Chapter 7

Back then, Hakade would spend most of his free time playing online games, but many of those games no longer operate at the current day. He sat in the crew quarters, reviewing the route Laurel had set up.

Unfortunately, a group of monsters disturbed the construction work. The report stated that the monsters had been dealt with, but the work had been delayed for at least another hour. He sent a message to the girls, saying that if they wanted to stay around for longer, they could.

What to do…

He saw the kettle and decided to prepare some warm drinks for the girls when they got back. Green tea for Laurel, black coffee for Ana, and some chocolate for Mia. He heard Ann drank a cup of coffee last night, so Hakade would prepare that as well.

But… if I made it now… it’ll be cold by the time they come back.

As Hakade pondered in front of the kettle, he realized their client hadn’t left the train’s passenger car. She sat in the front row, staring out the window.

They didn’t invite her? No, I doubt it. Did she reject them?

It seemed even more plausible. Curious, Hakade stepped into the passenger car. The rolling door caught her attention.

“...? Hakade?”

“You didn’t go with the girls?”

She shook her head. “I… don’t want to.”

“I see.”

It would still be a while before they continued, so he thought he should try to entertain his guest. He sat down on the seat across from here. The aisle gave them a comfortable distance, but not too far that they needed to shout to talk.

“Sorry for the wait. Apparently, there’s a monster attack, and the rails are damaged, so they’re working on fixing it.”

The official note itself only mentioned the maintenance, but several other crews shared what they saw. Monsters attacked workers in the middle of the maintenance. The workers were fine, but the maintenance had been delayed.

The guild worked as fast as they could. They understood the importance of this railway line, and they didn't want to crowd the walled cities with held-up trains. Trains still inside walled cities were advised not to proceed, while those outside should find a station or park with other trains.

“It’s alright,” Ann answered.

“Well, it’s a beautiful day today, so if you want to walk around, feel free. We won’t left without you.”

“I’m fine.”

“Well… if you say so.”

Hakade ran out of things to talk to.

“So… why are you heading to Takogashi?” Hakade asked.

“I… have my reasons.”

Now that she said it, Hakade remembered he had asked that question before. The answer remained the same.

“Well, Takogashi is a large city.”

It remained as the capital of the country, although the amount of control it had over the other regions had been greatly reduced. Many independent groups outside the walled cities control certain areas. The country didn’t have the strength to fight all of them. Many of these self-governing groups weren’t dangerous, so the government didn’t bother them. Some even worked together with the central government to rebuild.

“You’ll find a lot of things there.”

“Have you ever been to that city?”

Hakade nodded. “We didn’t stop for long, though.”

Being the capital, Takogashi had a lot of lucrative quests that needed completing. Most of the time, they stayed around the Takogashi Central Station area. They would arrive, drop off their cargo and pick up the goods, then continue onward. Once they arrive at their destination, they would take another quest. Quests heading to Takogashi always had high interest, as such, they rarely get any. Most of the time, they ended up traveling through the city but not stopping in it.

“... You never visited it on vacation?”

“Oh, yeah, back before the war. I visited it with a childhood friend of mine. That reminds me. Laurel, Ana, and Mia used to come to Takogashi often. Their parents often had business there. Meeting a client or partner from overseas. I heard they went with them when they were little.”

Laurel Anamia’s parents saw real-life experience equally as important as school. They occasionally took time off school to visit their business. At that time, the travel between Ariko and Takogashi only required a couple hours. They could depart in the morning, spend their day at Takogashi, and be back by night. Had that service been active, Ann could take a back-and-forth trip and arrive in Ariko before Hakade left Sankonomiya.

“... Those girls… are close, aren’t they?”

“They are. They’re like sisters… although I guess they're technically not?”

Silence fell upon the passenger car. Hakade thought of some more things to talk about, but Ann spoke up,

“Have you ever regretted that night?”

“That… night? Which night?”

Hakade couldn’t remember anything he regretted the night before. Nothing happened, other than him going to sleep, so he doubted she meant that.

“The night the missile strikes.”

“Oh.” Hakade didn’t expect her to mention that event. It had been years since the missile strikes.

These missiles weren’t regular missiles, nor were they nuclear. They were loaded with something else entirely. Maganium. An element clouded in mystery even to this day. It had power rivaling nuclear bombs. But, due to their recent discovery, the rules of war for them had not been written. That night, everything changed. No one could go back to the days before then.

“... I don’t know,” Hakade murmured. “Even if I regret it… What can I do?”

“You mean…?”

“Not like I can change reality. Maybe… I don’t want to.”

“You don’t want to return to the days before then?”

He had some fond memories from that time, but he shook his head.

“That would mean denying someone’s else life.”

When the strikes happened, the very rule of this universe changed forever. Things that shouldn’t exist, existed.

“Even if I was given a time machine and the chance to stop it… I don’t know if I can.”

It was something he thought about before as well. If he stood in front of a button that could reset everything, bring the world back in time, and make it as if that event never happened… Would he press it?

His parents would still be alive, his friends would be there. He could finish high school like normal, get an office job, marry the love of his life and have kids. Some of those things could still happen in the current world, but how would things be if the destruction never happened?

“Not an exciting answer, is it?”

Ann shook her head. “I… I have some regrets…”

“I’m not sure if I can help you, but I’m willing to listen.”

“... Thank you.”

Just then, Hakade heard the sound of helicopter blades flying in the distance. He looked out the window. Hidden behind the hills was a group of helicopters. Air travel, while not as safe as it used to be, still existed. Both military and civilian. It looked like a bunch of military helicopters. They didn’t have the nation’s markings. They didn’t seem to come from any other country or organization, as well.

“...!”

“What is it?”

“Those are MARA helicopters.”

•••

“Phew, that was a good bath… I feel like I can sleep there.”

“I’m surprised there’s a kind old lady living alone like that.”

“Well, she did mention that people occasionally pass.”

“And that milk… damn it’s delicious.”

The girls chatted on their way back from the hot springs. As they approached the train station, Laurel’s ears picked up on a familiar noise. She quickly checked her smartphone, but no message came from Hakade.

“Is the train…?”

Feeling something was off, she rushed toward the station, Ana and Mia following behind her. The train’s diesel engine roared, ready to go. The lights had been turned on, and it honked its horn.

“Watch out!”

A different train coming from Ariko passed by. Unlike theirs, this one was loaded with the latest military tech available. They waited for the train to pass, before rushing toward their train. Ana and Mia climbed to the crew quarters, while Laurel got on the locomotive.

“Hakade! What’s going on?” Laurel asked. Hakade held her phone, looking surprised when he heard her call.

“MARA. There’s a large battle at Kangaku.”