1

Assigned to the Thirty-First Armunale Unit as of today. Pilot Eld here. Pleased to meet you.

Likewise, I'm Ange, the support maid. Pleasure to meet you.

In a room of the headquarters, we salute the six people lined up before us.

Good of you to come. Logvel Bodwan, Captain of the Thirty-First Armunale.

"Same here—Orell, deputy commander and head mechanic."

The maintenance officer in charge is Ritz.

"Call me the Senseboard Writer, Caline."

Benoit, scout duty.

"Mirage, support maid. Nice to meet you."

Right in front of us are five familiar faces from the Thirty-First Armunale Unit, and a new support maid we’ve never met before.

Today’s the induction ceremony for the new recruits—probably Batis and Leon are meeting up in another room right now.

"Right, well, enough with the formalities. Good to see you both here."

"Thought you two were top-notch material for knights, but never expected both of you to graduate at the top. Good catch we made, that’s for sure."

"See? Told you my gut was right, didn’t I?"

The stiff introductions wrapped up quick—then the captains’ tone shifted, light and easy. That was the signal: welcome party officially begun.

Then, the support maid Mirajou stepped right up.

Mirajou, whose face I’d never seen before, was exactly the kind of beauty that made Captain Bodwan’s “gorgeous” claim totally believable.

Soft, wavy chestnut hair, round, bright eyes—nothing like Rene’s quiet elegance. She was the cheerful kind of pretty.

"Really, it’s my first time meeting you. Heard all about you from the others. Nice to have you both. Ange, you’re the senior now—don’t hesitate to lean on me whenever you need to."

Wondering what kind of talk it’ll be—looking forward to it, then.

Yes, looking forward to it.

Hey hey, you’re playing the senior act just fine, but aren’t you forgetting who you’re dealing with? She’s the top graduate, you know?

As I lightly shake hands with Miraj, Ritz reaches around from behind and wraps an arm around Miraj’s waist.

Miraj, without even turning, catches the arm like she’s got eyes in the back of her head, and twists it up with a flick.

“Ow ow ow!”

“No touching. And I was top graduate myself, you know?”

“Wait—was that right? No, no, no, you’re not going that way anymore!”

Miraj gives a light shove after Ritz’s tap. Ritz goes flying—so fast, she slams into the wall with a thud.

She’s strong, that support maid. Even if it is Ritz—she’s a proper mechanic, graduated from the Academy. To take her down like that, so easy…

“Ange-chan, if Ritz tries anything, don’t hold back. Knock her flat.”

“Man, I’m not starving to the point of grabbing a woman.”

“Oh? Already got someone?”

“Uh… not exactly dating, but yeah, someone I like…”

Miraj’s question made Ange glance down, then steal a look at me.

Miraj saw it. Her eyes narrowed, a slow smile creeping up. Something’s not right. I can feel it.

“Huh-huh, then I’ll have to teach you a thing or two about that side of things.”

“Me? A newbie teaching someone? Ah, never mind.”

“Very well.”

One look from Mirage and Ritz shuts up like a book. The hierarchy’s set in stone already. Still, Ritz’s all over her like a second skin—could it be?

I must’ve been staring too hard, because Carine leans in, whispering low.

“Looks like she caught on.”

“Ritz and Mirage, huh?”

“Correct. Though Mirage herself seems clueless.”

“Still, Ritz’s the one behind it, I’d say.”

Ritz’s always flippant, always cracking jokes at everyone’s expense—probably wouldn’t even notice if he was toying with someone he liked. From what I’ve heard, Mirage’s the kind who can be friends with anyone, boy or girl.

Then again, if Carine’s noticed, it’s probably obvious to everyone else too. Just the person in question’s the only one blind to it.

“Still standing around like this? We should get moving soon, don’t you think?”

"Yeah. Bnois, got the reservation at the inn sorted?"

"Yep, all set."

Huh? Reservation at an inn? Wait—Bnois, you're handling inn reservations too? Seriously, you're not just some errand boy, are you...

The place we came to, a little ways off from the headquarters, was a single shop.

The sign hanging on the door said it was open for business, and from inside came the usual ruckus—laughter, clinking glasses, voices raised in song. Definitely a tavern.

Well, welcome party for new recruits—no matter the world, it's still all about the drink, isn't it?

Soldiers out on the front line? They'd probably fall apart without a few tankards of ale.

Bnois leads us in, and straightaway we're guided to a private room in the back.

By the time we're seated, hors d'oeuvres and cold beer are already laid out, like clockwork.

"Once you've decided on your meal, just use the call tube over there. Make yourselves at home."

The server bows slightly and exits the room.

Alright, let’s skip the menu for now and just get to the toast.

I’ll lead the way.

Then I’ll leave it to Ritz.

Yeah, that’s right up his alley.

“Ahem—so, to our new team members!”

“Cheers!”

“Cheers!” “Cheers, yes!”

We clink glasses and down the lot in one go. The alcohol—something I haven’t tasted since my last life—tastes strangely familiar. Smooth going down, too. This body’s got a good rapport with drink, seems like.

“Huh, not bad at all.”

Ritz immediately pours another round, and I return the favor, topping off everyone’s mugs with beer.

Ange started off cautious, sipping like she was tasting poison, but soon loosened up. Her pace picked up, little by little. Her cheeks and ears are turning pink now—she’s definitely feeling it. Guess she’s not as tough as she looks.

My old-world body’s still got some juice left, huh.

A few hours have passed—just enough for everyone to be properly warmed up.

Ange’s been chatting with Miraj, and every now and then Ritz pops up with a joke, only to get blown away like a leaf in a storm.

Carine’s exactly as I imagined—quietly poking at snacks, sipping her drink. Bougain’s been ordering more food and refills. Honestly, that’s our job, sorry about that. Next time, I’ll help out for sure.

And me? I’m talking with Bodwan and Orell about the new gear and how to handle the machine.

“Hear it’s different—really different.”

“Power’s in a whole other league. Yet the strain’s not much different.”

“Times are all updated. Though, since they’re still students, I reckon you guys could do even better if you tried the same now.”

The real-machine drills—our generation’s time records are all beat, sure—but that’s just student-level stuff. If the squad leaders, who’ve seen real combat and moved like clockwork by now, tried the same without manual control, I reckon they could match us, no sweat.

“Could be. Still, if there’s a way to get stronger right in front of us, I’d like to try it. I think our squad’ll get orders to deploy by early April. Could I see the manual control setup once before then?”

“Of course.”

Happy to have the squad leaders get stronger, that’s always a good thing. Might even end up riding one of their machines someday. If that happens, I’ll need to have Lieutenant Orell and Miss Karine set up my own personal settings in advance.

Right, then—while we’re at it, let me run through the details of this current machine. There’s quite a few differences from the academy models and the custom units.

Yeah. Just the maneuvering processor—senseboard, I think they call it—already feels different in the hands. And the weapons and magic the captain uses? That’s got me curious too.

That new Harmonica Pistole they’ve been rolling out lately is pretty clever, actually. A pain to maintain, though.

Hmm, Harmonica Pistole, huh. So it’s a projectile weapon, then. A gun, I suppose.

So real bullets’ve finally gone practical. When I visited Jakarta, I heard they were still full of issues.

Not all the problems are fixed, mind you. Ammo resupply and range are still rough. But if push comes to shove, it’ll serve as a decent backup weapon.

Can’t wait to see it in action.

“Hey, Eld—can you come over here for a sec?”

Mirage called out from where she stood.

The captain was grinning, giving a nod. Normally, you wouldn’t just leave the captain’s side to chat with someone else—but at a drinking party, I guess rules go out the window.

“Alright, I’ll be back soon.”

“Have fun.”

I stepped away from the captain’s group and moved closer to Mirage and the others. Then suddenly, Ange grabbed me by the neck and pulled me into a hug.

“W-what the—!?”

“Eld, you dummy! Tell me about Rene-shan!”

“Rene? She’s my swordmaster—why do you even know about her? And Ange, you stink of booze!”

Ange’s totally drunk. Face red as a beet, eyes wide and glazed. Wait—why are her eyes all watery?

I used to be in the same batch as Rene. Still run into her sometimes—when she talks about Eld, she’s always all bright-eyed and cheerful. Before that, she hardly ever laughed, hardly ever spoke, and I was worried. But then, seeing her like that reminded me of how she was when she met the old captain. Felt a lot better.

Ah, so Ange heard it from Miraj. Honestly, Rene doesn’t seem cheerful. She’s always calm, sharp as a blade during drills, never smiles much. Can’t picture her looking cheerful, really.

"Yeah, Rene said I remind her of the old captain."

"Whaaat? You’re nothing like him! The captain was way uglier."

No, that’s not what I meant. Come on—don’t lump a fifty-year-old man with a late teen like that.

"She said we share the same dream. Or the same goals. Stuff like that."

“Huh～ maybe Rene-chan’s got a crush, huh?”

“Eld, fiddlesticks! That’s not flirting!”

Ugh! She’s been trying to break free from Ange’s hold since just now, and it’s not budging at all! It’s too tight, seriously! And yet it’s not even uncomfortable… plus, my chest is touching hers…

“Flirting? You’re not even dating, are you?”

“Then I’ll date him! He’s mine alone!”

“Ohoho, Eld-kun’s quite the heartthrob, aren’t you?”

“Don’t laugh—help me get Ange’s lock undone. I can’t crack it at all.”

“Classic maid-school restraint technique. I doubt she’ll let go until Ange’s satisfied, don’t you think?”

“Gah, I’m asking for help, okay?!”

“Hmm, well, when a junior says something like that to a senior… this is how you handle it!”

Mirajou slowly stands up, then loops her arm around my neck from Ange’s opposite side, locking me in the same way.

“Mirajou-san, no stealing from the side. Even if it’s you, I won’t spare you.”

“Hohoho, do you think you can beat me?”

Ange and Mirajou-san are sparking sparks right across my face. No good, this is full-on drunk. Ange doesn’t even seem to know what she’s doing anymore.

Help me, I think, scanning the others—Ritz, shoved against the wall, eyes full of envy, watching me. No, that’s not helping…

I turn to Carine, hoping for rescue. Carine’s eating something like a pizza, like she’s finishing up her drink. When did she even order that!?

“Carine-san, help me!”

“Why not? You’re getting the perks, aren’t you?”

“What’s so great about being cornered by a drunk?!”

“Come on, chest, belly—touch them now, and it’s just an accident.”

“I’m not *that* starved.”

“Homosexual, huh?”

“Wait, hold up! Why’d it go there?!”

Sure, softness was bumping into me—but this isn’t some kind of pleasure, goddamn it! And look at the damn captain’s crew, laughing right at us! How the hell am I supposed to enjoy this?!

I glare, hard, and the whole time, Karine lets out a soft huff and stands up.

“Now, Mirage, ease up. You’ll make the newbies hate you if you keep this up.”

“Aw, fine. If you say so, Karine-chan.”

Karine’s words, and Mirage instantly lets go. She’s way too easy to convince. Just as I’m about to mutter something about the last restraint, it slips right off.

“Suu… suu…”

Ange’s nodding off, head bobbing like she’s rowing a boat.

Ange’s fallen asleep, looks like. Then maybe it’s about time we called it a night?

Carine was the only one left eating the final dish, after all.

"Yeah. Then let’s call it a close for today. Bnois, the payment—receipt to me."

"Understood."

We filed out of the shop, the队长 leading. Outside, it was already pitch black. Well, it was past nine, so that’s expected.

But we came straight after the greetings—means we’ve been drinking for over four hours. No wonder Ange collapsed.

Still, I should make sure Ange remembers her own limits.

Watching Ange sleep on my back, I let out a sigh.

"Say, where do the two of you live? Still in the dorms, I bet?"

"Yes, the Third Barracks. Just happened to have an opening."

The student dorms were only available until the end of February, so now that me and Ange are proper soldiers, we’ve moved out to the state-run barracks where regular troops stay. Bigger than the student dorms, and got a proper mess hall too. Sure, the meals come at set times, but from now on we’ll be getting pay from the crown, and plenty of chances to eat at street stalls.

“Huh? Wait, are you two cohabiting or something?”

“Not at all. Well… we did apply together, so we ended up in adjacent rooms, that’s all.”

“Then Ange, you’re being sent back by Eld— Hey, you look dead on your feet. You okay?”

“These eyes are like this by nature. I’ll take full responsibility for getting her back.”

Nodding at the captain’s words. Wasn’t planning on doing anything else anyway.

“I’m heading to another bar, but what about the rest of you?”

“I’ll come too. Haven’t had enough drink yet.”

Benoit-san’s been lookin’ after all of us this whole time… no wonder he’s still got a thirst.

“I’m headin’ home,” “Then I’ll be off too.”

The girls are leavin’.

“We’ve got some paperwork to sort through.”

The captains still got paperwork. So that’s what comes with the job, huh? Guess I’ll have to do my share someday, once I’m a captain too. Maybe I should start helping out a bit now.

Can’t today, though—gotta walk Ange home. But I’ll ask next time, see if I can lend a hand.

“Then, Benoit, let’s go.”

“Yes.”

“We should head back too.”

“See you tomorrow.”

“Then we’ll take our leave.”

“Mm, good night.”

“Don’t go turnin’ into a wolf, now.”

“Ange might actually like that.”

We’re back at the dorm, grinning at the usual banter. Of course we didn’t turn into wolves.

I’ve got to think properly about Ange, that’s for sure.

Back then, I turned her down because I’d become a soldier and we’d be apart. But now Ange’s become a soldier too—same unit, same rank, same everything.

The old reason’s gone now.

Ange still says she likes me. So what about me? Where’s my heart even right now—where does it even belong—