“Caroline—hey, Caroline. Do you have any issues with being called by a nickname?” I asked.
She blinked, looking back at me. “Hmm, not really, but why the sudden question?”
“Well, ‘Caroline’ is a bit of a mouthful, isn't it? It’s a lovely name, but Explorers often use nicknames for people with long names.”
I’d seen it plenty of times in the First Unit. We called Wilkes ‘Wil’ and Lucretia ‘Lucre.’
“Oh, I see! I’m not particularly attached to my name, so go right ahead. Make sure it's a good one!” she agreed with a cheerful lilt.
Caroline... I guess ‘Carol’ is the obvious choice? Hmm, is that a bit too uninspired? In that case...
“What do you think of ‘Carol’?”
“Ooh, Carol! It’s nice and concise. I like it! Alright, my name is Carol starting today!”
“...Uh, it’s just a nickname. Your name is still Caroline.”
She seemed to like it, which was a relief.
“Orun-san! If that’s how it is, please give me a nickname too!” Logan pleaded, turning those round, glistening puppy-dog eyes my way.
“Logan isn’t exactly long to begin with.”
“Please! I’m begging you!”
He wouldn't back down even after I told him it wasn't necessary. Did he really want one that badly?
“...Alright. How about ‘Log’?”
“Log... My name... the one Orun-san gave me...!”
He whispered the name under his breath, looking as though he were on the verge of tears from sheer joy.
I keep telling you, it’s just a nickname. Your name hasn’t changed...
Still, if it made him that happy, I couldn’t exactly complain.
I noticed Sophia watching the exchange with an envious look. I suppose it felt lonely being the only one left out.
“Sophia, how about ‘Sophie’?”
The sudden suggestion caught her off guard, and she just stared at me blankly.
“I took the liberty of coming up with one for you too, but maybe it’s too simple? Do you hate it?”
“N-no! Not at all! I’m actually very happy! Sophie... ehehe...”
A look of pure bliss washed over her face. I was glad she seemed pleased.
“In that case, Orun-san, we’d like to call you something else as well,” Log suggested.
“No, I’m fine with my name as it is. It’s short enough that there’s no need to truncate it, right?”
If I shortened my name, I’d end up with ‘Or’ or ‘Run.’ I’d rather avoid that.
“No, it’s not a nickname we’re after. Orun-san, we would like to call you ‘Master’!”
His gaze was unwavering. He was dead serious.
Is this really the same Logan? His personality has done a complete 180.
“Hey! Logan—I mean, Log! No fair! I’m gonna call Big Brother ‘Master’ too!”
“If that’s what you want to call me, I won’t stop you. ...What about you, Sophie?”
I turned to her.
“N-no... I, uh... I’d prefer to keep calling you... Orun-san.”
She looked down, her face turning bright red as she spoke in a voice as faint as a mosquito’s hum.
“That’s perfectly fine by me.”
And so, we settled on how everyone in the Tenth Unit would address each other.
The party name would be next, I suppose. It wasn’t an urgent matter, but we’d have to decide on one eventually. Given the current vibe, the task would likely fall to me, so I figured I’d better start brainstorming now.
Thank you for reading until the end.
My apologies for the short chapter. There wasn't a good place to break the scene, so it ended up a bit brief.
Since this one was short, I plan to post another chapter today around 21:00.
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