Chapter 9: Ace Recruit
October 26th. 07:15 AM.
(Track field.)
[Takeru]
I finish stretching just before the Instructor calls for us. These days I've been keeping my pace to not overwhelm the girls and they seem to be progressing just fine. Luckily, we're all getting along. Save for, you know, Chizuru and Kei.
Sensei already started the plans to make more consoles to train them, so that won't take much more time hopefully. For now, I'll keep up my guard around her, just in case she gets all paranoid again. That being said, I have a bad feeling about what she told me the other day. Did she not tell me all that stuff last loop because it had nothing to do with me? I think there may be something else to it. While this would explain why she aimed her gun at me last loop, something feels off now.
Marimo-chan blows her whistle and we get in line in front of her, ready to receive our training.
"Squad, today we'll be doing a more intense training. You'll do five klicks normally, and then you'll do fifteen on full gear with backpack and rifle."
"Huh?! We've never ran so much until now, Instructor." Chizuru voices her worry, but is met with a smile.
"There's a first time for everything. Now, get on the track already!" A loud bark sent us to the field.
The girls walk with heavy steps to their lines, their faces tense as mine in front of a history test back in school. I now know that adding distances like this can be very taxing when you're regulating your stamina. I read online about a marathon in London in which they moved the finishing line a bit so that it passed over a gate and through an open space, so that the people could cheer the runners when they were near the end. That little change made the ones that were on the vanguard collapse just before reaching the goal.
This can be a similar situation. The girls have not ran more than fifteen klicks total, and never more than seven in full gear. They may just faint in the middle of it. I suppose I gotta have faith in them and keep my eyes peeled just in case, especially for Tama.
The whistle is blown and we start the training. As usual I start lightly, but everyone else seems to be reserving their stamina as well. They're going slower than usual, barely putting speed into their pace. The first five klicks passed without much problems. Now, the real deal starts. We all get in the full gear, backpack and rifle included, and return to the field.
I manage to keep a steady rhythm, but the girls start falling behind after running eight klicks total. As I slow down a bit on a curve, I see how Tama falls on her face just behind the start line.
"TAMASE! Get up and keep running unless you want all the team to have to run more laps!" Marimo-chan's shout makes all of us shiver. Seeing her from here, she's frowning for real. What the hell is wrong with her?
Tama gets up in a hurry and continues to run, but it's clear she's exerting herself. The rest are more or less alright, but I already have a two laps lead on them.
I end up finishing while the girls still have five klicks left to run. They look exhausted, I don't think they'll be able to do today's battles.
"Well done, Shirogane!" Marimo-chan comes closer, smiling from ear to ear. "That was a very nice show of endurance. You may rest until the rest finish."
"Instructor, may I ask what brought this sudden change? Usually, it's recommended to slowly increase the distances and the weight one carries."
"Yes, but you adapted just fine. They were trained under this program for a longer time, so they shouldn't have problems with it. They already failed one CCSE so they don't have any excuse to not perform on par with this kind of training." She says without a hint of hesitation, and then she returns her attention to the runners.
Something is definitely wrong this time around. All of them are just barely jogging now, they can't even finish the distance running. I mean, the same happened to me the first time around but this is just overkill, and that's coming from me.
"Alright. With Tamase now all of you have finished. I'll bring the weapons, you may go refresh yourselves." She doesn't spare a gaze towards them or a compliment. She just… drones on with the training.
They're completely beat. I don't think this is a good idea. They're just being overwhelmed at this point.
"Shirogane-san… What did you eat in your other unit?" Tama's question catches me off guard. What's this about food?
"What did I eat? Normal stuff, I guess?"
"Fool… It was a rhetorical question." Meiya looks like she just got out of the sea. "I simply cannot believe that you could keep up with today's course. We already knew you had good stamina, but this is just…" She simply stares at me as if I were a weird fish in an aquarium.
"Special-kun, way to go." Kei says with her usual deadpan face.
"Squad! Here's the weaponry, the first pairings will be as follows: Shirogane and Mitsurugi with weapons, Tamase and Sakaki on HTH." Marimo-chan shining for her absence, the Instructor took some distance to watch the trainings.
"So Meiya, what do you want to use today?" She's standing by the box, simply staring at the weapons. "Meiya?"
"Could we use knives today? I'm not feeling in proper form for a duel with swords." Weird. Well, last loop she did challenge me to a knife fight when we first fought. Yeah, she's tired today. That's gotta be it.
"Sure thing, knives it is."
We take our position in the field and I start the attack, but Meiya can barely dodge my strikes. Her eyes are unfocused, her breathing is irregular.
"Meiya, are you okay? You look-"
"I am fine. Shirogane, there's no need for you to hold back. Come at me with all you've got!" She charges at me, but…
I move aside and trip her, she falls to the ground and I kick her knife away while pointing mine to her neck.
"You sure you're okay? I've never seen you do such a mistake when attacking." Shame is painted in her face as she avoids my eyes.
"…This was your plan all along, wasn't it?" Huh? What's this now? "You baited me into attacking, knowing I'm tired. Mmgh, to be so easily defeated again."
"You got that wrong, it wasn't a plan or anything. You just rushed blindly at me."
"So you're saying it's my fault?" Why are you pouting?! Can't you take some criticism?
"Yes, you acted rashly. Haste makes waste, after all. You're too straightforward, Meiya."
"Grr… I can't even find the words to rebuke you. You are most certainly right, however. Completely defeated again." She gets up, breathing a heavy sigh. She looks most positively depressed.
"Don't get so down, today you were exhausted after the training."
"You did it as well, and you're as nimble as usual." A taint spread on her otherwise clear eyes, and that poisoned gaze drove into me through Meiya's stare. I don't like it when she's sad, even less after that last talk we had back home.
"You'll get to this level eventually, so long as you keep training. Your efforts will never betray you, Meiya." I return her a supporting gaze, just like she used to do with me when I completely failed at everything the first time around. She recovers a faint smile and nods at me.
The rest of the fights went more or less the same. The girls were totally spent by the end of the training, to the point that they just threw themselves to the ground.
I ended up stashing the weapons myself while I let them go to the PX first. I wonder what was Marimo-chan thinking today, maybe she wanted to show the girls our difference in a clear way? Who knows? Let's go eat, we still have the lectures today. I close the place where we keep the practice gear and then go back into the base. Luckily, today is mackerel day. That's gonna hit the spot after all this-
"Wait right there, Cadet!"
As I was making my way to the PX, a voice I recognize well calls out to me. As I turned around a woman in a red dress with turquoise hair and a pair of glasses met my gaze. I froze up for a sec when I recognized the eyes that returned my gaze.
Eyes piercing like those of a hawk, a poker face undaunted and at the same time menacing. The light coming into the hallway fell on her features, and despite not having those two hairbuns she always had, her hair still looks as pristine and shiny as a well polished medal. Those eyes of her came right at me, stopping nowhere else. Focused as an arrow shot by Tama, slowly she approached me until we were just a few feet away from each other.
Maya-san is here, right before me. But why? I never saw her in this world. Another difference to the list, now what do I do? The Royal Guards don't really like me, and now Meiya is nowhere around to stop her. If it comes to violence… Can I attack her? No, I don't think I could bring myself to do that even if she isn't my Maya-sensei. Then, what do I do?
"Good afternoon to you, Cadet." She greets me formally, it's very different from the rather cold but still friendly Maya-san I know.
"Good afternoon. Who might you be?" Very slightly, one of her brows twitched and she then adjusts her glasses. I'm in danger, aren't I?
"Allow me to introduce myself. I'm 1st Lt. Maya Tsukuyomi, may I take a bit of your time? There's some questions I'd like to ask you."
"Alright. What did you need from me?" Reacting aggressively will only put me in a worse position. I gotta keep my cool.
"Well then, you are part of the 207th Cadet Squad, are you not?"
"Yes, that's right."
"When did you join this squad? I thought there were only women in it."
"On the 23rd of this month, Ma'am."
"I see. Could you tell me from where you joined?" Her gaze narrows, readying its blade. Not like I didn't expect this, but for it to happen so earlier it's a surprise for sure.
"That's confidential. My personal information can only be accessed by the UN, if you wish to know please refer to my Instructor." She narrows her brows now, her face unwavering. I can never tell what she is thinking.
"Of course. Then allow me to change the question, were you ever trained by the Royal Guards?"
"Huh? Of course not." What kind of question is that? Why is she asking me that? I never even got to pilot a real Takemikazuchi!
"Oho, an instant answer. Then, were you instructed by the MDF?"
"My personal information is confidential, 1st Lieutenant. Please refer to my Instructor for such details." She's scouting for my origins, she's testing me. She must know I'm a 'walking corpse', but she's slowly trimming the list of the places I could have come from.
"I see. Can I ask you one last question?" Here comes that one, I'm sure.
"Of course, Ma'am."
"Why is a dead man walking here?" I F-ing called it.
"A dead man? Is that some sort of riddle?"
"I'll ask once more, why is a dead man walking?" She takes a step forward not losing eye contact with me, tapping her glasses and slightly frowning. What should I answer? I gulp, trying to think of something.
…I mean, I can just say the truth anyways.
"I dunno, because he has someone to protect?" Not a lie. Don't think she'll buy it.
"Someone to protect?" Her gaze relaxes a bit as she stares into my eyes. She has that same piercing gaze as my Maya-sensei, shame I will probably never see her again.
"Yes, I'm here to protect someone, something that's very dear for me." I hold her gaze, that diamond-hard gaze she always had.
She's… just there, staring at me. Like at the start of all of our bouts. I can't read her at all.
"Could you tell me what this 'something' is, Cadet?"
"That's personal, so no."
"Huh… Why would you not wish to divulge that, I wonder?" She narrows her eyes at me, her voice slow and just a tiny bit pissed off like when I didn't get her lessons.
"Think whatever you want, I won't speak of my personal matters. Though, if you're suspecting me of something, let me say that I have nothing against the Royal Guard or anything. I'm here to help."
"Oh, truly?" And again, she remained quietly holding my gaze. Just… looking at me, as calmly as usual.
…
So… She's not going to attack me?
"Is that all you wanted to ask? I kinda need to go get my lunch, they're going to run out of mackerel and natto rolls if I don't hurry." Let's get the F out of here before this gets worse or the other Tsukuyomi arrives.
"…Yes, sorry to keep you for so long Cadet. Thanks for your time." I turn around to go towards the PX, Maya-san follows closely behind me.
Is she planning to attack me from behind? No, a samurai wouldn't do that. But I am a hazard in their eyes. What's the deal with her?
As we reach the split in the hallway, I felt a light tap on my shoulder before I went my way.
"It's good to see you again, Takeru." Maya-san said in a barely audible whisper, making me twitch as the words sank in after a second of shock.
What the… Did I hear that wrong?
Maya-san goes her way without looking back. I definitely heard her say my name as she patted my shoulder. What is the meaning of this? Is she… the Maya-san from my world? No, she called me Shirogane-sama instead of Takeru. Then what the hell was that? Did this world's me have some sort of relationship to the Royal Guards? No, Sumika spoke of him as if he were a normal guy last loop.
"What the hell does this mean?" I'll go ask Sensei tonight, can't ignore this kind of thing.
But… Something that's different than in the other world… And it's not the only thing that's different. Hmm… But, why would things be different? Could it be that she's just testing me?
…I have no idea what to think.
Thankfully, I managed to arrive in time to the PX. There was no more mackerel but I'm not dying for not eating it during lunch. I did get my rolls, though.
"Shirogane, what kept you for so long?" Chizuru asks me as I sit.
"A female Royal Guard stopped me on the way to ask me some questions."
"Eh?! A Royal Guard, you say?" Meiya immediately jolted up, shock on both eyes and voice.
"Hmm? What's with that reaction, Meiya?"
"Eh? Ah, no, nothing. I was just surprised, that's all." She looks preoccupied, I bet she thinks it was her Tsukuyomi the one who stopped me. "Anyways, are you alright? You were not threatened, I assume?"
"No, she asked me who I was and why I was in the squad. No idea what was her deal, she seemed to already know my name so I don't know why she bothered to come ask me in person." I mean, I thought they were suspicious of me but… This is faster than before. And different.
"That's a relief."
"Why? Are the Royal Guards hostile to us or something?" Let's pretend I don't know why she talked to me.
"Eh? Not really, but…"
"It's because we are UN soldiers." Chizuru says with a shade of disgust in her voice. "Despite being Japanese, we are been trained under the UN's flag instead of our nation's. It's obvious why they would be suspicious of us."
I don't get it. What the hell is wrong in this loop? Why are the Empire and the UN at odds with each other? I can understand them being paranoid about Americans, but the UN too? Another difference to the list, I guess.
"Um, Shirogane-san, what did you think of today's running exercise?" Tama looks at me from my left, raising her voice from her usual tone. Right, her Dad is the Undersecretary of the UN. She must feel bad when someone talks badly about the organization.
"It was a bit overkill for my taste."
"Overkill?" Meiya makes a complicated face as she tries to understand what I said.
"To go really overboard with something."
"Then, why don't you just say overboard?" Meiya, one does not think so much about words, you just talk how you feel is right.
"It fits more situations, I guess." She groans, still not understanding.
"Special-kun is right. Today's training was too hard." Kei nods in agreement, so does Chizuru.
"I'll have to agree. None of us could have finished this kind of training while running like it's intended to be done." She sighs while adjusting her glasses. "Maybe the Instructor was trying to show us the gap between ours and Shirogane's stamina?"
"I agree." Caressing the top of her air-intake shaped hair, she nodded. "We already knew he had more endurance than us, but today showed me that the difference was more grand than I had thought. I couldn't even last two minutes during our sparring today." You sound so bothered by that, Meiya.
"Special-kun, any tips for the squad?"
"Hmm… There's not much we can do about your stamina. You'll just have to slowly get used to run more. But maybe you could try imitating my running style."
"Style? How do you mean?" Tama was not the only one who didn't understand.
"What I do is take each step with my heels, with some force behind it. This makes my body move forward instinctively, with each step I take I gain more momentum and thanks to that I spend less energy in my stride."
"So that was your secret! Such an ingenious idea indeed, I'll try to perform it during my training tonight." Don't praise me too much Meiya, I just read about it online.
"Special-kun, you smartypants."
"An interesting approach indeed. Guys, why don't we all go jogging at night? It'll be easier for Shirogane to teach us this way." Chizuru suggest as she finishes eating.
"There's nothing to teach here, you just gotta get used to use your heels first."
"No, it's still a different way of running. And you also know how to keep your pace steady while doing it. Are you busy with another mission from the Professor today?"
"No, I don't have anything for today as far as I know." But I wanted to talk with Yuuko-sensei about some stuff today. I suppose I can leave it for tomorrow.
"Then it's decided! I'll be counting on you, Shirogane."
"No problem, Chizuru." I smiled at her while giving a thumbs up, but she first opened her eyes wide only to then furrow those large brows of her. Oh crap…
"Shirogane, I already told you to not call me by my name."
"Sorry, I'll try to keep it to a minimum."
"Just because Mitsurugi let's you do it doesn't mean the rest of us will."
"I don't mind you calling me Tama, though. It's kinda cute!" Thank you Tama, you're always such a sweetheart.
These days I ended up calling them all by their names. Tama didn't mind, but Chizuru made a ruckus about it and Kei almost choked me to death.
Today's lecture was brutal as well. The Instructor rushed through the modules we were supposed to be seeing and went straight to combat scenarios. I could keep up since I've seen them all who knows how many times, but the rest got some answers wrong and suffered the wrath of Marimo-chan.
In the past a Soldier-Class ended up devouring you, but I feel that in this loop you'll be the one eating them, Marimo-chan. Wait, are BETAs edible? Like, can we make hamburgers and stuff out of them? What do we even do with all the BETA remains after all the battles?
…
I might not want to find out.
After a rather fast dinner, we made our way to the track field and I showed the girls how I ran. Under the clear and star-filled sky and the company of a chill wind they started to try to imitate me, but…
"Meiya, you're putting too much force into your steps. You don't have to kick the ground so hard! Tama, you look like you're skipping."
Chizuru and Kei are doing rather fine, they still can't run while doing it all the time but they got their pace figured out. The other two, however…
"Shirogane, how do you not lose your balance while running like this?! It is most troubling to not fall forward and to keep a steady pace. I find myself running faster than I want to, but if I slow down I cannot do as you showed me." Always going overboard. You really need to find your middle ground.
"It's not like this is the best running method, it's just what I find more comfortable. You can try to find your own style, Meiya."
"No, I would like to dominate this method. If this is how you became so nimble then I cannot back down. Even if it's not compatible with me, I must overcome this hurdle. Something so simple cannot bring me down!" More purple flares appear on her eyes. It's rare to see her so determined to do something, especially something so simple as this.
"S-Shirogane-san… My feet hurt."
"Sorry about that, Tama. Maybe you should stop for today, you all did run a lot this morning."
"Uuh… I'm the only one who can't do it."
"Hey, all of us have some bad points. What is your strong point?"
"My strong point? I guess it's shooting. Sniping is what I do best, but I'm really not that good." BS, you're awesome. You took down an HSST and protected me in Kashgar until the end, even when you probably where out of ballistic ammo.
"Then you should work on your reflexes and nimbleness more than your stamina. Maybe doing yoga would help?"
"Yoga? What's that?"
"You don't know? That thing you do where you move slow, use this giant ball to arch your back, and there's these poses that help you meditate or whatever." Maya-sensei explained it to me, to hone my mind to bring the full extent of my skill when I used the Mugen Kidou. But I can't really say I understood all of it. I still remember the exercises, though.
"I never heard of anything like that. Um… Is that something you… learned abroad?" Tapping her fingers together, she dodged my gaze.
"Yeah, kinda. Here, let me show you a simple pose." I take the low lunge pose and slowly transition to high lunge, to warrior I, and finally warrior II. Then I return to low lunge slowly. And then I do the tree for a while.
"Amazing! You have very good balance, Shirogane-san!"
"These were just the most basic ones. I only know some others that are more advanced, I'm not an expert or anything. Hopefully, this will be more useful to you than pushing you to run harder."
"Yes, I'll try my best. Should I move from one pose to the other like you did?"
"No, try to stay for awhile in each of them. I did it fast to show you how it's done, the real deal is to do it slowly to gain more balance." Then when you start moving fast, you'll get so much more precise it's scary. I still remember how happy I was the first time I landed a hit on Sensei. Then I got cocky and she beat me soundly in a few seconds. My stomach hurts remembering those blows and how she slashed me in half that day.
Tama starts to do the low lunge, her lips twisting as she groaned as cutely as she always did when trying something new. She looks at me, brows arched and looking for approval.
"Awawa… I-Is this right?"
"Extend your leg a bit more, you don't have to bend your knee." I smile, giving her a thumbs up.
"O-Okay!" She's doing it perfectly outside of that. She really should be a bit more proud about herself.
"Hmm? Shirogane, what is Tamase doing?" Tapping her glasses, she slows down to a stop near me.
"Can't you tell? Training."
"Huh… But what is she doing?" Chizuru I know your eyesight is bad, but this is just stupid.
"She's doing Yoga. I think that improving her nimbleness and reflexes is better than making her run."
"Yoga? Is that something you learned abroad?" Chizuru narrowed her eyes at me, crossing her arms. I give her a short explanation. In the middle of it Meiya and Ayamine came to watch as Tama had made it to Warrior I.
"Shirogane, are those… movements really helpful?" She sounded doubtful as she watched Tama.
"I know they don't look like it, but they are really good for your fitness."
"Should we try them out too?"
"I guess? If you want to." The other three reluctantly took a spot and tried to do the same movements.
It's completely different from what they have been taught, to make fast and precise movements. To be told to move slowly and do these weird poses must be a shock to them. At least they're trying out new stuff.
"Takeru-san." An unexpected voice calls out to me.
"Kasumi? What are you doing here?"
"The Professor is calling for you. Let's go." She comes towards me, grabbing my arm.
"Hey, don't pull me!" I'm in the middle of something here!
"Yashiro? What business do you have with Shirogane?" Meiya comes up to me as I'm struggling with Kasumi.
"She's here to tell me that the Prof-"
"None of your business." Kasumi?! When did you learn to talk back like that?!
"Shirogane, what's the meaning of this?" She raises one of her brows and folds her arms.
"As I was saying, the Professor is-"
"That has nothing to do with you, Cadet. Return to your training. Takeru-san is coming with me." Let me finish my sentences! What's wrong with you this time? What the hell is wrong with this world?!
"Oho, I suppose you have your reasons. But Shirogane is training with us, so unless you explain to us why you-"
"You don't have to know why. Takeru-san, let us go already." Stop! Pulling! Meiya looks really mad at her.
I can feel the bloodlust in the air. Seriously Kasumi, what the hell?! Don't move your bunny ears like that to look cute, you just dropped an F-ing G-Bomb on me!
"Kasumi, let me at least tell them why I'm leaving. I promised to help them today, you know."
"But… She's going to be upset if you take too long."
"If you let me explain we won't have to keep repeating this all the times you come to pick me up."
"They should just mind their own business." I didn't knew you could pout like that. You're much more talkative this time around too.
"Well, guys. Professor Kouzuki is calling for me. Kasumi is tasked to look for me whenever that happens. Sorry to bail out on you like this." I bow slightly.
"At this time? Well, I guess… it can't be helped." Meiya said, folding her arms and looking away from Kasumi.
"Don't apologize Shirogane-san! You already showed us a lot of new things today!" Thanks for clearing the air Tama. Always such a sweetheart.
"Tamase is right. We can continue to train on our own, and it's already late. This yoga thing wasn't so helpful. Squad, let's leave it for tonight." Chizuru's order is met with nods in answer.
"Well, I'll be going. Good night, guys."
"Night, Shirogane." Chizuru gives me her goodbyes, as Kei yawns and Tama waves at me.
"Night, Meiya. Sorry about Kasumi."
"Yes, see you tomorrow. Good night." Meiya answered in a low tone, looking away.
She looked kinda down. Is it because of the training? I don't think that little fight with Kasumi could have put her in such a bad mood, she's not the type to get hung up on stuff like that. Those eyes of her looked really bothered though, maybe she's angry at me for not keeping my word?
We went back into the base and made our way to the lower floors, I shivered as I got used to the heat within the base.
"Hey Kasumi, did Sumika like the santa rabbit?"
"Yes, I sensed a great amount of happiness from her when I showed her the rabbit."
Kasumi told me that it's not like she can directly talk with her, it's more like she sees images and colors and uses that to interpret her emotions. Only sometimes she can actually hear her voice with enough clarity to have a conversation.
"That's good. So, what does Yuuko-sensei have in store for me today?"
"I don't know. She told me you would like it much."
"What are we doing? Eating matsutake?"
"Matsu… What is that?" She tilts her head while looking straight at me as her bunny ears move a bit.
"A delicacy of my world. Ah, just thinking about it makes my mouth water." I remember that when I got into college I went to Sky Temple with the whole gang and we all ate their famous matsutake.
That's one of the few things I miss from that world. I would kill to have that food here! Imagine what the girls here would do if I showed them some ice cream, or chocolate, hamburgers, pizza, ramen, alfajores, parfaits, BBQs, spicy tofu, roasted king crabs or…
"Takeru-san… please stop…" Kasumi's face was red and she was almost drooling.
"Why are you making that face?!" This is a PG story! Don't go doing suggestive things Kasumi!
"I wondered why you went silent and tried to see what were you thinking… All those foods, the memories of its taste… I'm hungry now." She looks at me with a slightly angry face as she moves her bunny ears.
"Same. Remembering that was probably not a good idea."
"Uuh… Were they that tasty?"
"Of course they were! Even some simple fried eggs and 'tates would destroy all the synthetic menu we have here!" Now I want some fried food, dammit! Stop thinking about eating already! Ah, what wouldn't I do for some fried chicken with rice…
We eventually reached the elevator and arrived at Sensei's office, and after she unlocks the door we enter. She was sitting by her desk, looking up towards us with the usual bored expression.
"Oh, Shirogane. Took you long enough."
"Good evening, Sensei. What's on the menu today?" Maybe she really does have matsutake here?
"Today we start the testings of the OS you asked me to make."
"FOR REAL?!" This is way earlier than I expected!
"Don't raise your voice so much! I think I have a solid foundation for the new OS, but I still need actual data to properly configure it. I know you told me the Gekishin wasn't the best model to base the tests on, but I can't get anything else without getting unwanted attention." She ruffles her hair and sighs.
I did ask her to use at least an F-15 for the test, but apparently since there's more spare parts that need refurbishing for the Gekishin it's easier to get them, and thanks to their simpler design they are easier to modify for our tests.
"Alright. Then I guess it's back to the simulators for now."
"No, you're riding a TSF. Weren't you listening the last time we spoke?"
"Wait… We can get away with that?! Won't people get suspicious?" Pretty sure some people will ask why a Cadet is authorized to pilot before passing the CCSE.
"I'm testing some new modifications to the equipment we have, as far as High Command is concerned. I'm the one on the command post so don't worry about being spied. Let me tell you that the engineers modified the Jump Unit's engines, thrusters and radar a bit and we're using a prototype of the Anti-Radar paint we made with the intel you brought us. You'll have to use only infrared communication, except for the data link that will monitor the TSF's performance. You will have to do some movement tests and some simple fights against other Gekishins in slave mode. That's the gist of it. You ready?"
"Sure, let's get cracking!" Back to the field baby! Time to show off the skill of the champion!
I make my way to the changing room and grab a suit that was left in the locker that is, apparently, going to be mine for the coming tests Sensei might need. Heh, guess I'm back in black once more. It's almost an irony, like this was foreshadowing since the first time I came here that I would end up being an experienced pilot from the get go, as if the universe knew I would end up looping back time and again. I do wonder if other suits feel different to use.
Man, it feels like forever since I've been in a cockpit. The last time was… in the tournament. Man, now that I think about it, I stormed through the Campaign Mode with just a Kaiser. Had I used a Takemikazuchi how would things have turned out? Imagine if I cleared the whole thing in a single sitting…
Wait… That's right, I was using a purple Takemikazuchi in the game for some time. Why did I… Regret, perhaps? Yeah… After all, the purple Takemikazuchi was the last TSF I saw back then. Sigh… No getting depressed, you idiot. Come on… Get in the suit, Takeru.
After I put the suit on, I made my way to the hangar following Kasumi. There's not a soul in it.
"So, where is my TSF?"
"Over here." Kasumi goes to the far end of the hangar, me following behind.
A black Gekishin with the UN logo, with more pointy shoulder pads and chest. Its armor looks different, that's for sure. The thrusters… look kinda weird. Well, I guess I'm in your care, buddy.
"Okay, I'll be getting in. Wish me good luck, Kasumi."
"…Good luck." In her usual monotone, as expected.
I wave at her as I get on the railway and open the cockpit. Hesitating for a sec, she waves back before I enter the TSF.
I bolt myself to the seat and start the engine. It lights up as usual, once the data link starts up I'm connected to its visor, the view of the hangar reaching my eyes alongside the rest of the details of the machine.
"Shirogane, are you ready?" Sensei's face appears in my sight.
"Checking the connections right now. All green."
"I'll open the hangar. Treat this as a test run for a new model, and be careful. You'll operate under the callsign Shadow 1."
"Roger." Man, it's been so long. This feeling of peace… This is where I belong. Let's go for a walk, Gekishin!
My Gekishin is released from its hold, and the rotary gears do their work and position it along the railway towards the launch pad. Once I reached ground level, I started heating up the Jump Units. When the temperature was right and I got the okay from the crew, I move the lever and take off. This is faster than what I remembered, I was practically glued to the seat as I boosted. The Gekishin wasn't this fast before.
A shower of stars greets me as I fly off, distant fireflies above illuminating the deserted training grounds. I go towards the marked spot on my radar. Let's see what's in store for me.
"Shadow 1, your objective is to reach the northern end of the ruins." Sensei's voice reached me over the common channel. "There's many sensors spread throughout the ruins, if you're detected several turrets will open fire. Get to the objective while receiving as little damage as possible, you have five minutes. Start!"
Just five minutes? In a Gekishin? Heh, I like a challenge like this!
If it's to avoid detection then…
Slowly moving the control lever while preparing a boost jump, I lower my altitude gradually. The Gekishin is still heavier than most TSFs, but if you use the weight properly it becomes a plus!
Just like I do with my running, I move the Gekishin in a way that its heels make contact with the ground when it lands. Then I adjust the thrusters to boost as I fall forward, which ends up generating more momentum!
I don't fall over like one normally would with such a heavy TSF, and I use less fuel this way. I'm generating less heat too, since I'm not using the thrusters as much. And by hovering as Mikoto did with his Xao-Myun due to the impulse of the jump I make less noise as well, so any sonar sensors will also take longer to detect me. Limiting my stay in the ground to be only when I land to again jump, I'll manage just fine.
Collapsed buildings everywhere, the streets left broken amidst the darkness, I turn on the map and the infrared to see well. But the decayed landscape means I have plenty of places to rebound off for my acrobatics!
I made it halfway through the ruins when the first turrets open fire on me. Dashing to the right, I make it behind a building. Only this time more turrets start firing at me.
Boost jump to the right. Forward dash, boost jumps in zigzag, cancel and a dash out of harm's way. Let's check for damage… just some scratches in the legs and shoulders. I can do this!
I return to my pace, and I'm met with more turrets ahead. I boost jump over the bridge, do a crouch cancel and dash to my left to avoid must turrets. If I could attack them this would be too easy.
I still have two minutes and I'm close to the finishing point. The real fight starts now, knowing Sensei.
I drop the careful pace and go for consecutive boost jumps. A bullet rain is upon me.
Ooh, now this is nice! It's like a fire downpour! A zig, and a zag, and I'm outta here~! I fly through some fallen buildings.
Man, it's like a burning chase! Boost Jump, a cancel, a sidestep, and away I go~! Jumping over houses while doing a barrel roll.
To the left, to the right, a cancel and a backflip! Behind a building you can't hit me~! Using only the left thruster to spin and do an air dodge, I continue onwards.
I like speed and I like dodging, but I never thought I'd be dodge-tanking like this in a motherfricking GEKISHIN, of all things. And with just a prototype of the XM3, no less. There is some delay in the inputs I try to do, and when I try to do some of my complicated dodges it just won't register the commands, but it's as it was during the testing last loop. Combos are still a long ways away, but the cancels seem to work most of the time despite the lack of data.
I feel like I'm back on my turf. Get ready parallel world, because I'm gonna break you like a chocolate bar. I made it to the designated point with one minute left.
"Shadow 1, I arrived at the target."
"CP, roger that. Shadow 1 remain in place. We will send a supply crate with some training weapons. Two Gekishin in slave mode will be deployed as well. When we give the signal, you are to engage them within the ruins. The turrets will not be disabled. That is all."
Wow, totally not overkill. Fighting two on one, huh. This brings back that fight with the Elef, shame I don't have those machineguns…
Wait a sec… Can I equip some guns to my waist? Can I? I never really tried before… Well, I don't have mount pylons on my chest or on the waist, so I don't think a Gekishin can do it. We should have more pylons on our TSFs.
The supply crate arrives, it has two swords and three rifles. Hmm? What's that? An attachable mount pylon? We had those? Ohohohohoho!
I get the two swords in my hands, and attached the pylons to the side of my waist. Or is it the chest? Whatever, they fit so no problem! With the rifles linked through infrared, I can shoot both of them from a key instead of having to do it manually for each. And the last rifle goes in the pylon in the back.
"Shadow 1, report your equipment load."
"I equipped all the weapons provided." Sensei's eyes turn into fried eggs. Stop thinking about food, brain!
"All of them?! You won't even be able to take off with all the added weight! How did you even get all of them on you?"
"Using the pylons in my waist to get the guns in place, last rifle in the back and swords on my hands."
"You're crazy. The pylons are to be used on the shoulders or the legs! And you just use one if you carry two weapons already!"
"Don't worry, might as well test whether this is possible or not while I'm at it. Should I start the exercise?" Sensei sighs while rubbing her temple.
"Yes, start the exercise."
Let's go! Forward dash ahead!
I already have them in my radar, despite them being so far away. Alright champion, let's show off!
I start boost jumping in zigzag again, while doing some air dodges every once in a while to avoid the turrets' fire. With this pace I'm not making much heat, and I can get closer to them safely. Now that I know how many turrets there are here I know when to boost and when I should just run and dash on the ground.
I'm close to them, but they haven't detected me yet. Weird, let's go for a hit and run. I wonder if I can pull my stunts with the Takemikazuchi in the game here as well.
Walking slowly, I approach their position. Checking the map to see which streets are the better option to run after the attack, I wait until the Gekishins put some distance between each other. I suddenly go into a full dash upon one of them, opening fire with the machineguns and with my swords at the ready. It tries to counter with some fire but I jump and do a cancel immediately after, it gets stuck while trying to aim up. Heh, just like the Frei did that time. Two strong blows to the cockpit with the swords and down you go. You couldn't dodge thanks to the damage my machineguns inflicted upon your legs.
Easier than I expected, but I can do it. I can bring my hyper offensive style to TSF piloting, and with the balance I learned through the Mugen Kidou I'm stronger than ever!
I retreat into the ruins to avoid the turrets. I couldn't dodge them while I was charging at the Gekishin so I took some damage. Nothing to worry about.
The other one is trying to get close to here, but it doesn't seem to know my precise location. I slowly move on foot, getting closer to its position while trying to make as little noise as possible. I don't even need to get closer to attack you, let's see if my skill with the TR carries over here too.
I take my sniping position close to the fallen tunnel, you're almost on my range. Just get a bit closer to the left…
…
It took awhile until it came into my range, damn AI. I aim carefully, this time I don't have to wait ten seconds to shoot. Can I get a core-shot from here? Cockpit or jump units? Well, let's see how this goes.
It's just a little dot on my view, it's probably a bad idea to shoot from here. But I wanna try this out. This is just a practice after all. One, two and…
I shoot, I hit its arm. Damn, just when I went to shoot it moved a bit. Now I'll never know if I was going to hit it or not.
It takes cover behind some buildings, starting to get closer. You don't know where I am, so get ready to get sniped. Now, I'll aim carefully and-
Beep!
Huh?
BAM!
A 120mm missed me by a hair, an explosion of paint showered into a building right behind me.
What the hell?! Another Gekishin?! But I took the other down! I'm sure I-
The radar reveals nine enemy signals in total now. Sensei, you devil, this was your idea from the start, wasn't it? Since this one was close by, it detected the heat signature from my shot.
"Well, no point in hiding anymore. Blitzkrieg time, baby!"
I get up and look around, the Gekishin was hiding right behind a building some odd meters away. Heh, don't think you can stay away from me!
I rush at the enemy, guns blazing to seal its escape routes. It begins to shoot at me, but I don't even need to cancel to dodge. Jumping onto the buildings and doing Kulbits, all the while shooting at the TSFs feet, I shave the distance between us. Heh, you can't hit me with those amateur moves! Reaching a park, I dash at it. Zig, zag, cancel, and dash. Slashing at its hands upwards, it lost its way to attack me. In a follow up, I do a downwards slash aimed to its cockpit. Down it goes, take that!
The rest of them are moving towards me, looks like I won't get to hide anymore. What to do? Do I hide anyway? Do I rush 'em?
I drop the rifle and charge at them, some bunch of AIs can't beat me. My radar beeps, some are approaching me. Two of them fly into the open space of the park, coming at me with swords. These must be the Storm Vanguards.
I wonder if I can perform it with a TSF? Picturing it in my head, then trying to move the controls in the right way, I try to make my Mugen stance with the Gekishin and boost dash towards the enemy.
I attack the one on my left, but its just a feint to jump over it while sicking my waist guns from above after a cancel. You lost a leg, I land while timing a boost and charge at it from behind. One hit from both swords to the engine and down it goes! Backflipping out of the other's range as it starts shooting at me, canceling the jump to avoid the rest of the incoming fire. This one's moves aren't half bad, however!
I parry its first slash, but my follow-up gets blocked. Triggering my machineguns, it flies away and opens fire on me as well. You're gonna make me get my A game out, huh. Repositioning myself, I place my sword above our shoulder and rush at the AI, that also comes to meet my aggro.
I crouch dash and squeeze myself under its slash, making it tumble forward which activates the shock protection. Quickly canceling my past move, and lagging for a single second, I dash towards it before it can turn and counter. I do an upwards slash, hitting its hand. Being disabled, it drops its sword.
"Hehehe, eat some bullets!"
I press the trigger and fire my guns at point blank towards its cockpit. Another Gekishin kissed the ground! This one had better data, but still, it's just an AI.
I dash backwards as hell rains upon me, fleeing into the ruined streets once more. If I got hit by all that paint I would probably have to wait hours to get out of my cockpit. That's without counting all the turrets that are also gunning at me right now. It's kinda unfair that the turrets only aim at me.
Well, I'm starting to get low on fuel and I'm hungry from that talk before. Let's finish this thing. I close my eyes, feeling a shiver on my back as those turquoise eyes return to my sight, and then I chant within myself.
Like a petal that dances upon the winds, your attacks must be.
Graceful, precise, but deadly as well.
Unpredictable as the changing form of a cloud…
With the serenity of a leaf moving along a river…
And the violence of the rapids as they charge downstream…
Swiftly. Firmly. Fiercely. Calmly.
Let your strikes flow upon your enemy, like an unending waterfall!
Remembering the words of Maya-sensei, I advance upon my enemies within the crumbling training grounds, under these starry skies.
They are keeping their distance. Boost jumping won't cut it. So, I'll better save my fuel and prepare to dodge. Counting to ten, I leave the cover of a tall building and approach a street where the TSFs seemed to be taking cover in. Soon after that, they begin shooting at me.
Zig, zag, zig, cancel, dash behind a building, triple boost jump over it. More attacks over me, another jump but it's a feint, cancel it and do a barrel roll, boost dash in midair. I land nearby two of them. Barely no damage sustained.
Their guns roar as I approach them, right dash, crouch cancel and forward dash while holding my blade above my shoulder. I swing my blade, breaking concrete as I did and managing to hit one's left side. I take a step back and boost dash through the collapsing building, finishing it before it could retaliate. As I dashed into the street after the slash finished, another one was ready to blow me up at point blank, but I had already planned to take a step back so I wasted not a second in doing so, effectively avoiding the paint.
In real life I can't run immediately after taking the step back to regain my tempo, but TSF don't have that limitation! Immediately boosting forward, I raise my sword again. I hack at it, sending its rifle flying away, I crouch dash and do a rising slash to prevent the Gekishin from taking out its daggers. As it tries to backboost to escape, I throw my sword back as I chase after it. My slash paints a crescent moon towards its cockpit, knocking it out.
I sigh, wiping some sweat off my face. I move my neck and hear it crack, but soon my alarm starts beeping again.
The others are already upon me, I have no more ammo, and I'm surrounded by turrets. And it's really dark here to make matters worse. Eh, I'm sure this two won't mind if I take their guns. Hoho, this one has 120mm! Eat this!
I send my heat upon the recklessly charging Gekishins as I do a backwards jump, one of them rushing towards me and was too close for comfort, it got hit right in the face. Now that you can't see, I'll just shoot you down! Two more shoots and down it goes.
It was in midair, so it crashed kinda badly after it got turned off. I only hope that doesn't get me in trouble.
Well, let's scatter. The other four are shooting at me more than I can dodge safely, and I'm not confident enough to take them head on here, with all these turrets around.
I move into the urban part of the city and hide between the streets and tall buildings. Honestly, for being AIs they're pretty good. I know they're based on data from actual pilots, but still…
We could probably leave the rear to these things, shooting ballistic shells and providing tactical support while in control of an operator in case of emergency. That is not a bad idea.
One spotted me while I was lost in thought and opened fire from my right, I try to retreat but another appears to my left. The other two are behind me, and thanks to their fire the turrets activated. Did these AI do a lock on me?!
Nice one, science! I retreat ahead, towards the only open road I can take, paint rains behind me. This is not good, I'm going to get shot down. They're right behind me, chasing me while boost dashing.
Well, whatever. Let's see how fast these new thrusters can be! I do a full boost jump, and move towards a building. Slightly lower my speed, use the weight to impulse myself forward, bend those damn knees, and boost!
I fly off the building towards another ahead, and like I did in the final I use my right thrusters to spin myself, and then the left one to change my orientation, now I'm gonna crash backwards against the building. I move the levers to put the legs in position and move the torso slightly up, and now give me all the accel you have Gekishin!
I crash into the building and rebound off it towards my chasers! Hehehe, so I can still do Albrights just fine!
I draw out my swords and activate one thruster. I rush through their line, spinning around myself, letting the kinetic force do the damage while I slash.
Two of them down, one lost a hand, the other got away. I'm low on fuel, and here that means shields out too.
The one that's still in one piece shoots at me, I try to jump but it hit my leg. Damn! They sick their guns upon me, I try to retaliate with mine. I land hard on the ground, now without a leg to support me.
"Dammit, all or nothing!" I release all of my ammo at them, the alarm tells me they're doing the same.
BAM!
I ended up getting hit on the engine. By a turret. Damn it. Well, for being my first time in two years I did pretty nicely, if I say so myself. Man, this rocks! I forgot how much I truly enjoyed riding a TSF.
"Shadow 1. Exercise finished. Good work, return to the hangar."
"Shadow 1, roger that." Let's go back, I hope I can get something to eat because I'm famished right now.
(Command Post.)
[Yuuko]
"So, what do you think?" I look back, her crimson eyes were sharpened at the screen. Her brows low and her arms tightly folded, Isumi sighed and shook her head.
"I can't believe a greenhorn took down so many of the Valkyries. Even if they were riding Gekishins and he used whatever prototype OS you're testing along those new parts, his skill is simply outstanding." Isumi is not someone who gives praise lightly. Seems like you made a nice impression, Shirogane. "However, I have to ask something. Why did you tell him he was fighting against AI enemies?"
"Just because. If I told him he was fighting against soldiers he may have panicked, right?"
"Yes, that's understandable. So is this Shirogane going to join the Valkyries?"
"Not yet, he's in Squad 207 as of now." She slightly lowers her chin towards her neck, taking a step forward.
"May I inquire why? He already knows how to pilot, and with such skill! Wouldn't it be better for him to train under us? I have never seen someone do those movements."
"I have my reasons to have him there." She nods, taking a step back and looking at the screens again. "I just wanted to see how far he could go. But this is just too interesting. He defeated Hayase in CQC, took down Munakata with that Albright, and defeated all the members of the 207A team. If it weren't for Kazama's precise shot disabling his leg, he would have taken all of them out."
"The stealth protocol helped him as well. When he was running away, his signal got lost a few times. They couldn't use neither the tracking or auto-lock, so they wasted many shots, and with his eccentric evasive maneuvers they could just barely keep him in their sights." Wow, you're not done with the praise? How odd. "Is this new technology something that we will use in the future?"
"Yes, the basics have given me better results than what I expected, and that's without looking at the compiled data. Hopefully, I'll be able to get the approval of the high brass to implement this with your Shiranuis as well. There's also a little surprise or two in stock for you all. Do look forward to my next assignment, that will be all for tonight. Go greet your squad, and take them to eat something. Kyouzuka-san should be done with the food I asked her to make."
"Yes, XO! However, what should I tell them about their opponent?"
"Hmm… Tell them they fought against my new bodyguard. If anyone presses the matter, send them to me." I smirk, she chuckles.
She salutes me and leaves towards the hangar. Shirogane is already out of his machine, Pyatkh is bringing him here. You did splendid today, more than what I expected of you.
As I wait, I replay certain parts of his fight in the screens. I cannot believe he moves in such a way. The strain it puts on the joints is severe, but one cannot deny the effectiveness of his style. To take so many of the Valkyries down… I was just testing him, to poke fun at how 'awesome' he said he was when we tested that Valgern-On thing. I certainly didn't expect you to drive them into a corner in such a way, even with the OS and the new modifications.
He gets here, and he doesn't try to salute me. I'm so thankful there's someone who understands that I don't want to waste time with the formalities.
"So, what do you think? Did the stealth work as intended?" Smiling and folding his arms, he comes up to me.
"No, it was even better. The base's radar lost track of you a few times, and the Gekishins couldn't keep a lock onto you." He was right about how much our pilots rely on the auto-lock, remove it and they start missing most of their shots. Add your crazy movements and they could just barely see you, it's like they were fighting a mirage.
"Can't believe you created this with just the notes I brought. The engineers here must be damn good."
"You bet they are! And your notes had enough intel for me to figure out the math, after that it was just testing until getting the numbers right. Now that I know that it works, I can develop a system for all the other TSFs, and a protocol for stealth tactics. Your moves today were most impressive as well, the new OS will turn out quite nicely."
"Glad things are going well. Though those AI Gekishins weren't half bad, they moved quite well and even tried to lock me down." So he didn't notice.
That was another reason to cut your comms, to let you fight with all you had. Otherwise, you would have heard the panicked screams of the Valkyries as you tore them apart. Seeing those proud surface pilots struck by fear was a wonderful sight, indeed.
"You surpassed all my expectations today, well done Shirogane. How did it feel to pilot again?"
"It was awesome! I was surprised by how fast the Gekishin felt, it was still quite stiff but it moved much faster than what I can remember." Your honest reactions are really fun to see. This means I made a good enough work for you to be comfortable with it.
"That's probably due to the modifications we did to its engine and thrusters. Those jet diagrams you brought gave me an idea to make a new Jump Unit I couldn't really get out of my head, so I was testing that today too."
"So that's what that was. Well, I could do all the things I used to do in Valgern-On today, so I'm now sure that I'm back at full capability!" That reminds me…
"Shirogane, can you explain to me what were you trying to do with those pylons? It was really risky, you could have crashed yourself into the ground." I honestly have no idea what were you thinking. It produced good results, yes, but it was completely stupid.
"I was just trying to make the Gekishin fight like the Takemikazuchi."
"Huh? What has that to do with the pylons?"
"Everything! I can't attack with swords in both hands and shoot the machineguns at the same time if I need to keep stuff in the pylons on the back."
"Again, what has that to do with the pylons you put in the waist? As far as I know, the Type-00 can't do that either."
"What do you mean? It has the machineguns built into its waist, so you can use swords in each hand while you shoot the guns, even if you have stuff in the back too. That's what I was trying to do." Machineguns in its waist?
"Shirogane, here. Take a look at the Takemikazuchi." I show him some images of the Type-00 and its variants, and he grabs his chin as he gets lost in thought.
"So… you're telling me the Takemikazuchi doesn't have machineguns?"
"It never had. Where did you get the idea?"
"Valgern-On. I used to pilot a Takemikazuchi in the game, and there it has this machineguns in its waist. I seem to have gotten the real one with the game one mixed up. I'll show it to you later."
"Still, as reckless as it was, it delivered good results. I don't think others could easily do it, but I should gather more data about your style. You did take on an entire group by yourself and almost came out on top."
"Where will we gather data? In the sims or in a real TSF?"
"We'll use the sims from now on. I wanted to get one good look at your skills, and today was more than enough. Get changed and come to my office, let's eat something before you go to bed. I have some questions regarding some moves you pulled on the field."
"Alright. I'll be there in awhile. I do have some things to tell you that felt kinda wrong during the test." He smiles and nods. Then, after waving my way, he went out the room following Yashiro again.
October 27th. 08:30 AM.
(Track field.)
[Takeru]
I finish stretching, waiting for Marimo-chan to use the whistle. The rest are still stretching, preparing for the morning run.
But man, I feel awesome today! Piloting is the best thing ever! Imagine what I will be able to do with the new XM3 and those new Jump Units! I'll become one with the winds!
"You look most certainly joyful today, Shirogane. Did something good happen last night?" Meiya addresses me rather coldly, with a grave tone and a side glance. But I can't hide my happiness!
"Yes, it did! It was truly awesome. Shame I can't tell you guys about the mission, but it was honestly a mind numbing experience. I could practically feel the wind in my veins!"
"…Oh, is that so."
"What's up with that answer? You look down today, Meiya."
"Nothing's wrong. It's none of my business what you do with Yashiro."
"I said nothing about Kasumi, though." She makes an 'Oh Shit!' face before folding her arms and looking away. So she was angry at Kasumi yesterday…
"I assumed you would be doing this task with her. Am I wrong?"
"Yeah, I always do my missions alone."
"Eh? You always… You do them all alone?" She now looks like a goldfish.
"I mean, Sensei always asks me to do random stuff for her. I have no idea what she'll come up with next." I'm still in shock that the stealth protocol that I used yesterday was born from the forum posts I brought.
When Sensei showed me the data it was truly amazing, I was almost invisible to the other TSFs. And when I wasn't boosting the base's radars couldn't lock onto my position or IFF.
"Sensei? Who are you talking about?"
"Oh, right. I refer to Professor Kouzuki in that way, since she's always teaching me stuff from all the missions she gives me."
"She's… teaching you?" She tilts her head, raising a brow. "Well, you were scouted by her personally. So, I assume yesterday's task was a success?"
"Oh, hell yes! I wrecked all the obstacles, axed all them benchmarks, and had a blast during it!"
"Axed?" I think Meiya's mental state could be described by a number: 404.
"Uuh… It means I passed it with flying colors."
"Oh, I see. Your choice of words is most odd at times, are they supposed to be some sort of secret code?"
"No, it's just the slang I used before coming here."
"Right, you were living abroad." Meiya then remains silently staring at me for a sec. "Oh, that reminds me. Shirogane… Can I ask you a personal question?" She stood stiff, got all serious now. What is she gonna ask me?
"Sure, ask away." And very timidly, which is weird for this Meiya, she spoke.
"Are… Are you Japanese?"
"…Are you seriously asking me that?"
"Yes."
"Well, actually, I was born on the Moon."
"WHAT?!"
"But my Dad comes from Sedna, so…"
"Sedna? What's that?"
"The planet that's behind Pluto." Or not, some people online said it was not a planet.
"What?! Another planet? But how do you even…"
"And my Mom is a unicorn."
"Shirogane… were you… making fun of me?" She closes her eyes, fists shaking.
"Nooo, of course not. I would never do something like that to you, Meiya-kun."
"Grr… You were making fun of me! I was asking you a serious question, and this is your answer?" You asked a stupid question, I gave you a stupid answer.
"Can't you tell that I'm Japanese from looking at my face? Or by my name?"
"I was referring to… whether you were born in Japan, or if you were a Nikkei."
"I was born in Japan, yes. But what does it matter? Nikkeis are also Japanese."
"Huh? Of course they're not! They weren't raised here, they know nothing of our culture."
"You're being overzealous. If their parents raised them with the same values they would still be the same in their hearts."
"I don't know about that." What's wrong with this world? I never saw this kind of discrimination in my past loops. And coming from Meiya, of all people.
"Alright, let me give you an example. Let's say you were raised away from your family, Meiya." I know you will understand with this approach.
"Eh? Away from my family?"
"Yes, but let's say you also had a good teacher that passed onto you the customs and knowledge of your ancestors. Like how to make a certain food, or a traditional dance. Would you still be part of your family? Are the values you were taught since being a child so weak that they're broken by distance?"
She closes her eyes, folds her arms, and starts groaning. She's taking her time to answer, for sure. Then, a whistle reaches my ears.
"SQUAD! ASSEMBLE!" Marimo-chan is calling for us.
"Let's go, the Instructor is calling."
"Ah, wait! I still haven't-"
I made my way with the rest of the group. Meiya jogs behind me to catch up. We all salute as we await today's training.
"Squad, today you'll go to the firing range instead of running." Huh?! The rest also seem as shocked as me. "The guns are already there, I'll announce the teams." Teams? Didn't we used to go firing individually? "Sakaki and Tamase against Mitsurugi, Ayamine and Shirogane." Against?! We're fighting each other?!
She dismisses us, saying she'll be there in a minute. As we made our way to the range and put on the gear, I asked the girls my doubts.
"So, she said against… Exactly what are we doing today?"
"You never did firing competitions in your past training unit?" Chizuru raises both brows, slightly taken aback for some reason.
"No? We just went and shot at targets individually."
"Well, this is more or less the same, but we instead get valued as teams." Tapping her glasses, she points to the left end of the practice range. "There's also an exercise in which some targets will pop up and we have to shoot them down, but the targets get farther away with every time they appear."
"This is more complicated than I expected."
"Are you not confident in your shooting skill, Shirogane-san?" Tama asked with a rather shocked tone.
"I'm not bad, but I never had this kind of training." First Chizuru, now Tama. I did say I was better at CQC, no idea why they're so surprised.
"Time to beat Special-kun."
"You're right, Shirogane-san this time we'll come out on top!" Tama got motivated by Kei's words, and now even Chizuru has a determined expression on her face, and Meiya is… looking at the ground?
"Is the dirt talking to you or something?"
"Eh? Ah, no, I was just lost in thought." She again looks away, her voice barely audible. Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned her family. Let's get her mind off it.
"So, how good is your shooting?"
"Not bad, I suppose. Nothing like Tamase's or Sakaki's."
"Mine is also average." Kei admits while holding her chin.
"How are your shooting skills, Shirogane? Can we count on you to give us another surprise?" She must think I'm bad at shooting, going by her tone and that small smile.
"Heh, if you want a surprise, I got you fam."
"Fam?" I should stop doing this, but her confused face is too cute.
"It's a way to say… like, dude, friend or something like that."
"Special-kun you're too weird." I don't want you telling me that, dear Kei.
"Well, let's do our best." I raise a fist as I go get my gun.
We grab our rifles and take our positions. Marimo-chan comes just as we finished getting ready, and after giving us a once over to make sure we were ready she folds her arms and takes her binoculars out.
"Alright squad, first we'll start from regular shooting and we'll work our way up to sniping as you already know." Another difference to the list, we always had these trainings separated before. "We'll go from the targets that are at the 200M mark until the ones on the 1500M mark, switching to sniping rifles midway." Ouch, that's a long distance. How far can I shot precisely now? Last time 850M was my limit.
"Eh?! But… we were just practicing with the farthest targets at 850M as the last distance some days ago!" Meiya raises her head from her position, Kei also seems to be bothered by this since she also looked up.
"It was decided that we could give you a harsher training, since this is the second time you take this course." Marimo-chan is nowhere to be found, though. "Everyone, in position!"
Meiya and Chizuru exchange a worried glance, Kei just sighs very heavily, while Tama gulps with her eyes closed before going back into position. This is par for the course by now, but it's still weird. I go prone and aim at the target, awaiting the order.
"FIRE!"
Not a second after the Instructor's shout, the loud sound of shells being shot echoes about. I grab my binoculars and check my target, dead center.
"Reload and aim at the next!"
We kept shooting through the next three distances. Meiya and Ayamine missed at the 600M one when we had to switch to the sniping rifle.
"Mitsurugi and Ayamine, out! Reload and aim at the next target!"
We now aim at the 850M target. There's a bit of wind, so let's aim slightly to the left… I take a breath just before Marimo-chan gives the order. After the shots are taken I look through my binoculars, dead center. Hell yeah! All that training at the shooting range and my practice with the TR are bearing fruit! All that training I did with Tama in my first loops is finally finished, now that I'm able to get the bullseye of this distance.
"Sakaki, out! Aim at the next target!"
Now, the next one is at the 1100M mark. Looking at the small circle in the distance, I couldn't help but feel my heartbeat and the small sweat running down my face. This is… like when I was under the cliff. Freaking missiles got in the way, but now there's no such thing happening. Unless a meteor rain of chickens falls on the base right now or something.
Remember the feeling, remember Tama's advice, locking at the core, slightly to the left because of the wind, aiming a bit lower due to the distance, holding it steady…
"Fire!" I pull the trigger.
I take my time before looking at the target, gulping hard as I finally did. Not dead center, but it's in the innermost circle! Yeah, baby!
"Reload and aim at the final target!"
"EH?! Shirogane… You hit the target?!" Chizuru couldn't believe it. She sounds just as she did back home when I told her I could cook.
Well, to be fair, I am trying my best right now. I think this is as good as I'll ever get, unlike Tama who can take down a falling shuttle at cruiser speed. And I wouldn't have gotten to this level if not for her tutoring.
I go prone again, but I took a glance towards Tama. Her hands are shaking, brows arched. The small delay as she got in position, the way she's licking her lips… It feels as if she had seen a basilisk. She's holding her breath real tight, so… Her anxiety issues are back at it again, huh.
Sigh… Nothing I can do now. If she needs a hand, I'll be there. But for now, I'll just focus. Target locked, aiming… This should do it. Probably. I think. Perhaps. Maybe.
"Fire!"
Our rifles shoot for the last time. Me and Tama stay on the ground, not wanting to look ourselves through the binoculars. I slowly leave my position, getting up and clearing my forehead of sweat. Tama, however, was still petrified, looking at the ground as her thumbs didn't knew whether to hide under the other fingers or remains outside. Sigh… She failed the shot, didn't she?
"Well, well, well. Color me surprised." Marimo-chan smirks as she lowers the binoculars, chuckling a bit. "Tamase, you're out! Shirogane's team wins this round. Sakaki, Tamase! Five laps in the track field!"
"Yes, Instructor!" Chizuru goes immediately to run the laps, but Tama takes a moment before following behind her. She's looking at the ground with a her mouth barely open, her arms glued to her sides.
I look at both targets, mine is near the outer rim of the outermost circle but Tama missed entirely, she didn't even hit the outermost circle of the target. So she got nervous and screwed up, if she had been calm I'm sure she could have gotten a better shot than me. I'm sure she could have gotten the bullseye of that one no problem, if she were calm.
A small sound of clapping snaps me out of the target right before I feel a strong pat on the shoulder.
"Shirogane, what was that about not being confident in your sniping? You're better than Tamase! And she's a pretty good sniper, I'm sure you know." Marimo-chan showers me with praise while smirking.
"No, this is as good as I'll get. I don't think I could improve much more."
"You say that as if your level was bad. What's left for Mitsurugi and Ayamine who couldn't even hit the 600M target?" Both girls look to the ground, shame and frustration pouring from their eyes.
"They just need more training. And maybe they should improve their habits?"
"Habits? What do you mean?"
I tell her what I noticed during last loop about their firing habits, under the guise that my old Instructor told me about it and I used that to get to my current level.
"I see. That's a fine piece of advice. I'll take it into consideration for your training." She nods with a smile, thank God she agreed to this. "Mitsurugi, Ayamine, you both heard him so try to put his advice to use. Maybe then you'll be able to hit stuff with your guns outside of close range." Ouch. Marimo-chan is full of venom this time around. What the hell is making her this upset?
She walks away, going to oversee the other two's laps. Chizuru was managing just fine but, as expected, Tama was not into it. That only got her another shout from the Instructor, who ordered her to 'properly run' instead of lazing about. Her eyes squinted as she nodded, unable to pronounce a reply. Tama… It's a matter of time. When the CCSE comes, she'll see her sniping is gonna save us from the gun batteries and I'm sure that'll be a great boost for her confidence. Until then, let's support her however I can.
"That was… splendid Shirogane." Meiya looks as dejected as me after failing a test. After such scolding, I would be too. "You can do anything, it seems."
"I just trained a lot. You all can get to my level with time." Her eyes veer away, she places her hands on her waist as she also looks to the track field.
"You can snipe, your CQC is also very good, you have ample knowledge of tactics, and you're always calm and collected. Would you happen to also be proficient at mid-range as well?"
"I guess? Well, yes. I'm better at mid-range than at sniping, that's for sure."
"Better than… That is just…" Meiya falls silent, gaze on the floor.
"Special-kun, what are you bad at?"
"Manners." I can't be bothered most of the time, luckily I learned to shut up and show the proper respect when it's needed. Except when I'm hungry, tired, or both.
"I'm being serious. What are you supposed to be? A super duper soldier?" She says it with cute words, but her eyes are oozing chainsaws. And they're aiming at me, menacingly.
"I mean… Really, I just had a very harsh training. If you all had been trained like this from the start you would also be much better by now, right?"
"No, every person has limits. And things they're bad at. You don't." She holds my gaze with an accusing glare, even her voice seemed incredulous now. Which is odd, Kei never confronts someone openly with the exception of Chizuru.
"Hey, you make it sound like I'm not normal. I just trained a lot, that's it."
"Special-kun… Were you conscripted before?" Ah shit, here we go again.
"No? Why would I be here if I had experience in the field?"
"Hmm, really? Then, where did you learn to handle a gun like that?"
"I mean… My skill comes from training, there's no secret to it." Kei stares at me, unblinking and without looking away..
"So you come from a place where this kind of training is normal, huh?" Slowly bringing a hand to her chin, one of her eyes seemed to squint. What is she trying to say? What's wrong with all of you today?
"Ayamine, stop." Meiya folds her arms, letting a huge sigh out. "Looking for excuses will only drag us down. Regardless of where he learned, Shirogane is doing his best in the trainings. Let us use his knowledge to hone ourselves, even if we can't get to his level at the moment."
"…Fine." Kei shrugs, then comes closer to me. "Special-kun, drop the secret right now." Before I could react, she grabs my shoulders and gets her face really close to mine. This… is really embarrassing.
"…Huh?"
"How do you get better with a gun? Is that about waiting a bit all there is to it?"
"Well…" I know she isn't doing it with those intentions… But having her so close is really uncomfortable. I look up, away from her eyes, as I scratch my head while trying to find the right words. "When you're firing at mid range, yes. For sniping, I guess you should…"
I give them some pointers based on what I read online, what I was told at the firing range I went to, and my limited experience through the loops. I'd like to tell them what Tama taught me, but it's better if she herself is the one who teaches them since that'll do wonders for her self-esteem.
Kei seemed to ponder my suggestions, still looking doubtful towards me. Meiya seemed to be willing to give this a try, though she still looked bothered to no end.
During the following exercise I had no trouble hitting the targets, compared to doing this in a TSF it's much easier. I ended up being the winner again, hitting most targets. Marimo-chan made all the girls run five laps, on the grounds that I 'carried' them on the trainings today.
It's almost like the roles completely reversed. When I first arrived I was the one dragging the team down, but now the rest are seen as the slackers. They all look shaken, especially Tama. Kei and Chizuru were sending some strong blazes at me when they got near where I was waiting. What's their problem?
"Shirogane, you're already finished for the morning drills. You can go to the PX."
"I'd like to go with my squad, Instructor. I'll wait until they finish."
"Hmm, aren't you a team player? Regardless, the Professor was right. You truly are a star model."
"Huh? The Professor?" What did Sensei do this time?
"She mentioned to me how she thought you were a cut above the rest of the common soldiers, and recommended me to use you to drive the squad to their limits."
I see, so Sensei tried to help me by giving us a harder training and forcing the girls to improve. I can't say that I don't agree, but this is still overkill. It's like trying to kill a cockroach with a shotgun, this is too much for them to handle.
"Still, the sudden change was a bit too much in my opinion. But they'll get used to it eventually."
"I sure hope, I have prepared a harsher training regime for November."
"A harder one?!" The girls turned their heads towards us as they heard me raising my voice. Marimo-chan looked at me, smiling in a way that seemed to amplify the wind's coldness.
"Exactly. Starting next Monday, I'll give you all the best training course I've ever crafted. Maybe I'll get to see you taking the trainings seriously from now on."
I don't like her smile, this is bad. They're struggling with this training, I don't wanna know what will happen when they take this new one.
They finished their laps and we made our way to the PX, but not a single word was said. All of them were silent, and I didn't feel like forcing a conversation. The afternoon classes were about assembling a rifle, and I'll say they were rather annoyed when I finished it so fast.
After that we got a lecture on both guerrilla tactics and infiltrations, and how to fight a TSF on foot. I never had to use either of these lessons on the field, but my experience is limited to Sadogashima and Kashgar since during the coup I was spamming the 'Run Away' option like mad, and I don't really remember clearly what happened after Operation Babylon on my first loops. I still could answer swiftly the questions that Marimo-chan sent my way.
I can't say the same about the rest. They're being overwhelmed, the pace of the lectures is much faster and the 'easy' questions have been removed. They got even more assignments to do for the next class.
"That's all for today. Girls, I recommend you to study more seriously. Starting next week, you'll have an even harder training regime in preparation for the CCSE. Do be sure to make the most out of your time until then. That's all for today. Dismissed!"
We salute the Instructor, who then leaves, and as she did the girls storm out of the classroom. I tried to reach out to them as they left but they didn't stop, even if Tama did look back with conflicting waves in her eyes.
I ended up eating alone in the PX. This is just the worst. I can only hope Mikoto is able to catch up to us when she gets back. At this rate, she might not be able to get up to par.
…Maybe training with everything I had was not a good idea.