(A barely suppressible urge to start a new book early...)
I didn't even know how I got through the day.
Those Empire Commanders blended into the people around me with astonishing efficiency. In every classroom and every hallway, you could spot one or two unfamiliar faces at any moment. They included schoolteachers, groundskeepers building flowerbeds, cafeteria ladies serving meals, electricians repairing circuits, and practically any other profession that could appear on campus. It felt like a Hollywood alien-invasion blockbuster was quietly unfolding without anyone noticing...
At first, some students had whispered in surprise, "Doesn't our school seem to have gotten a lot of new people?" But before long, such discussions became much rarer. I didn't know whether it was the Mind Interference of that commander named Keaos at work, or whether my classmates had simply gotten used to unfamiliar faces popping up everywhere.
As I walked home from school with Pandora, greeting acquaintances and strangers who passed us from time to time, I grew increasingly impressed by these Empire Officers who could infiltrate an unfamiliar civilization without anyone realizing it—fortunately, they hadn't come to this world intending to conquer humanity.
I turned my head and glanced at Pandora, who was silently following beside me.
...With this tiny war fanatic around, all I could say was that they weren't going to conquer humanity for the time being.
"Brother," Pandora suddenly said softly, "are you very popular?"
I found that a little strange. "I guess so. Why ask all of a sudden?"
"Several Carbon-Based Lifeforms behind us were quietly discussing you just now. They said you were very popular."
...Wouldn't any normal person get that impression after seeing a high school student warmly chatting with everyone from roadside police officers to vendors on street corners? If I didn't look so young, people