The silence is heavy.
The night's silence in the wilderness is further dominated by silence.
The cause undoubtedly lies with the three members of the Nikke—Metis Squad.
"...Haah, There are popping out even more now."
Anis muttered to herself. The words might not have been appropriate to break the silence that had lasted for a few minutes, but Moore, who had just finished smoking, took a new cigarette, and immediately Rapi, who was beside him, offered him a turbo lighter to light it. Moore puffed out purple smoke and started to assess the situation.
While they all showed expressions of relief, excluding Eunhwa, Rapi lit his cigarette, Moore continued to speak without realizing.
"...Is it the Metis Squad from Missilis?"
"...Yes. But they are a bunch of fools."
Eunhwa nodded in response to his question while covering the flame with his left hand. Then, he looked at the three with a bewildered expression.
Smirking, Nikke, with awkwardly styled orange hair, scratched her head with one hand.
"Phew, that was close. I didn't expect the battery to die there."
Following her, another Nikke with bright golden hair and a lively appearance opened her mouth, revealing her fangs.
"Thanks for sharing the emergency battery!"
Although the Counter's and Absolute squads didn't react much, Eunhwa, representing them, responded sarcastically.
"Don't you check your battery before coming up to the surface?"
Whether she noticed the sarcasm or not, Laplace, a Nikke with long golden hair tied into twin tails on the sides of her head, looked around defiantly.
"We use electricity as auxiliary power, aside from the core! We have to be more careful than ordinary Nikke!"
"...Shouldn't you be even more cautious, then?"
When Moore made the calm observation, Laplace, looking dignified until then, glanced around, seemingly unable to answer.
Receiving the remark, Maxwell, a Nikke with a puzzled appearance and messy orange hair, looked at Moore with a wry smile.
"That's true, but... well, we came up to the surface immediately after the operation, so that's the main reason, I guess?"
"...Immediately? Isn't that overworking yourselves?"
Anis asked suspiciously, and Maxwell scratched her head with a mixed expression of embarrassment and exasperation.
"If we're told to do it, we have no choice. Syuen doesn't care about our circumstances."
Even for transportation, they should check everything before the operation.
Moore thought, puffing out purple smoke. Just then, Drake, a Nikke with silver hair and distinctive tri-colored eyes below her bangs, finally spoke up.
"Ha! Moving as you're told is just like a pig!"
"...Then, why don't you say something to Syuen?"
"...I'm scared of Syuen..."
...Or maybe she's never seen a real pig.
No one answered his internal question, but watching Maxwell let out a huge sigh, Moore couldn't help but send a concerned glance her way.
In the midst of the indescribable atmosphere among the members of the Metis Squad, Laplace raised her voice determinedly.
"That's enough! Self-control is one of the things heroes need! Even if we are tired, villains won't wait for us!"
"Then, we're disqualified as heroes."
"...Not only did we overlook the battery level, but we almost collapsed on the way."
Anis and Moore concentrate their firepower on Laplace. They're on a roll now.
"Wha...! T-to be told this by ordinary Nikke and an ordinary commander...! Is there still a long way to go...!"
...Heh, really? This girl, she's interesting.
After a moment of stiffness, where she seemed to be at a loss for words, the petite girl tried to rally herself. Moore, watching her while smoking, found her refreshing, a type of person he had never encountered before.
Laplace looked over the entire squad and declared special training upon their return. Maxwell calmly suggested increasing the battery capacity to address the cause of the current trouble. However, the squad leader scolded them not to rely on equipment, emphasizing that true justice comes from within. Neon played along, pointing at Ema as the embodiment of justice. Intrigued by the Vulcan cannon, which was beyond the standard for a personal portable weapon, Drake began to question her.
...Hishead is starting to hurt. And it has to be quiet in the middle of the night.
" 'Silence, everyone.' "
Although their vectors were different, the tone shared by Eunhwa and Moore reached everyone's ears, silencing them completely.
With a sigh, Moore tossed his finished cigarette into a portable ashtray. Eunhwa then cast a sharp glance at the Metis Squad.
"Why did you tail us? You Missilis' dogs."
In a tone that seemed like a statement rather than a question, she asked. Maxwell let out a sigh. She must have realized they were found out.
"...So, we were discovered, huh?"
"And by him too. Can't you even tail someone properly?"
Eunhwa casually pointed at him with her thumb, and Maxwell, briefly displaying a shocked expression, approached Moore, seeming quite interested. She studied his face intently.
"...What?"
"I've seen it in the files, but you really are quite different from other humans, aren't you?"
Maxwell smiled with a slightly pointed fang. Moore couldn't help but be curious about what kind of information she had confirmed.
"Captain Moore, isn't it? How about spending some time with me once this mission is over? Just for a bit—hey, don't make such a bothered face. I won't do anything weird. Just some saliva, or a piece of skin... oh, if possible, I want to examine your genes and chromosomes, so blood—"
Before she could say more, Anis cut in between Moore and Maxwell.
"Hey, stop right there. Even though we just met, you're being overly familiar."
Annoyed, Anis stood in front of Maxwell, silently glaring at her.
"Oh, s-sorry. You're right, aren't you? That was a bit much."
...Oh, scary, or so Maxwell shrugged, then meekly stepped back. She looked at Eunhwa again.
"As for tailing you all? Syuen ordered us. 'Help them,' she said."
"Your words were the most amusing among everything... Are we idiots to you?'"
Eunhwa snorted in disbelief at the idea that Syuen, that brat, would have such a personality. Maxwell scratched her head in a troubled manner.
"Ah, well... yeah, that's true, isn't it? It was pretty obvious, huh?"
"...What's your purpose then?"
Trying to move the conversation forward, Moore asked Maxwell instead of Eunhwa. She turned her turquoise eyes toward him and answered in a casual tone.
"...To collect Heretic fragments."
"...It seems like information has leaked. Did someone from Elysion's staff or the headquarters let it slip?"
The pupils of his eyes widened as he realized that information about the joint operation between Absolute and Counters had leaked.
"Hold on a second! Please stop making a face like you're about to kill someone!—I might have misled you, but... strictly speaking, we figured it out ourselves."
In a fluster, Maxwell explained. According to her, Missilis had a specialized information unit for the Absolute Squad, which was tracking their movements closely.
The information unit seemed quite competent. They had reported the analysis results that the squad was heading toward the engagement site with the Heretics and that the combustion caused by the natural gas eruption was also subsiding. It must have been easy to predict, considering the circumstances.
"And when Syuen sniffed out that Counters and Captain Moore were accompanying us, she sent us."
"I see..."
"We're getting attention, huh~"
"Tsk, Sneaking around... such dirty bastards.."
Ema responded in her calm tone, but Eunhwa's words were filled with contempt. Unexpectedly, Laplace countered.
"...Utilizing information is a basic tactic! Using words like 'dirty' is inappropriate!"
"...You have a point."
"...Whose side are you on?!"
"I'm on my subordinates' side, but is there a problem?"
Despite Eunhwa's sharp gaze in response to Laplace's rebuttal, he merely shrugged and gave an answer that wasn't exactly sought.
At that moment, a loud yawn was heard.
"...Let's stop talking and go to sleep..."
It was Maxwell. With one hand covering her yawning mouth, she made her request, but...
"...From tomorrow, we have to search diligently..."
"Hey. Don't just join us on your own—"
She laid down on the spot, using her arm as a pillow, and quickly fell asleep.
"Give me a pillow! I can't sleep without a pillow!"
"...Um, we don't have pillows either..."
"...Well, can't be helped. —Sleep."
This time it was Drake. In response to Neon's compliance, she reluctantly turned on her back on the ground after Neon responded to her complaints and requests. She quickly fell asleep.
"I'll stand guard without sleeping! Protecting the weak is a hero's duty! Everyone, rest assured and sleep peacefully—"
Finally, Laplace collapsed onto the ground with a sound, already asleep, still lying on her back, breathing steadily. Completely asleep.
"...Does Nikke... need sleep? Wouldn't it not bother them...?"
"...There are differences between individuals... Besides, the Metis Squad uses electricity as auxiliary power..."
"...So, energy efficient, huh?"
With the premise of 'probably,' Rapi nodded, and Moore sighed in exasperation, casting a sidelong glance at her.
"...Are they idiots?"
"...Don't say that. —Eunhwa. Let's assign one member from each squad for a two-hour shift on guard duty. Counter's squad will handle the last two hours. Are you okay with that?"
"Understood."
Acknowledging Eunhwa's agreement, he called the squad to gather. They arranged to stand guard in shifts for two hours each, starting with Moore, then Laplace, Anis, and Neon.
"...Commander, please rest."
"What are you talking about? I just---was sleeping until a moment ago."
Ignoring Rapi concerned demeanor, he shrugged and removed the magazine from his assault rifle, checking the remaining bullets. Then he pulled the charging handle, loaded the first round, and closed the chamber with a palm strike on the bolt forward assist.
No smoking for the next two hours.
Feeling a bit reluctant, he hung his assault rifle with the safety on from his sling and started to walk.
"──It's you, huh..."
"──Quite a greeting, isn't it?"
The first pair of sentries selected from both squads consisted of Eunhwa and Moore. She grimaced unpleasantly, prompting him to let out a sigh.
"...It's just two hours. Bear with it. I'll keep an eye on the other side."
However, once on sentry duty, it was part of the job. He indicated the direction he was responsible for monitoring and began to move to his designated position. Unexpectedly, Eunhwa called out to him from behind.
"──Hey."
"...What is it?"
Moore pondered whether to chew caffeine gum instead since he couldn't enjoy the purple smoke of his cigarette. Still expecting something, he turned his shoulder to look back. Eunhwa, facing away, spoke up.
"...About earlier... during the day, I didn't mean... it just... got to my head. ...Sorry."
Was she referring to the incident when she fired at the floor, or perhaps the incident when she called Rapi a traitor?
It was a vague apology that could be interpreted in either way, making it difficult to judge, but...
"...No, I was at fault too. I aimed my gun at you. I guess my head got a bit hot too."
"...I see..."
"...Let's both be careful."
Acknowledging her with a small nod, Moore walked back to his post, starting his patrol again.
The silence is heavy.
The night's silence in the wilderness is further dominated by silence.
The cause undoubtedly lies with the three members of the Nikke—Metis Squad.
"...Haah, There are popping out even more now."
Anis muttered to herself. The words might not have been appropriate to break the silence that had lasted for a few minutes, but Moore, who had just finished smoking, took a new cigarette, and immediately Rapi, who was beside him, offered him a turbo lighter to light it. Moore puffed out purple smoke and started to assess the situation.
While they all showed expressions of relief, excluding Eunhwa, Rapi lit his cigarette, Moore continued to speak without realizing.
"...Is it the Metis Squad from Missilis?"
"...Yes. But they are a bunch of fools."
Eunhwa nodded in response to his question while covering the flame with his left hand. Then, he looked at the three with a bewildered expression.
Smirking, Nikke, with awkwardly styled orange hair, scratched her head with one hand.
"Phew, that was close. I didn't expect the battery to die there."
Following her, another Nikke with bright golden hair and a lively appearance opened her mouth, revealing her fangs.
"Thanks for sharing the emergency battery!"
Although the Counter's and Absolute squads didn't react much, Eunhwa, representing them, responded sarcastically.
"Don't you check your battery before coming up to the surface?"
Whether she noticed the sarcasm or not, Laplace, a Nikke with long golden hair tied into twin tails on the sides of her head, looked around defiantly.
"We use electricity as auxiliary power, aside from the core! We have to be more careful than ordinary Nikke!"
"...Shouldn't you be even more cautious, then?"
When Moore made the calm observation, Laplace, looking dignified until then, glanced around, seemingly unable to answer.
Receiving the remark, Maxwell, a Nikke with a puzzled appearance and messy orange hair, looked at Moore with a wry smile.
"That's true, but... well, we came up to the surface immediately after the operation, so that's the main reason, I guess?"
"...Immediately? Isn't that overworking yourselves?"
Anis asked suspiciously, and Maxwell scratched her head with a mixed expression of embarrassment and exasperation.
"If we're told to do it, we have no choice. Syuen doesn't care about our circumstances."
Even for transportation, they should check everything before the operation.
Moore thought, puffing out purple smoke. Just then, Drake, a Nikke with silver hair and distinctive tri-colored eyes below her bangs, finally spoke up.
"Ha! Moving as you're told is just like a pig!"
"...Then, why don't you say something to Syuen?"
"...I'm scared of Syuen..."
...Or maybe she's never seen a real pig.
No one answered his internal question, but watching Maxwell let out a huge sigh, Moore couldn't help but send a concerned glance her way.
In the midst of the indescribable atmosphere among the members of the Metis Squad, Laplace raised her voice determinedly.
"That's enough! Self-control is one of the things heroes need! Even if we are tired, villains won't wait for us!"
"Then, we're disqualified as heroes."
"...Not only did we overlook the battery level, but we almost collapsed on the way."
Anis and Moore concentrate their firepower on Laplace. They're on a roll now.
"Wha...! T-to be told this by ordinary Nikke and an ordinary commander...! Is there still a long way to go...!"
...Heh, really? This girl, she's interesting.
After a moment of stiffness, where she seemed to be at a loss for words, the petite girl tried to rally herself. Moore, watching her while smoking, found her refreshing, a type of person he had never encountered before.
Laplace looked over the entire squad and declared special training upon their return. Maxwell calmly suggested increasing the battery capacity to address the cause of the current trouble. However, the squad leader scolded them not to rely on equipment, emphasizing that true justice comes from within. Neon played along, pointing at Ema as the embodiment of justice. Intrigued by the Vulcan cannon, which was beyond the standard for a personal portable weapon, Drake began to question her.
...Hishead is starting to hurt. And it has to be quiet in the middle of the night.
" 'Silence, everyone.' "
Although their vectors were different, the tone shared by Eunhwa and Moore reached everyone's ears, silencing them completely.
With a sigh, Moore tossed his finished cigarette into a portable ashtray. Eunhwa then cast a sharp glance at the Metis Squad.
"Why did you tail us? You Missilis' dogs."
In a tone that seemed like a statement rather than a question, she asked. Maxwell let out a sigh. She must have realized they were found out.
"...So, we were discovered, huh?"
"And by him too. Can't you even tail someone properly?"
Eunhwa casually pointed at him with her thumb, and Maxwell, briefly displaying a shocked expression, approached Moore, seeming quite interested. She studied his face intently.
"...What?"
"I've seen it in the files, but you really are quite different from other humans, aren't you?"
Maxwell smiled with a slightly pointed fang. Moore couldn't help but be curious about what kind of information she had confirmed.
"Captain Moore, isn't it? How about spending some time with me once this mission is over? Just for a bit—hey, don't make such a bothered face. I won't do anything weird. Just some saliva, or a piece of skin... oh, if possible, I want to examine your genes and chromosomes, so blood—"
Before she could say more, Anis cut in between Moore and Maxwell.
"Hey, stop right there. Even though we just met, you're being overly familiar."
Annoyed, Anis stood in front of Maxwell, silently glaring at her.
"Oh, s-sorry. You're right, aren't you? That was a bit much."
...Oh, scary, or so Maxwell shrugged, then meekly stepped back. She looked at Eunhwa again.
"As for tailing you all? Syuen ordered us. 'Help them,' she said."
"Your words were the most amusing among everything... Are we idiots to you?'"
Eunhwa snorted in disbelief at the idea that Syuen, that brat, would have such a personality. Maxwell scratched her head in a troubled manner.
"Ah, well... yeah, that's true, isn't it? It was pretty obvious, huh?"
"...What's your purpose then?"
Trying to move the conversation forward, Moore asked Maxwell instead of Eunhwa. She turned her turquoise eyes toward him and answered in a casual tone.
"...To collect Heretic fragments."
"...It seems like information has leaked. Did someone from Elysion's staff or the headquarters let it slip?"
The pupils of his eyes widened as he realized that information about the joint operation between Absolute and Counters had leaked.
"Hold on a second! Please stop making a face like you're about to kill someone!—I might have misled you, but... strictly speaking, we figured it out ourselves."
In a fluster, Maxwell explained. According to her, Missilis had a specialized information unit for the Absolute Squad, which was tracking their movements closely.
The information unit seemed quite competent. They had reported the analysis results that the squad was heading toward the engagement site with the Heretics and that the combustion caused by the natural gas eruption was also subsiding. It must have been easy to predict, considering the circumstances.
"And when Syuen sniffed out that Counters and Captain Moore were accompanying us, she sent us."
"I see..."
"We're getting attention, huh~"
"Tsk, Sneaking around... such dirty bastards.."
Ema responded in her calm tone, but Eunhwa's words were filled with contempt. Unexpectedly, Laplace countered.
"...Utilizing information is a basic tactic! Using words like 'dirty' is inappropriate!"
"...You have a point."
"...Whose side are you on?!"
"I'm on my subordinates' side, but is there a problem?"
Despite Eunhwa's sharp gaze in response to Laplace's rebuttal, he merely shrugged and gave an answer that wasn't exactly sought.
At that moment, a loud yawn was heard.
"...Let's stop talking and go to sleep..."
It was Maxwell. With one hand covering her yawning mouth, she made her request, but...
"...From tomorrow, we have to search diligently..."
"Hey. Don't just join us on your own—"
She laid down on the spot, using her arm as a pillow, and quickly fell asleep.
"Give me a pillow! I can't sleep without a pillow!"
"...Um, we don't have pillows either..."
"...Well, can't be helped. —Sleep."
This time it was Drake. In response to Neon's compliance, she reluctantly turned on her back on the ground after Neon responded to her complaints and requests. She quickly fell asleep.
"I'll stand guard without sleeping! Protecting the weak is a hero's duty! Everyone, rest assured and sleep peacefully—"
Finally, Laplace collapsed onto the ground with a sound, already asleep, still lying on her back, breathing steadily. Completely asleep.
"...Does Nikke... need sleep? Wouldn't it not bother them...?"
"...There are differences between individuals... Besides, the Metis Squad uses electricity as auxiliary power..."
"...So, energy efficient, huh?"
With the premise of 'probably,' Rapi nodded, and Moore sighed in exasperation, casting a sidelong glance at her.
"...Are they idiots?"
"...Don't say that. —Eunhwa. Let's assign one member from each squad for a two-hour shift on guard duty. Counter's squad will handle the last two hours. Are you okay with that?"
"Understood."
Acknowledging Eunhwa's agreement, he called the squad to gather. They arranged to stand guard in shifts for two hours each, starting with Moore, then Laplace, Anis, and Neon.
"...Commander, please rest."
"What are you talking about? I just---was sleeping until a moment ago."
Ignoring Rapi concerned demeanor, he shrugged and removed the magazine from his assault rifle, checking the remaining bullets. Then he pulled the charging handle, loaded the first round, and closed the chamber with a palm strike on the bolt forward assist.
No smoking for the next two hours.
Feeling a bit reluctant, he hung his assault rifle with the safety on from his sling and started to walk.
"──It's you, huh..."
"──Quite a greeting, isn't it?"
The first pair of sentries selected from both squads consisted of Eunhwa and Moore. She grimaced unpleasantly, prompting him to let out a sigh.
"...It's just two hours. Bear with it. I'll keep an eye on the other side."
However, once on sentry duty, it was part of the job. He indicated the direction he was responsible for monitoring and began to move to his designated position. Unexpectedly, Eunhwa called out to him from behind.
"──Hey."
"...What is it?"
Moore pondered whether to chew caffeine gum instead since he couldn't enjoy the purple smoke of his cigarette. Still expecting something, he turned his shoulder to look back. Eunhwa, facing away, spoke up.
"...About earlier... during the day, I didn't mean... it just... got to my head. ...Sorry."
Was she referring to the incident when she fired at the floor, or perhaps the incident when she called Rapi a traitor?
It was a vague apology that could be interpreted in either way, making it difficult to judge, but...
"...No, I was at fault too. I aimed my gun at you. I guess my head got a bit hot too."
"...I see..."
"...Let's both be careful."
Acknowledging her with a small nod, Moore walked back to his post, starting his patrol again.
