I Became the Lieutenant Character in a Cute Girl Game

Chapter 2

The game Catharsis wasn’t particularly difficult.

Of course, excluding the competitive ranking content between players, the gameplay itself wasn’t too challenging.

It was a simple game where you formed a team of five agents and defeated the enemies that appeared.

There wasn’t much to control, either. Aside from using skills and occasionally repositioning during combat, there wasn’t much else to do.

"Ahem, Commander."

Of course, what was about to happen wasn’t mere gameplay—it would be real.

"The tasks for you, Commander, are simple. Select five agents to form a squad, and purify the Crittanium-contaminated area using that squad."

I might not have delivered the lines exactly as Lindera did in the original story, but I tried to stay as close as possible.

The priority was to maintain a polite tone while explaining the tutorial.

In truth, this wasn’t a real contamination situation but merely a simulation, so failure wouldn’t be an issue.

However, the upcoming operations would be real missions, so I needed to ensure the commander—the player—listened well and succeeded.

"Since you are not yet familiar with the agents, I have prepared a squad for you."

The screen in the operations room displayed the five agents.

By now, the agents were probably on a helicopter headed to the fake contamination zone.

"Marduk’s guidelines recommend two frontline agents, one in the center, and two rear guards. However, you are free to arrange the squad however you see fit, Commander."

It was just a suggestion for balancing offense and defense.

If the specs were good enough, if the levels were high, if you had pulled a broken character, you could line up five agents in the front row without issue.

I needed to explain the story elements to the player, but that could wait a bit. After all, this was just a combat tutorial.

"While the agents will make most decisions during combat, if you give specific orders, they will follow them. Without specific instructions, they will act on their own judgment."

In the game, "judgment" just meant using skills as soon as their cooldowns were up. But now, the situation is different.

They would probably make real decisions about when to use their abilities.

"During the operation, your role, Commander, is to dispatch the squad and determine their route. It seems they will arrive shortly."

For this nameless player, this would be his first live operation.

Even if it was fake, this was his first time commanding a mission.

The boss had said she wanted to see how he would handle an unexpected situation, and, honestly, I was a bit curious too.

I wanted to see how that handsome face would look when flustered and whether he truly had what it took to be a capable commander.

"......"

But still, was he a real person, or was he the player controlling from the outside world?

That part... I really couldn’t tell.

"Commander. The first squad has arrived at the mission area. Your orders?"

"...Alright."

I wasn’t thrilled by his casual tone, but technically, he was my superior.

"As explained earlier, the core of the contaminated area is located at the center of the village. Since the contamination level isn’t too high, there aren’t many infected, so quick action should be possible."

I repeated myself while subtly giving the player a hint.

This mission was all about quickly eliminating the contamination core.

"First squad, move west, observe the infected, and avoid engaging first. Proceed."

His orders were a bit stiff, but the five girls in the squad responded in their own ways.

Maybe they were more hopeful because his voice sounded younger than the previous commander’s.

Though... their eyes didn’t look as bright as their voices suggested.

The first squad immediately followed the unofficial first order of the new Purification Commander.

Did he understand what I said?

The player chose to move straight to the center of the village.

To be fair, the contamination wasn’t severe, so there was no need to move slowly.

And since this was just a tutorial, the mission itself was quite simple.

"Commander. The first squad is about to reach the village."

"Understood. First squad, what’s the status of the village?"

- "Hmm~ There are definitely more infected here than outside the village! Maybe around 40?"

"Are they treatable?"

- "Umm..."

- "You know nothing, so why try to answer difficult questions? First squad, Klein here. I’ll answer."

"Go ahead."

- "Most of the infected are beyond treatment, with only a few remaining purifiable."

"In that case, can we purify the contamination core and bring back the treatable ones?"

- "If the infected gather around the core as expected, it should be possible to rescue those whose minds are not fully corrupted."

"Hmm..."

The commander responded to Klein, a three-star character, with a thoughtful hum.

Since he had only been working at Marduk for a year, it was natural for him to be cautious during his first mission.

It seemed like a good time for me to help.

"Commander. May I offer some advice?"

"...Go ahead."

"The first squad is composed of agents specialized in quick combat and movement. I believe they can destroy the core, handle the incoming infected, and secure any treatable individuals."

"...First squad, prioritize destroying the core. Move to the village center, eliminate the core, and rescue any purifiable infected you find along the way."

- "Understood."

With Klein’s acknowledgement, the first squad resumed their advance.

The infected they encountered along the way fell easily to the bullets and blades of the agents, allowing them to keep moving forward.

The fake infected scattered around the village numbered around 40 to 50.

Their dull senses prevented them from converging on the sounds of battle.

At least, for now.

The commander watched the squad’s movements intently.

He probably wanted to ensure his first command was a success.

After all, he must have thought that succeeding here was the key to becoming a real commander.

That was likely why the boss had been calling him a "provisional" commander.

- "Whoa!"

- "Levi! I told you to give a heads-up before you throw a grenade!"

- "Haha! Die, all of you!"

The agents... seemed to be having a lot of fun.

Which made sense, considering the infected they were fighting weren’t real—they were just graphics.

The agents were actually just slashing at air and empty ground, acting out a simulation.

Oh, by the way, the grenade just now? Yeah, that was real.

"Are all agents in Babel 07 like this?"

"Not all of them, but it’s not far off."

Every Babel had a different atmosphere, but Babel 07’s was generally quite positive.

That was likely because it wasn’t a frontline region constantly battling contamination.

At least, not yet.

"Babel 03 had quite a different vibe."

"You’ll get used to it. And you’ll need to."

The commander needed to adapt quickly.

Babel 07 might not seem like much now, but the real challenges hadn’t even begun.

And when they did, he would need to be ready.

It was both a reassurance to the worried commander and a reminder to myself.

The situation was too sudden. Honestly, I still couldn’t believe it, but I had to accept it. I had to acknowledge reality.

It would be wonderful if, when I woke up tomorrow, the familiar presence of my own "equipment" between my legs was back...

But I highly doubted that would be the case.

The slightly cool air of the operations room felt far too real, and the voices of the agents filtering into my ears... were not like the game at all.

- "Crittanium core located. Proceeding with swift destruction and retreat."

"Confirmed."

As I waited, the first squad reported in.

They must have found the fake core planted at the center.

If they saw the fake Crittanium core in the field, they’d know it was fake, of course. But on our screen, it appeared as a real Crittanium core.

The green-glowing Crittanium ore formed a protective shell around the core, giving it a distinctly authentic look.

It was a material with many uses, but its ability to pollute nature and transform humans made it equally feared.

"....."

That was why it was crucial to prevent contamination.

If the Crittanium-induced pollution spread to areas where ordinary humans lived, they would either die or become infected.

Of course, among those infected... some might become agents.

- "Nyaaaah! Run away!"

- "Karyu! Why are you running first? We’re supposed to run together!"

"The first squad has destroyed the core. Mission complete."

"Hey."

"Yes, Commander."

"What should I call you?"

The commander addressed me as I listened to the first squad's noisy chatter while they retreated.

There was something... unsettling about how his handsome face looked at me, but he was my superior, after all.

I did my best to suppress my feelings, keeping my expression neutral.

Just because I had become a woman didn’t mean I planned to smile at a man. I maintained a suitable blank face—well, maybe just a slight upward curl of my lips to appear pleasant.

"I heard you've been working at Area 07 longer than me. And according to the boss, you’ll be acting as my secretary."

He remembered well.

It seemed he hadn’t forgotten what the boss told him, which was fortunate.

Of course... There was a small error in his statement.

"I am not a secretary but your lieutenant, 'Lindera.' I’ll be assisting you with your duties. It’s a pleasure to meet you."

I kept my expression steady, introducing myself to the commander, whose name I still did not know and could not know.

I had no idea if he was a real person or if he was someone playing the game from the outside world.

But for now, he was my commander.

- "Hahaha! Take this!"

- "Stop throwing bombs already!"

By the way, how long were those agents going to keep fooling around after the mission ended?