Rune Troopers: Self-Defense Forces Adventure - Chapter 1: Dispatch of the Fleet (Part 3)

“Uhh…..”

Kuze woke up, still lying on his back.

At first he mistakenly thought he was lying on his back because his vision was blocked by something. He thought that “something” was the deck. However, this was not the case. 

I could feel the cold from the deck on my back. I lay on my back, looking at the sky. The only thing blocking my view was the fog that surrounded me.

What?

What is that creepy black swirling thing?

I sat upright and looked around.

I remembered the mysterious darkness that had overflowed from the Aegis destroyer “Ibuki.

As I recalled, I had been inspecting the vehicles on the deck before they were engulfed by the storm. 

Performing an inspection to see if they had been unfastened or damaged by the sea breeze. 

Although It was my job as the person in charge of the vehicles, since it also allowed me to go out in the open, I was doing it half as a way to relax. That much I remember.

I wonder if I am still dreaming. 

The foggy surroundings were so fantastic that it made me think so.

In addition, there was no one.

From near the stern where I was located, I could see a white wake indicating that the ship was moving forward. 

Loud noise from the engine could also be heard. The assault ship was now moving, not as a ghost ship, but as a vessel.

For some reason, this made me feel very relieved.

But then, what the heck was that thing I saw earlier ……?

I wondered if it was only one me who had seen it.

Anyway, I had to go back to the ship and check on the safety of my men. 

I woke up to this thick fog and those black swirls, which seemed unusual.

Somehow, I managed to get up.

There was no pain. My head still felt a little foggy, but my consciousness was fully awake.

It will get better soon.

Kuze was about to rush to the hatch leading into the ship.

~La …… la la ……~

A melody reached my ears through the fog.

As if being held back, my feet stopped as I turned toward the voice.

I could see something about 200 meters from the starboard of the vessel, perhaps a reef. The voice seemed to be coming from there.

What is it? Singing?

Who could be singing, we must be in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

I picked up the binoculars that I had prepared to look around the vast deck.

The world through the lenses was reflected in his eyes.

~la la la …… la la la ……~

It was then I saw clearly the reefs that were disappearing into the fog as the assault ship moved forward.

“U…… you must be……!”

There were several figures there.

At first he thought they were sea lions or other sea-dwelling creatures lying about, but they were not…

Kuze stared at the scene as if frozen, and then looked off at the reef, which was sinking into the mist.

“Lieutenant Kuze. There you are!”

Suddenly, I heard a woman’s voice behind me.

I turned around and saw a young woman standing there.

She was in her late twenties, and like Kuze, she was dressed in a camouflage uniform of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force.

“Captain Itai!”

I shouted her name as soon as my eyes saw her.

First Lieutenant Kaori Itai.

She was the commander of the company to which he belonged.

She was what everyone called a female Self-Defense Force officer, and she was also someone who was a senior student of Kuze’s when he was at the National Defense Academy.

She was a terror to him as an ogre at the National Defense Academy, and after she was appointed to this post, she was his boss. His bullying boss.

Still, he finally met a living person, someone he could relate to.

As soon as he recognized her, Kuze rushed to her as if he had been shot.

On the way, he was so flustered that his feet tangled and he almost fell.

“Reporting!”

“What’s wrong with ……?”

She flinched at Kuze’s unprecedented facial expression.

The semi-long, shoulder-length hair was swaying in the sea breeze. As long as she was silent, she had an appearance that could be described as a beauty.

“I, I, I, right now, there is a flock of ‘mermaids’ on the starboard side of this ship!”

He pointed frantically in the direction of the “mermaids” on the starboard side of the ship.

Itai checked the direction of the finger to observe what was going on, but she could no longer see anything except for a thick fog.

He, too, noticed this and was stunned.

Then his superior officer gently placed her hand on his shoulder and gave him a worried look.

“…… Calm down, Third Lieutenant Kuze. Does it hurt anywhere?”

“Huh?”

“You’re in shock from the shock of passing out. It’s okay, let’s go to the infirmary. Can you walk by yourself?”

“I’m not lying!”

“Yes, you are. Let’s go to the infirmary and I’ll tell you all about it.”

I was a little happy to see this kindness, which she would never normally show, but I couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed.

“I’ll go to the infirmary and ask them for more details. It’s true!”

“Yes, I know, I know. Come on, let’s go back to the ship.”

I still hadn’t beaten her in combat training. She grabbed me firmly by the arm and dragged me away. 

Gradually, Kuze’s cries became quieter and quieter.

Soon the two disappeared from the deck, and once again silence reigned over the sea.

The white wake from the ship was clearly visible on the surface of the sea.

A few moments later, there was a faint sound beside the wake.

No one noticed that it was the sound of several girls emerging from the water.

Ahead of them was the stern of the assault ship, which was proceeding aimlessly.

All three girls tilted their heads with doll-like expressions and dove back into the water with worried expressions on their faces.

The bubbles of their “caudal fins” were dancing in the wake that seemed like the screw.