Lilith and Shion seem to have clashed immediately.
After finishing training, we gathered in the mess hall to debrief.
“When facing someone with good instincts and strong individual skills, I might be better off engaging in close combat.”
“Does that mean Rimse will provide support with her boomerang?”
“Rimse’s boomerang has a curved trajectory, so it’s suited for support in a chaotic battle. What do you think, Kanata?”
“Rimse, could you practice with smaller boomerangs as well? For support, maneuverability would be better than power or range.”
“Understood! Long-range support will be entrusted to Shion!”
Once the debriefing was over, Isokichi brought us our meal.
First, some cold hors d’oeuvres.
Smoked duck breast, smoked salmon salad, and cheese crackers – this is nice.
“Kanata-, is this appetizer enough? I’ll prepare caviar and Baron potato fries for the main course.”
“This is plenty. Shall I call Lilith before the hot dishes come out?”
I used my Handycom to call Lilith to the mess hall.
Lilith, arriving by Yukikaze taxi, paid her fare with prosciutto and trotted over to our table.
“I understand Vodka and Rimse, but who is that giant woman over there?”
“She’s Shion, the platoon’s second-in-command. Shion, this is that genius whiz kid.”
“I am Shion Ignatiff. Nice to meet you, Lilith.”
Lilith ignored Shion and tugged on my ear, shouting.
“Warrant Officer! I’ll be the second-in-command! I can’t let some unknown woman have this position!”
“Don’t be absurd. You’re not a regular soldier, so it’s impossible!”
“Then Vodka is fine! She’s old enough!”
“Give me a break. I have a policy of not having subordinates.”
“Lilith, can’t you follow the captain’s decision?”
Lilith looked Shion up and down with a disdainful glare and spewed more poison.
“Hmph! Just because you have blonde hair and large breasts, don’t get cocky! You’ve seduced the Warrant Officer with those, haven’t you?”
“Keep drinking your milk and try to grow bigger, child?”
What’s with the head-butting during the meet-and-greet? I knew this would happen.
“Rimse proposes a solution. Shion will be the second-in-command, but if Lilith becomes a regular soldier, they can switch places.”
In the Alliance, regular soldiers must be at least 15 years old, even by special exception. That’s a good temporary solution.
“We’ll adopt Rimse’s proposal. Are both of you okay with that?”
“Fine.” “Fine.”
(Shion, please bear with her sharp tongue for now. Lilith is intelligent; once she knows Shion’s capabilities, she’ll accept her as second-in-command.)
(Yes, I will make her acknowledge me through my abilities.)
“Since we’ve reached an agreement, let’s toast to the formation of Comma One Platoon!”
Vodka popped open a champagne bottle with flair and poured us glasses. Oh, there are two minors here.
“Rimse and Lilith, you’ll have these. Child’s champagne.”
“Boo!” “Don’t be so stuffy and bring that over!”
“Underage drinking is not permitted. This is a captain’s order!”
“You’re an overbearing captain!” “You, a sexual offender, are forcing others to obey the law! How despicable!”
“Don’t say sexual offender. At least say criminal, or rather, a potential criminal.”
“…You’re not denying it, Captain.”
…I have my reasons for not doing so.
“Let’s just toast. Fellow men… well, not all men here.”
Comma One Platoon consists of two men and three women.
“In any case, I’ll take care of all of you, so follow me closely! Prosit!”
“Cheers!” “Irangkapte!” “Za zdorovye!” x2
Let the fun feast begin!
While we were eating and drinking and making jokes, it seemed to be time for dinner. Some familiar thugs came to the mess hall and congratulated me on my promotion and appointment as platoon leader.
Along with the thugs who joined our feast, the adults got drunk while enjoying Isokichi’s specialties.
“Captain, here you go. I’ll pour some pizza too.”
It felt nice to have Shion pour my drinks. She really is a caregiver.
“Thanks. Whoa there.”
“Hey! I’m the one supposed to pour for the Warrant Officer! Drink up!”
I’m already drinking, you know!
“Oh, Natsume! This is our platoon’s formation celebration, come have a drink!”
“…No, thank you.”
Natsume responded to Vodka’s call with an extremely displeased look.
“Oh, right. Natsume is a minor. Let’s have a drink together when you turn twenty.”
…Now that I think about it, Vodka told me that. Not to get involved with Natsume.
It seems Natsume has opened up enough for Vodka to casually greet her. That’s good.
“Captain, you have tomato sauce around your mouth.”
Shion took out a handkerchief and wiped my mouth.
I’m happy, but everyone is watching! It’s embarrassing, like I’m a child!
A-and aren’t you leaning too close! My b-boobs are touching your elbow!
“…Are you having fun drinking with the father-killer?”
Natsume’s remark froze the atmosphere in the room.
The mess hall fell silent as if water had been poured in. The sound of breaking glass could be heard from the kitchen.
“Natsume, what did you just say?”
Stop it, calm down. You’ve had too much to drink!
“You didn’t hear? I said, ‘Are you having fun drinking with the father-killer?'”
Don’t stand up! Try to smooth things over! It’ll be irreparable!
“Natsume, what are you trying to do? You know better than anyone how much irresponsible rumors can hurt people, don’t you?”
Ignoring my attempts to stop her, Natsume glared at me at point-blank range.
“What are you talking about? Well, just get along fine with the father-killer, the subordinate-killer, and these two children.”
Upon hearing “subordinate-killer,” Vodka quietly closed her eyes.
“…That’s enough. How long are you going to revel in tragedy?”
“Reveling in tragedy? Me? I will not forgive those words!”
…It’s no use. My anger gauge has maxed out!
“I’m the one who won’t forgive you, you stupid woman! Ah, you’re right, your situation is tragic! If it were a two-hour drama, the whole world would weep! But you know what? You’re not the only one with painful memories! Everyone is enduring it with gritted teeth! Not hiding in their own shells like you!”
“What do you know?!”
Natsume’s punch flew towards my face, but I caught it in my left hand and squeezed.
“If you don’t say anything, how could I possibly know! But I do know this! If you want to be understood, you have to try to understand first! Don’t you even know that much? If you don’t, I can forgive you. But that’s not it, is it? You’re a coward for pretending not to notice, deceiving yourself!”
“Y-you! Just spewing whatever you want!”
She hit me with her free hand, a slap across my face, but I felt nothing!
“You know everyone is being considerate of you, right? Are you afraid to get involved, you coward!”
“You never know when you’ll be betrayed! People who seemed kind can turn into devils when the situation changes!”
…Natsume’s parents were bludgeoned to death by neighbors who tried to steal their oxygen respirator.
The worst tragedy. But, but… I…
“They weren’t devils, they were humans. They were just scared, scared of dying.”
“If you’re scared, if you’re dying, you can do anything! My Papa said we should all use the respirator together!”
“I’m not saying you should forgive the people who took your parents. It’s natural to resent them.”
“Then what are you trying to say!”
“…I just want Natsume to smile.”
“What!?”
“I don’t think the emotional scars you received will ever heal. There will be times when your heart aches so much you can’t bear it. But, sometimes, I want you to smile. Even if you have to live with unerasable wounds, there’s no rule saying you can’t smile, is there? I… no, Marika-san and everyone in the No. 0 Unit, we want to see Natsume smile. …That’s all.”
This is bad, tears are welling up. Even though I’ve changed bodies, my tear ducts are still as sensitive. What a ridiculous thought.
But… I’ve messed up. Just when Natsume and I were starting to get along a little better, this has ruined it all.
