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At the office of the Third Company Commander, inside the Imperial Ceremonial Battalion headquarters near the Imperial Capital’s Guard Regiment main post, I stood at attention and saluted.
「I have just returned, Company Commander.」
「Welcome back, Lieutenant Fonkt.」
The one smiling warmly at me was a woman with long black hair, styled in a hime cut—softer in manner than Lieutenant Crimine, though both shared the same black hair. Her whole bearing gave off the air of someone who lived behind a desk.
Her name was Captain Minaka Yugi. Her nickname: “Toy Shop.”
The name sounded vaguely Japanese to me, which bothered me a lot—but since all of us used false names, nobody could tell where anyone truly came from. Asking was forbidden.
That said, this woman clearly used techniques not of this country. She was a master of hidden weapons.
Captain Yugi tilted her head at me.
「Oh my, you seem interested in my ‘toys.’」
「Interested, or rather, they stand out so openly on your desk it’s hard not to notice.」
On the commander’s desk lay a length of brightly colored braided cord. At each end was a round ceramic weight. At first glance, it hardly looked like a weapon.
「Is this the kind you throw, or the kind you swing around?」
Captain Yugi smiled.
「As expected of you, Lieutenant Fonkt. It can be used either way.」
I knew it.
It resembled the hunting tool I’d heard of in my previous life called a bola, and at the same time it looked suited for use like a weighted chain or even nunchaku.
Captain Yugi gazed up at me with a cheerful expression.
「Why is it that you see through things so quickly, I wonder?」
「If it belongs to the Company Commander, odds are it’s a weapon. Then all that’s left is to imagine what’s the most effective way to use it.」
Since I kept my reincarnation secret, I gave a vague excuse.
「A cord may not have the strength of a chain, but it makes no metallic sound, and it hardly looks like a weapon. And when the time comes, you can burn it—only the ceramic balls remain.」
「I’m impressed. You mean to say you’ve used one?」
「No.」
What I did have was useless trivia from the creations of my former world. Weapons I had never once held.
This Captain Yugi specialized in ambush with hidden weapons and was one of the battalion’s foremost fighters.
But what earned her a command was not her martial skill, but her capability as a leader.
And also, her strange network of connections. She was the one who’d procured the Hotei mushrooms needed for our last mission.
Captain Yugi spun the braided cord so that the ceramic spheres hummed in the air, smiling.
「Cute, isn’t it?」
「Yes, very.」
「Despite appearances, it packs quite a punch. In some situations, more reliable than a saber.」
「Heh.」
I nodded politely, but I knew the truth.
Her favorite “hidden weapons” in real combat were a cloth pouch filled with copper coins or a leather belt. She used whatever lay at hand as an improvised weapon. And with it, she could knock a grown man cold in a single strike.
She was formidable even barehanded. If she grabbed your wrist, it was over—you’d be locked, slammed to the ground, and likely have your throat crushed under her boot.
That sort of terrifying type. So even when she smiled, I couldn’t help but tense.
But I remained intrigued, since she seemed to know the world outside the Empire.
Did this world have some land equivalent to my old Japan? If it did, I wanted to go there. Ideally, to eat rice and miso soup.
「Company Commander, where did you learn such techniques?」
「Nfufu, I’m afraid I cannot tell you.」
Absolute secrecy. She really might be a ninja. My curiosity only deepened.
As far as I knew, no one else in the battalion had any such “Japanese” air. Maybe she was a reincarnator like me. That possibility made her all the more fascinating.
And perhaps that was another reason I couldn’t leave this battalion.
By the way, what would “white rice” and “miso soup” even translate to here? The Imperial tongue had no words for “cooked rice” or “fermented soybean paste.”
No way they’d understand Japanese if I said it straight out, and probing too much would only arouse suspicion.
「Lieutenant Fonkt, is something wrong?」
「No, I was just thinking—it would be reassuring if Lieutenant Crimine had such special skills. Then I could take her out on missions without worry.」
She simply lacked the combat training and physique to handle field work.
「That can’t be helped. She is a quasi-noble, after all. And the Imperial Ceremonial Battalion isn’t a combat unit.」
Then what exactly was this combat machine in front of me? Well, her skills weren’t the kind useful in formal warfare, at least.
Captain Yugi twirled a pen across her fingers, murmuring:
「If I teamed up with you, Lieutenant Fonkt, would that ease your burdens?」
「It would certainly be reassuring. But in that case, your own duties would be neglected, Company Commander.」
I handled the strange outside jobs; she handled the strange inside jobs. Our roles didn’t overlap.
Still, there were other male lieutenants and non-commissioned officers in the Third Company. It might be easier to pair with them than with Crimine. Perhaps I should ask.
「What if we made Lieutenant Crimine your adjutant?」
「Hmm, actually I suggested that myself. But the Major flatly refused.」
Why?
Captain Yugi hesitated, looking a bit awkward.
「Also, quite a few people have asked not to be assigned with you…」
「Why!?」
The words slipped out loud.
What, was I really that disliked? I thought I kept up normal relations with colleagues. Sure, I didn’t go drinking in seedy taverns, or visit brothels, or gamble—but still.
Captain Yugi chuckled.
「It seems Miss Risha quietly asked them. Don’t worry about it.」
「Lieutenant Crimine? Ah… in that case, I’m somewhat relieved.」
So that was it. She nearly gave me a heart attack.
…Wait a second. What did that mean exactly?
While I puzzled inwardly, Captain Yugi smiled with a knowing look.
「You’re quite the ladies’ man in this battalion. How many have you ensnared?」
「A misunderstanding, Company Commander.」
The Ceremonial Battalion had an oddly high proportion of female officers, but altogether still only about ten. And outside of work, I had no contact whatsoever. A false accusation, plain and simple.
Captain Yugi started counting on her fingers.
「Three that I know of… perhaps more.」
「I said it’s a misunderstanding.」
Why was I having a romance conversation with my superior in this miserable execution unit? Completely absurd.
I steered the topic to something more useful.
「Company Commander, I’d like to visit Lieutenant Meinen’s grave.」
「Ah, yes. We already paid our respects. Why don’t you and Lieutenant Crimine go together?」
「She probably hasn’t gone yet either…」
When I wavered, Captain Yugi smiled gently.
「That’s an order. Go together. The Army’s common cemetery on the outskirts of the capital is a lonely place. I’d rather not send her alone.」
Well, she had a point. Still, a strange order.
But if it was from Captain Yugi, best to obey. Either way, as her subordinate I had no right to disobey. I saluted at once.
「Understood. I will rendezvous with Lieutenant Crimine and proceed to visit Lieutenant Meinen’s grave.」
Repeating an order to confirm receipt.
「Good. Take care.」
Smiling brightly, Captain Yugi saw me off as I went to look for Lieutenant Crimine.