The Hurricane Princess And The Peach, Ep. 01 - Origin

While a fair amount of the content in this sub-series has been researched for consistency and inspired by real life institutions, locations and brands, their inclusion and reference by name is purely coincidental.

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“Never judge a book by its cover.” You’ve heard the phrase a thousand times already, right? Well, now you’ve heard it a thousand and one times as I take you through the tale of how two women on either side of the idiom clashed and what resulted from their paths intersecting.

The story starts off around ten years ago, back in 2018. At that point, I was a newly-promoted twenty-four-year-old Nitō rikui of the GSDF following my being completely surprised when I’d received the offer of promotion and reassignment to a camp serving further west on the main island.

Obviously, my confidence in my own abilities and service record weren’t the source of my surprise, but rather that I had been offered such a rank at that age. Well, that and they told me that I’d be transferring to a company composed entirely of women. Prior to that point in my life, I’d only ever served in mixed groups; I didn’t even know that all-female companies existed in the SDF. That said, this particular detail instantly appealed to me, so I really didn’t mind moving away from the island’s capital city and the 1st Division.

As one would probably expect, I arrived at the base of the 3rd Division that fateful Monday in March bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, as they say. Beneath the patches of light blue and bright-orange painted clouds above, as soon as I passed through the high concrete perimeters and the ID check; the site greeted me with an intense flurry of activity in every direction that I looked in. I saw platoons busy conducting assault drills, maintenance battalion officers underneath, on top of and also inside LAVs, AFVs and even one of the OH-6D light helicopters, along with swarms of administrative officers and infantry officers hastily dashing across the main yard area and between the various buildings which surrounded it.

I’d been told that my commanding officer had requested my presence at 0700 hours, which meant that I only had five minutes to locate the meeting office after having actually arrived on the base.

Naturally, I sprinted for the main building, while studying the map that I’d been provided, and trying not to bump into any of my new colleagues that also hurtled through the station’s grounds at similarly high speeds.

I’d arrived at the designated office in time. At least I thought I had; I took a peek inside the little office to find not a single soul present. The sight triggered mild concern for me; imagine; turning up on your first day of your new assignment and messing up the first and theoretically simplest of your duties – a great way to make a bad impression or worse, end up getting stuck with menial duties for ages.

I checked my wristwatch and it turned out I had arrived a little over sixty seconds early, so I figured my new CO would probably arrive soon.

Much to my surprise, the wood door of the office opened and a deep, strong and composed voice beckoned me, ‘Enter.’

Naturally, I wanted to know how she managed to end up summoning me inside what I had convinced myself was an empty office space.

The desire vanished rapidly as soon as I shuffled into the small room though.

I’ve always been pretty tall; I stood at 184cm by that point, yet the woman standing behind the desk still forced me to look up slightly. What’s more, her appearance definitely matched up to the dark and powerful voice that she summoned me inside with. Dark grey irises that reminded me of the commanding and imposing presence that the mightiest of storm clouds carried. Match that to her long, shiny black hair and sharp expression and I could sort of see why the 1st Division guys wished me good luck serving under the fabled “Hurricane Princess”; Takeyari Satsuki; her presence would probably leave any mortal being at least slightly afraid.

I guess I might have been something other than human then, because I instantly admired her; her presence definitely painted the picture of a powerful and fearless leader. That and I thought she looked stunning while doing so, but we’ll get to that later...

She afforded me little time to assess my initial impression of her. ‘Shimisu Momoka; newly assigned Nitō rikui of the Third Division’s 36th Infantry Regiment, 5th Infantry Company, I presume?’ she blankly questioned.

‘Yes, Ittō rikui!’ I heartily replied, straightening my back and legs, making sure to address her with strictly correct posture.

‘Uwah. So, when they scraped the bottom of the barrel this time, you’re what came up?’

‘I’m sorry?’ I replied. I didn’t really know how to respond to such a comment and figured anything else would probably result in being disciplined, so I opted for the least incendiary option that first rushed into mind.

‘Sorry for what exactly? I presume you were selected for the role based on your qualifications, because lord knows I couldn’t care less for that chipper, gung-ho spirit you seem to be coated in.’

‘I guess I’m sorry for you and your ability to write new colleagues off straight away without seeing what they’re capable of first-hand.’ I don’t know what spurred me on, to giving that response, but I certainly wasn’t about to be written off instantly without being given a chance to prove my worth. ‘Maybe I did get some good fortune in getting transferred here to serve under you, but I don’t plan on being stuck at this rank forever. If you really think I don’t have what it takes then why don’t we have a healthy competition and see who can climb the ranks the quickest?’

‘Well. Aren’t you just full of can-do spirit,’ she bluntly replied while shooting me an icy glare. Not even five minutes in and I’d already left my usually friendly and conciliatory manners behind and talked myself into certain disciplinary proceedings. Despite her frosty conduct and the chilly atmosphere rapidly filling the room, beads of sweat formed near the top of my back, and my breathing tensed up slightly as well, amid the unsettling silence which stretched beyond her remark.

‘If you’re serious, then I’m willing to take you up on that challenge, however, another out-of-line outburst like that, without permission to speak freely and I will stick you on desk duty or a suitably degrading post for an indeterminant period of time. Is that understood?’

‘Yes, Captain!’ I firmly replied, accepting the good grace that I’d been offered. Her willingness to accept my offer did make me curious though, so I meekly added, ‘Permission to speak freely?’

‘Granted,’ she coldly replied.

‘Why did you readily accept my challenge, if you don’t mind my asking?’

Her frosty aura crumbled slightly, as she fired a smug, kind of condescending (and teasing as well, I was sure) smile in my direction. ‘Oh, ho? Maybe I’m interested in quickly climbing the ranks of this force. Maybe I’m interested in watching a newly-assigned officer try with all her might and fail after such a rousing opening speech, or maybe it might be something else. I guess we shall have to wait and find out. That said, please make your way to your accommodation and get set up, your first training exercise commences at 0715. Dismissed.’ She took a seat in the chair on the opposite side of the wood desk and started to flicked through a series of documents that had been lying on the surface, seemingly having no more interest in me beyond the dismissal.

I departed from the room with the belief that she gained the nickname “Hurricane Princess” due to her powerful presence and elegant appearance. My mind also raced through potential consequences that I probably had coming my way as a result of being so lippy with my new CO straight away, even if she did say that she would accept my challenge. The optimist in me still held a strong belief that maybe she was serious and wanted an ally to rise through the ranks with her and if that was the case, I couldn’t have asked for better motivation to serve the new post; with her, so that we could both achieve what we desired all while I proved to her that initial impressions aren’t everything...

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“Lead an all-female company,” they said. “It’ll be fairly straightforward,” they said.

Well, after my first exchange with this one particular newcomer, I initially figured that somebody somewhere along the line had lied to me.

I’d never come across an existing or newly-assigned officer serving beneath me who exhibited behaviour standards anywhere near as poor as the lieutenant that the 1st Division sent in my direction, to join my company that Monday in March 2018.

First impressions already made me slightly concerned; the bright peach irises, matched to her strangely cheerful and optimistic attitude, combined with a long, braided ponytail held in place by a vivid-coloured scrunchie, which gave her an overall image so positive and sparkly that I almost thought she might have taken a wrong turn somewhere and ended up in front of me by mistake.

Her appearance set some alarm bells ringing for me, (albeit not serious ones) and her initial speech and decision–making only made the chorus louder. Not that I found what she said particularly irritating, but rules are rules and I’d always preferred that the officers under my command follow them, lest I end up in the same kind of trouble that Lieutenant Shimisu was due for, following her introduction and probably would be due for further down the line…

Odd as her behaviour was, I’d have been lying if I said I didn’t admire her enthusiasm a little bit. Yes; whether or not she could actually deliver on her claims remained to be seen, but I figured watching her try might have been at least an entertaining experience if nothing else.

That and I wasn’t about to let a newbie have a chance at claiming that they’re superior to me because they climbed ranks quicker than I. Cold and scary as everybody thinks I am, I’m not one to shun healthy and good-natured competition, especially if the end result was myself landing higher up the chain of command and having less people to answer to.

I say healthy competition, but seeing as the newly-arrived officer signalled through her introductory exchange that she was oh-so eager to get started, I figured I’d give her exactly what she wanted straight away and see just how much of that energy would actually translate into positive results for her performance whilst serving with the 36th Infantry Regiment…

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So… My introduction to my new commanding officer could have gone better, but seeing as I was instructed to settle in and head for training without any punishment, I took comfort in knowing that it could have also gone much worse.

With that in mind, I figured I’d keep my head down and my nose clean after leaving the office and the imposing presence of the captain who greeted me.

Naturally, I dumped all of my equipment and dashed toward the location where my first training exercise(s) were scheduled to take place. The base remained busy, with groups of officers buzzing about between locations or conducting their team’s duties; I imagined the bustling nature of the camp probably wasn’t too far from what one would see on the inside of a beehive, with worker bees noisily flitting around in all directions.

Surprise, surprise, the exercise that I was to partake in had been allocated to a training room at almost a polar opposite end of the camp site. At least on this occasion, I didn’t have to contend with the hindrance that twenty or so kilos extra on my back added.

So, for the second time in the space of twenty minutes, I found myself running through the site while trying to avoid having an accident and getting branded “Lieutenant Clumsy”, “the regiment’s new weak link” or something similar.

Thankfully, my wristwatch showed 0714 by the time that I arrived at the exercise room, lightly panting, though thankfully not sweating.

The relief of arriving ahead of the designated time lasted only a brief moment however.

Once again, I stood under the stern, dominant gaze of my new raven-haired commanding officer, who I was probably in hotter water with than she’d revealed. ‘Straight to it; when the 1st Division guys first mentioned your name, they also told a tall tale about one of your field experiences as a designated marksperson, so in the next three quarters of an hour, I want to see if there’s any truth in that far-fetched story.’

‘Good to know that my new CO is taking such a keen interest in me,’ I poked, in reply.

I thought she had very quickly grown wise to my behaviour though, as she remained cool and silent with the same rigid and chilly facial expression that she held when I first met her. My conscience suggested that I further poke her, to see if I could figure out anything more about her personality or character, but she soon enough truncated my consideration period. ‘Time is of the essence, so get yourself set up on this test rig promptly; I’d like to see first hand if you’re still up to speed enough for today’s mission,’ she very bluntly informed me, while gesturing towards the rifle set in the simulator array.

The sim that the 36th had set up wasn’t anything especially new; sort of like a VR video game, except that instead of a controller, the simulation centred around a large upper receiver module with integrated electric motors. Before I could inspect the unit at leisure, dear Captain Takeyari instructed me in her ever (not so) cheerful tone; ‘The receiver is fixed, but if you look to the rack over there, we have a decent selection of lower modules to choose from. They’re all based on factory-spec triggers, so I hope you didn’t come here expecting something with custom trigger work. Make your selection quickly, as we have an 0800 hours briefing to attend after this.’

Despite the icy edge to her voice and conduct, I still never really felt the intimidation and pressure that I’d anticipated from the reports that I’d been given before my transfer. Naturally, I responded ‘Yes, Captain!’ with a tone gay enough to be considered a polar opposite to the stone–cold Takeyari, before peppily picking up my preferred trigger pack.

After fixing the trigger pack that matched the anti-materiel rifle I’d been using at the time, (by tightening a pair of machine screws and bolts), the captain glared at me with those gloomy dark grey eyes of hers, inviting, ‘Here you go, Lieutenant; your first opportunity to disappoint. Normally I’d be giving the wind readings, but on this occasion, the sim will provide the values for you and I’ll simply be spectating.’ You’re silently ratcheting up the pressure or just giving me space to operate as I wish? Or both?

It’d be difficult to notice from a quick glance or from afar, but when the captain handed me the VR headset unit, my eye’s focus almost magnetised to her light grey nails. Maybe it’s because the company was composed entirely of women and the oversight functioned slightly differently, but it still caught me by surprise, evidenced by a brief flare of warmth within me and probably traces of a silly smile on my face. A welcome surprise, I’ll admit; yes, we’re all here to serve and defend our nation, but I’d come to realise at that moment that there was probably no harm in doing so with a bit of style.

After quickly shooing away the off-topic thoughts, I strapped on the headset that I’d been given and dropped into a prone position behind the rifle rig. As was the case with the 1st Division sim, I had to issue voice commands in order to select the exact scope that I wanted to fit to my rifle. All in all, setting up my weapon took roughly ten minutes; most of which time, the captain remained true to her word and spectated in silence, not that I particularly still cared what her motivation for doing so was.

With my rifle set up, the simulation world brightly appeared, commencing “Today’s mission,” that the captain had earlier referred to.

The absence of a human spotter meant that I was essentially set up with one of those new-fangled smart scope systems, providing me wind speed, direction and range–finding capabilities all at once. It came as no surprise to me that the captain had selected a live situation as my training exercise, with only an ETA range for the target, rather than a specific moment in time that I could prepare for.

Such is the way of VR, I’d effectively been transported to a hillside forest somewhere on the island and I could see, hear and feel the breeze as it rustled and stroked the plants and my leaf, flower and branch-covered uniform. From my secluded hillside perch, I had been instructed to wait for a convoy and an armoured target moving in its centre. I’d been given no instructions besides immobilising the primary target by whichever means I saw fit. Unsurprisingly at that point, the dear captain provided no details on the spec of the target vehicle, so I really did have to keep my instincts and decision-making abilities at their utmost sharp.

Way to make things exciting, Captain. Peering down the M7Xi scope that I’d selected (not what I ran on my rifle at the time, but it was pretty similar and I wanted to test it out), the range-finder advised me that the target would probably be sitting about six hundred metres away at the moment where I’d start sending 12.7mm NATO rounds their way.

The buzzing of grasshoppers, the rustling of the trees and the steady flow of ordinary passenger cars vans and trucks along the road under my scope’s attention, combined with the fairly average overcast and sunny skies above painted the image of an ordinary late–spring day, I thought. So ordinary that a tension accumulated in the long moments that I laid in place, waiting, studying the road, with my right palm wrapped around the pistol grip of the rifle and my index finger pointed ahead, resting against the magazine well.

I presumed the captain picked settings that’d fairly quickly grind away at the upbeat mood that I arrived with not even an hour earlier. Mercifully, before boredom could infiltrate my mind, I had to perk up and pull the tip of that right index finger within the trigger guard.

A train of three pretty much band new navy-coloured Land Cruiser Prado SUVs popped out from behind a gated residential area.

Really? They’re all using the same vehicle. Nothing like the easy stuff, eh, Captain?

Despite the latest challenging factor that had revealed itself, I slowly swayed the rifle so that the red crosshair of the MSR2 reticle sat on one particular front quarter panel.

I steadied my breathing as I slowly edge the trigger rearward.

Eyes closely fixed on the still leisurely-moving SUV, my finger paused as it hit the pressure wall provided by the small metal component that it rested against.

One sharp pull, forceful jolt, heavy blast sound and puff of smoke from the large muzzle brake rapidly set things into motion.

A messy explosion of steaming black chunks came from the front left of one of the SUVs, closely followed by another 12.7mm NATO tearing across the six hundred or so metres and a second trail of molten rubber being flung from the corresponding rear wheel well.

Armed guards hastily emerging from the other two cars? ‘Engage or hold fire, Captain?’

‘Hold fire for the time being, Lieutenant.’

I’d only used two of the ten rounds in the rifle’s magazine; although limiting bloodshed is a good thing, it kinda sucked that it seemed two shots was all that I’d be getting to fire during this mission.

Within ten seconds, I saw the teams of armed men get cut down by unknown attackers. It took little more than another ten seconds before fully–uniformed GSDF infantry women swarmed the teams, approaching from both roadway directions, pointing type 89 rifles at the assailants. A third team closely followed, surrounded and laid siege to the Land Cruiser that I’d initially immobilised.

Without warning, the world within my headset abruptly cut to black. ‘Simulation is complete, Lieutenant; you can remove the headset now,’ a cold and calm voice instructed. ‘You didn’t screw up; well done. Our mission briefing is less than five minutes away, so we should get moving,’ the captain suggested, with a hand outstretched in my direction, to aid me in rising from the floor and the rifle rig.

I took hold of her hand and flinched slightly while rising to my feet, ‘Remember to remove your trigger pack and return it to where you borrowed it from.’

I probably shouldn’t have been surprised, but without saying anything more, she left me there to tidy up after myself. “No woman left behind” isn’t a thing in this company then? I internally remarked, as I hastily ran the locking screws out from the trigger module.

My first day in the 36th Infantry Regiment was shaping up to be quite a physical affair if nothing else. Once again, I found my speed, agility and muscular endurance tested as I dashed to the location which I’d been given next to no time to reach. What’s the point in giving me these sadistic conditions if you aren’t even gonna be around to watch how they affect me?? That captain makes very little sense…

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The concentration required to traverse the busy campsite without having an accident and causing problems for my new colleagues left me no capacity to think about my new commanding officer and her quirks.

The task also deprived me of the capacity to further consider the meaning of “today’s mission”. I arrived slightly out of breath in the rugged classroom-like setup, with rows of plastic folding chairs and my dear raven-haired CO stood at the front of the room with arms folded and a frosty glare directed over the rows of uniformed officers seated before her.

I tried to discreetly slide onto a chair at the back of the room and surprise, surprise, the captain began by commenting, ‘How nice of you to finally join us, Lieutenant Shimisu.’ Her eyes fixed on me, which slightly elevated the temperature of my back, knowing that the other officers in the room were probably judging me and my being one minute late to my first formal briefing serving with the 3rd Division.

‘Today’s mission is to capture an arms dealer suspected of supplying ordnance to terrorists. We’ve been issued this mission as our primary target is suspected to have enlisted the help of the Wagner group; you know — the Russkiy and Russkaya PMC asshats that shouldn’t really have any business on this nation’s soil.

‘We’ll be heading north and also partly be collaborating with the ladies of another of the 3rd Division’s camps during this operation.’

She paused briefly and a thin, translucent wall of light manifested behind her, displaying a contour map and a variety of ordnance and letter blips dotted around it. ‘We’ll be conducting this operation split into three teams;

‘Team Alpha will be composed from myself and our latecomer First Lieutenant in the back,’ she advised, pointing to a silhouette of an M82 rifle system with a capital letter “A” behind it, after briefly flashing me a condemning glare.

She then pointed to a Type-89 assault rifle silhouette with a capital “B” behind it, ‘Team Bravo will be a team of six, led by Nitō rikui Yoshitake.’

Afterwards, she pointed to another Type-89 silhouette, backed by a capital “C”, ‘Team Charlie will be another team of six, led by Nitō rikui Butou.

‘Initial contact will be made by Team Alpha once we have a PID on the target. We’re expecting the PMC detail to strongly resist, at which point Teams Bravo and Charlie will infiltrate from points one and two.’ As she spoke, one area of the projected map zoomed in and the various blips scurried about, with the numerous smaller “T” markers converting to red crosses “X” after rattling from the A and B AR blips, leaving only the larger “T” marker remaining.

‘Team Bravo will be escorting our primary target back here in one of the LAVs, while team Charlie provides support. Though we aren’t expecting further resistance, as a precaution, Team Alpha will also be providing support, from the side of a small bird flown by some of the ladies from the 3rd Aviation Squadron.’ Naturally, the “A” marker became a sublayer of a rotating plus sign (+) blip, which tracked ahead of markers “B” and “C”. The new whirling blip quickly converted some surprise “T” markers which popped up to red crosses, which prompted a few light giggles from the other officers in the room.

‘With the main details of the operation out of the way, I’d like you all to start preparing. Teams Bravo and Charlie; you’ll need four LAVs between you, as one of them will have to bring Team Alpha to base of the mountain. Are we all understood?’

‘Understood, Captain!’ the remaining officers in the room diligently replied. I tried to reply with the same level of diligence, but honestly, with how fast things were moving that morning, a few things were slightly askew and I may have replied with more cheerful energy than was necessary; I drew a few wandering gazes and chuckles from the officers seated in front of me afterward, along with a rolling of the captain’s eyes and a sigh of despair. A little positivity never hurt anybody though, so don’t expect changes, ladies… I thought, while considering whether or not to reply with a derisive facial expression.

The room had soon fallen silent, with myself being the only officer still seated in the room, with none other than, yes, you guessed correctly; the other member of “Team Alpha”. ‘I presume that large, thin plastic case that you had strapped to your back when you arrived this morning means that we won’t have to issue you a new weapon. Might I ask what you’ll be using?’ the captain asked, tone still flat and eyes as gloomy as ever.

‘M82A1M, with ten round magazines, Captain.’

‘Very well. If I’m not mistaken, we keep supplies of M33 and M20 ammunition in stock, so retrieve a magazine’s worth of each when you’re collecting your equipment, Lieutenant.’

‘Understood, Captain.’ Rather than waiting until the moment had long passed, I wanted to lay to rest one matter which stuck out to me as slightly odd from that morning. ‘If I may, Captain?’

‘You may, but please make it quick; we have places to be and things to do.’

‘Why did you select me for this mission? Myself being new and maybe not best integrated into your company yet? Not that I’m questioning the quality of your decision–making ability, but I am kinda curious.’

‘I intentionally made your assessment exercise unusually difficult, more to test your attitude and prioritising competencies, rather than your shooting abilities. Seeing as you didn’t screw up with the ID, the following of instructions or the improvisation element, I believe you’re fit for purpose. That said, try not to screw up the actual mission please, Lieutenant.’

Were it not delivered in such a clinical and matter-of-fact manner, I’d almost have considered it an endorsement, coming from such a stoic figure. Alas, I had no time to dwell on it there or then as the real proving ground lay ahead and if the wait time was anything like the simulation, I’d have enough time to figure out another thing or to, or maybe put myself into even hotter water with the captain. Either would have been fine by me, so long as she noticed me and with this sentiment in mind, combined with my first active mission in the 5th Infantry Company being underway, it’d come as a surprise to nobody that I was filled to the brim with excitement, probably much to the displeasure of my new commanding officer.

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After an hour or so’s drive north from our camp, myself and the captain were dropped off and instantly cast our eyes on the towering, green, tree and bush-covered mountain which stood before us.

As the LAV chugged off into the distance and I slung my rifle’s carry case over my shoulder, the captain held down a button on her throat mic unit, ‘Judging from the dark clouds that are gathering above, today you’ll find out exactly why I’m commonly referred to as the “Hurricane Princess”, Lieutenant.’

I’ll be honest; although we were conducting a serious operation which had major ramifications for our national security and despite the pair of us being dressed like bushes, seeing the little smile that she flashed for a brief instant may have rushed my heartbeat for a fleeting moment and left me feeling funny enough to have shake off any indecent thoughts that lingered near my conscious, threatening to corrupt my mental space.

‘Teams Bravo and Charlie; be advised. Team Alpha are beginning their ascent. Stand by for further information,’ Takeyari informed, after her hand drifted away from her neck and the thin black unit which almost formed a full collar around it. You muted your mic just to tell me something which I could have sworn everybody from here all the way back to the 1st Division in the east knew? Strange…

The trudge up the mountainside took us almost ten minutes, where the chirping of the birds, buzzing of the grasshoppers and rustling of the leaves and branches made the physically-demanding task of ascending the steep slope more bearable.

The captain came to a stop ahead of me, not far from a sheer drop which overlooked a city almost directly in front and below us. ‘We’ll be posting up here, Lieutenant, so go ahead and get set up.’

‘Yes, Captain,’ I cheerfully replied. Unfortunately, the fact that her back faced me robbed me of the ability to see if my cheery disposition affected her in any way. Only slightly disappointed, I clicked the various clips of the long case open and extract my M82, along with a magazine filled with the standard brown copper-coloured .50 cal rounds, rather than the one which held rounds with the sliver rings next to their red tips.

Once my M82A1M had been set down on its bipod and stock and sat resting with the magazine inserted, both the captain and I lowered ourselves to the floor. While setting ourselves down, the captain advised, ‘Teams Bravo and Charlie, come in. Team Alpha are in position. Be prepared to engage on my signal.’

‘Understood; Team Bravo is ready to engage, Captain.’

‘Understood. Team Charlie is ready to engage, Captain.’

Once lying prone, Takeyari retrieved a single instrument from her backpack, along with a pair of binoculars, which naturally cause me to furrow a brow. Um, where’s the rest of your equipment, Captain?? After I extended the rifle’s monopod and flicked the switch near the trigger to “semi”, I turned my head to the bush lying next to me, If I may, Captain?’

‘Go ahead,’ she replied, once again muting her microphone, before peering into a long, black tubular device.

‘Is that all the equipment you have with you?’ I asked, curiosity lingering heavily on my voice.

Swapping from the device to her binoculars, ‘Yes, Lieutenant.’ She paused for a while, before surprising me with a dark, teasing tinge brushed onto her tone, ‘What? Were you expecting the whole wind speed and weather analysis setup?’ she responded.

‘Um, yeah?’

‘Well, you’re looking at them.’

‘I don’t follow. Unless you’re the weather analysis system.’

‘So, your brain is functioning correctly, Lieutenant; that’s good to know.’ She paused briefly and swapped from deriding to her normal, level tone, adding, ‘I’m not called the “Hurricane Princess” simply because of my typically dominant demeanour or because the kanji of my given name are “swift wind” (颯) and “princess” (妃). My ability to read wind conditions in general, not only during long-range shooting, is widely regarded as second to none. It’ll probably be no surprise that meteorology and developing adverse weather systems equipment is my military specialisation.’

‘So, you develop systems for situations like this, but you don’t use any of them?’ I asked, still thoroughly perplexed.

‘No, I don’t. Must I hold your hand and guide through the full explanation, Lieutenant? Also, the target is roughly seven hundred and twenty metres away, according to the range finder.’

As I slowly adjusted the top dial of the 3-27x56 PM II High Power scope mounted atop my rifle, I casually remarked, ‘What if I did want you to hold my hand, Captain?’

‘I beg your pardon, Lieutenant?’

‘Holding hands isn’t your thing? That nickname of yours definitely fits you, Captain,’ I remarked, with a playfully disappointed tone.

‘If you are speaking of what I think you are, then need I remind you of the strict rules that we have concerning relationships in the SDF? Also; you have two winds to contend with; 3 m/s bearing 060 up to about two hundred and fifty metres and then 10 m/s on bearing 336 thereafter.’

I delicately tweaked the dial on the side of the scope in accordance with the newly received information. Well; the last bit anyway. ‘Out of curiosity, do you ever wonder what could be going on under your nose, Captain?’ I playfully prodded.

‘No, I don’t.’

‘You don’t have a problem with—’

‘If you really must know; I have no issues with women pursuing same-sex relationships within my company or elsewhere. In fact, it has come up numerous times in off-topic chatter. I’ll tell you exactly what I told them; you’re free to pursue whatever social or romantic connection you wish to, but for everybody’s sake, don’t get caught or let any sign of it show during your service.’ She released an exhausted sigh and continued, ‘Trying to prevent sapphic episodes in an all-women company would be like trying to stop to a tsunami with a wooden garden fence, especially when I myself would probably be the same if I were in those officers’ positions. The one thing I do have a problem with however, is new Lieutenants who seem fully incapable of understanding the concept of requesting permission to speak freely, Lieutenant Shimisu.’

A slight shiver shook my spine as she uttered the last of those sentences. Despite her cold nature, somewhere within the formidable package of Captain Takeyari lied a woman who wasn’t immune to experiencing the same desires that most, maybe all of us did. Just as my mind geared itself up for wandering off into places it shouldn’t be, a figure armed with a large-scoped 417 appeared on the roof of the large warehouse that we had been studying. ‘Here we go; enemy sniper is out in the open. I presume we’re waiting for PID on primary target?’

‘Correct.’

Almost two minutes later, a swarm of men dressed in fairly rugged boots and trousers, T-shirts, plate-carrier vests and full-face masks poured out from the same warehouse, carrying HK33 assault rifles. Before the captain would inevitably issue me an order, I pulled back the holt handle and chambered the first M33 round and then flicked the paddle, to drop the mag out and swap it for the other which laid on the forest floor right next to the mag well.

Shortly after I slammed the other box magazine into the well, the captain loudly but calmly advised, ‘PID for Takeda Hiroshi confirmed. Engage, Lieutenant. Teams Bravo and Charlie, engage on my signal.’

‘Understood.’

‘Understood.’

I remained quiet, as I steadied the red crosshair of the P4FL reticle until it rested a short distance away from the head of the clown stood on the roof scanning the yard through the scope of his HK417.

I edged the trigger of my M82 rearward with my right index finger and held it at the pressure wall for a second, reviewing the wind informing that the captain had provided all the while.

The sharp jolt against my right shoulder, thunderous boom and puffs of smoke from the side and muzzle of my rifle preceded a brass case getting flung from its side and a HK417 clattering against the roof surface, closely followed by a tumbling PMC whose head had been quite violently rocked by a merciless .50 cal round.

Quickly, I swayed my weapon on its bipod, so that the red crosshair lingered on the primary target’s knee and again I sent another projectile tearing towards the site below. As the bullet sped away, it traced an increasingly bright red line through the air on its way to have a hostile one-sided discussion with an ankle of the primary target and quickly force him to tumble to the ground as if he were a tree felled from its base by a high-power blade.

‘Contact. Brave, Charlie, Engage. Team Foxtrot, what is your status?’

‘Coming in from bearing 204, ETA of about 150 seconds.’

‘Understood,’ the captain replied, as our colleagues flocked to the metal gate openings in the concrete perimeter. With little delay, I got to see my new colleagues operate for the first time; firing single shots almost simultaneously and clinically dispatching four of the armed men who surrounded the primary target. ‘You heard the woman, Lieutenant; pack it up and let’s get moving to the RV point.’ As much as I wanted to see how the other ladies handled their Type-89s and wrapped things up, evidently, there and then wasn’t the time or place, so I hastily retracted and folded up my rifle’s stabilising parts before slinging it and the spare magazine back into its case.

The remainder of the operation passed by fairly uneventfully. I mean, riding on the side of an OH-6D helicopter was a new experience, in that I’d never taken up a side shooter position on that specific helicopter before, but it wasn’t anything all that new really. That said, we all returned to our home camp early in the afternoon additionally carrying one arms dealer, a healthy haul of confiscated weaponry and ammunition and the satisfaction of an operation completed with no casualties on our side and the primary target in fairly good condition.

After arriving back at our home base and returning our service equipment into the inventory, our debrief took place, once again led by Captain Takeyari. The mission had completed smoothly enough for the captain’s remarks and analysis to be straightforward and span less than five minutes, after which, the junior officers were dismissed, onto a mealtime, before their next exercises.

As the officers filed out of the meeting room however, the captain called out, ‘Lieutenant Shimisu; a word, please,’ fixing me with a stern gaze, which naturally caused me to abruptly halt in place with a slight sense of unease welling up within me.

❀

The operation that I led had completed fully according to plan, which naturally left me satisfied heading into the debrief in the afternoon.

There was however no escaping the fact that Lieutenant Shimisu’s conduct while we had taken up our sniper positions on that forest-covered mountainside earlier that day had gone unchecked.

As the other officers involved in the mission filed out of the meeting room, I requested that she stay behind. Unsurprisingly (given the generally positive mood provided by the mission results), some of the other officers jeered and teased her as they strolled on by, towards the room’s exit. Honestly, I felt no sympathy for her; you play silly games, you win silly prizes, after all…

As the room fell silent, so too did Shimisu. In fact, she remained silent and simply returned my glare, conjuring a strangely awkward air in the room, as I had expected her to make an initial comment and trip herself over as a means of initiating the conversation.

After almost a minute of what I can only describe as a mindless staring contest where Shimisu maintained a remarkably straight face, I offered, ‘I believe our conversation from earlier hadn’t concluded.’

Surprise, surprise, her eyes narrowed and her voice came through with inappropriate levels of playfulness, ‘Eh? I didn’t think there was anything left to discuss.’

Irritated by her childlike positivity and friendly behaviour, I firmly replied, ‘There is; aside from commending you on your decision-making with the use of ammunition, I must also inform you that you’ll be joining the caretaking staff in their duties of maintaining our sanitary facilities for the next two weeks.’

‘Understood, Captain,’ she calmly replied. ‘May I ask why?’

‘As I had mentioned earlier, I’m not a fan of subordinates who seem incapable of respecting their senior officers and requesting permission to speak freely, Lieutenant Shimisu. Have I made myself clear?’

‘Understood. Thank you, Captain Takeyari.’

‘Thank you?’ I had just issued a punishment yet for some reason, Shimisu expressed gratitude and judging from the gleeful smile on her face and bright eyes, she wasn’t attempting to deceive me either. I couldn’t make heads nor tails of her response.

‘If that’s all you’re punishing me for, then I presume the other elements of that conversation aren’t off the table for further discussion?’

Ugh; it’s a just observation, I’ll give you that. At that point, I’d had enough of her teasing smile and jovial spirit for one day. ‘Dismissed, Lieutenant Shimisu,’ I firmly advised.

❀

Sooo… I might have pushed one too many of Captain Takeyari’s buttons; when I pointed out that she had left the door open for further conversations on the topic of romance, relationships and extraordinary abilities, she unflinchingly and absolutely shut me down.

Given how she behaved for the entirety of that day so far, I considered her final responses that day as a total win, even if she delivered them with that characteristic seriousness that she rarely ever strayed away from.

As much as I wanted to poke her a bit more for fun and boo her for cutting me off, I concluded that I’d hit my mark that day and that Captain Takeyari was mine for the taking and that she stood firmly in my red crosshair. All that remained was proving to her that I had the capability to take her and if her remark concerning my field performance was anything to go by, I figured my chances weren’t bad, especially if her unnaturally strong wind reading ability turned out to be something similar to what significantly helped get me my previous promotion...

That said, I departed from the room with a straight face, though internally, sunshine and rainbows filled the landscape of my mind, despite the GSDF camp setting.

❀

With the walking mess that was Lieutenant Shimisu out of my sight following the operation debrief, I had been freed to start writing up my mission report and behave with less concern for outward image.

Despite her questionable behaviour throughout the day, there was no negating the fact that if I were to write the report honestly, it would paint Shimisu in a pretty good light, which (if I factored in some of the things she said earlier) would probably result in me never hearing the end of it, her getting a big head, her edging ahead of me in the race for a promotion or a mixture of these possibilities. Ugh; I’m already exhausted, just thinking about it.

Although I made that remark at the time, genuine excitement had taken root within me. Never before had I been positioned near another officer that didn’t fear me or felt me approachable enough to strike up conversation as friendly as Shimisu did during that day. Mix in her unusually strong field proficiency, the strange details of one past mission report of hers that I never got to enquire about, her desire to climb the ranks and the impressive amount of energy that she had available, to commit to such a pursuit and any logical person who paid enough attention to her could tell that she had huge potential.

The freedom of having no eyes (prying or otherwise) on me afforded me the luxury of briefly displaying an encouraging smile, as my mind slightly wandered. What else do you have in store for me, Shimisu Momoka? Will you be the one to face off against the Hurricane Princess and not be ripped apart?...