CONTENT WARNING: This chapter contains slurs. The Drill Sergeant Nasty kind. This will be the only chapter in which they are featured. They by no means represent my views on any topic. They're here for story purposes and nothing more. You have been warned.
-!-
As she opened her eyes, she found herself sinking into a deep, vast ocean. Floating aimlessly in the dark waters, she squinted as the shine from the sun piercing through the top made its way to her. Her limbs were sprawled, catching onto nothing that could drag her to the surface.
She wasn't sure how she got to this place, but her mind was too muddled to inquire as to why. Every so often, she could feel as invisible waves were sent through the sea, pulsing at irregular intervals that broke the monotony of her descent.
This was most likely a dream, she figured. The fact that she had the ability to think so was already unusual, but she didn't care about that. The glare from the sun was painful though, and she wished she could turn away from it, if only to alleviate the strain on her vision.
Just then, as if reading her thoughts, something blocked out the bright light. Floating down towards her from the nothingness was a silhouette of a person, one she couldn't quite place. All she could tell is that it was slender, but its form was like the deepest void, refusing to be recognized. It descended towards her, and with each inch it covered, she felt her eyes slowly closing once more.
Sudden exhaustion overtook her.
And just before everything went dark, the silhouette reached out to her, vanishing together with the deep blue sea.
-!-
"Hng..."
shake shake
"Hnng...Miku...it's too early..."
shake shake
"We don't have school today...let me sleep please..."
"My apologies, Tachibana-san, but I cannot allow that."
Her eyes shot open at the unfamiliar voice. Immediately sitting up in her bed, Hibiki stared at the intruder to her private domain, hugging the blanket to herself.
"W-w-w-wha—!"
"Good morning, Tachibana-san," Elfnein said, standing by the bedside. "I was sent by Professor Sakurai to make sure you awaken on time, as well as brief you on matters we did not discuss last night."
Hibiki blinked rapidly, failing to register what the small alchemist told her. She was never a morning person, and always woke up late to school as a result. Even an alarm clock couldn't wake her, and it didn't help that Miku often left her to fend for herself in order to teach her the importance of punctuality.
"Elfnein-chan!? What're you doing here!?"
Elfnein pouted. "As I said, I'm here to inform you of a few things. It'd be prudent of you to get out of bed and get yourself ready. You must be in the gymnasium in half an hour."
Hibiki blinked rapidly at her. After a few moments of dumb staring, her brain finally booted up, reminding her of where she was.
'Oh right... Parallel world...'
That explained the uncomfortable bed, the small room, and Elfnein's presence within it. "R-right. Sorry, I kinda forgot for a moment there. Thanks for reminding me; I'll get up now."
Her eyes still only partly opened, she threw the thin blanket off herself and sat on the foot of the bed. Elfnein took a step back and watched silently as Hibiki rubbed her tired eyes, trying to adjust to the light in the room. Elfnein must've turned it on when she entered.
Her stomach rumbled. She groaned as she rose to her feet and stretched until she heard her joints pop. Tomosato had placed a single can of baked beans inside the kitbag, which had served as her breakfast, lunch, and dinner yesterday. Naturally, for a person as ravenous as her, a single can of beans was not nearly enough to sate her hunger. Yet, that's all she had been given, and she didn't get the chance to request another.
Perhaps now was the best time. "Umm, Elfnein-chan... Would it be okay to ask for food? I barely ate yesterday and I'm kinda—"
"I'm afraid that's not possible at the moment," the alchemist said, bringing Hibiki's spirit further down. "You'll unfortunately miss breakfast, however lunch you will not. You will know your exact schedule once you meet with the others."
So much for that. Hibiki sighed once again, and grabbed her phone from the desk, turning it on to check the time. As expected, it was just a few minutes after 6:00 AM. Miku's sunlit smile met her eyes again, and a small bit of the anxiety that had built up within her died down. Before she could place it back down, Elfnein approached.
"Tachibana-san!" she called out in a louder voice, startling Hibiki. "What is that!?"
"Eh!?" Hibiki let out. "What is what?"
"That thing you just used!" Elfnein clarified, pointing to the cellphone.
"Ah, that's just my phone," Hibiki said, slightly confused by her behavior.
"May I see it?" the alchemist asked with a curious gaze. Hibiki wasn't sure where she was going with this question, but she figured there was no harm in showing her.
"Sure," she replied, handing her the phone. Elfnein, upon receiving it, immediately began to look over the device, turning it up and over to get a grasp of its design.
"Fascinating," she murmured, putting a hand on her chin. "I've never seen such a device before."
Hibiki tilted her head in further confusion. "You've never seen a cellphone before?"
"I have, just not one like this," Elfnein said, keeping her gaze on the device in her hand. "Would you mind if I studied it? I am quite interested in this technology. It is quite unprecedented. Just how advanced is your world?"
Hibiki found the enthusiast prodding from her strange, but chuckled all the while. "Ah, well, I guess it's...pretty advanced? We don't have giant mecha though." She then recalled a particular incident. "Ah! There was this one time where this one group had a giant floating ship and that was pretty cool! But we had to destroy it cos it was being used by bad people. Oh, and if you're going to study it, please don't ruin it, okay? I kinda really need it and the battery is low as it is."
"I understand. I'll exercise due caution," Elfnein said, holding the phone in two hands like it was a precious object. "In the meantime, you should get dressed. You don't want to run late."
"Oh, right."
As Elfnein continued looking over the phone and giving the screen experimental presses, Hibiki began to undress, not at all bothered by the presence of the alchemist in the room. Even if it was a parallel world, the Elfnein from her world had already seen her naked countless times for regular medical checkups. This one didn't seem to care either, as she was too engrossed with the phone to pay attention.
Hibiki dragged the kitbag closer and zipped it open, taking out the necessary parts of the uniform. It included a pair of combat boots, khaki pants, a dark blue undershirt, and a khaki shirt, all of which were, from their state and smell, reused. It was more or less what she had expected from a military uniform, although to actually use it now was a weird feeling she couldn't quite describe.
Sighing again, she began the process of dressing herself. In the meantime, Elfnein stopped her tinkering with the phone and slid it into the inner pocket of her lab coat. "There are a few things you must take into consideration before you head out."
"Hm?" Hibiki let out, continuing her process.
"First, you must not tell anyone your true origins," the alchemist said. "Second, you must not reveal anything we talked about yesterday to anyone. Both of these pieces of information are highly confidential; you do not know where prying ears could be lurking in wait to steal them."
"I know," Hibiki responded, having just finished slipping on the undershirt. "In my world, I couldn't tell anyone I was a Symphogear user either. Only Miku and a few of my friends from school ever found out, so I know how to keep a secret."
"Good," Elfnein said. "Next is your cover story as per what Professor Sakurai put forth on your papers: Due to extenuating family circumstances, you were granted a special exception from the draft until a recent medical exam revealed you as a candidate for a Symphogear. As such, you were immediately enlisted, and all the costs for your family are now being covered by the military. It's a good enough story to force people off your back, and if they try to pry further, claim that you can't talk about it. It may be flimsy, but it's better that they jump to their own conclusions than know the truth."
One boot was slipped on, and then another. She tied the laces just as she remembered and stood up, walking over to the sink to check herself in the mirror.
"And finally, I have two things to give you," Elfnein continued, withdrawing two distinct objects from the front pocket of her lab coat. Hibiki turned to her and received them both, checking them over in her hand. "One is your security clearance card, as the Professor said she'd provide for you. It'll give you access to the most secure locations in the base save for a few, and is nearly as high as hers and mine. The second is your dog tag, which you must wear at all times. Think of it like your relic pendant: it must never be taken off unless for specific circumstances."
"Thanks," Hibiki said in response. She finished putting on the khaki shirt, completing her new look as a fresh recruit of Tokyo Base. She put on the dog tag around her neck and slipped the card into the shirt pocket. "So this is it, huh? It's only my second day and I'm already in a new uniform. It's almost like starting school again."
"Hmm, makes sense, considering this base was built in place of one," Elfnein said.
"Really? Which one?"
"Lydian Private Academy of Music."
Everything stopped. Just as she grabbed the note containing the pledge she had to recite today, Elfnein dropped a bombshell of a revelation on her head. "Eh!? Seriously!? That's the school I went to!"
"I see. In this world, it was razed to the ground by the BETA. When we retook the capital, we quickly constructed this base to serve as a forward outpost. Since then, however, the BETA's attacks on Japan have decreased, although we can never be too careful."
That was... an interesting piece of information for sure. However, it left Hibiki slightly anxious. "What... What happened to all the students?"
"You already know the answer to that."
Elfnein's response was dismissive, but understandable. Hibiki already knew what happened to them; she just didn't want to accept it. She didn't want any more reasons to fear this wretched, broken world.
"We should get going," Elfnein said, heading towards the door.
"R-right..."
Hibiki followed after her, double-checking she hadn't forgotten anything. She locked the door behind her as they exited the room, and now stood in the middle of the brightly lit hallway.
"We shall part ways here," the alchemist told her. "I must head back to the lab. Good luck today, Tachibana-san."
Hibiki, despite herself, smiled. "Thank you, Elfnein-chan. And you can just call me Hibiki."
"I understand. Now then, farewell."
And just like that, she left without another word. Hibiki watched her as she turned the corner, and looked at the spot she disappeared to for a short moment. She sighed again, then withdrew the map Tomosato had given her from her pocket.
As soon as she opened it, she just stared at it with wide eyes. It was huge, showing multiple floors and the maze-like corridors that even the most seasoned of the base's denizens could get lost in. For a moment, she thought she was holding it upside down, yet no matter which way she looked at it, she couldn't figure it out at all. She didn't know where she was on the map, much less where the gymnasium was.
This was bad. Being late for SONG meetings was a big enough cause for a reprimand, so she didn't want to be late for this as well.
Nothing else to do than to ask for directions. Luckily for her, various personnel walked through the hallways. Hopefully, she could make it in time.
-!-
"Umm... I will fulfill my duty to maintain international peace and order, and adhere to the code of conduct..."
By some miracle of the universe, she had barely made it in time to the gym. To her shock and surprise, the only person waiting for her there was Genjuro, who stood on the stage completely still, his eyes watching her like a hawk. She had quickly shuffled inside, offering words of apology which he had regarded with total silence before starting off the one-man ceremony. Soon enough, she had begun reciting the pledge she had been given.
"By... uh..." she mumbled, before reaching into her pocket to take out the note. She had tried to memorize the thing yesterday, but it contained so many difficult words that she couldn't remember them all. She briefly looked to Genjuro, who was waiting impatiently with a scowl on his face. "Cultivating virtue, training my mind and body, and polishing my skills. I shall not take part in political actions, and shall maintain a sense of responsibility, giving my undivided attention to the completion of my mission."
She also just noticed she had completely fumbled the first part of the pledge. How embarrassing, and she was sure Genjuro had noticed her mistake. The entire time he simply stared at her, his gaze not leaving her for even a second and locking her in place. It took everything in her power not to shake like a leaf in the wind. Swallowing once more, she glanced at the note for the final time.
And froze.
She stared at the piece of paper with an incredulous look, not quite sure she had read it right. She blinked several times, hoping that it was just her eyes playing tricks on her. Yet, they were not, and those few bombastic words remained on the page. She looked up, meeting Genjuro's hard stare. Just with his eyes, she could see him push her to continue, and despite her desire to protest the wording of this pledge, she couldn't.
The memory of his frightening interrogation the day before lingered in her mind. It had cultivated that sense of dread and anxiety she had felt since yesterday, and both of those feelings refused to leave her the entire time. She tried her hardest to cheer herself up, but there was an underlying sense of wrongness she felt every second that drained her energy.
She had no choice but to continue, or he would burn her to ashes with his stare. "I swear to never shy away from danger, but to..." she felt herself choking as she recited the final words. "Risk my life in accomplishing my duty, and to fulfill my responsibility to humanity."
That was the end of it. She tucked away the note in her pocket and waited for him to make his next move. A few tense moments passed as silence descended upon the gymnasium as he just watched her.
Finally, he spoke. "We at Tokyo Base bid you welcome, and congratulations on your enlistment."
For some reason, she expected to hear clapping. Yet, the only sound that met her ears was more silence as Genjuro stepped to the front of the stage and jumped down to the floor. He approached her without a word before coming to a stop in front of her. He towered over her like he usually did, and looked down at her as she met his gaze. For some reason, he felt even more insurmountable than her own Genjuro.
"Ah, um..." she tried to say before he immediately cut her off.
"I've heard your story from Professor Sakurai," he said plainly, causing her eyes to widen. "What? Did you truly believe I wouldn't know? I'm the one in charge of the Valkyrie Squadron. Being in the know of everyone's circumstances is paramount to the success of the unit."
"I...I...uh..."
"We must not dawdle. It is time to introduce you to the rest of the unit," he said, and then turned around. "Follow me."
"Ah, yes."
He continuously left her speechless, and left her no quarter as to respond to his hard voice. It was such a major difference to the Genjuro she knew, she almost doubted her ability to see them as the same person. Ryoko's words echoed in her head once again, yet she still had some things she wanted to say.
As she fell into step behind him, she spoke up. "Ummm, Master, I—"
"You either refer to me as Sir or Major," he harshly cut in.
"Ah. Uh... Sir, I have a question," she began. "Why...why does the pledge say to risk our lives?"
"What kind of foolish question is that?" he said without looking back to her. "Even if you come from a different world, you should know very well what it means."
"B-but, doesn't that mean the opposite of what you should be doing? So many people have already died, so wouldn't you want to keep as many as possible alive? You shouldn't give up on life."
She nearly ran into his back as he suddenly came to a stop. She looked up at him as he turned around halfway, and froze when she noticed his piercing glare aimed at her. He showed no emotion on his face, but his eyes alone demonstrated a deep seated fury.
"Your naive words are more liable to get someone killed than that pledge, Tachibana," he said coldly. "I see you don't understand the circumstances we live under, and the circumstances you've found yourself in. Very well, I'll make sure to show you the harsh reality of this world, so you'll never spout such pointless drivel again in your life."
His words shocked her and sent a shiver of fear down her spine again. How was it possible that rather than inspire courage, Genjuro could be so frightening?
The tone with which he spoke promised something akin to hell. He turned away again and continued walking, leading her out of the gymnasium and out to the field.
-!-
"ATTENTION!"
His bellow echoed in the courtyard, reaching the ears of the five currently standing in the very middle of it. If there was anything that proved to her that this was the former Lydian campus, it was the track spanning nearly the entire length of the courtyard. However, rather than the usual rubber-like material they were made out of, the track was a simple chalk carving in the dirt, the absolute cheapest way one could be made.
The five ran towards the two of them while Hibiki waited patiently by Genjuro's side. A few seconds later, they came to a stop before them, and entered a parade stance. Hibiki, of course, instantly recognized all of them. Genjuro had spoken about them during his interrogation yesterday, and Ryoko also brought them up in their talk afterwards.
Kazanari Tsubasa, Yukine Chris, Maria Cadenzavna Eve, Akatsuki Kirika, and Tsukuyomi Shirabe. Looking exactly the same as she remembered them, except wearing identical combat fatigues, were her friends. Her fellow Adaptors, with which she had gone through so much with, stood before her with a serious expression, one she had found to be strange to see on them.
They were all dressed similarly to herself, with combat boots, khaki pants, the dark blue undershirt, and their dog tags hanging from their necks. Additionally, aside from Kirika, whose hair was too short, they had their hair tied up in a high ponytail, giving them a bizarre sense of uniformity with their similar appearances. She had already seen Tsubasa and Maria with such a hairstyle before, but it was new on Chris and Shirabe.
They stood completely still, their hands behind their backs and their legs together, looking not towards Genjuro but straight forward with their heads held high.
"I hereby introduce you to Cadet Tachibana Hibiki. She'll be joining you from now on as a fellow Symphogear Adaptor," he announced sternly. "Due to her family circumstances, she's been exempted from the draft until now. Her relic is Gungnir. I leave it to you to get her acquainted with the military way of life."
All five of them yelled in response. "SIR YES SIR!"
Hibiki was taken aback by the guttural shout. She blinked rapidly at their enthusiasm, however, she did not miss the very brief glance Tsubasa threw her way at the mention of her relic. She recalled the manner by which the Tsubasa from her own world treated her at first due to this information, and her own lack of maturity in dealing with her.
Now, over a year later, she's learned her lesson. This time, she wouldn't make the same mistake.
"Join them, Tachibana," he ordered.
"Ah, yes."
Her answer dissatisfied him, as she could tell from his follow-up glare. She went over to stand to Tsubasa's right, who ignored her and kept her eyes forward. Hibiki looked to her for a moment before turning her gaze back to Genjuro.
And at that moment, she got the first taste of what he meant.
"Since you've got a new member, I will reiterate what you've heard the first time you stepped foot into this base," he began, pacing in front of them from one end to the other. "I am Major Kazanari Genjuro, and I am your commanding officer. You are the members of the Valkyrie Squadron, a specialized unit of the United Nations Peacekeeping Forces. You were all selected due to your high harmonization rates with your designated relics, and will form the Symphogear Unit under the direct command of the United Nations. And here is something you should know..."
His voice trailed off for a moment.
Before he exploded, leaving Hibiki frozen to the core.
"You six are the unluckiest bunch of cunts this world has ever seen!"
A booming voice the likes of which she has never heard from him left his mouth, and she could only stare in shock as he continued with his brazen words.
"Out of the one billion people left on this world, only you six landed on tails and were chosen to join this unit! But make no mistake, just because you were selected for a special unit does not mean you're better than everyone else! In fact, you're even lower! While the rest of the troops come here with real purpose, all I see in front of me are a bunch of dumbfuck spoiled pussies! You are the lowest of the low, lesser than even the shit in the toilet!"
Who is this man?
"But that's what I'm here for, to beat you into shape! From here on out, you will speak only when spoken to! I will turn you sad sacks of trash into real weapons! You will fight, you will kill, and you will die as ordered! Until then, you're not even human fucking beings! Am I understood?!"
"SIR YES SIR!"
The others screamed at the top of their lungs, while Hibiki remained stunned, unable to comprehend his vulgar words. Unluckily for her, he noticed her bewilderment.
"I CAN'T HEAR YOU, TACHIBANA!"
"Ah, ah—"
He thundered towards her and bent down, screaming into her face.
"ARE YOU RETARDED, TACHIBANA?! When I ask you something, you respond with 'Yes sir!' You don't stand there slack jawed like a dumbass! Do you understand, Tachibana?!"
Her voice shook in fear. "Y-yes sir."
"BULLSHIT, I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"
"YES SIR!"
The pressure was ungodly. Memories of her own Genjuro replayed in her mind, and the sheer contrast to what she knew left her frozen to the spot. His already terrifying stature, now right in her face, almost made her want to cry. She couldn't help but straight up obey, too stunned to do anything else.
Who is this man?
He finally left her personal space and resumed his pacing.
"I don't give a shit if you like me or not! My purpose here is to set you maggots straight! If you don't want to become a meal for the BETA, then you will do exactly as I say and nothing else! Am I understood?!"
"SIR YES SIR!"
This time, Hibiki found herself joining in the shouting. She desperately wanted to run away, but she felt as though his words alone chained her to the ground. She couldn't move an inch, lest all the rage in his voice would be turned on her.
"You have only one way out of this shithole, and that is death! You don't even get the luxury of leaving due to injury, disease, or anything of the sort! You don't get the sweet life of leaving after three years of service! You will stay tools of the military until you break! Not even god will sign your death certificate now! Am I understood?!"
"SIR YES SIR!"
Who is this man?
"AKATSUKI!" he bellowed, stopping in front of Kirika.
"YES SIR!"
"What is your purpose here?!"
"TO FIGHT, KILL, AND DIE SIR!"
Hibiki couldn't believe it. She couldn't believe the bubbly, sweet Kirika could ever sound so stern, and she could swear her voice was several tones deeper than she remembered.
He then went to Maria. "EVE!"
"YES SIR!"
"What are you fighting for?!"
"WE FIGHT TO TAKE BACK EARTH FROM THE BETA SIR!"
Maria looked positively rigid. The confident yet warm attitude she remembered from her was nowhere to be found. He glanced at Hibiki from the corner of his eye.
"STAND UP STRAIGHT TACHIBANA!"
She flinched.
"PUT YOUR HANDS BEHIND YOUR BACK AND PUT YOUR LEGS TOGETHER! I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOUR DISGUSTING CAMEL TOE, AM I UNDERSTOOD?!"
"YES SIR!"
She felt like her heart was about to rupture. Hurriedly she did as he ordered, imitating the others in their posture.
Who is this man?
He left Maria and continued his pacing. "Your training here will be harsh and unfair! If one of you fucks up, everyone pays for it! I will turn you from a bunch of ugly whores into a unified force, stronger than any other! You will not laugh and you will not cry, because I swear to god, if I catch any of you doing either, I will make you wish you died instead! AM I UNDERSTOOD?!"
"SIR YES SIR!"
Who.
Is.
This.
Man?
He finally stopped pacing and stood in front of them all. "We'll be starting our regular morning routine. You will be running, and you will not stop until I tell you to stop. You will run even if you puke your guts out or piss your pants. Anyone who falls behind will be punished hard! Am I understood?"
"SIR YES SIR!"
Okay, running. She could deal with that. As if reading her thoughts, Genjuro yelled in her direction again. "I've heard you've got a good track record, Tachibana! Let's see if you're worth a damn!"
"Y-yes sir."
"I CAN'T HEAR YOU TACHIBANA! CAN YOU HEAR ME?!"
"YES SIR!"
"Bullshit! I think you're lying! Clean the shit out of your ears and make sure you answer correctly the first time, am I understood?!"
"YES SIR!"
"NOW GET TO RUNNING!"
"SIR YES SIR!"
And just like that, the others turned around and promptly began their jog around the track. Hibiki, still somewhat stunned, took a moment to realize what was happening before she hurriedly caught up with them. She didn't want Genjuro to scream at her for falling behind.
Thus began their run. Thrown into the burning pot straight away, Hibiki focused on keeping up with the others. She was still in fantastic shape, so it wasn't very difficult to do so. In the meantime, she studied the others as they ran as well.
Tsubasa and Maria were in the lead, as they always were. Surprisingly, Chris and Kirika were right on their heels, which Hibiki found to be shocking. Those two's fitness levels were always pretty poor, especially Chris. She struggled to handle Genjuro's training, and always just barely scraped by. To see her actually managing to keep up with the most athletic duo of the group was incredible. Likewise for Kirika.
And so somehow, the one who fell behind was Shirabe. She recalled the petite girl being somewhat of a good runner, as well as being able to achieve quite astonishing feats of gymnastics. If anything, it was she who was supposed to be keeping up with the duo in the front. Yet here, Hibiki could visibly see her struggle, huffing and puffing like her life depended on it.
That...that's odd. It didn't look right to Hibiki no matter which way she looked at it. Deciding to perhaps try and initiate some small talk, she caught up with Shirabe and somewhat easily ran by her side. She briefly looked to Genjuro who watched them all like a hawk, and then turned back to her.
"H-hey there," she said, trying to pretend she doesn't know her. It was going to be difficult to do so, but she had to try. "How are you?"
Clearly, a master of smalltalk. The only response she got from Shirabe was, unfortunately, silence.
"I'm Hibiki. It's nice to meet you, Shira— I mean, yeah..."
"Don't talk to me."
And just like that, rejected.
"Ah, hahahahahaha..."
Her nervous laugh seem to grate on Shirabe's nerves, who frowned at the sound of her voice. Well, that was a complete failure. Maybe she'll have more luck with—
"TACHIBANA!" Genjuro yelled. Oh no. "Is something funny?!"
"N-no sir— I mean, NO SIR!"
"THEN WHY THE FUCK DID I HEAR YOU LAUGHING?! Are you having fun?! Is this amusing?! You think this is a goddamn circus?! Or are you just checking out Tsukuyomi?!"
Wait, what? "N-no sir!"
"You think she's cute?! You want to get it on with her?!"
She felt her face flush red, both from his vulgar description and his accusation. How the heck did he reach that conclusion just from her laughter? Not only that, both Kirika and Chris were looking back at her, the former with a confused tilt of the head and the latter grinning like a madwoman.
"NO SIR!"
"Well ain't that too bad for you, Tachibana! Luckily, I got a partner right here waiting for you!" he yelled, and gestured harshly towards a pile of giant army bags. "You getting the bag! Pick that up and put it on! You're running with this fucker from now on!"
"Y-yes sir!"
What a disaster. Just a small laugh landed her in so much trouble. And it wasn't like she was doing it on purpose either... But she figured he wasn't going to accept that no matter what she said.
As they completed the first lap, she ran over to the pile. It was humongous, and upon trying to pick it up, she could feel how heavy it was too. She briefly looked at him with wide eyes, and was met by an angry glare. "What the hell are you waiting for?!"
She flinched. Okay, she could do this. She carried heavier things than this on her back before. With a heave, she forced the khaki bag on her back. She stumbled back from the increase in weight. She hurried to balance herself, heaving forward with her back now bent from the immense weight bearing down on it. Even if she could handle it, she felt that it was too much.
"Um, Mas— Sir, isn't this a bit...?"
"Are you fucking complaining, Tachibana?!" he shouted in her face. She cringed again from his booming voice. "Be thankful I'm not beating your ass to the ground! Now get moving!"
Absolutely no room for negotiation. She sighed, and slightly adjusting the bag on her back, went to resume her run. Immediately she felt the difference as her knees bent more than usual, and her thighs screamed as she moved forward. Joining back onto the track, she had obviously fallen behind, with Tsubasa and Maria having already completed half the track in the meantime.
Every step felt herculean in effort with the additional burden on her shoulders. Was this normal? Why was he doing this? Who is this man?
"YUKINE!"
Once again, he screamed. Chris, who had been running further ahead, flinched. Hibiki couldn't quite hear what she said, but it sounded like 'Oh crap.'
"DO I HEAR YOU TALKING SHIT, YUKINE?!"
Caught red-handed, Chris couldn't do anything but admit her misdeed. "YES SIR!"
"DO YOU SUCK DICK, YUKINE?!"
"SIR NO SIR!"
"Well thank god you don't! I pity the fool who'd dare put his junk in your shit-filled mouth! Since you obviously got energy to spare, then you get the bag too! GET ON IT!"
"SIR YES SIR!"
"ARE YOU THANKFUL, YUKINE?!"
"SIR YES SIR!"
And just like herself, Chris ran to the pile of giant military bags and put one. Since she was shorter, Chris struggled a lot more with it as she resumed running. Hibiki could only stare at her with wide eyes, both pitying her and wondering what she said that got her in trouble.
"Good for you, Yukine! Now if you keep this up, you might not become food for the BETA right away! After all, they'd love to chow down on someone like you! Huge tits for them are like gourmet meals! A pair of meat buns ripe for feasting! You like that, Yukine? Well you'll go by meatbun from now on! Cadet Meatbun! Do you like that name?!"
"SIR YES SIR!"
It was pure humiliation. For one reason or another, Genjuro was enjoying humiliating them with his words and actions. She didn't know for what reason that was, but with every second that passed, she felt the desire to speak up rising.
And barely a second after he forced Chris to take the bag...
"EVE! WIPE THAT SMIRK OFF YOUR FACE!"
"YES SIR!"
"Listen here, Eve! There's two things I hate: Slowass people who take forever to get shit done, and smug fucks who think they're better than others! WHICH ONE DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, EVE?!"
"THE LATTER SIR!"
"So you think you're hot shit, don't you?! Well, you get extra special care! Take the bag and give me a hundred! The more you smile, the more hundreds you'll do! Don't you fucking dare drop, you hear me?!"
"SIR YES SIR!"
And just like that, she got to it. She ran to the bags, put one on, went down to the ground, and started doing push ups. With absolutely no complaints, she got to it as fast as possible.
It was inhuman to see. Hibiki herself could handle it, but to see Chris and Maria be subject to this demonic training and treatment further aggravated her core. She kept on running, sending periodic glances towards Chris, who was struggling greatly with the weight. Yet, despite it all, she kept going, adjusting her weight periodically to make the load more bearable.
And yet, it wasn't over yet. This strange, incomprehensible man wearing Genjuro's skin was not done just yet.
"AKATSUKI!" he screamed this time. It's almost like he was deliberately targeting each and every one of them personally for practically any reason, as if he was looking to humiliate them as much as possible. "WHY ARE YOU RUNNING SO SLOW, AKATSUKI?!"
"I-I'm...a little tired, sir!" Kirika yelled back, panting heavily.
"WHY WOULD YOU BE TIRED, AKATSUKI?! WHAT COULD YOU HAVE POSSIBLY DONE TO BE TIRED?!"
"I DON'T KNOW SIR!"
"WELL I THINK I HAVE AN IDEA! Maybe if you and Tsukuyomi stopped eating each other out every night, maybe you wouldn't be so fucking tired! Tell me Akatsuki, did it taste good?!"
"Did what taste good, sir?!"
"YOU KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!" he bellowed like a rabid lion. "DID TSUKUYOMI'S PUSSY TASTE GOOD, AKATSUKI?!"
His vulgarity almost made Hibiki stop and charge at him in anger. She looked to Kirika in front of her, who was already flushing red, and then at Shirabe, who was both red in the face and biting her lip until she drew blood. When Kirika failed to respond, he screamed again. "ANSWER THE DAMN QUESTION, AKATSUKI!"
Perhaps out of overwhelming fear and pressure, Kirika could do nothing but yell out the answer in return, letting all those gathered hear her unfiltered thoughts.
"IT TASTED GREAT, SIR!"
"WELL AIN'T THAT FUCKING NICE! Perhaps you let everyone have a taste of it later! Either that, or you take the bag too! HOW DOES THAT SOUND?!"
"I will take the bag, sir!"
"THEN HOP ON IT!"
And again, just like the others, Kirika ran over to take a bag, put it on, and resumed running. Even though she'd just been shamed in public, she showed no distress at the fact. Other than being embarrassed, she returned to the training without a single complaint, which Hibiki simply couldn't understand.
How? How could they take this so lightly? How could they just stand there and be called out like that? His degrading words were nothing short of harassment. Yet, they obeyed him without a word. If her own Genjuro had acted the same, nobody would let him hear the end of it.
Is this the truth of this world? Is this what he meant by making her face the harsh reality?
So harsh was it that even his own flesh and blood didn't get special treatment.
"KAZANARI!"
Unlike the others, Tsubasa didn't even look in his direction as he shouted her name. As rigid and expressionless as a machine, she answered loudly.
"SIR!"
"Why are you running like you got a stick up your ass, huh?! What kind of fucked up form is that?! How many times do I have to tell you?! Are you fucking deaf, Kazanari?!"
"SIR, I HAVE NO EXCUSE, SIR!" she answered. Despite her shout, Hibiki noticed how lacking in emotion it was. Like she was answering not due to being truly embarrassed, but rather that it was a given that she would.
"Maybe get Tachibana to clean the shit out of your ears too! Drop and give me a hundred!"
"SIR!"
She didn't even bother leaving the track. She just stopped, went down to the ground, and started doing push ups.
Genjuro didn't like that. "NOT ON THE TRACK YOU RETARD! Get the hell out of the way! And give me another hundred because you pissed me off!"
"SIR!"
She obeyed him without question. Hibiki knew how by-the-books Tsubasa could be, or at least, the Tsubasa she knew. It truly was like watching a machine in action; it knows what to do, but it must always be told how to do it. It will do so well, but unless given specific instructions, it will make mistakes.
And so they kept running. Hibiki once again surveyed the courtyard, taking count of who was doing what. Chris, Kirika, Shirabe, and herself were still running, while Tsubasa and Maria were doing pushups like mad. She could see how both Chris and Kirika were close to collapsing to the ground, barely able to keep going with the massive weight on their backs. Even for herself it was becoming difficult, as each step became more and more sluggish due to exhaustion.
This was pure torture. No matter what they did, he'll never be satisfied. She could never support such a thing; treating people like tools to be used and discarded went against every single one of her principles. But she couldn't say anything, because he was just that frightening, and she felt as though he'd follow through on his previous threats.
And then, the last remaining runner fumbled.
Shirabe, perhaps due to a misstep, or perhaps due to exhaustion, slipped. She fell to the ground knees first, crying out as she did so. Hibiki couldn't even turn around in time before Genjuro was already on her.
"TSUKUYOMI!" he screamed, thundering towards Shirabe. It was as if his footsteps shook the very ground he walked on, throwing up dust in the air with each and every step he took.
The training immediately stopped as Kirika promptly tossed aside the heavy bag and ran to her side before Genjuro could get to her. Hibiki soon followed, while Chris merely put it aside and walked towards them calmly. Tsubasa and Maria stopped their repetitions short and stood up, watching from afar.
"Shirabe-chan!" Hibiki called out, dropping all pretenses of formality. She reached her side, crouching down by the fallen girl whose face was scrunched up in pain. She reached towards her leg with her hand, cradling her burning thigh.
By the time Kirika joined her as well, Genjuro was already upon them. He loomed over all three of them, his arms crossed, and looked down at Shirabe with contempt, not even registering the others. "Get up, Tsukuyomi."
Shirabe's response was a pained grunt as she tried to rise to her feet, but to no avail.
"I said, get up."
She groaned as she attempted to obey his orders, sweat dripping down her face from the exertion. "Y-yes...sir..."
Hibiki couldn't bear watching. Before she could say anything, Kirika was already on it. To her shock, however, she did not say what she had expected.
"C'mon Shirabe, you have to get up," Kirika said softly to her, offering her a shoulder to lean on.
Hibiki's eyes widened, aghast at the ludicrous comment Kirika just made. Why? Why was she trying to push her to continue?! She's obviously in pain!
There was no way she was letting this go on.
"No, you can't," she said, putting her hand on Shirabe's free shoulder. "Don't get up; you need to rest. You pushed yourself too hard."
Shockingly, Shirabe's response wasn't to quietly listen to her. No, instead, she slapped away Hibiki's hand, her pained expression turning to anger. "Don't...you dare...pity...me..."
"W-wha—"
"I won't repeat myself again," Genjuro grumbled, his visage becoming darker by the second. "Get up, Tsukuyomi. You will keep running."
That's it.
"NO!" Hibiki yelled out, shooting to her feet. "She can't keep running! Can't you see she's suffering?! If she keeps going, she'll hurt herself badly!"
"And who are you to decide that?" Genjuro said flatly. His cold answer shook her to the core, and before she could respond, he gestured with his shin to the pair on the ground. "See for yourself."
Still livid, Hibiki turned to look at Shirabe and immediately froze. The short girl, despite the pain she was going through, was slowly rising to her feet. Even without Kirika's help, she managed to stand up, albeit uneasily as her legs trembled uncontrollably. She put her hands on her knees to try and stop the shaking, slowly bringing herself up higher and higher.
"Shirabe-chan, what're you doing?! Stop!"
"Don't...address me...so...informally...I'm...not...your...friend..."
"W-wha—"
"You underestimated her, Tachibana," Genjuro said with a disturbing amount of calmness. "Do you think you know better than her what she's capable of? Do you think you know better than me what she's capable of?"
"What?! No! That's not what I meant! I just—"
"No, I see very clearly what this is," he cut her off, not letting her say another word. "You looked down on her. No, you looked down on all of them. Did you think I didn't notice your stares as they did the exercise? Do you know what I saw?"
She couldn't say a thing in response to his accusations. He was wrong, she never thought that at all!
"I see an arrogant bitch who thinks she's better than everybody else. A punk who lives in her own little world and believes she knows better than everyone else. Who the hell do you think you are, Tachibana? Do enlighten me."
What could she possibly say to him? What sort of justification could she find for her actions? "I...I just wanted to help her when she was suffering! Why would you make her keep going anyway?! How can you be so cruel?!"
"Cruel? Me?" Genjuro said in what seemed like genuine astonishment. He then let out a dissatisfied huff. "You truly are a fool, aren't you? What do you think I am here for, Tachibana? Do you think I'll coddle you, tuck you in at night, and read you a bedtime story? You clearly don't seem to understand the situation we're in. I am here to make sure you don't die. Failure on the battlefield means certain death. You do not get second chances or do-overs there."
"Then you can do so without humiliating us or spouting such vulgar words! It's not right! That's not what will make people stronger!" she yelled back, her face reddening as she panted in anger.
"If you can't handle something as simple as that, you're not worthy of being on the battlefield," he said plainly. "The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war. The more you bleed in peace, the less you die in war. But you seem intent on not letting that happen, Tachibana. You seem just fine with letting them all die because you decided by yourself what they can and can't handle. That, Tachibana, makes you the cruel one. You have no right to say otherwise."
"But I...I—!"
"You don't decide anything here. You, a fresh recruit who's full of herself, has no right to decide anything for others. The only thing you do, Tachibana, is obey the orders you're given. I decide what each and every one of you does; you start only when I tell you and you stop only when I tell you," he continued. "When I tell you to fight, you will fight. When I tell you to kill, you will kill. And when I tell you to die, you will die."
She was silent. There was not a single thing she could say in response to his bone-chilling declaration. She could only stare as the man in front of her swiftly became a demon in her eyes, one she couldn't support. A demon wearing Genjuro's skin and using his voice.
And at that moment, she realized it. This was the moment she understood what he meant by those words. This is what he referred to when he spoke of a harsh reality.
He tore his gaze away from her and spoke loudly. "It seems that Tachibana here is looking down on all of you! She thinks she knows better than all of you what you're capable of! Isn't this a perfect opportunity to show her what you can do?"
The older duo approached the group, and they stood around him as they waited for further orders.
"All of you, give me three hundred!" he screamed out. The ridiculously unreasonable number went unnoticed by the five, who immediately replied.
"SIR YES SIR!"
Tsubasa, Maria, and Kirika all dropped to the ground at once and began their reps. Chris mumbled something incoherently before she too joined in, while Shirabe looked to Hibiki with a disdainful glare for a moment before uneasily lowering herself too.
"Tachibana, you get to watch. Aren't you glad? Since you obviously don't think they're good enough, how about they prove it to you? Make sure to pay close attention or they'll have to start from the beginning."
And with that, he fell silent. Hibiki stood in the middle of the circle, trapped between the others who were doing repetition after repetition, trying their hardest to complete the three hundred he ordered.
It went on and on.
And as she looked into his eyes, she found a deep abyss she could never understand look back at her.
-!-
The walk to the cafeteria was excruciating. After the others had finished their repetitions against all odds, there was nothing she could say as the training came to an end right there. Genjuro had dismissed them, and she hadn't failed to miss the derisive stares they sent her way.
Of course they'd be angry. Genjuro had said so himself: when one person messes up, they all suffer. It was only then she realized just what he had meant by someone messing up.
He didn't care if they faltered in their run or did something stupid. He only cared when someone tried questioning his orders and decisions. And Hibiki, in all her naivety, failed to comprehend just how far he was willing to go. It was as if he had known ahead of time that she'd mess up this badly, as if he expected her to do so.
It was inevitable after all. That training was just a tiny bit of proof as to what awaited her. Upon being left alone with him, he had reprimanded her and insulted her, asking her if she clearly understood.
She was forced to admit that she did.
After that, she was finally dismissed. It was lunchtime now, and the entire base seemed to come to life as they hurried to get their stomachs filled. Hibiki, after such an awful morning, was dying to finally have something to eat. She was so hungry it was painful, which only made this day worse than it already was.
She sighed again. She didn't belong in this place, but she couldn't leave. More than anything, she was terrified of seeing the others again; who knows how they'll treat her after they had to suffer her punishment in her place.
To her surprise, the cafeteria was actually called the PX, a term she's never heard before. Luckily, she got directions and an explanation from a kind stranger that led her to her current location. She didn't understand why a Post Exchange and the cafeteria were the same place, but she didn't care enough to ask.
As she walked inside, she surveyed the busy surroundings. The air was filled with lively conversations as the soldiers mingled with each other, finally free from their morning duties for a short while. She stared in surprise, having expected the cafeteria of a military base to be a little more disciplined.
It was inspiring to see. The fact that even in such a terrible world humans could keep their camaraderie intact made her feel somewhat hopeful... But after what she experienced this morning, she wasn't sure what to believe anymore.
And to think this all happened within the span of two days. Just yesterday she had arrived in this place and already her core was shaken. Perhaps what she told Ryoko wasn't entirely truthful. Perhaps she really did experience a bigger shock than she cared to admit.
She shook her head. No point in dwelling on that now; food awaited her, and she shall rush onward to meet it with all her strength...even if her strength was a little bit drained from the hellish training.
She took a tray, a fork, a knife, and a plate from the stand and entered the line, following after some an unknown soldier with blonde hair. She moved down the line absentmindedly, wondering about his origins, before she met face to face with the lunch lady. It was an older woman, slightly fuller in build, with her hair tied in a bun at the back. As soon as the blonde soldier stepped away, her eyes caught onto Hibiki's, and a big smile shone on her face.
"Oh my! You're a new face here!" she exclaimed happily. Hibiki was caught off guard by her positivity in such an environment. "I'm Kyouzuka Shizue. What's your name, sweetie?"
"Ah," Hibiki mumbled, letting out a relieved laugh. "I'm Tachibana Hibiki. I, uh, came here just yesterday."
"Really? And I didn't see you at all! Poor thing, you look famished! Here, let me give you a nice big portion," Shizue said, reaching deep into the giant pot with her ladle. She scooped out what looked like fish with soup, and poured it onto the bowl on Hibiki's tray. "And here's some rice for you~"
Oh god, rice. Just the name of the food made Hibiki's mouth water, and stars lit up in her eyes as Shizue gave her a humungous portion of it. She looked at her now full tray gluttonously, and looked up at the lunch lady as she placed a strange looking juice box on her tray as well.
"If you need anything else, don't be afraid to come and tell me, alright?" Shizue said, and Hibiki nodded rapidly. With a smile, she continued. "Then welcome to Tokyo Base!"
Hibiki couldn't help but bow her head in gratitude. "Thank you."
"No problem!"
Hibiki stepped away from the line, holding her tray carefully as to not spill any of the food. It smelled quite nice, and she was barely able to hold herself back from devouring it all on the spot. She lifted her head and scanned the cafeteria again, looking around to see if there was an empty seat somewhere. To nobody's surprise, it was filled to the brim, and people nearly bumped into her as they moved about.
Then her eyes landed on one singular empty spot. To her surprise and concern, it was right where her fellow Adaptors— or more accurately, her squadmates, sat. Since she had been forced to stay behind, they had gone on ahead of her. Looks like they are still eating. Of all the boisterous groups gathered in the cafeteria, theirs was shockingly silent, each and every one of them eating their portions with no conversation.
Swallowing nervously, Hibiki approached them, carefully dodging the various other people gathered to reach the empty spot. Once she arrived, she stopped and looked at them, putting on the biggest smile she could.
"H-hey, is this spot free?"
Of all of them, only Kirika looked up to her with a small smile. "Hey! Yeah, it's free."
"Ah, thanks."
With Kirika's approval. Hibiki slowly set her tray down on the table and took the seat across from Tsubasa, who didn't even look acknowledge her presence. To Tsubasa's right was Chris, who ate with a bored expression on her face, and to Chris's' right was Maria. To Hibiki's right was Kirika, and to her right, Shirabe.
Hibiki surveyed their expressions for a moment before turning to her meal. With a quick thanks, she quickly took her fork and dug into the rice, taking a huge portion and tossing it into her mouth in no time at all.
Then, she bit down.
And almost immediately felt like hurling.
Her reflexive response forced the rice down her throat, and she choked as she started coughing uncontrollably. The rice, in her mouth, felt like she had just chewed down on plastic. Cold, hard plastic that tasted like sand, and the tingles of spice at the edge of her tongue only further exacerbated the horrible feeling. She quickly reached for the juice box, stuck in the straw, and hurriedly took a sip to force down the rice.
And once again, she was on the edge of throwing up.
She put her hands over her mouth as she tried her hardest not to empty the contents of her stomach all over the table. Betrayed both by her favorite meal and the drink she was provided, tears formed at the edge of her eyes as she looked up at the others.
And her eyes met Chris's, who proceeded to laugh out loud, pounding her hand on the table like a maniac. Maria smirked, letting out a derisive huff as she continued eating.
"Oh man! The look on your face!" Chris bellowed, blatantly pointing at Hibiki with her finger.
Hibiki wasn't sure what to be more shocked by: the horrendous food or Chris's attitude.
"Yukine-san, that's not nice," Kirika chided the loud girl.
"Well it wasn't nice doing push up until my arms bled either," Chris retorted. "That's what she gets for making that happen. Be thankful I'm not planning on hazing her."
Hibiki wasn't sure what that meant. Before she could ask, Kirika turned to her. "Sorry about that, Tachibana-san. I'm Akatsuki Kirika, and she's Yukine Chris," she said, gesturing to each of the girls. "The quiet one over there is Kazanari Tsubasa, our squad leader. Over there is Maria Cadenzavna Eve, the only foreigner in our group and the second in command. And next to me is Tsukuyomi Shirabe."
Oh thank god, at least Kirika was at least somewhat similar to the one she knew. Without missing a beat, Hibiki bowed her head down. "I'm sorry! Because of me, you—"
"Save it," Maria cut in, taking a bite of her own food. "This isn't the first time this happened and it's most likely not going to be the last time. Why, the last time, it was Yukine here who caused us all to get punished for her fuck up, and we've only been here a week."
Chris vocally cringed at being reminded of a past failure Hibiki didn't know about. Maria smirked once again while Kirika let out a short laugh. "Yeah, don't worry, we won't hold it against you," Kirika said.
"Speak for yourself," Chris said, eliciting another pout from the blonde. She then turned to Hibiki and pointed to the tray. "Anyway, just so you know, the reason the food is so shit is because it's synthetic."
That caused Hibiki to narrow her eyes in confusion. "Synthetic? What do you mean?"
"Wait, you didn't know? Wow, talk about a spoiled little princess. I bet it was fun eating all the good organic shit you can still get your hands on," Chris added, causing Kirika to sigh. "Anyway, you know how everything the BETA touch is reduced to ashes? So that also happens to the fields. They're so thorough, they literally drain the nutrients out of the ground until it becomes a total infertile husk that nothing can grow on. Half of the fucking country is nothing but rice fields, and you can't grow anything in them. So, the only solution to the food shortage, especially for soldiers, was to go the super manufactured route, which is how you get this piece of garbage."
She poked her fork into the so-called fish and held it aloft. "Still, they made sure it's full of all those feel-good nutrients that keep you in tip top shape. Too bad they couldn't do anything about the taste." She bit down on it and chewed lazily, waving her fork around. "The juice is the same. Helps with the recovery period after exercises and whatnot, they say. I don't believe them because nothing this nutritious should ever taste so horrible. If you told me to choose between drinking cow piss and this shit, I'd fucking tell you to bring over the whole goddamn herd."
She ate her piece and then pointed at Hibiki with the fork. "So, princess dumbass, you can forget about all your fancy meals. You eat what you get here and nothing else."
Well, that didn't help improve her appetite. Now her tray of food looked more like a rotting landfill than it did a meal. In her mind's eye, she imagined those wisps of gruesome purple smoke rise from the good, as usually happened in anime. She sighed again as she realized that this was going to be a daily thing, whether she liked it or not. Steeling her stomach, she took a bite of the so-called fish. As expected, it tasted horrible, and she cringed as she chewed on it.
"It'll take a while getting used to," Kirika told her.
Yeah, she already figured that. Putting her fork down for a moment, Hibiki looked in their direction. "Um... There's something I want to ask."
"Hm?"
She swallowed nervously again. "Has he... why is he like this?" she asked, and Kirika tilted her head in confusion. The other didn't seem to care too much about her question as they remained glued to their own food. "Mas— I mean, the major. Why is he so..."
"That's just how it is," Maria said. "He's been in the army far longer than we have, and we can't imagine what sort of horrors he went through."
"But still, to treat us like tools, and to speak like that! It's so... It's so—!" Hibiki gritted her teeth as she remembered what he did. "It was like he was torturing us! And to make Shira— I mean, Tsukuyomi-san run even when she couldn't, and pushing us until we break! That's... That's not how training works at all!"
This time, it was Shirabe who responded. She slammed down her fist on the table, and glared daggers at her food. "I won't tell you again," she seethed. "Do not pity me."
Kirika quickly turned to her in an attempt to calm her down. "Now now Shirabe, she just didn't know. Please go easy on her."
Shirabe's response was to turn her head down and resume eating, this time taking bigger chunks in order to finish her meal faster. Kirika turned back to Hibiki with a reassuring smile.
"You say that like you know how training works," Chris said to Hibiki, forcing her head to her. "I was surprised to see you're so fit, but whatever it is you did outside is not going to work here. We're not training here to inflate our goddamn ego. We're training here to survive."
"But still! Can't he show even a little bit of care?! He even treated Tsubasa-san badly, and she's his family! How can you all just accept this so easily?!"
The aforementioned girl paused everything, and slowly put down her cutlery on the tray. Her composure seemed to break a tiny bit as she stared at Hibiki.
"I do not recall permitting you to refer to me by my given name, Tachibana. You will refer to me as either Kazanari or Squad Leader," she said sternly. "As for the major, it matters little whether we are related or not. We both understand our position, and something as meaningless as blood ties cannot stand in the way of our duty. We all understand this, and it is imperative that you do as well. If you allow pointless emotional attachment to cloud your judgement, you will only meet death on the battlefield."
Pointless emotional attachment. Is that how she viewed it? That's...
Hibiki couldn't stand for that. She inadvertently rose from her seat, and her voice came out louder than she had expected. "But that's wrong! That's not how you become strong! Only by understanding each other can we become better! Cruelty will only make things worse!"
Tsubasa took a sip from the juice, showing absolutely no emotion on her face as she set it back down on the table. "What a fool you are, Tachibana."
"Eh?"
"No, it seems you are merely naive, or perhaps, ignorant," she said, narrowing her eyes at the newcomer. "Since when were you under the impression that there is no understanding?"
Hibiki couldn't say anything to that, watching with her mouth gaping as Tsubasa took her tray and rose from her seat. "It is precisely because we understand that we have managed to accept this cruel world. Allow me to reiterate what the major told you during today's training: if you cannot handle the words of a single man, then you will never be able to handle the horrors of the battlefield." Her face then scrunched up in silent anger, "If you truly claim to wield Gungnir, then you will understand that."
She paused, and then turned to the others. "Our training resumes in ten minutes. We must make haste."
And that's where she left it. Without another word, Tsubasa left the table, putting her tray back and heading out of the cafeteria. Obeying her words, the others rose as well, their meals finished right on time. They followed after their squad leader, leaving the cafeteria almost as fast as she did. Only Hibiki remained behind, her bowls still nearly full, and her mind racing a mile a minute.
Her appetite had been summarily destroyed, and her concerns were cold-heartedly shut down. The more time she had to think about it, the more hellish this world became in her eyes.
Not even the cacophony of the cafeteria was enough to drown out the ever-growing dread in her heart, beating harshly against her ribcage. The enveloping sense of wrongness had returned two-fold, and just from that she barely held herself back from puking once again.
She couldn't accept this world.
And this world seemed to not accept her either.
With that solemn realization in mind, she gave up on eating. Rising from her seat as well, she left the cafeteria in a hurry, following after the rest of her squadmates.
And towards the next hellish part of the training, directed by the demon masquerading as her beloved commander.
-!-
Tick.
Tock.
Tick.
Tock.
Within the confines of the darkened room, the clock ticked with its usual maddening rhythm. In the silence of the room, all she could hear was the sound of her own heart, beating in tandem with the metronome.
Of course, that was merely a lie. An auditory hallucination that had befallen her following the end of this cursed day. The steel room which she was forced to call her home held no appliance that showed the time. There was no ticking, no heartbeat, no nothing. Only pure silence accompanied her, threatening to drive her insane.
All she could do was stare at the ceiling, barely being able to see it with her adjusted eyes. For a moment, she resented that feeling, because had they not adjusted to the dark, the ceiling would be invisible. For her, it was better to be surrounded by a pitch black abyss than to be reminded that she was somewhere much worse.
Hibiki lay alone, the blanket covering her entirely. The solitude was excruciating; she had not felt this lonely in a very long time. Stuck in a parallel world without anyone to understand her, all she could do was retreat into herself, just like she had done all those years ago. Memories of the two years after the Zwei Wing concert welled up within her, and she struggled to hold herself back from crying.
But eventually, the dam broke. For the first time since she had arrived in this hellish world, she finally cried. The tears stained the dirty satin sheets, and she curled up into a fetal position as she hugged a pillow to herself.
She didn't know what to do. Even her one lifeline, her picture of Miku on her phone's home screen, was unavailable. In her stupor, she had let Elfnein take it, and now she desperately wanted it back.
But she couldn't get it back. No one would listen to her in this messed up reality.
Arrogant.
Naive.
Ignorant.
She had been called all that and more in just a single day. No matter how long she thought about it, she just couldn't understand.
But... was it really her own fault? Was she projecting unrealistic expectations on a world that no longer had any?
Was she trying to bring hope to a world that had none?
She didn't know.
She didn't know if she'd ever know.
But now, alone in the silence and the dark, she understood that it wouldn't even matter.
And so, alone in the silence and the dark, and her eyes stained with heartbroken tears, she drifted off into Morpheus's embrace, dreaming of a better world.
For her dreams were the only place she could now ever feel at home.