Rune Troopers: Self-Defense Forces Adventure - Chapter 2: Argentavis (Part 5)

“Ah.”

As he stepped into the living quarters inside the destroyer, where the GSDF personnel were living, Kuze was met by the gazes of his subordinates. But the stares quickly faded.

Everyone adopted the attitude that they were unaware of Kuze’s presence.

Kuze walked over to one of the bunk beds.

“At any rate, I’ve got a bet!”

He glared at Ichinose, who was hiding under a blanket at the top of the bunk beds.

He could see that the little rascal had suggested to his platoon that they bet on whether or not there was a mermaid that Platoon Leader Kuze had seen, with the stakes being the juice.

The Self-Defense Forces had a traditional betting game called “Jyujan,” in which the loser of a game of rock-paper-scissors was rewarded with a glass of juice.

Ichinose gave up and slunk out of the room as Kuze continued to put silent pressure on him with his hands on his hips.

“Please pay……”

He eyed someone’s helmet. Inside it was a large amount of sweets.

However, it was obvious that the snacks had been collected at random. Snacks were still understandable, but for some reason, there were also snacks for alcoholic beverages such as squid and beef jerky. 

There was no sense of unity at all. There was no way he could make a bet with this lineup.

The bet was a fake, hastily concocted by the team members who didn’t want Kuze to confiscate their bets.

Are you kidding me?

Even the normally mild-mannered Kuze was half pissed off.

The betting was a breach of discipline. And the bet was on their superior – himself.

“What?”

Ichinose asked the senior member for help. 

“You are an accomplice, aren’t you?”  His eyes were appealing. 

The senior officer asked a more senior sergeant for his consent. The sergeant said in a strained voice.

“Kuze, it would be perfectly reasonable to conclude that there is no such thing as mermaids, wouldn’t it?”

At the sergeant’s words, the other members of the team nodded in agreement.

“But the fact is, that giant bird monster was there!”

Kuze exploded with frustration that his testimony had been treated as a delusion. His subordinates could not refute this.

“But it’s impossible for such a creature to be flying in the sky, isn’t it?”

“It’s impossible.”

Subordinates from rural areas carelessly expressed such impressions. He should have stopped, but Ichinose got carried away and followed.

“But, you see, it was not a mermaid, it was a bird! It was a bird, not a mermaid!”

“There are birds that carry people but you refuse to believe that mermaids exist?!”

No one believed the actual mermaid sighting on the deck and Kuze was treated as a “heartbroken executive” who had hit his head, turning delirious. He was so depressed that he was ready to grab his subordinate by the throat.

“Well, well, if Platoon Leader Kuze, who had just been dumped, hit his head on the deck and said he had seen a mermaid, of course everyone would be worried.”

“Who was the one who wanted to make a bet on the story, you idiot!”

~Gon~

Kuze slammed Ichinose’s head. His head was stony, so it hurt more when he hit it.

He was shaking with pain as he held his right hand. Beside him, Ichinose was thrashing around.

And…

“Platoon Leader Kuze is very energetic, isn’t he?”

A woman’s voice was heard in the background. At that moment, everyone’s face froze.

The platoon was on the verge of collapse. 

“Watch out Platoon Leader!”

Kuze turned around as quickly as he could and clicked his heels as the Platoon Leader.

He turned only to see a female SDF officer giggling meaningfully.

First Lieutenant Kaori Itai. It was the Company Commander herself.

In the air-conditioned cabin, which was supposed to be cool, an unpleasant perspiration was gushing out from every part of Kuze’s body, from his forehead to his back.

When this woman laughs like this, something terrible usually happens.

When Kuze was at the National Defense Academy. He was tasked to break out of the quarters for a minute and go to the convenience store to buy some of the new sweets they had on sale. The Lieutenant even instructed that if he came back empty-handed, saying they were sold out, she would inform the Instructor that Kuze had deserted last night.

Kuze was sure she was smiling like this when he was ordered to do so.

Incidentally, the newly released sweets were a product limited to another area, so Kuze had to take a cab to go buy them.

“At ease, it’s really good that you’re fine.”

“I am honored to receive the compliment.”

There was no one in the unit who did not know the sadistic nature of First Lieutenant Itai. The tension ran through the place, as if walking on a lake covered with thin ice. What was more, the ice-covered lake was deeper than the Mariana Trench and teeming with piranhas and sharks.

“Platoon Leader Kuze, a word with you.”

“Understood.”

Kuze could almost hear the sighs of relief from his men.

(Good luck! Third Lieutenant Kuze!)

(Don’t lose!)

(Lose gracefully!)

(May I scatter your remains in the sea?)

All those guys, I will remember you later. 

Kuze thought about his dependable subordinates, who were probably seeing him off with a big smile on their faces.

Then, sweating greasily, he followed Kaori’s back as she went on ahead.

As Kuze stepped out into the aisle, he was handed a file at random. He hurriedly took it and looked through it as he walked.

At first, Kuze did not understand what the information listed in the file meant.

He did manage to figure out that it was a list of items to be carried by the Platoon on some kind of mission.

However, the contents of the list were obviously strange.

Among the items supplied was a large quantity of live ammunition. It was a quantity that could not have been intended for a training exercise.

“Is this a large-scale live ammunition exercise at a time like this?”

Kuze asked that question unintentionally.

However, as expected, the Platoon was to be fully armed and even bring spare ammunition, which was not the case even in exercises.

Itai replied matter-of-factly as he walked away.

“No.”

“Then why are they armed like this ……?”

“Because we are being dispatched into a war.”

The woman gave a glance to Kuze behind her, as if to say it was a matter-of-fact.

He stopped and stared at the file, dumbfounded.

“Really?”

The word sounded so unrealistic to him, even though he was supposed to belong to an organization that was supposed to be deployed in war.