This is a story from the Mechanist Army’s side.
“Sorry, Major. My training was inadequate.”
The man, whose eyes were as sharp and piercing as knives, grabbed the twin-tailed girl beside him by the head and pulled her down as if to drag her.
“…I’m sorry, Major. Kika, I’m reflecting.”
The man called Major stopped his hands from typing on the computer and turned his chair to face the young man and the girl.
“Mmm, what’s done is done. Kika, you’re a bad girl for not obeying orders.”
The siblings’ superior, who exuded an old-fashioned atmosphere despite his youthful appearance, tapped Kika’s head with his fist.
“Hehe ♪”
Kika stuck out her tongue and gave a shy smile. She thought she would be scolded by the Major, too, having been thoroughly reprimanded by her eldest brother, Mizar.
“Major! It’s because you spoil Kika like this that this happened!”
Mizar’s anger turned towards his superior. He was a man who easily lost his temper. The man called Major remained unfazed even by his subordinate’s outburst. He merely smoked a cigarette with eyes like a dead fish, showing no signs of motivation, which seemed to defuse Mizar’s anger. This man’s dead-fish eyes weren’t from being dazed by his subordinate Kika’s mishandling of the situation. He inherently had eyes like a dead fish. Mizar, who considered himself this man’s top subordinate, knew this well.
“The Major is a big shot, but he’s so apathetic… The Alliance is lucky,” Mizar thought. Because when this man’s eyes held a spark… mountains of Alliance soldiers’ corpses would pile up. The Major was a soldier of the Mechanist Army known as “Grim Reaper,” or more accurately, a special serviceman with Major treatment. The Grim Reaper returned his dead-fish eyes to the display. Speaking to Mizar soothingly, with his back turned, he said, “Mizar, don’t blame Kika for what she did anymore. Kika has a genius intellect, high physical abilities, two older brothers, and a superior officer called Major. And what was revealed is all that. There are no problems.”
“There are too many problems! How much has been revealed! Kika stands out because she’s super cute!”
Reacting to her brother’s words, “super cute,” Kika blushed. “Older Brother! Am I super cute?”
“Kika! Why are you looking so happy? Are you really reflecting?”
“I am! So much!”
“Kika, just in case, stand guard in the next room. And reflect while you’re at it. If you break Mizar’s orders again, you’ll get a spank!”
“Yes, boss! Kika, I’m going to my guard duty!”
Kika saluted cutely and walked off to the next room with light steps. After the door slammed shut, Mizar, with his deadly eyes, complained to his dead-fish-eyed superior. “Major, please don’t spoil Kika too much. She’s already the youngest and spoiled.”
“It’s fine. Besides, Kika made mistakes but also achieved results. She found out that we were revealed to the Alliance Army. And handled the situation. If you know that, there are plenty of ways to proceed.”
“Kika’s hearing is better than a bat’s. That’s why she can do that.” Kika, also known as Kikasaru, was a soldier who enhanced her extraordinary hearing with a dedicated app. She possessed super-hearing capabilities, able to distinguish individuals by their heartbeats even from a distance, making her the “ears” of the Annihilation Unit. And there were no soldiers with abilities comparable to Kika’s in either the Mechanist Army or the Alliance Army. This was a special skill made possible by a genius intellect that could sift through thousands of noises in a crowd and discern only the necessary information.
The Grim Reaper had Kika eavesdrop on the Alliance Army’s Joint Operations Headquarters from a nearby building to obtain classified information. Based on that information, they decided on their targets; this had been the Grim Reaper’s basic strategy until now. “…It’s about time for that.” The Grim Reaper put his hand on his chin and thought. The affiliation and objective of the Annihilation Unit had been revealed. For now, they seemed to be testing the waters with harassment tactics, but they might set a full-blown trap eventually. Most importantly, Kenrou had seen Kika’s face. The risks had to be considered to have escalated.
“Hey, Major, can I ask you something?” Mizar hesitantly spoke to the Grim Reaper, who was lost in thought.
“What is it, Mizar?”
“Why were we revealed to the Alliance Army?”
“During the recent operation. Remember, we received communication from LeBron? It seems that was intercepted.” Mizar’s face, already known to be hot-tempered among his peers, flushed with anger, and his mouth began to spew venom. “That old man! A coward and an idiot! Not only did he ruin a winnable battle that was perfectly set up for us, but he also brought the heat down on us!”
“Don’t get so worked up. It was inevitable that we’d be found out eventually. It just happened a little sooner.”
“Major, you’re always so calm. So, what are we going to do?”
“Hmm, what should we do? Pressure from the army will undoubtedly increase. It’s troublesome.” The combat capability of the Annihilation Unit, led by the Grim Reaper, was highly regarded by the Mechanist Army, and they were constantly under pressure to be deployed in critical situations. They had managed to fend off this pressure until now, but with their identities revealed, the pressure would undoubtedly intensify.
“Isn’t this a good opportunity? Our identities are revealed, so let’s go wild, kill a lot, and make a name for ourselves?” It was a suggestion typical of Mizar, the aggressive and cruel troublemaker, but the Grim Reaper was not enthusiastic.
“Mizar, do you know the rule for guaranteed victory?”
“Isn’t it ‘kill before you are killed’?”
“How do you do that?”
“Never mind that. Thinking is the Major’s job, and carrying it out is ours. Besides, you know I’m not smart.” The Grim Reaper did not think Mizar was unintelligent; he even considered him calculating. However, Mizar’s problem was “when his blood boils, he acts before he thinks.” No matter how cold and calculating the mind, it was meaningless if one acted before thinking. And the Grim Reaper sighed inwardly. It was even more problematic that Mizar was aware of this weakness but made no effort to correct it.
“Mizar, the rule for guaranteed victory is ‘only fight those weaker than yourself.’ Winning easily is the ideal tactic.”
“There’s no unit stronger than us, the Ghost Numbers.” In the Mechanist Army, they were called the Annihilation Unit, but their official name within Spec Company was Ghost Numbers. A unit of non-existent people, a unit that shouldn’t exist, that was them. It was ironic that they, who had completed their missions without public exposure like ghosts, had their existence brought to light due to their overwhelmingly successful track record.
“Is it time for the specters to rise from their graves? This doesn’t sound like it will end well.” The Grim Reaper thought that if specters emerged into the light, they would only perish.
“Haven’t you been invited multiple times by Roogetsu, the leader of the Last Legion? Let’s accept! I want to go wild!”
“…I’m sorry for dragging you all into the shadows as well.”
“Don’t say that! Me, or rather, Iw, Kika, and I will follow you anywhere, even to hell!” Mizar sincerely thought, “I wish you would understand. I want you to emerge into the light. I want you to receive the recognition you deserve for your talents, out in the open. You’re not a man who should be content in the shadows, you’re the lifetime boss that we three brothers respect and worship? You have the power to be hailed as a hero, so why do you willingly choose to live in the shadows! Whatever past you’re burdened with, just crush it with your power!” Mizar’s inner cry did not reach the Grim Reaper. Even if he had not kept it within himself and had spoken it, it might not have reached him.
“Mizar, when is the Cleaner coming?” The Grim Reaper, either unaware of Mizar’s inner turmoil or pretending not to be, spoke in a flat, indifferent tone.
“In two hours. Should I hurry it?”
“Yes, tell the Cleaner to come now. The withdrawal operation is complete.” The Cleaner was the common name for Mechanist Army intelligence agents whose mission was to erase all traces.
“Understood.”
“Since our business here is done, there’s no need to linger in the enemy capital. Besides, I don’t like the food or the beds here.” Thinking that Gan would also be lonely, Mizar, who cared for his younger siblings, began packing.
An hour later, the Grim Reaper and his companions were seen leaving a cheap hotel in the downtown area. They got into a regular car and drove towards the road leading out of the city, stopping at a checkpoint before the city’s protective wall. After safely passing through the checkpoint, they exited the city. Ordinary travelers would then seek the assistance of the Trader’s Guild that gathered outside the city, but they were not ordinary travelers. The car left the Guild’s docking area and drove for about two hours in the opposite direction, stopping in front of a cave in the wilderness.
“Well, we’re finally here. Hey, Major, next time let’s stay somewhere more upscale.” Mizar, who was driving, requested of the Grim Reaper in the passenger seat.
“Don’t complain. We entered with forged citizen IDs. The higher the grade of the hotel, the higher the security level.”
“That’s right! Older Brother, it’s work!” Kika, leaning forward from the back seat, joined the conversation.
“Kika, who was it that disobeyed Older Brother Mizar’s orders and went out on their own? Tell me, who was it?” The Grim Reaper tickled Kika’s sides.
“Ooh, it tickles! Hey, Major, can I give you a kiss on the cheek?” Mizar teased his sister, playfully pulling on one of her twin ponytails.
“You’re getting suggestive, aren’t you, you precocious child? Tickle, tickle.”
“Because! You always wear a skull mask, Major, so it’s been a while since I’ve seen your face!”
“That’s right. It has been a while since I felt the wind on my cheeks.” The eldest brother, concerned about his younger siblings, tried to caution his youngest sister with words. “Kika, I’m telling you. About the Major’s face…”
“I know! It’s a secret for us, the higher-ups! That he’s a ‘handsome guy’ with eyes like dead fish is a SECRET!”
“It’s good that you understand. It’s understood that the Major has a face that can’t be looked at twice in public. Don’t forget that, Kika.” Mizar thought, “Eyes like dead fish, huh? He certainly looks like a dead fish, but kids say the most innocently harsh things,” and then he put two fingers in his mouth and whistled.
As the whistle echoed in the cave, a wolfdog with glossy black fur immediately ran out from the cave. Seeing its appearance, Kika’s eyes sparkled, and she jumped out of the back seat and ran to embrace the wolfdog, which was larger than her. “Tachikaze! Have you been well!” “(Gau! I am exceptionally well. How was it?)” “Was there any abnormality?” “(Gau! Gau? All is peaceful. And how are things?)” “Everything went well on our end too~♪” “(Garrr! That is most gratifying.)” At that moment, with the sound of the elemental engine driving, a Stealth Vehicle appeared from inside the cave, moving forward at a slow pace. Then, from the parked vehicle, a man as tall as the clouds descended. Kika hopped onto the giant’s shoulder and whispered in his ear, “Older Brother Gan, I’m home ♪” Iwazaru, the second eldest of the three brothers called Gan, nodded heavily like rock. “You’ve worked hard looking after things, Gan.” Iwazaru shook his head as if acknowledging the impossibility, then handed the Skull Mask he was holding to the Grim Reaper.
“Ah, wait, wait!” Kika, with her arms wrapped around the man’s log-like neck, leaned towards the Grim Reaper, who was three heads shorter than her second brother, and pressed her lips to his cheek. The Grim Reaper, honored by the young girl’s kiss, smiled faintly, then put on the Skull Mask and gave an order. “Withdraw to Lilygen.” “Understood.” “Undersood♪” “………” “(Gau!)” The Grim Reaper, the three monkeys, and one dog began their march back towards Lilygen, the capital of the Mechanist Army. Even among these elite of the elite, there was no one with precognitive abilities. Therefore, they did not yet know of the turning point that was rapidly approaching for the Grim Reaper and the Ghost Numbers he led.
Takao Saito’s works are more like “Onihei Hankachō” than “Golgo 13.”
