CHAPTER 5: A SOLDIER’S HEART

After that, Masahiro removed her clothes and wore ordinary training attire along with a bulletproof vest. As a new member, she began her training.

“Listen, soldiers! We are not soulless war machines. Our greatest strength does not lie in bullets, but in the heart we carry. You are all strong, that is certain. But true strength is knowing when to hold back, when to protect, even an enemy who is already helpless. Fight fiercely, win with honor! Never let this uniform strip away your humanity. Now move! Show the world what it means to be an ethical soldier!”
shouted a Sergeant.

With her hair tied up, Masahiro was pushed into rigorous training. She ran through mud, through water, even through fire. But none of it made her give up.

“Watch me! Remember this well—we fight for dignity, not destruction. Every action must reflect the honor of this unit. Brutality is a sign of weakness, not victory! If someone gives up, protect them. If someone is injured, treat them. We are guardians, not predators. Hold the battle line, but never discard the line of your humanity! Understand?! Now apply it! For honor!”
the Sergeant commanded.

“Yes, Ma’am!”
the trainees shouted firmly.

They trained handling firearms and throwing grenades. Masahiro, though failing repeatedly, kept trying. When she failed, she was punished by running laps—but she never lost spirit. While other recruits slept, she did push-ups and lifted barbells. By morning, after breakfast, the Drill Sergeant was shocked to see Masahiro already running laps again. She trained her shooting accuracy, and now her aim had become precise—always hitting the target.

The Drill Sergeant was astonished.

Then she instructed all soldiers to assemble and disassemble their weapons. Masahiro easily disassembled two weapons—an AK and an M14. The Drill Sergeant was impressed.

“Ark-sama, that woman truly is exceptional. She is highly capable and perhaps very suited to your ranks.”
said the Sergeant to Ark.

Ark stayed silent.

“In that case, I want to try the flying bike Saitou gave us.”

“Right now, sir?”

“Yes. I don’t want to lose to her either.”

Ark put on a black armored suit and helmet and mounted the flying motorcycle.

“So, how do you like this bike?”
Saitou asked.

Ark did not reply, but this was the first time he had ever ridden a flying vehicle.

“Oh—I forgot to tell you. This bike can also run on the ground like a normal motorcycle. You only need to activate Road Mode.”

Ark tried it. On the highway, he accelerated so fast that the police speed detector broke.

“Activate Flying Mode.”

“Flying Mode Active!”

The motorcycle lifted off the ground, soaring at jet-like speeds. Ark noticed a mode labeled Light Armor Mecha Mode but ignored it for now. When he returned to the base, everyone greeted him enthusiastically.

“Saitou, there’s something I want to discuss with you later.”

“Ark-sama wants to speak with me?! Did you all hear that?! Ark-san wants to speak with me!”

He and his soldiers celebrated energetically.

Meanwhile, Yuki joined self-defense training. She succeeded, but one member was hit and injured in the right arm.

“I told you to follow the rules, or you’ll get yourself into trouble,”
the Drill Sergeant scolded.

“Calm down, I’ll heal you,”
Yuki said, approaching the injured member.

“<Health>”

Using her magic, she healed him completely, leaving no trace of injury.

“Thank you!”

Seeing this, the Drill Sergeant decided that Masahiro Yuki would be assigned to the Medical Division.

Those who previously hated her were now impressed.

“Did you see that? She healed Kenichi!”
“Seriously… maybe I was too harsh in hating her.”
some Resistance members whispered.

That night, in her new residence, Yuki practiced her healing magic. She experimented on a rotten apple and orange.

“<Health>”

The fruits instantly became fresh again.

“I finally succeeded… and maybe this is also the first step toward standing beside Ark.”
she whispered.

“Heeh, you’re very enthusiastic, aren’t you?”
said Airi, who had just arrived.

“Who are you?”

“My name is Natsume Airi. You could say I am Ark’s right hand.”

“Oh, so you’re the one they call the Deputy Commander?”

Airi lit a cigarette.

“Yuki, are you sure about this path? You still have time to walk away.”

“Whatever it is, my decision is solid. I will fight alongside Ark and bring smiles back to everyone.”

Airi scoffed.

“Smiles, huh? For me, a smile is useless. It’s not a weapon, and it can’t defend the truth.”

Airi continued:

“I hate smiles because they are the perfect mask worn by the world to hide their rotten intentions. Smiles are never honest—they’re just good at hiding.”

“Every smile that is too wide, too sudden, reminds me of broken promises. I would rather see an angry, honest face than a lying smile.”

“A smile is just social makeup. I want to see the real skin—full of scars—not the painted surface people create.”

“I never smile. Because whenever I do, I feel like I am betraying all the pain that brought me to this point.”

“They say smiles are medicine. To me, it’s just salt on old wounds. It reminds me of all the times I pretended to be fine.”

Yuki responded, firmly:

“I understand. To you, a smile is a hidden scar, or maybe a white flag you were forced to raise while your soul was bleeding.”

“Maybe the smile you hate the most… is the last fake smile you saw before you were betrayed. And since then, you see all happiness as a trap.”

“But do you know? The truest smiles often come from those most broken. Not because they forgot their pain, but because they finally decided they are worth more than their wounds.”

“I’m not asking you to smile at me today. I just want you to know that one day, when you find true peace, your smile will no longer be a mask.”

“It will be silent proof that you survived. And that smile… will be the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

Airi froze.

For the first time, she smiled a little—because Yuki reminded her of herself when she first met Ark.

“Maybe you’re right… Maybe that’s why Ark is so interested in you.”

Then Airi left.
She had successfully tested Yuki—and would report everything to Ark.