September 26, 2201 - 23:47 KYT - Officers' Dormitory I finally returned to the officers' dormitory where I lived after inputting the report for the five-day routine reconnaissance into the computer in the platoon prep room and uploading it to the command server. It was almost midnight. Although I hadn't been able to get enough sleep during the operation, I had three days of leave starting tomorrow. Tonight, I could sleep peacefully without fear of enemy attacks. We took turns sleeping during the operation, but it was hardly restful. The threat of enemy attacks always made our sleep light. When off-duty and the tension eased, drowsiness would hit hard. As long as I wore the officer's uniform, I couldn't let my guard down. As a lieutenant in the military, I had relatively more freedom of action, but conversely, I also had to be more strict with myself to set an example for the lower-ranking soldiers. It felt confining to me, but to maintain my current comfortable situation, I had no choice but to follow military discipline, even if reluctantly. I rationalized it as part of the job I was paid for. The officers' dormitory where I lived was more like an apartment building with automatic locks than a typical dormitory. The difference was that the first floor housed a guard room and shops that provided simple shopping, laundry, and meal services 24 hours a day. This was because with the military's irregular work schedules, it could be troublesome to find food when places were closed or on holidays. In that respect, having even a minimal 24-hour shop on the first floor was a big help. I could buy bentō boxes and daily necessities, or even eat there. I promptly procured a bentō for today's late dinner and some alcohol from the shop, then returned to my room. As I stood in front of my room's door, I sensed a familiar presence from inside, even though no one should have been there. I sighed internally. "What a diligent girl, even though she must be tired too." As I gripped the doorknob, it glowed faintly blue, unlocking as it recognized my vein structure as ID. I entered my room quietly, trying to suppress my presence. But it seemed she noticed immediately. She came from the kitchen to the entrance right away. "Welcome home, Captain," Kikyouu greeted me with a smile, wearing a light pink dress with an apron. Her short hair swayed, with a small braid flowing to the right side as a focal point. It highlighted the cuteness of the 18-year-old girl, something I could hardly imagine from her usual stern expression. This was the real Kikyouu. "I'm back. You must be tired from the operation. You could have just relaxed in your own room today," I said. "No, Captain, you're the one who must be exhausted. It must have been tough dealing with the new warrant officer. Dinner is curry, is that alright? Or shall I prepare something else?" "No, curry sounds good. When I'm tired, I want something spicy to blow the fatigue away." "Also, the bath is ready. Would you like to use it?" You could not make out a smell of curry yet. That meant it would still take a little while before it was ready. "I'll take a bath first," I said. "Yes, understood," Kikyouu replied. Kikyouu followed behind me, matching my pace as I walked towards the neatly organized study. She took my baggage from me in the hallway, then my military jacket as well. As I entered the tidy study, Kikyouu placed my bag on the desk, hung my jacket on a hanger, and began to help me change. This had become our daily routine ever since the day I first laid hands on Kikyouu. This routine started when Kikyouu asked me to tutor her. May 1, 2198, 13:00 KYT, Platoon Prep Room In the previous battle, one member of the squad had died in combat, and a new female accelerated-growth soldier was assigned as a replacement. "As of today, I've been assigned to Squad 1111. Squad Leader, please grant me a name." A charming 15-year-old girl with short hair and an accent braid swaying on the right side of her face saluted me. I returned the salute. I called up her assignment document on my information terminal and checked her background. Her practical training results were excellent. Her intellect and mental faculties were highlighted as notable talents. The rest was blank. There was nothing written about her military career. Also, the name field only displayed her personal number. Which meant... "Is this your first battle?" I asked. "Yes, that's correct," she replied. For accelerated-growth soldiers, their first battle refers to when they emerge from the artificial womb, undergo a year of practical training, and are deployed for their first real combat. At this time, Japanese military regulations stipulate that the unit commander names them. It was a custom where the squad leader directly naming their subordinate was expected to make them a godparent of sorts, treating the subordinate with care. In other words, I was to become this girl's godparent. This was the first time in my life that I had this role of naming someone. I had expected a veteran soldier to be assigned as a replacement to my newly formed squad. The arrival of a rookie was unexpected. Now, what kind of name would be suitable? I gazed intently into the eyes of the girl before me. They were a dark purple, housing both innocence and the spirit of a killer. It seemed she was no longer pure in more ways than one. Apparently, these accelerated-growth soldiers underwent even harsher and more brutal practical training than I had imagined. Yet, despite the hardships she must have endured, the girl exuded a dignified beauty that betrayed no hint of her struggles. For a moment, I thought I saw five star-shaped purple petals embracing her form.

"Kikyouu..." I murmured, the word escaping my lips unbidden. "Kikyouu. Kikyouu. Kikyouu." The girl slowly repeated the name three times. I had merely voiced aloud the first thing that came to mind. "My name is Kikyouu. Thank you very much. It's a beautiful name. I never thought I'd receive such a wonderful name. I'm truly delighted," the girl said. A single tear rolled down her left cheek. She seemed to be genuinely happy from the depths of her heart. I hesitated for a moment, wondering if it was alright to decide on a name so simply, but I concluded it to be fine as she was clearly moved by it. "Well then, Private Kikyouu. I look forward to your future contributions." "Yes, sir. I will devote myself to my military duties, ensuring not to tarnish the name you've given me, Squad Leader." I found myself captivated by Kikyouu's tearful smile. A few days later, Kikyouu, who had just been assigned, expressed her desire to study tactics. Personally, having a newly assigned subordinate die in battle immediately would affect my military evaluation, so it wouldn't be a bad idea to hold study sessions to increase the survival rate. I myself had only recently been assigned as the squad leader. The previous squad leader, who had died in battle, used tactics straight from the textbook, which made it difficult to handle the subordinates who were all molded in that same way. As a new officer, I found it challenging to ignore the advice of the senior sergeant. Therefore, I thought it would be better to influence Kikyouu with my own style before she became tainted by the squad's bad habits. Having a pawn I could freely use within the squad would be beneficial. Although it was troublesome, considering the long-term benefits, I decided to teach her at my home on our day off. "You're going to Koizumi's house? In that case, it's better not to dress up. Actually, the platoon prep room would be a better choice," Warrant Officer Kagayama told Kikyouu. She didn't understand the meaning behind Kagayama's words. Perhaps he meant that the platoon prep room had more resources available? However, studying in such a noisy environment wasn't to Kikyouu's liking. As a result, Kikyouu casually dismissed Kagayama's words. Later, she would come to regret not asking for a clearer explanation of what he meant at that time. It would have been better if she had simply followed Warrant Officer Kagayama's advice. The beautiful young girl, dressed in a white mini dress and full of enthusiasm, froze as she entered Koizumi's room and took in the scene before her. To say it shortly, Koizumi was careless about cleaning up after him. Kikyouu had never imagined that Koizumi, who always wore his uniform impeccably and maintained a smart attitude in the military, could be so slovenly in his private life. She had mistakenly assumed his room would be a stylishly organized space. The living room was piled high with a variety of items: discarded clothes, peculiar ornaments, some kind of packaging materials, and exercise equipment. Among this chaos, there were narrow pathways like animal trails, allowing access to the toilet and bath. Koizumi himself had a good memory, so even with the chaos reaching to the ceiling, he knew where everything was and had no trouble living in this chaos. No trace of the organization skills drilled into him at the military academy was left. The only consolation was that there was no foul odor, presumably because he at least disposed of food waste. Kikyouu was left utterly dumbfounded by this situation. "Sir, if you don't mind me asking, you did graduate from the military academy, didn't you?" she asked, stunned. "Of course I did. I was an average student, but I couldn't have become a warrant officer at this age otherwise." "Then, you must have been taught to organize things down to the millimeter at the academy, right? How do you explain the disastrous state of this room?" "It's functional, isn't it? The things I use most often are within reach, and the less-used items sink to the bottom. It's a perfect storage system that automatically arranges itself by priority." "But this way, it's impossible to know where anything is." "That's not true. I know where everything is." "Then, where is your information terminal?" "Here." I swiftly pulled out the information terminal from under what appeared to be a dress shirt in a nearby pile of laundry. "Where's the vacuum cleaner?" "At the very bottom of the right corner of the living room." "So, where's the tactical manual we'll be using for today's study?" All books had been digitized and consolidated into information terminals. However, tactical and strategic manuals were still produced as oversized A2 waterproof paper books for tabletop discussions. "Ah, that's a problem." "As I thought, you don't know where it is, do you?" "No, that's not it. I don't use it much and it takes up space, so it's in the underfloor storage in the kitchen. I was just thinking it'd take about an hour to get it out." Kikyouu felt a slight headache coming on. Despite requesting in advance to study tactics, he hasn't prepared the manual. That's a fail. Does he really intend to teach me? More importantly, it's unthinkable to invite someone to such a cluttered house. Can we really survive a war against the Lunarians with someone like this as my superior officer? Such anxieties occupied Kikyouu's mind.