Author: The frequently featured combat rations in the work may have been subtly recognized by astute readers, but just to clarify, I drew inspiration from MREs (Meals Ready-to-Eat).
However, personally, I preferred the Type II pack meals, particularly the pork sausage steak and mackerel simmered in tomato sauce (which, by the way, is not an MRE).
----
A sense of exhilaration surged through his entire body, and the sensation of the pain that had been gnawing at him receding into the distance was truly mysterious.
"─Snow White. Stop its legs."
"─Understood."
"─Rapunzel... stand by. Take care of first aid if someone is injured."
"─Got it, Brother."
"─Is your weapon... that one?"
"─Oh, yes. There's nothing it can't cut through."
"─Wait until the signal."
Suddenly taking command, the young man instinctively grasped how to move and efficiently defeat the enemy, issuing instructions to everyone. It was strange, but he naturally sensed how to handle the situation.
Beside Rapunzel, he peered through the ACOG sight of an assault rifle with a buttstock against his left shoulder. Just as he observed the approaching Lord-class Rapture through the reticle, Snow White with a long sniper rifle and Moore with an assault rifle fired almost simultaneously.
The beam she unleashed and the bullets he shot in short bursts crushed the legs on both sides of the enemy machine.
The legs stopped.
The four-legged walking enemy machine, with legs extending to the left and right, was either crushed or disappeared, immobilized on the snow-covered with Lord-class debris.
"─Scarlet---"
"─Ou."
No honorifics, not even polite language. Just calling the name briefly was enough. Scarlet rushed past him, closing in on the enemy machine.
In terms of swordsmanship, it was like cutting the carp's mouth.
At the same time, a shining blade passed through the Rapture's body.
With a slight delay, the Lord-class machine slipped down.
Scarlet sheathed the drawn blade, and at that moment a particularly high-pitched sound echoed, the enemy machine collapsed completely onto the snow.
It was defeated.
Acknowledging this, he looked around with his monocle, then asked Snow White.
"...Any remaining enemies?"
"...Seems there's only one. It's settled."
"...Mission complete. ─I'm releasing the command."
Moore, who had applied the safety of his assault rifle without any emotion, muttered a word. The word reached Rapunzel's ears, and she slightly and momentarily lowered her face sadly.
"─Commander!"
"─Is your body alright!?"
The skirmish along the way had been dealt with by the squad members - Rapi, Anis, and Neon, to be precise - and he was, to put it mildly, a severely injured person.
It wouldn't be strange if something abnormal had occurred. Although the girls who rushed over anxiously inquired, Moore nodded back as if to say that everything was fine.
"...I'm relieved. But, Master, please don't overdo it."
"...I'll keep that in mind."
Being warned by Neon, who called herself his disciple, he shrugged his shoulders, took a strong puff of the cigarette clenched in his teeth, and exhaled the light purple smoke that had reached his lungs.
Nevertheless, they shifted their gaze to the wreckage of the just-defeated Lord-class Rapture.
To put it bluntly, it was overwhelming.
It was like twisting a baby's hand.
"─It's settled. Let's get to the main topic. Anyway, we don't have much time."
After quickly inspecting the long sniper rifle he carried, Snow White looked up at the tall Moore and directed her golden eyes toward him.
In her matter-of-fact tone, Rapunzel sighed with a mix of amazement.
"Seriously, you could at least ask about the matter since you're suddenly so busy... your words are really indifferent."
"─Indeed, you still lack tact."
Sheathed her sword and emanating an air of nonchalance, Scarlet, who had an almost floating gait, passed by the scrapped enemy machine and returned. As she did so, she chuckled at Snow White.
"...Oh... Where did the charming Snow White who used to follow Lilith and the Commander, calling them big sister and big brother, all the time go?"
"─Don't say nonsense."
Resting one hand on her cheek, Rapunzel, who shook her head in a somewhat pitiful manner, was met with narrowed eyes from Snow White, who had been singled out.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"─Big brother!"
.
.
.
.
.
.
"─Ugh..."
A sudden pain in the skull. And a bright, somewhat childish voice resonated in his mind.
He couldn't afford unnecessary concerns around him—keeping that in mind, he maintained a poker face while flicking the shortened cigarette he had pinched between his fingers into a portable ashtray.
"So, what did you come for this time?"
Unwilling to dwell on the unpleasant situation, Snow White addressed Moore again.
Turning his golden eyes towards him, she asked about the purpose of this visit.
Then he—closing his left eye, which was exposed only once—opened it again and looked down at her before speaking.
"─Do you know anything about Unchained?"
"──"
With that single word, the sound of Snow White gasping leaked out.
Frozen in place, she advanced from behind him to the front, and with the brim of her hat in hand, Scarlet stared at Moore with amber eyes. Her eyes were filled with interest, curiosity—those kinds of emotions, but now suspicion seemed to dominate.
"...Un... chained... Bocchan, why do you know about Unchained?"
"...She gave it to me once before."
Looking towards Snow White as he said that, both Scarlet and Rapunzel seemed to understand. They nodded in agreement a few times.
"Oh, I see. So you got it from Snow White."
"Hmm... I thought it could be someone else, but it was Snow White, huh?"
"Hmm... I see. That's how it was."
Continuing, the dual pairs of pilgrims' eyes pierced through the silver hair that resembled fresh snow.
"...This is going to be a long story. Let's continue talking inside."
Unable to endure the discomfort any longer or perhaps anticipating a complex and sensational topic, Snow White led the group to a housekeeper in the abandoned village.
Relatively speaking, and with the caveat that it was part of a desolate village resembling ruins, the condition of the house they entered was good.
As a precaution, they had scattered decoys along the way and taken measures to avoid Raptures before stepping into the house.
"Before we talk... Snow White."
Moore, who had entered what must have been a spacious living room, placed the backpack he had been carrying on the floor. From among the supplies, he tossed several combat rations with brown packaging labeled "Meal, Ready-to-Eat" onto a thin brown package on the floor.
"...Food!"
"The Cold Weather MCW type isn't stored at the base. It's just regular rations..."
"Tetrazzini... with chocolate peanut butter? The rations I got last time had it."
"...Is it good?"
In the end, it was just an imitation made from various synthetic flavors and additives with Splendamin as the base ingredient. To be honest, the chocolate peanut butter that Snow White mentioned also had a cheap taste. It's a fact that some people get addicted to that cheap taste.
While tearing open the packaging and making a rustling noise as she took out the contents to check the menu from the pouch label, he lit a cigarette with an oil lighter, glancing at her sideways.
It was unclear who the owner of this house was, but he found a small photo frame left on the living room shelf. In an old photograph, an elderly man holding a smoking pipe in one hand. Probably the owner of this house.
In the camaraderie between smokers, a few allowances should be made.
Leaving that aside, bringing food turned out to be the right move—though the conversation was far from over.
From the reactions of the girls, especially Snow White and Crimson, it was more than enough to sense that it was a topic they didn't want to touch upon too much.
"So, last time, judging by Marian... no, Modania's appearance when fighting, you seem to know at least something about Unchained... how much do you know?"
Suppressing the urge to tear open the pouch, Snow White stowed away the combat ration she was given and urged Moore to continue the conversation that had been discussed outside.
At the same time, he honestly disclosed only the information he was currently aware of.
"I know that it has the function to remove the nanomachines—NIMPH—embedded in Nikke's brain."
"I see. Then you know all the functions of Unchained. ─What else do you want to know?"
With a somewhat cautious demeanor, she asked again.
What kind of reaction would come out was like a bet. It didn't matter even if they explained things further.
"...I want to know the materials of Unchained. The purpose is... to use those materials for the mass production of Unchained."
The air instantly became tense.
Whether the choice of words was clumsy or not was something to be considered later, but at this point, it was too late.
Snow White took a sharp breath, and then Scarlet, who had removed her hat, narrowed her amber eyes at Moore.
And then Rapunzel—though she didn't show a big reaction, it seemed like she had something to say. However, her expression conveyed more sorrow, resignation, and other complex emotions than any strong response.
"─I refuse."
This was a clear rejection. Snow White rejected the offer of information with a sharp gaze and a hint of hostility that Moore didn't overlook.
"…Snow White."
"I gave you Unchained because you saved my life."
"…Yeah, that's right. It's a bit debatable whether I can be considered to have saved her, though..."
"I'm grateful. That's why I gave you one Unchained as compensation for saving my life. I've repaid all the debts. Don't be too greedy. Don't ask for more."
And in the grand battle, Moore allowed Chatterbox to escape, resulting in him getting seriously injured. That also settled the debt in the form of protecting Marian.
"Wait! Listen to our story first...!"
Anis couldn't stand the indifferent attitude and the straightforward rejection, and above all, the hardships on the way here were in vain.
Anis tried to plead with Snow White, but she responded by narrowing her sharp golden eyes, curtailing the words that were about to be spoken.
"─What do you want to ask? You guys used my goodwill and got greedy. I don't intend to continue dealing with people who betray my goodwill. ─I'll return this."
...That hurt.
The combat rations she had just been given were returned to Moore immediately. Perhaps because she had forcefully pushed them back while holding the packaging, Snow White, despite wearing body armor, felt a severe pain in his healing ribs.
He endured the pain, and he was aware that his forehead was wrinkled, making his expression tense.
"─Now, now! You're getting a bit too heated!"
Interrupting the confrontation that had become face-to-face between Moore and Snow White, Rapunzel stepped in.
With several combat rations that had just been rejected in hand, he held them with his left hand and, with the cigarette supported between his fingertips, he tried to maintain composure by inhaling and exhaling a light purple smoke.
"...Snow White? Let's calm down for now."
"Yeah. Why are you jumping to conclusions like that? Let's calm down and have a proper conversation. ─Was Bocchan really that rude to you?"
Surrounded by them from both sides, separating Moore and Snow White, the pilgrims took turns comforting her.
Snow White doesn't consider him rude. Although there are too many scenes where she makes sarcastic remarks and undervalues his own life, it's a minor flaw. Probably.
Although they don't have a deep relationship, if it can be expressed as depth of character, he should have a proper measure and thoughtfulness. She felt that from his words and actions.
He, sensing the situation and the pilgrims' reactions, had the temporal leeway to make a judgment about whether to say something or not, but he deliberately chose to ask.
There must be some reason for that.
Having been calmed down, and partly thanks to her head cooling a bit, the hostility-like emotion that had tainted Snow White's golden eyes disappeared.
She let out a big sigh.
"...I'll admit it. I became a bit too sensitive."
"Yeah, let's calm down a bit. ─And bocchan?"
Acknowledging that Snow White had calmed down, Scarlet, who was by her side, smiled while lightly patting her shoulder a few times. But in the next moment, she directed her sharply narrowed amber eyes, filled with the smoke of the cigarette, at Moore.
"Bocchan, from now on, you should choose your words carefully when you speak. Unchained is very important to us, to the point where Snow White, who values composure, gets heated."
"...It seems so. However, even so, I always intend to carefully choose the words I utter."
"Hmm, I see..."
For someone who values composure, he couldn't help but feel like he made too many enemies. He couldn't help but think about it. He was supposed to live a simple life, but perhaps living in this harsh world was the reason for this.
Moore, who let out a small sigh, casually rubbed his chin. Through the gloves, he felt the roughness of his stubble. Perhaps he should have shaved. First impressions are important.
"─However, it doesn't change the fact that one wrong step could turn all our past interactions into nothing but bubbles. This is still a fatal topic."
"...So?"
He didn't mind if she didn't beat around the bush. Implicitly conveying that, he prompted Scarlet to continue, and she smiled slightly in response.
"Well? If you're going to give up here, let's forget what we talked about earlier. After that... Well. You're rare guests. It's just a gesture, but how about having a drink?"
"─I always intend to carefully choose the words I utter, and I'm generally not the type to retract what I've said once spoken."
Crimson seemed to be trying to provide an escape route—create a retreat for him. Moore, sensing that, rejected her kindness as soon as she offered it. The moment he did, her eyes narrowed even sharper. The sword she carried would probably have a cutting edge that rivaled its sharpness.
"...Are you trying to persuade us?"
"─I will persuade you all."
The original plan was to explain the situation to Snow White first and then, if possible, request further information about Unchained. However, it seems the expectations were too optimistic.
Bullets, are essentially consumables. He didn't consider them to be that valuable and important. However, judging from their reactions, or rather, from Rapunzel's words at the beginning, "It's not just my secret," it seemed like there was something appropriately significant hidden. However, it appeared that the degree of "importance" was heavier than expected.
A simple explanation of the situation might not even allow for information to be provided. At this point, the only option left was to step onto the stage of "persuasion."
When he nodded in response, for some reason, Crimson's eyes, which had been sharply narrowed until then, softened, and she smiled faintly.
"─First, shall we sit down? It's going to be a long story."
Looking over everyone, Rapunzel suggested.
He signaled to his squad members over his shoulder, and as they sat down with their firearms in hand, Moore, while returning the combat rations that had been rejected, instructed Snow White again.
"...Accept the goodwill sincerely. Although I can't say I have no ulterior motives, I'm not relinquishing Unchained with lending and borrowing in mind."
"..."
Returning the combat rations in silence to her, Moore removed the sling belt that ran through his neck and left armpit. He removed the magazine from the assault rifle after releasing the safety, and pulled the charging handle to eject the loaded ammunition from the chamber. He pulled the trigger, making a dry-fire sound, and then handed the assault rifle, as well as the handgun, to Rapunzel.
"...It's unnecessary in a persuasion setting."
"I'll take care of them."
After stowing the removed magazine in his pouch, he sat on the floor, crossed his legs, and, still held the cigarette in his mouth.
"Excuse me for sitting next to you."
"I'll be rude too."
For some reason, Scarlet and Rapunzel sat down on both sides.
─Isn't it oddly close?
The distance where there wasn't even enough space for one person. If they moved a little, their shoulders would likely touch, with such a proximity.
It wasn't unreasonable for him to feel that way.
----
Author: These older sisters... even though it's almost their first meeting with Captain Moore, isn't the sense of distance a bit off?
Author: The frequently featured combat rations in the work may have been subtly recognized by astute readers, but just to clarify, I drew inspiration from MREs (Meals Ready-to-Eat).
However, personally, I preferred the Type II pack meals, particularly the pork sausage steak and mackerel simmered in tomato sauce (which, by the way, is not an MRE).
----
A sense of exhilaration surged through his entire body, and the sensation of the pain that had been gnawing at him receding into the distance was truly mysterious.
"─Snow White. Stop its legs."
"─Understood."
"─Rapunzel... stand by. Take care of first aid if someone is injured."
"─Got it, Brother."
"─Is your weapon... that one?"
"─Oh, yes. There's nothing it can't cut through."
"─Wait until the signal."
Suddenly taking command, the young man instinctively grasped how to move and efficiently defeat the enemy, issuing instructions to everyone. It was strange, but he naturally sensed how to handle the situation.
Beside Rapunzel, he peered through the ACOG sight of an assault rifle with a buttstock against his left shoulder. Just as he observed the approaching Lord-class Rapture through the reticle, Snow White with a long sniper rifle and Moore with an assault rifle fired almost simultaneously.
The beam she unleashed and the bullets he shot in short bursts crushed the legs on both sides of the enemy machine.
The legs stopped.
The four-legged walking enemy machine, with legs extending to the left and right, was either crushed or disappeared, immobilized on the snow-covered with Lord-class debris.
"─Scarlet---"
"─Ou."
No honorifics, not even polite language. Just calling the name briefly was enough. Scarlet rushed past him, closing in on the enemy machine.
In terms of swordsmanship, it was like cutting the carp's mouth.
At the same time, a shining blade passed through the Rapture's body.
With a slight delay, the Lord-class machine slipped down.
Scarlet sheathed the drawn blade, and at that moment a particularly high-pitched sound echoed, the enemy machine collapsed completely onto the snow.
It was defeated.
Acknowledging this, he looked around with his monocle, then asked Snow White.
"...Any remaining enemies?"
"...Seems there's only one. It's settled."
"...Mission complete. ─I'm releasing the command."
Moore, who had applied the safety of his assault rifle without any emotion, muttered a word. The word reached Rapunzel's ears, and she slightly and momentarily lowered her face sadly.
"─Commander!"
"─Is your body alright!?"
The skirmish along the way had been dealt with by the squad members - Rapi, Anis, and Neon, to be precise - and he was, to put it mildly, a severely injured person.
It wouldn't be strange if something abnormal had occurred. Although the girls who rushed over anxiously inquired, Moore nodded back as if to say that everything was fine.
"...I'm relieved. But, Master, please don't overdo it."
"...I'll keep that in mind."
Being warned by Neon, who called herself his disciple, he shrugged his shoulders, took a strong puff of the cigarette clenched in his teeth, and exhaled the light purple smoke that had reached his lungs.
Nevertheless, they shifted their gaze to the wreckage of the just-defeated Lord-class Rapture.
To put it bluntly, it was overwhelming.
It was like twisting a baby's hand.
"─It's settled. Let's get to the main topic. Anyway, we don't have much time."
After quickly inspecting the long sniper rifle he carried, Snow White looked up at the tall Moore and directed her golden eyes toward him.
In her matter-of-fact tone, Rapunzel sighed with a mix of amazement.
"Seriously, you could at least ask about the matter since you're suddenly so busy... your words are really indifferent."
"─Indeed, you still lack tact."
Sheathed her sword and emanating an air of nonchalance, Scarlet, who had an almost floating gait, passed by the scrapped enemy machine and returned. As she did so, she chuckled at Snow White.
"...Oh... Where did the charming Snow White who used to follow Lilith and the Commander, calling them big sister and big brother, all the time go?"
"─Don't say nonsense."
Resting one hand on her cheek, Rapunzel, who shook her head in a somewhat pitiful manner, was met with narrowed eyes from Snow White, who had been singled out.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"─Big brother!"
.
.
.
.
.
.
"─Ugh..."
A sudden pain in the skull. And a bright, somewhat childish voice resonated in his mind.
He couldn't afford unnecessary concerns around him—keeping that in mind, he maintained a poker face while flicking the shortened cigarette he had pinched between his fingers into a portable ashtray.
"So, what did you come for this time?"
Unwilling to dwell on the unpleasant situation, Snow White addressed Moore again.
Turning his golden eyes towards him, she asked about the purpose of this visit.
Then he—closing his left eye, which was exposed only once—opened it again and looked down at her before speaking.
"─Do you know anything about Unchained?"
"──"
With that single word, the sound of Snow White gasping leaked out.
Frozen in place, she advanced from behind him to the front, and with the brim of her hat in hand, Scarlet stared at Moore with amber eyes. Her eyes were filled with interest, curiosity—those kinds of emotions, but now suspicion seemed to dominate.
"...Un... chained... Bocchan, why do you know about Unchained?"
"...She gave it to me once before."
Looking towards Snow White as he said that, both Scarlet and Rapunzel seemed to understand. They nodded in agreement a few times.
"Oh, I see. So you got it from Snow White."
"Hmm... I thought it could be someone else, but it was Snow White, huh?"
"Hmm... I see. That's how it was."
Continuing, the dual pairs of pilgrims' eyes pierced through the silver hair that resembled fresh snow.
"...This is going to be a long story. Let's continue talking inside."
Unable to endure the discomfort any longer or perhaps anticipating a complex and sensational topic, Snow White led the group to a housekeeper in the abandoned village.
Relatively speaking, and with the caveat that it was part of a desolate village resembling ruins, the condition of the house they entered was good.
As a precaution, they had scattered decoys along the way and taken measures to avoid Raptures before stepping into the house.
"Before we talk... Snow White."
Moore, who had entered what must have been a spacious living room, placed the backpack he had been carrying on the floor. From among the supplies, he tossed several combat rations with brown packaging labeled "Meal, Ready-to-Eat" onto a thin brown package on the floor.
"...Food!"
"The Cold Weather MCW type isn't stored at the base. It's just regular rations..."
"Tetrazzini... with chocolate peanut butter? The rations I got last time had it."
"...Is it good?"
In the end, it was just an imitation made from various synthetic flavors and additives with Splendamin as the base ingredient. To be honest, the chocolate peanut butter that Snow White mentioned also had a cheap taste. It's a fact that some people get addicted to that cheap taste.
While tearing open the packaging and making a rustling noise as she took out the contents to check the menu from the pouch label, he lit a cigarette with an oil lighter, glancing at her sideways.
It was unclear who the owner of this house was, but he found a small photo frame left on the living room shelf. In an old photograph, an elderly man holding a smoking pipe in one hand. Probably the owner of this house.
In the camaraderie between smokers, a few allowances should be made.
Leaving that aside, bringing food turned out to be the right move—though the conversation was far from over.
From the reactions of the girls, especially Snow White and Crimson, it was more than enough to sense that it was a topic they didn't want to touch upon too much.
"So, last time, judging by Marian... no, Modania's appearance when fighting, you seem to know at least something about Unchained... how much do you know?"
Suppressing the urge to tear open the pouch, Snow White stowed away the combat ration she was given and urged Moore to continue the conversation that had been discussed outside.
At the same time, he honestly disclosed only the information he was currently aware of.
"I know that it has the function to remove the nanomachines—NIMPH—embedded in Nikke's brain."
"I see. Then you know all the functions of Unchained. ─What else do you want to know?"
With a somewhat cautious demeanor, she asked again.
What kind of reaction would come out was like a bet. It didn't matter even if they explained things further.
"...I want to know the materials of Unchained. The purpose is... to use those materials for the mass production of Unchained."
The air instantly became tense.
Whether the choice of words was clumsy or not was something to be considered later, but at this point, it was too late.
Snow White took a sharp breath, and then Scarlet, who had removed her hat, narrowed her amber eyes at Moore.
And then Rapunzel—though she didn't show a big reaction, it seemed like she had something to say. However, her expression conveyed more sorrow, resignation, and other complex emotions than any strong response.
"─I refuse."
This was a clear rejection. Snow White rejected the offer of information with a sharp gaze and a hint of hostility that Moore didn't overlook.
"…Snow White."
"I gave you Unchained because you saved my life."
"…Yeah, that's right. It's a bit debatable whether I can be considered to have saved her, though..."
"I'm grateful. That's why I gave you one Unchained as compensation for saving my life. I've repaid all the debts. Don't be too greedy. Don't ask for more."
And in the grand battle, Moore allowed Chatterbox to escape, resulting in him getting seriously injured. That also settled the debt in the form of protecting Marian.
"Wait! Listen to our story first...!"
Anis couldn't stand the indifferent attitude and the straightforward rejection, and above all, the hardships on the way here were in vain.
Anis tried to plead with Snow White, but she responded by narrowing her sharp golden eyes, curtailing the words that were about to be spoken.
"─What do you want to ask? You guys used my goodwill and got greedy. I don't intend to continue dealing with people who betray my goodwill. ─I'll return this."
...That hurt.
The combat rations she had just been given were returned to Moore immediately. Perhaps because she had forcefully pushed them back while holding the packaging, Snow White, despite wearing body armor, felt a severe pain in his healing ribs.
He endured the pain, and he was aware that his forehead was wrinkled, making his expression tense.
"─Now, now! You're getting a bit too heated!"
Interrupting the confrontation that had become face-to-face between Moore and Snow White, Rapunzel stepped in.
With several combat rations that had just been rejected in hand, he held them with his left hand and, with the cigarette supported between his fingertips, he tried to maintain composure by inhaling and exhaling a light purple smoke.
"...Snow White? Let's calm down for now."
"Yeah. Why are you jumping to conclusions like that? Let's calm down and have a proper conversation. ─Was Bocchan really that rude to you?"
Surrounded by them from both sides, separating Moore and Snow White, the pilgrims took turns comforting her.
Snow White doesn't consider him rude. Although there are too many scenes where she makes sarcastic remarks and undervalues his own life, it's a minor flaw. Probably.
Although they don't have a deep relationship, if it can be expressed as depth of character, he should have a proper measure and thoughtfulness. She felt that from his words and actions.
He, sensing the situation and the pilgrims' reactions, had the temporal leeway to make a judgment about whether to say something or not, but he deliberately chose to ask.
There must be some reason for that.
Having been calmed down, and partly thanks to her head cooling a bit, the hostility-like emotion that had tainted Snow White's golden eyes disappeared.
She let out a big sigh.
"...I'll admit it. I became a bit too sensitive."
"Yeah, let's calm down a bit. ─And bocchan?"
Acknowledging that Snow White had calmed down, Scarlet, who was by her side, smiled while lightly patting her shoulder a few times. But in the next moment, she directed her sharply narrowed amber eyes, filled with the smoke of the cigarette, at Moore.
"Bocchan, from now on, you should choose your words carefully when you speak. Unchained is very important to us, to the point where Snow White, who values composure, gets heated."
"...It seems so. However, even so, I always intend to carefully choose the words I utter."
"Hmm, I see..."
For someone who values composure, he couldn't help but feel like he made too many enemies. He couldn't help but think about it. He was supposed to live a simple life, but perhaps living in this harsh world was the reason for this.
Moore, who let out a small sigh, casually rubbed his chin. Through the gloves, he felt the roughness of his stubble. Perhaps he should have shaved. First impressions are important.
"─However, it doesn't change the fact that one wrong step could turn all our past interactions into nothing but bubbles. This is still a fatal topic."
"...So?"
He didn't mind if she didn't beat around the bush. Implicitly conveying that, he prompted Scarlet to continue, and she smiled slightly in response.
"Well? If you're going to give up here, let's forget what we talked about earlier. After that... Well. You're rare guests. It's just a gesture, but how about having a drink?"
"─I always intend to carefully choose the words I utter, and I'm generally not the type to retract what I've said once spoken."
Crimson seemed to be trying to provide an escape route—create a retreat for him. Moore, sensing that, rejected her kindness as soon as she offered it. The moment he did, her eyes narrowed even sharper. The sword she carried would probably have a cutting edge that rivaled its sharpness.
"...Are you trying to persuade us?"
"─I will persuade you all."
The original plan was to explain the situation to Snow White first and then, if possible, request further information about Unchained. However, it seems the expectations were too optimistic.
Bullets, are essentially consumables. He didn't consider them to be that valuable and important. However, judging from their reactions, or rather, from Rapunzel's words at the beginning, "It's not just my secret," it seemed like there was something appropriately significant hidden. However, it appeared that the degree of "importance" was heavier than expected.
A simple explanation of the situation might not even allow for information to be provided. At this point, the only option left was to step onto the stage of "persuasion."
When he nodded in response, for some reason, Crimson's eyes, which had been sharply narrowed until then, softened, and she smiled faintly.
"─First, shall we sit down? It's going to be a long story."
Looking over everyone, Rapunzel suggested.
He signaled to his squad members over his shoulder, and as they sat down with their firearms in hand, Moore, while returning the combat rations that had been rejected, instructed Snow White again.
"...Accept the goodwill sincerely. Although I can't say I have no ulterior motives, I'm not relinquishing Unchained with lending and borrowing in mind."
"..."
Returning the combat rations in silence to her, Moore removed the sling belt that ran through his neck and left armpit. He removed the magazine from the assault rifle after releasing the safety, and pulled the charging handle to eject the loaded ammunition from the chamber. He pulled the trigger, making a dry-fire sound, and then handed the assault rifle, as well as the handgun, to Rapunzel.
"...It's unnecessary in a persuasion setting."
"I'll take care of them."
After stowing the removed magazine in his pouch, he sat on the floor, crossed his legs, and, still held the cigarette in his mouth.
"Excuse me for sitting next to you."
"I'll be rude too."
For some reason, Scarlet and Rapunzel sat down on both sides.
─Isn't it oddly close?
The distance where there wasn't even enough space for one person. If they moved a little, their shoulders would likely touch, with such a proximity.
It wasn't unreasonable for him to feel that way.
----
Author: These older sisters... even though it's almost their first meeting with Captain Moore, isn't the sense of distance a bit off?
