Your Commander-in-Chief – Chapter 278

“Yikes…”

Sohee’s massage was out of this world.

It felt as if all the fatigue in my legs was being swept away by her hands, and that strangely familiar sensation made my whole body feel lazy.

Though I did have the embarrassing mishap of drooling because my mouth was too relaxed, the massage itself was incredibly satisfying.

“Hayun… you look just like a melted steamed rice cake…”

Ellie said this with a slightly flushed face.

I sat up in response to her words while gathering my stockings that I had taken off for the massage.

“Did it feel good?”

I nodded at Sohee’s light-hearted question.

The parts I was massaged weren’t just my feet.

Starting from my feet, her hands traveled up my ankles, unwinding the muscles in my legs entirely.

Maybe that’s why, as I stood up, I couldn’t help but sway a bit unsteadily.

“Can you stand? I think it might be better for you to lie down a bit longer…”

“No… it’s okay. It’s almost game time.”

I turned my head to check the clock as I said that.

Having gotten a massage from Sohee, I hadn’t realized how close game time was.

It was certainly strange for the team leader to be this relaxed.

I bit my lip and slapped my cheeks.

The warmth I felt on my slightly flushed cheeks spread all over my body, even though I had only gotten a leg massage.

“Shall we go!”

I shouted excitedly as I took steps forward.

The rest of the team followed behind me.

Exiting the waiting room, we walked down a long corridor leading to the stadium where the preliminaries were being held.

Arriving at a large intersection along the corridor, I noticed the path was divided into three sections, each marked with a letter.

We headed toward Area B.

As I walked, I glanced around.

I could see other teams walking through the corridor as well.

Their faces were filled with a range of emotions.

Joy and cheers, anger and despair—all mixed together, filling the corridor.

It was clear from their expressions which teams had won and which had lost.

Looking at that, I tilted my head in confusion.

Was it really necessary to react like this for just a one-off event?

I just couldn’t understand.

“Yeo, it’s not that way.”

“Oh, oops.”

I got distracted looking at people and ended up going the wrong way.

I was pulled out of the corridor by Sohee, who was tugging on my arm.

Stepping out of the corridor revealed a wide space.

In the center stood a row of capsules with small partitions in between, placed at regular intervals.

Of course, the capsules were of the latest models.

They’d all been newly arranged to avoid any unnecessary comments later on.

“Oh…”

“We’re over there.”

As I was admiring the stadium, Sohee pointed to a small corner.

We were in the same stadium, but it had been made from a very cramped space.

Only two capsules existed in that spot, designated specifically for deathmatches.

Indeed, in a one-on-one deathmatch, you don’t need many capsules.

All you need to do is face each other’s swords.

From a distance, it seemed like the basic preparations were completed.

There were staff verifying the identities of the competing players and another one operating a computer on a small desk.

That was all the people managing the deathmatch.

“Are you the participants for the deathmatch?”

“Yes, we’re here…”

As we got closer to the venue, a staff member approached us first.

Sohee answered in a calm voice.

She took out the prepared documents from her pocket and handed them over.

The staff member briefly skimmed through the documents, scanned them with a small scanner, and nodded.

“Confirmation of Shin Hyun High School. Please prepare in the simple waiting area.”

“Is the opposing team already here?”

“Yes, they just arrived and are getting ready in the waiting room. You can check the opponent’s general profile inside.”

Hmm…

I glanced over at the tent in front of me, though I couldn’t see the opposing team’s faces due to the curtain hanging down.

However, I could tell that all their legs visible from beneath were male.

“What are you doing?”

“Oh, I was just thinking about taking a look at the rival team’s faces.”

“Do you want to see?”

“No, not really.”

There’s no time for that.

I shook my head and entered the makeshift tent.

“Oh…”

I thought the environment would be quite shabby since it was blocked off by a tent, but there was everything I needed.

There was a screen to check the overall game situation and a headset connected to the in-game system.

On the large screen, information about the opposing player was displayed.

Nickname: jeo222

Preferred character: Knight

As the staff said, it really was just a rough profile.

The only information available was the opponent’s character’s height, nickname, and preferred character.

The preparation time was five minutes.

We also had to choose our participating player before that.

I crossed my arms and looked around at my teammates.

Honestly, I didn’t think it mattered who participated.

Of course, except for Seongsin.

“Who wants to go first?”

“I will! I will go! I’ll show you the pride of chivalry!”

The first to raise her hand was the little Ellie.

Seeing her hopping and waving her hand, it was clear she wanted to go badly.

I nodded and replied.

“Alright. You can win, right?”

“Isn’t that a given? Trust me!”

If it’s Jupiter, the Knight of Light, then I can trust her.

After Ellie was confirmed to participate, as she stepped into the capsule, a slight commotion arose from the rival team.

They must have been slightly surprised when they checked Ellie’s information.

It was certainly surprising since Ellie was really small.

“Hayun. Come here.”

“Huh?”

Just before the match was about to begin.

I already knew the results, but at that moment, I found myself intently watching for the first match.

As I turned my head, I spotted Sohee sitting in a comfy chair, tapping her knees.

That gesture was a signal for me to hurry up and sit on her lap.

Moving closer without hesitation, I wasn’t bothered by it at all since I had done this before.

“Here.”

As I approached, Sohee opened her arms wide.

I turned around and sat my rear on Sohee’s lap.

At that moment, her arms wrapped around me softly, pulling me into an embrace.

Swoosh—

The sensation of the stockings rubbing against each other as I ascended felt oddly satisfying.

It might sound a little perverted, and maybe it is, but I definitely enjoyed that feeling.

A secret I could never share with Sohee.

So, I modestly crossed my legs and leaned into Sohee’s breast.

Thanks to the plush cushion, the position was comfortable, but my heart was troubled.

Just as I was getting used to the position, Seongsin, who had been watching us, smiled with a curious expression and spoke up.

With her lips trembling and ears tinged with red,

It seemed like it was quite warm in here.

“You two… are so natural together…”

“We’re friends.”

“Friends…”

If you’re friends, isn’t this kind of thing normal?

I nodded at Sohee’s reply, crossing my arms.

Seongsin must have found it a bit odd since, as far as I could see, she had no friends to engage in this kind of physical touch.

“The match has started…”

Just as I was thinking about Seongsin, Sohee’s small voice pierced into my ear.

Her whispering voice and warm breath brushed against me.

The feeling, which should have been unfamiliar, strangely felt familiar.

“S-Sohee, that’s too close… Ugh…”

“I want to get closer.”

Startled, I turned my head.

Her lips brushed lightly against the tip of my ear.

Definitely, definitely brushed against it.

Even though we aren’t just ordinary friends, isn’t this closeness too much?

As I gazed up at Sohee, covering my ears with a shocked expression, her lips curved softly.

“Just kidding… was it ticklish?”

“It was, seriously ticklish.”

“Your ears are sensitive.”

“Yeah, they must be. So please be careful.”

“Got it.”

I breathed a sigh of relief at Sohee’s answer.

Just then, I turned my head to focus on the game screen and noticed the match had already ended.

The result was, of course, Ellie’s victory.

“Huh, when did it end?”

I really wanted to see since it was the first match.

I was curious about the average level of our opponents.

Surprised, I glanced at Sohee and Seongsin, but it seemed they hadn’t watched the match either.

Oh no, when Ellie comes out, she’ll definitely be upset.

Imagining Ellie’s face twisted in sadness brought a pang to my heart.

At this point, I guess I’ll have to come up with an excuse.

About a minute later, the capsule opened, and Ellie emerged.

Seeing her sporting a victorious smile made my conscience twinge.

“Ellie! You won!”

“Did you see it! My strike!”

I didn’t see it.

But I had to say I did.

“I did! It was super cool, right, Sohee?”

“Yeah. It was really cool.”

“Really…? Is that all the feedback?”

Ellie folded her arms and turned her head in a huff at Sohee and me’s praise.

She may have said that, but the twitching of her lips and raising eyebrows showed she was quite happy.

Good. Thank goodness Ellie is simple-minded. If I praised her a little more, I had a feeling it would all just blow over.

“Is it really just that? That clean strike brought the opponent down, right? I thought it was better to keep the praise simple rather than dress it up with fancy words.”

“Oh, oh-ho…”

“Yeah. Ellie, you were amazing. Was there really any need for other expressions?”

“Hih, hehe… I was amazing… right…”

We’ve managed to calm her.

I let out a sigh of relief at Ellie’s grin.

I succeeded in protecting the heart of a little girl.

“Then, who will go next after that amazing me?”

With Ellie participating, I was next to go…

“Senpai.”

Just as I was about to leave Sohee’s lap, she spoke up.

Her gaze was directed toward Seongsin.

“Huh?”

“How about you go, Senpai?”

“M-Me?”

Seongsin, who had been blankly staring at the screen, jumped and asked back.

“Yes. You’ve practiced a lot, right?”

“Should I really… go in?”

“Yes. I think that’s a good idea.”

With a strange smile at Sohee’s suggestion, Seongsin walked toward the capsule.

It seemed like she secretly wanted to get into the match.

Thus, Seongsin entered the capsule.

Now, I was truly going to focus on the match.

I turned to the screen from Sohee’s lap.

But…

Swoosh—

“Uh, Sohee…”

“What?”

Swoosh— swoosh—

A peculiar, very peculiar sensation brushed softly over my lower abdomen.

Sohee’s hand was holding onto my waist.

Her fingers were spreading apart as she started to tickle my belly.

“This is a bit distracting…”

“Did it bother you…? Sorry…”

“Focus on the game.”

No matter how much I liked it, I wanted her to concentrate solely on the match while it was going on.

I slapped the back of Sohee’s hand.