One Smile and One Plan

The pit in my stomach seemed to increase in depth. I felt like throwing up. I’d trained with Kang a little, but not nearly enough to try and fight a monster yet. Kti, however, seemed overjoyed at the idea, cheering loudly.

“YES! I shall be the one to melt the undead lord!” he cried happily. Chiaki gave me a reassuring smile.

“Don’t worry, Yuka. We should have no issue disposing of a Lich,” she explained, though I felt like Azarin was the one who needed comforting words. Is she still mad at him for yesterday?

“Exactly. Even if it’s sooner than we expected, we should be able to easily eliminate the target,” Kang explained. I nodded as he turned to go, everyone standing up. I went to my room where my gear was, closing the door behind me. I undressed quickly before putting on my clothes under the armor. My top half was still exposed when my door suddenly opened. I let out a cry, quickly grabbing my cloak to cover myself.

“Oh–sorry about that. I should have knocked first,” Kang commented. I relaxed a bit, shaking my head. I’m glad it wasn’t Chiaki.

“No, you’re fine. You can come in.” He stepped inside the room as I went back to gearing up.

“Do you feel ready?” Kang asked. I slipped on my undershirt, shaking my head.

“Not really. I’ve never fought monsters before. I’ve only heard of them in the news,” I responded.

“Are you scared?” Kang questioned. I stared at the floor for a moment.

“I… don’t know. I didn’t have much of a life before this. No family or friends… so I don’t have much to lose except–except you guys,” I admitted quietly. I saw Kang’s eyes widen slightly.

“Us?” he asked in shock.

“Yeah… I mean–sure, you and Azarin were hard on me at first but it was only because you didn’t want anything to happen to me. Even though this job is dangerous, it’s also the first time I’ve felt… like I fit in somewhere,” I explained softly.

“I see. Well, don’t worry too much about us,” Kang said with a smile, putting a hand on my head. I looked up at him, taken aback.

“Kang… you–you’re smiling.” When I said that, he quickly turned away, letting his hand fall to his side.

“You must be imagining things,” he said quickly.

“You have a good smile. Really,” I insisted, but he didn’t reply. Instead, he left the room without another word. I finished getting my armor on, cursing under my breath. Idiot! You don’t just say stuff like that to people! Moron. I’m a moron.

~~~~

I’m the final say in any matter, and the one who wields the most power in this entire base. Yet, I feel like I am in chains. Bound to a duty that will surely consume me. I was chosen to be The Director when I was a child. When you are chosen, you cannot refuse. To do so would be a shame greater than any other. I do not regret my decision.

Five minutes till the meeting with the JCC. I am ready for what they’re going to say. They will tell me to stick to the script. We fight monsters. We die. We fight more monsters. We die.

Four minutes till the meeting. Our base is above one of the largest cities left in Japan. Tokyo Three. The product of the Tokyo revival project after the first two were turned into ruins. Supposedly, remaking Tokyo was to give people hope. I see no point in this.

Two minutes. My desk lowers into the floor as all the lights shut off. Preparations for the meeting were underway. The JCC gave me most of my orders. Or so everyone thought. In reality, I made most decisions. The JCC only stepped in if things got too out of hand. These meetings were pointless to me. Just a bunch of politicians saying nothing for thirty minutes.

2:00. The meeting begins now. Several gray floating obelisks formed around me, each numbered one through eight. The JCC never showed their faces during meetings.

“The meeting between The Director of Defense and The Japanese Command Center shall now commence,” Number One said. They had names, but their names were of no importance.

“What is the status of your units?” Number Two asked.

“I’ve lost fifteen, and gained four new recruits,” I replied. Their questions were always the same.

“And what of Tokyo Three? Is the barrier stable?” Number Five asked. I took a deep breath. This will be a long meeting. As long as they don’t ask about Strike Force Zero or Yuka, it’ll be fine. This plan has to work, or all of us will die.

~~~~

Even as we boarded the helicopter, Kang was still quiet. I had my armor on with my red cloak over it, and the sword across my back. I wore white gloves and black combat boots. I hope I didn’t upset him. I got into the cramped military copter, grabbing onto the handlebar overhead. 

Chiaki stood next to me. “This is it! Your first mission!” she said excitedly. She wore a long purple and green robe with a hood. On her back was a long black wooden staff, with a green orb on the tip. She was like something out of a fairy tale. I couldn’t help but stare.

“Staring at people is typically seen as creepy,” Azarin noted. I let out a squeak, quickly looking away. Chiaki giggled, shaking her head.

“Don’t worry, Yuka, I don’t mind. I’m happy you like my gear that much! I made most of it myself,” she explained. I looked up at her in surprise. I wanted to ask her about that, but the helicopter was taking off. I held on with the others as we lifted off the platform jutting out of the side of the base, taking off into the sky. There was a window I could barely see out of, where clouds rolled by. 

Despite everyone’s encouragement, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy.