The only easy day was yesterday - Motto of the United States Navy SEALs special forces unit.
...
Arima Kousei's POV.
August 17th, 2025
...
"Hello? Watari?"
"I go straight to the point as this is urgent. We are now at war. The P.M. had announced a limited conscription for the Defense Forces, and guess what? I got the letter."
Watari, being a personal trainer in a gym not far from my home, is clearly more than fit for any military service.
"Things are really bad, or going to be, if the military have to put that in place."
"Come on, Kousei, look at the news, right now!!! South China Sea is on fire and Taiwan is now being invaded!"
"Son of a bitch! Damn those Reds!!" I could not care less if my wife Kaori will scold me for such language. If Taiwan was invaded, Japan has a moral obligation to come to its aid, alongside the United States, not only South Korea.
In addition, Japan had also stationed warships in South China Sea supporting the main American effort to ensue the freedom of navigation in the area.
"Hello?"
"Yeah, I am still here… I still cannot believe we are now at war."
"Yet this is what we are now in... Anyway, got to go, Kousei. We'll talk later. By the way, I have to report two weeks from here."
"Say hello to Tsubaki, buddy. Have a nice day."
As I put down the phone, Kaori's call caused me to ran straight to the front yard.
"There is an official looking letter addressed to us."
"I'll open it, Kaori."
"FROM: THE GOVERNMENT OF JAPAN"
The Paulownia insignia further confirmed its authenticity. I put my phone and the envelope on the dinner table.
Ministry of Defense of Japan - Selective Service Agency
From: The Prime Minister of Japan
To: Arima Kousei
215-1241, Tamagawadenenchofu, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo
Greetings.
You are hereby ordered for induction into the National Defense Forces of Japan and to report at August 24th, 2028 at Ajinomoto Stadium Forward Reporting Area, 376-3 Nishimachi, Chofu, Tokyo 182-0032, for forwarding to a Defense Induction Station..
The letter has the same word per word as the photographed draft notification that Watari sent to me.
"We have no child yet… and so listen." Kaori began. "I'll go with you and enlist. The OCS (1) surely have place for us."
"Really?"
"I mean it. Emi told me that she's going to enlist following Takeshi. I felt it, Kousei. If you are going, I'll go as well. As we don't know if we might have to fight here in Japanese soil one day. Better be ready."
I know that in the NDF, women are permitted for combat roles while their number for obvious reasons are much smaller, much more in case of commissioned officers.
Being college graduates, the draftmen are more likely to recommend us for officer training.
"First thing first, we should tell our fans. There are a good number of them here in Japan who's got drafted."
"By the way, Kousei, We got another problem here. My phone has its signal dropping."
"Me too."
"Let's see what the news on TV says, just like what Watari want us to do."
"... It has been confirmed that drones who were shot down above Senkaku Islands were Chinese combat drones probing Japanese and American defensive position on the island chain..."
"... Reports confirmed that many civilian and military satellites were falling at rapid pace as NATO, PSDC, and Shanghai Accord satellites were attacking each other... communications are being hampered all over the world..."
"Armed satellites. I never thought that we are going to use it."I told her, while facing the reality that our gadgets are going to less useful.
"One of my uncles is in the Aerospace Defense Force, Kousei." she said. "He told me much about how Chinese armed their new Tiangong space stations, and America's response in form of their own military space station, the Liberty Pilgrim, and as an excuse to retire the ISS earlier."
"My god." My hands motioned in a scratching vector above my heads; the barrage of information had somehow aged me a couple of months older than my real age and Kaori's. "War in space... how come we have to see this in our lifetime, as you know how much I wish to fly to space at least once. You know, with Virgin Galactic."
"We are once again facing our greatest test as a nation. We beat COVID, and now, we'll beat the invaders, or die trying. As it's better to die standing than live as slaves." The sentence was the last Twitter and Facebook status from us, hopefully not for good.
Looking at the news as we head for training, we are going to 'unlearn' a number of things in the process.
A/N:
(1). Officer Candidate School - training program for college graduates and non commissioned officers (sergeants) to earn commissions as officers. The courses generally last from six to seventeen weeks and include classroom instruction in military subjects, physical training, and leadership.