Just be you! [Reader X Nikke harem]

Chapter 6: The Act of Reacting

"Chatting" - 'Thinking' - *Sound effects*

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The Simulation Room operated slightly differently than you had thought it would. Instead of creating a massive horde of Raptures to defeat, it worked more like a video game where we fought waves of Raptures at a time, getting harder the further we got. Nonetheless, you continued to command your squad through all the battles.

Your performance wasn't perfect, and you knew that. On wave 3, you made a false guess in focusing fire on the leading Rapture to kill it quickly instead of the small ones, causing the small servants to launch coordinated fire on your group. One brief apology and a change in mindset later, the wave was cleared.

Another small problem happened on the final wave, wave 7. This time, you were doing well at dealing with clumps of Raptures, so you told Rapi to move further up to have an easier time landing shots. However, once the leading Rapture came out, tons of incoming fire stopped your Nikkes from firing. As Rapi's cover took more chip damage, you quickly told her to retreat back to you right before her cover was blown to bits. It was difficult, but you did get through the test.

Finishing up and dusting yourself, your Nikkes did the same. "Argh, so tired..." Anis groaned. "They really won't let you do anything nice. You do poorly, they give you a hard time. You do well, it's the same thing. You just can't win."

Before being able to continue, Anis was interrupted by the appearance of Einkk. "Well done, Commander Y/N. You have now completed your first Simulation Room battle! How do you feel?"

"I feel...good!" You responded. It was true; being able to feel like you have improved since your first mission was a great feeling. "Tell me: Is there anything specific to make note of that I can improve?" You asked.

Einkk struck a thinking pose before answering you. "Well, I don't know if I can point anything specific that you need to improve, but you still feel like you are new to this. You have the basics down really well and your tactics are well executed, but you don't go beyond them much, so try to better your tactics in the midst of battle."

"With that said, I would like to note your coordination with your Nikkes." Einkk continued. "The adaptability with you and your Nikkes is something that you excel at. Plenty of Commanders, both new and old, rarely tell their Nikkes when to properly take cover and change their plans through careful observing (brute force is a style, I suppose). You are already unique, so I'm eager to see just how you progress."

You...didn't quite understand. Everything that Einkk just heavily complemented was just something you did normally. You know, to lead and protect your Nikkes. It should be something that everyone did normally when being a Commander, so why were you being praised for it so much?

Giving your goodbyes to Einkk and leaving the Simulation Room, your Nikkes got surprisingly close to your sides, leaving you slightly flustered and confused. But for the other two, it was much more clear.