwork.
If Helian maintained this tense state throughout the sorority, it would be no different from torture.
Gentiane's thoughts drifted to her monthly salary and mission allowance, calculating how much she could save after this transfer, plus the mission allowance she could get after repelling Sangvis Ferri. She didn't think there was anything wrong with sitting here; the commanders she was familiar with were either on the front lines in S09 or S08 and couldn't attend this sorority.
In fact, there weren't many insiders like her here; most were commanders already in the safe zone and other Griffin HQ staff. Gentiane didn't know any of these people. Even though it was a good sorority, she had no intention of getting to know anyone.
A frontline combat commander like her, unless they resigned or applied for a transfer to a safe area, probably wouldn't meet these people for two or three years.
While Gentiane was spacing out, Helian was feeling a bit fidgety. She glanced at the Griffin staff eloquently talking nearby and those who had been chatting together for a long time.
It's impossible not to feel envious... but every time she attended such events, she hesitated. And what exactly were they chatting about? She knew every word, but when they were strung together, she couldn't understand anything.
Ultimately, it was because of that guy Renault... why couldn't he take the initiative?
Then again, there's no rule that someone else must take the initiative, right? Should she... but no! Previously, she had sent messages to Renault, but there was little response from his side...
It's a good thing Renault usually replies to messages reluctantly; otherwise, she'd be too embarrassed to keep messaging him... Speaking of which, it's almost the holiday season. Is it time to send Renault another message? No, no, this time it should be a call, right? It's been so long; it shouldn't be a problem to call.
But if she called, what would she say? Start with a normal greeting? Or find a way to talk about work? What unimportant work has Griffin been doing lately? It seems there are no tasks to outsource; those tactical dolls lost in S08 and S09 have mostly recovered, and soon, the dolls at the guardhouse will be back to work.
Originally, Griffin's lack of doll resources was soon to be alleviated, but human resources had become a headache again, and Griffin's situation had started to decline. Many human employees were contemplating leaving.
Several combat commanders wanted to leave, but most were responsible for logistical affairs at Griffin.
No, no! Why am I thinking about work! I was just thinking about how to strike up a conversation with Renault!
Snapping back to her senses and realizing she had gotten sidetracked, Helianthus shook her head vigorously and gulped down her drink, frowning as she poured herself another large glass of wine.
While pondering, she drank the wine as if it were juice. Gentiane, who was beside her, almost startled herself seeing Helian's blushing face and frown as she gulped down cup after cup of wine.
Is she facing some difficult problem?
...
"Commander, it's almost Christmas recently. Do we have any activities here?" someone softly inquired in Renault's ear.
"Huh? Christmas?" Renault, who was searching for a material to replace the heavy alloy steels among the doll vegetations, froze. He then realized it was Springfield, who was supposed to be in the cafeteria.
Since procuring the required equipment from the city, Springfield had officially joined and spent most days working as the café's barista. Among the many dolls, not many liked coffee, but M1 Garland and Scarecrow, who were busy with work, enjoyed it and took breaks at the café.
Thanks to Springfield, the order in the café and restaurant had improved a lot recently. It was hard to believe Springfield was not only good at making coffee but also first-rate at managing the playful dolls with just a few words.
But why was she suddenly thinking about Christmas?
Renault looked up at the sky with some confusion. The sun was shining brightly, the sea breeze was pleasant, and there was no sign of winter except for some rain the day before.
Seeing Renault's action of looking up at the sky, Springfield sighed helplessly, holding her forehead.
Has Renault forgotten about the day? Moreover, they were not in a cold region. The average temperature was over ten degrees, so there was no cold. Plus, Renault himself wasn't afraid of the cold, so it would be strange if he noticed it was winter.
"Commander Renault... it's already December... it's winter..."