"To fight is to lose. To not fight is to lose more." — Hachiman Hikigaya.
[28th of May, 2149 Anno Astrum]
A sigh escaped from her lips; my commanding officer—Colonel Shizuka Hiratsuka—silently read the reports on her tablet with her hands on her forehead. I could do nothing but stand at attention as her eyes paced rapidly from left to right. Imagine if you were called into your superior's office—many ranks above your own—and all she had said after allowing you into the room was absolutely nothing. All I could hear was the sound of an analog clock ticking away.
'This has to be against the Hesturn Convention!'
She shut off the tablet's screen and took a sizable gulp of her coffee.
"Hikigaya, explain yourself," she spoke, omitting any politeness I was entitled to, not even bothering to attach a 'Mr.' to my name. It was the perfect mood and situation. I had been reciting these lines in my head since last night, so much so that I couldn't sleep. I needed my performance to land.
I coughed into my hand, "Exactly as the report says, Colonel. I'd like to hand over the command of my squadron to Sergeant Kawasaki. I don't believe I'm capable of leadership anymore."
She ruffled her long ink-black hair, her veins on her forehead clearly showing despite her attempts at covering them with her hands. Don't get me wrong, I genuinely felt bad for throwing more frustration her way, but I didn't want this anymore.
"Don't be ridiculous… This has to do with what happened yesterday, doesn't it? Stop trying to blame yourself, your leadership is fine. If anything, I'm—"
"I'm done with it, Colonel. I don't even know what you see in a mercenary like me anyway," I attempted to be as unreasonable and callous as possible, giving her every right to punish me… Wait, it's not what you think.
She let out another sigh, "Ugh, where do I even begin with you… First of all, you're not a mercenary anymore. You're a registered military personnel of the Federal Republic of Giad," she rubbed her left temple; her right hand furiously typed on her smartphone.
She placed the device down and casually pulled out another cigarette, igniting the tobacco stick like it was nobody's business. She puffed heavily before turning her gaze to me again. "Secondly, I won't let you thrust off your responsibilities to someone else, especially not to a mere sergeant—" I cut her off.
"She's not a mere sergeant, she's the most capable XO I've ever worked with—"
"Let me finish, you dick… While Sergeant Kawasaki has certainly shown competence, she does not have the required time to be promoted to Master Sergeant. There's no way for her to become a squadron leader without a vacancy," she explained.
"And yet you made a Vargus like me into a Warrant Officer?"
"There isn't any rule that says a Vargus can't be given a warrant. You had the skills, expertise, and time. None on the board rejected it too, they understood that—with the right personnel—your near-reckless, close-quarters style is a boon against heavy-class targets."
It wasn't surprising she managed to strong-arm the board into granting me a warrant, I doubted they actually wanted a Vargus mercenary as a registered soldier. I wasn't supposed to hold the rank of Warrant Officer anyway, not at my age nor status. Yet, she thrust the rank upon me, along with all of the responsibilities tied to it. Seriously, people's expectations of me are whack.
She continued, "There's no one else better than you at handling flanking and encirclements. Sergeant Kawasaki has the respect of your squadron, but do you really think they would follow her when you're available?"
I grimaced at the point she made, it was too agreeable. "Yes, well… It was as you said, I'm capable of that with the right personnel. But remember, Colonel, my squadron was decimated in the last sortie. I don't have the motivation to train any more soldiers, either. Just demote me already! Court-martial me for insubordination or something! Why are you being so lenient?"
"Because you're irreplaceable, Hikigaya. Even those who have prejudices against the Vargus can tell that you and your squadron saved our asses more than we can count. Besides, you need the paygrade, don't you?"
"I've saved enough, I can pay the rest of my debt to you plus Komachi's living expenses even as an enlisted soldier. Heck, I'm sure I could find a job back home that would be enough. I am grateful for the opportunity, but I don't want this anymore." Please, take the bait.
She sharply waved her right hand in disapproval, "Cut it out, I'm not giving in to your ridiculousness. I'm not demoting you or leaving your skills to rot. Period. Also, after this, you're going to see a therapist—"
"Not even if I bring up your age? Or how you've failed to get married?"
The Colonel closed her eyes, shoving her cigarette into her stacked ashtray. She stood up from her chair and made her way towards me. I attempted to retreat, but she was faster. Her fist found its way into my gut, knocking fluids out of my mouth. The sting of her attack persisted even as her arm disengaged. It took all of me to keep myself standing. "Not even if you bring up that, you bastard," she whispered into my ear. I probably deserved that.
The conversation wasn't going as I expected; she wasn't going to budge. I came to her knowing she would be lenient, at least to the point where she wouldn't kick me out of the military entirely, but that leniency backfired on me. Even if I was as irreplaceable as she said, another officer wouldn't have thought twice about punishing my behaviour. And no, that was not the kind of punishment I wanted.
She sighed, "Get your shit together. You're the alpha wolf of Vambrace, no?"
"...I'm nothing like that, Colonel. I'm just a lone wolf with a pack following him around. Look where that got them, not even six feet under, blown to bits..."
A third voice chimed in from beyond the room, the door to the office slid open, the officer arrived unannounced without so much as a greeting, "How pathetic."
She was the leader of Boreas Squadron—Captain Yukino Yukinoshita. 'The prodigy of Sankt Jeder University and the best performing cadet of Soubu Officer's Academy; promoted twice to the rank of Captain in a single year,' or so they say.
She wore the steel-blue panzer jacket uniform of the Federacy without fault, her jet-black hair and eyes were features of the former nobility, the pureblooded Onyx which served as the old Imperial guard.
The members of the Onyx Clans were the true monsters on the battlefield, their bodies and minds were simply engineered for war. The Yukinoshita Clan was no exception.
As much as we hated to admit it, the Onyx royal guard and the Vargus warrior slaves were fundamentally no different. Only that one was exalted while the other got the shaft.
However, that didn't affect our relationship as far as I was concerned. We fought with her squadron here and there; our cooperation was fine on the battlefield. Though I tended to avoid her whenever possible outside of combat. She's just sort of… scary.
"Yukinoshita… and you give me crap for not knocking," Colonel Hiratsuka sighed.
The Captain gave a swift, perfect salute towards her superior before addressing her. "Your text seemed urgent, Colonel. Knocking would have been a waste of time."
"Well, fine. Sorry to hold up your breakfast. For the record, I was going to leave this for later until I read Hikigaya's report."
"So, what is it you want me to do with this child?" she spat. Her interactions with the Colonel suggested a deeper relationship than simply superior and subordinate, though I wouldn't know nor care about their past.
She turned her piercing eyes back to me, a stare masochists would surely love, "Your squadron wasn't the only one that suffered major losses yesterday. I understand you're grieving, but throwing away your responsibilities isn't the way to do it.
"I never thought the leader of the berserk Vambrace Squadron—you of all people—was such a coward."
'Hachi-kun… I never thought you could be such a coward.'
"...It's as you say, I am a coward. There's nothing you can do to change that."
"And you're content with that? Disgusting, to think I had even a modicum of respect for you."
"Sorry to burst your expectations."
As we bickered, Colonel Hiratsuka pointed her phone at us, recording our squabble. Neither of us had noticed before it was too late.
"Blackmail acquired. Now, let's get to business, shall we? I've decided on your punishment, since—apparently—that's what you want so badly. Yukinoshita, I'm sure you wouldn't want your family seeing this unsightly display, so I'm counting on you to play along too."
Captain Yukinoshita crossed her arms, "That's unnecessary, Colonel. As your subordinate, I must follow your orders regardless."
Colonel Hiratsuka wore a smile, one part innocently giddy and two parts evil. "Your Vambrace Squadron and Yukinoshita's Boreas Squadron are down to five and seven Vánagandrs respectively, which is why I brought you two together.
"The Vambrace Squadron will be dissolved and merged into the Boreas Squadron, placing you as the deputy leader to Captain Yukinoshita. You get your wish of not being squadron leader, but I'm still expecting you to contribute strategically and tactically. With the merging of your squadrons, you'll have a complete force of 24 members, which is morbidly convenient, but I'm not about to question fate."
Sure, that made some sense… No, it didn't. A Vánagandr required two soldiers to operate, one pilot and one gunner. That meant a total of 12 Vánagandrs would be operated by 24 soldiers, Colonel Hiratsuka's statement was true so far. However, the standard size of a squadron was 24 Vánagandrs, which would be operated by 48 soldiers, double the amount we had currently.
"I can see your confusion, Hikigaya. The math doesn't add up, right?" the Colonel continued. "Have you heard of the 1028th Trial Unit?"
I shook my head, "I can guess that they're the ones testing new rigs and weapons from the name, but I have no clue what unit that is."
"Well, yes, that is the gist of it. I'll be sending you to their headquarters overmorrow, where you will be testing their newly developed high-mobility Feldreß. These new models are a one-man operation, thus, your new unit will be able to form a squadron with just 24 members. Yukinoshita, I've sent you all of the..." the Colonel continued explaining, though I mostly tuned it out. I should have gotten more sleep.
"I think that's all, any questions, Yukinoshita? Hikigaya?"
"Are you sure sending us away from FOB 21 is wise?," Yukinoshita asked.
"If the strategy works as intended, it'll be as if you didn't go anywhere. The new Feldreß they're testing is apparently capable of traveling between bases rather quickly. So when FOB 21 needs you, you'll be here. Trust in our scouts, they haven't failed us so far. I'll also be checking up on your squadron regularly, you won't be missing me any time soon."
"Then what about our Maintenance Company?"
"We currently need all of the mechanics we have, so the entire company won't be coming with you. The 1028th Trial Unit has mechanics of their own, anyway. But, if you still wish to have some of them transfer with you, I can arrange for that. Just send me the list."
"Very well, that satisfies me. I'll trust your decision, Colonel."
Colonel Hiratsuka nodded, then turned her gaze towards me, urging me to speak.
"...What if I refuse? I can just quit the military, you know?"
"Not only are you a coward, but you also lack the foresight to know that going against the Colonel is a losing battle," Captain Yukinoshita gave her unwanted commentary.
"Haha, this is where your punishment comes in. I have many things I could use against you. With my connections, it would be too easy to guarantee your unemployment for the rest of your life. Still not convinced? I could even fine you the exact amount you have ever earned in the military if you want?"
"...You're the devil," I knew what the Colonel was implying. While that was only if I quit, I had no doubt she would do the same if I slacked off. I didn't believe her to be so cruel, but my will to test that theory was all gone by this point.
The Vargus had little say in the Giadian justice system, and it's always been that way. My cries of the Colonel's power abuse would only fall on deaf ears.
"I'm willing to be an angel too. If you and Yukinoshita manage to get your squadron to the same efficiency as before, I'll grant the both of you one wish, within reason of course."
"I see… well, whatever," I muttered. "How about the service?"
"I've got personnel out there doing their best to find anything they can. If they don't, we can always use their belongings. Don't worry, we'll send your comrades back to Tausendblatter in one shape or another.
"The funeral will be the same as always, we'll hold it this afternoon. Keep an eye out for the announcement."
"...Alright, I think that's enough… I'm counting on you, Colonel."
I could see a faint smile form on her lips, "That's not something you should be saying to your superior officer. Now go, hold a meeting between your squadrons. I want each platoon's roster and role decided by the end of the day. Don't forget to see the therapist!"
[The Federal Republic of Giad's Western Front Digitized Personnel Files]
[Confidential]
First Name: Hachiman
Last Name: Hikigaya
Sex: Male
Age: 24
Date of Birth: 8th of August, 2124 Anno Astrum.
Place of Birth: Tausendblatter, Wolfsland Territory, Giadian Empire.
Race: Mixed Orienta and Eisen.
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Greenish Steel
Rank: Warrant Officer
Unit: Advanced Technology Research Bureau, 1028th Trial Unit, Boreas Squadron.
Position: Boreas Squadron Deputy
Post: N/A
Highest Formal Education: Tausendblatter 1st Public School
Background: "Mr. Hikigaya began his military career not long after he graduated from mandatory education, hoping to pay for his sister's tuition and living expenses as their parents were no longer with them." — Colonel Shizuka Hiratsuka.
Comment: "Over the seven years of his career, he has shown the greatest performances as a leader of an armored force, whether platoon or squadron sized. The combination of his piloting and coordination skills is rarely seen in even the most talented cadets. While his signature sliding maneuvers are not considered safe to be performed by a Vánagandr, I have faith that he has perfected his craft to the point where it is not an issue. I simply couldn't overlook his skills and deemed he deserved a position in our military as a proper soldier, despite his roots as a Vargus." — Colonel Shizuka Hiratsuka.
Although we walked out of the Colonel's office together, I kept my distance a few paces behind her. She paid me no attention, keeping her mind on her tablet, presumably reading the files Colonel Hiratsuka had sent.
Reflecting upon what had just happened, I realized how much of an idiot I was. How could I forget that she could just fine me?
I couldn't help but sigh, yesterday's events were heavy, my mind couldn't help but wander towards it. It wasn't every day you had a majority of your squadron decimated in front of your eyes. The Legion attack was brutal and unfair. A whole battalion? Twenty Dinosauria in one engagement? It had to be a bad joke.
Death was inevitable on the battlefield, and I wasn't so delusional as to think I could save each and every one of my comrades every single sortie, but come on!
"...gaya. Hey, Chief Hikigaya?" Captain Yukinoshita's voice pulled me out of my thoughts.
"What is it, Captain?"
"Back there, what I said might have been rude, and I apologize. But I don't think I was wrong. We all lost a lot yesterday, none of us have the right to throw down the gauntlet; your dead fish-eyes certainly doesn't give you special treatment," she spoke softly, yet with certainty. It was almost like an oddly comforting insult. "Your squadron trusts you to lead, don't throw away that trust."
"Ah, yeah. It's just, my mind hasn't been clear since yesterday. I can't help but think… There was something I was missing..."
Her aristocratic gait came to a halt, "... No, your decision was the best you could make, I would even say it was objectively correct. If we let that force set their sensors on our base, this place would have been reduced to rubble. Remaining in Volks City was our only option, retreat was impermissible…
"Remember Chief, not everyone survives an encounter with a Dinosauria, let alone multiple, in open terrain no less. Your squadron was no different."
I barely managed to face her, "... I don't understand how you're so… understanding, Captain. Don't you think I'm at the very least responsible for your squadron!?"
The Captain merely frowned, and the guilt immediately set in, my heart sank. What the hell was I saying? "...Nevermind... I'll gather up my crew. Where are we meeting up?"
"It's breakfast time soon, so the mess hall would be preferable."
"Sure," I pulled out my phone to relay the message to my squadron's group chat. Group chats… They were still a strange thing to me, etiquette-wise, whenever I joined a prim and proper group. As my squadron was full of lax and undisciplined mercs, there was no etiquette in our chat. That would probably have to change.
"Captain," I called out. "I'll send over all of our contact info, so give me yours."
We went through the motions silently, still feeling awkward. She pulled out her QR code, which I scanned and saved. I sent her the contacts of my nine squadmates, she put them in the Boreas group chat, and the ordeal was over. Wasn't so hard now, was it? Maybe we could actually get along?
As we walked further along our path, another member joined us. The peach-haired woman—one of Boreas Squadron's officers by the looks of it—wore her uniform more liberally than mandated, a few unbuttoned buttons here and there, a loose tie, that sort of thing. The regular forces were usually strict with discipline, so it was odd she got away with it.
She smiled, but it was clearly strained. Gotta give it to her, at least she had the strength to put on a pretty face after yesterday. My face probably looked like a zombie.
"Yahallo, Captain Yukinon! What did the Colonel want from you? You didn't get in trouble did you?" the peach-haired woman questioned.
"Nothing of the sort," she assured, "We'll explain the details of it once everyone is present, but in summary, we're being merged with his squadron and transferred to a different posting." She pointed towards me, still keeping a few paces of distance.
"Transferring? That's kinda sad… Ah, it's Hikki! I was worried about who it was, but if it's you then it should be fine."
Who in the world was Hikki? I certainly didn't know anyone by that name.
"Do we know each other?" I asked.
Captain Yukinoshita let out an uncharacteristic chuckle into the back of her hand.
"Mou, that's just mean. Hikki!"
"Well, uh, nice to meet you. I don't know who this Hikki guy is, but I'm Warrant Officer Hachiman Hikigaya."
The woman wasn't pleased with my response, but she accepted it nonetheless. For the record, I had never interacted with her before, so I wasn't sure what she was even mad about.
"Hmph, fine. I'm Second Lieutenant Yui Yuigahama. You better remember me this time!"
"...Oh, you're the one Fumiya was going on about," the memory popped into my head.
"Really, what did Zakizaki say about me?" She smiled excitedly, for whatever reason. Also, Zakizaki?
"That you were a handful, annoying to teach, nosy and… A lot of other things I don't want to say." Most of it was some sort of slang I didn't get. Fumiya spoke a language of his own sometimes.
"Hey! That little..."
FOB 21's mess hall was special, more furnished than their counterparts in other bases. Whilst other FOBs were built, used, and abandoned in a span of half a year, our base had stood with pride for the past two years. Back then, we were designated as FOB 1, the base furthest into Legion territory.
Unlike the rest of the grassy plains of the Western Front, our defensive ward was blessed with marshes and bogs, with the only safe yet narrow path eastward running through the city of Volks. As we began to gain more ground, the base was renamed appropriately according to location from south to north.
The newly combined Boreas Squadron had their first briefing over plain synthetic meals, in the corner so as to not disturb the others truly resting and enjoying their meal, if that was even possible in the first place. Not exactly the most uplifting circumstances to have our merger, but it would have to do. Unfortunately, I could not eat with them. Captain Yukinoshita had so graciously given me the bulk of the task.
"Right, so. I'm sure you have an idea of the situation already. The Vambrace Squadron is to be dissolved and absorbed into the Boreas Squadron, but that's not all. We'll be collaborating with the 1028th Trial Unit to test the XM2 Reginleif, a single-manned high-mobility type Feldreß. The Captain should have sent the relevant files, such as the manual and battle records, over on the group chat."
The long cafeteria table was lit up by the opening of phones. It seemed that some had something to say; they spoke with each other in hushed voices.
'They're transferring us the day after tomorrow? Good lord, if the Legion doesn't kill us it'll be the freakin brass.'
'I know, even after yesterday we can't get a break.'
One person, however, didn't bother lowering his volume. He spoke with a glow in his eyes, childlike almost. It would have been cute if he wasn't a twenty-four-year-old man.
"Oho, a quadrupedal rig? Wire anchors? They really are going all out with the mobility features… Wait, these are the famed valkyries manufactured by WHM, are they not? What an auspicious occurrence! With these babies, I'll be coasting along the battlefield in due time, just as you would, war god Hachiman! Muahahahaha!"
Of course, it had to be Yoshiteru that was super excited about testing a new machine. The idiot just had to have made a scene. The Boreas side of the table watched his maniacal laughter in horror, while the Vambrace side gave them a collective shrug.
"Have you heard of them before, Yoshiteru?" I asked, hoping to stop his laughter.
"Sure, my esteemed uncle is in the Trial Unit himself. If these things are as good as he says they are, our melee engagements will be made trivial," he explained, for some reason standing up and flailing his arms around while doing so. Saint Jeder help us all.
"Captain, this is insane. Look at this thing! No redundancy in case of leg failure? Aluminium alloy for armor? Who the hell designed this? 'The most lightly-armored Feldreß ever deployed by the Federacy,' that shouldn't be something to boast about!" A honey-haired woman from the Boreas side voiced her complaints. I didn't know everybody's names yet, that's going to be a pain to memorize.
"I agree. While the battle records show an extremely high kill rate when piloted by the Nordlicht Squadron, it seems they've been testing the machine since even before they were considered up to standard. Any other squadron that has ever been deployed with it… all of them perished. Would it be possible to merge us into another Vánagandr squadron instead?"
"Lieutenant Isshiki, Lieutenant Hayama. I understand the concern, but unlike those other squadrons, we will be testing the machine while it's in its final stages of development. Colonel Hiratsuka has entrusted us with this new Feldreß, I'll see to it that we tame them as the Nordlicht Squadron did," Captain Yukinoshita answered.
"Still, you can't expect us to merge with a mercenary squadron!"
"What, you got a problem with us, asshole?"
The table shook, rattling 22 trays of mashed potatoes and synthetic meat in the process. And there it was, I wondered how long it would take until the two sides got into an argument.
Granted, I knew a certain Corporal Bakagou (heh) would be looking for a fight. He was one of the few Vargus in our squadron that truly lived up to the moniker of beastman.
Captain Yukinoshita nudged my elbow with hers, urging me to do something with a penetrating glare. She probably discerned that I was the only person here that could reign in that fool. If history was anything to go by, Captain Yukinoshita and Katsuki would go on arguing until one side cornered the other. Those two interacted surprisingly often.
While Captain Yukinoshita usually obliged in a battle of words, she definitely wasn't in the mood right now.
Sigh, I thought we were cool now, yet she's working me to the bone...
"Back off, Corporal. You too, what's your name Lieutenant?"
"I don't have to follow orders from mercs and thugs, beastman," the woman spat back.
"If you're gonna insult us, do it properly, asshole. What kinda insult is beastman? We eat that shit up—"
"Katsuki. Shut. Up."
He scoffed at me, but did as he was told, shoving more of the iconically bland mashed potatoes into his mouth.
"As for you, Lieutenant. Whether you like it or not, I am now your squadron's deputy. Oh, and I'm not a merc. I was apparently registered as a proper soldier of the Federacy when I was given my warrant."
I could hear Captain Yukinoshita mumble something under her breath, "One moment you claim to be a mercenary, the next you claim not to be," or something along those lines. Whatever gets the job done, right? Surprisingly, she didn't reprimand me for possibly fanning the flame.
"Krk… You're still just a Warrant Officer, a reckless one. You think we don't see the crap you make your squadron do out there. No way is any of us letting you be squadron deputy. Not when Hayato deserves it more!"
"Yumiko, settle down," said the one Captain Yukinoshita referred to as Lieutenant Hayama; a man with blonde hair and blue eyes.
While I hadn't heard anything regarding his family name, I wouldn't be surprised if he was a member of the Sapphira Noble Clans. He seemed to be the popular one, the center of the squadron, more so than Captain Yukinoshita was. Maybe he was even the previous deputy? If he was, I'm glad he's at least not making this a pain for me.
"You think a commission grants this Hayato fellow even a fraction of the supreme war god's power!? Get off your high horse!" Oh god, Yoshiteru please stop. You're at least a decade too old for this phase...
I gave a glance to Captain Yukinoshita, poker-faced as ever. It was clear she wasn't going to help me, and I was going to have to earn their approval alone.
Actually, I probably don't even need their approval. Colonel Hiratsuka explicitly stated that I was to be deputy; they wouldn't be able to make someone else deputy anyway, no matter how much they or I wanted it.
"Sergeant Zaimokuza, I can defend my own honour, thank you," blergh, why did I say it like that? "Let's try one more time. Lieutenant, I won't force any of you to engage in the maneuvers the Vambrace Squadron used to perform; think about it, I'm your deputy, not your leader. All of my orders would have to go through the Captain in the first place. Now, that's enough of that. Next on our agenda is the allocation of platoons. Captain, mind if I take initiative, while you alter things once I'm done?" I used one of my 108 skills—diversion—before she could reply.
"Go ahead, Deputy," she curtly replied. With her affirmation, and a little bit of consoling on Lieutenant Hayama's part, the previous topic was forced to be put behind us.
I flicked open the notes app.
"Do you have any preference as to who should be in your platoon?"
"… Lieutenant Yuigahama and Lieutenant Isshiki. Yes, I'll take them. For the final member, send me one of your close-quarters specialists, preferably your most disciplined."
"Alright, the Alpha Platoon will be made up of Lieutenant Yuigahama, Lieutenant Isshiki… Corporal Totsuka, and the Captain. No problem with that, Saika?"
"None at all, Hachiman..." he seemed a little disappointed, he had always been in my platoon after all. Still, I wasn't going to give her Saki, god forbid Katsuki or Yoshiteru.
Captain Yukinoshita gave me a nod as well, satisfied with my choice, it seemed.
"Next, I'm thinking of having my platoon—Bravo Platoon—and the Charlie Platoon act as our vanguard force. I would prefer to have the former Vambrace Squadron take the role, but if anyone wants to volunteer, raise your hand."
The soldiers of Boreas looked around, watching who would be brave or stupid enough to volunteer for the most dangerous position. Lieutenant Nakamura let slip an insulting comment in his whisper, one I—and thankfully, my comrades—chose to ignore.
"Well, it seems like I'm the only one. I'll be taking the lead of Charlie Platoon then, if that's alright with you, Chief," someone finally answered, though I had fully expected to not have a single volunteer. The others didn't seem too surprised by it, though.
"Hum, if anyone was crazy enough to volunteer for the vanguard, it would be you, Akabane."
"No kidding. That's your death wish, buddy."
The person in question came up to face me, his blood-red eyes stared into my soul; even I had to admit he was intimidating. His blood-red hair was well styled, enough for him to look like some pretty boy model. What struck out to me the most, however, was his name—Akabane, the crazed Espers of the Pyrope Noble Clans.
If the Maika Clan was Law, then the Akabane Clan would be Chaos. Whether you were on the good or bad side of an Akabane, you never knew how they would treat you; at least, that's how the saying went.
I would have liked to say I was surprised their clan was the first to rebel from the Empire during the revolution, but that was exactly the type of thing they would do—uproot thousands of years of tradition on a whim.
Come to think of it, he was the one who volunteered his platoon for the vanguard force yesterday as well.
"First Lieutenant Karma Akabane, awaiting your instruction, Deputy Leader," he flashed a frankly psychotic smile and held out his hand. I was mentally hesitant, but my body moved on its own to greet him.
"Are you sure about this?" I asked.
"Sure," he clutched my hand with great strength. I could handle it, but it was certainly impressive for a noble boy who looked like he belonged in a fashion magazine. "I've got nothing to lose, nothing to regret."
"Not about that, are you sure you can keep up?"
His hand let go of mine, "You don't need to worry, I'll pick up whatever lessons you throw at me. In fact, that's exactly why I'm here, to test my limits."
He was eccentric, but at the very least, he was willing to listen. He sat back down at the table before he spoke again, "Oh, and one more thing, Chief. Place the mad dog in my platoon."
"By that you mean…"
"Yeah, Corporal Bakugou, give him to me."
"Hah, so you not only think you can match Hachiman but also put me on a leash? Don't get too cocky, vampire," contrary to his words, Bakugou was smiling at him in approval.
I shot another glance at Captain Yukinoshita, who seemed to have no qualms about the two being placed in the same platoon.
"Anyone else you would like in your platoon—"
"I'd like to volunteer for Charlie Platoon, Chief!" another Boreas Lieutenant responded. Their voice was no doubt masculine, but their build sent mixed signals. Their fair face and blue hair were very androgynous, almost girly even... It was another Totsuka situation.
"I knew you'd come around, Nagisa," Lieutenant Akabane spoke.
He did the same as Akabane, though he saluted me before shaking my hand. Unnecessary, really. My rank was technically below his.
"Second Lieutenant Nagisa Shiota, Chief. I'll do my best to keep up."
"Don't worry about him. He'll do more than just keep up. I can attest to his piloting skills," Lieutenant Akabane backed him up.
"Alright then, for the final member… Eijirou, can I trust you to keep Katsuki in check?"
"That's a tall order, man. I'll try my hardest, no promises though."
Good enough for me. Heck, it looked like he was about to raise his hand before I called out to him anyway.
"That settles it, Charlie Platoon will be composed of Second Lieutenant Shiota, Corporal Bakugo, and Corporal Kirishima, with First Lieutenant Akabane as Platoon leader. Any objections, Captain?"
"None."
"Then, moving back to Bravo Platoon…"
[The Federal Republic of Giad's Western Front's 1028th Trial Unit's Boreas Squadron]
[Confidential]
[Alpha Platoon] - Command
[A-L]-CPT. Yukino Yukinoshita (Leader)
[A-1]-2LT. Yui Yuigahama (Regular)
[A-2]-2LT. Iroha Isshiki (Regular)
[A-3]-CPL. Saika Totsuka (Mercenary)
[Bravo Platoon] - Vanguard
[B-L]-WO. Hachiman Hikigaya (Deputy)
[B-1]-SGT. Saki Kawasaki (Mercenary)
[B-2]-SGT. Yoshiteru Zaimokuza (Mercenary)
[B-3]-CPL. Yahiro Mizuchi (Mercenary)
[Charlie Platoon] - Vanguard
[C-L]-1LT. Karma Akabane (Regular)
[C-1]-2LT. Nagisa Shiota (Regular)
[C-2]-CPL. Katsuki Bakugou (Mercenary)
[C-3]-CPL. Eijirou Kirishima (Mercenary)
[Delta Platoon] - Fire Support
[D-L]-1LT. Hayato Hayama (Regular)
[D-1]-2LT. Yumiko Miura (Regular)
[D-2]-2LT. Kakeru Tobe (Regular)
[D-3]-CPL. Hina Ebina (Mercenary)
[Echo Platoon] - Grenadiers
[E-L]-1LT. Miyuki Shirogane (Regular)
[E-1]-1LT. Kaguya Shinomiya (Regular)
[E-2]-2LT. Chika Fujiwara (Regular)
[E-3]-2LT. Yuu Ishigami (Regular)
[Foxtrot Platoon] - Marksmen
[F-L]-1LT. Aoi Hinami (Regular)
[F-1]-2LT. Shuuji Nakamura (Regular)
[F-2]-SGT. Fumiya Tomozaki (Mercenary)
[F-3]-CPL. Minami Nanami (Mercenary)
[Requested Mechanics]
[S-1]-SPC. Yuzu Izumi
[S-2]-SPC. Takahiro Mizusawa
[S-3]-SPC. Miko Iino
[Mascot]
[M]-MSC. Keika Kawasaki
Signed. - Captain Yukino Yukinoshita
Signed. - Warrant Officer Hachiman Hikigaya
[30th of May, 2149 Anno Astrum]
The funeral came and went, prayers were said, tears were shed, and we forced our hearts to accept the death of our comrades. Naturally, the burden on your conscience would never be lifted until the day you died, but the ceremony was enough to ease the pain for the time being. They were designed to bring peace to the living, after all; not so much the dead.
Two days had passed since the Vambrace Squadron was dissolved and merged into Boreas, making us an uncommon mixed squadron of mercenaries and regular soldiers. During this time, I had come to learn the true nature of my new squadron leader.
Yukino Yukinoshita was a slave driver. She made her new adjutant—me—sort out the logistics of our squadron for the past couple of days, down to the exact armaments and ammo each soldier would be provided. It kept my mind off of other, more negative thoughts to be sure, but resting would have also been nice. She'd been pushing me quite rigorously, with expectations so high I could practically jump off and reach terminal velocity.
See, this was the problem with the aristocracy, nay, the regular forces, no, even society as a whole! They work the bottom of the barrel to death, expecting us to do the best while they sit in their fancy chairs twirling their mustaches and smoking cigars. The Vargus must unionize. Better working conditions for beastmen! Beastmen are human too!
What? You're telling me Captain Yukinoshita neither has a mustache nor smokes? I reject your reality!... moving on.
This morning, the Boreas Squadron was finally being transferred. The guys in the back of the transport sat almost silently, taking the opportunity to rest their heads. The emotional toll was still weighing on everyone. I, however, had no such privilege. Apparently, they couldn't even spare us a couple of drivers, so I was given the task of driving the first transport, while Lieutenant Hayama took the second. Curse you, Yukinoshita!
The itinerary for today included an orientation for piloting the XM2 Reginleif. I was honestly excited for the exercise, I needed an outlet to pour out my frustrations.
"So, Deputy, What do you make of them, this Nordlicht Squadron?" the Captain said, sitting in the shotgun seat. "I assume you've done some reading on them." I couldn't be sure if she was the type to engage in small talk; she didn't seem like it, so maybe it was pure curiosity on her part.
"Well, yes, you did ask me to do that," I sighed. "They're a unique unit, for sure. Their casualty rates were insane for the first few sorties, but dropped to the decimal points soon after. The remaining soldiers, well, apparently only a few of them are from the regular forces."
"So they were a mixed squadron before they became a nearly entirely Vargus squadron?… I can see the implication, you mean to say the new Feldreß can only be piloted by a certain type of people, and the Vargus have the perfect variable that allows them to fight efficiently in these Reginleif?"
"Well, yeah, I guess that's what I was going for… Like, the Reginleif chose its operators or something." I couldn't help but trip over my words a little. "They gained quite the reputation down south near FOB 15, where most of their sorties are. The more I read about them, the more I realized how isolated we were in FOB 21."
"Well, the marshes in our combat ward were a challenge in and of itself. I couldn't imagine our state if we couldn't engage within Volks City," the Captain said.
"It might have been a boon, in all honesty; the Legion couldn't afford to send its heavier units towards our base when they could get stuck. They only sent them last time because they were desperate to get eyes on our base for the artillery."
"I suppose that's true, they might have seen us as a point of strategic interest. They would have been unable to regain the territory we've taken with FOB 21 still active as well. Moving back to Nordlicht, do you have anything else on them?" she continued to probe.
"Let's see… They've got child soldiers among their ranks."
The Captain crossed her arms, "...You can't be serious?"
"I'm not kidding. Remember the immigrant soldiers from the Republic of San Magnolia? You know, the ones they broadcasted all over the news half a year ago? They're apparently serving in Nordlicht now."
"Oh, that's what you were referring to. The Eighty-Six… I never knew the Republic had it in them to be so cruel."
"They got desperate, and unfortunately, that's what their fucked up government thought was best for their country."
Even as I said that, I couldn't understand their train of thought either. The Republic lauded the ideals of Saint Magnolia—freedom, equality, brotherhood, justice, and nobility—over the staunch monarchists of the continent for nearly three hundred years. Their diplomats parroted those words so much that even a kid from the borderlands like me has heard of them.
The Legion was a terrifying threat to be sure, but to think that was enough to force them to betray their creed.
"...You say that they're child soldiers, but surely they're no longer minors? We don't allow minors to enlist."
I shook my head, "The five soldiers of Nordlicht are still minors, the youngest among them is sixteen. Despite that, the president decided that keeping them away from what they wanted to do was no better than caging them as the Republic did."
"They chose to fight?"
"I wouldn't be surprised, war is all they've known. If I had to guess, they're not too different from us Vargus. From an early age, we're taught to fight. Even those of us blessed with an education like Saki, Yoshiteru, or myself can't escape from our nature."
"And what do you think about that?" she asked.
"It is what it is, it's part of my identity, something I probably won't ever be able to change. I can't stop thinking about the battlefield, about my duty to my comrades, living and dead..."
I tried to consolidate my thoughts.
My view on war had changed since seven years ago, before I became a mercenary. I used to be against it. I thought that fighting was the ultimate loss. It was how my parents were taken away, after all. But I realized quickly that it was more complicated than that.
Vargus communities were tightly knit, and most of us eventually chose the path of war. It was our duty as the Vargus—the warriors of the Giadian borderlands—to be the first line of defence against invasion. If we did not fight, our cities would be the first to be trampled.
To wait at home was to wait for the news of the eventual passing of your friends and loved ones. To wait, to do nothing, was to be powerless and lose. If that was the case, then fighting was the only option. Because then, you could always work towards victory, towards their survival.
"Back when I asked Colonel Hiratsuka to demote me, it was mostly because I felt I had failed them. I don't actually want to quit. I want to fight, but to lead is an entirely different thing."
"Unfortunately for you, you're still a leader. You can't be brave at one thing and be a coward at another. You still have it, the skill. You simply need the confidence you once had," she said.
"... I never had confidence, Captain. Vambrace was the one who had confidence in me, and it perished on that day with twenty-six of my comrades."
In the distance stood a four-legged beast, its bone-white aluminium armor invoked the imagery of a skeleton knight. While XM2 Reginleif was its official designation, the soldiers—Processors, as they called themselves—of the Nordlicht Squadron called it a different name. The Juggernaut. Not a beautiful or elegant valkyrie, but an unstoppable and merciless force based on an ancient god. I wasn't going to lie, piloting a Juggernaut sounded metal as fuck.
While training drills would usually take place in a simulator, there wasn't one designed to simulate a Reginleif just yet.
A blonde-haired, purple-eyed officer looked around, hand on her chin, "Welcome to our little testing facility, Boreas. Forgive me, I wasn't able to greet you at the entrance. Is the Colonel not with you, Captain?"
"No, Colonel Hiratsuka had other things to attend to. The plan was certainly for her to visit today, but her work at FOB 21 kept her busy."
I noticed Captain Yukinoshita's eyes unsubtly dart around in an almost panic-like manner, which suddenly stopped after she looked at a black-haired lady further away, smiling at us. She seemed to notice my gaze and… winked?
"Hmm, very well. Let's get introductions out of the way, I'm sure you all want to start training ASAP. I'm Lieutenant Colonel Grethe Wenzel, commander of the 1028th Trial Unit and developer behind the XM2 Reginleif.
"Starting today, the Boreas Squadron will be operating under the Trial Unit alongside the Nordlicht Squadron. I expect you to fight as you've always done while providing valuable data towards the further development of the Reginleif. That's enough from me, now… Take turns introducing yourselves, Boreas first."
The two squadrons lined up to face each other.
Our squadron was uniformly young, twenty-six at the oldest. The former members of Vambrace were all part of the same generation of kids who grew up together. We weren't all childhood friends—though there wasn't a shortage of them either—that went way back, but everyone all knew each other through the boot camp when we were seventeen. As for the main Boreas members, they all graduated school at the same time, and were then assigned together.
This was in stark contrast to Nordlicht, whose members varied wildly; on a spectrum of children by law to men who looked like they could be our dads.
"I'm Captain Yukino Yukinoshita, leader of the Boreas Squadron. I hope the partnership of our squadrons proves to be fruitful."
"Shinei Nouzen, Second Lieutenant, Personal Name: Undertaker. As the leader of the Nordlicht Squadron, I share the sentiment."
"Warrant Officer Hachiman Hikigaya, deputy leader of Boreas. Take care of us."
"Raiden Shuga, Second Lieutenant, Personal Name: Wehrwolf. Likewise, Chief."
Our introductions went on for a bit, though the seesaw nature of it came to an end once Nordlicht went through all of their members. There were only twenty of them; they hadn't received reinforcements for their losses.
"Boreas, you are to split up into platoons and report to your assigned mentor."
"Understood, ma'am!"
Yukinoshita's Alpha Platoon would be trained by Second Lieutenant Raiden Shuga; apparently, he was the very definition of a jack of all trades. That was fine, our command platoon didn't need to focus on a specific task.
Akabane's Charlie Platoon went with Second Lieutenant Theoto Rikka, who specialized in three-dimensional movement using the Reginleif's wire anchors. The concept of fighting vertically in a Feldreß still baffled even me, who challenged the Vánagandr's two-dimensional movements to the limit. No doubt Katsuki would find that sort of swinging and hopping a lot of fun.
Hayama's Delta Platoon was training with the only Vargus platoon leader of Nordlicht, Sergeant Brent Bernholdt, who was Yoshiteru's uncle. You couldn't see the resemblance no matter how hard you squinted. I still couldn't believe that buff man had anything to do with him, even after all this time.
Oddly enough, Nordlicht didn't follow the military standard when it came to its chain of command, allowing a Sergeant to lead a platoon and a Second Lieutenant to lead a squadron. Unless it was a completely Vargus squadron, First Lieutenants would lead platoons and Captains would lead squadrons. Technically I was also an irregularity in the chain; having a Warrant Officer as a squadron's deputy was even rarer than an SSR.
Shirogane's Echo Platoon would be training with Nordlicht's rocket specialist—Second Lieutenant Anju Emma, while Hinami's Foxtrot Platoon was with their sniper—Second Lieutenant Kurena Kukumila.
That left my Bravo Platoon with their stoic leader, Second Lieutenant Shinei Nouzen. His style of combat apparently matched mine the most, so I had requested beforehand that my platoon be trained by him.
Lieutenant Nouzen was an anomaly. Much like the Yukinoshita Clan, the Nouzen Clan was an Onyx family which served as the royal guard. As they were Giadian through and through, I never would have imagined they had a branch in the Republic.
That said, the reason why he had been in the Republic became clear the moment you saw him. He was mixed; jet-black Onyx hair and blood-red Pyrope eyes. The only family that was allowed to mix Onyx and Pyrope heritage was the old royal family, as their extrasensory powers did not degrade with dilution. For other nobility, even for the esteemed Maika or Nouzen Clans, it was seen as taboo.
Exiled from his fatherland and oppressed by the nation he immigrated to, he really did roll the shitiest of dice.
Lieutenant Nouzen's Reginleif was deployed in the melee configuration, sporting an 88 mm smoothbore cannon and a pair of high-frequency blades. The blades allowed for an impressive destructive capability; much more effective than the alternative 12.7 mm machine guns deployed on the standard configuration. The caveat was that you needed to get close, really close.
He was, in fact, the only person to use the melee configuration, being the only one bold or stupid enough to engage the Legion at that close of a range. The irony of what I just thought was not lost on me. Saki seemed to pick up on it as well as she showed a wry smile.
Aside from his unusual loadout, another feature of his Reginleif stood out. Emblazoned on the canopy of the cockpit's bone coloured armor was a marking, that of a headless skeleton, what we would call a Dullahan. Since ancient times, that symbol has been attributed to the reapers of the battlefield—the sharpest, most trusted blades of the Adle-Adler Imperial family.
It seemed that even in the Republic, even when 'stained' by Pyrope blood, the Nouzen Clan did not change.
Though, instead of the expected sword or sickle, the skeleton held a shovel.
Written on the skeleton's blue scarf was the same name he introduced earlier—Undertaker. Our regiment had no culture of granting soldiers a personal moniker, so I had no idea how they had chosen theirs, but for a seventeen-year-old to be considered a gravedigger...
Teens had a tendency to be edgy. Source: me, many many moons ago. Lieutenant Nouzen took that edge beyond the boundaries of cringy-ness and into the domain of the depressing.
"I assume all of you have read the manual?" the Lieutenant asked my platoon. "I know you guys asked for me, but I'm not sure I'll be able to live up to your expectations."
"We won't be too demanding, then."
"I appreciate it," he nodded. "Before we begin training, I have some equipment to give you," Lieutenant Nouzen said, opening a briefcase and showing us its contents.
If the entire squadron wasn't given these, or if he wasn't wearing one himself, I would have thought it was some kind of segregation plan by the Federacy. It was a collar. Whoever thought of designing these and giving them to beastmen really didn't think this through.
"This is called a RAID device, an experimental communication system that's being developed to replace traditional wireless comms. As the Para-RAID system simulates artificial telepathy, the Eintagsfliege won't be able to jam it," he explained.
"H-h-hold that thought, good sir. T-telepathy you say? Such as the ability of the Crimson Witch?!" Yoshiteru geeked out.
"I don't know what you're referring to, but strictly speaking, it's less telepathy and more sensory resonance. In theory, you could send all sorts of senses, but in practice, it's only able to share hearing."
"That still sounds handy, why aren't these things all over the place yet?" Saki asked.
"Safety reasons, as these devices directly interface with the brain, the higher-ups want to make sure they're 100% safe before widespread use. I've been using a shoddier version of the device for five years already, so I can at least guarantee that it's safe for that amount of time, as long as you don't break its limiters."
"And how would you do that?" Yahiro asked.
He shook his head, "There's no actual way to do it without reprogramming and recalibration, so you shouldn't have to worry about it. Anyhow, grab your designated RAID device and put them on, we'll do a live demonstration."
We each put on the devices with our designations, Bravo Leader for me, Bravo One for Saki, Bravo Two for Yoshiteru, and Bravo Three for Yahiro.
"These have been calibrated for two connection channels: the Bravo Platoon channel and the Boreas Squadron channel. The platoon leaders also have clearance for a third connection, the Trial Unit channel. Should the leader's device go offline, the next in command—which would be Bravo One—is automatically given clearance. You can also personally connect to any single device, or even create a new channel with the right commands.
"To enter a channel, you need to input the voice command. 'Para-RAID Activate, Synchronization Target, and then the channel or designation you wish to resonate with. Chief, try resonating with Sergeant Kawasaki. Sergeant, get in your Reginleif."
""Roger,"" we both replied. I waited for her to close the canopy of her rig before testing the sync. "Para-RAID Activate, Synchronization Target, Bravo One." My device let out a rippling jingle, confirming the success of the resonance.
"Bravo One to Bravo Leader, can you hear me?"
"Loud and clear, Bravo One."
"Copy."
Lieutenant Nouzen gave a nod, "Good. If you want to switch from personal to channel resonance, simply redirect the synchronization target. The command is 'Synchronization Shift'."
"Para-RAID Activate, Synchronization Shift, Bravo Platoon," the rippling sound played again.
Yoshiteru and Yahiro shortly connected their own devices to the channel. Yahiro was somewhat creeped out by the device; to be fair, having a sound sent straight to your brain without information from your ears would take getting used to. Yoshiteru was just as loud and obnoxious as ever.
"Chief, I can't access the channel, so I need you to grant temporary access through your device. The command is 'Synchronization Invite'."
"Okay. Para-RAID Activate, Synchronization Invite...?"
"Undertaker."
"Undertaker," I parroted.
"Alright everyone, we'll start with basic movement, then we'll move to jumps, wire anchor maneuvers, and finally finish with an exercise that incorporates the three techniques."
The four of us finally entered our Reginleifs. A feeling of unfamiliarity swelled throughout; not only due to the novelty of being alone inside your personal machine, but the crampedness of the rig, its generally unarmored nature, and the pilot and gunner controls having merged into one.
"You hanging in there, Yoshiteru?"
"Yes, well. The cockpit is a bit too tight for my liking, but I shall manage. That Raiden fellow manages just fine and he's got a larger build than me!"
"C'mon, let's get this training underway."
The quadrupedal system employed by the Reginleif was frighteningly fast, exemplified by the fact we had been piloting the slow and heavily armored Vánagandrs for the majority of our careers, a machine which used an octopedal system instead.
The Reginleif could reach an off-road cruising speed of 100 km/h, not dissimilar to the Vánagandr. Why was it faster, then? Simple, it could actually reach that speed in a reasonable amount of time. Its turns were also much more responsive, so that was a plus.
The Reginleif's design philosophy was based on mobile defence; you'd be safe so long as you don't get hit. As such, anything that would be a detriment to its maneuverability was shed. No redundant legs, a smaller than standard caliber cannon, and light armor made of aluminium alloy. The Feldreß could take a few hits from 12.7 mm rounds, but could be rendered completely inoperable by any of the Legion's cannons.
Still, the designers seemed to think that mobility—including agility—was a crucial factor on the battlefield, something the Vánagandr mostly lacked without some sneaky tinkering on Saki's part. Or at least it was sneaky until she was given permission.
Saki was an oddball among the Vargus, outwardly more Celena—with her bright silver hair—than any of the traditionally Vargus races such as the Eisen, Kohle, or Kalks. She was still brought up in a Vargus community, but she was granted the opportunity to study engineering under one of her non-Vargus relatives through a few favors. She could have gone to proper higher education with her connections, but she relinquished the opportunity in favour of enlisting.
Without her removing most of the limiters on our Vánagandrs, our role on the battlefield wouldn't exist. Our rigs accelerated much faster than the others, but also broke down more frequently. It was a serviceable alteration, but it definitely wouldn't pass any regulations.
Colonel Hiratsuka was content with the fact so long as our rigs wouldn't break during a sortie.
Saki was a godsend, really. I didn't ever want to go back to the days where I had to non-stop accelerate as a workaround to the Vánagandr's problems. It was also not very fuel efficient.
"Chief, the target has been set," Lieutenant Nouzen announced.
"Roger that."
My rig slid across the mock battlefield with a speed I could only dream of achieving with a Vánagandr.
I swung the Reginleif around in a circular motion around the designated target using the wire anchors I lodged into the ground. My heart pumped steadily as my body was subjected to the momentum.
Once I had gotten behind the target—a Löwe, as the story went—I disengaged my anchors and fired a blank round at its imaginary weak spot. Direct hit.
Next up was the disorienting part, for most people at least.
I pulled both sticks upward and quickly shifted them to 2 o'clock while stepping on the pedal. The result was—to put it elegantly—a brief moment of flight. The hydraulics of the Reginleif's legs could be heard creaking as it landed. I pushed my right stick to 3 o'clock, swiftly turning my rig clockwise to face the enemy, before reversing my crawl away in retreat.
The military joked that Feldreß were basically considered aircraft now that the airforce was disbanded, but never did they actually think vertical movement was feasible using one. I used to perform similar motions with the Vánagandr, the only difference now was that it was system assisted instead of relying on manual input, which allowed for greater lift.
At first, I was sceptical of the Reginleif's control scheme, worried that it would be too cluttered for one person to control. In practice, it wasn't too different from a Vánagandr's pilot seat, with minor adjustments for gunner controls.
You could still manually target as a Vánagandr's gunner could, but that would only really benefit sharpshooters like Fumiya. The eye-tracker aiming system built into the Reginleif was plenty accurate for the 12.7 mm machine guns. The main cannon was pointed straight ahead by default, and adjusting your position was easier than adjusting the cannon.
All of us in Boreas were trained to use both pilot and gunner controls, so overall, the setup would be comfortable no matter who used it.
With my hit and run successfully executed, Saki stepped up to the gauntlet, then Yoshiteru, then Yahiro. They all performed better than I expected; thankfully the shock of three days prior hadn't dulled their skills.
I had been especially worried about Yahiro. Not only did he usually hold the gunner position, letting Yoshiteru take the pilot seat most of the time; but he lost his closest friends—Kuon and Himeka—during that battle.
As my right hand and former deputy of Vambrace, Saki was sure to have regrets of her own. She was the most junior of the Vargus in our squadron, with only two years of service. She was the best XO I could have asked for, but I pushed her too much; made her carry too big of a burden so early in her career.
As for Yoshiteru… he was probably grieving in his own way, he didn't have it in him to stay idle. To see him be his usual self, it's kind of annoying.
"Lieutenant Nouzen, sir! Allow me a second try!" there he went again.
"Please, you don't have to call me sir."
Yahiro snorted, "Yeah, it'd feel weird to call someone younger a 'sir'."
"That may be so, but respect does not see age as an issue."
"Sorry about him Lieutenant, he's got a few screws loose."
"Indeed, there isn't a war god in this world that isn't mad! Muahahaha!"
Yup, definitely annoying.
Our training exercise continued well into the afternoon at Yoshiteru's insistence. I couldn't blame him for it. Shower time and dinner went by in a flash, and most everyone in Boreas gathered in the common room of the Trial Unit's second barracks.
The common room was large enough to fit a platoon comfortably; needless to say, our half-sized platoon was left with plenty of couch space. This particular common room had all of the amenities you would need—water cooler, coffee machine, temperature control, that sort of thing—as well as entertainment facilities, such as a pool table, ping pong table, and a few televisions, one of which had a Yontendo console hooked up to it.
The Yontendo Smotch was currently being monopolized by Foxtrot Platoon, whom First Lieutenant Hinami forced into games of Atafami as a chemistry-building exercise. I didn't know what she was thinking, she should know that Atafami was the destroyer of friendships. I could still hear Lieutenant Nakamura cursing at Fumiya for a rematch.
On another note, Yoshiteru was staring at them with envy from behind his book; poor guy, never thought I'd see the day he would be jealous at Fumiya for hanging out with the normies.
The other platoons followed Foxtrot's lead and mostly stuck together. Charlie Platoon was doing doubles on the ping pong table, regulars vs mercs. Echo Platoon was out stargazing; Lieutenant Shirogane was apparently a sucker for that kind of thing.
Delta was in the corner chatting while playing cards; despite her eccentricities, they instantly got along with Hina. Even Lieutenant Miura warmed up to her, though that's mostly due to Hina's tendency to brute force her way through intimidation by… being herself.
"C'mon, there's no way there isn't anything between you two. Spill it, how far have you gone?"
"Uh, Ebina, me and Hayato aren't like that, no way!"
"Believe me, I wouldn't date him even if he was a girl."
"Ouch, why does that hurt?"
"See, that's a sign! Don't you think so?"
"Whatever you say."
Bravo Platoon was really the only scattered platoon; Yahiro went to bed early, Yoshiteru was reading, and I was part of a Hachiman-Keika-Saki couch sandwich. While she was no match for my actual sister, Kei-chan was still truly a blessing.
As for Alpha, Lieutenant Isshiki and Saika went out with Echo Platoon. Captain Yukinoshita had been called away by Lieutenant Colonel Wenzel, with Lieutenant Yuigahama acting as her escort. Perhaps that was a sign for what was to come.
"Good evening, everyone."
A stranger suddenly entered the fray, smiling sweetly. The room became quiet, as if she had the power to stop time. It was the woman from before, the one with jet-black hair just shy of shoulder-length. I looked toward her steel-blue panzer uniform, the insignia worn indicated her rank as Major.
She was neither a superior in our command chain, nor were we currently on duty, so it seemed none of us were sure of what to do. Some were frozen while others jumped to salute.
"At ease, I'm not here on duty. This is more of a personal visit. Continue the activities you were doing, I don't mind."
Lieutenant Hayama was the first to break our silence, "It's been a while, Major Yukinoshita."
Wait, Yukinoshita?
"Hayama~. Haruno is fine, you know."
"I appreciate the thought, but it would be disrespectful."
"Jeez, both you and Yukino have grown up to be such stuck-up children." She shifted her gaze to me. "You must be the Chief? Correct? Colonel Hiratsuka told me all about you."
She didn't tell you anything strange, did she?
"Yes, I'm Warrant Officer Hachiman Hikigaya. What can I do for you, Major?"
"Oh, where are my manners? I'm Major Haruno Yukinoshita, your Captain's elder sister," She placed herself on an empty couch opposite mine. "Is that your kid?"
"Haha, Haa-chan isn't my daddy, he's my brother!" she hugged me.
"Kei-chan…" she's so precious.
"Hands off her, siscon."
"Pot calling the kettle a kitchen appliance… Excuse us, Major. No, she's her—Sergeant Kawasaki's—sister, and our squadron's Mascot," I replied.
"Ah, yes, a Mascot. I forgot Vargus squadrons employed them," she commented.
Putting it bluntly, a Mascot was a hostage of sorts. They were usually a young girl—around ten years of age—made to act as a squadron or company's daughter or little sister figure. These Mascots were traditionally placed in mercenary units in an attempt to lower thoughts of desertion through the power of moe.
"I'm not a big fan of the Mascot system myself, Major. But in this case, it's convenient for Sergeant Kawasaki to have her sister be our Mascot. At the very least, we aren't tearing them apart from their families like a normal Mascot."
"I see, Chief… No, is it fine if I call you Hikigaya?" she asked.
"You're free to do so."
"Your speech is quite refined for a Vargus, don't you say? Your accent doesn't seem too far off from the capital's. The contrast between you and old burly men of Nordlicht Squadron is like ice and fire."
"Well, the younger generation does have it better. We have easier access to Sankt Jeder-made TV and radio shows. Not to mention we interact a lot with those from the central cities. As for me specifically, I was taught to read early by my mother, who was non-Vargus, but not much better status-wise in the old Empire's eyes. My vocabulary was expanded through that, though I don't think I'm too far gone from the Vargus stereotype."
"Haa-chan, you really don't speak like the Vargus, you know?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"You're not like Kacchan or the others, they say 'fak and shet and asshool' a lot."
I could swear I saw Saki's ears twitch. Her head jerked, her gaze instantly pierced through the other Vargus, especially 'Kacchan'.
"Hey, Hachiman says that shit too, you know!"
"Yeah, but he doesn't say it in front of her, man."
"Forgive my platoon, Major, they're quite rowdy."
"Eat shit, Akabane!" Katsuki served.
Lieutenant Akabane impressively caught his surprise serve, slamming the ping pong ball across the net and instantly gaining a point against the Katsuki-Eijirou pair; not that anyone was keeping score.
"Kei-chan, you don't want to become like him, do you?"
She shook her head in response to her sister, letting out a cute noise that everyone somehow knew meant 'no'.
I scratched the back of my head, "Ah, sorry about that, Major. Where were we?"
"Oh no, it's fine. It's been a while since I've seen such a lively squadron. Just between us, Nordlicht is quite depressing."
She continued to inquire about several topics, such as how I felt about the Reginleif she helped perfect, how I became a Warrant Officer in the first place, plans for after the war; at some point, it began to sound like an interview, though I didn't know for what.
"You're quite an interesting guy."
"Thanks, I guess?"
"Do you want to know why I visited in the first place?"
"Uh, sure?"
"Hey Hikigaya, are you si—"
The common room door slammed open, revealing our two absent members of Alpha Platoon. All heads shot towards them.
"Yukinon, you didn't have to shove it that hard."
"Well well, if it isn't my little sister?" Major Yukinoshita smirked at the Captain. "Haven't you been too cold to your elder sibling lately?"
"I don't know what you were thinking in recommending our squadron for the Trial Unit, but I'm not getting caught up in your games again, sister." Captain Yukinoshita stepped aside from the door frame and ushered Lieutenant Yuigahama inside. The way out was open, and it seemed the Captain fully intended to get the Major to leave from it.
"Games? Is it so hard to think that I recommended you purely out of good faith?"
"I'm sure there were noble intentions, but those aren't the only intentions when it comes to you."
"Sheesh, what did I do to deserve such distrust from my own sister? I'm just looking out for you."
"...I understand that, but I don't need to be taken care of."
She turned her head away from the Captain, biting her lip, "Fine, I'll get out of your business for now. Call mother once in a while, would you? She's been pestering me about it." Major Yukinoshita raised herself from the couch, casually patting down her pants. "Thank you for humoring me, Chief Hikigaya. Let's talk again another time."
With that, she exited the barracks almost as suddenly as she came.
"The Yukinoshita Clan sure knows how to make their entrances," Saki muttered.
"No kidding."
Yukinoshita the younger relaxed her posture, finally turning her attention to the rest of the squadron. Her eyes narrowed, "Chief, what exactly did she ask you?"
"Nothing about you, if that's what you're wondering."
"I see. In any case, if she does come again, treat her courteously, but don't hesitate to reject some of her requests. Treat her as a specialist that demands your respect, and nothing more. All orders she gives should come to me first, understood?"
I felt like my heart could stop from the pressure, "Yes, ma'am… It might not be my place to ask, but is there a reason why you're wary of her?"
"...You'll see soon enough."
While this Hikigaya Hachiman is definitely not the one we know and love, I hope I've at least captured the essence of the original, even if the details are different.
As I promised last week, here is another chapter. I actually wrote this chapter before the prologue, which is why it's a bit longer and less action-focused. Next update will probably be next month. Hopefully, I can keep that promise. Next perspective will be Tomozaki-kun! As a side note, I just realized how similar I made the first scene to the first meeting of Tomozaki and Hinami.
For Ao3 specifically, I've decided not to tag every series I've taken characters from, as the main perspectives will mainly be on 86, Oregairu, and Tomozaki-kun. If you don't know where a character is from, google-sensei is always there to help. Also, I think I've made a mistake in only choosing characters that I really like because I'm gonna have to kill a few of them sooner or later.
Thank you for reading once more.
— Ryoukoso, procrastinating on his assignments to write and edit this chapter.
PS. I'm an active member on the 86 discord server (at least in the top 100), though I go by a different name there. Thanks for all of the kind words (looking at you Unknown Minutes). If any of you can find out what my username is over on the discord, I'll post an Annette x Theo Para-RAID smut fic, as Yots unfortunately did not deliver on his promise.