Kanata, who won the battle against Shion, the Woman of Absolute Zero, has taken a moment to rest.
After finishing the first day of the Officer Curriculum, I returned to the Shangri-La Hotel.
I’m incredibly tired. It’s been a while since I had classroom lectures, and unlike university, these require serious attention.
Plus, to top it off, I had a real battle with a Russian beauty, the Woman of Absolute Zero, in the afternoon. It’s no wonder I’m exhausted.
…Chief Sergeant Shion Ignatiff, huh? Another woman with a complicated past. But she’s in a different unit, so I don’t need to worry about it.
Lately, there’s been so much going on that my mental capacity is at its limit. I’m not a ascetic like Shuri, seeking to increase my capacity by enduring overload.
I sprawled out on the large bed, arms and legs spread wide, and closed my eyes to rest my mind and body.
Even my diligently working natto bacteria seem to have no room for unnecessary thoughts, which is a relief.
I intended to rest for a bit, but it seems I fell asleep.
It’s already past 10:00 PM.
…I’m hungry. Should I order room service?
My generous boss is kind enough to let me use any hotel service I want while staying here in Ligrit.
Since the bill is covered by headquarters, I don’t want to be too gluttonous. It’s a night in a big city, after all. Maybe I’ll go out for a drink.
I left the hotel and decided to head to the downtown area on foot.
The residents of Ligrit’s nightlife have a certain splendor. This is a key base, the headquarters of the Alliance, and one of the few cities in this world untouched by war.
If fighting were to break out in this city, it would mean the Alliance Army’s defeat.
Now, what should I have with my drink?
Yakitori is a classic choice, but since there’s Torigen in the Garden, it’s hard to find yakitori better than theirs.
Right, Ligrit is a port town, which means seafood should be abundant.
I’ll look for a place in that direction. I’ll deliberately avoid using my Handycom and just wander until I find a place I like.
Let’s go on an izakaya hopping adventure.
My quest for an izakaya ended quickly.
I found a sign that read “Seafood Izakaya Wadatsumi” in an alley right near the Shangri-La Hotel.
As a true small-town citizen, I prefer a dimly lit back-alley establishment over a squeaky-clean place on the main street.
Pushing open the noren curtain and stepping inside, I found the exact atmosphere I had expected.
Groups of salarymen complaining about their bosses, musicians passionately discussing dreams that may never come true, and a soldier passed out in a corner of the counter.
This is nice, the melancholy of life permeates this place. I’ll drink here.
I was led to a counter seat and, without delay, ordered a draft beer.
The appetizer is boiled pufferfish skin salad. Very nice.
Using the appetizer as a chaser, I downed my draft beer in one gulp and then looked over the menu.
The seafood hot pot is tempting, but… I’m intrigued by the seafood robatayaki.
Alright, I’ll order the seafood robatayaki. For drinks, it’ll be my favorite – Akudai Kan, Daiginjo.
A short while later, the seafood robatayaki that was served exceeded my expectations.
It’s a do-it-yourself grilling style on a tabletop stove, with shrimp, scallops, oysters, shishamo with roe, salmon… and even abalone!
I savored the luxurious seafood robatayaki, gulping down the Akudai Kan, Daiginjo.
This is unbearable. Should I have invited Lilith?
No matter what, sake tastes best when poured by Lilith. I’ve become completely dependent on that little devilish beautiful girl.
As I was ordering more drinks and clam butter, the drunkard next to me seemed to wake up.
The drunk patron, wearing a military uniform, shouted while face-planting on the counter.
“Oi, bring me sake! Sake!”
It sounds like a voice I’ve heard somewhere before… is it just my imagination?
“Sir, you’ve had too much to drink. Perhaps you should activate your Nomuzou-kun now…”
“What did you say! I am a patron! Just bring me sake!”
That old man’s had too much to drink. Just do as the staff says.
As the old man started to get up and confront the staff, I couldn’t just ignore it and stepped in to stop him.
“What are you saying, you punk! Let me drink some sake! …Y-you are, K-Kenrou!”
Ah, I remember! This old man is…
“Um, aren’t you Lieutenant Colonel Himnon…?”
“Himnon! …I’m no longer a Lieutenant Colonel, I’m a Major…”
My apologies. I was so used to the Commander calling him “dried fish” that I only had the image of dried fish in mind.
“So you’re a Major now, were you demoted?”
Major Himnon, who seemed to have activated Nomuzou-kun, replied with forced politeness,
“I was made to be. Think about it. Major General Hinkley, who achieved a comeback victory on the battlefield, took responsibility for the initial defeat and voluntarily demoted himself. Do you think I, his副官 (adjutant) who retreated to Balmit Fortress first, would go unpunished?”
That’s true. Major Himnon probably never thought they could achieve a comeback victory from that point.
“I’m sorry to hear that. It seems your alcohol has worn off, care for a drink?”
As I offered him a flask, Major Himnon roughly snatched it and poured himself cup after cup, drinking them down.
He’s really going through it. But it’s his own fault.
“I’m finished. I studied and studied, graduated from the officer’s academy, flattered my superiors, even went through with an arranged marriage to a woman I didn’t love, all to avoid falling behind in the race for promotion… but I displeased Major General Biron. …All because of you.”
Huh?! It’s my fault?
“No, no, it’s not my fault.”
“Yes! It is your fault! Because you sent Biron’s idiotic son to the hospital!”
As we shared the clam butter, he explained the details: apparently, it was Major Himnon who suggested sending Prince Meron to the Garden to gain achievements as an inspector.
“I thought it would work. Even if Lieutenant Biron is an idiot, the Rose Garden is a base full of flaws, so there’s bound to be something to correct. The Asura Unit is the most famous unit in the Alliance, so I thought that if I issued a recommendation for correction, it would give Lieutenant Biron more credibility…”
Yeah, I see. The Rose Garden is an amusement palace that would make Round One flee in despair.
Any incompetent person can find something to criticize. No, it’s a base with nothing but points to criticize.
“As a resident of the Garden, I completely agree with your opinion. So, what you’re saying is… Major Himnon’s backer is Major General Simon de Biron. After fleeing from the recent battle, they managed a comeback victory, earning him one yellow card. Then, as a way to annoy the Asura Unit, the saviors of the comeback victory, he sent Biron’s idiotic son, but I sent him to the hospital, resulting in another yellow card.”
“Two cumulative yellow cards mean a red card. I’ve been properly relegated to a trivial post and am starting to get pushed out.”
A sense of melancholy permeates Major Himnon’s words. …Did I do something bad?
“Um, I don’t think this will be much comfort, but sending Prince Meron to the hospital was an accident…”
“Hmph, I no longer care about that idiocy of Major Simon, who discarded me. I wish he’d been sent to hell rather than the hospital. Then I could have given up completely.”
Wow, this middle manager (old man) has lost his path to promotion and is completely unhinged.
“Y-yes. I see. Oh, the menu has uruka! It’s a delicacy, salted entrails of ayu fish.”
“I know. Having grown up in extreme poverty, I often caught ayu when I was a child to help the family finances. I would remove the entrails and dry them to sell. So, all we could afford to eat were the entrails of the ayu… But the uruka my mother made was the greatest feast for me. The reason I come to this place is because they have uruka.”
You made a living making dried ayu… Were you really “Dried Fish” Major?
“…Please stop with the sad stories. I’m starting to feel guilty. But Major Himnon, you’re a Garum type, so you used to catch ayu?”
“Not only the Izuruha people are in Izuruha. When I was little, my father was swindled and committed suicide. To escape the debt collectors, we left the continent and eloped to the Izuruha Islands. After enduring hardships upon hardships, my mother’s health deteriorated, and I’ve come this far wanting to give her the ultimate luxury… but…”
“…Sorry about that.”
“It’s fine. Come to think of it, I never wanted to be a soldier.”
“Huh? Then why did you become a soldier…? Were you conscripted?”
“There’s a special program at the officer’s academy. Those with excellent grades can study while receiving a salary as soldiers. The officer’s academy was the only place I could receive higher education while supporting my sickly mother… Please order the uruka. It’s not as good as my mother’s, but this one is quite good.”
I called the waiter and ordered uruka and sake. For some reason, I felt like talking to him more.
People say everyone has a story, and Major Himnon has certainly had his share of hardships.
As Major Himnon picks at the uruka that was served, his profile looks completely different from when I met him as Major General Hinkley’s adjutant.
“It’s already past 11:00 PM. Shouldn’t you contact your wife…?”
“Do you think my wife is waiting at home? She’s definitely off somewhere with her young lover. As a Sword Wolf, with the best of intentions, I advise you: marriage should be a love marriage. So you don’t make the same mistake in an arranged marriage as I did.”
“It’s fine to call me Kanata, not Sword Wolf. If I may say so, many couples who have arranged marriages build happy families. Major Himnon’s mistake wasn’t marrying a woman he didn’t love for the sake of his career, was it?”
Major Himnon took a large gulp from his sake cup and sighed.
“…You’re right, Kanata. Whether it’s a chance encounter or an arranged meeting, love is all that matters. I couldn’t even see something so obvious. …I’m such an idiot.”
All I can do for the sighing Major Himnon is pour him more sake.
Wait a minute? There are other things I can do. It depends on Major Himnon’s resolve.
I prefer ginkgo nuts over lily roots in chawanmushi.
