Daftar Isi

1. Takashi wants to return home from the battlefield. He wants to be retired normally

1

After returning to the barracks and packing my things, I started feeling a little anxious.

Is it really okay for me to just leave like this?

I was drafted to come here in the first place. If I leave carelessly, people might think I’m running away from the battlefield.

I’ve heard that desertion is punishable by death.

But then again, are there any procedures for retirement?

Generally, military service involves a contract between the military and the soldier, and you can only retire once the contract period is up. I’ve heard that retiring during the contract period is only allowed in cases of injury or illness.

The contracts with the military are serious. Without a good reason, it’s not easy to retire.

Well, I wasn’t a volunteer soldier; I was drafted, so I think I’m exempt from that. But, honestly, I’m not sure…

Every day, I’ve been too focused on surviving to think about what happens after it’s over.

What should I do…

Having finished packing, I decided to ask Natalie, who was rolling around and lying next to me.

“Hey, Natalie. Do you think it would be a problem if I just left without saying anything?”

“Hmm… I think it would cause a commotion. Everyone would probably be searching for Takashi with their eyes wide open.”

“Yeah, I thought so…”

“But you know, you shouldn’t worry too much. A lot of people leave on their own anyway.”

“No, that’s not okay…”

That’s too casual. Everyone’s being too casual about this.

“I guess I should at least tell the General that I’m quitting…”

“I wouldn’t really recommend that, though. Knowing the General, if you tell him you want to quit, he’ll try to stop you with everything he’s got.”

“Yeah… I understand he has his position, so it’s only natural he’d try to stop me, but we should try to convince him to let me retire.”

The General isn’t a bad person, so if I ask nicely, he’ll probably let me go.

The war is over, after all. Or at least, I think it is.

“Well, if you’re going to keep talking about it, I’ll just go and convince him for you. I’m actually pretty good at persuasion, you know.”

“Stop, you. Your idea of persuasion is just physical language, isn’t it? No wonder everyone gets scared of you.”

“Hehehe. Takashi, you understand me so well. That’s why I like you.”

With a smug grin, Natalie wrapped her arms around my neck.

She’s always touching me whenever she gets the chance. This girl must be starving for human contact.

“Anyway, let’s just go to the General’s office. We’re not going to get anywhere just standing around here and talking.”

“Why don’t we write a retirement letter? You know, just for fun.”

“A retirement letter? What’s that?”

“It’s like a resignation letter. I’m not exactly sure, but I remember Shelly saying it’s a good idea to write one when you’re quitting something.”

“I see…”

In other words, it’s just a letter that states my intention to quit—a retirement request.

It might be a good idea to make one. It’s probably better than going to the command office empty-handed. It would be nice for the recipient to see my thoughts in writing.

It’s actually a good idea from Natalie.

“Alright, sounds good. It’s not too much trouble, so let’s go ahead and make that letter.”

“Yay! Let’s go to the store and get what we need!”

With her long blonde hair in two braids fluttering, Natalie happily ran off.

I followed her quickly, making sure I didn’t fall behind.

2

"Hehe. Maybe I should go with this lovely envelope and these pretty letter sheets. Oh, and this brush pen is cute too!"

"Wait a minute, Natalie... Look at the price tag... These letter sheets alone cost three hundred dollars..."

"Huh? Oh... they’ve raised the prices again..."

"Isn't that a bit too expensive? These are like a hundred times more expensive than usual..."

We were both stunned by the outrageous prices when we arrived at the store.

Even though this is the front line, these prices are ridiculous. Three hundred dollars for some letter sheets is just absurd.

"Hey... do you think we could find some cheaper paper? I definitely can't spend three hundred on these letter sheets..."

"Hmm... cheaper paper... I wonder if there’s any..."

"At this point, I don’t care if it’s origami or loose-leaf paper, just find something cheap. We’ll make do with that."

Putting the chosen items back on the shelf, Natalie and I started searching through other shelves.

As we rummaged through the shelves, looking for the cheapest options, a woman at the register rushed over to us, clearly flustered.

She stopped in front of me and raised her voice.

"Excuse me! Are you... by any chance, the Deputy Sergeant of the Four-Part Bloom, Takashi!?"

"Huh?"

The woman, clearly nervous, snapped a rigid salute.

It's rare for someone to approach me like this with Natalie nearby...

"Uh... you are...?"

"I... I am Daisy Reves, formerly of the Unified Special Command, 3rd Marine Division! Until last month, I was stationed on the front lines, but now I’m working here at the store for personal reasons!"

"Daisy Reves... Oh, I remember, you were assigned about six months ago..."

"Y-Yes! I... I can’t believe the Deputy Sergeant of the Four-Part Bloom remembers me! It’s an honor!"

Despite her cool appearance, Daisy’s voice cracked with emotion, and she straightened up as if to emphasize her salute.

This person is so nervous... I’m younger than her, so she could be a little more casual.

I decided to try being a bit more friendly.

"The 3rd Marine Division, you’re with the Flying Dragons, right? I owe you guys a lot in the last war."

"No! We were the ones who were grateful! I can’t thank you enough for your kind words!"

"Don’t mention it. With how chaotic things got with Natalie’s 2nd Marine Division, the 3rd Marine Division was a real lifesaver. Seriously, I appreciate it."

"S-Seriously... it’s an honor...!"

"Hey, Takashi, don’t sneakily diss me in the middle of this! I’ll give you a big kiss, you know?!"

Natalie jabbed me in the side while muttering a playful threat.

I wasn’t dissing her. I was just stating facts. She really did go off on her own even when we were told to stay in formation.

To counter, I poked Natalie in the side.

As we were messing around like this, Daisy suddenly raised her voice again.

"Deputy Sergeant Takashi! I’m terribly sorry to interrupt, but could you spare just two minutes!?"

"Huh? Two minutes?"

"I just wanted to thank you so much for everything!"

With that, she suddenly bowed deeply.

She bent at the waist almost ninety degrees, giving an extremely deep bow.

W-What’s going on all of a sudden? What’s with the gratitude?

Taken aback by her sudden appreciation, she began to speak as if she were reflecting.

"Actually... until a year ago, I worked at an orphanage in a neighboring country! In my country, everyone was conscripted, and human rights were almost non-existent, but I still worked there as a staff member!"

"Huh? Oh... I didn’t know that. But please, lift your head..."

"I dreamed of a future where there would be peace, and I worked with children who had become war orphans. I spent time with them, played with them, and talked about dreams and hopes... I did my best..."

The tremor in Daisy's voice started to become noticeable.

I could hear the faint sound of her sniffling.

Her once composed and cool demeanor was quickly being replaced by something else.

With a voice now mixed with sniffling and sobs, Daisy spoke desperately, her words coming out haltingly.

"I... I just... thinking that those kids... that they won’t have to go to war anymore... sniffle... thinking that I won’t have to hear the death reports of those children anymore... sob... I... I know I might have been a burden, being with Captain Natalie and all... but I just... I really had to thank you..."

"Uh... well..."

"Really... sniffle... for ending the war... sob... Thank you so much....." sobbing intensifies.

Tears fell from her as she wept at my feet.

With each sob, the droplets continued to fall from her, landing on the ground below.

The overinflated prices of the store suddenly felt irrelevant in the midst of this heavy, heart-wrenching atmosphere.

W-What is this atmosphere? This is so uncomfortable...

"N-Natalie, let's wrap it up. This air is... really hard to bear."

"Huh? Aren’t we still looking for cheap paper?"

"Just pick anything. I don’t care about the price anymore."

"Hmm... got it~..."

I couldn't help but want to escape this situation before a rigid normal person saw us and said something.

To Daisy, still quietly sobbing, I just said, "I-I hope you find happiness," and quickly made my way out of the store.

3

The room, with its triple-decker beds, was a stark, lifeless space with no sense of personal touch.

After returning to our barracks room, we spread the high-priced stationery—more expensive than some brand-name goods—out on the table.

"That was a shock... I never thought she'd suddenly start crying like that..."

"She wasn’t the type you’d expect from our unit, huh? She was pretty straightforward... or maybe just innocent."

"Yeah, probably left the front lines before she could get caught up in our nonsense."

She’d likely been pulled from the front lines due to injuries or something. Her reaction was so genuine, so... normal.

But, honestly, being thanked that much makes me feel a little uncomfortable. I’m not used to being praised, so I didn’t even know how to respond.

The last thing I need is more attention like that; it's bad for my heart. I should just write up my retirement request and take it to the general.

Switching gears, I grabbed a random chair and sat down.

Seeing this, Natalie smiled happily and brought over another chair, sitting down next to me, close enough for our skin to touch.

The proximity was too much—uncomfortably so. Her sense of personal space was seriously messed up, and it was a bit of a struggle.

Not noticing my irritated expression, Natalie cheerfully began writing down her feelings about retiring.

Reluctantly, I followed her lead and began to write as well.

After a few minutes of that, something I had wanted to ask came to mind.

"By the way, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you, Natalie. I don’t actually know much about you. Care to tell me where you're from?"

"Huh? Where I’m from? Hmm... what should I say~..."

"We’re going to be living together soon, so it’s not that big of a deal. There’s no need to hide it."

At my words, her large, cat-like eyes narrowed almost comically.

I didn’t know why she was so pleased, but she responded with a sweet, almost cutesy tone.

"Hehe~. You’re a bit of a pervert, aren’t you, sobbing intensifies~? Wanting to know all about me~."

Then, placing her hands on her cheeks, she started making some unsettling, exaggerated movements.

She spent a while acting all cute and exaggerated, and eventually, in a shy tone, she said.

"Actually... I was a princess in the royal family of Scandinavia! A princess!"

"Quit lying, you idiot."

"Hahaha! You don’t believe me at all, huh? Hahahaha!"

After all that buildup, and that’s the punchline? Is she making fun of me?

A royal princess, huh? Yeah, right.

She couldn’t be further from that.

Ignoring my exasperation, Natalie burst out laughing, banging the table as she continued to laugh hysterically.

4

"Wh-what is this...?"

"It's our retirement request~♡ I wrote down all my feelings about wanting to go back to Japan~♡ Please accept it~♡ Kyaa♡"

"Rejected."

"Why?!"

In the command room next to the barracks, I had submitted my homemade retirement request, only to have it rejected by General Garnet on the spot.

This stationery costs more than some brand-name goods! Why dismiss it so easily? At least check the contents properly!

"Be-because... Takashi-kun, you made such a creepy sound earlier... That’s harassment, you know? Harassment... this could even go to a court-martial..."

"Hey, I may look like this, but I’m a sensitive teenager, you know? It’s cruel to call me creepy!"

"What do you mean 'sensitive'? If you’re sensitive, then everyone will become hypersensitive! Idiot, idiot..."

"That damn luckless thick eyebrow..."

She had such a nice face, yet all she did was say harsh things...

I won’t accept this rejection.

"Fine, you don’t have to accept it. But at least start the procedures."

"The procedures...? What procedures are you talking about?"

"We’re going back to Japan, so start the retirement process. I want to see my family as soon as possible."

"We’re going to start living together~. Hehe~ Isn’t that great~?"

"Ughhhhh..."

The general's previously soft and relaxed expression stiffened.

It was like the atmosphere suddenly changed to "So, this is what you're going to say, huh?"

After a moment of grumbling, she started getting angry, almost as if retaliating.

"Why are you talking about retirement now?! At least think about how I feel as a general!"

"Wha-what are you talking about all of a sudden...?"

"I’ve just finished a war, and I’m busy, you know?! Stop talking about retiring and help me out here!"

"Busy...?"

When I tilted my head, she muttered complaints like curses.

"You probably don’t know, but soldiers... they have to sign a non-disclosure agreement with the military..."

"A non-disclosure agreement?"

"To put it simply, it’s an agreement that says you can’t talk about what you saw or heard during the war."

"Hmm..."

Yeah, that makes sense. There's a lot of stuff that shouldn't be talked about.

We’ve done a lot of things where we threw ethics, morals, and humanity out the window just to survive.

I get why they’d want to keep it secret. Honestly, I don’t want to talk about it either.

"Yet... everyone just leaves without saying anything, and now I’m being yelled at by the higher-ups in the military! Who’s going to take responsibility if classified information gets leaked?"

"I do feel bad for you, but what does that have to do with our retirement? I’ve already said we’ll go through the process."

I might have the title of Vice Sergeant, but I’m still just a sixteen-year-old brat.

I don’t have any authority or responsibility, so what does she expect me to do about it?

"What’s with that look of disbelief... don’t you feel sorry for me being yelled at as the general?"

"I’ve said I feel sorry, but that’s the responsibility of the general, right? What good is complaining to a lowly soldier like me?"

"....Ughhh!"

I guess she didn’t like my detached response.

She furrowed her thick eyebrows and started shouting about some annoying thing.

"Fine! If you’re going to be so mean, then I’ll reject your retirement! You’re going to stay as my exclusive partner and help with the reconstruction of the battlefield forever! Your retirement is not approved! Too bad!!"

"What!? What the hell is that!? Are you kidding me!?"

"Why would I let go of such an excellent soldier!? For the sake of my mental stability! Takashi-kun, you’re staying by my side! I’ll pamper you!"

"I said no! And if you're looking for someone excellent, talk to Natalie! Right, Natalie!?"

"I’m one with Takasi, so I’m not going anywhere! Rot miserably alone, you idiot~!"

"Did you just call me an idiot!? Then you two stay here!! I’ll use all my power as general to make sure you two never retire!!"

"Shut up, you idiot!! Idiot, idiot!!"

5

In the end, the retirement process took a lot longer than expected.

No matter how much I begged the general, she wouldn't accept it. She had been on the verge of tears the whole time, probably because the higher-ups in the military were giving her a hard time.

Natalie, on the other hand, was taunting her with "Son, serves you right~, serves you right~, puggyaa~", which just made things worse and pissed her off even more.

She kept picking fights so much that when I said, "Forget her, just let me retire," even that didn’t work out.

Just because you're pissed at Natalie, don't take it out on me... Seriously...

In the end, I was told I could return as a reserve soldier... but honestly, I’m not satisfied at all. I didn’t want anything to do with the military once the war ended.

Damn it.

On the plane to Japan, I kept sulking the whole time.

"Don’t be so mad, Takeshi~. Our lovey-dovey newlywed life is about to start~," the idiot next to me said, poking me with her elbow. It’s because of her that things ended up like this. She should be aware of that.

"Lovey-dovey? It's because of you bullying the general that I ended up staying in the military, right? At least think about that."

"It’s not that bad, is it? Even as a reserve soldier, I think we still get paid~. We’ll be able to live it up~."

This idiot was thinking too simplistically…

"Are you stupid? Once you accept money, you’ll eventually have to go back. I don’t want to be involved with the military anymore."

"Takeshi, you’re really such a serious guy~. If they call us back, just skip out. They’ll never catch us anyway~."

That’s not the issue.

Just because we can escape doesn’t mean that’s the right thing to do.

Why do we have to start a runaway life together when peace has finally come? She should just handle it herself.

"Bringing Natalie was a mistake."

"Oh? Is that what you’re going to say? I’ll cry, you know? I’ll cry~."

"You’re not the type to cry. I’ve never seen you cry."

"Okay, then I’m going to cry right now~."

Saying that, Natalie let out a screeching cry and continued crying until we arrived in Japan.

Her performance was so dramatic that after we landed, we were added to the airline’s blacklist.

After transferring trains for four hours from the capital, we finally arrived in my hometown. The fresh breeze of May swept through the area.

Unlike the war zone we had been in, my hometown had not been ravaged by aliens, and nothing had changed since three years ago.

It was a typical small countryside with typical housing. If you went out into the town, there were a few stores—just an ordinary hometown.

I felt a deep sense of emotion seeing the unchanged scenery from the past.

I really made it back alive...

"Whoa! So this is Takeshi’s hometown~. This is the perfect place to make our love nest~," she said, completely disregarding my emotional moment.

While I was reminiscing, this idiot just...

As she continued saying ridiculous things, I slammed an iron claw on her.

"We’re almost at my house, so I’ll give you a warning now. Don’t say anything unnecessary."

"I get it, I get it~. I won’t interrupt your tearful reunion~. I’ll only introduce myself and announce our marriage, so don’t worry~."

"That’s what’s unnecessary... Stop pretending to be an idiot every now and then."

"Hehe~ No way~," Natalie said happily, even while I was holding her in an iron claw.

She looked pleased, happy to get attention.

"Honestly, when I look at you, Natalie, I feel like dogs or cats would be better at listening."

"Well, dogs can only beg for affection, right? But if you’re as wild and cute as me, there’s no need to beg. Takeshi, you’re lucky to be pampered by such a beauty~."

"That’s not something you should be saying yourself. It’s so arrogant it makes me cringe."

"Right~. You should fall for me even more."

"You greedy thing."

There’s no use arguing with her. The idea of trying to rein in a gorilla was naive from the start.

Bringing Natalie along was clearly a mistake, and it was only going to complicate things further. There’s no avoiding the reality anymore.

I released the iron claw and gently patted her on the head.

I hoped, with a sense of resignation, that she wouldn’t run wild any further.