October 6, 2201, 0812, Operation Area: Inside the Cave It had been about an hour since we’d entered the caves. We marched on, occasionally finishing off moaning Lunarians that had survived. We’d disposed of several dozen of them, but the battle forecast still showed a 10 percent casualty rate, and there was no sign of it going down. In other words, the Lunarians that were still alive but unable to fight didn’t count as a threat. At first, we were supposed to be dealing with about eighty survivors. Now it looked like we’d have to deal with at least one hundred and sixty. There were nearly a hundred soldiers in these caves, but we were spread out into squads of twenty. If we ran into a group of Lunarians here, we’d be picked off one by one. It would have been better to regroup, but the cave corridor was narrow, and a single platoon could barely make progress. That's why command had ordered us to maintain the status quo and continue advancing. I happened to check the thermometer, and the temperature had dropped all the way down to 18 degrees, and the oxygen level was back to normal. There were no more Lunarian corpses at our feet, so it seemed the incendiary grenades hadn’t been able to reach this far. If they were going to send us on a reconnaissance mission, they should have used some kind of sonar or something from the surface to check the depth. The operation was already failing. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it a mission failure. This was command’s mistake. That was why the battle forecast had shown a 10 percent casualty rate. If I made it back alive, I swore to myself, I was going to tear Kagayama a new one. As an experiment, I turned off my flashlight and activated the temperature sensor. The computer compensated for the lack of light, and I was able to see more clearly than I had with the flashlight. Seeing what I’d done, all the members of the 1111 squad turned off their lights as well. They seemed to have understood my actions and chosen a method that would increase their chances of survival. After a delay, the 1113 squad and squad leader followed my lead. Only the vanguard squad, the 1112 squad, and the 1114 squad kept their lights on. They’re the canaries, after all. I thought for a moment that I didn’t need to advise them, but the chances of death and injury were still high. It would be best if we could avoid detection by the enemy altogether. Changing my mind, I made a suggestion to the squad leader. “Platoon commander. I think it would be best to order the two vanguard squads to turn off their lights.” “No, let’s keep going as we are. I want them to stand out as much as possible.” “In that case, if we’re attacked from behind, your squad will have to deal with it.” “Ah, wait, wait. Yes, yes, you’re right, Lieutenant Koizumi. We should turn off the lights and blend in with the darkness. I’ll take your suggestion. I’ll order 1112 and 1114 to do the same.” “Thank you for considering my suggestion.” “If you notice anything else, let me know immediately.” “Understood.” The 111 Platoon leader was the kind of person who put his own safety first. For that reason, he tended to avoid dangerous actions and prioritize safety measures. This tendency had accumulated over time, resulting in a low casualty rate among his subordinates, which in turn had led to his promotion to platoon leader. In a sense, he was just a coward, but he was the kind of coward who would change his tactics at the first sign of danger. As a superior officer, he was practically incompetent, but as far as Koizumi was concerned, he was the perfect person to work under.

Immediately, the lights on 1112 and 1114 went out. The platoon was plunged into total darkness, but the temperature sensors and cameras compensated for the lack of visibility, projecting a dim image onto the faceplate of my helmet that was just as clear as what I would have seen in broad daylight. We advanced through the cave for about twenty minutes, and from time to time, a few Lunarians approached us from the front, but the vanguard's gunfire turned them into Swiss cheese quickly. Shutting off the lights had been the right call. If they’d kept going as they had been, the Lunarians might have attacked us by surprise. My judgment had been correct. Lunarians had a tendency to charge headlong into battle. They didn’t seem to have the idea to ambush from a ravine or around a bend in the path. Ultimately, they were beasts, after all. However, the Lunarians they had captured had brains about the same size as a human’s, and their skeletons and organs were more or less the same as ours. They also carried longswords and had the knowledge and sscientific prowess to travel from the moon to Earth. The only difference was that they didn’t seem to understand tactics or strategy. If the Lunarians ever got any smarter, they would make formidable foes. That was why the Japanese military had adopted a policy of exterminating the Lunarians whenever they were discovered. They didn’t want to give them any information about humanity, even the smallest scrap. If they let even one survivor, the consequences would be disastrous. Up until yesterday, the Lunarian extermination efforts had been going well, and for several decades since the start of the war, the military had never had to change their tactics or strategy. The failures in the headquarters’ operations had to be cleaned up at the expense of soldiers’ lives like Koizumi’s. Quietly, several beams of light streaked through the air as the vanguard took down a few more Lunarians. When I checked the battle zone monitor, there were no friendly casualties. It seemed like the flaws in the headquarters’ investigation were being plugged. “Platoon 111, take a fifteen-minute break. Squad 1111, you’re on lookout duty.” The platoon captain’s voice rang out over the radio. Two hours had passed since we went into the cave. It was a good time for a break. “Squad 1111, roger. We’re going on lookout duty.” As the other squad members spread out and clung to the walls of the cave to take their break, me and my group moved to the edge of the cave and went on lookout duty. Personally, I preferred being on lookout duty myself rather than leaving it to someone else. I didn’t like having my life in someone else’s hands. Besides, even though we were on lookout duty, we would mostly be kneeling or lying in wait, so we could rest as well. “All right, everyone, get to your lookout positions.” I called out to the squad using the radio. “Kikyou, roger.” “Saika, roger.” “Suzuran, roger.” The three girls answered immediately. ― My children are truly exceptional. ―