It appeared the great majority of Actaeon had gone into hiding in unpopulated places. The news reporting on bombing incidents that happened on an almost daily basis had died down and mostly been forgotten. This wasn’t to say it wasn’t mentioned at all, but there were simply no incidents to report on.
“That’s why they ran away from home, according to what Yuuto said… I guess that’s good, at least,” Kurena murmured.
Shin and the other Processors didn’t know the Actaeon girls, but they were still fellow Eighty-Six. They were all concerned about them on some level, and so they ended up watching the TVs in the lounges and dining halls for details about them. However, by now, the news was focused solely on the difficult fighting on the front lines and the chaos caused by the evacuations.
“I doubt none of them considered taking revenge on the Republic, but where they were evacuated to wasn’t disclosed,” Raiden said as he ate his traditional Federacy breakfast of steamed beans and bacon. “In which case, they wouldn’t want to get innocent people caught up in their problem, and if they can avoid doing that, that’s for the best.”
“Yeah, at the very least.”
“…But if that’s the case…,” Shin murmured to himself, and Raiden and Kurena glanced at him but didn’t say anything else. Shin didn’t notice that.
The Actaeon went into hiding, and the bombing incidents were gone from the news, but Grethe said the investigation was still officially ongoing. And yet…for whatever reason it may be, not having people who should be by their side present did take a toll on his appetite. But his acquired nature as a warrior instructed him to eat and keep up his stamina, so he gripped his fork tightly. He’d managed to swallow his indignation before, but having the lack of progress dangling in front of his eyes made it surge up again.
“Why isn’t Lena being brought back?”
✦ ✦ ✦
Yuuto told them that according to the Actaeon’s own admission, much like real mines, they had a time limit set to their self-detonation, so as to dispose of them after enough time.
“The girls who ran have their time limit set to this December. This fits with Second Lieutenant Crow’s testimony.”
The head of the research team came to Grethe’s office to present the results of their investigation into seized documents on the Actaeon. This was, after all, not information they could tell the Eighty-Six as is.
“Also, this is putting it in a very cruel way, but they’re only test subjects, not full-blown weapons. They simply used those girls without brainwashing or conditioning them, and the girls want to avoid hurting other people, too. If another incident doesn’t happen, we can wait until New Year’s to quietly disclose the facts and declare everything is safe.”
Assuming that over the course of this month, the girls would all stay hidden and blow up in secret. Grethe sighed softly. Indeed, it was a cruel way of putting it, and still…
“So it looks like everything will fizzle out safely. I suppose the reports of the Morpho ended up drowning out that news and was a blessing in disguise.”
If nothing else, those girls wouldn’t be forced to have their good names besmirched.
“…But that said, even if we have to wait until the situation naturally fizzles out, I do want Colonel Milizé and Major Penrose returned to us. I think Captain Nouzen’s patience with regards to Colonel Milizé is at its limit.”
Grethe knew Lena and Annette were under Willem’s protection, which implied they were being kept safe and cared for…but Grethe hadn’t disclosed the fact that Willem was behind it to Shin. Shin was doing a good job of putting up with it so far, but if he found out it was Willem, Shin would no doubt lose his temper.
“Well, I know you don’t like the Killer Mantis, but I do understand why he made that decision,” said the head of the research team, sipping on extra-caffeinated coffee substitute that was thick like mud.
He was from the other family that developed the Reginleif—in other words, Grethe’s family business—and was a childhood friend of hers who had an inseparable bond with her.
“You’re in the same boat, Grethe. When things go awry, it’s the king who gets hanged. Heroes who failed get sent to the gallows… Though, victorious heroes get sent to the gallows just the same. Either way…”
“…Yes.”
Grethe dropped her eyes. This was why Willem and the military’s top brass were acting cautiously and keeping those two under custody.
“Depending on how this goes, they—particularly Colonel Milizé—might still be in danger. They could end up getting caught in the cross fire here…and that could go on to make things worse.”
✦ ✦ ✦
Yuuto and the group’s shelter for that day was a small, deserted village hidden deep in the woods, likely evacuated following the second large-scale offensive. Seeing the girls’ expressions, filled with the temptation of sleeping in a bed for once, he stopped in his tracks, picked one of the civilian homes, and pried its nailed door open.
Thankfully, this town was off the highway and in a thick forest, making it too small to serve as a camp for a company of troops, so the odds of them being discovered here were slim. As evening fell, he pulled cloths over the windows, which were closed not by glass panes but by wooden planks, then he lit a discarded lamp. This village seemingly wasn’t connected to a power grid.
Citri looked around the unfamiliar sight of a Federacy home on the western frontier with interest and clear relief.
“So this is what a Federacy countryside house looks like.”
“It’s pretty different from the capital. From the Republic, too.”
They felt a bit guilty about invading someone else’s home, but it had been a long time since they got to sit in a chair, by a table, surrounded by a wooden floor, walls, and ceiling. The cooking stove’s kindling looked usable, so Karine went ahead and lit it. As Yuuto watched the girls awkwardly light the stove and use the pot to make dinner from their canned food, he sank into thought.
Dustin didn’t make it in the end. The plan was to meet up with him here in Vesa, but he either didn’t get the message or heard it too late, much like how the Federacy military was late to react to the Actaeon.
And while Vesa was still within the Federacy’s lines, once they crossed into Niva Nova, they’d be on the battlefield proper, making a rendezvous impossible. Even if Dustin did lose all his composure and hurried over, someone would have stopped him.
…Yuuto would have liked to have them meet if possible. Dustin…and Citri both wished for it, too.
Citri waited for the pot to boil with a pleased expression, unaware of Yuuto’s thoughts. Kiki, Imeno, and Shiohi were around her.
“It’s like a fairy-tale house. Like where the sick grandma lives.”
“True! Either that, or the story with the hardworking dwarves or the baby goat brothers.”
“And then there’d be a donkey with a chicken on its back crying outside.”
Everyone casually looked over to the wooden window, and as if on cue, they heard some kind of animal crying from outside.
“…Is that a donkey?”
“I don’t know…”
Yuuto pondered that thankfully it wasn’t a wolf, and it was quite far away from the window, but he had no idea what it was. He had no idea what they meant by a donkey with a chicken on its back, either.
Ashiha, who had unevenly cut reddish hair and was the most cheerful of the group, said, “Oh, but that’s how my great-grandma used to live! Back when she was little, villages didn’t have electricity yet, so they had to use firewood to cook!”
“Really?”
“’Cause I used to live in the boonies. When I was little, we had to walk a whole day to get to the next village over.” Ashiha smiled, her eyes creasing as she basked in the memories.
…Memories of the homeland that the Eighty-Six, Yuuto included, had forgotten over their time on the battlefield. Yuuto could only remember bits and pieces, so his hometown didn’t have much nostalgic value in his eyes.
“…What was it like?” The question slipped from his lips unawares.
Yuuto was probably the one most surprised at having asked such a question.
Have I…ever wanted to ask such a question?
As the girls’ eyes, each a different color, turned to him, Yuuto avoided looking into Citri’s violet ones, fixed his eyes on the lamp, and continued his question.
“Your hometowns… The places you want to return to.”