With the final battle approaching,
A cold wind blew through the capital, Winn, with factory smoke rising into the air, and dark clouds shrouding the city.
"It is shameful to die without killing anyone."
The eyes of people walking through the streets were filled with murderous intent. Fights broke out here and there, and the streets were wrapped in an eerie atmosphere.
This was because the government had been spreading propaganda that the upcoming battle would decide the outcome of the war.
"Killing at least two people before dying is honorable."
The Austin government mobilized all surviving citizens in preparation for the decisive battle.
All able-bodied men were conscripted, and the wounded, women, and children were forced to work in military factories.
…Ordinarily, such actions would lead to an outpouring of dissatisfaction.
"Killing ten people before dying makes you a hero."
That's why the government called it the "final battle" and pushed the people to their limits.
Austin's Prime Minister, Fogman Jr., gave speeches that coldly and efficiently brainwashed the populace.
It was a matter of life or death, survival or destruction.
There will be no future for Austin if we can't drive back the invading Allied forces.
"Do not spare your life; spare your pride─"
…Thus, they manipulated public opinion, suppressing any who voiced dissatisfaction as "traitors" or "rebels."
They forcibly unified the consciousness of the nation.
Amid this stifling atmosphere…
"Argie, you've never changed until the end."
"Puku puku…"
Gavel Company's "Drunken Monster", Medical Sergeant Argie, was the same as always.
She had skipped training today as well and looked quite pleased with herself as she drank diluted liquor.
"Oh, I didn't come to scold you for slacking off, Argie."
"Puku?"
"I have a small favor to ask. Could you teach me how to do makeup?"
"Pukuuu…"
Lieutenant Gavel had given up on trying to reprimand Argie, who showed no change no matter how much he scolded her.
Apparently, she is now being left alone because she will work as long as she's given alcohol.
"You're probably bored anyway, Argie."
"Puku puk."
"Then, are you doing any work right now?"
"Puku, puku…"
In other words, she's free.
Reitalyu and the other women I know are all incredibly busy.
The only woman who I thought had nothing better to do was Argie.
"Puku, puku, puku."
"Doing makeup isn't like me? …Well, I'm a figurehead now, after all."
"Puku?"
"Yes. If applying makeup can raise morale, I'll dress up as much as needed."
Admittedly, I've never been interested in dressing up.
But I am now in a position to unify the entire army under the title of "Bern Valou's younger sister."
In this operation, my "appearance" has become incredibly important.
"…"
"Is something the matter, Argie?"
If makeup could affect the success of the mission, learning it was essential.
Thinking this, I swallowed my pride and bowed my head to Argie, but…
"I… don't like being in front of people. I've never done makeup before."
"Argie…"
Unfortunately, Argie had never applied makeup either.
***
Noel Orphanage did not have the financial means to afford things like makeup.
Since joining the medical department, makeup was basically prohibited as it would interfere with treatment.
That's why I've never worn makeup before.
"…Shall we try to do some makeup by imitating others?"
"Let's not. It's probably not going to lead to anything good."
It's just me and Argie here.
It would be reckless for the two of us, who had low femininity, to try to learn how to do makeup from scratch.
"Do you have any acquaintances who are good at makeup, Argie?"
"Pukku pukku…"
"Right…"
Looks like Argie doesn't have anyone in mind who can teach me makeup.
And I couldn't just call the busy Reitalyu to teach me makeup.
At this point, I might have to ask a passerby for help.
"Sorry for taking up your time. I'll try asking someone else."
"…I'm sorry. I've always been bad at talking to people."
Argie murmured softly.
She had always been shy and seemed to have few friends.
Because of that, she hadn't really cared much about her appearance.
"Commander Touri. I have a favor to ask of you…"
"What is it, Argie?"
Just as I was about to give up and look for someone else who could do makeup, Argie grabbed the hem of my uniform and looked up at me with pleading eyes.
"I don't have any alcohol."
"That's not it."
After saying that, she closed her eyes as if she had made up her mind.
"I want to quit my job."
"…Huh?"
At a time when the survival of the nation was at stake, she declared that she didn't want to work.
"I, well… I think Argie's treatment skills are amazing."
"No, I'm no good. I've always been like this."
It would be a problem if a nurse as skilled as Argie were to quit.
I turned to face her and tried to persuade her.
"When I became a nurse, all of my seniors… were very intense."
"It's true that many nurses are quite active."
"I can't endure that bright atmosphere."
When Argie became a nurse four years ago, she struggled to fit in with her surroundings.
Apparently, she would flinch and run away whenever someone approached her, making communication difficult.
"Seeing me like that, the head of the medical department, Reitalyu, asked me if I wanted to try being a dispatched nurse."
"Yes."
"Being a dispatch medic was great. I could use a tent all by myself; it was like heaven…"
Seeing her in such a situation, Reitalyu decided to dispatch Argie to a company.
A company's nurse is essentially responsible for managing the health of the entire unit alone.
The workload is extensive, and for most people it would be a tough job…
"I was really pampered…!"
"…Huh?"
Being a dispatch nurse really suited Argie well.
Unusually for her, her eyes lit up as she spoke.
"Everyone came up and talked to me, even someone like me."
Though she usually didn't stand out in the medical department,
Being the only female soldier in the unit, it was inevitable that she would be popular.
"'You're cute, how about a drink?' Lots of people would offer me wine."
"…"
"I had everyone's attention on me… I got confessed to every week."
For Argie, being a dispatched nurse was great.
She excelled when it came to just doing her job and didn't mind being busy too much.
Argie was enjoying her life as a dispatched nurse quite a bit.
However…
"The Company Commander at that time was… coming on strong, claiming it was a punishment for disrupting discipline."
"Oh…"
Her ambiguous attitude with various people led to a lot of trouble within the unit regarding Argie.
The Company Commander, seeing that situation, started sexually harassing her under the pretense of punishment.
"He stripped me of my clothes, whipped me, and jokingly squeezed my breasts. It was really frustrating."
"There are indeed unpleasant soldiers like that."
As if remembering that incident, Argie made a truly displeased face.
Come to think of it, Reitalyu mentioned that there are male soldiers who create justifications to project their desires onto female soldiers.
Could that story have been about Argie?
"…Then one day, after being whipped, I was resting in my room when the Company Commander came in… and I was almost assaulted."
"Wha… what happened next?"
"I was so pissed that I kicked him in the groin and crushed it hard."
"…"
She actually crushed it?
"I was accused of insubordination against a superior officer and court-martialed. But Director Reitalyu defended me. She argued that it was self-defense and asked if they understood the feelings of female soldiers being forced into unwanted actions."
"Reitalyu…"
"After that, I was in heaven for about a year. I lived a lazy life of drinking under the protection of the Director."
The fact that she could be so carefree after that is what's impressive about Argie.
"If you feel indebted to Director Reitalyu for defending you, how about working?"
"…But at that time, I could no longer work as a nurse."
"…"
Saying this, Argie sat down cross-legged and silently extended her hands towards me.
"Argie?"
"See how they're trembling?"
She held out both hands with a self-deprecating look on her face.
They were shaking violently.
"This is what happens when the alcohol wears off."
"…This symptom. Is it alcohol dependence?"
"If I treat someone with hands like this, I'm sure I'll make a mistake and kill someone."
I see, that makes sense.
So the reason Argie only worked when she was drinking was due to her trembling fingers.
"When I remember the look on his face when he attacked me, or when he beat me while I was naked, I feel like dying. It's scary, it's terrifying. I drowned myself in alcohol to escape into intoxication."
"…"
"And then, I ended up like this."
After saying this, Argie took out a metal flask from her waist and poured a clear liquid down her throat.
A sharp scent of diluted liquor wafted through the air.
"If I don't drink, my hands shake and I can't treat people properly… But there's no way I can work properly while drinking."
"…"
"I can't continue being a nurse in this state. I submitted my resignation, but Director Reitalyu rejected it."
"She rejected it?"
"She told me I could rest for now and that she hoped I'd recover someday. She said I was also a necessary asset."
"And then, what happened?"
"I decided to force myself to get fired. …There's no way I can recover now."
Argie, having become dependent on alcohol, resolved to quit her job.
However, the medical department is always short-staffed and couldn't afford to dismiss a nurse as skilled as Argie.
It seems Reitalyu tried to find some way to keep her.
"…Then what happened?"
"I was puffing up to provoke them, and I was transferred to the Touri Guerilla Company."
"Oh, so that was you provoking them?"
Thus, Argie began to act arrogantly in hopes of getting fired.
In other words, Argie was puffing up because she wanted to quit his job.
"But 'puku puku' was interpreted as 'I can't speak well due to the shock of being assaulted,' and everyone treated me kindly. That was an unexpected outcome."
"…"
"Well, I didn't have to talk, it was easy. So I kept up with 'puku puku.'"
It's not that Argie has closed her heart.
The brazen "puku puku" was an expression of her desire to quit her job and her reluctance to speak.
"I don't want to do this. I don't want to work as a soldier anymore."
"…"
"Men are scary, and I might hurt someone with my own hands. Plus…"
While looking down, Argie murmured as if confessing her sins.
"I can't help but feel anxious when I run out of alcohol. I can't function without drinking, even if it's someone else's drink. I hate myself for being like this."
"Argie…"
"I want to go back. I want to go back to the person I was before I became addicted to alcohol."
This must be her true feelings.
She is suffering from the fact that she can't function without drinking alcohol.
"I don't want to keep sinking into the sea of alcohol."
She hates herself for that, which is why she distanced herself from others.
"I'm not useful at all, Commander Touri."
"…"
"So, please let me quit."
"…Then how will you live if you quit being a nurse?"
…Considering Argie's situation, I thought it might be okay for her to quit her job and take a break.
Her health would eventually deteriorate if she continued working while drowning in alcohol like this.
Her life is her own. It wouldn't be good to bind her to the military.
"You will lose your income."
"I still have my savings."
"You will probably be forced to work."
"…Even so."
I changed my mind and thought, "If Algie wishes to quit, I should let her."
If she wants to quit her job and confront her alcohol dependency to focus on her health, I should support that.
That was what I thought, but…
"I want to live a life where I can drink whenever I want."
"That's no good. Let's work."
I decided to reject the request for discharge because I thought not having her work would likely lead to her health getting even worse.
…Does she think that she could slack off as much as she wanted if she quits her job?
"Pukuuuu…"
"No way."
***
"Thank you, Mr. Nauman and Mrs. Nauman."
"No, no, if it's something like this, please feel free to ask anytime."
By the way, I learned how to do makeup from Nauman's wife.
"I want to put on makeup too!"
"Hey now, stop that, Anna."
After finishing my work at General Staff Headquarters, I would visit Nauman's house a few times a week to learn how to do makeup.
…I feel like I've gotten better at applying natural makeup that won't put people off.
"Hmm, with this, it might look a little scary…"
"That's fine. I want it to look scary."
"Oh dear…"
Nauman's wife is a very kind person.
She carefully taught me how to apply eyeshadow and draw my eyebrows.
My impression of her is that she is a gentle and beautiful woman.
"Okay, I'll buy some cosmetics next time. Is that okay, Anna?"
"It's a promise, Papa."
This is how I was able to learn how to wear makeup that looked good on me.
I should have asked a married woman from the start.