"This way, Touri."
"Yes."
Reitalyu led me to a deserted warehouse area.
I thought she was going to introduce me to a nurse, but…
Why was I brought to such a place?
"Puku puku."
"Umm…"
With such questions in mind, I followed Reitalyu.
There was a woman with disheveled hair sitting on the ground inside the tent.
"This is Argie. She has three years of experience as a nurse and survived the Southern Front."
"I see…"
The woman is probably in her mid-twenties.
She was incredibly beautiful. Her appearance was so refined that she could easily aim to be an idol if she were properly dressed.
However, she wore a dirty nurse's uniform and lay on medical supplies as if they were a pillow, muttering "puku puku."
"Argie, wake up. I'm introducing you to the new superior, Touri."
"Oh, nice to meet you. I'm Lieutenant Touri Lowe."
"Puku puku."
I introduced myself to Argie, but she didn't respond.
She only took one quick glance my way and then quickly looked away.
"Argie, aren't you going to greet her?"
"Puu puku puku, puu puku puku."
Even when Reitalyu reprimanded her, Argie remained indifferent.
Whether she was deeply engrossed in her own world or deliberately ignoring us is unclear.
"Well, Argie is just as you see. To put it simply, she's the type who struggles with group activities."
"That's not the kind of person who should be a soldier."
"She wouldn't have been made a soldier if it weren't for the current situation."
Reitalyu sighed as she said this.
…Well, we can't exactly afford to be picky with choosing soldiers given the current war situation.
"People who struggle with group activities are actually better sent to the front lines. They tend to work alone more."
"…I see."
"In fact, when we deployed Argie to an infantry company last year, it went well…"
Reitalyu's expression grew troubled as she spoke, her brows furrowing.
"But since Argie is so beautiful, the soldiers went wild and she had a traumatic experience."
"…What?"
"Since then, Argie has become fearful of male soldiers. That's why she's waiting here alone."
Reitalyu explained this to me.
She mentioned it indirectly, but does this mean that she was a victim of sexual assault by a male soldier?
It's clear she closed herself off so much that she can't communicate with others.
"Even though she has a fear of men, it should be fine if her superior is Touri. I'll recommend Argie to your company."
"That is…"
"Argie, how about trying again as a nurse in the infantry company?"
"puku puku puku puku."
At Reitalyu's suggestion, Argie made disgruntled "puku puku" noises.
How is she even making those noises…?
"Reitalyu, if Argie has such a past, wouldn't it be difficult to deploy her to the infantry company? Her trauma might resurface."
"…Of course, I sympathize with Argie's past, you know?"
Concerned about this nurse Argie, I suggested this to Reitalyu, with an ulterior motive in mind of: "I'd like to be introduced to a normal nurse."
Reitalyu, still smiling, replied:
"We can't afford to support nurses who do nothing with public funds… To put it bluntly, this girl has a terrible habit of slacking off."
Reitalyu grabbed Argie by the scruff of her neck with veins bulging on her forehead.
"…Slacking off?"
"Argie is afraid of being attacked, so she won't help with the bedside work. Well, I understand that, so that's fine."
"Yes."
"So, I asked her to handle administrative tasks behind the scenes, but she hasn't touched them at all. Even when assigned to organize supplies in the warehouse, she spends the entire day slacking off and napping."
"Wow."
"Even though I was patient, saying, 'She's been through a lot, it can't be helped,' I eventually had to apologize to the higher-ups when she snuck into the commissary and stole wine."
"Eh?"
Sneaking in and stealing alcohol? That's just plain theft.
It's not just a military regulation violation, but a crime.
"Well, given her circumstances, I initially gave her a lenient punishment, thinking she must be hurting from her terrible experiences. I even begged the higher-ups."
"…"
"In the end, I paid for the damages and it was overlooked. Yet, this girl repeatedly stole despite my warnings."
"Puku puku…"
"You say that alcohol heals a wounded heart? Yes, I agree. I put up with it for a year. I tried to be as kind as possible to you."
"A whole year…"
As she continued speaking, Reitalyu's voice became increasingly colder.
Seeing such a frightening side of Reitalyu for the first time, I could sense her anger toward Argie.
"Despite keeping an eye on her until she recovered…"
"But, two months ago, Argie, you snuck out to at night. What were you doing?"
"Puku?"
Reitalyu, still with a smiling face, pressed Argie with a stern look.
Argie flinched and looked away, clearly nervous.
"Don't you frequent a male brothel?"
"P-Puku puku…"
"'It's for rehabilitation of your fear of men'? Well then, that's good, you were drinking so happily surrounded by men. I feel like a fool for following you out of concern! I was worried you might be involved in some strange incident!"
"…"
"Was it enjoyable to have men serve you with the salary you earned without working?! I've been patient with such things!!"
…
"Certainly, you've had a tragic experience. But isn't it too much to use that as an excuse to do whatever you want, Argie?"
"Puku puku puu."
"Stop making that face like you have no recollection of it. I'm your superior officer after all."
Argie maintained her disdainful attitude even after being scolded so much by the gentle Rayleigh.
As she pretends not to notice with sweat pouring down her forehead, I sense a sense of hopelessness in her.
"I had decided that the next time there was a deployment request from the infantry unit, I would send Argie. Her superior officer is a woman, Touri, so it's perfect.'
"Puu…"
"Umm, Reitalyu. Since she's going to be responsible for the health of the unit, could you please find someone a bit more normal?"
"Personnel decisions for medics are within my jurisdiction, Lieutenant Touri. Please refrain from interfering. Besides, you should be able to handle her; you're a capable medical officer."
"…I suppose so."
I tried to get her to send someone else, but Reitalyu's cold insistence prevailed.
Could it be that Reitalyu is also angry with me for being transferred to the infantry unit without any notice?
"The sooner the better, right? I'll have Argie join you today. There's no work for this girl to take over anyway."
"Puku…"
"No, it's final. Also, please communicate with Touri using words. That 'puku puku' sound might be unpleasant for some people."
It looks like it's been decided that Argie will be the nurse joining my unit.
If only I could have gotten the old Touri Platoon members, everything would have been perfect…
I get it though. We don't have the luxury of pulling talented personnel out to the front line.
"Don't worry. Despite her habit of slacking off, Argie's skills are reliable."
"Really?"
"She's very skilled with her hands. No one can surpass her when it comes to treatment. That's why I wish she wouldn't slack off."
"Pweh."
From behind me, Reilly noticed my troubled expression and reassured me.
Looking at Argie, lying on the ground with a tired look on her face, I let out a small sigh.
***
"Ugh, I feel so sluggish. I need a drink. Puku puku puku."
"What's up with her?"
"She's our company's nurse, Sergeant Gavel."
That evening.
Argie was carried by several people, changed into clean medical clothes, and then thrown into our company.
Having been kicked out of her room after becoming a shut-in, she lay on the ground without moving an inch.
"That was quick. Didn't we just apply for one today?"
"She was introduced right after the application was submitted."
"As expected of Director Reitalyu. She must have anticipated the application after hearing about your promotion."
"…Yes, it seems so."
She wasn't informed about my promotion, but there's no need to say anything unnecessary.
Things could get complicated If it were discovered that they had offloaded a troublesome nurse onto us.
"Ah, by the way, I should mention that she's supposedly afraid of men."
"Eh, is it okay to take her to the front line then?"
"…It'll probably be okay."
That's what the story is supposed to be, but… Argie doesn't seem to be afraid of her surroundings.
Even though there are many male soldiers nearby, she lies on the ground boldly scratching her butt.
…Is she really afraid of men?
"Still, I'd appreciate it if you could treat her with some care."
"Understood."
Even so, Argie is a valuable nurse on the front lines.
She might have a difficult personality, but for now, let's treat her with care.
Let's try to avoid any trouble as much as possible─
"Hey, there's already trouble with the medic making those annoying noises."
"Ah, I'll go warn her…"
…I wonder if I can handle her properly.
***
Late at night, in an old, shabby camp tent.
"Lieutenant Touri. I've finished the unit replenishment application documents. Next is checking the inventory of supplies."
"Understood. Thank you, Sergeant Gavel."
I was working on paperwork alongside Sergeant Gavel.
By the way, this tent is my personal tent and has a sign saying it is for Touri Lowe's use only.
"We need to check if the reported ammunition usage matches the actual remaining ammunition."
"Yes."
"If even one of the platoon leaders is sloppy, the numbers won't match. If that happens, we'll have to recheck everything, so make sure you choose serious people to be platoon leaders."
Company commanders and above are provided with personal tents and desks.
Since paperwork increases significantly from the company commander level, not having a tent reduces work efficiency.
If you achieve results like Sergeant Garback, you can get a tent even as a platoon leader.
"Alright, it doesn't look like there are any mistakes with the remaining ammunition. That's good."
"Yes."
"Next is… the training program."
I continued working while being carefully instructed by Sergeant Gavel.
"Preparing training programs for newly assigned subordinates is also the Company Commander's job."
"I see."
"First, set the training objectives. This will be determined based on the level of proficiency of the assigned soldiers, but for now let's say they 'need to be able to defend trenches'. To achieve this, create short-term goals and long-term plans and assign appropriate training…"
As expected from someone who graduated from a military academy, Sergeant Gavel was well-versed in paperwork.
On the other hand, since I am not used to desk work, I had a lot of trouble with this task.
"Will the instructors be myself and Sergeant Gavel?"
"Maybe we should ask Maeve. That old man seems more accustomed to this kind of thing."
Hospital work involves dealing with life and death, so I could stay focused, but paperwork is monotonous and just tiring.
The work of filling out piles of documents with Sergeant Gavel was an unfamiliar kind of fatigue for me.
"Well, that's enough for today. Let's get some sleep and prepare for tomorrow, Lieutenant Touri."
"Right."
We finished at a reasonable point and went to bed just as the moon was starting to get full.
Getting promoted means more paperwork.
I'd rather stay a regular soldier forever, but the work won't get done without officers.
I remember Reitalyu complaining about something like that.
"I apologize for burdening you, Sergeant Gavel."
"Huh? It's fine. The old man ordered me to help."
In truth, I should be handling this work alone.
But Sergeant Gavel helped me without a single complaint, even late into the night.
"You helped me before, so this is nothing."
Sergeant Gavel said this without a hint of condescension or dissatisfaction.
Without even looking back at me, he laid down his sleeping bag inside the tent.
"We have an early day tomorrow. Get some sleep, Lieutenant Touri."
"Yes."
He crawled into his sleeping bag without giving me a chance to respond.
In less than five minutes, he was snoring loudly, fast asleep.
"…."
Inside my personal tent.
…Is this his way of telling me to sleep outside the tent?
This tent did originally belong to Sergeant Gavel. I guess it can't be helped.
Well, I'm used to sleeping outdoors, so I don't mind.
"…"
No, looking closely, I can see Sergeant Gavel left half the space in the tent free.
Maybe this is a message for me to sleep next to him.
Well, Sergeant Gavel is younger than me. Maybe there's nothing to be worried about.
At least he doesn't seem to have any ulterior motives, so I might as well sleep here.
"Good night, Sergeant Gavel."
I whispered, laid my sleeping bag next to his, and quickly fell asleep.
"Zzzzz…"
By the way, Sergeant Gavel's snoring was quite loud.
It was less disruptive than gunfire or explosions, so I managed to sleep reasonably well.
***
"…Good morning, Lieutenant Touri. Hey, wake up."
"Hmm?"
Well, if there was one mistake I made…
"Why are you hugging me?"
"Oh."
It was forgetting that I have a bit of a habit of hugging things in my sleep.
"Sorry for the trouble. I seem to have a habit of hugging whatever's nearby when I sleep."
"Ah, I'm sorry too. I completely forgot this was your tent now."
When I woke up in the morning, I found my arms wrapped tightly around Sergeant Gavel's back.
…I was probably half asleep, dreaming about hugging Sedol.
"But still. Would you normally sleep next to a man?"
"Don't worry. I don't have any sort of intentions towards you."
"…Well, okay."
I tried to handle the situation smoothly without making things awkward.
To be honest, it was a bit embarrassing, but I tried to keep the conversation light so as not to create any weird atmosphere.
"I'd like to change my underwear. Could you please step outside, Sergeant Gavel?"
"O-Oh, sure."
I've made this mistake several times before.
…I even hugged Rodri's belongings once.
"Well then, see you later."
"Puku puku puku…"
As Sergeant Gavel awkwardly stepped out of the tent…
I noticed a nurse peeking in, making a 'puku puku' noise.
"…"
"Puku puku."
…Why is this nurse spying on her superior's tent?