Author Notes: It has been over a month since I started posting. The number of favorites has also exceeded 800, and I am truly grateful.
...During this past month, I've mostly been writing intense and serious stories, so I feel like taking a bit of a breather. I would appreciate it if you could continue to accompany me for a while.
----
Chapter Title: The Events, Discharge, and New Orders, Occasionally Misunderstood.
The following is the testimony of Ludmila and Alice, who rushed to the rescue.
In the midst of a blizzard, they suddenly heard a single gunshot and the distant howling of wolves outside the research base.
When they went outside to investigate, someone was standing there amidst a pack of wolves, holding a smoke grenade.
Despite collapsing multiple times along the way, this person led them to the vicinity of the squad's shelter, where they awaited rescue in a dugout, before disappearing, leaving the wolves behind.
These wolves swarmed around Moore, who had been loaded onto the snowmobile driven by Alice, burying him in their fluffy fur and helping raise his body temperature. Thanks to them, by the time they arrived at the research base, Moore had regained consciousness and was capable of treating his seared amputation wound himself.
In the transport plane sent for their return, Moore was informed by Rapi of what had happened while he was unconscious, and he once again expressed his gratitude for that person keeping their promise as soon as they arrived at Ark.
Several days later...
.
.
.
.
"---That doctor is definitely on the other side."
He thought, as Moore welcomed the day of his discharge.
.
.
Surprisingly, he only stayed in the hospital for five days this time, which was half the duration of his previous hospitalization when he lost his right leg and right eye.
.
"Your recovery is astonishing, and you can be discharged now," the doctor said.
.
"Is it really okay to be discharged already?" Moore wondered, thinking about the doctor's ... questionable professionalism.
With a sigh, Moore left the hospital in his military uniform, but there was nothing on his left sleeve, causing it to sway as he walked.
As expected, the prosthetic limb was being prepared for connection, and a joint component had been surgically attached to the mid-upper arm.
Fortunately, the most lucky thing might be that his properly adjusted right leg had arrived during this hospitalization.
And the most unfortunate, or rather troublesome, part was yet to come.
An inconvenient situation was currently unfolding, and Moore sensed it instinctually, but he had an inexplicable desire to see the wolves he had left with Ludmila and the others.
His memories were vague since he had lost consciousness, and he wanted to enjoy the fluffy fur.
But he couldn't afford to do that.
He got into the front car at the taxi stand, told the driver his destination, and leaned back in his seat.
----
"---Commander-sama, they said he's coming back today. We got a call from the hospital a little while ago."
"---I'm starting to doubt whether Sensei is really human."
It was a conversation between Anis and Neon, who were stationed in the command room. While listening to them, Rapi let out a sigh.
Normally, Moore handled the report writing, but during his hospitalization, Rapi had taken over the task. She didn't mind doing it, so she was using the desktop computer in the command room and entering the password he had taught her to start the computer. Today, she was working on the final report.
Despite her diligently working, Anis and Neon had openly come to slack off.
When she finished saving the data of the final report she had just created, an email notification appeared on the desktop.
"From the Central Government?"
"What's going on?"
She opened the email and quickly realized that it was a notification regarding Moore's promotion.
"Commander has been promoted to Captain," she said.
"Wow, such a rapid promotion. Maybe next is Major?" Anis wondered.
"In that case, will there be more resources and credits available for the outpost? Money for operations and such," Neon speculated.
"I just want hot water in the barracks soon... Huh? Rapi?"
While Moore's promotion was indeed a reason for celebration, it also brought potential benefits to the outpost and, by extension, the Counter units. Perhaps increased operational funds were among those benefits. However, Rapi didn't seem to reflect any of this in her demeanor. While it was understandable that she might not have openly showed emotions tied to those aspects, it would have been appropriate to show some genuine happiness for the promotion.
"...He's also received a transfer notice along with the promotion," Rapi continued.
"What!? A transfer?"
"Transfer? Does that mean our mentor is...!?"
The three of them gathered around the desktop, their eyes fixed on the email contents.
The promotion was undoubtedly effective today.
Following that, there was another notification also dated today.
[Captain Show Moore. You are hereby appointed as the Special Operations Commander]
After reading the short and impersonal message, Anise and Neon exchanged bewildered looks.
"So... He,... does this mean Commander-Sama will no longer be leading us in Counter units?"
"Yes, that seems to be the case."
"This can't be..."
Rapi wanted to express her agreement with the sentiment behind their words, but she was the squad leader. She would soon need to receive handover instructions from Moore, who would be transferring shortly, and then pass on those instructions to the new commander who would be arriving.
It was her duty.
"...Another commander..."
----She hated it.
A clear rejection began to form within her.
However, she made sure not to let it show on her face. She tried her best to avoid that.
"...I haven't heard of this Special Operations Commander unit before, but considering the Commander's past experiences and achievements, it's probably a promotion."
----So, she decided she would willingly let him go.
She turned her chair and faced Anis and Neon to deliver the message.
With her eyes closed.
----
"Special Operations Commander, is it?"
In a room within the headquarters building, Moore, who had taken a seat on one of the facing sofas in Vice Commander Anderson's office, responded with a question. The room's owner, who had taken a seat across from him, nodded.
"Yeah. In simple terms, you'll have the authority to make your own judgments and take actions. Those below the rank of Vice Commander won't be able to give you orders. Even those above Vice Commander, like me, you can refuse orders if there's a valid reason. That's the kind of unit we're creating."
Anderson provided a concise explanation, perhaps even somewhat condensed, and Moore couldn't help but wear an indescribable expression.
"...Your Excellency, your words describe an authority that could potentially disregard the regular chain of command. Moreover, it seems like this authority could also allow for information secrecy and concealment?"
"You catch on quickly. Furthermore, it would make you beyond the reach of even the CEOs of the Big Three Corporations."
"...That's an astonishing amount of authority. One might even call it a privilege. Who proposed such a concept?"
"I did."
----What have you gotten me into?
His natural and synthetic eyes narrowed, taking on a clearly disapproving hue, and Anderson couldn't help but chuckle.
Even with his promotion, the authority granted to a mere Captain was excessive. While it's complete nonsense to directly compare military ranks with positions in civilian companies, a Captain was roughly equivalent to a department manager.
However, within the military society, especially within the headquarters building, even a Captain was considered a low-ranking officer, and they would be running around and performing various tasks.
A Commander with several encounters and survival experiences with Talkative.
Also, the said commander have encounters with Heretics, Pilgrims.
And, even his former subordinate turned Heretic, Marian.
All of these were unprecedented and extraordinary events.
In summary, these were the main reasons why Moore was assigned as the commander of the Special Operations Commander unit.
In other words, it was primarily because Moore had an exceptionally high rate of contact with surface-level entities.
He didn't actively seek out these encounters, and he wasn't particularly thrilled about them either.
"...The personnel transfer has already been issued, so I won't reject it. However, may I assume that I will continue to command Squad Counters?"
Being a servant of the military, there was no reason to vehemently reject the assignment, so Moore didn't refuse, but he wanted to confirm one point again. Anderson nodded in response.
"Of course. The girls in the squad you lead also have a high rate of contact with surface-level entities too. That's one of the reasons for your appointment to the Special Operations Commander unit."
Not having to build new relationships in another department or squad in a new environment was a more than satisfactory response for Moore.
Even he felt reluctant to part ways with the girls.
"In exchange, you'll continue to be stationed at the current outpost base. Resources and supplies can be transported as long as you submit requests as before. Use them to freely investigate surface-level entities. The pursuit and release order has also been canceled, so you're free to come and go to Ark. You should move around and investigate to your heart's content."
At this point, Moore had a question.
Why the outpost base?
If he was being given such a special mission, it could be interpreted as a kind of independent unit.
A unit that directly served under senior officers like commanders of higher-ranking units, without belonging to a higher-ranking unit. However, the difference was that they had the right to refuse orders as long as they had a valid reason.
Leaving them at an outpost base where no one could oversee them meant even extreme actions would be tolerated. In the said extreme, it could even involve acts of rebellion.
Unable to discern the intent behind this decision, he narrowed his deep brown eyes.
"I hope you won't suspect that much..."
"With all due respect, Your Excellency, we weren't that close to begin with..."
"I would like to be friends, but... setting jokes aside, let's talk openly."
Seeing Moore's increased suspicion, Anderson corrected his posture and looked at him again.
"I hoped you wouldn't attract the attention of the Central Government. Their desires can corrupt people. The plan was to send you to the outpost base, away from their watchful eyes, after the destruction of the power plant and the incident with them... But I never expected you to achieve such outstanding results and accomplishments in such a short period."
To put it bluntly, Anderson thought to himself, "This is beyond imagination."
Moore became even more puzzled by his monologue. Anderson glanced at his wristwatch and apologized.
"...I apologize for taking your time. I have a meeting in five minutes. Thank you for your efforts."
"I understand."
This phrase was effective when you needed to escape. In fact, Moore stopped questioning and stood up from the sofa.
"Oh, I forgot to mention. I'm giving you and your squad a one-month vacation. You've suffered severe damage, so it's a good opportunity for rest. This is an order."
As he stood up, he seemed to want to say something more, but he reconsidered. He thought the girls would be happy to hear about the vacation. So, he clicked his heels and saluted Anderson.
.
----
.
"---Sorry for the trouble, Eagle. And everyone else. You just finished your guard duty."
Moore left the headquarters building, completed his errands at a shop he stopped by for business, and returned to the outpost base. Upon getting off the elevator, he encountered the mass-produced Nikkes who had just finished their shift. They kindly offered him a ride on the truck, which he couldn't refuse. He sat on the hard chair in the back, covered by the canvas.
"Oh no, don't worry about it. Please don't mind."
"Commander, thank you for your hard work. We heard about your left arm, but... are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. My balance is a bit off, but... my face is still handsome, right?"
It wasn't about that, and the mass-produced Nikkes sitting on the truck's cargo bed couldn't help but comment, laughing. He shrugged his shoulders lightly in response.
"By the way, what's in those bags? You have quite a lot..."
"Oh, that. After finishing my business at the headquarters building, I remembered that I had caused various troubles before and hadn't apologized or thanked them. So, I bought various things as compensation."
"Trouble... huh!? Commander, are you using your own money!?"
"Does that mean it's a treat!?"
"Well, yeah. In the end, it's mostly alcohol and juice, but... feel free to enjoy."
The back of the truck was loaded with boxes containing beer, whiskey, juice, and other drinks that Moore had carried in a handcart.
The variety of meals at the outpost base was poor. Even though it was just drinks, they were happy to have some variety in their meals, and the girls cheered in excitement.
Moore had only intended to buy these items out of goodwill and as a gesture of gratitude, but at this moment, he had no idea that this would lead to unnecessary misunderstandings.
-----
With a one-month vacation ahead, there were many things to look forward to! And regarding the main story, don't worry, we can explore what happened during that month.
Author Notes: It has been over a month since I started posting. The number of favorites has also exceeded 800, and I am truly grateful.
...During this past month, I've mostly been writing intense and serious stories, so I feel like taking a bit of a breather. I would appreciate it if you could continue to accompany me for a while.
----
Chapter Title: The Events, Discharge, and New Orders, Occasionally Misunderstood.
The following is the testimony of Ludmila and Alice, who rushed to the rescue.
In the midst of a blizzard, they suddenly heard a single gunshot and the distant howling of wolves outside the research base.
When they went outside to investigate, someone was standing there amidst a pack of wolves, holding a smoke grenade.
Despite collapsing multiple times along the way, this person led them to the vicinity of the squad's shelter, where they awaited rescue in a dugout, before disappearing, leaving the wolves behind.
These wolves swarmed around Moore, who had been loaded onto the snowmobile driven by Alice, burying him in their fluffy fur and helping raise his body temperature. Thanks to them, by the time they arrived at the research base, Moore had regained consciousness and was capable of treating his seared amputation wound himself.
In the transport plane sent for their return, Moore was informed by Rapi of what had happened while he was unconscious, and he once again expressed his gratitude for that person keeping their promise as soon as they arrived at Ark.
Several days later...
.
.
.
.
"---That doctor is definitely on the other side."
He thought, as Moore welcomed the day of his discharge.
.
.
Surprisingly, he only stayed in the hospital for five days this time, which was half the duration of his previous hospitalization when he lost his right leg and right eye.
.
"Your recovery is astonishing, and you can be discharged now," the doctor said.
.
"Is it really okay to be discharged already?" Moore wondered, thinking about the doctor's ... questionable professionalism.
With a sigh, Moore left the hospital in his military uniform, but there was nothing on his left sleeve, causing it to sway as he walked.
As expected, the prosthetic limb was being prepared for connection, and a joint component had been surgically attached to the mid-upper arm.
Fortunately, the most lucky thing might be that his properly adjusted right leg had arrived during this hospitalization.
And the most unfortunate, or rather troublesome, part was yet to come.
An inconvenient situation was currently unfolding, and Moore sensed it instinctually, but he had an inexplicable desire to see the wolves he had left with Ludmila and the others.
His memories were vague since he had lost consciousness, and he wanted to enjoy the fluffy fur.
But he couldn't afford to do that.
He got into the front car at the taxi stand, told the driver his destination, and leaned back in his seat.
----
"---Commander-sama, they said he's coming back today. We got a call from the hospital a little while ago."
"---I'm starting to doubt whether Sensei is really human."
It was a conversation between Anis and Neon, who were stationed in the command room. While listening to them, Rapi let out a sigh.
Normally, Moore handled the report writing, but during his hospitalization, Rapi had taken over the task. She didn't mind doing it, so she was using the desktop computer in the command room and entering the password he had taught her to start the computer. Today, she was working on the final report.
Despite her diligently working, Anis and Neon had openly come to slack off.
When she finished saving the data of the final report she had just created, an email notification appeared on the desktop.
"From the Central Government?"
"What's going on?"
She opened the email and quickly realized that it was a notification regarding Moore's promotion.
"Commander has been promoted to Captain," she said.
"Wow, such a rapid promotion. Maybe next is Major?" Anis wondered.
"In that case, will there be more resources and credits available for the outpost? Money for operations and such," Neon speculated.
"I just want hot water in the barracks soon... Huh? Rapi?"
While Moore's promotion was indeed a reason for celebration, it also brought potential benefits to the outpost and, by extension, the Counter units. Perhaps increased operational funds were among those benefits. However, Rapi didn't seem to reflect any of this in her demeanor. While it was understandable that she might not have openly showed emotions tied to those aspects, it would have been appropriate to show some genuine happiness for the promotion.
"...He's also received a transfer notice along with the promotion," Rapi continued.
"What!? A transfer?"
"Transfer? Does that mean our mentor is...!?"
The three of them gathered around the desktop, their eyes fixed on the email contents.
The promotion was undoubtedly effective today.
Following that, there was another notification also dated today.
[Captain Show Moore. You are hereby appointed as the Special Operations Commander]
After reading the short and impersonal message, Anise and Neon exchanged bewildered looks.
"So... He,... does this mean Commander-Sama will no longer be leading us in Counter units?"
"Yes, that seems to be the case."
"This can't be..."
Rapi wanted to express her agreement with the sentiment behind their words, but she was the squad leader. She would soon need to receive handover instructions from Moore, who would be transferring shortly, and then pass on those instructions to the new commander who would be arriving.
It was her duty.
"...Another commander..."
----She hated it.
A clear rejection began to form within her.
However, she made sure not to let it show on her face. She tried her best to avoid that.
"...I haven't heard of this Special Operations Commander unit before, but considering the Commander's past experiences and achievements, it's probably a promotion."
----So, she decided she would willingly let him go.
She turned her chair and faced Anis and Neon to deliver the message.
With her eyes closed.
----
"Special Operations Commander, is it?"
In a room within the headquarters building, Moore, who had taken a seat on one of the facing sofas in Vice Commander Anderson's office, responded with a question. The room's owner, who had taken a seat across from him, nodded.
"Yeah. In simple terms, you'll have the authority to make your own judgments and take actions. Those below the rank of Vice Commander won't be able to give you orders. Even those above Vice Commander, like me, you can refuse orders if there's a valid reason. That's the kind of unit we're creating."
Anderson provided a concise explanation, perhaps even somewhat condensed, and Moore couldn't help but wear an indescribable expression.
"...Your Excellency, your words describe an authority that could potentially disregard the regular chain of command. Moreover, it seems like this authority could also allow for information secrecy and concealment?"
"You catch on quickly. Furthermore, it would make you beyond the reach of even the CEOs of the Big Three Corporations."
"...That's an astonishing amount of authority. One might even call it a privilege. Who proposed such a concept?"
"I did."
----What have you gotten me into?
His natural and synthetic eyes narrowed, taking on a clearly disapproving hue, and Anderson couldn't help but chuckle.
Even with his promotion, the authority granted to a mere Captain was excessive. While it's complete nonsense to directly compare military ranks with positions in civilian companies, a Captain was roughly equivalent to a department manager.
However, within the military society, especially within the headquarters building, even a Captain was considered a low-ranking officer, and they would be running around and performing various tasks.
A Commander with several encounters and survival experiences with Talkative.
Also, the said commander have encounters with Heretics, Pilgrims.
And, even his former subordinate turned Heretic, Marian.
All of these were unprecedented and extraordinary events.
In summary, these were the main reasons why Moore was assigned as the commander of the Special Operations Commander unit.
In other words, it was primarily because Moore had an exceptionally high rate of contact with surface-level entities.
He didn't actively seek out these encounters, and he wasn't particularly thrilled about them either.
"...The personnel transfer has already been issued, so I won't reject it. However, may I assume that I will continue to command Squad Counters?"
Being a servant of the military, there was no reason to vehemently reject the assignment, so Moore didn't refuse, but he wanted to confirm one point again. Anderson nodded in response.
"Of course. The girls in the squad you lead also have a high rate of contact with surface-level entities too. That's one of the reasons for your appointment to the Special Operations Commander unit."
Not having to build new relationships in another department or squad in a new environment was a more than satisfactory response for Moore.
Even he felt reluctant to part ways with the girls.
"In exchange, you'll continue to be stationed at the current outpost base. Resources and supplies can be transported as long as you submit requests as before. Use them to freely investigate surface-level entities. The pursuit and release order has also been canceled, so you're free to come and go to Ark. You should move around and investigate to your heart's content."
At this point, Moore had a question.
Why the outpost base?
If he was being given such a special mission, it could be interpreted as a kind of independent unit.
A unit that directly served under senior officers like commanders of higher-ranking units, without belonging to a higher-ranking unit. However, the difference was that they had the right to refuse orders as long as they had a valid reason.
Leaving them at an outpost base where no one could oversee them meant even extreme actions would be tolerated. In the said extreme, it could even involve acts of rebellion.
Unable to discern the intent behind this decision, he narrowed his deep brown eyes.
"I hope you won't suspect that much..."
"With all due respect, Your Excellency, we weren't that close to begin with..."
"I would like to be friends, but... setting jokes aside, let's talk openly."
Seeing Moore's increased suspicion, Anderson corrected his posture and looked at him again.
"I hoped you wouldn't attract the attention of the Central Government. Their desires can corrupt people. The plan was to send you to the outpost base, away from their watchful eyes, after the destruction of the power plant and the incident with them... But I never expected you to achieve such outstanding results and accomplishments in such a short period."
To put it bluntly, Anderson thought to himself, "This is beyond imagination."
Moore became even more puzzled by his monologue. Anderson glanced at his wristwatch and apologized.
"...I apologize for taking your time. I have a meeting in five minutes. Thank you for your efforts."
"I understand."
This phrase was effective when you needed to escape. In fact, Moore stopped questioning and stood up from the sofa.
"Oh, I forgot to mention. I'm giving you and your squad a one-month vacation. You've suffered severe damage, so it's a good opportunity for rest. This is an order."
As he stood up, he seemed to want to say something more, but he reconsidered. He thought the girls would be happy to hear about the vacation. So, he clicked his heels and saluted Anderson.
.
----
.
"---Sorry for the trouble, Eagle. And everyone else. You just finished your guard duty."
Moore left the headquarters building, completed his errands at a shop he stopped by for business, and returned to the outpost base. Upon getting off the elevator, he encountered the mass-produced Nikkes who had just finished their shift. They kindly offered him a ride on the truck, which he couldn't refuse. He sat on the hard chair in the back, covered by the canvas.
"Oh no, don't worry about it. Please don't mind."
"Commander, thank you for your hard work. We heard about your left arm, but... are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. My balance is a bit off, but... my face is still handsome, right?"
It wasn't about that, and the mass-produced Nikkes sitting on the truck's cargo bed couldn't help but comment, laughing. He shrugged his shoulders lightly in response.
"By the way, what's in those bags? You have quite a lot..."
"Oh, that. After finishing my business at the headquarters building, I remembered that I had caused various troubles before and hadn't apologized or thanked them. So, I bought various things as compensation."
"Trouble... huh!? Commander, are you using your own money!?"
"Does that mean it's a treat!?"
"Well, yeah. In the end, it's mostly alcohol and juice, but... feel free to enjoy."
The back of the truck was loaded with boxes containing beer, whiskey, juice, and other drinks that Moore had carried in a handcart.
The variety of meals at the outpost base was poor. Even though it was just drinks, they were happy to have some variety in their meals, and the girls cheered in excitement.
Moore had only intended to buy these items out of goodwill and as a gesture of gratitude, but at this moment, he had no idea that this would lead to unnecessary misunderstandings.
-----
With a one-month vacation ahead, there were many things to look forward to! And regarding the main story, don't worry, we can explore what happened during that month.
