1. Even if I Don’t Understand
The sleepy-eyed man was Haruhiro.
The curly-haired one was Ranta.
The big guy was Moguzo.
The timid girl was Shihoru.
The easygoing guy was Kikkawa.
And I was Manato.
Talking as we walked, I managed to figure that much out.
Though, maybe I should say that was all I managed to figure out.
Not only did we not know anything about this place where the moon was red, we didn’t even know about ourselves. Still, we could all give our names. We could say our height and weight, too. It was just that, if we went for anything more specific—about where we were born, about our families, if we had any friends—we couldn’t reach that information.
It felt like it was there, but reach as we might, we couldn’t touch it. When our fingertips touched it, it slipped away. There was a region like that inside our heads. We couldn’t access the memories there. That was how it felt.
Hiyomu led us to the office of the Volunteer Soldier Corps of the Alterna Frontier Army, Red Moon, then immediately took off.
The office was like a bar, and someone with green hair, a cleft chin, light blue eyes, thick makeup, and lipstick—a man—was waiting for us with his elbows resting on the counter.
“Hm...” He nodded to himself a number of times as he scrutinized us. “Very nice. Come here, my little kittens. Welcome. I’m Britney. I’m the chief and host here at the office of Red Moon, the Volunteer Soldier Corps of the Alterna Frontier Army. You can call me Chief, but Bri-chan is fine, too. Though, if you do call me that, make sure you say it with lots of love, okay?”
“Chief.” Silver Hair walked up to the counter, cocking his head to one side. “Answer my questions. I know that this town is called Alterna. But what is this Frontier Army and Volunteer Soldier Corps stuff about? Why am I here? Do you know?”
“You’ve got spunk. I’ve got a thing for boys like you. What’s your name?”
“It’s Renji. And I hate fags like you.”
“Oh, do you now...” In an instant, Britney had pressed a knife against Renji’s throat, his eyes narrowing threateningly. “Renji, let me give you a tip. Nobody who calls me a fag lives for long. You look like a clever boy; I think you catch my meaning. Or do you want to try it again?”
“Well,” Renji said, seizing the knife’s blade with his bare hand. “I never wanted a long life, and I don’t care to give in to threats. If you think you can take me, do it, Chief Fag.”
“In due time,” Britney replied, licking his lips and stroking Renji’s cheek. “I’ll take you hard. As many times as I like. And when I’m done, you’ll never be able to forget me.”
Ranta, Haruhiro, and the girl with braids were whispering something between themselves.
I couldn’t take my eyes off Renji. He was a man of steady nerves. Was it confidence? He’d probably seen his share of fights.
“Well, anyway!” Kikkawa got between Renji and Britney. “It’s our first meeting! There are bound to be misunderstandings! Let’s settle this peacefully! Let’s try to get along and be cheery? Okay? Okay? In deference to my good looks!”
“Your good looks?” Renji snorted derisively as he let go of the knife.
“Looks like we have a few reckless ones here,” Britney said, withdrawing his knife. “Eight men, four women. There aren’t quite enough women, but I prefer it that way, and men are more likely to be useful in battle anyway, so it’s no problem.”
I furrowed my brow. “In battle?”
“Right,” Britney said with a smile. It was creepy, to be frank. “Useful in battle.”
“This is a Volunteer Soldier office,” I said, looking down. “So, does that mean we’re becoming volunteer soldiers or something?”
“Oh, my!” Britney clapped artificially. “You’ve got some promise, too. That’s exactly it. You’re all going to be volunteer soldiers. You do have some freedom to decide, though, y’know?”
“Master Choice,” Haruhiro said, slapping Ranta on the back. “You’re up.”
“O-Oh?! I... I am, aren’t I?! Aren’t... I...?”
From what Britney told us, this land known as the frontier was populated by humans and a lot of hostile races. The Frontier Army’s duty was to drive them out and make the frontier human territory.
They didn’t have the numerical advantage, and they were actually at a disadvantage, so the Frontier Army was stretched just to maintain Alterna and their front line outposts. That was where the Frontier Army’s detached force, the Volunteer Corps, came in.
“We volunteer soldiers,” Britney told us, “appear suddenly and unexpectedly, infiltrating enemy territory left and right, surveying, causing confusion, and finding ways to weaken opposing forces. Though we cooperate with the main force, we very rarely engage in organized operations. Most volunteer soldiers act alone, or in small parties of 3-6 people, I think. Anyway, we use our own individual skills and judgment to gather intel and strike the enemy. That is the way the Volunteer Soldier Corps, Red Moon, works.”
He went on to explain that if we became volunteer soldiers, we’d be given a Trainee Badge that identified us as volunteer soldier trainees, and 10 silver coins, worth 10 Silver. So money, in other words. If we didn’t, what happened to us wasn’t his problem.
We technically had the freedom to choose. Though only technically. No idiot would choose to be thrown out, penniless, into an unknown place. No matter how you looked at it, we had no choice but to become volunteer soldiers.
“Fair enough.” The first one to take a Trainee Badge and leather pouch full of silver coins was Renji, of course. “I don’t know about this volunteer soldier business or whatever, but I’ll do it. We’ll talk after that.”
He really did always beat me to the punch. What was with that?
After Renji, the buzz-cut man and flashy woman reached for their Trainee Badges and leather pouches. I was fourth. After me was Glasses.
When Kikkawa said, “Okay then, I’m getting in on this, too!” and went to take two pouches, Britney slapped his hand. “Hey!”
That left Haruhiro and Ranta, Moguzo, Shihoru, the girl with braids, and the petite girl. What point was there in drawing this out?
Though maybe theirs was the more normal reaction.
“What about you?” Britney pressed them on it.
Ranta was the first to approach the counter. “I dunno... I feel like I’m about to get screwed here. I’ve got a vaguely bad feeling about all this...”
“Hmm.” The girl with braids followed behind Ranta. “Where there’s a will-will, there’s a way-way, they say...”
“No,” Haruhiro shook his head. “I don’t think anybody says will-will or way-way...”
“Oh? They don’t? Yume’s always said it with will-will and way-way.”
“You learned it wrong then. It’s just ‘where there’s a will, there’s a way.’”
“Oh. But it sounds cuter with will-will and way-way. Yume thinks cute is important, too.”
“It definitely does sound cuter that way.”
“Doesn’t it, though?”
The girl with braids was called Yume, it seemed.
The petite girl, Haruhiro, and Moguzo all took Trainee Badges, too. That was everyone.
“Congratulations,” Britney said, smiling and clapping. “Now, all of you are volunteer soldier trainees. Work hard and learn to stand on your own quickly. Once you’re—”
I was only half-listening at this point as I thought about what to do next.
Britney had said it was common to form parties of three to six. Well, it did seem like it’d be hard to do alone. First, I’d have to get the ones who seemed like they could fight together. Who and who?
When I went to look, Renji acted before I could again.
But punching Buzz-Cut out of nowhere? What in the world was he thinking?
“Get up,” Renji said.
“You jerk!” Buzz-Cut shouted and tried to get up, only for Renji to immediately kick him, sending him sprawling across the floor.
“What’s wrong? Get up.”
“What’s your problem, you ass?”
“From the first time I saw you, I wondered which of us was stronger. It’s time for me to show you the answer. Get up.”
“Dammit...!”
Buzz-Cut got mad, and Renji pummeled him mercilessly. It was completely one-sided. With a headbutt as the finisher, Buzz-Cut collapsed.
No, he didn’t. He only fell to one knee, bearing the pain.
Renji wiped the blood from his forehead with one finger. “You’ve got a hard head. Tell me your name.”
“...It’s Ron. Damn, you’re strong.”
“You’re pretty tough yourself. Come with me, Ron.”
“Yeah. I’ll stick with you for now.”
“Good. Now, who else...” Renji looked around the office, stopping on me.
Ron was first, and I was second, huh?
Oh, screw you, was something I didn’t think. But Renji could tell.
He looked away from me, eyeing Glasses instead. “You look like you could be useful. Come with me.”
Glasses crossed his arms, thinking it over a little before nodding. “Sure. I’m Adachi. It’s a pleasure, Renji.”
I let out a little sigh. He kept taking things from me.
Why? What was it that made Renji one step faster than me?
It was that Renji didn’t hesitate. Because I stopped to think things over, I was a step behind. That might have been it.
“You there, Chibi.”
“Aye...?”
But this one was a big surprise. Renji was choosing that petite girl.
“Come.”
When he gestured for her to follow, the petite girl tottered over in his direction, and looked up at Renji.
He patted her on the head. “You look like you’ll be useful. Come along.”
“...Aye.”
While I looked at the petite girl’s face, which had turned a deep shade of red, I desperately tried to figure out why. What? What criteria did Renji choose her based on? That she’d be useful in battle? Her physical strength? Her intelligence? No, that’s not it. Or, at least, that’s not all there was to it. What, then...?
“We’re going.” Renji took Ron, Adachi, and the petite girl with him as they went to leave the office.
Four people. Is just four people enough?
“Wait!” the flashy woman called after Renji. “Take me, too!”
“I don’t need any useless baggage.”
“I’ll do anything!” Flashy said, clinging to Renji. “I’m Sassa. Please. Absolutely anything, I’ll do it.”
“Absolutely anything, huh?” Renji said, shoving Sassa away violently.
In that instant, I saw it. It was only slightly, but Renji smiled.
“Don’t forget those words.”
I get. That makes sense.
It was loyalty. Not whether they would be an asset in battle. That was important, of course, but it was whether he could make them obey him or not.
Would they submit to him? That was what Renji looked for. At this stage, he already had an image in his mind. He was trying to build up a team with him at the center.
When Renji left the office with Team Renji, Kikkawa said something and headed out, too.
“Well, I’m off, too,” I said.
For now, I didn’t want to stick around. It felt like I’d been left behind, and I didn’t like it. Right now, I wanted to get outside as soon as I could. That was how I felt, but for some reason, I was smiling.
“I won’t learn anything staying here, so I’m going outside to look around.” I smiled at the five losers. Then, like it was no big deal, I added, “See you all later.”
“Yeah, see you.” Haruhiro was waving.
He must want to come along, I thought. Well, he should, then. Why doesn’t he? Because no one else is? Is that a reason? I don’t understand.
I left the office. I was frustrated, but when I touched my face, it still had a smile plastered to it.
What is this? Just what kind of person am I...?
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