Harem Army: Impregnation Mission on a Frontline Base Full of Women

Chapter 65: Night March Training (Starting Point ①) – Kutō Takako’s Vulgar Announcement

The Black Hair Mountains.

This vast mountain region, spanning roughly 130,000 hectares with almost no human intervention, serves as the stage for this night march training.

Of that area, the deepest core zone of 17,000 hectares has been designated a World Natural Heritage site. Even now, after the war began and HINOMOTO became completely isolated from the world, that designation remains in effect.

Therefore, enemy nations are not permitted under international rules to touch this area during any invasion. That is how valuable and delicate the ecosystem of the Black Hair Mountains — along with its native flora and fauna — is.

Of course, this training also avoids passing through that core zone.

The training area runs from the former tourist spot near the coast — the Mount Kurokami trailhead — to the summit, and then continues approximately 5 kilometers in a straight line to the Thirteen Lake Coast.

The time was 17:50.

After linking up with the advance team that had gone ahead to secure the EV truck route, Nagato and the rest of the main force were performing final checks on their equipment, with the training set to begin in about ten minutes.

After this, roughly 90 teams of the Infantry Unit’s 4-man cells would depart toward the destination at one-minute intervals.

Each team would take a different route. Every team had to pioneer the route shown on their map using their own strength, reach the destination without injury or major delay.

Moreover, they were in principle forbidden from harming the native plants and animals. The word “in principle” carried the implicit meaning of “unless their lives are in danger.”

“Bears might appear…”

“I wonder… if we’ll be okay…”

The soldiers were anxious after the Unit Commander’s briefing, which had included instructions on what to do if they encountered a bear.

Of course, encounters with wild animals such as deer and wild boar were not uncommon during training outside the base. The Logistics Unit even conducted their own deer hunts to secure food.

But bears were a different story. Especially in the Black Hair Mountains, there were many gruesome legends involving bears. The soldiers seemed to have heard some of those stories.

“Don’t miss any heat signatures when scouting…”

The Unit Commander reminded them.

“At this time of year… bears shouldn’t be very active at night… As long as you don’t approach their dens… there shouldn’t be any major danger. Regularly check your thermal vision, don’t miss any heat sources… If you sense anything, quietly move away… If you startle them… the chance of being attacked increases… Especially be careful of mother bears with cubs…”

『Even if you tell us to be careful…』

That was the soldiers’ honest reaction.

Since the actual deployment of “Izanagi” and “Izanami,” real combat situations for infantry had become almost nonexistent across the entire country. In other words, soldiers conscripted in the last few years had virtually no real combat experience, let alone any experience of having their lives put in real danger.

Moreover, over 90% of the infantry soldiers currently stationed at TSUGARU had been conscripted within the past three years.

“It’s okay to shoot… right? If it comes down to it…”

There was an unconscious intensity in the eyes of the soldiers checking their firearms.

『We might get killed…』

That fear was, ironically, heightening their focus for the training. Perhaps this too had been one of the intentions behind selecting this particular training location.

“Are you okay…? Nagato-kun… Ah… I mean, Sergeant Major…?”

“I’m sorry… Narumi-san…”

Nagato did not stop fiddling with the knob on the machine tucked into his backpack.

“I’m still… not quite used to it…”

The digital radio, which had a 20-kilometer range, had a different operating method from the equipment he had used at the officer academy.

“That model was only updated last month… I’m still not fully used to it either…”

“Yeees~… This is Peach Blossom Spring… No, wait… This is Ryūgū-jō~”

A lewd, singsong voice interrupted Narumi through the radio speaker. It seemed Nagato had accidentally started a transmission while fiddling with the controls.

“Abalone and sea anemone… and pearl oysters packed full… We’ve been eagerly waiting for our guests, dripping wet… sloshing and squirting… dancing wildly~…”

“W-What the…?”

The extremely direct and vulgar expressions caused Narumi’s face to turn bright red.

Nagato next to her was also panicking. However, his panic wasn’t about the content. He was flustered because his radio had started broadcasting across the entire trailhead area.

Nearly 400 female soldiers waiting around the trailhead had their eyes fixed on Nagato and the radio on his back.

“This code… It’s Sergeant Major Nagato, right~…? We’ve been especially instructed by Princess Oto to treat you very generously… When you arrive, we’ll serve you a full course of naked body sushi… We’ll take care of your health check all the way down to your lower parts… And of course, at night we’ll provide full support in that area too…”

The obscene announcement echoed through the lush green mountains as dusk approached. Nagato’s headset and radio were not properly connected.

The vulgar broadcast did not stop until Nagato realized what was happening. The mother bears and their cubs must have been quite surprised.

“Want a 3P…? Or 4P…? If you want 10P every single night… our girls will all break down…”

The output finally switched from the speaker to the headset. Even so, Kutō Takako’s lewd words continued.

“U-Um… I’m very sorry… Facilities Unit Commander…!”

Nagato adjusted the position of his headset microphone and cut her off.

“I’m Sergeant Major Nagato Kai from the Infantry Unit… I accidentally started a transmission while checking the radio operation… Please excuse me…!”

“No need to be so formal, Sergeant Major…”

The Facilities Unit Commander spoke in a sticky, tongue-twisting voice.

“We’re so close, aren’t we…? Feel free to contact me anytime… We’ll welcome you with abalone, sea anemone, and extra pearls…”

『Abalone…? Sea anemone…?』

Nagato had no idea what she was talking about. Regardless, he thanked her and ended the transmission.

“That was shocking…”

He slid the headset, still attached to his helmet, back behind his head. Kutō Takako’s voice was still ringing in his ears. He would also need to readjust the volume settings.

The surrounding soldiers were whispering and giggling among themselves. Their gazes were, of course, directed at Nagato. Seeing his cheeks turn red, Narumi’s own cheeks flushed as well.

“That… must have been tough… Sergeant Major…”

“I’m sorry…”

Sergeant Narumi smiled and shook her head while glancing around, worried that the Unit Commander or Lieutenant Kawana might have noticed the commotion.

『Good… They don’t seem to have noticed…』

There was no way they hadn’t noticed. It had echoed throughout the mountains.

『What the hell are those idiots doing…?』

Lieutenant Kawana was watching from a distance with a cold gaze. She had been performing the final check on unloading equipment from the EV trucks carrying supplies for the Infantry Unit.

“It’s lively, isn’t it…”

The one who spoke was the leader of the Facilities Unit’s driver team.

Chapter 66: Night March Training (Starting Point ②) – Adult Woman

Facilities Unit. Rank: Second Lieutenant.

She didn’t have a striking appearance like Lieutenant Kawana, but she had a clean and neat face. Her long black hair was carefully tied back so it wouldn’t get in the way.

She was unusually well-groomed for someone in the Facilities Unit. The grey jumpsuit that fit her slender figure emphasized her alluring body lines.

She appeared to be in her late twenties. She had known Lieutenant Kawana since the latter was assigned to the base. As her appearance suggested, she had a refreshing personality and was one of the few officers from a different unit who got along well with the Lieutenant.

“Sorry for the commotion…”

“No, not at all…”

She chuckled softly. Even her smile was refreshing.

“I’m a little jealous… that you have a man around…”

“No way… he’s just a kid.”

Even as she said it, she wasn’t entirely sure if she meant it from the bottom of her heart.

“But… a man is still a man.”

Lieutenant Kawana fell silent for a moment, then added quietly:

“Well… it’s only a matter of time…”

Nagato’s training period with the Infantry Unit was already more than halfway over. She had just realized that again.

“That’s true… We’ll be getting one soon too…”

The Second Lieutenant’s gaze turned toward Nagato. For a brief moment, Lieutenant Kawana thought she saw a faint heat in the woman’s eyes — something she had never seen before.

『Good grief… Every single one of them… falling for a kid like that…』

Within that exasperated feeling, something dark and hazy stirred like a heat shimmer. She quickly tried to suppress it.

“Speaking of children…”

The Second Lieutenant’s gaze returned to Lieutenant Kawana. She straightened her posture carefully so it wouldn’t be noticed.

“You know those twin Lieutenants, Suzu and Ran, right? The ones with the flashy hair colors… conscripted under the Special Recruitment System…”

“Yeah…”

The Lieutenant gave a short reply. Of course she knew the twins. She knew them far too well — to the point of being sick of them.

“Last night… they were sent to the detention barracks…”

Lieutenant Kawana looked up and stared into the woman’s eyes. There was no teasing or mockery in them.

『That fox woman… She’s been spreading what happened yesterday everywhere, hasn’t she…?』

The Second Lieutenant suddenly started giggling. Lieutenant Kawana’s eyes narrowed.

“What?”

“Ah, no…”

Suppressing her laughter, the Second Lieutenant continued:

“Those two… they were acting so full of themselves as usual— wait, that’s not a very good thing to say about fellow officers. But seeing them cry and scream so pathetically was just too funny… I couldn’t help it…”

“Hmph.” Lieutenant Kawana snorted. She didn’t exactly think they got what they deserved, but she felt no sympathy either. If they broke the rules and did whatever they wanted, it was only natural they had to pay the price.

“But please don’t misunderstand… I don’t have any ill feelings toward them. They can be a bit pushy, sure… but they’re still kids. Besides… their inventions are actually pretty popular in our unit…”

Lieutenant Kawana didn’t ask what kind of inventions. From everything she had experienced, she could easily imagine.

She decided to end the conversation there. The shadows on the ground had grown quite long. This group was also scheduled to head toward the destination — Thirteen Lake Coast — soon.

“Hope you can get through the mountain roads before it gets too dark…”

Lieutenant Kawana called out to the Second Lieutenant in the driver’s seat.

“We’ll be fine…”

The woman leaned out the window and replied.

“There’s still a little time until sunset… You take care too, Lieutenant…”

After exchanging salutes, the two young women parted ways. Lieutenant Kawana watched until all the trucks had driven off and the glow of their taillights disappeared, then turned on her heel.

The conversation with the Second Lieutenant was already gone from her mind. She needed to report to the Unit Commander that the Facilities Unit vehicles had departed.

Unit Commander…

The person Lieutenant Kawana respected most. The greatest commander she knew, and the strongest soldier.

A giant tree with wide-spreading branches that had lived for many years — sometimes called a divine tree. It was the center of the forest’s ecosystem, and its fall would mean the end of the forest itself. At some point, she had begun to see the Unit Commander as exactly that kind of sacred tree.

The heart of the Infantry Unit.

That was what Hihino Chiharu meant to Lieutenant Kawana.

『What if that heart stops…』

She was afraid of exactly that.

『Still… it’s too sudden…』

Just yesterday, the Unit Commander had stood beside her as the same magnificent presence as always. But when they met this morning during the send-off for the advance team, she already seemed like a completely different person. At least, that was how it looked to her.

Of course, both then and after they linked up at the trailhead, Hihino Chiharu had carried out every instruction, order, explanation, and movement precisely and efficiently. There was nothing to criticize.

The roughly 400 soldiers of the Infantry Unit, as well as the members of the Facilities, Medical & Sanitation, and Logistics Units, didn’t seem to sense anything wrong. Everything moved smoothly according to her commands, without delay or hesitation.

If you only looked at the surface, it was the same scene as always — an excellent commander perfectly controlling a near-battalion-sized force.

However…

『Something is missing… Something decisive…』

Infantry Unit Commander Hihino Chiharu.

The something that had made her who she was no longer seemed to be there.

Lieutenant Kawana felt that empty sense of loss as clearly as if a hole had opened inside her own body. And yet, none of the Infantry soldiers — not even the platoon leader-class officers — appeared to have noticed.

That was what she found incomprehensible.

“Wait a second…!”

She had barely managed to hold back from shouting those words several times today.

“That’s not her…! That person is no longer…”

Of course, she never actually said it out loud. She knew it would be pointless. At best, she would be labeled as having “mental instability due to the closed environment” and turned into a toy for the Medical & Sanitation Unit.

Only Narumi had noticed.

To Lieutenant Kawana, that was both a relief and a source of deep despair.

She trusted Narumi that much — especially her eyes and her powers of observation.

“Sergeant Narumi… really watches people well…”

It was the Unit Commander herself who had made her realize that. Until the Unit Commander pointed it out, Lieutenant Kawana had evaluated Narumi Yui as someone reserved at best, and passive at worst.

But after the Unit Commander’s words, she began observing the Sergeant’s behavior more carefully. Eventually, she realized how shallow her own judgment had been.

Narumi always tried to respect others’ feelings before her own. She listened carefully to what people said and paid close attention to changes in their expressions. She was someone who could empathize and stand by others.

And that Narumi had said: “The Unit Commander today seems different from usual.”

For Lieutenant Kawana, those words were enough. She could say with certainty that her own thoughts were correct.

Given Narumi’s personality, she rarely used strong words. If you translated “seems different,” it largely matched the impression the Lieutenant herself had received from the current Unit Commander.

Of course, there was still the possibility of a misunderstanding. Both she and Narumi might be making a big mistake.

Perhaps the Unit Commander was simply feeling unwell. Maybe she was suffering from particularly bad period cramps that happened to coincide with this training.

『I hope… it’s something like that…』

Lieutenant Kawana prayed strongly for that as she walked briskly through the nearly 400 female soldiers and their long shadows, illuminated by the red evening sun. She wanted to check one more time.

The shadows and their owners looked like ordinary people passing on a street corner. She didn’t even glance at familiar faces or those who looked up and smiled at her.

Straight ahead, in the direction of her unwavering gaze, stood one particularly tall, black silhouette. Because it was backlit by the strong remaining sunlight, its expression was hard to read.

Unit Commander…

The giant shadow stood there unsteadily, like an empty shell, looking fragile and unreliable.

Chapter 67: Night March Training (Starting Point ①) – Lieutenant Kawana’s Irritation

“Unit Commander… it’s about time…”

When Lieutenant Kawana finally spoke up, the time had already passed 19:30. At the starting point of the night march training — the Mount Kurokami trailhead — only their team remained.

The sun had set beyond the horizon, and the entire mountain was now covered in the deep black cloak of night. Above it, stars sparkled like shattered glass, and the moon, which had just begun to rise, cast a yellow light over everything.

Stargazing in the mountains with no artificial light sources around felt less romantic and more terrifying. That was what Lieutenant Kawana was thinking.

“You’re right…”

Until she spoke, the Unit Commander had been sitting on an old tree stump at the entrance to the mountain path. For both the Lieutenant and Sergeant Narumi, that alone was an abnormal sight.

The Unit Commander they knew would never sit idly in front of her subordinates during training. Moreover, they were already well past the scheduled departure time.

“Sorry… I was spacing out…”

At those words, Lieutenant Kawana and Sergeant Narumi exchanged glances. But neither of them said anything.

“Are you feeling alright…?”

It was Sergeant Major Nagato who asked.

“You look a little pale…”

If even this freshly graduated officer noticed it, just how bad had the Unit Commander’s condition become? Lieutenant Kawana no longer had the confidence to judge it calmly.

“Let’s synchronize the time… It’s 19:33… Ready…? Ten… nine…”

At the Unit Commander’s voice, all four of them looked down at the watches on their wrists. The fluorescent dial on Narumi’s watch gave off a faint glow that looked like it might disappear at any moment.

Each team participating in the night march was to first aim for the summit of Mount Kurokami, which stood at approximately 1,000 meters. They would use the existing mountain trail that had once been open to civilian hikers. For well-trained soldiers, this was not a particularly difficult route.

However, all teams had to maintain proper intervals and a constant pace. Going too fast or too slow was not allowed.

If a team disrupted the pace by overtaking or being overtaken, they would be penalized with one week of toilet cleaning duty at the barracks. After reaching the summit, the routes would split during the descent toward Thirteen Lake at the foot of the mountain.

The group of lakes known as Thirteen Lake was said to have formed hundreds of years ago when a landslide from Mount Kurokami blocked the river at the base. Because of this, the ground was unstable, and the risk of landslides was especially high during the snow or rainy seasons.

Fortunately, clear weather had continued for some time, but the descent route was not a maintained trail. On top of that, it was at night.

A slight lapse in attention or misjudgment could easily lead to a fall or rockslide. There was no doubt that this descent was the most difficult part of the entire training.

The plateau area at 250 meters above sea level after descending the slopes of Mount Kurokami was Thirteen Lake, also designated as a national park. Despite the name, there were actually more than thirty lakes and ponds scattered across the area.

Each one held clear, high-quality spring water. During the day, the scenery would likely be breathtaking.

Naturally, wild animals gathered near these water sources. This area carried the highest risk of encountering bears — the large predators the soldiers feared most.

After passing through Thirteen Lake and descending the gentle hills for about three kilometers, they would reach the final destination of the night march: Thirteen Lake Coast. Each team was expected to arrive by 04:00 before dawn.

However, even reaching the coast on schedule did not mean the training was over. A trace investigation would then begin.

This investigation would be carried out visually by Infantry Unit soldiers spreading out along the coastline. Aerial drone surveys had already been completed by the Intelligence Unit.

What kind of traces they would find, and where — or whether they would find any at all — had not been shared with the Infantry Unit, including the Unit Commander.

The Intelligence Department wanted the soldiers to search with their own five senses, without preconceptions. Naturally, quite a few soldiers were unhappy about this, though none were foolish enough to voice their complaints.

Although their departure was slightly delayed, Nagato’s team of four reached the summit of Mount Kurokami at the scheduled time of 23:00.

The roles in their 4-man cell were: Unit Commander Hihino as leader (managing route and progress), Lieutenant Kawana as scout, Sergeant Narumi as sniper, and Nagato as communications officer.

Despite the anxiety before departure, Unit Commander Hihino had carried out her role accurately up to this point. Her time management was nearly perfect, accounting for the late start.

Even so, Lieutenant Kawana’s concerns refused to disappear.

『Something is definitely wrong…』

The sense of unease would not go away. She was also irritated at herself for being unable to focus on the training while checking the positions of the preceding teams through her binoculars-style thermal vision.

From a short distance behind her, she could hear Nagato’s voice. He was making the regular scheduled contact with the Facilities Unit at base camp via radio.

The positions of all Infantry Unit soldiers participating in the training were being tracked by GPS. The Facilities Unit constantly monitored this data to check for any injuries or stragglers. If casualties occurred, protecting and supporting them was the role of this rearguard team.

“This is… Sergeant Major Nagato Kai…! Yes… we have reached the summit… Eh…? We haven’t confirmed anything on our end yet… Yes… According to the GPS signal…”

The voice suddenly cut off mid-sentence. Almost immediately afterward, Nagato called out to the Lieutenant.

“What is it…?”

Still peering through her night vision device, she replied without turning around.

“Um… Sergeant Major Yonekura’s team… their movement has stopped. It’s just ahead of us…”

It was a relatively veteran team from the 2nd Platoon. They had departed second-to-last — meaning they were the team right ahead of Nagato’s group.

If many injuries had occurred, Yonekura’s team was also supposed to assist in support, just like Nagato’s team.

『If they’re stuck there, it can’t be helped…』

The anxiety and irritation that had been building up inside Lieutenant Kawana was about to erupt. Yonekura’s team — especially Sergeant Fujita — made for a convenient target.

“Roger…! I’ll go check…!”

Almost shouting, she left those words behind and headed toward the point where Yonekura’s team was reportedly stalled.

Chapter 68: Night March Training (Surprise Attack ①) – Lieutenant Kawana’s Irritation

Night March Training (Ambush ②) Fujita and Yonekura

The path to the summit was damaged in places, but the old mountain trail still barely retained its original form. However, the desolation at the summit itself was severe.

The sign marking the peak had corroded and collapsed, and the viewpoint area that should have offered a view of Thirteen Lake was now completely blocked by the overgrown branches and leaves of beech trees. Sergeant Major Yonekura’s team was standing by on a slope slightly below that viewpoint area.

“What the hell are you doing…!”

Lieutenant Kawana’s sharp voice rained down on the backs of the women, who showed no signs of starting their descent and were instead chatting among themselves.

“Ah… Lieutenant Kawana…”

The absent-minded voice belonged to Sergeant Fujita, the team’s reconnaissance specialist. She was a veteran non-commissioned officer, but had a strong personality and would casually disobey orders at times.

“I’m sorry… Lieutenant…!”

Sergeant Major Yonekura, the team leader, stood up and saluted. The other two quickly followed suit. However, only Sergeant Fujita remained squatting on the ground, glancing around restlessly.

“Fujita kept insisting she saw something strange…”

“Something strange…?”

(Isn’t the strange thing just her?)

Kawana Rin barely held back the retort and looked at Sergeant Fujita.

She wore a helmet with goggles-style night vision equipment pulled low over her eyes. This only emphasized how small her face already was — about the size of a fist.

Her facial features themselves weren’t bad, but she seemed completely indifferent to her appearance, so she gave off almost no feminine charm appropriate for her age.

Despite being small and slender, her limbs were unusually long. With the goggles on, combined with her eccentric personality, she looked exactly like a water mantis.

“That’s right~… With the digital night vision, I was looking toward the lake… not exactly on our route, but I casually glanced that way and caught a glimpse of something… When I switched to thermal to try and track it…”

The rest became unintelligible as she muttered under her breath.

“You said you saw something… What was it…?”

Lieutenant Kawana pressed her with clear irritation in her voice.

“If I knew what it was, I wouldn’t be having this much trouble… It disappeared in an instant… And it didn’t show up on thermal either…”

“Wasn’t it just your imagination…?”

Black smoke seemed to rise from the Lieutenant’s head. But Sergeant Fujita paid it no mind.

“No way…! I’m not some fresh officer academy kid… Oops…”

Sergeant Major Yonekura lightly jabbed the tip of her boot into Fujita’s side.

“Hey… What was that for…?”

Fujita looked up at the Sergeant Major from her squatting position. Being looked at like that while still wearing the night vision goggles couldn’t have been pleasant.

“Shut up, Fujita…!”

Still, the two seemed to be on good terms. Rather than a superior scolding a subordinate, it felt more like friends casually warning each other.

“It’s rude to the Lieutenant…!”

“Rude…? She’s younger than me… Ow…!”

Yonekura’s boot heel stomped down on Fujita’s fingers that were planted on the ground. This strike was much harder than the previous one.

“I’m very sorry…! Lieutenant…!”

The Sergeant Major saluted once again.

“I will thoroughly teach Sergeant Fujita proper speech and conduct toward superior officers…!”

“Hey Yoko…! Get your foot off… It hurts…!”

Yonekura’s boot ground down harder as Fujita tried to speak. Lieutenant Kawana let out a deep sigh.

(Damn it… I’m not in the mood to watch your comedy routine…)

Still, at least some of the irritation that had built up inside her had been vented thanks to Sergeant Major Yonekura’s efforts.

“Tell her not to play around with her equipment too much… If she had set the night vision to hybrid mode from the beginning, something like this could have been avoided…”

Even so, Kawana herself had not been using digital night vision, relying instead on her own night vision ability. She had only been using thermal vision as support for wide-area heat source detection.

“Ow ow ow…!”

Perhaps sensing that Fujita was about to talk back, Yonekura twisted her heel harder into the Sergeant’s hand.

“Understood…!”

The Lieutenant waved her wrist at the three saluting women as if to say “Hurry up and go.” Even after she started walking, Sergeant Fujita remained squatting on the ground with her hand still pinned under the boot.

After that, there were no more noticeable troubles. Each team of the infantry units continued their march smoothly.

During the scheduled 25:00 contact with base camp, it was confirmed that all teams except Nagato’s group were progressing toward the destination coast in the Thirteen Lake area without any injured or dropouts.

Meanwhile, Nagato’s team began to show noticeable delays after passing the midpoint while descending the slope of Mount Kurokami toward Thirteen Lake.

It was around the time they had passed midnight.

Along with the drop in temperature, a wind began blowing that carried thin, gray clouds. These clouds blocked the light of the stars and moon, deepening the darkness of the night from pale ink to thick ink.

In sync with the change in the quality of the darkness, delays in the Captain’s instructions and minor route errors became more noticeable.

Of course, these were not major time losses or mistakes that would cause injuries. But they were the kind of errors that would normally be unthinkable for the Captain.

Moreover, they were not isolated incidents.

However, there was almost no sign of impatience or confusion on Captain Hihino’s face regarding these issues. She looked completely indifferent. It was the first time both the Lieutenant and the Sergeant had seen the Captain with such an expression.

Even so, by the time of the 25:00 scheduled contact, they had descended the slope to a point only a few hundred meters from the Thirteen Lake area.

At that moment, Lieutenant Kawana was once again peering through her night vision device — right up until the end of the formal radio exchange between Nagato and the Facilities Unit.

She could see humanoid heat signatures moving away and scattered four-legged heat signatures standing still among the shadows of the trees. The former were likely the infantry units, and the latter were animals living in this forest.

She wasn’t peering into the device with any particular interest, even though it could detect heat sources several kilometers away if there were no obstacles.

She simply couldn’t bear to see the vacant, hollow expression the Captain occasionally showed during breaks in activity. Watching the holographic-like creatures in the lens was far more bearable.

Something is different from usual.

In that sense, at this moment, Lieutenant Kawana herself fully qualified as “something is different.” If the Captain’s heart was hollow and empty, Kawana’s was violently churning like a stormy sea.

The enemy’s success in approaching them was likely due in large part to this special mental state of theirs. The enemy’s scheme, which had precisely targeted that momentary relaxation right after the scheduled contact, was also not to be underestimated.

“Then the next contact will be at 04:00… Yes… Understood…!”

“You okay…?”

Sergeant Narumi called out to Nagato after he finished the radio transmission. Normally, that was not her role. But she couldn’t leave it to the Captain, who was sitting blankly on the ground.

“Yes… It seems everyone is progressing smoothly… No injured personnel so far… But…”

Nagato trailed off and looked at the Captain beside him. The body that should have been two sizes larger than his now looked terribly small in his eyes.

“Th-That’s good then… right…? Nagato-kun…”

Narumi understood what Nagato had left unsaid, so she deliberately spoke in a bright voice.

“We’re the rear guard, after all… We have various duties… A little delay is…”

Just as the Sergeant tried to make an excuse on the Captain’s behalf, Hihino Chiharu’s eyes — which had lost their light — suddenly flared up.

“Turn off the lights!”

At the unexpectedly sharp command, Nagato, Narumi, and Lieutenant Kawana obeyed while trying to look at the person who gave the order. But before they knew it, all three of their bodies had been pushed down to the ground.