Shirogane Takeru
December 23, 2001
Shirogane's room
It was funny; lying here, fondling and sucking Sumika's tits like a newborn infant, I deliberated on my past life and decisions. I was successful, this loop was successful. But for how much longer? I didn't know. How would I know my journey had ended? Currently, wiping out the original Hive sounded like a solid goal.
But it was a goal, not a dream; not my dream.
"Urrrm… Taaakeeru-chan… nothing's gonna come out even if you keep sucking, silly…" I brought my eyes up to meet Sumika's sleepy, half-opened pupils. She wrapped herself around me like a caring mother, in the non-creepy or incestuous kind of way.
"Hey, you know why boobs are just like Legos?"
"Because they're meant for kids but the dads play with them more?" Not breaking our rhythm, Sumika retorted to my joke.
"Damn, you knew?"
"Ahehe, that's because Takeru-chan is so simpleminded and easy to— oowieee!" I did forget to tell her to bite the pillow when I bit her pillow.
"Nom, nom, nom. Breasts are so much fun, I'll be jealous by the day my kids take over my role of enjoying them."
"Ahaha— d-don't say that, Takeru-chan… you know… it won't happen."
That was the truth, another fact I rejected in my head. There was nothing to be done that, so I didn't want to ever think about it. Sumika didn't deserve to suffer like this, nobody in this world did. It was blatantly unfair; however, that was life.
"Huum… well, that'll make sure no accidents can happen. By the way, did you know Yuuko-sensei has a hidden stash of condoms in her room?" And there was nothing more I could say.
"Reallly? Does she have one of 'those'?" How was this the first connection both her and Ayamine drew? The appeal of futa was lost to me.
"Are you like- secretly a lesbian or something? That would be such plot twist, this'll make 'no I am your father' look like a poorly written fanfic!"
"Takeru-chan… I'm not commenting on this one." Straight out rejected.
"Then what you wanna talk about? I got nothing." We really sucked at this pillow talk thing, I was more skilled with pump and dump; the other one, not the stocks.
"Well… Operation 21 is going to be in two days, right? Like always." Sumika felt my awkwardness and dropped our pervious conversation completely.
"Yeah, you get to fly your XG-70 finally."
"A lot of people are going to die, aren't they?" For some reason, she was deadset on being serious with me for once.
"…Yeah, many will." So all I could do was to go along with her topic.
"But it doesn't matter, right? I'm the most important one to you, right?"
"…Yeah, you're right."
"Thank you, Takeru-chan. Please save me, being here… is too painful already."
"…Yeah, I know."
Kouzuki Yuuko's office
"Checking in, Shirogane?" Morning was a good time for story.
"You got it, how's the reception on yesterday's show, sensei?" I took a comfortable seat on her soba as per tradition.
"People really enjoyed it, we even got an organized gang of bookmakers on base. And the odds were forty-sixty; there was some faith in your team." Being recognized was just right.
"Nice, the minority's getting a fat payout. How about we talk Sado now?"
"Yeah, so then; do you have any of those juicy secrets I should know before it's too late?" Logically, sensei wanted information.
"Being thoughtful about this… there're a few things you need to know. Under the assumption that basic planning is already done with, I suggest a few changes. First, we made sure the BETA don't know about our XG-70, correct? Also, is that thing finished?"
"Yes and yes. If BETA could gain knowledge from us through their reactor, they didn't. I completed the final configuration on the Susanoo II a few days back, one big gun and two smaller guns are mounted. All we need is Kagami." Yuuko-sensei clicked around her computer, probably to double-checking her statement.
"Okay, good. First- the real first point; the ODST people, make sure they run away any second they encounter any large groups of BETA."
"You mean the Orbital Divers? Why?" I took a second to realize they weren't call shock troopers.
"BETA's got about four Divisions of dudes lying in wait under their Hive, they'll start digging up like that scene from Vol.2 of Kill Bill, destroying the Divers' vanguard and pushing out to the surface." If only the BETA followed dig-dug rules and not ruin us, that would be great.
"They can create new shafts now? That'll make things problematic."
"You won't know the least of it. They fucked us really, super hard on the first-run. Not again. So anyway, if we aren't leaking information then they won't know our attack's coming, thus they won't be hiding their Laser-class; hopefully. In any case, ask me before switching to regular shells from metal cloud."
"So they're using real tactics now… keep going." Sensei donned a serious demeanor as she listened to my every word.
"Oh, by the way; are you having Sumika interact with the reactor or just shooting it?" This was a very important detail not to be left forgotten.
"We can still decide on that if need be. I recently figured out a way to bypass their two-way data transfer and only extract information from this side, however it's not tested yet."
"I see, either is fine with me but, you know what reactor doesn't leak any information?"
"A dead reactor?"
"A dead reactor." For a brief second, sensei joined me in chuckling.
"I don't care what you do, we just have to bait all their guys to the surface and then go in. Once Sumika gets her particle cannon to the front, it's blast time."
"That'll work, alright. More specifics are coming in a few hours so if you have added changes you want to make, hit me up. Side-track you a bit here, how was your first time doing this?" I was waiting on this question for a long, long time.
"We ate shit so hard flies around the world must be jealous by our supply."
"Sounds marvelous, what could possibly go wrong?"
"Turns out, pretty much everything." This was what all the operations I ran had in common.
"Isn't that always the case?"
"Uh-huh, we kamikazed Isumi and the Susanoo II for a G-bomb explosion; was my first time seeing it up close and not dying from it. Also Kashiwagi kinda died for no reason." Good moments were had.
"Let's not have you do that this time, I like keeping my progress. You know what I hate? When I play Pockétmon for three hours and then the goddamn DX dies, no auto-save is bullshit."
"I know, right? It's like being told to fuck off by the… wait, hold on, you played what, on your what?" That sentence had no many flaws I wouldn't be able to mark it as an English teacher.
"Ah, this's a transferred memory too, heh? I should probably tell you by now, you're conducting causality all over the place these days. I'm remembering stuff I have no business remembering; like that one time when Marimo got drunk off her ass during our hot-spring trip and pegged you."
"NO! She didn't do that! She did not do that! …I think. And stop being so disturbing all of a sudden! That's my job!" A perverted… pervert should only be me under all circumstances.
"Hehehe, whatever. You wondered why your team of novices beat Isumi's team today and why you took down Yukon? I'm betting on the parallel world's information dispensation, this seriously never happened before?" Judging by sensei's look, she was no longer kidding around.
"No, not to this degree, anyway. If you can recall events like our hot-spring in detail, I can't imagine what my Squad remembers by this point."
"Actually, I don't think they know much. This's like déjà vu, but much stronger. The stuff we talk about triggers those memories way more than what you people do together. Besides, it's not anything bad if your team becomes super competent."
"True that, they'll tell me if it gets serious. I'll watch for now… what should I watch for?" Rarely, I also confuse myself with my own thoughts.
"Err… keep an eye out for changes in personality, like mine. You notice how I'm acting really relaxed and super casual these days? It's undoubtedly all thanks to you, Shirogane." Yuuko-sensei pointed at me like she was a teenager as she said that.
"But, won't acting so relaxed be bad for someone in your position?"
"Ayy, I'll be careful in public. It is good though, I'm much happier these days for nothing. You should try it out, virtuous for your body." Again, she spun in circles in her chair.
"Whatever you say, sensei. Another thing, where is Marimo-chan?" I felt a certain shame for having elapsed about her until now, maybe I just wasn't used to seeing her around.
"Errr… right, I forgot to tell you, but she returned to the IJA." That was way too big of a subject to just forget, even if I did the exact same thing.
"So… when was that?"
"December… fourteen."
"Nine fucking days!?"
"You didn't ask." Yuuko-sensei got me right there.
"Okay, fine. I'm partly to blame for this. What does she do now?"
"As a famous Major within the Imperial Army, I'm pretty sure she's the commander of the 1st Tactical Armoured Regiment these days." My mind literally imploded in on itself.
"She's the fucking what!? …Actually, it's not that surprising, now that Sagiri's fired, Marimo-chan does sound like a good fit." And she was in that role for four years when Alternative IV failed.
"Yeah, that's it. And hey, that unit is going to be participating in Operation 21, so you'll see her again."
"Arrgg… okay, whatever. If nothing else, I'm gonna go, sensei." I honestly just wanted to leave at this point.
"You'll be called in a few hours for Sado op meeting, boy. Now get out so I can search for some cat pictures in our database." We had those?
Briefing room
"So, er… before I inform you people on today's training, I gotta jerk off first." The reaction was very mixed for that opening; my team all sighed in unison like grandparents who thought of me as nothing more than a failure. Although Munakata giggled a bit, so it wasn't all bad.
"Shirogane, shut up. The real news is at dawn today, the UN 11th Army HQ officially announced an operation against the Sadogashima Hive to all Far East and UN armies." Isumi just had to come in and ruin my fun.
"This's the big jackpot we been cooking up these days, that trip to Yukon was also for the purpose of Operation 21. As in, the Sado Hive is 21 in number. Only units going from this base is us and that one PROMINENCE Flight on backup. Our mission is to escort and protect this super doomsday weapon from BETA hands. Isumi, continue."
"Out unit will leave Yokohama Base at 0400 hours…" Blab, blab, blab, blab. Also on a completely unrelated note, I really did say 'so' a lot; this was just on my mind.
"-Actually, I don't think that info is accurate anymore. I got updated detail for all you people." Just in the nick of time, sensei arrived with perfect fashion to save me from boredom. Following behind her was Bridges' team, it created this weird moment where nobody made a sound for a good while.
"Sup, playa." I acknowledged him.
"Don't say that, you're not dark-skinned enough to say that." He was right, I couldn't argue against Bridges' logic.
After properly saluting everyone around, his people took the far-back seats in our room, concealing their presence but also listening in.
"XO Kouzuki? I thought we're being instructed on the operation after training?" Isumi voiced her complaint.
"Well you see, does the General really have time to explain some detail to only two Squadrons? Does he really? Besides, I want to get this over and done with as well. Easy stuff right here." She said as she took the centre stage.
"Seconded, Yuuko-sensei. Let's make it fast, I truly do want to have a wank."
"There's also this… we don't need General Radhabinod seeing this." Couldn't agree more, sensei just knew me too well.
"Understood, please go ahead, Vice-Commander."
"Alright, let's get this show on the road. As you all know, this joint UN and Imperial operation's goal is to gain control over Objective 21, Sadogashima Hive. And it will be carried out regardless of atmospheric conditions, so that means we're throwing you in no matter what weather it is."
Everyone was all ears and silent as could be, there really wasn't much to joke around about. Therefore, she resumed her breakdown of our mission.
"The primary objective will be to neutralize Objective 21, secondary objective is to occupy enemy facilities and gather as much information as possible. Now I should tell you how important this op is but nobody cares anyway, you all are motivated enough as is." Too true.
"Phase 1, orbital bombardment from the UN Space Armada's Armoured Destroyers. They'll be bombing Sadogashima using anti-laser munitions at supersonic speed. At the same time, the UN-Imperial 2nd Fleet surrounding Sado will begin long range saturation precision bombing using guns and artilleries."
"Same as space ordnance, the first wave will use only anti-laser rounds. Once their Laser-class shoot all the heavy metal clouds out, all ships are switching to multi-purpose shells and bombing the area even more."
"Interesting thing to know here; we're consuming less ammo than initially planned for, only fifty-five percent of all Far East, UN and Imperial Army shell reserves. By prediction, a large number of BETA species except for Laser-class will still be present, Lasers are priority." Some changes, sounded reasonable.
"After this, it's Phase 2. The 2nd Fleet will enter Mano Bay, headed by some ships I won't remember anyway. The bombing will keep going and Imperial Navy's 17th Armoured Battalion should assault this beachhead here, whatever it's called." Using a large pointer to highlight the map, sensei was dedicated to not reading names.
"Here's where we're getting involved. Along with callsign Whiskey Unit, which is four Imperial Armoured Division and ten Armoured Regiments; the UN, namely Alternative IV is sending in our Eclipse Unit. Two Squadrons of Su-47 Berkuts under my direct command, to make landfall, details are classified, don't ask."
Many expressions of amazement were observable for that moment. Isumi's group looked chattery and tense about the sudden introduction of Soviet crafts. 'Even if they are listening to us, it doesn't change where those Squadrons come from' was likely their thought.
"Whiskey Unit and Eclipse Unit will hold the line while moving its main force west… towards this place. They're the bait, reinforcement from the Hive should be going over to them." Most didn't know this, but having the Berkuts in first meant Sumika will see combat before any of us.
"After the BETA reinforcements are drawn to where Whiskey and Eclipse are at, we'll go to Phase 3. The UN's Pacific Fleet and UN-Imperial 3rd Fleet deployed in this bay here, which is the opposite of the 2nd Fleet, they will start bombardment."
"At the same time, Imperial Navy's 4th TSF Battalion will take beachhead and let a group of three Armoured UN regiments and five TSF Regiments unload; callsign Echo. You people's mission start here, alongside Echo Unit's landfall."
"If things go as planned and the battle lines heading North works, then the enemy reinforcements from their Hive should be split to two groups very cleanly. Leaving almost nobody guarding this third front by this city placey." Without this map showing us actual location names, we'd be screwed by sensei's update.
"Then it's Phase 4. Bombardment ends, the 6th Orbit Diving Corps will be landing on Sadogashima and infiltrating Objective 21, their mission is to achieve the secondary objective. So basically clearing and looting. Echo Unit should be providing backup for the infiltration, also watching out for BETA resurfacing from the ocean floor."
"Once we reach this phase of the operation, it's the grand action time of A-01. Same thing happens if the infiltration units are wiped out. Go on, Isumi, brief your team, and only your team." It was important sensei said her lines the way she did.
"As I said earlier, our unit's mission during the Objective 21 Operation is not to fight the BETA directly…" The stuff she talked about was pretty much similar to my past. In point form, I'll list them out because it was so damn long.
Valkyries were here to escort XG-70b, from its incursion to extraction.
Valkyries were not to fight BETA forces unless it is deemed absolutely obligatory.
In case of engagement, Valkyries were to conserve ammo for when dudes go for XG-70b.
She also talked about resupply and how they're supposed to be done from containers dropped from the battleships, nothing I haven't heard of before.
"Now I'll explain our mission alongside the overall plan. With Echo Unit, we'll make landfall and head south to secure the area around Old Kaminibo where the new wea—"
"STOOOP! That's where the change comes in, Captain." Suddenly, Yuuko-sensei put a stop to Isumi; her altered plan was the real steal of this show.
"The new weapon will be landing with both your team and Echo unit, then moving to a location perpendicular to both assault forces as to not cause friendly casualty from its main fire." So instead of arriving after Phase 4, we were attacking after Phase 4. Easy stuff.
"Around this time is when the Orbital Divers will be pulling out from the Hive Stabs to bait out the BETA inside. This formation will give us a perfect shot to wipe out the main BETA force and their monument." Some gasps could be heard from the girls on my side, surely a weapon capable of destroying the monument would be surprising to them.
"Once that thing is gone, Echo units and the weapon will infiltrate the Hive again to clean out any remainders. After that, we can pack up and go home within forty-eight hours. Now let's get to the good part, just what exactly this WMD is."
"We should all know this operation is the biggest counterattack since Lucifer, so that means both UN and Imperials have lots of reasons for backing this. But none is as significant as testing this new weapon, just think about that for a minute." And everyone did, for like two seconds.
"This armament really is the future for humanity; us, Far East and Japan all know this, and we all want it to succeed. All of you, it's your job to protect it, nothing can compare to how vital this is remember that."
"Yes, ma'am!" Dynamically, the soldiers replied.
"So then, enough with teasing you people. I shall tell you right now just what could save us. Behold! The trump card in the war against BETA, a machine never before thought possible…"
Dramatically, the screen behind us changed to that of Susanoo's blueprint. It was indeed a very pretty blueprint, I liked how thorough those lines were sketched, no doubt a huge around of effort was put in by the computers.
"This is the XG-70b, also known as Susanoo Type 2." By the way, it was a big fortress, just what sensei ordered.
So once again, sensei began her lecture on the history, progress and everything that made the Susanoo possible. And to me, this just meant one more summary so I wouldn't fall asleep while listening to this boring, albeit very essential crap.
Built by Americans to infiltrate and destroy a Hive on its own, concept frozen for G-Bombs until we bought it.
Had a super shield, charged particle cannon and gravity control. The Moorcock-Lechte Anti-Gravity Engine did… something; I was too lazy to explain this shit.
Also, getting within ten metres equalled death; getting too close beside it or right behind it when particle cannon is firing equalled death; getting shot by laser or getting crawled on after firing its cannon, when the Rutherford Field is off equalled Sumika's death.
"Here's a late addition, Ministry of Technology's EML-99X Electromagnetic Induction Launcher. Both guns are mounted below the upper hull wings, directly to the left and right of the particle cannon. RPM is around eight hundred, firing rail accelerated ammunitions capable of braking Destroyer's shells."
"These guns do an outward sweep from Susanoo's waist area to its back, so full three hundred sixty-five degrees coverage angel. Remember this, the guns cannot fire when the Rutherford Field is up; so they're only good for action after the initial firing of the particle cannon. "
This part I hadn't seen in my previous loops so I paid great attention to not miss any features. The Railguns seemed to be a concrete choice for defence as it could be fired in all directions, making them very versatile. As long as no BETA gets on the Susanoo itself, the Railguns could hit them.
"And that's it for my part, Capt. Shirogane, our sequences were a bit weird but it's your turn to explain the role of your team. Feel free to go ahead." Finally, at long last I could show off.
"Okay girls! You all heard what Isumi just said, now I want you to forget all of that! Our job is the exact opposite of theirs. For operation 21, we're going in to kill." A good while passed, my girls all shot back blank stares my way, waiting for me to explain in-depth on my statement.
"…No, that's it. We have unrestricted authority and are there to kill every single piece of alien meat you see. Just like when Columbus discovered America and murdered all the native people there, we take no survivors and simply slaughter everything. Although no raping the women, unless you know… you find a way."
Some soundless laughs of surrender were heard, like always, the girls had nothing to add to my amazing description.
"Serious talk; we'll go in together with Echo Unit and Valkyries, kill all the BETA on the surface until the Orbital Divers finish doing their thing. Once the second wave of BETA horde rises, XG-70 blasts them and we move into the Hive itself to slay more dudes. Questions?" No hands were raised.
"Because we're going head on in there, everyone in Archangels will be given an S-11. Activation and everything is covered in training, so you shouldn't run into any tactical problems." This was one of these moments again.
"As your boss I'm gonna tell you… don't use that thing. If you're ever so shit as to Allahu Akbar your way out, I'll personally find your eighteen virgins and bang them in first. Don't fucking do it, just don't." The girls shared some gazes of uncertainty for a bit, unsure whether my command had any bias behind it.
"Yes, sir!" Still, they valued their own lives. And I was going to keep it that way.
"Oh, on the final note; Takamura, you know what you people have to do?' Having forgotten the existence of our XFJ team until now, I addressed Meiya's servant when I reminisced the proper duty for her.
"Of course, we will launch immediately on demand from our TSF-Carrier."
"Good, that' it. This shit's easy, what's next, sensei?" And I always heard how much a pain it is to brief dudes, such lies.
"This's everything, people. I'll be commanding from the Imperial Navy's operational flagship, Heavy Cruiser Mogami. So if you see Laser-class shooting at the fleets, protect my ship first." Her pretty funny joke earned a ripple of giggles from the Eishis below.
"Throughout history procedures with great causality create rifts in time itself. Birth of Jesus Christ; Reformation, Renaissance, Industrial Revolution, American Revolution, WWI, WWII; and most importantly, our discovery of BETA in 1958 and its subsequent invasion of Earth in 1973, this was the beginning of a world changing event."
Every person in this room listened zealously to Yuuko-sensei's final statement. The history of our world might not be a remarkable one in the universe, but it is ours, and it is riddled with our losses against the relentless BETA.
"Once we saw how much a threat BETA are; we tried twice to attack them. Palaiologos and Lucifer, one was a total failure and the other was a 'Press G in case of emergency' ending. That's unacceptable, we're not going to lie down and let the BETA kill us. So people continue fighting, now we're attacking again. For the first time, for real."
Failures were not allowed, only victory, only success shall be visible on the road I paved ahead.
"Hehehe, so that means we're gonna win, and keep on winning until we're tired of winning, got that!?" Ending on a humorous message, her joke again brought amusement to the room.
"Yes, ma'am!"
"Good! Now go practice some more. Shirogane, Kagami, Yashiro. See me after today's training is done, that's it. You're dismissed." As usual, the time-travellers were high in demand.
"Salute!" I called for a show of respect before sensei disappeared behind the doors.
"The Susanoo's callsign will be A-02. Is there anything I missed, Capt. Shirogane?"
"Nope, this concludes the briefing on Op 21. After training today, we'll gather at 0200 in the morning, eat, take out our shit and sleep. Got it?" Most of the girls were unsure of my meaning.
"He meant organize your belongings, get rid of anything that might sadden your loved one if they do happen to receive it."
"For example, any pornographic material you have… or Shirogane's hentai stash. Depending on your taste." Munakata added her own insight.
"Exactly, my tentacles collection gotta be elsewhere. I'll miss them, my pictures of Sumika." Nobody understood that one, and this wasn't me ignoring the mountain of pure rage compiling behind me, Sumika was still happy as could be.
"Taaaaakeeeeeruuuuu-chaaaan! One of these days… you just wait…" Very exciting, it was.
Yokohama Base, Reactor control room
"Real fast, we'll run this down one last time. Kagami, you control the Berkuts in two ways; regular remote piloting with your mind power and Prafka remote piloting you can do with Yashiro. The range of your influence is a very strong twenty klicks, so as long as you don't fly off, you'll have the Su-47s full time."
"Roger, Kouzuki-sensei!" Sumika received her knowledge clearly.
"Russians gave us seventeen 47s, not counting the one you took from Kamchatka, so one for Yashiro and two Squadrons of Eclipse Units. I cut a bunch of deals with the Soviets for this, please don't let your superpower be a disappointment."
"It won't be, Professor." Kasumi reassured sensei's worry.
"As for the Sado Reactor, if this works then we can excerpt their information without losing ours. You just need physical contact with any part of its surface and Voilà! Knowledge gained. Let's get you incorporated with that right now, won't take long." Therefore sensei was about to guide Sumika away after a fairly pointless explanation.
"Oh, and Shirogane."
"What's up." Sounded like Yuuko-sensei had business with me too, I thought she just wanted to waste my time for no purpose after dinner.
"Take that box and go find Piatif, give it to her." It was a rather average container she pointed for me, about five centimetres in height and seven in length.
"What's in here?"
"Ninety-two percent pure G-Element number nine, one of the most concentrated piece of work available to man. I am about to use two milligrams for Kagami's 'Reactor hacking' ability. The rest are going back to storage."
"Ooooooh, so meth?" By sensei's amused expression, I assumed she got my reference.
"Ahuhu, you can smell what Heisenberg is cooking, now go. I have work to do."
"Roger, roger." Then I left.
PX
"Ah, Takeru-san! Come play with us!" I heard my name used by Tama as I walked pass the PX, apparently they were enjoying a good game of Chinese Aeroplane Chess.
"Can't really right now, gotta find 1st Lt. Piatif. Professor's orders." As for me, I couldn't find that damn Polish no matter where I tried.
"Oh, Shirogane! What you… what's in that box…? Captain?" From thin air, Hayase popped out and eyed me suspiciously before settling her sight on the container in my hands. Her mien took a strange turn for the curious as she became more focused on my box.
"This? It's for 1st Lt. Piatif, have you seen her?"
"…Huh…? What is it… saying?" Her half-omitted sentence made no sense to me.
"Hey! I said have you seen 1st Lt. Piatif!"
"Oh! Oh- y-yeah, actually. I can bring it to her, if you want." Hayase was distracted by my chest even though it was nothing special on the outside, unless she got X-ray version or something, I didn't know why she was so attracted.
"Really? That'd be a great help, thanks. Don't open it though, it's highly classified." Still, I really wanted to play some airplane chess right now and get fucked by dice RNG.
Besides, it wasn't like G-Element was dangerous or anything. I even ate some in one of my loops and nothing happened for twenty years until death. Good days those were, like when I first learned how Yuuhi had that technique with her mouth…
"Alright, I'll take it then. Later, Captain."
"Yep, see ya." My mental masturbation wasn't about to end with Hayase's departure. Yuuhi was so damn hot in those lingerie…
Suzumiya Haruka
Hallway
"Err… emm, Mitsuki?"
Today, like any other day, Haruka was on her way back to her room after finishing her work when she ran into Mitsuki. Technically, she saw Mitsuki, because the blue-haired girl was ignorant to Haruka's greeting.
"Mitsuki, are you okay?" Slowly, Haruka tiptoed up to her best friend only due to the other girl being completely zoned out.
From behind, Mitsuki was seemingly holding onto something with devoted scrutiny. While she had no proof, it felt like the Storm Vanguard 1 was conducting a misdeed. Haruka didn't spot any crime per say, it was just her friend's aura which felt dubious.
"Taka—… is this—?"
"What are you doing, Mitsuki?" By now, Haruka was directly within arms' reach of her, yet Mitsuki was totally unaware. However, what she thought she heard wasn't something Haruka could let slip by.
"Takayuki… Takayuki, where're you…?" That was it, she couldn't hide it anymore.
"Mitsuki! Just what in the world are you holding in your hands!?"
"AAAAHA! What's—! H-Haruka! You-you scared me!" Almost instantly, Mitsuki retracted two steps away and hastily hid whatever she held back in a box.
Her face had fear and anxious written all over it, unlike the normal cheerful Mitsuki Haruka was used to. Sweats were dripping down her foreheads by the bucket and she could swear there were tear-marks glued to the former swimmer's cheeks.
"What's in that case, Mitsuki?"
"Oh, t-this? It's just a job for Shirogane! He wanted me to run an errand!" For how much she was panicking, Haruka knew something went wrong.
"Then why were you calling Narumi-san's name!?"
"It's NOTHING! I just… I just remembered him, okay!? It happens!"
"But you look so distressed! This isn't normal, Mitsuki! Why are yo—"
"It's cause he's DEAD! Can I not be depressed when thinking about my dead crush!? …Why did I have to be him!? He shouldn't have gone back inside there!" Utterly speechless; Haruka was too shocked to react anymore. The truth hurt her, her and Mitsuki.
"I-I gotta go now! Operation is close, goodnight, Haruka!" And Mitsuki took this opportunity to run off, not to be seen again until next time.
"…Mitsuki… we're going to settle this, right? Both of us… will still be here to finish it… we promised, right?" Another night came to an end.
Shirogane Takeru
December 24, 2001
Yokosuka Navy Base
"—Takeru-chan! Takeru-chan, what ship is that!?" I glanced over at Sumika's Berkut to see her pointing its gun at a Warship.
"—that's the Shiratsuyu-class destroyer, Yuudachi. Like its WWII counterpart, but modern."
"Ahh! Yuudachi! Poi, poi!" I saw that coming from the moon.
Our two Squadrons were flying overhead by Yokosuka, waiting to be loaded into either a TSF-Carrier or an Assault Ship. To this day, I still didn't understand the difference between those two; one transported TSFs so it was a Carrier, the other transported TSFs so it was an Assault Ship. How the fuck did that work?
"—Yokosuka command to Special Task Force A-01, commence landing sequence. 9th Squadron, please board Osumi-class Assault Ship, Osumi. 13th Squadron, please board Shokaku-class TSF-Carrier, Zuikaku." A quick note from the air-control tower updated our next step.
"—Shirogane, your team is going by Carrier?" As my Company descended upon the ship hangar, Isumi called me over our channel.
"—yep, we're the real vanguards, ha! Eat it! But really, one Assault Ship is just not enough to ferry two Squadrons."
"Sure, sure. The plan says we'll sticking together until we reach Sado, whose ship are we going to for dinner?" That was an arrangement we agreed prior to leaving Yokohama.
"Probably yours, Kazama has all the party stuff, right?"
"Oh, yeah. See you then, Isumi out." Our comms were cut from her side once we finished talking.
"—you know, it's funny how the TSF-Carrier is called Zuikaku, but we also have a TSF frame call Zuikaku!" A hidden connection on the Japanese naming sense was discovered by Mikoto.
"Actually, that does bother me a bit. Like- there's also Fubuki and Shiranui, it's fine if we want to name TSF after ships, but shouldn't we not then name the ships the same goddamn name? Where's the logic behind that? Japanese people sure are weird."
"—Takeru, you must have realized by now, you yourself are also part of the Empire of Japan." That was Meiya, nitpicking at me.
"Welp, that's just how I roll. Self-roast. Anyway, all units, finish docking and we'll take a break until 1900 hours. We're going to Osumi after that, y'all know what it's for. Dismissed!"
Sea of Japan, Osumi-class Assault Ship, Osumi
"Before we start, everyone. I'd like to remind all of us the two meanings of Christmas. The first one, it's a day when one child gave humanity its hopes and dreams. The salvation of people from its sin, from its tragedy."
I was standing a bit higher than the crowd, there was at least fifty people here, waiting for me to officially start our party. We gathered above the deck of the Osumi, some of the ship's crew also joined us for tonight's fiesta. This was our Christmas party, Christmas Eve was the best date possible.
"Its seconding meaning; it's a day for adults to give their children dreams. Untainted kids who know nothing of war, nothing of despair… not knowing what it's like to lose their loved ones. One day, they'll populate this planet, our green planet collated by peace."
From where I stood, there were many shades of red; Santa hats, reindeer headdresses, and Sumika's ridiculous looking rabbit hair-piece which was wearing another Santa hat.
"And tomorrow… we're all here to fight a war. Relying on the hope given to us by a single child, we'll create our own world. Public speaking isn't my strong point so I'm choking like mad here, but anyway. There is no future save for what we choose for ourselves, and everyone; just remember—"
"We won't be going gently into that good night, for we're not going anywhere. Grasp your future, for yourself; and we shall all take hold of our own destiny. Cheers, ladies and gentlemen. Also, merry Christmas, motherfuckeeers!" Always a good practice to end a touching speech.
"—MERRRRRY CHRISTMASSSSSS!"
Mitsurugi Meiya
"Have you accomplished that task I ordered, Takamura?"
"Yes, Mitsurugi-sama. Tsukuyomi Mana-sama was called to replace her cousin as Ikaruga-sama's second-in-command, she will be participating in Operation 21 as callsign Crest 2."
"I see, how severe is Maya's injury?" Meiya didn't need to be told why Tsukuyomi had to step in for her family.
"My apology… I was not informed on her status." A sorrowful Takamura hid her face in shadows.
"Worry not, as a selected servant to Her Highness, Maya will not give in so easily. You may go now, Takamura. Shall fortune guide you in tomorrow's battle."
"Understood, Mitsurugi-sama. I hope my contribution will not be needed." So Takamura exited herself.
Meiya wandered above Osumi's deck, Christmas spirit was inflating the hearts of many including herself. It was a beautiful quality; the food stands, the blinking lights, the joyful looks on people's faces. It all was too alien for Meiya, yet she remembered fondly, how her first ever Christmas party wasn't as grand as this.
"Ahha! It's Meiya-san! Haaalooo!" When her name was spoken by the always happy Sumika, Meiya turned her attention to reality.
"Sumika, it is nice to see you. How are you enjoying this party?"
"I really like it! Takeru-chan and Isumi-san and her friends spent a long time setting this up!"
"Indeed, has he ever established a festival similar to this?"
"Huum? Of course he has! Takeru-chan is good at ordering people around!" Meiya withheld her urge for long enough, but like an itch below one's skin, this sensation of anomaly was too much of a bother.
"A question if you will, Sumika. Has Takeru always acted in such a… presumptuous fashion? Personally, I believe he recently became more… dominant and rough. While his cursing does not inconvenience me, I feel as if he has changed a great deal."
"Eh? I don't think so, Takeru-chan's always been like that!" Meiya instinctively retracted, her assumption was denied on arrival.
"Nevertheless, do you not feel that man used to be more… carefree? I remember him as a simpleminded being, with no insult to one, of course."
"Reeeealllly? Takeru-chan's always a big meanie to me! Although I'm used to it since that's just who he is. He was super edgy back then, like- that edginess can cut through glass." Meiya stared baffled; for the life of her, she didn't understand Sumika's trendy sentence.
"…Very well, perhaps I am overthinking this… it matters not. Let us continue bath in this joyous moment."
"Yaay! Okay!"
Shirogane Takeru
"I'm surprised we got this set up in time, Isumi." I walked over to the Valkyries' Captain with a plate of food in hand.
"Yeah, me too. It was good thinking on Kashiwagi's part when she suggested we hang that Christmas tree by the antennas." She was referring to our cardboard cut-out of a pine tree used as decoration, it was strapped to an antenna sticking out of the Bridge.
"How's the food?"
"Oh the cake is great, I ate two slices. There's also the fried chicken, you see how Akane is gulping down those one leg at a time? She really loves them."
"-This fried chicken is soooooo gooooood! Haruka! Tae! Chizuru! Try it! Try it-try-it TRRRY IT!" There was a perfect example screaming her head off about KFC.
"I can see that, ain't it nice to have free food laid now like this?"
"I agree, it's decent knowing we still get to enjoy pleasantries… hopefully we can make it last."
"Of course we will, that's what we're here for."
"Ah… haha, yeah, you're right on that one. Let me get you a drink, be right back." I watched Isumi as she made her way through the crowded deck, the constant chatter ringed in my ears. This was joy, a sense of happiness I thought I no longer had the right to bear.
"Here, Shirogane. I would get you beer, but we both have to pilot tomorrow."
"Nah, this'll do… although…! Do throw it better next time!" I sniggered lightly, a can of soda sailed above my head, making me reach out before it could headshot someone else outta nowhere.
"Er, my bad. Poor aim." It was understandable, everyone misses sometime or another.
Under the cool night sky, we stood together, not much in the progress of conversation. We just stood there, each minding a business of their own. Surveying this scenery before us, it was inevitable we wouldn't be coming back to the same number. Yet that was normal, to us, that was what we supposed must happen.
"Hey, look there… is that… Kagami and the Russian?" Isumi pulled my attention to two figures standing under a spotlight.
"…What in the fuck are they doing!?" The two espers were wearing crazily skimpy outfits barely covering their bodies; this commotion caused a big gathering of on-watchers who were undressing their already revealing figure with their eyes.
Not allowed. Even if their Christmas underwear were on point and awfully proactive, Sumika wasn't permitted to show her body around like that. As for Barchenowa, that was Bridges' mess to deal with.
"I gotta take care of this."
"Go, you." And went ahead I did.
"Hiii, everyoneee! It's okay to take picture— ah, Takeru-chan! What do you think of our costumes!?" Seeing me coming, Sumika stopped posting for a minute to welcome me.
"Whose idea was this?"
"Kei-san's! She said we would look amazing in these clothes!" I saw Ayamine slowly margin her way outside the circle of bystanders.
"Ayamine!" My shout of her name made the girl stop.
"What?"
"You're about to be fucked."
"Do it… you won't." She showed a fast playful scorn my way before disappearing.
"Change out of that, Sumika. How're you not cold?"
"Eh? Is it really that cold?"
"-It is! Please let me leave, Sumika! I'm cold!" That was Barchenowa voicing her own protest.
"Now give me a kiss and go, I'll do damage control here."
"Ah, okay!" Following that, we had a passionate make-out session before I broke every fucker's camera.
—
"Emm, so Shirogane, is Kagami your girlfriend?"
"Arrr… maybe? She's more like a real-life sex doll."
"Jesus, because treating women like that'll support you a long way in life."
"JK, kidding. Yeah, she's my girlfriend." That was a pleasant exchange after I came back to Isumi.
"Thought so… then what happened to you and Mitsurugi? Got dumped?" Isumi's misunderstand must be quite common for anyone discerning my relationship status.
"Not the case, she's with me as well."
"Ehh? Wait, what?! So what does that mean?"
"I got a harem!"
"That's not true, stop being so creepy."
"I wasn't though." Awkward silence followed once Isumi realized how earnest I was.
"…Oh wow, you're a very despicable man, some could say you're respectable… but mostly despicable."
"Nothing pleasures my heart like hearing such praise from you, I am touched." Jokingly, I took a bow as manners.
"Please… don't say those words, they represent a different thing now." Merciless as always.
"You're so judgemental! I am very hurt by how unaccepting you are, Isumi!"
"Aggrr… whatever, Shirogane. As long as your… interests don't interfere with your combat ability, I won't say anything. But also, don't involve me." It could be me, however I felt like Isumi rejected my harem invite just then.
"You're crushing my soul right now, woman! Like bam! My feels! All my feels! And to think I was so generous in playing your route until now! So does that mean I don't have a chance with you?" This was a vital detail which required confirmation.
"No chance, Shirogane. We don't match at all." Fuck.
"Guess that's true, we're very opposite people, Isumi. You and I would make the exact opposite decisions in battle." In candidness, I noted and admitted our different styles.
"…I actually have a question, Shirogane… say; if you were trapped behind enemy lines all by yourself with two choices. Either try to fight your way out with tiny chance at survival… but fail the mission, or accomplish the mission with your life… what would you pick?"
I wasn't ready for this, her question on its own I could answer that easily. I didn't foresee Isumi inquiring about a topic so filled with… my past, it was unnerving to me. Even though I knew this to be the work of causality, I couldn't react for some time.
"It's a weird topic, right? Forget I said anything." Isumi planned on dropping it as she took a slip of her drink.
"Obviously I would fight, no matter how slim my chances are, I won't give up. I will live so I can keep fighting, I'm not dying." My answer was too simple, and too unchanging.
"…Thought so, but how about the mission? By surviving, you'd have failed it."
"I'll just live and think of a different way on finishing it. Nothing is set in stone, as long as we're alive." That was my truth, my commitment.
"Umm… I'm a coward, Shirogane. So if that really do happen, I'm sure I'll finish it, that way my chances of achieving the goal is higher. You're not me, Shirogane. You're willing to gamble everything, and you don't even doubt your odds. You're that confident in your victory."
It was ironic, the one who didn't want to die was seen as a brave man, yet the one who gave her life to the cause was a weakling. How much I wanted to laugh.
"I won't die, Isumi. I can't die; not here, not until I win."
"I can tell that. Your eyes, they reflect a will already folded to steel. You're not here to lose, Shirogane. Only glory, only victory…" I was patted on the shoulders, Isumi stared at me intensely, her features were gentle and smoothing to my sight.
"Don't worry, Isumi. I share my spoils." And now, we could only smile after plodding through such a heavy discussion.
"Ahaha, you're strong, Shirogane; you and your team. I won't ask how or why… so please, if you can, protect people's dreams." I always known this responsibility was mine. I chose this world to save, so I will see through it to the end.
—
"No, you fooool! That means your sister'll have a giant advantage over you then!"
"Eh? What do you mean?"
"Look, if I'm that guy. I'd be 'hmm, I wonder what Michiru is doing these days, although she's probably fine since she's with the UN. On the other hand, 'insert your sister's name here' could be in danger, considering that she is going to be part of the biggest Operation EVEEER!"
"Hmmm… you might have a point there." No shit I did.
After snickering off our pervious grimly topic, Isumi and I once again moved onto relationship problems. As in the guy she had in mind was also the target of her three sisters, also the youngest one happened to be part of Whiskey Unit.
"So here's what you need to do, right? Assuming your guy's a dense asshole; just strip and go. Easy peasy lemon squeezy! Nothing gets the message across like a naked girl delivering it."
My proposal turned Isumi redder than a Canadian maple leaf during autumn, she was too flustered to even think of a reply for a good two minutes as I enjoyed her reaction.
"Ahhhaaa… that… could that… work!?" Even better, she was seriously considering my recommendation.
"Absolutely, you just have to make sure he knows you're not cheap… still a virgin, right?"
"Ah— ye-y-yeah."
"Good, so when you two sleep together, don't act too experienced in it. Even if you seen it before in porn or whatever, pretend like you have no idea how to do it, but are very determined to get it on. Like- 'it's my first time, okay~? Be gentle~' or say stuff like 'I won't do this with anyone other than you~!"
"I feel like those tips…" She was still too embarrassed to speak properly.
"Be fervent, not by sex but by him. So you want to act lik—"
"Okay, stoooop! Masaki'd just think of me as a creep if I do that!" Right, right, that was the dude's name. And now I had an even better opportunity to troll her.
"Aaaaah, that's what he's called! HEY! Somebody! Give me a tab!" A couple of seconds later, one of our military PDAs came flying in from the sky.
"Hey! What're you up to!?"
"Let's see~ with him being your childhood friend, he's age probably be within three years to yours. And because you just called him Masaki, that makes it a forename. Not a lotta people are called that, I shall find him right now!" Isumi wasn't having a good night anymore.
"Nooo! …Let go of me, Shiroganeeee!" I wrapped my arm around Isumi's shoulders to prevent her interference as I scrolled down the profile of Eishis named Masaki within the IJA around our age.
"Is it this guy? …or this guy? Maybe thi— AHA! It is this guy!" When Isumi's eyes lingered on one of the pictures longer than the rest, I called her out. Her succeeding feedback established my theory.
"Stooooop! Th-this isn't y-your business!" I batted a blind eye to her feeble whinge.
"Let's see~ let's see! Maejima Masaki, age; twenty-one. Imperial Japanese Army Second Lieutenant, this's good stuff, yo! Looks like a talented sharpshooter from the profile…! Wait, hold on…" Our joyful mood had to take a turn, as I found information not so worthy of celebration.
"Haa… did you finally give up, Shiroga—"
"He's part of Operation 21, did you know that?" The weight of my news stunned Isumi solid.
"Eh…? Really?"
"Yeah, Akeno Base's 31st Tactical Armoured Battalion, callsign Juncture 2. He's part of Whisky Unit as well, looks to be piloting a Gekishin… your opinions?"
"I… didn't know that… Masaki is going to be at Sado? That's… not— I gotta go, thanks, Shirogane." With immediate haste, Isumi chugged down her soda and took the steps to leave.
"Hey! I can also search up your sister's unit too!"
"…No, that would distract me too much. I can't have that." In the long-run that was a logical decision.
"Later then, merry Christmas."
"You too, merry Christmas." After our exchange, Isumi disappeared into the mass.
"Hrmm… too bad then, the information is right here." Nothing left to do, I did examine Isumi's younger sibling. The girl was found rather quickly as I had a sense of déjà vu when I saw her name.
'Isumi Akira, IJA Second Lieutenant. Akeno Base's 133rd Tactical Armoured Regiment, Callsign Cracker 3. Okay, whatever. She didn't want to know.' Still, this wasn't very interesting now that Isumi already left.
—
"Okay, connect that cord to here and… we should be good. Did you check the loudspeakers, Kazama?"
"I have, the base still needs some tuning, other than that there's no problem." She replied back, boosting a friendly smile as a bonus.
"I'll get on it."
Peeking at the clock, it was almost midnight. We were onto the finale of our party, singing some Christmas corals together as we welcomed the tick signalling the end of December 24. Hopefully, at least half of the guys here have a knack for vocals, or else it was going to be one of those singing sessions.
"You know, Captain, I'm a bit surprised you can play piano." Playing was an overemphasized word, it was more like I knew when to smack which keys to make this black box make sound.
"Well, I had lots of time to mess around. Thought I'd pick up some skill other than seducing lesbians." Whether she understood it or not, this was an open challenge to Kazama.
"Oh… ara, isn't that impressive? To be skillful at this, quick reaction and swift motions are very important."
"Of course, that's what I excel at."
"Huhuhu, then I look forward to your playing." Were we still talking about piano? Or sex?
Throughout my years, I have taken Kazama many times. Yet even to this day, I couldn't figure out her true motive. The aura of mystery which encircled her was virtually impossible to decrypt, perhaps one day I will understand what tugs Kazama's heartstrings; for now, she was a bisexual who was open to explorations.
"On a serious note, where did you learn to play your violin, Kazama?"
"Errm… I can't quite remember. I was born in Kyoto with my two parents, we moved to Yokohama for a few years when I was around sixteen before the BETA invasion. But I was quickly conscripted after that, my family went back to Kyoto and… well, it was Kyoto…" So her parents were dead, how delightful.
"Welp, that's not a happy end."
"Won't you normally apologize for asking that, Captain?" Playfully, Kazama took a stab at me.
"What? I asked where you learned violin, not a sob story. Besides, it's not like I killed your family." I would spend my entire life expressing regret if that was the case, I ain't no BETA.
"Huhu, a very… unrestricted man you are, Capt. Shirogane. Anyway, I probably learned to play when I was young. However there weren't many chances for me to practice."
"Ah, life gets busy. And once we're in here, this here'll be all we're told to practice for." We were soldiers wholly aiming to exceed in the art of war.
"Indeed, but now, it's finally leading up to something." Kazama gazed far out, over our music equipment and in the direction of Sado.
"You're looking forward to it?"
"Of course, they took everything from me… just like what they did to everyone else. I'm not special, so I'll seek revenge…. like everyone else." I didn't need to see her irises to know there was a blazing fire burning in Kazama's heart. A person's demeanor could not be anymore deceiving.
"Tomorrow, there will be blood; but today, we celebrate."
"Agreed."
—
"~Silent night, holy night. ~All is calm, all is bright.
~Round yon virgin, mother and child. ~Holy infant so tender and mild,
~Sleep in heavenly peace ~sleep in heavenly peace."
I played along to the slow melody of Kazama's string, the crowd of soldiers beneath us hummed along lovingly. From here, I could spot Meiya, Sumika and Kasumi, Class rep and Ayamine, Tama and Mikoto. They were all here, they all appeared so peaceful and happy.
"~Silent night, holy night. ~Shepherds quake at the sight.
~Glories stream from heaven afar, ~heavenly hosts sing alleluia.
~Christ, the saviour is born. ~Christ, the saviour is born"
Piano was not something I would claim to be good at, so fortunately for me, this song wasn't hard to play. Same could be said for our audience, perhaps many of them didn't know the lyrics, but it was the passion that counted. Ever so rarely, we enjoyed our harmony as a generation altogether. A species whose existence was in danger, yet a species which haven't given up hope.
"~Silent night, holy night. ~Son of god, love's pure light.
~Radiant beams from thy holy face. ~With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus, lord, at thy birth~"
Many will die tomorrow, lives forever lost to the darkness. However, they would be names we remember at heart, souls guiding our path to the future. I believed in our victory, because I wanted to believe. We had physical strength, and now we had mental assurance.
"Jesus~ lord~ at thy birth~…"
People deserved hope, people deserved to live. I wouldn't declare myself to be the world's saviour, but I definitely am trying my hardest to become one. As a hollow man, who once forfeited the world's future for his own; it was my goal to save those I loved, so it became my destiny to save our world.
The bells struck twelve times, signalling midnight.
December 25, 2001
"…Uuu… I cannot believe I allowed myself to lose at this competition…! Such vexation." No matter what I tried, Sumika still showed scissors. Literally nothing I could do for Meiya.
"Yaay! I win! Now hold the mistletoe, Meiya-san!"
"Ummmm…! Fine!" Meiya lifted a hoop of leaves over Sumika's head as she pulled me in close for a traditional kiss.
You Happy yet? I called for a pause using ESP.
"Eh? You taste so good though, Takeru-chan!"
I know, but look how sad Meiya is getting. She's about to cry, I think. That wouldn't be a good way to boost our morale.
"—ummmmura! Okay, let's switch, Meiya-san!"
"Eh, really?"
"Sure! It's your turn now!" As much as I bullied Sumika over the course of decades, she really was a kind girl.
"Aaah, you have my gratitude, Sumika." So they swapped roles, now it was Sumika holding those plants while Meiya and I shared a sentimental kiss. The inside of her mouth was… well, wet. Describing this kind of stuff is so embarrassing, I refuse.
"Mmnnnmaa… Takeru… I love you."
"Same."
"Ah! Me too, me too!" A happy harem was so good, 10/10, would recommend.
"Alright, it's really time to go. Meiya, gather up the others."
"Understood." She was reluctant to release me, but eventually Meiya still obeyed order and left.
"Then I'll head for the XG-70, give me a RHIB, Takeru-chan!"
"Fuck off, we don't have enough Zodiacs as is. Take a Jetski." A Zodiac could hold around ten people, I couldn't let her waste our already limited resources like this.
"Eh? But Kasumi-chan needs to go with me too!"
"Our military one can hold two, and she can ride it back."
"Can she?"
"We'll find out." I had faith in Kasumi's height, she should be able to reach the handles.
—
"Actually, tell the rest to go on without me. There should be a PWC left for me to get back to our ship."
"Errm? Why, Takeru-chan?" We were only metres away from descending the deck when I saw someone standing at the very front of Osumi, her figure forced me to turn back and check.
"I can't… just leave Hayase like that, she acted weird the last time I saw her too. Sorry, Sumika, go ahead."
"Takeru-chan… you really are a kind person, that's something I cannot change. I'll get going then! See you tomorrow!" Maybe my selfish action injured Sumika somehow, but I trusted she would understand.
"See you, and merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas!"
—
"Sup."
"Oh, Shirogane, sup." And that was it for the greetings.
Hayase sat by her lonesome on the very edge of the Assault Ship's deck, her feet dangling under the railings. She appeared distraught; even from where I was hundreds of metres away, shaded by the colour of the night, she still looked melancholy.
"You drinking?"
"Rarely, but yeah." As seen by the almost empty beer can in her hand.
"I don't need to tell you we got an operation in like- seven hours, what's on your mind?" To me, only the biggest concerns in our universe would make Hayase drink alcohol.
"Hey… did you always serve in the UN, Shirogane?" We went to a classified place real fast, real hard.
"Arr… not really no, I jumped around." After careful contemplation, I decided telling Hayase a little about myself wasn't a bad idea.
"Where else have you been?"
"Promise not to tell?"
"You know me." For this once, I believed in the usual blabbering Hayase, her saddened air was a rarity.
"Been with the Imperials, Honour Guards, Americans, Brits, short while with the Krauts and surprisingly also the Ruskies; hated learning other languages though, still can't speak German or Russian."
"Huh, then what languages can you speak?" What a dull question all of a sudden.
"English, Japanese, a bit of French and Chinese."
"That's pretty good, me say only Japanese." Terrible grammar was used, but considering how drunk Hayase's ass was, I couldn't fault her.
"We're off topic, why are you drinking today?" She flustered her glance away, not wanting to explore a more personal theme. I waited quite a while for her to start opening up.
"…Do you think… you ever heard of the name Narumi Takayuki?" What that was, that was actually an undisclosed shocker to me.
Did I know the name, of course I did. Funny enough, I first heard her murmuring it during the very first night I nailed Hayase. It was a legendary period which through months of blood, sweat and tears I was finally able to crack her impenetrable armour… fugitively and literally.
Can confirm, still a virgin.
Anyway, so it got seriously awkward when she called out to some guy named Takayuki as we were getting down. It was a total mood killer, I pulled through but it wasn't the same afterwards.
"Urr… no." For now, that was all I wanted to say.
"Yeah, thought so. Haha, no reason you should know him, right? Guy did die two years ago, after all." This information was also divulged to me some time before by Hayase herself… or it was actually Suzumiya, couldn't remember.
"Okay. Shout out to that guy, how did he go?"
"Nuked by G-Bomb, Op Lucifer." Shit happens.
"Welp, R.I.P I guess." Hayase stared at me from the floor, an unclear gaze was the source of my discomfort. She didn't seemed to enjoy my sense of humour, but who was to blame since she brought up this out of place name?
"So you really don't care at all."
"Should I care about every guy that gets popped? I don't even care about all the dudes we're losing tomorrow." A strange compulsion within told me to add that last bit of unneeded intel, as if I desired for Hayase's despite.
"…You're not him, Shirogane… Takayuki wasn't an asshole."
"What, are we stating the obvious? You're also not a BETA, motherfucking surprise." It was pointless, I didn't understand what shot through Hayase's mind.
"Damn, you be a real piece of shit. But for some reason… I don't dislike that…" She took another swig of her plastic can only to discover its content had been emptied already.
"Thank you…?"
"That's right, you ain't Takayuki… and Takayuki is dead. He's dead, he's dead…" She repeated the truth to herself, perhaps for the purpose of imprinting it firmly within her brain.
"Hey… for real, are you okay, Hayase? If you don't feel well I can ask Isumi to take you off the team tomorrow, you can't be going into battle half-psycho." From my heart, I was trying to be nice, if only I could recall how to do that properly.
"Nah… I'll be okay. Gotta fuck up BETA's shit tomorrow, how can I not be okay?" Hayase swayed her head around, forcefully patting herself on the temple.
"Well, watch yourself then. It's getting a bit too late, I need to get back before the tide stops me—" My sentence wasn't finished before she threw the can into the sea with all her might.
"GOD DAMNIT! AGGRRA! Fuck off, Takayuki! Stop haunting me, I got some pain to deal out! Hooo! FUCK! All right! Let's get going then!" Faster than ever, Hayase leaped onto her two feet and flashed me a wide, silly grin to display her health.
"Excellent, you dumb bimbo! I seriously gotta bounce now, later." I chuckled dryly, not too sure whether it was correct to laugh at her recovery.
"Sure, dickface. Merry Christmas." We resolved her problem unexpectedly quick.
"Same, Merry Christmas."
—
"Did you wait all this time… for me, Meiya?"
"Of course, I cannot allow myself to leave you, my love." Hearing that made me feel good in all the right places.
Passing over another quick kiss, we boarded the last jetski left by the ship's pier. I took control of the steering handle while Meiya leaned against my back, her hair felt smooth on my neck.
Cold, sea water splashed lightly on our skin. The moon was still high above the sky, its luminescence created a beautiful scenery to our ride. Millions of ripples recoiled elatedly over the mirror image of Meiya and I, as if the endless ocean spilt apart just for us to reach the destination.
"Look, isn't the moon beautiful tonight?" Knowing Meiya, it was impossible for her to miss my innuendo.
"Takeru, to find bliss within the prison of our time attested to be a difficult task for many, yet I am at my happiest. Still, if my time were to call me, I would struggle intently against that fate until the bitter end…" Without seeing her face, Meiya said, determined in her words. It was an anti-death flag of sorts, an infrequent find.
"Can you shorten that for me?"
"I'm so happy… I could die right now. Yet I can feel it, it is not my time. Nor will it ever be."
"Meiya… you know your stuff."
"Huhuhu… such joyous moment… this is experience I would not receive had I stayed a shadow. Answer me, Takeru. When the duty of my blood calls for my return, what will you do?"
Light as a feather, Meiya attuned her fluffy hair on my head. She eyed high into the atmosphere, seeking an answer from me that wouldn't even need to be asked.
"I will grab you by your waist, Meiya. And pull you in for a deep French one in front of all the people watching, letting them know who you really belong to."
"Hahaha… I find that response satisfactory. Then tell me, for this perquisite which I own; what do you demand from me?"
"Live, Meiya. Live and protect me; live and protect your friends; and also, live to protect your dream." That was all I ever wanted. To overcome the collapse of our dying world; not to overcome death, but the burden of it.
"I vow to you once more, Takeru. I shall live until the end; as your keenest sword, as your stoutest shield."
"Then what's your dream, Meiya? Have you gained one, now that you're no longer a mere shadow?" It took her some time to reply to my inquiry.
"My dream…" I kept my silence to allow Meiya the time to think.
"Kotabi… sonata no kono nagai yume… warawa kanarazu mamoru. (This time… this long dream of yours… I will definitely protect it.)" I was certain; this was the first time in history Meiya ever addressed herself using this pronoun.
Author's note
Too long chapter, nothing to say.
BETA done by chad001