Chapter 7 – District 39
They say a woman’s heart is like a reed.
I’m not sure if this word can be used in a situation like this, but it’s definitely puzzling.
“So that is it. What I want to say is…”
On the way to the camp cafeteria with a sudden offer.
Netoru looked at the girl walking in front of him with her curious eyes.
In her breezy steps, her bobbed hair, which fell to the top of her shoulders, gently swayed in ripples. The girl had been chattering to herself since earlier.
And Netoru found Karen interesting.
Because she didn’t say anything, but it was pretty obvious what this girl was thinking.
‘… Did he suddenly change his mind?’
She said that she didn’t want to be coupled up, but now she’s suddenly pretending to be friends. Could it be a trap? At first, I even had that doubt in my head for a moment.
‘The decision is quicker than I thought.’
In fact, this kind of change in Karen was expected to some extent. It’s just that she’s just embarrassed because her attitude changes faster than she thought.
It seemed that Karen was not very comfortable waiting alone in her unit. Besides, she must have felt even more uncomfortable since her squad’s sorties had been looking for them lately.
But I never thought I’d correct her thoughts so soon.
That day, she must not know what it means for Karen, who visited the infirmary, to be coupled with a young man named Toru Ne.
The battle that took place a week ago must have put a strain on her body.
‘Are you going to make a sortie even while taking such a risk?’
Should I praise her for her extreme camaraderie, not sparing herself? Netoru decided to correct the information about the girl in front of her eyes.
‘He’s kinder than I thought.’
Anyway, Netoru was also bored at the moment.
It’s not bad for her to be leisurely in her unit like she is now, but she doesn’t want to sit still and rust.
A blade that is not used will one day become dull.
In order to sharpen her sharp knife, she has no choice but to train herself as much. And for that, Netoru also needed Karen’s help.
Currently, in this unit, Karen is the most suitable as Netoru’s coupling partner.
She was almost at the base cafeteria.
“Are you listening to me right now?”
Did she finally realize that she had been talking to herself all along? Karen, who was walking ahead of her, boldly turned her around and looked at Netoru.
“Ah, I am listening.”
“… Is that, really?”
“In the end, to sum up the story, Karen, aren’t you saying you’re going to create an atmosphere for me to reconcile with the troops?”
“Hmm… Anyway, the point is right.”
Karen, who nodded her head, lowered her eyes for a moment, then patted the ground with her toe, she said.
“Honestly, wouldn’t it be uncomfortable for you to keep hanging around among the troops? You won’t be here for a day or two.”
“… “
Is the guy who slapped you right then? Netoru’s eyebrows twitched at Karen’s unexpected words.
To be honest, I don’t really care about my current life…
For now, it was decided to go along with Karen’s thoughts, so Netoru nodded her head as if agreeing.
“That’s right.”
“… Good. Then, did you agree to be friendly with our unit members from now on?”
“Okay, I’ll try my best.”
Netoru smiled kindly and reassured Karen. Fortunately for her, it worked. Karen removed her worried eyes and stepped into the restaurant.
In the dining room, members of the unit were gathering and eating.
“What is it, Karen? Why so late… What?”
“Ok? What is it, why is Karen with that guy?”
“… Are you yellow?”
They found Karen who came late and welcomed her, but soon her expression hardened. All of them looked at each other as if they couldn’t understand the current situation.
It was a week ago that Karen slapped Netoru on the cheek.
But do those two show up at a restaurant on good terms?
Even if it was Netoru, he probably couldn’t understand.
“Haha… That is.”
Karen smiled awkwardly while muttering that it would not be easy as expected from the gaze of the unit member who demanded an explanation immediately.
It seems that she tried to put a steel plate on her face, but it seems that it is not an easy task.
* * *
The attrition rate of Holy Cavalry pilots fighting bugs across the country was quite high.
Even at this moment, it wouldn’t be strange if an entire unit was annihilated somewhere.
The bug was powerful and still unknown.
Death was a familiar thing to the Holy Cavalry pilots because it was an endless enemy to fight.
Is it because of this environment?
Depending on the discretion of the commander, there were some differences, but the atmosphere of the holy cavalry units was quite free no matter where they went.
For example, in the case of Unit 393 deployed in Area 39, most actions were allowed except for drinking or not sleeping on time.
So, the pilots of Unit 393 enjoyed their free time after eating at the unit cafeteria as usual.
Due to the nature of the military, the things to enjoy were extremely limited, but it wasn’t too bad because there were a few things airlifted from an abandoned city near the unit.
Among them, the billiards table they had bought a few days ago was gaining popularity among the current unit members.
“Ohhhhh! Are you really going to show me?”
“Hey, hold on! Taste is forbidden here!”
“Don’t worry. Because I have no problem.”
“Hey! You madman! Then, if the fabric really tears, there is no way to fix it!”
Among his troops, Chandler, who had a large physique, was angry with four Toru. However, Netoru calmly ignored the warning and showed off his brilliant skills to win with an overwhelming score.
The unit members were enthusiastic about it and playing noisily. The appearance of a new master or something.
“… What is that?”
Karen couldn’t help but tilt her head as she watched the men nearby.
She was preparing nearby to intervene immediately in case things went wrong, but it must have been an unnecessary worry.
I don’t know much about billiards, but seeing the intense reaction of the troops, Netoru seemed to be quite skilled.
“Crazy… When you can get along like that, why?”
He had prepared all sorts of methods in case he didn’t fit into the atmosphere. However, Karen was more friendly with Netoru than he thought.
Rather, at this point, something is even scary.
Why did I build a wall with the unit members while I could do that?
But you can’t be too sure about that.
So it was at that time that I continued to observe carefully, unable to hide my anxiety. Ceres, who was watching the men nearby, approached.
“Karen. What the hell are you thinking?”
“… Ah. Ceres.”
Karen scratched her cheek. Even so, she expected Ceres to ask.
But how should I answer this?
Ceres, who was staring at Karen, who smiled awkwardly while thinking about it, frowned at her. A look of bewilderment lingered in her clear purple eyes.
“Are you planning to couple with that person?”
“Maybe… Will that happen?”
“… Then today’s work must have been a kind of plan to increase the value of the coupling wavelength.”
“Huh. That’s right.”
Karen did not hide it and admitted it frankly.
There are many ways to increase the number of coupling wavelengths, but the key is intimacy or exchange of emotions.
In other words, to understand each other.
So Karen induced Tohru to become friendly with her teammates. That way she can get to know Karen as well. Once she said it was important to her to be friends.
“Karen. Are you really okay? Even her first coupling was so hard on her body…”
“Hmm… Well… I honestly don’t know. But wouldn’t this make it any better? After all, no matter how much I think about it, it’s kind of okay to just watch from behind.”
“… “
Ceres stared at Karen, closed her eyes for a moment, and sighed. It was because she read the firm determination on Karen’s face.
The reason Karen made this decision is obvious. Probably because of the frequent sorties that have continued over the past few days.
Really… Like Natsuo, his partner Karen was also a problem because he liked people too much.
“… Certainly, with your personality, it would be unreasonable for you to be alone in the unit.”
“Haha… What, do you think so?”
“It’s not a compliment, so don’t laugh. Because I am angry.”
“Ugh… Sorry.”
Seeing Ceres’ glare in her eyes, Karen averted her gaze and patted the ground.
But in fact, she is something Karen has nothing to be sorry for.
After all, this means she will fight at her own peril. If she’s a normal person, she’s not an easy choice to act.
But no matter how much, something like that happened a week ago, and I thought we were going to do couplings. Also, good people are good too.
Thanks to this, Ceres, whose strength had subsided involuntarily, put her hand on her back and said.
“Karen. Just know this. It is important to survive here without dying, but it is also important to live comfortably at the end.”
You never know when the fight against bugs will end.
But someday, the end will come eventually.
Holy trooper pilots are not meant to die fighting bugs. Although he was selected as a sexual cavalry pilot because of his talent, all of these things were eventually ‘struggling’ to survive.
“So don’t strain yourself too much. Because I don’t want Karen to die or become a ruined person.”
“… Huh. Okay.”
Ceres was, along with Chandler, the oldest surviving pilot of the 393rd unit, as well as the oldest in her unit.
Thanks to this, Ceres saw too many pilots who became ‘dead people’.
It’s a pity that the body and soul are broken after handling the body beyond the limit.
Although they were alive, the pitiful images of their comrades, who were no longer alive, remained in the depths of their minds, like sharpening a knife.
So Ceres hated Netoru.
Coupling is a contract that connects the minds and souls of a man and a woman. So, in the case of ‘normal’, it was nonsense to be fine alone.
Unless one side destroys it unilaterally…
* * *
The riotous time is over.
The camp atmosphere was free, but bedtime was strict. It was because of the common situation that if you don’t sleep properly, you will lose your fighting power.
Netoru watched his unit go into the quarters before deciding to go outside and enjoy a walk.
It was not a walk with a clear purpose.
It was just that I was moving my body because my stomach was full, probably because the dinner I ate today had not been digested.
Although she decided to match the girl’s ideas, it was also not easy for her to change her attitude overnight.
It was then that she roamed around in moderation.
Her aimless footsteps suddenly stopped.
─Ugh… That stop…
“… ?”
A woman’s moaning voice can be heard nearby. Netoru tilted her head at the unexpected sound.
─Haha… Haha…
I don’t know who it is, but it’s daring to have sex outdoors.
No, should I say this is out of luck?
Usually, there won’t be cases where the unit members come all the way here. So rather than being bold, he must have come all the way here to thoroughly hide it and enjoy it.
Thinking of that, Netoru inadvertently let out a blank laugh. Should she say that she felt sorry for nothing?
“… Hmm.”
If it were real, it would have been crazy for a man and a woman to have sex in a military unit,
It wasn’t all that strange here.
No, she even encouraged it.
Because the easiest and surest way to increase the concordance rate of the coupling wavelength was sex.
─Ah… Ahh… Ugh…
Maybe it’s because it’s the middle of the night when the noise is gone. The excited woman’s voice rang out like an echo.
But she decided not to check.
I don’t know if I’m doing it myself, but I don’t have a hobby of watching other people’s sex. So it was then that Netoru was about to cut off her interest and divert her steps.
─Oops! Hey, let’s go… It’s bedtime now!
─Ah… Sister, it’s okay because there is still time
However, the content I heard was quite interesting to take a step back.
And for some reason, the voice is familiar to me.
