"Finally, we are out of that settlement and back on the road. Staying there was good, but I want to head back home now. I miss my soft bed, and I even miss Commander Arnold's obnoxious face."
Lea stretched her limbs out, and her face supported a happy grin. Emily ruined Lea's happy heaven with her following words.
"We also need to submit reports regarding what happened. I am sure that no one would be happy to hear what we have to say about this incident. We also need to report the financial losses and the immigration."
Lea groaned and crossed her arms behind her back. Her face looked irritated, but it struck Emily as odd. It just did not feel…natural.
"Ugh, do we have to write these reports? Well, not that it's a problem for me when I have Sara with me. Sara, would you-"
"No."
"But I did not even-"
"Lea, I know what you were going to ask me. And no! I will not write your reports for you this time as well. You will never learn how to write one if I keep doing them for you."
Sara admitted, and Lea pouted in protest. Sara had a pair of arms around her, and her face went red in embarrassment once she noticed how close Lea's face was to hers.
"Sara, please help your poor friend out. I promise that I will do what you want next time. I will even learn how to write my reports if you want me to. But just this time, do my reports for me."
Lea begged while also rubbing her face against Sara's face. It was torture for Sara to sit there and let it happen to her, especially when her instincts were happy to cooperate with Lea and let her have her way.
'This is not good. Lea has me in her hand, and I must break free from her clutches. I cannot remain in love with Lea my whole life. I need to move past her.'
But saying this was easier said than done, especially when you had to be next to someone you wanted to get over all the time.
Sara knew that transferring and getting replaced was not an option. And she was not sure if she would be able to bear it if she was replaced either.
"Lea, get off me right now. I am not in a mood to be tolerant of your bullshit."
Sara admitted before she took out her gun and shot the monster behind Emily. Emily had not noticed the monster until now, and she looked spooked out by the sudden attack.
That also gave Sara enough time to push Lea away and gather herself. Lea looked bumped out when Sara walked away. But she did not follow.
"Sara, thank you for agreeing to do my report for me. I will surely return this favour with a meal next time."
Lea waved Sara off with a happy grin, and they both knew that Sara would write Lea's report for her anyway.
This happened every time, and Sara had yet to break free of this cycle.
Emily watched Sara walk away, but she was worried about the younger. Sara had a weird expression, but it did not bother Lea. It made Emily wonder if she was being too sensitive or not.
"Yes, now I do not have to write that stupid report. Writing one was enough for me never to do this again."
Lea cheered, and Emily sighed.
"Sara never agreed to write your report for you. What would happen if you needed to write one yourself? You should not be too dependent on Sara for everything. She might not be beside you after some time."
Emily wanted to see what Lea's reaction would be. Would she be angry? Annoyed? Deny this? Or even accept this?
But Emily was disappointed when all Lea did was grin and nod.
"Of course, Sara will not be on my side forever. After all, humans are fragile, and they die too easily. Emily will be no different in that regard. Oh, but she might dump my ass way before it if I made her carry it all the time. I wonder how long she would last."
Emily did not even know what to say after she heard all this. All she could do was shake her head and sigh.
"Fine, do what you want to. But don't complain when you do not have a report to submit. I did my job by warning you about it. Now, it's up to you to decide what to do next."
Emily realised it was stupid for her to hope for a change. There was no way Lea would change when she did not even understand what she did wrong.
But one day, there was a chance. And Emily would wait for it.
It took them another day to reach their city. And by that time, the trio was exhausted. They had not packed a lot of luggage for this trip, so they needed more supplies as well.
They decided to rest for half a day before reporting to Commander Arnold.
...
"Yes! Thank you, Sara. You are the best. You did my report for me and even submitted it for me? I love you."
Sara knew that Lea's 'I love you' held no meaning. But she still felt her face flush when she heard those words.
On the other hand, Emily looked surprised at Sara's choice. She would not have done this report if he had been in Sara's position.
"Wow, you did this report on her behalf anyway, Sara. Talk about being a simp. Maybe that is why you get walked over so much by Lea."
Emily did not know why she snapped at Sara like this. But she felt irritated to see Lea clinging with Sara. She wanted to be the one in Lea's arms.
"Idiot! I only did this because we would all get blamed if one of us missed the report. Do you think I enjoy this torture and extra work? You won't know how hard it is to keep up with the system constantly."
"And you! Lea, I improvised on your report, so don't say anything stupid to get us caught."
Sara warned, and from her voice, Emily could tell that this was not the first time this conversation had occurred. And it likely would not be the last one.
Lea's face had a stupid grin, which made her two partners worried. She was going to do something stupid and get them in trouble.
But before Sara could reinforce her point, Commander Arnold entered the room. He looked angry and agitated, but that was nothing new.
"Would someone explain to me what is written in your report? How did Patricia die suddenly? And why did it happen when you were there for a mission? Do you know how much trouble I am in because of this?"
Both Emily and Sara flinched at the loud voice of their commander. They knew that they were in trouble from his expression.
"Commander Arnold, allow me to explain what happened. We were attacked by"
Sara began her report, but the commander raised his hand to stop her. Instead, he turned toward Lea and glared at her.
"You! Tell me what happened to Patricia. And don't you dare lie to me? I have my ways of knowing the truth, so be honest with me."
Commander Arnold was firm in his speech. It was clear that he would not budge from his decision. It made both Sara and Emily flinch.
Somehow, they knew that this would be a terrible day for them. They could only pray for Lea to keep quiet and not tell the truth.
But of course, when had their prayers ever been heard by the gods?
"Patricia? Well, I killed her."
Lea confessed in a happy voice. This was the worst way to disclose to someone that they had committed murder.
Commander Arnold froze, and Emily feared his brain had stopped working. But then his face turned red, and he looked at Lea as if she had lost her mind.
"You killed Patricia Buzzwood? What were you thinking? Patricia was a legend, an icon. You needed to keep her alive at all costs. Oh god, how will I explain this to the higher-ups?"
Commander Arnold groaned in pain and disappointment. He looked at Lea as if she had committed the biggest sin.
"Well, Patricia was about to fall into the rift, and she wanted to die as a human. I had no choice but to kill her then and there. Would you have preferred to go against her all alone?"
Lea asked with her empty eyes. Commander Arnold gulped and took an unconscious step back. He could not look at Lea's eyes any longer.
"Fine, I understand that you had no choice. But you need to start by saying this next time. Otherwise, it can cause a misunderstanding. Do you understand what I am saying? Now, head out and let me think in peace."
Emily and Sara exchanged a look. This was different from what they had expected from Commander Arnold. This meeting had surpassed all expectations the pair had.