What Do You Mean I'm The Captain Of A Yandere Mercenary Company? Chapter 799: Difference In Pilot Skills

I figured it was probably my imagination because Gary stayed silent and simply announced the following group to begin their attempt.

I soared over to the spot where my team members waited, observing the subsequent set of candidates surge ahead on their path quicker than the previous batches.

Apparently, my full-throttle performance in the initial trial had ignited their rivalry, prompting them to aim even higher to surpass me too.

After all... I hadn't aimed to dominate from the start... I merely intended to give it my all, nothing more.

The succeeding pilots clearly picked up speed, yet... somehow, it seemed they were still restraining themselves a bit.

Gary then summoned the next lineup, featuring both Amber and Ries.

Amber shot forward without delay, and I observed her twisting through the emptiness, navigating her markers with ease prior to looping back to the origin.

Glancing at the display shared with the rest of the candidates, I noticed several appearing rather unhappy for no obvious reason.

Darn, they directed the identical expression at Ries upon her completion, despite her being the slowest among our trio thus far. Still, she outpaced the second batch slightly, I suppose.

Er... Could it be that we're disrupting their flow or similar? Perhaps they're accustomed to taking it easy initially, but us rookies, clueless as we are, are pushing them to drop that habit?

Anyway... I suppose all I can utter is... Sorry about that, folks...

Suddenly, a shape materialized on my thighs, then grew to morph into Renata, my otherworldly servant clad in a duplicate of my flight gear, though hers featured cute ruffles on various sections plus a frilly hem turning it into a maid's outfit.

"Mnnnghhh... Boredom's hitting me, Daddy..." She let out a yawn.

I freaked out and checked the ongoing video feed, bracing for reactions to Renata's abrupt arrival.

However, nobody responded, and Gary proceeded to direct the upcoming group onward.

I soon understood that Renata had tampered with the feed to hide herself, so I eased back in my seat, drawing her into a tight embrace.

"Well... This is work time, so naturally, fun's off the table..."

Renata chuckled, "Ohhh~ I've got ideas for some amusement right here, Daddy~"

I nearly scolded her for that remark when a alert popped up on the panel.

Hitting it, I saw it was a fresh path, with my displays refreshing to show the marker hoops materializing out there.

I'd assumed this was the follow-up course for me once all had gone, but Gary abruptly announced.

"Tera!! You're next once more! Launch when prepared!"

Huh? Me again? Um... Alright, sure?

I paused to examine the layout and charted the path swiftly, disregarding Renata who chose to remain perched on me, snuggling into my torso.

Hmm... This layout looks... tougher than the last one?

Confident in my plan, I engaged the engines and blasted toward the initial marker hoop.

I zipped past the first hoop and adjusted the engine vectors to race to the second, a trick I'd discovered in my debut go.

The engines reconnected after detaching, enabling a sharp, rapid pivot just at the second hoop, propelling me to the third.

The subsequent hoops formed a zigzag trail, where I maximized the engine separation for seamless progress, hardly requiring any deceleration.

After that, I looped around and headed back to the launch area for the final hoop, passing through to finish before spinning to halt my speed.

Yet again, the candidates stared at me with odd looks, leaving me clueless about their motive.

Meanwhile, Renata cheered wildly from my lap, "Wheee!! So amazing, Daddy! You're the greatest!! Muaaah!"

She planted a sweet peck on my cheek, then rubbed her face against mine.

At least she's having a blast...

Yumiko was summoned for the following batch and performed exactly as one would anticipate from an ex-top-tier warrior.

She outshone me by far, finishing her path in much less time overall.

Similar to my experience, the other pilots cast furious looks her way.

Actually... I'd say the stares aimed at her were fiercer than those at me...

Hmm... Perhaps it's not mere envy I'm detecting?

As if sensing my thoughts, Renata snickered, "Ehehehe~ Check them out, Daddy~ They're furious we're superior to them!"

"That's the reason for the dirty looks?"

"Ehehehe~ What else, Daddy? They believed themselves the top dogs, unmatched, supreme~ Yet they haven't grasped the cosmos's vastness, smugly hunkered in this speck of the stars, convinced they're unbeatable~"

Well... I'm doubtful that's accurate, as Renata could be teasing them...

Mara and Lea took their chances to perform, but Yumiko and I clearly led the pack, still holding the quickest completions for our paths.

A new alert arrived, this one originating farther away, alerting me that the track was now set within the asteroids rather than empty void.

Seems they're evaluating this mech's agility amid real hazards, huh?

I checked the comm display, spotting Gary squinting at his monitor, likely getting the same layout for the upcoming trial.

He glanced back at his lens and nodded, "Tera... Yumiko... Chosen for the next go. Begin whenever set."

His abrupt shift in demeanor struck me as strangely uncomfortable.

I glanced toward Yumiko's Exo-Knight, picturing her scanning her display like me to map her trajectory before dashing into the rocks.

I followed suit, taking just seconds to spot the best route as I trailed her into the debris zone, aiming for the first marker.

"Does this Exo-Knight pack any armaments?" I muttered to myself.

Renata hummed thoughtfully, "Hmm... Want me to look, Daddy?"

"Not if it means merging with the gear... I'll handle it... Ah, found it..."

I accessed the gear menu, confirming the Exo-Knight lacked any weapons.

Too bad... I'd hoped for a tool to blast any blocking rocks.

I'll stick to dodging, then.

I drew a deep breath, locking eyes on the rocky expanse ahead, then throttled up to rush the opening marker.

I swerved, twisted, and threaded through the asteroids, evading the drifting boulders to reach the second marker.

Controls under my fingers, the Exo-Knight reversed, rebounding off a rock to catapult toward the third marker.

After the third, I surged between a pair of colliding asteroids, narrowly escaping collision by a hair's breadth en route to the following one.

Skimming an asteroid's face led to another, then I inverted to plunge via a gap in it as a quick cut to the next hoop.

Looping immediately after, I accelerated to the end marker on the field's fringe, evading a rushing rock with a spiral twist before piercing the last hoop.

I spun once more to bleed off speed right after, facing the pilots' stunned stares.

For real... I don't see anything extraordinary in my flying, so why the stares?!

Are you guys honestly that unskilled?!