Chapter Two - Tuesday I

Things really are different now, huh? In normal circumstances police definitely wouldn’t be selling equipment, let alone a few plate-carrier vests and five level-IV plates to a single customer, Renka thought, as she dipped a hand into a pocket while approaching the camp’s rear entrance, beneath skies beginning to greet the sun.

The visitors’ area’s been cleaned up and the staff seem relatively calm, though there’s definitely an inescapable tension lingering in the atmosphere.

After being debriefed by the Major in charge of the camp, Renka returned to her regular duties within an hour of having arrived.

‘It sounds like you had quite a busy night?’

Ah. That’s mildly concerning; a brief surge of heat through my body. I don’t think you realise your own power, mysterious woman. Renka came to an abrupt halt, gazing up at the woman with short, black hair and pink highlights who had calmly questioned her.

‘It was, um, productive, heh,’ Renka awkwardly chuckled. ‘Sooo, is there something you wanted?’ Please let there be something…

‘No, I was just curious and figured I’d ask, seeing as you were passing by,’ the coldness of her voice contrasting with the sentiment of her words.

‘Interesting… In that case, I have something to ask you. What would you say if an awesome SDF captain invited you to come with her on an adventure?’ Renka asked, with a friendly smile.

‘What?’

‘Well, I might be leaving here soon, alone, to follow-up on that incident from last night. I thought maybe the mysterious woman who recently arrived would like to accompany me,’ Renka explained with a welcoming smile to the woman staring at her, perplexed.

‘What?’

‘I’m going to check with the officer in charge later on, if they’ll approve a covert operation for me to “investigate” the mishap last night. If not, then I’ll just request some leave time, heh. Either way, you seem about the same age as me, that mysterious vibe you give off is pretty interesting and that athletic build of yours suggests to me that you might actually be useful,’ Renka explained quietly but confidently, with a slightly more serious facial expression.

‘Right.’ So, the odd behaviour when we first met wasn’t just a one-off then. You’re definitely an odd one, especially if you’ve already decided on somebody like me being a worthy candidate for whatever it is you’re thinking of. I’m not sure if I should be flattered, or concerned; maybe both? ‘Well, it’s not like I have anywhere else to go or much desire to do anything else right now, so, I guess I could accompany you.’

‘Great!’ Renka exclaimed. ‘Well, I’m gonna hurry on, to my next station before I get called on the PA system. I’ll come find you later,’ she concluded, lightly waving and flashing a cheery smile as she set off.

❀

‘So, do you think it could be done?’ asked the woman with a lock of orange hair, then indistinguishable in colour from her skin, thanks to the tinting of the luminous sunset which flooded through the nearby window of the office.

‘I’m only one rank above yourself, captain, so it’s unlikely that I could approve something like that myself, but I can inquire with our superiors, I guess.’ Though stern, her voice held a hint of sympathetic warmth. ‘Honestly, I wouldn’t count on it, given that it’s probably more of a police matter.’

‘Hmm,’ Renka began, putting a hand to her chin, ‘I do have a lot of unspent leave available, so could I use that?’

‘You really just want to go rogue, don’t you?’ the Major responded, with a mildly concerned tone, bordering on condemning.

‘If you give me a pen and paper, I can write the formal request now, correct?’

‘Yes.’ The major let out a sigh and rolled her eyes at Renka’s enthusiasm. It’s too late now; there’s never been any dissuading you once your mind’s fixed on a particular strategy, Captain.

‘Much appreciated.’ Renka innocently smiled as she held up the leaf of note paper, almost half covered in ink scribing.

‘Eh?’ I just handed you that sheet, how have you already written out that much?? No wonder you hit that rank at such a young age… She formed a faint smile. ‘You know; it’s going to be a bit less fun around here without you.’

‘Awww! I’ll miss you too, Major!’ Renka replied, displaying an inappropriate level of familiarity. ‘Despite last night’s incident, this was easily the homeliest posting I’ve been assigned to thus far.’ She added, with a slight hint of sadness in her voice as she gazed directly at her superior.

Standing up, she politely asked, ‘Well, Major, if I may?’

‘Yes; dismissed,’ the other woman replied, with a level tone, though the faintest trace of a smile could be seen for an instant.

‘Off the record, I should warn you not to do anything stupid out there; it’d be a shame if our colleagues were deployed to apprehend you,’ she added, very firmly. ‘However, if you do find yourself needing to report in some trouble, these radio frequencies might be useful.’

The Major handed Renka a small piece of note paper.

Ah; a list of both locally-directed military and police radio frequencies?

‘Memorise it and then destroy it once you have.’

‘Thank you, Major,’ Renka replied surprisingly softly, as she waved whilst exiting the office.

Alright; now I just need to find my mysterious partner…

❀

What are you doing? The young lady with black and rose-coloured hair thought, while sat at a dining hall bench, eating. Surely somebody else will spot the dubious figure outside peeking from a corner, making strange and energetic hand signals in my direction.

After leaving her meal and the hall, ‘You couldn’t have waited until after dinner?’ she asked Renka, in a monotonous voice.

‘Nope, hehe. There are no clouds tonight and the waning gibbous moon is beaming brightly; the night is both young and beautiful, so there’s no time like the present.’

‘I’m sure the night would have still been young and beautiful in ten minutes though. Whatever. Why did you summon me out here?’

‘The time hath come,’ Renka explained, yeah; that sounded nowhere near as serious as I’d have liked, oh well… ‘I made my request for a period of leave earlier today, and judging from the major’s response, it’ll be approved within a day or two,’ she gleefully explained. ‘I’m free to leave tonight though, as I’ve already been dismissed.’

‘Right,’ she coolly responded, maintaining a blank expression. Uwah; this one moves pretty fast, doesn’t she? I’m not sure if I should be surprised or impressed here.

‘Sooo, if you pack up your things, we could set off tonight, in the direction of an action-packed adventure,’ Renka insisted with an excited smile.

‘I’ve no things to pack up, so I’m ready when you are. However, if you don’t mind; if the adventure is going to be action-packed, I think we should visit somewhere first…’

❀

Uwah; things really have changed. It almost feels tense with so little people out on the streets… the woman with black and purple hair accentuated by a side ponytail thought. She sauntered through the capital city, which despite the relative lack of footfall, remained lit up brightly as ever.

Despite the lack of a curfew, the residents remained aware of the crime rates increasing as a surge in opportunistic criminal activity followed the decline in overall socio-economic climate. The increase in crime rates also meant that the security forces were almost constantly stretched thin, resulting in relatively minor incidents or those involving less people going amiss.

She pondered while her hi-tops almost silently rhythmically tapped the pavement. Looks like I’ll be getting back to the apartment without running into any trouble; how boring.

‘No! Stop!!’

A panicked voice from nearby? Finally; some drama.

The woman hurried and leaned against a corner of the building on the main street nearest to the sound source before carefully poking her head around the corner.

A young lady, likely in her late teens or early twenties, struggling and making a series of terrified sounds while two men forcibly handle her?

The men are dressed similarly to foot soldiers from local organised crime operations; black shoes, smart trousers, turtle-neck jumpers and caps with black gloves as well.

Well, I guess this one’s up to me, she thought, while drawing her tanto from the holster on her left thigh.

Swiftly and silently, she advanced down the alleyway, eyes fixed on the struggle ahead.

Without hesitating, she altered her stance and delivered a low kick to one of the men, causing him to topple over.

The man landed directly on his back and stilled considerably, followed by quiet and strained groans.

‘Go! Run!’ she urgently commanded the younger woman, catching her gaze for not even a second.

While the other man’s face carried a startled expression, the attacker quickly straightened up and with an elegantly lifted and extended leg, she struck him squarely in the chest.

He stumbled backwards, before losing balance and tumbled to the ground.

With the small opening, she returned to the first man and unflinchingly carved across his throat, ending his noise and limited wriggling.

She collected a shuriken from her skirt as she turned. Eh? Drawing a 17 pistol?

I guess I’m aiming for the wrist then. She swiftly dispensed her metal flower, with a powerful flick of her right wrist.

‘Tch.’

A single sound and irritated glare were all that she responded with following the loud blast and bright flash.

Not good enough, girl. Although the star’s embedded itself in the wrist and taken the gun out of play for now, once again I’ve got the pain from a hot metal projectile permeating my right shoulder area.

She stood upright and walked over to the second man, who attempted to rise from the ground, grimacing with outrage.

She kicked the handgun away and then drove the sole of one of her hi-tops into his chest, thumping him back down onto the ground.

‘Judging from the blood loss, I’d say you have enough time to tell me who you’re working for before you bleed out.’ She advised with a frosty stare, directly into his eyes.

‘Smug bitch; as if I’d ever give up information to a worthless chick like you.’ The man replied with an enraged tone and irritated scowl

The black and purple-haired woman knelt down on the man’s chest and instantly drove the tanto into the man’s other wrist, prompting an irritated and pained yelp from the man.

‘I have somewhere to be, so if you don’t mind, please answer my question,’ she requested, her eyes drilling into his. She smiled after finishing, as if to suggest her conduct were polite and pleasant.

‘Go to hell.’

In reply to the command, the woman’s tanto forcefully swept along the man’s neck just as mercilessly as the final strike was for his colleague.

If I’m due there, then be sure to say hi to Satan for me, she thought, while wiping away her tools’ red splashes on the man’s clothing.

After that gunfire, law enforcement might turn up soon, so I should probably get outta here, fast, she resolved, beginning to make her way from the alleyway.

Once back out on the main road, her view quickly panned across the scene, no GR Yaris waiting for me tonight, so I guess I’ll need a loaner to carry me to my next destination and help me avoid being seen with clothing and a shoulder turned ragged by 9mm ammo.

After finding, lockpicking and hotwiring a suitable candidate, Hikari paused for a moment in the driver’s seat and released another pained groan while clutching her shoulder.

‘What is it with guys, 17s and this right shoulder?’ she asked herself, sounding irritated.

‘Oh well, I guess I’ll have to swing by that clinic again,’ she concluded, with a lighter tone of voice and a little smile appearing on her face.

❀

‘Yes! I’ve finally figured it out!’ the woman with a twin-bun hairstyle joyfully exclaimed, as she leaned back in her desk chair.

Tsubaki elected to switch off the neon “open” sign of her clinic and work into the night at her desk and had seemingly made a breakthrough.

At this rate, maybe I’ll be able to use this in the not-too-distant future, for an intelligent robot, she thought, as she began to pack away her laptop and notebooks.

Although the open sign rested without light, the general interior lights still kept the space bright.

The buzzer for the clinic broke the near-silence within.

‘Huh?’ Tsubaki quietly asked herself. Why would somebody be using the buzzer at that time of night, when the clinic isn’t open? When will these extraordinary visits stop? I’m not the only medic city, folks.

She got up and proceeded to the front door, stopping to peer through the viewer peephole of the entrance.

Ugh; a woman with black hair, purple ends, a braid on one side and a side ponytail on the other; the same woman who visited last night.

The doctor frowned.

Surely something couldn’t have developed following the operation I carried out in the small hours of the morning? Wait a second; her outfit is damaged higher-up than it was when she arrived the last night.

During this brief observation period, her facial expression changed from that of worry to that of mild frustration. Still, she reluctantly unlocked the door.

‘You again? she condemningly questioned. ‘Let me guess; you need medical attention at awkward hours, again?’

‘Eh? No good evening, it’s nice to see you again or anything? What’s with this tsundere act that you have going on?’ the visitor questioned in return, with a playfully upset tone whilst beginning to pout.

‘If you came here only to flirt, then you’re welcome to head back in whatever direction you just came from; I’m perfectly fine without you upsetting the status quo around here.’

‘Yikes; you’re in a worse mood than last night,’ the visitor discreetly murmured.

‘What was that?’ the doctor barked back.

‘Nothing!’ The visitor innocently smiled. ‘Anywho, my right shoulder needs a bit more attention,’ she added, while removing the jacket draped over her shoulders, to reveal a bloodied right shoulder, still slowly bleeding.

‘You couldn’t have cleaned it up a bit on your way over here?’

‘I was in a bit of a rush and didn’t make any stops on the way here,’ she replied, with her voice sounding increasingly burdened.

After releasing a conceding sigh, ‘Well then, come and set yourself down on the examination seat,’ the doctor instructed, warmly.

‘Thank you,’ the visitor accepted, with a pleased smile replacing the pouting expression.

After a series of questions related to the injury, ‘Judging by my initial analysis, the damage is superficial, the bullet having missed any bones or major blood vessels.

‘It’s a big stroke of luck that the projectile had only cut through the skin and damaged hardly any of the muscles. Thankfully, this one will be relatively easy to take care of at least. At most, retrieving the projectile, cleaning up the wound and wrapping it properly will only sting, so there’s no anaesthesia for you this time. Well, that and I kinda want to see you squirm a bit,’ Tsubaki informed, with a hint of a playfully malicious smile.

‘You really are playing up to the whole tsundere archetype, aren’t you?’ the patient teased whilst smiling mischievously. ‘It’s fine doctor; if anything, I’m a bit turned on by it,’ she added, delicately.

Tsubaki brought forward her toolset and materials. She set about foraging within the visitor’s latest bloodied opening. As an added bonus for being so annoying, I’ll happily waste no effort on trying to make this a painless process. You’re welcome.

‘Although curiosity is what killed the cat and against my better judgement, I’d like to know what happened this time?’ the doctor asked.

‘Unlike last night, tonight was more of a bystander helping somebody in need type of deal. Two guys were harassing a girl while I made my way home. After hearing her frightened screaming, I couldn’t just let the guys have their way, so I swooped in and made sure that she got away unharmed and that those scumbags wouldn’t be able to cause any other women trouble ever again.

‘I managed to catch another handgun bullet as a reward, though.’ She paused for a short period, before continuing, ‘We had it fairly rough in normal times; I don’t even want to think about how much more violence against women there is now, with the increased crime levels and criminal presence on the island,’ she explained, with regular hesitations, as the doctor continued her operation.

‘Ah.’ Well, I didn’t see that noble an answer coming; I guess you’re not a complete disaster, not that it’s any excuse for murder, mind you. ‘Could you not find a method that gets you shot a bit less though?’

‘It’s maybe a bit late for a career change, heh.’ The patient attempted to chuckle. ‘I may not be a police officer or an SDF officer, but the world sometimes needs people like me to fill in the gaps, especially in times like these,’ she added, with a bit more seriousness in her tone as she tried to resist the urge to make strange noises in sync with the doctor’s operating.

‘I admire the intent, but I can’t honestly say I admire the methods, especially considering the work I’m doing on this shoulder right now,’ the doctor remarked, revealing a slightly irritated frown as she spoke.

I did notice the half-packed equipment on the work desk. ‘Yeah, I can imagine,’ the guest whimpered. This late and you were only just getting ready to head home? I wonder what keeps you here so late?...

Still staring at the ceiling, she ignored the stings and sharp pains as she continued to ponder. I wonder what she would be doing right now if I hadn’t turned up? Maybe she’d still be working, or playing something?

If she stays here this late every night, then maybe she’s got no significant other? I’ve seen no trace of a phone yet as well...

She already seems pretty annoyed with me, so I’m not gonna rock the boat any more tonight; it’d suck if she actually ended up despising me, though I do want to confirm my suspicions...

The patient remained quiet until the time arrived to pay for the service that she had received. She summoned her payment card and instructed the doctor, ‘Feel free to charge extra, for having your night disrupted,’ she advised, with a little, friendly smile.

No flirtation or playfulness? Colour me surprised. ‘I would have probably done so, even without your advice,’ the doctor flatly responded.

‘I can’t say I’m surprised,’ the visitor replied lightly, now sat up, weakly kicking her dangling feet back and forth, before hopping away from the seat. I still have work to do here, so I guess I’ll be a good girl and leave gracefully. ‘I hope you have a good night, doctor,’ she offered gently while opening the door.

‘Not that I don’t want to see you here again or anything, but please stay out of trouble and give that shoulder a week or two to heal and set,’ she instructed, while finishing the packing up of her work and personal belongings. Her voice sounding blatantly weary during the course of her issuing the advice.

‘I’ll try,’ she replied, still facing away from Tsubaki.

After a noticeable pause, ‘Oh, and by the way, Doctor, my name is Hikari. You know; just in case I happen to end up back here again,’ the black and purple-haired woman concluded, with a little playful smile.

❀

‘Alright Kasumi, let’s go!’ the woman with the dark brown hair and an orange highlight exclaimed with a bright smile. I picked up your name while assigned a shift on the intake desk; hopefully it’s not that creepy? Oh well; it’s too late now.

She had swapped out from her SDF uniform for an untucked, light grey button-up shirt, with sleeves rolled to the elbows along with a simple, short, navy-coloured skirt, above full-length solid-black leggings plus purple and grey winter boots on her feet. At her back sat a quite hefty backpack with plenty of MOLLE webbing on its front area, almost painting the picture of a hiker or a plain-clothes reconnaissance scout.

‘You know, it probably would’ve made more sense to have stayed the night, rested at the camp and set off in the morning,’ the black and pink-haired woman stated calmly to Renka. Why do I get the feeling she’ll be even more weird, now that she’s left the camp?

‘Eh? Why’s that?’ Renka queried, with a confused expression.

‘The stop that we need to make is pretty far away, in the mountains, over here,’ she explained, while pointing on a freshly-retrieved and unfolded map, to a region about two-hundred kilometres east of where they stood.

‘Ah,’ Renka responded. Now I’m confused for different reasons.

With unbridled excitement in her voice, the captain continued, ‘Nice! We can have a walk under the starlit sky for a while tonight, rest in the first hotel that we find for the night and then start the journey towards your mountain hideout in the morning.’ Renka beamed a warm, bright smile and bordered on jumping up and down on the spot as she proposed.

You’re like an over-enthusiastic puppy that’s eager to go to the park. I can’t honestly say I’m feeling the same excitement, but your outlook and that smile of yours does at least provide me some positivity about what lies ahead…