It was after my shift when I met Tsuneo Nishizumi. I was outside the Sunkus, sat down on the curb minding my own business when he came over to me and asked if I was Taurus N. Colt. I was, so he asked me to follow him. So here we are, walking down the streets of the carrier. It's currently getting pretty late, and the clouds are stirring.

"You know kid, you have a weird name." Tsuneo says, keeping his head on the path ahead of us.

I nervously turn my head towards him, "Oh yeah… really?" I say, one step at a time Colt, one step at a time.

He smirks "Yeah, it's a real funny name. Why's it like that, anyway?" The wind rises, as if to signal that I should reflect before making my choice of words.

"My father was a bit of a bullish man, lots of bluster and bravado. Though last he saw me, he had lost all of that." He was always getting me to try new things when I was younger, thinking I'd pay him back with being a good son. And not a brains-blowing piece of shit.

He nudged my shoulder, snapping me out of my thoughts. "You miss him, son?"

I think back to when he hugged me after our last meeting. "Yeah."

It's a brief silence, only permeated by the sound of Tsuneo's boots and my work shoes, before he speaks again, "What about your mother?" He says.

I decided to spill, "Not much to say, mom took the house, 50% of my dad's shit. She tried to care for me, I know that much, but it just didn't feel right, y'know?"

He nods in understanding, "My mother wasn't very nice, made my view of women very low. Until I met my wife." he says, smiling at the end. His smile faltered as he cleared his throat, "Got any friends?"
I think back to the presentation, my ruined reputation, pride, the howling of my classmates, and to the girl I thought would be the one, filling the Saori-shaped hole in my heart.

I think I'm past friends at this point.

I turned to answer "No sir, I was never good with people." images of past upperclassmen bullies, cliques blocking me off from joining them and people's general avoidance of me spring up in my head… "And they were never good to me."

He hums, thinking for a moment, he isn't really easy to read, it's as if his face is featureless, giving clear expression only when the situation demands it. "It ain't easy being a lonely person I imagine."

I scoff, "Yeah, go figure. Once you're invisible for long enough you become numb to it all." I laugh, bitterly. He seemed to not have taken the self-deprecation as well, but ignored it to focus on the conversation at hand.

He then went over to another subject, he raised his eyebrow "You got any ideas for your future? You don't plan on working at a Sunkus forever, do you?"

I put my arms behind my head and gave a great sigh. "I don't know sir, due to my circumstances I don't have many important things with me, or at least I don't think I do" shit, going to have to redirect , "-and even if I did, I don't think I could do much with my lackluster skills. Maybe I could enlist in the army."

He seemed to be deep in thought for a second, putting his finger under his stubble, contemplating for a second. "Well you might want to finish highschool before that, that's for sure."
We both chuckle at the idea, I personally chuckled thinking I had a future past highschool,

"O~r I could take you under my wing, you seem like you got good hands for hard work." He said. I stopped, and so did he. It surprised me that he would offer such a position.

I thought about working under the Nizhizumis, in Kumamoto, and in the world of tankery. A way to claw my way out of this situation I'm in. Then I thought about Saori, and inevitably falling in love with someone else, like Miho, when we'd inevitably meet each other. Me, working as a mechanic, her, visiting her home on summer holiday.

Did I really shoot myself over a girl? Only to end up falling in love with her friend? Or am I just going about this the wrong way? Just why am I thinking about this as if I'd end up falling in love with any of these girls?
Knowing my track record, I'd probably fumble the bag so bad it'd end up me getting thrown off the ship. Still, it is important to keep my options open.

"I'll… consider your offer." I said, quieter than I would've liked, Tsueno for his part just laughed.

"I'll keep that in mind, Colt. If you ever need my help, the offer will always be open." He patted me on the back and sighed, "I know what it's like to be lost in life, trust me."

The rest of the walk was silent save for small talk after that, but I feel that we reached some understanding. We eventually found ourselves at a small park. Tseuno seemed sure of where he was. But he was unsure of what to say to me, but hardened his resolve, pat me on the back, and spoke.

"You're a good kid Colt, sometimes all you need is a change of environment, someone to fight for, and a little motivation." Yeah, 'change of environment.' is a good substitute for being isekai'd. I grumble something out in response. In all honesty, I don't think I'll be doing anything important with this new lease on life, I know how this goes. I'll be working a dead end job, away from my world, watching Senshado on TV, and cyber-stalking a girl I loved who doesn't even properly know who I am. If there is a god, then I guess I'll be seeing him after I find some nice thick rope…

"So, where do you think you'll be going, up or down?" He said.

I turned to face him to say "I don't know", but he had already walked off to who knows where. I twist my head, scanning my environment to find that we had walked into a park. Creepy.

I guess it's my turn to reflect. Walking over to a nearby gazebo and taking a seat, I begin to take in the accompanying ambience. I think I'm at an impasse, and brother, I don't think I'm going to make it. I guess given another chance with a girl I onesidely love, I'll still find ways to fuck it up, just like I did the last time, except that time I had the interest of a girl that actually admitted to liking me back.

"Uh.. Hello? Mr?"
I twist my head to the source of my disruption, to find the redhead radio operator struggling to carry various items. You know, this reminds me of the time, when I was helping her in my past life with cooking for her family. We were just heading off to a bitter winter, and she had invited me to a candle lit dinner (as friends). Catch was, we had to cook all our food as a pair, since her parents weren't home. What a nice memory.

"Sir!" Oh shit.

The various items she was holding clattered on the ground, amongst them was the mirin she had brought from my Sunkus. I immediately sprung into action, grabbing some of the dropped food items and putting them on the table. It didn't take long for us to have finished organizing the items, something that had my curiosity was all the food items she was carrying. Sweets, chocolate, and items that needed cooking, like what looked to be some prepared meat.

We found ourselves sitting at the table side by side, she sighed and almost began to dig through her winter uniform's pocket, before something overcame me, he said to me: speak now, or keep your silence.

"So uhm, how was your day Saori?"

This seemed to have caught her off guard, but she immediately resumed the mask of a lady and assumes pleasantries.

"Oh it was wonderful! I went to school, did some practice, got to call my father, and now I'm prepared for a relaxing barbeque with my friends!"

I would gripe about how women always do this around me, but I know these girls well enough that I trust their character. I consider putting up a tone of ironic, faux saccharine pleasantry to reciprocate, one that I would've put up as a wall against strangers, but knowing all there is about Saori, I don't consider her a stranger. "Oh that's great for you! I just got off work myself, actually, came here on a walk with a friend of mine. Though we had to split since he had other commitments."

Saori seemed surprised at my mention of work. Fuck, she must think I'm a slacker or dropout… "Ah! That's so cool Taurus! You're like an adult already! With a job and stuff!" Fuck, this woman's personality is so cheerful, expressed by her girlish squeals and excitement.

I grin slightly, leaning slightly into Saori's cheerful attention to my job. "Hah, well if you consider standing in a Sunkus for hours on end, stacking shelves… " This boring admission of what I do for a job quickly extinguishes Saori's exuberance in my job, fuck, gotta turn this around, oh, I know!

"Eating cup noodles."

Her expression is one of confusion and bewilderment, probably at my poor, depraved, near NEET life. On the bright side, it shifts into a calm, sympathetic light. "Oh you poor thing, if you want, you can stay around and eat some of the food."

"Huh? Really?" I say, surprised at this offer.

She takes her glasses case out of her "Of course, but you have to help me cook, mister!" Oh boy.