"Are you enjoying yourself, Nauman?"
"Oh, Lieutenant."
That evening.
As a celebration for the formation of the unit, wine and sweets were distributed to each soldier.
"May I join you?"
"Yes, of course. I'm glad you could make it."
"This platoon seems to be the most relaxed one."
Sergeant Gavel is also seated with his reinforced platoon members.
Everyone's eyes lit up as they enjoyed a drink for the first time in a while, and they all seemed to be having a good time.
"Welcome to the Nauman Sapper Platoon."
"Thank you for having me."
However, whenever I make an appearance, the excitement turns into frenzy.
Perhaps because the alcohol had loosened their self-control, they almost started touching me all over.
Just as I was starting to feel fed up with all that, I noticed Nauman Platoon drinking in a chic, grown-up atmosphere, so I went in to join in.
"Lieutenant, do you have any alcohol?"
"I'm not old enough to drink yet."
"Oh, is that so? The Lieutenant has such a dignified presence that sometimes I forget you're so young."
Laughing, Nauman seated me at the upper end of the table and toasted with his own canteen.
The members of the platoon seem to be drinking quietly, following Nauman's example.
This seat is comfortable.
"I heard there was a fight during the day. How did it turn out?"
"Ah, they were appropriately dealt with."
"Oh, how scary."
The soldier who started the fight was only given a verbal warning.
While being quick-tempered isn't good, it wasn't a major offense.
The problem was the soldier who got punched, as there were suspicions of him fleeing in the face of the enemy.
"I heard one of them was called to Headquarters. What will happen to him?"
"Nothing at all."
He was summoned to Headquarters and interrogated.
There, he stated that he had advised me, a young lieutenant, to "run away if necessary" out of concern for my safety.
He claimed that his supposed desertion was just a story to make his point more convincing.
Apparently, the higher-ups accepted his statement and he only received the usual disciplinary action.
"Austin can't afford to waste any soldiers right now."
"Indeed."
They would have had to execute him if they didn't go with that story.
The fact that such a flimsy excuse was accepted suggests that Headquarters also wanted to avoid an execution.
***
"It seems that Lieutenant Touri managed to repel a surprise attack by Sabbatian soldiers using only a transport unit."
"Yes. The quartermasters fought well."
"Well, it's really impressive. I wish I could have seen their heroic deeds."
At the party, Nauman lightly praised me.
It wasn't in a flattering manner, but more like a father praising his daughter.
"So, how does it feel to achieve such a great success? It must be something to be proud of."
"No. I'm just full of regrets that I could have done better."
"What a driven person you are. Let's toast to our excellent commander."
"Thank you."
…But he wasn't just praising me.
I felt that Nauman was subtly assessing my capability.
If you're a veteran, you should be able to tell the quality of your commander to some extent.
He is probably using this party to see if I'm trustworthy.
"We are truly fortunate to be able to fight under you."
"…Actually, I'm the one who is fortunate to have a veteran like you assigned to my unit."
"Oh no, not at all."
Nauman looked straight at me and smiled, as if he could see deep into my eyes.
His probing manner was quite crafty, making him seem very reliable.
"Nauman, you're easy to talk to, and that helps a lot."
"Oh, what do you mean by that?"
"As you can see, I'm not very expressive. Everyone else approaches me with caution."
Another feature of Nauman is his pleasant demeanor.
Adolescent girls—especially someone as unsociable as me—are naturally difficult to talk to.
Nauman is good at grasping the sense of distance.
"Do you not find it difficult to talk to a girl my age?"
"Not at all. My eldest daughter is about the same age as you, Lieutenant."
"Is that so?"
"Thinking about it makes me want to see her. I hope we can end this war soon and return home. I'm counting on you, Lieutenant."
"Yes, I'll try my best."
As he sipped his wine, a gentle smile spreading across his face as he began bragging about his daughter.
It is considered bad luck to brag about your daughter on the battlefield, but Nauman doesn't seem to mind.
He didn't come to touch me, so I guess he's not a superstitious person.
"Do you miss your daughter after all?"
"I do. It's already been five years since my daughter came crying to me and said, 'Don't go, Papa.'"
"I see."
"She should be growing into a fine young lady by now. I really want to see her."
He pulled out a photo of a young girl and gave it a nostalgic kiss.
The photograph is old and faded, but it appears to have been well looked after and was in good condition.
"Oh, by the way, Lieutenant. I'm planning on buying a present for my daughter. Do you have any suggestions?"
"A present?"
"I hear there are captured items from Flamer at the supply depot. I was thinking of sending her some crafts or accessories."
Nauman treasures his family and regularly exchanges letters and presents with them.
I'm sure he's a good father at home.
"Well, how about a Flamer doll or something?"
"A doll, huh? …Hmm, do girls your age still play with dolls?"
"At least, I do. I still sometimes play with dolls."
"…You do?"
I still play with dolls occasionally as a way to practice my art.
I intend to become a healer and entertainer once the war is over, so I will not slack off on my training.
"A girl who plays with dolls is the company commander…"
"Yes, that's right."
"W-Wow. You have a cute side to you, Lieutenant Touri."
"Thank you."
When I declared that I play with dolls, everyone from the Nauman Platoon looked at me strangely.
Is playing with dolls really that odd?
"Puppet shows are nothing to scoff at."
"Puppet show?"
"If you don't mind, I could put on a little performance."
While the sappers looked at me with puzzled expressions, I took out the doll I had prepared from my bag.
Originally, I intended to make a living as a traveling entertainer.
I captivated the children of the orphanage with ventriloquist puppet shows in the past.
Even the professional Arunoma praised me, and I was feared as the "Clockwork Doll Princess."
"Oh, a puppet show?"
"I'm confident I can exceed your expectations."
***
"The fox said, 'There was a rabbit skinned, impaled, and exposed on the night of the full moon—'"
"…Wow."
As expected, my puppet show was a big hit.
Party tricks are one of the few skills I can confidently say I'm good at.
Surely no one in Austin can outdo me in puppet shows.
"This is tough. The guitar performance I was planning pales in comparison."
"Heh."
"Lieutenant Touri has a smile on her face…"
"So the Lieutenant does smile, huh?"
Party tricks are amazing.
After I performed the puppet show, the attitudes of the members of Nauman Platoon softened.
***
The day after the enjoyable party.
"Apparently, we're part of a propaganda unit whose purpose is to boost morale."
We started the day with training in the form of a mock battle.
Firstly, I wanted to ascertain the current skill level of the soldiers.
"They call themselves a guerrilla company, but in reality, we're just a reserve force."
"Damn, all that tension was for nothing."
We are a guerrilla company, essentially a jack-of-all-trades unit.
I can't even imagine what kind of operations we will be forced to carry out from now on.
A high level of training is required to handle the diverse tasks we might face.
"Got you!"
…However, the reality is not so kind.
Of the 101 soldiers, 74 were freshly conscripted and virtually amateurs.
It seems they were recruited without any training, with an emphasis on replenishment speed.
"I can't do it anymore. I can't move my body."
"My legs hurt, and I have no strength in my arms."
Training is impossible when most of the unit is composed of amateurs.
The first day's practical training was disastrous, with most soldiers dropping out by noon.
"Let's switch to stamina training for the afternoon."
"Y-Yes…"
If things continue like this, it will be impossible to even carry out training, let alone execute missions.
So I decided to put practical training on hold and focus on improving their stamina first.
"Puku…"
"We are conducting joint training with the sapper platoon led by Nauman."
"Pukupu?"
"No, you need to build up your stamina too, Argie."
Argie and I joined the training of Nauman Platoon.
Argie, using her fear of men as an excuse, was making burbling sounds, but I forced her to participate.
Training is a matter of life and death, so she couldn't skip it.
However…
"Yes, one two, one two. Hey you guys, don't look."
"…"
During training, her chest kept bouncing.
The young sappers were captivated by the sight of Argie's glamorous training appearance.
Although she has some personality flaws, Argie is a stunningly beautiful woman.
"Gulp."
"Puku, puku-puku."
The sight of her sweating and bouncing chest while training was quite a sight to behold.
Now I understand why Argie doesn't want to train in front of everyone.
"Puku…."
"Ah, sorry. Let's train together from now on."
Perhaps due to the fear of being watched, Argie was in tears by the end of the training.
I am filled with a feeling of regret.
"Puku puku…"
"That's no good. Physical training is essential for your own sake, Argie."
"Puku…."
But as part of the unit, she needs to build her stamina.
She will die if she doesn't have the physical strength to escape when the time comes.
"Puku puku puku"
"Yes, I will take that into consideration."
"Hey, Lieutenant Touri."
After calming the angry Argie, I somehow convinced her to continue training.
For her own sake, she has to persevere.
"What's the matter, Naumann?"
"Can you understand what that girl is saying?"
"…"
Nauman looked at Argie and I with a puzzled expression.
Now that I think about it, Argie's language is incomprehensible to those meeting her for the first time.
"Actually, I don't really understand it myself."
"Puku?!"
"I kind of just guess from her body language."
"I see."
Although I can't grasp her words, I can infer her meaning from her expressions and gestures.
Argie has a rather straightforward personality.
"Also, there's something I wanted to tell you."
"What is it, Naumann?"
"Actually…"
Naumann took a quick look around.
With a serious look on his face, he whispered some information to me.
***
"This is a troubling, Sergeant Gavel. The soldiers aren't taking training seriously."
"Yeah, none of them are putting in any serious effort."
According to what I heard from Nauman, there is a rumor going around that the Touri Guerrilla Company is a propaganda unit that will not be used in actual combat.
"We don't have the luxury of keeping 150 people idle for propaganda purposes. Who the hell spread that nonsense?"
"Could it be because of my reputation?"
The rumor about the "Lucky Carry" had spread more widely than expected.
The rumor was that the military had established our guerrilla unit specifically for morale-boosting propaganda and entertainment events.
That provided a highly convincing reason for why someone as young and inexperienced as myself was chosen to be the company commander.
"Because of that rumor, it seems like people are thinking, 'If I'm not going to go into combat, then why bother training?'"
"Maybe I should've stayed as the company commander after all."
"I think so too."
I have heard that the Touri Guerrilla Company will be deployed in combat as normal.
It would be terrible if, at that time, people were to die due to lack of training.
"We need to find a way to punish those who slack off during training."
"But what kind of punishment…"
What should I do in this situation?
I don't have the charisma to prevent others from slacking off during training.
Who could offer advice in such times…
"I'll consult with someone I know."
"Who would that be?"
The first person that came to mind was Sergeant Dollman.
He was an infantryman turned medic, with a military career spanning half his life.
I was planning to find the right timing and visit him anyway.
"I have someone in mind, so don't worry."
"Got it."
Since it's already late, I'll make an appointment for tomorrow.
I should also meet Cale and explain to him that I'm safe.
With these plans in mind, I was about to conclude my meeting with Sergeant Gavel when…
"Ah, Lieutenant Touri. There's a letter for you."
"A letter?"
"Yes."
I received a letter addressed to me from a guard in my company.
When I looked at the sender of the letter…
"Hey, that letter…"
"It's from Major Verdi."
The letter handed to the guard was from Verdi.
The envelope was stamped with Major Verdi's seal and written in solemn handwriting as a "letter of communication."
"What does it say?"
"He wants to talk tomorrow if I'm available."
"Hmm."
Verdi appears to have recovered from his injury and has resumed work.
He wants to talk now that he's well.
"I'm sorry, but I will be reporting to Major Verdi tomorrow. May I leave the training to you?"
"…Do I need to come with you?"
"He asks for me to come alone."
"…"
Come to think of it, Sergeant Gavel is a big fan of Verdi.
He idolized him as a hero.
"…Please don't be jealous. It's likely about questions regarding our recent operation. As the commanding officer, it's only natural that I was called."
"I'm not jealous."
"Good to hear."
Despite claiming not to be jealous, Sergeant Gavel gave me a lingering, resentful look.
Is he suspicious of something?
"Just so you know, there's nothing going on between me and Major Verdi."
"…What are you talking about?"
"I thought you might be worried about that."
"I'm not!!"
Sergeant Gavel's face turned bright red.