Chapter 107 – 10.2 Old Relationships and Reunions

“Whoa, sorry.”

I slightly push the butt that was swung at me to change the trajectory.

– Whiing.
A butt plate passing in front of my eyes.
After a miss swing, support the sergeant who lost his balance and staggered and set him upright.
And put the pass in front of him.

“Here is the pass. Haha, there are a lot of things that get in the way on the floor, right? You should have been careful not to fall.Haha.”

At the same time, he controls the emotions of the sergeant who is trying to soak and makes him sink.
It also distracts my mind so that I don’t get lost.

“Ugh?!”

He’s a hot-blooded guy.
I know you want to act strong in front of the girl you like, but you have to look closely at her opponent and shout out loud.
I’m in the same position, so I have nothing to say.

“Are you okay? Pass here.”
“Well? Ah, ah, that’s right.”

The momentarily soaring anger disappears and the emotions become calm. Memories of what just happened are tangled up and blurred. The sergeant would mistakenly think that I caught him trying to fall.

For a moment, the sergeant was puzzled because he didn’t know why, but soon he pretended to be calm in order to hide ‘the real situation of himself who almost fell’.

“Sergeant! What is it?”
“Oh, nothing. My feet slipped a little.”

A questioning ensign from behind a barricade and an evasive sergeant.
My sister and Shinoshino were watching without relaxing.

“Uhm, sure this is…… Aren’t they fake?”

Seeing the sergeant tilt his head at the pass, he doesn’t show the same sternness as before.
After confirming that the mind rune worked well, I said while sweeping my heart.

“Because it’s real. Check it out above.”
“Hmm, I guess so.”

Noona and Shino raise both hands and stare at each other with dumbfounded eyes.
Pretend you both don’t know, isn’t it good to be good to each other?

“Lieutenant, I think we should check the control room.”

The sergeant takes the pass and returns to the barricade.

‘Nives, what happened?’
‘Didn’t you see? You caught me when I almost fell.’
‘But that’s it.’
‘Shh. Sister, let’s be quiet for now. Don’t get scolded again.’

I share a secret conversation with my older sister.
On the other side, I saw a radio flying somewhere.

『Suspicious.』

Shino Shino also felt strange, but she wasn’t frivolous enough to say it out loud. She immediately shut her mouth, as if her sister thought it was not time for small talk.

“Wait a minute. The person in charge will come soon.”

The lieutenant drew his gun and said.
We were barely able to put our hands down in relief.

“Hey, if you’re in charge, is Director Inazuma himself coming?”
“No way. This is a duty command.”

The lieutenant glared at my question and answered. His eyes were like, ‘Why is the warden here?’

Mmm. Wouldn’t it be strange if I asked who the watch commander was?
Shall we wait quietly until the person in charge arrives?

For the time being, we had a snowball fight with the sentries and waited for the person in charge.

About five minutes later, the major and three of his men arrived, wearing a red four-stringed armband.

“A permit from General Inazuma?”

The on-duty commanding officer who receives and checks the pass permit from the sentry.

Rank is major. A female officer with short cropped hair.
Her rune her is a blessing rune that strengthens allies around her.

And, of course, she was also a person I knew.

‘Knives? What’s the matter?’
‘Shh!’

While the watch commander was reporting to the staff, I secretly hid behind Naiad-sister’s back her. There was no time to explain the reason to my sister.

“Under…… The general is doing this on his own again. Please tell someone.”

The watch commander grumbles quietly.

She seems to have been the first to hear about her as well.
Since it was Inazuma, he probably just listened to the story and signed it electronically. I wouldn’t have said anything to the people below.

I feel sorry for the manager who serves a lax boss. It was clear to my eyes how he had been doing the back-and-forth.

“So, you’re a visitor over there?”
“Yes.”

Hearing that, Naiad-nee took a step forward.
I also joined behind her and took a step forward.

“This is Naiad Windsor, the Rune Academy teacher. These two are the students on the field trip today.”
“…… Windsor?”

Ugh
Hiding behind her sister was not something that could be passed on.

It is very rare in Japan today to have a mixed-race child with blonde hair like Nuna or Nuna.
In addition, the last name is the same as mine, so it’s natural for anyone who knows me to think of me.

“Yes? Yes?”

Oops.
Is it too late to hide?

Seeing her older sister her, Sumire thought of me, and she began to suspect the student hiding behind him.

Ugh. Can’t help it

Because I was determined to meet someone I knew from the beginning.
Maybe it’s fortunate that he’s not a bad opponent.

“Haha! Hello, Lieutenant Sumire!”

From behind her sister’s back her, she reveals herself and greets her warmly.

Sumire opens her eyes wide.

Sumire recognized me at a glance, even though I had grown to the point where I couldn’t recognize her when I was younger than she was 10 years ago. It must be because she is reminding me of me through Naiad noona.

“You are——”
“Hey, you’re a major now, not a lieutenant! When did you get promoted like that? It’s late, but congratulations, Major. Wow, the young officer’s uniform looks great these days. It suits you very well.”

Before Sumire opened her mouth, I spoke quickly with the momentum to bury her in her words.
And as she approaches, her left and right adjutants pull out their pistols as if on alert.

Sumire, who raised her hand to retract the gun, looked at me with her bewildered eyes and opened her mouth.

“…… What are you doing here? KW vs.——”
“No no! I have no intention of making a fuss, Major Sumire. Literally, I just came here for a field trip as an ‘academy student’. Really, really, I have no other intentions.”

She puts special emphasis on the word ‘academy student’.
Now I am a student, not a soldier. So I want to pass as quietly as possible. With so much meaning.

Arashi or Inazuma might try to drag it by force if it gets into the ear.
Because they don’t have the common sense of compulsory education. That’s why I had to ask Sumire to shut her mouth her.

An adjutant hears Sumire’s words and murmurs, ‘KW?’ I looked at her and put my index finger on her lips, signaling her to pretend she did n’t know her.

Sumire silently glared at me.
She has common sense and is a smart person. I noticed right away that I wanted to hide my identity of her.

But something seemed to be dissatisfied with me.

…… Why?
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with Sumire, right?

I said, sweating profusely.

“Haha, can we talk in a quiet place for a moment, Major? Oh, and my companions too, that.”
“Follow me. Take the two of you to the break room. Respectfully.”

I follow Sumire to the corner.
Nuna and Shinoshino entered the unit along with the other soldiers.

On my way to her unit, my older sister gives me a worried look. I waved my hand lightly in the sense that it was okay.

Phew. Did I do something that would make Sumire resentful? I don’t remember at all.
I walked behind Sumire with the feeling of being caught on a pillar while having an affair.

After moving her sentry out of her ears, Sumire turned to me.

The eyes looking at me are a little scary. I flinched slightly.
Sumire quietly opened her mouth.

“Colonel, what the hell are you doing here? Did you intend to punish the sentry who made a mistake by hiding his identity her? Or is it a secret inspection as before? Or if it’s not, even if it’s to brag about one’s rank in front of women—”
“No, wait a minute, Major Sumire, it’s a misunderstanding. Really, I was only on a field trip as a student. Really, really.”

Sumire fired at her as if to vent the resentment she had been holding in front of her subordinates.
A misunderstanding was a serious misunderstanding. I hurriedly cut Sumire off and made an excuse.

“Excursions? Haha. Did you say field trip? After all, it’s a funny joke like a colonel.”

However, Sumire did not believe in the slightest.

The baton held in both hands bent as if it would break at any moment.
I couldn’t understand why Sumire was so angry with me.

“Hey, let’s calm down, Sumire. Still, it’s been such a long time since we met. I don’t know what I did wrong, but I apologize if I did anything wrong. So release your anger. Yes?”

I said I was going to fix it, but it was an act of pouring oil on a house on fire.

“…… Now, you said you didn’t know what you did wrong?”

-Quick.

The baton in Sumire’s hand finally broke.
Even the rune ability that strengthens the body unconsciously was activated.

I inadvertently took a step back.

“Oh, no…….”

Sumire took one step forward as much as I had taken a step back.

“Colonel. Do you know how hard it was for us before and after?”
“Oh, you know, then.”
“Fix units, comfort the wounded, send war notifications to the families of the fallen, restore facilities, re-establish the chain of command! Request support from the government and the Self-Defense Forces! Find and punish war criminals—”

With one eye closed, Sumire recounted the things she had done since the great disaster.
The voice got louder and louder. It was close to a lament that poured out emotions.

It must have been more than 10 years ago. To be honest, I don’t know why he’s talking to me like that now.

“Hey, Sumire, I know you guys have had a hard time, but it’s useless to tell me that, right? I’m a veteran. I am no longer a soldier.”
“A colonel is a colonel! Isn’t there such a thing as responsibility according to rank! “

Sumire screamed in anger.
Wow. Others will listen

“How hard we were! It would be enough if you were discharged! The soldiers who depended on you! What do you mean!”
“Ah….”

I felt like I knew a little bit why Sumire resented me.
It’s as if the practitioner was left out at the busiest time. That must mean that Smirena and the other soldiers had a hard time.

But it wasn’t that I didn’t have anything to say.

“Sumire. I was only 10 years old then. That’s the age to go to the elementary school of Randoseru Mago Academy. Isn’t it an unreasonable request to stay in the military?”

According to government guidelines, the child soldiers who were conscripted at the time of the disaster were discharged and returned home as soon as the disaster was over.
There might have been a way if he had continued to serve as a soldier, but as Sumire said, it was obvious that he would suffer from post-war adjustments, but there was no reason to remain.

There shouldn’t be anything wrong with my words, but for some reason, Sumire even began to shed tears.

“I know, but…… Still…… You shouldn’t have left like that…….”
“Ha.”

What to do with me It was just embarrassing.
Was Sumire such an emotional woman? I don’t think she was like this even when she was 20 years old 10 years ago.

“Sumire, the sentry is watching. What if I become a major and cry? The soldiers won’t think it’s strange.”

As if my words had worked, Sumire sighed deeply and wiped away her tears.
And she said

“Colonel KW. I am married.”
“Oh, oh?”

And then she brought up an unexpected topic.
I don’t know why the story flow suddenly goes that way. However, it was fortunate that a bright topic came out anyway.

“That, is it? Congratulations, Sumire. Who is your opponent? Who do I know?”
“It’s Arnold.”
“Arnold?! Really?”

Arnold, as his nickname suggests, is a man characterized by bumpy muscles.
Contrary to his rugged appearance, he is innocent and soft-hearted on the inside. And he secretly had a crush on Sumire.

Was that Arnold married to Sumire? You did it Arnold!

“Wow, that Arnold with Sumire? Arnold is great too. How did you get Sumire? Ah, congratulations, Sumire. Do you have any children yet?”

I deliberately made a fuss and celebrated to lighten the mood.

But, what’s wrong?
Sumire glared at me while biting her lower lip as if to hold back her emotions her.

And.

“This, stupid——!!”
“Uh–“

Uh?
Why?

-Jaak——!!

The sound of slapping echoed loudly in the underground military.

Sumire, who had slapped my cheek coolly, went back to the unit with a huff.
I had no choice but to rub my tingling cheek her and stare blankly at her from the back.