Commander's Rounds Volume 1

Entry 77-6: Albert's Odyssey- Roll of the Dice

Albert Kesler walked through the halls of the Sakura Empire dorm complex. After he had gotten her attention by volunteering to be the centerpiece of one of Foch's knife tricks, Kii had offered to show the junior officer the port's nightlife, so he had some idea what he was in for by going on a proper date with her, at least in theory. He arrived at Kii and Suruga's residence, and readied himself to begin his evening, beginning by knocking on the door.

And it was answered by Suruga.

Albert didn't know Suruga's secret, as those who were in the know kept that to themselves for Suruga's sake, so as far as he knew she was another Sakura Empire oni, just with an interesting taste in hair decorations. He knew her mainly through the work she submitted to the commander's office, and that alone made him interested in having the chance to talk to her at least once. She spoke up first, though. "You must be here to see Kii."

He nodded. "And you must be Suruga. I've seen the reports you've sent to the commander's office. Your organization and accuracy are superb- they are well-ordered reads that are clear and understandable from a single read-through."

Suruga scratched her cheek. "I'm really just doing things the standard way. Anyone could pick up a book and do it like that."

He shook his head. "Perhaps, but not everyone is necessarily so studious, and maintaining that level of precision in chaotic circumstances isn't a universal ability."

Suruga blinked. "Hm? There are a bunch of other people who take this kind of thing seriously, there's no reason to single me out about this kind of thing."

Albert continued all the same. "Even if that's the case, your efforts should still be recognized. Doing things like this correctly are important to the smooth running of military operations."

Suruga started to become visibly flustered. "A-Anyway, you're here for a date with Kii, right? So you should probably go see her in her room."

Albert did see the sense in not keeping Kii waiting. "All right, I will."

Suruga went off to her own room.

He raised his hand to knock on Kii's door, but she opened the door before he could knock. The tall kitsune looked right at him with her bright blue eyes and wide smile. "Heeey! Didn't have to guess to know you'd be exactly on time."

Albert replied. "I do not wish to disappoint. You seemed to indicate that you had a lot of things... Planned..." Albert noted quickly that something was out of place, and he noted certain... Gaps in the sarashi that Kii relied on to keep her breasts in check. There were times that Kii's body seemed to not consent to be clothed, and did things like this in protest.

"What's up?" She looked at him, flicking one ear.

Albert pointed at the cloth bindings. "It's... Coming loose."

Kii's smile grew wider. "Hey, come on in, all right?"

Albert did as ordered, and once inside, she turned around and stood with her back turned to him. "All right, just stay there, and..." Kii then undid the bindings, and covered herself with one arm as she handed them back to Albert. "So, why don't you redo them? You seem like someone who'd do the job right."

Albert stood there with the long strip of cloth in his shaking hands, wondering if he could do this without doing something unfortunate, interrupted briefly by the fleeting thought that he knew someone back in his national service that would pay money to sniff Kii's bindings. "...Are you sure about this?"

She turned her back to him again. "Nothing wrong with learning new skills, right? Don't worry, I'll talk you through it. Just start from the bottom, okay?"