Parsed with an automated reader. The content accuracy is not guranteed.
<hr class="wp-block-separator has-text-color has-background has-luminous-vivid-orange-background-color has-luminous-vivid-orange-color is-style-wide">\n{Chapter 6} The Night Before the Battle\n
Part III\n
â\n
âAre you ready?ăMarion, Domori Hiroto.â\n
âYes.â\n
âAh, umm. I am ready.â\n
ăIn the early hours of dawn, the three of them confirmed to each other.\n
ăGeneral Mathew will now leave for his hometown and political base of Minra.\n
ăHiroto and the others boarded the military vehicle provided by the convoy commanded by Tientan, with Mizuho and Marion in the back seat and Hiroto in the passenger seat.\n
âIâll make sure to get you to Minra, Domori-san!â\n
âAh, Gwen-san!ăWeâll be in your care.â\n
ăGwen, who had brought him from the airport to Yangra, was the driver. She greeted Hiroto and his friends with a smile and started the car.\n
ăThe car carrying Hirotoâs group began to move, and Mizuho and Marionâs faces were slightly tense.\n
ăUnlike the past, the upcoming battle would have great significance for them.\n
ăIf the mission goes well, it will be much easier to protect General Mathew.\n
ăPerhaps that was why the two of them were more than a little nervous.\n
ăHowever, Mizuho was aware that she was the leader of this team of ability users. She knew that she had to calm herself down before the battle.\n
ăAs Mizuho was thinking about this, Marion, who was sitting beside her, called out to Hiroto without hiding her own nervousness.\n
âHiroto-san, âŚâŚ.â\n
âUmm?ăWhat?â\n
ăHiroto turned around from the passenger seat to look at Marion. Then, when he saw Marionâs anxious expression, he imagined how she was feeling right now and smiled at her.\n
âAhaha, donât worry. Even if my prediction is wrong, it wonât be a failure if we can protect General Mathew. At that time, Iâll stay close to the two of you and try to buy some time for you to activate your techniques, just like Shitenji-san said in the beginning.\n
âY-yes!ăThatâs right. Iâll do my best too!â\n
ăWhen Marion heard those words from Hiroto, she smiled as if her nervousness would melt away and Hiroto also nodded with a smile.\n
ăMizuho looked at the two of them with fixed eyes.\n
ăMizuho is not good at relying on others, so itâs not easy for her to do this.\n
ăThen, looking at Marion, who was in a good mood and leaned her back against the backrest, she growled in a whisper.\n
âMarion, âŚâŚ, thatâs not fair.â\n
âEh?ăWhat?ăMizuho-san!â\n
âHmph.â\n
ăMarion fumbled and tried to talk to Mizuho, but Mizuho turned her face towards the outside of the window. With tears in her eyes, Marion put her hand on Mizuhoâs shoulder, but Mizuho didnât pay any attention to her.\n
âMizuho-san, why wonât you look at me!ăMizuho-san!â\n
ăMarion shook Mizuhoâs shoulder, but she didnât look at her.\n
ăThen âŚâŚ Marion also spoke up a bit.\n
âMizuho-san is also wearing a âŚâŚ little cute outfit today. Iâm always in my exorcist vestments. âŚâŚâ\n
âHey!â\n
ăMizuhoâs eyes widened and she turned to Marion.\n
âYour skirt is also a little shorter than âŚâŚ it is usually long.â\n
âT-Thatâs not true!ăYou canât think like that âŚâŚ.â\n
âFuu.â\n
ăThis time, Marion turned her head away.\n
âMa-Marion!ăItâs just a coincidence today!ăMarion, look at me!â\n
ăHiroto thought, why is there a commotion behind him?ăHe turned his head to look at them, but since the two behind him didnât seem to be nervous before the battle, he decided to leave them alone. It was much better than being nervous.\n
ăThen Gwen smiled.\n
âNo, itâs inappropriate in the middle of a mission, but itâs fun to drive when you have a youngster on board~â\n
ăShe then started humming in a good mood.\n
ăAbout three hours had passed since they left Yangra. Hiroto checked the map in the passenger seat of the military vehicle driven by Gwen.\n
âWe are almost at the enemy attack point that Tientan-san mentioned. âŚâŚâ\n
ăYesterday, Hiroto and the others had received an explanation from Tientan that there was a high possibility of an attack in this area. But that was only a prediction on their part.\n
ăHiroto also understood this, so he was constantly checking the current location and the surrounding terrain so that the enemy could come at any time.\n
ăIt was a prerequisite for the operation planned by Hiroto and his team this time to have the surrounding terrain in mind. And the beginning of the assault would be the signal to start the operation. Hiroto checked the radio he would be using for that purpose.\n
âShitenji-san, Marion-san, can you check the radioâs operation just in case?â\n
âOkay.â\n
âI understand.â\n
ăHiroto turned on the military radio and tuned its frequency.\n
âItâs working fine.â\n
âI have no problem either.â\n
âOkay. Then, letâs stick to the plan we talked about yesterday.â\n
ăMizuho and Marion nodded. And then Mizuho turned off the switch and looked at Hiroto.\n
âBut, Domori HirotoâŚâ\n
âWhat is it?â\n
âCan we change the frequency without permission?ăI realize that you donât want your allied troops to hear this, but âŚâŚâ\n
âUmm, it should be fine. Itâs not like weâre dragging our feet, but itâs better to be cautious. Itâs also just a way to buy time in case youâre about to get bugged. Once the operation starts, the allied troops canât be bothered with such things. âŚâŚ because everyone will be desperate to survive.â\n
ăHiroto laughed, but Mizuho and Marion could feel a part of the atmosphere of the actual battle in the cautiousness of Hiroto. Make the most of the preparations you can,âŚâŚ, it is an ironclad rule that those who exchange lives must not lose.\n
âAnd also, Domori Hiroto âŚâŚ.â\n
âAh, Shitenji-san.â\n
ăHiroto interrupted Mizuho who tried to continue talking.\n
âShitenji-san, during the operation, you can refer to me as Domori or Hiroto. I want to save as much time as possible, and itâs hard to call me by my full name every time, right?â\n
ăMizuhoâs eyes widened at Hirotoâs offer.\n
âT-Thatâs right, itâs inconvenient during operations!ăYeah, yeah, it canât be helped. âŚâŚ. So, should we go with âŚâŚ then, Hiroto?ăThatâs what Marion calls you, too!ăWeâll be consistent.â\n
ăMizuho shook her face, repeatedly and heavily.\n
âYeah, letâs do that.â\n
ăHiroto nodded and looked forward to check the radio pack he carried on his shoulder.\n
ăMarionâs mouth twitched unamusedly next to Mizuhoâs, who for some reason looked a little happy.\n
âMizuho-san, isnât it fine to use Domori?ăAnd Iâm using âsanâ too.â\n
âEh?ăMarion!ăI thought Hiroto would have fewer letters!ăThatâs all. Weâre on a mission!â[TN: Mizuho is saying that Hiroto{ă˛ăă¨} would be faster to say that Domori {ăŠăăă} if you skip the Kanji character which is only 2 for both.]\n
âMuu âŚâŚ is fine. Itâs only during the mission. âŚâŚâ\n
âT-thatâs right!ăItâs all about efficiency. âŚâŚ umm?ăHuh. âŚâŚâ\n
ăAt this time, Mizuho made a face as if she noticed.\n
âAh hey, Hi âŚâŚ Hiroto?â\n
âHmm?ăYes?ăShitenji-san.â\n
ăHiroto turns around.\n
âThatâs it!ăY-You can call me Mi-Mizuho, too!â\n
âEh?ăAhh, but âŚâŚ,well, then Mizuho âŚâŚ,san is that okay?â\n
âNo, no need for âŚâŚ.san, I want âŚâŚ.â\n
ăWhen Mizuho was mumbling, Marion, who is usually quiet, unusually intervened.\n
âMizuho-san, itâs fine, isnât it?ăAlso, just call me Marion-san, and only during the operation!ăOkay!â\n
âY-yeah right, Iâll go with Mizuho-san.â\n
ăMarion smiled and said to Hiroto, but she stressed that it was only during the operation.\n
ăBecause it was strangely powerful, Hiroto responded as if he were being pressured.\n
ăMizuho seemed to be staring at Marion with tears in her eyes, but he decided not to worry about it.\n
Hiroto learned how to read the atmosphere in this area from Matsuri.\n
(But what is it?ăMarion-sanâs smile doesnât have the âŚâŚ usual healing power.)\n
ăHiroto gave a weak smile back to Marionâs smiling face and looked forward to escape the scene.\n
âMa-Marion~'â\n
ăWhen Mizuho muttered, looking like a fisherman who missed the chance to catch a big fish, Marion smiled.\n
âItâs not good to suddenly call a girl by her name, so âŚâŚ I use san as well.â\n
âMa-Marion, âŚâŚ youâre too different.â\n
âYou too, Mizuho-san. âŚâŚâ\n
âââŚâŚâŚâŚââ\n
ăThe two girls look at each other.\n
ăOnly these two girls seemed to understand the changes in each other.\n
ăHiroto was sitting in the front passenger seat of the car, looking forward as if he was frozen because he thought he could hear the onomatopoeic sound of gogogogo from the back seat of the car.\n
ăNow, it felt like he should never look back.\n
(W-What!?ăThereâs a lot of fighting spirit behind me!ăWhat is it?ăWhatâs being born?)\n
ăWith trembling hands, Hiroto decided to devote himself to the task of staring at the map.\n
(Enemy, quickly!ăCome out quickly!ăEnemy!ăPlease!)\n
ăHiroto was sincerely waiting for the enemy to attack.\n
ăSuddenly, Gwen, the driver, started humming again beside Hiroto.\n
âWell~, I know itâs inappropriate in the middle of a mission, but itâs fun to drive with young people in the car~â\n
ăIn the same car with the trembling boy and the girls who just canât stop smiling, Gwen is the only one who seems to be in a good mood and having fun.\n
âendâ\n
<hr class="wp-block-separator has-text-color has-background has-luminous-vivid-orange-background-color has-luminous-vivid-orange-color is-style-wide">\nNow, only Epilogue and Afterword remains.\n
Join me on discord to get update notifications and release schedules.\n