02 You shouldn't have touched it

Meanwhile, at that moment.

Sharon, holding Jin in her grasp.

"Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh"

was writhing on the bed in her home.

"I did it—I did it—I did it!"

What escaped her mouth was nothing but the explosion of herself, uncontrolled.

She had gone too far.

That was the entirety of Sharon’s current state of mind.

"Clearly, it was too early... I misjudged the timing...!"

Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle, gurgle.

Sharon continued to ravage the sheets on the bed, recalling, again and again, what had happened a week prior—flushing red, then pale, her face a storm of turmoil.

She had taken one step forward.

If it failed, she would retreat and wait for a better moment.

But—

her life lately had been more enjoyable than she had expected.

Even within herself, she seemed to have lingering attachments.

The taste of honey, once known, was sweet beyond measure.

Six years of forgetting had ended in the memory of a taste he could not unremember.

“Uaaaaaah!”

Recalling that night.

Twisting in shame.

Not really.

Having confessed outright, nakedly.

Now what was this?

Why had she gone so far?

Sharon’s internal auditor raises a hand.

“Yes! I was struck by the sight of Jin’s vulnerable side—something I’d never seen before!”

“My inner S was stirred.”

“Honestly, couldn’t we have just taken him down without hesitation?”

And so on.

“Uuuaaah!”

Clutching her head, screaming.

A sound that would have drawn complaints from neighbors if not for the room’s excellent sound insulation.

But now, only shame.

Pure, unrelenting shame.

“What was that?! I’ve never acted so boldly—never!”

That aside, Jin had been significantly pressured—but that was irrelevant now.

"Ahhhh… I want to erase it from memory… erase that one hour from both our minds… no, even just ten minutes would be enough…!"

Even if only the final moment of being pushed down could be erased, that would be enough.

"How am I supposed to face him now…?"

This past week.

In any case, she had avoided Jin.

She avoided places where their schedules might overlap.

She always kept an escape route secured.

By strictly adhering to these two rules, she had managed to avoid meeting him.

But such a state could not last forever.

In fact, problems were already emerging at this stage.

Normally, it would be trivial—but now, with the expedition training approaching, it was a significant issue that a training instructor assigned to trainees had not spoken with one of them.

Her evasion was nearing its limit.

But—

"I can't. If I see Jin now, I don't know what I'll do."

At least if she blushed crimson, it might still be bearable.

Just talking about work—maybe I can manage that.

But if.

If she brings up that moment.

"Absolutely not! Not under any circumstances!"

It was only because of that strange tension at the time that I was able to go through it.

Now that I’m back to normal, I’d be too afraid even to hear a reply.

"Something—anything—some way to avoid seeing Jin’s face… a last-ditch idea…!"

Sharon desperately searches her mind.

And finally, her intellect produces a revolutionary idea.

"This is it! There’s no other way!"

Of course.

Sharon is not in her right mind at this moment.

◆ ◆ ◆

"Then… I’ll begin the regular meeting…"

A routine meeting held between departments during long-range training operations.

The facilitator hesitates, voice edged with uncertainty.

The attendees are not focused on the facilitator now, but on one individual among them.

Among them, Jin stares at that one person with an unreadable expression.

"Co-ho. Ah, don't worry about me."

The maintenance department representative.

Shirley Byron attended the meeting still wearing the mask used for welding.

A collective mental jab from every participant: *I’m concerned!*

(What is that person doing?)

Jin was no exception, baffled by the incomprehensible behavior.

The facilitator, glaring at the mask with unsettling presence, was visibly flustered.

No one could be expected to give a presentation while wearing a welding mask.

After the meeting concluded.

"Corporal."

"Oh, Lieutenant. What is it? Co-ho."

"No, I should be the one asking—what's going on here...?"

The question "Did you hit your head?" was suppressed.

Instead, he launched into the accumulated list of confirmations.

"On the matter of the trainee orbital package..."

"Already arranged. Co-ho."

"Pre-training with actual equipment. Is there buffer in the maintenance schedule?"

"Co-ho. Yes. I'll check and contact you again."

"Hey. About that welding mask..."

"Then I'll take my leave, co-ho."

Jin grabs Shirley's shoulder as she tries to flee.

"Hey, wait. We're not done. And what exactly is that mask?"

"What mask? Co-ho! I have nothing to say to you!"

"I do. About what happened earlier—"

"Co-ho. Can't hear you."

"Damn it! Take that mask off! I can't talk seriously like this!"

"Co-ho! What are you doing, Lieutenant, pervert!"

"Just trying to remove the mask—how does that make me a pervert? Take it off!"

"Co-ho! No way!"

They struggle for several seconds.

Jin gives up, overwhelmed by her desperate resistance.

Something about it felt... like assaulting a woman.

No — in actuality, he was doing nearly the same thing: attempting to tear off the reluctant woman’s accessories — yet.

『I’m busy, Lieutenant! Co-ho! With your permission, I’m leaving now!』

“Ah, hey…”

Not missing the moment Jin relaxed his grip, the suspicious figure in the welding mask vanished into the shadows of the equipment.

Chasing wasn’t impossible — but pursuing her through the hangar would be reckless, even by his standards.

Whether that was calculated or not remained unclear — but in any case, she had escaped, precisely as planned.

“Damn. I thought she might do something like this….”

By the time he returned that night, he’d already understood that Shirley had no intention of continuing the conversation.

The welding mask, however, had been entirely unforeseen.

“If that’s the case… then what next… what next… what should I do?”

Former ace, Jin Toukou.

He realized, with sudden clarity, that he possessed no effective means against a fleeing woman.

Jin smirks, unyielding.

He’s escaped tighter corners than this—countless times before.

Battlefield experience.

Deploy it all, and even an unfamiliar situation like this woman’s flight could be managed.

“Thus, the tactical premise for this simulation is clear: how best to corner a fleeing enemy. I’ll flee with everything I’ve got. You’ll pursue and intercept—then destroy.”

He doesn’t need to repeat what’s already been said.

Even now, Jin is barely functional.

“A fleeing enemy… Still, I’d say luring her into a trap is the standard approach. What do you think?”

“Hmph. Lure her in…”

“No. Let’s press the attack—fully. My maneuverability should allow me to keep pace.”

“Right. Fully corner her.”

"Shut up. One-hit withdrawal. Anyone who runs away should be finished before they even start running."

"Ah. One hit, huh."

The three trainees exchange uneasy glances.

Kou via eye contact.

(You go, Squad Leader.)

May.

(Leave it to me, Yuriya.)

Yuriya.

(You guys really need to stop dumping trouble on me!)

A silent exchange lasting approximately one second.

"Um. Instructor."

"Yeah?"

"Since this is our tactical briefing, I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t eavesdrop..."

"...Right. Sorry."

Jin lowers his shoulders and retreats sheepishly.

He’d spoken nothing but common sense—yet Yuriya feels as though she’s committed a transgression.

"Aaaah. Yuriya’s teasing the Instructor."

"Reverse bullying, that’s what this is. Real low."

"You're the ones bullying me, your superior officer—this is reverse harassment, isn't it!"

Yuriya launches into the argument with full force, countering the two who've seized the moment.

"Still, this scenario is odd. Doesn't seem related to the expedition training."

"True. Is there really a scenario where you're supposed to shoot down a target fleeing during planetary reconnaissance?"

"I'd rather not dismiss it so easily. But yes... it is peculiar."

A pause. Thinking.

Yuriya speaks with deliberate weight.

"This is it. The Instructor, thinking about how to bring down that one girl she's fixated on, yet keeps missing."

"Come on, let's head to the simulation room, May."

"Sure. Should we race to see who gets there first?"

"Please... don't leave me like this."

None of them had imagined Yuriya’s delusion would turn out to be correct.