Harem Army: Impregnation Mission on a Frontline Base Full of Women - Chapter 69 & 70 & 71 & 72

Chapter 69: Night March Training (Surprise Attack ③) – A Farewell in This Life

Nagato and Narumi had been shoved away by the Unit Commander.

Lieutenant Kawana, who had been just out of reach, was struck by a violent impact that hit the night vision device in her hands.

In the next instant, the Unit Commander had already scooped up Nagato and Narumi under each arm.

“Kawana…! This way…!”

With that shout, she leaped several meters into the darkness while still carrying the two of them, then rolled into the shadow of a large beech tree right at the landing point. A line of fire chased after them.

Crack…!

A sound like something hard exploding chased the three of them. Lieutenant Kawana dove into the shadow right after.

During all this, Nagato and Narumi’s faces were repeatedly pressed against Hihino Chiharu’s ample, soft breasts — even through their cut-resistant, puncture-proof, fire-resistant jackets. However, neither of them had the composure to get excited about it. Both were simply wide-eyed, unable to fully grasp the situation.

Only Lieutenant Kawana had a sharp, blazing light in her eyes. The dark, gloomy cloud that had been hanging over her until moments ago had vanished as if it had never existed.

“Casualties…?”

Still pressed against the beech bark and watching the front, the Unit Commander asked. Nagato and Narumi were still held under her arms.

“My night vision device took a hit…”

Lieutenant Kawana answered.

“But… they haven’t fired since…”

“No… we were shot. Narumi, Nagato — are you hurt?”

“Um… Unit Commander…”

Narumi spoke hesitantly. With their torsos pinned by the Unit Commander, they couldn’t even check their own bodies or equipment.

“Ah… sorry…”

Neither of them was injured. However, the radio on Nagato’s back had a bullet hole through it. A hole the size of a little finger had pierced the device, completely cutting off its power.

“If they were aiming…” the Unit Commander muttered.

“Impressive skill…” Kawana added.

All four were huddled together in the shadow of the roughly one-meter-wide beech tree. The sweet, faintly sweaty scent and body heat emanating from the mature women caused heat to begin rising in Nagato’s lower abdomen.

Idiot… What am I doing… at a time like this…!

While Nagato tried to suppress it, the women continued their conversation.

“That’s true, but… it looks like they have some kind of plan. If they wanted to kill us… there were plenty of opportunities…”

“That means…”

“Wait…!”

The Unit Commander’s right hand stopped Sergeant Narumi, who had opened her mouth to ask what that meant. Keeping her hand raised toward her, the Unit Commander slowly closed her eyes.

“They’re… closing the distance…”

The color of the Unit Commander’s ears rapidly turned red. There was a clear sign of burning, intense concentration.

“Two… three… four. Four people… probably…”

She opened her eyes and looked at the faces of her three subordinates once more.

“I’ll draw them in… Once the enemy begins their attack… run straight for the lake and try to link up with friendly forces… Discard any equipment that won’t help in combat and leave it here…”

“No way…” Nagato started to protest.

“Then what about you, Unit Commander…”

“Nagato…!”

Lieutenant Kawana grabbed him by the collar and twisted it.

“This is an order, you bastard…”

Her arm was trembling with the force she was putting into it. Inside her, two conflicting emotions were clashing. That was how it felt to Nagato. In the end, he nodded.

“U-Understood…”

“Good…”

After nodding, the Unit Commander looked at Lieutenant Kawana.

“Two at three o’clock… One of them is probably the commander. I’ll aim for that spot…”

For a brief moment, Lieutenant Kawana’s and the Unit Commander’s eyes met. To the Lieutenant, that single instant felt stretched out endlessly.

Something that could not be put into words — something that would take far too much time to express — was unmistakably exchanged in that moment. That was the feeling she had.

『A farewell in this life…?』

An ominous phrase rose in the Lieutenant’s mind. By the time she shook her head to drive it out, the Unit Commander was already gone.

The sound of feet kicking the ground rushed up the dark slope at terrifying speed. Then came the short crack of gunfire.

Considering the enemy’s previous shots had made no sound, this was probably the Unit Commander’s gun. Immediately after, the sound of tree branches — no, thicker trunks — being torn apart and snapped echoed through the darkness overhead.

“Let’s go…!”

At the Lieutenant’s command, the three of them started running at once.

A no-light dash through the clouded night forest. On the steep slope, Narumi could barely make out the condition of the ground.

Because of that, she focused entirely on chasing the back of Nagato, who was running slightly ahead. Even without lights, Nagato could see the surrounding terrain. Narumi had already realized this.

“Kyaa…!”

After running for three or four minutes, she nearly pushed over her guide. Nagato had suddenly stopped. On a steep downward slope with momentum, the collision could easily have led to a fall.

But Narumi grabbed Nagato’s shoulder, planted her feet, and somehow managed to stop it. When she came to her senses, she realized her breasts were pressed firmly against Nagato’s back. Perhaps because she became conscious of it, her cheeks flushed deeply.

“What’s wrong…? What are you doing…?”

Lieutenant Kawana, who had stopped a short distance away, scolded them.

“Hurry up and run…!”

There was clear urgency in her voice. Even now, the Unit Commander was facing four armed enemies alone.

If it had been the usual Unit Commander, Lieutenant Kawana would not have felt any anxiety. But today’s Unit Commander…

“No…”

Nagato’s words surprised Narumi and made Lieutenant Kawana raise her eyebrows.

“You bastard… what are you—”

“I’m going back…”

Shaking off Narumi’s hand and cutting off the Lieutenant, Nagato turned on his heel. He then sprinted back up the slope they had just descended at the same — or even greater — speed as the Unit Commander earlier.

“You bastard…!”

Spitting out the curse, Lieutenant Kawana chased after him. She was fast too.

To Narumi’s eyes, her figure looked like a wild animal running across the wilderness. Even so, the difference in speed from Nagato was overwhelming. Instead of closing the gap, the distance kept widening.

『Damn it…! So this is Nagato going all out…?』

Still, she pushed her body to its limit, trying to chase after him. What stopped her was the freezing presence that suddenly appeared at her side.

She barely sensed it and leaped away. In that instant, the darkness right where she had been standing was sliced cleanly in two.

『“Enemy”…!!』

She hadn’t sensed their presence until the moment of attack. This fact shocked even Lieutenant Kawana, who was supposed to possess the sharpest senses among them.

“Run…! Narumi…!”

The piercing voice struck the back of the Sergeant, who had stopped and was looking up into the darkness, thinking of Nagato and the Unit Commander.

Narumi ran down the unreliable mountain slope toward the pitch-black abyss below, tumbling forward as she went.

Chapter 70: Night March Training (Defensive Battle ①) – The Unit Commander’s Wish

『How reckless can you get…?』

In her left and right hands, she held a knife and an automatic handgun respectively. However, the ultra-thin steel wire — presumably deployed by the unidentified “enemy” — had caught both of her wrists. It also bound her ankles and even her neck.

Because the wire was wrapped over her cut-resistant uniform on her wrists and ankles, there was almost no pain. The problem was her neck.

The wire tightened slowly, digging into her skin. It would soon tear through. Compression of the carotid artery, dropping blood pressure, and eventual loss of consciousness due to oxygen deprivation — the so-called “passing out” state — would follow.

Beyond that lay either suffocation or death by cervical fracture.

However, there was no sign of panic on Infantry Unit Commander Hihino Chiharu’s face.

『To rush out alone when we don’t even know the enemy’s objective or equipment… and end up like this… If my subordinates had done something like this, I’d be horrified…』

There were two reasons why she could remain so calm in this critical situation.

The first reason could be inferred from the movements of the “enemies” surrounding her.

『So three left… I was outmaneuvered by the fourth one. I hope Kawana and the others are safe…』

The powerful wire had restrained her and pinned her most vulnerable point — her neck. They held an absolute advantage in both position and numbers. Yet the “enemy” was clearly struggling to press the attack.

『Still… they chose to chase after Kawana and the others instead of finishing me off first. So their goal isn’t our total annihilation after all…』

Troublesome, but not a serious threat. That was her evaluation of the “enemy.” Of course, she had to keep in mind that the lack of detectable killing intent was lowering that assessment.

In any case, these “enemies” who showed no intent to kill were unlikely to cause them major damage. For that reason, Hihino Chiharu felt no need to panic.

『Judging from their equipment… their primary goal is probably capture. The question is… who exactly they’re targeting…』

The wire around her neck had dug quite deeply into her skin at one point. But for some reason, it had stopped sinking in after a certain moment. No — it was actually being pushed back out.

Of course, the force applied to the wire had not weakened. If anything, the pressure should have grown stronger. The proof was the way the lines stretching from the darkness of the trees toward her body had been trembling violently for some time.

『That was a bad move…』

She muttered inwardly. She didn’t say it out loud because she was clenching her teeth hard.

Human bite force is generally said to be between 50 to 100 kilograms. This pressure stimulates the motor cortex of the brain, allowing instantaneous exertion of far greater muscular strength than normal. Naturally, the stronger the bite, the greater the effect on muscle power.

Some crocodiles and hippos are said to have bite forces exceeding one ton. The question was whether Hihino Chiharu’s bite force was closer to a human’s… or a wild animal’s.

Eventually — CRACK…! — a sound like a bundle of tough fibers exploding rang out through the night darkness. It was the ultra-thin wire being snapped under pressure.

Considering the force involved, one might have expected it to be her neck that burst. But in reality, it was the wire itself that flew apart.

A wire capable of withstanding 800 kilograms of load had been broken by human strength — and without even touching it with her hands.

Anyone who saw the bulging, knot-like muscles on Hihino Chiharu’s neck would have no choice but to accept this impossible phenomenon as fact. That dramatic swelling was the direct result of her extraordinary bite force.

However, what was even more astonishing was the durability of her teeth, which could withstand such inhuman pressure. At the moment her neck muscles swelled massively, the force on her teeth far exceeded what ordinary teeth could endure. Yet inside her mouth, she felt nothing more than the slight discomfort of normal teeth grinding.

If she wanted to, she could have done the same thing to the wires binding her limbs. In fact, she wouldn’t even need to go to that trouble — simply swinging her arms and legs would have forced the “enemies” holding the wires to release her.

That was how far beyond normal limits Hihino Chiharu’s strength and explosive power were.

She didn’t do so for the same reason as the second factor allowing her to remain calm in this crisis.

『Good grief… This body of mine… It doesn’t seem willing to stop over something this minor…』

That thought revealed how tired she had grown of her own life. In other words, Hihino Chiharu had already fallen into deep despair about living.

Opening the door to the realm of death.

That was her only remaining wish.

『These people might be too weak for the task, though…』

She wasn’t even sure what she was expecting from these “enemies” who showed no killing intent. She simply found herself unconsciously placing herself in situations that seemed likely to lead her toward that end.

Even so, the fact that she had snapped the wire trying to strangle her neck suggested she still had some will to live. However, she didn’t even feel that contradiction as a contradiction.

She felt no discomfort at acting in ways that seemed to contradict her own desires. She had already lost nearly all interest in both her own emotions and her body. That was how deep her despair had become.

With a hollow clattering sound, a cylindrical metal object rolled to her feet. Even when she saw gas spraying out from it, her expression showed not the slightest change.

Chapter 71: Night March Training (Defensive Battle ②) – Rescue

『Chemical weapons, huh…』

The Unit Commander only muttered that single, detached thought.

Chemical weapons.

Lethal or non-lethal.

If it was mustard gas or sarin, it could be absorbed not only through the respiratory system but also through the skin. Its lethality was extremely high.

Even chloroacetophenone, considered non-lethal and commonly sold as tear gas spray, could cause severe aftereffects in some cases.

If only it were the former…

In her current state, she might have even wished for that. A powerful poison gas might be able to take her to the place she desired, despite the effects of “Kagutsuchi.”

Yet before the gas could fully fill the area, she had already held her breath and closed her eyes. It was an instinctive action to minimize the damage. Perhaps this response too was nothing more than a reflex.

『Now then… what comes next?』

She treated her own life and death as someone else’s problem, calmly observing the situation. She knew that if it wasn’t a lethal gas, she could hold her breath for about twenty minutes without much difficulty. However, there was almost nothing left for her to think about during that time.

Regret, happiness, suffering, joy — and even the man who had gone ahead of her through the door. She had already ruminated on those memories countless times and reached a certain closure. So what else was there to think about?

All she wanted was to pass through the same door he had opened and reunite with him on the other side. That kind of death was what she desired. Ideally on the battlefield, quietly, without anyone knowing.

She didn’t think, “Was I always this weak?” Nor did she feel any regret that her resolve to protect this country and its people had crumbled. Hihino Chiharu had already lost even the passion needed to feel disappointment in herself.

A light numbness, like tingling, was beginning to spread through her limbs, especially her extremities. Perhaps she had inhaled some of the gas right before holding her breath. Or maybe it had penetrated through her exposed skin.

『You…』

The face that floated behind her eyelids made her unconsciously call out. It was the face of her husband, for whom she had prayed for safety for ten long years.

She didn’t know whether it was a vision created by her own heart or an effect of the gas’s hallucinogenic properties. It didn’t matter. If it was a dream, she wanted to sink into it forever.

“Unit Commander…!”

The voice of a young man who still retained a boyish trace pierced through the darkness enveloping her for a brief moment. But it still wasn’t enough to break the dream Hihino Chiharu was seeing.

The shadow that came rushing up the slope like a gale kicked the cylindrical metal object with full force as it landed. The speed surpassed that of a top-class soccer player’s shot. Had it been measured, the impact would likely have exceeded 200 km/h. The metal piece flew high into the air, scattering gas behind it. However, he didn’t even glance at it.

He raised the high-carbon steel knife gripped in both hands and brought it straight down to the ground. At the same time, he flipped the blade and swung it upward again.

His hand speed was so fast it created the illusion that the sound of the wire snapping came right after the slash. It was truly a lightning-like strike — two strikes in one.

“Hold on…!”

Nagato’s back caught the Unit Commander’s collapsing body as she lost her support. In the next instant, he lifted her — a body weighing over 70 kilograms — and began running at ferocious speed.

Not downward toward where Lieutenant Kawana and Narumi were, but along the contour lines of the mountain slope. In the exact opposite direction from where the “enemy” likely was.

Was he also trying to draw the “enemy” away from Kawana and Narumi?

“Nagato…?”

In her lethargic daze, Hihino Chiharu faintly opened her eyes. Perhaps because of the lingering dream, for a very brief moment she mistook the person she was leaning on for someone else. Someone she could only meet in dreams.

A long time ago, she had once been carried on his back like this. On the back of a man nearly 20 centimeters smaller than her. It was either before or after she learned they were called the “odd couple.”

Anyway, that day I was ridiculously happy.

I drank too much and caused him a lot of trouble.

As soon as we got to the room, we got naked.

So… maybe that was the first day we made love…?

She slightly lifted her face.

This young man, freshly graduated from officer academy, had an atmosphere similar to her dead husband. She had first become conscious of it the moment she saw him in the Commander’s office.

It wasn’t that their faces were similar. It was in his occasional expressions and mannerisms.

Especially that dazed look when he first entered the room.

The overly serious salute after being yelled at by the Commander.

And the personality so unsuited for military service that he would even defy a superior officer to protect a girl — or rather, those twins.

“Why… did you come back…?”

She asked toward the back that was supporting her full weight without any instability. The sensation of her breasts pressed against it felt strangely warm. She vaguely wondered if this too was a lingering effect of the dream.

“I’m sorry…”

Relying only on the faint starlight, yet running without faltering, Nagato answered.

“I couldn’t… leave a woman behind…”

“Nagato…”

The Unit Commander interrupted her subordinate.

“What you’re doing right now… is a serious violation of orders… You could be removed from duty for this…”

Despite her words, the arm the Unit Commander had wrapped around Nagato’s shoulder tightened, as if trying to embrace him. This only pressed her soft breasts more firmly against his back.

Nagato felt as if his heart was being violently beaten inside his chest. His heart, which had maintained only a light jogging rhythm even while carrying a person heavier than himself at near-full speed, was now pounding wildly as if it might burst.

The swelling in his lower abdomen beneath his underwear was also becoming more pronounced. He tried to suppress it by staring into the darkness.

『You let your guard down…』

Flames reignited in the Unit Commander’s eyes. However, even this feeling remained strangely detached, as if it belonged to someone else.

The moment Nagato was caught by the wire tearing through the air and lost his footing, she separated from his back and rolled across the ground. The wire wrapped around his leg tried to drag him into the darkness.

A new silver thread came flying from another direction toward Nagato as he tried to stand. It was deflected by the flash of the Unit Commander’s knife.

『So their target is Nagato…』

Twisting her upper body like a caterpillar, Nagato resisted the force trying to pull him in. But the Unit Commander’s gaze was no longer on him.

They were fully covered in glossy black bodysuits. Silver masks floated above the darkness-absorbing clothing, dully reflecting the faint starlight.

『Like clowns… So this is “Yamimaru”…』

Two silver masks approached the Unit Commander from both sides. Each held a jet-black knife in hand.

The wrist portions of their suits were slightly swollen — probably where the wires were stored. But in an instant, that swelling spread across the surface of the suits. It looked as if a mass of thick worms was writhing underneath.

『Powered suit…』

A clothing-type device that enhances the wearer’s physical abilities through built-in artificial muscles, in addition to high cut-resistance, puncture-resistance, and fire-resistance. In HINOMOTO, development had proceeded alongside “Kagutsuchi,” but the project was reportedly suspended due to cost issues.

If so, these “enemies” using such equipment were indeed spies from an enemy nation. But for the Unit Commander and Nagato, that wasn’t the immediate problem.

The killing intent the “enemy” had never shown until now was now filling the darkness.

Hihino Chiharu flexed and extended her toes several times inside her boots. The numbness thought to be from the gas still lingered.

Even so, a faint smile had appeared on her lips.

Chapter 72: Night March Training (Restraint ①) – A Foolish Exchange

“Again with this pattern… Goddammit…!”

Before she could even finish speaking, Lieutenant Kawana’s body was entangled by the “enemy’s” wires — along with Sergeant Narumi.

As if trying to prevent the intimate contact between the two fresh, supple bodies, the jet-black barrel of Narumi’s rifle was wedged tightly between them. The hard, glossy black length buried itself deep into the soft swells of Kawana Rin’s and Narumi’s breasts, pushing them upward in an undeniably obscene manner.

『No way… Not again… Me and the Lieutenant together… It looks like I’m giving this thing a… pa… paizuri… Ehe…!』

The mere imagination and the hard metallic sensation caused Narumi’s lower abdomen to grow hot and damp. To escape that throbbing ache, she tried to twist her body. However, the creaking wires prevented her.

“Don’t move, Narumi…!”

Lieutenant Kawana’s right arm from the elbow down had escaped the wire’s restraint. She was trying to use it to draw the knife from the sheath at her waist.

“If you move… it reduces my range of motion…”

“Muuu…”

Narumi was letting out hot breaths directly onto the chest of Kawana’s uniform. Her face was pressed firmly into the Lieutenant’s breasts from above. The wire wrapped around her neck refused to let her lift her head.

『I’m so sick of this already…』

It was perfectly understandable for Lieutenant Kawana to think so. In the past ten days or so, she had suffered repeated wire restraints.

“Don’t… move…”

The voice that suddenly emerged from the darkness made both Kawana Rin and Sergeant Narumi tense up.

“The muzzle… is aimed at you two…”

『Young… a girl…?』

The slightly lisping tone sounded to Lieutenant Kawana like a very young woman — possibly still in her teens. The fingers of her right hand were already on the hilt of her knife. It would take her only one or two seconds to grab it and slash through the wires.

From the enemy’s perspective, what she was trying to do should be hidden behind her own body, creating a blind spot. Even so, there was no doubt that before she could cut the wires, two bullets would pierce their heads.

“You said don’t move… How the hell are we supposed to move like this, you shit…!”

Kawana raised her voice. It was a provocation meant to buy time.

“Who the hell are you…?! What’s your goal in attacking us…?”

“I am…”

The voice from the darkness paused for a moment, as if seriously considering how to answer. It seemed she was about to give a proper reply, but quickly reconsidered.

“Wait a second… Why do I have to be interrogated by you people…?”

“Pfft…”

Narumi, with her face buried in the Lieutenant’s chest, couldn’t help but snort. Their exchange was indeed somewhat foolish. But that wasn’t why she laughed.

She had been terrified, convinced that Yamimaru was some terrifying ghost-like “enemy.” She was laughing at her own ridiculous fear.

“You idiot… Don’t laugh…! Narumi, you…”

Lieutenant Kawana scolded her subordinate. Then, lowering her voice, she whispered directly into the Sergeant’s ear.

(Prepare to fire… immediately…)

After confirming that Narumi gave a tiny nod, Lieutenant Kawana turned her gaze toward the source of the voice. Even with her excellent night vision, she could only faintly make out the outline of objects in the thick darkness.

“Are you the one… acting all sneaky, you idiot…?! You won’t even show yourself… Are you scared of us when we can’t even move properly…?! Huh…?!”

It was very thug-like speech, but she wasn’t forcing it. This was probably her natural way of speaking.

“Scared…?”

The air around them seemed to tighten slightly.

“What are you even saying…? I don’t understand… I’m not afraid of anything… If there is something I fear… it’s…”

Silence.

Lieutenant Kawana kept her eyes on the darkness while calculating the timing to grab her knife. She planned to draw it the moment an opening appeared.

“I hate… So why do I have to be interrogated…?! The ones who should be talking… are you people…!”

However, her intention was instantly shattered by that emotionally raw, open voice.

『This one’s kind of an idiot…』

She wasn’t sure whether she herself noticed the faint smile that formed at the corner of her mouth. But it was clear that Lieutenant Kawana was gradually lowering her guard level toward the “enemy” hidden in the darkness.

The gun muzzle was certainly pointed at them. Yet she could not feel any killing intent from it.

“You have something you want to ask us…?”

At her question, the darkness about ten meters away swayed slightly.

“Then show yourself… you dumb octopus…! Don’t you even know basic manners when asking someone a question…?!”

Even in this life-threatening situation, it was an incredibly foolish line. However, it ended up producing the exact effect Lieutenant Kawana had been aiming for.

“Octopus…?”

The unidentified “enemy” that had been melting into the darkness finally revealed its form. The moment Lieutenant Kawana saw it, goosebumps erupted across her skin.

A woman wearing a full-body black bodysuit. The clear swelling of her breasts, the narrow waist, and the smooth curve of her hips showed that, at least physically, she was a mature woman.

What terrified Kawana Rin was not that alluring body line. It was the silver mask covering her face. The instant the faint starlight illuminated that metallic mask resembling an evil spirit, her spine froze solid.

It reminded her of the killer from the horror movie she had been forced to watch long ago. That dark memory from her officer academy days was unmistakably engraved in her heart as trauma.

“Why… is there an octopus here…?”

Yet even that trauma-induced terror was instantly dispelled by the air-headed retort.

“So… that’s what you wanted to ask…?”

There was strange force behind Lieutenant Kawana’s voice. She was trying to hide the shudder running through her heart from the enemy.

“No… That’s not it… That’s not what I meant…”

In her right hand, she held a silenced handgun. It was a medium-sized automatic. From her outstretched left wrist, just like her right, extended the ultra-thin wire that bound the two women.

She stepped forward slowly. The distance between the silver mask and Kawana’s group was now less than five meters.

『Come closer… Just a little closer… Close enough for me to send you flying…』