The severity of the cold was taking an unexpected toll on Kafka’s body. The temperature was low, and the rain falling from the low-hanging clouds was chilling his body all the more.
“Ah-choo! Ugh, so cold,” Kafka said while trudging along the road with the others.
Reno pulled the hood of his JDF-issued rain parka over his head and said, “The altitude is high too. Even at this time of year, it’s six degrees Celsius colder than Tokyo. It’s probably a great spot for a summer resort, but—”
“It’s just like you, jumping into this with high spirits and then getting sidetracked,” said Kikoru, looking around the area. “Though this really is a nice place. Would be even nicer if it wasn’t raining.”
Kafka and his fellow officers were standing in the middle of a road that stretched off arrow straight into the distance. If they continued down that road, they would come to a wide lakeside, beyond which towered Mount Fuji. They were now at Lake Kawaguchi, which boasted the longest circumference of the five lakes of Mount Fuji. Many hotels were located near the lake, but right now it was a ghost town without the slightest hint of human presence. This was because the JSDF had completed the evacuation immediately after the kaiju were discovered.
It wouldn’t surprise me one bit if a kaiju came outta there.
Kafka’s hands tightened on the rifle he was carrying. He reminded the others, “Reporters’ll be watching too, so we’d better not let ’em see us screwing up anything.”
“If you mean that news crew, they aren’t here,” Kikoru inserted.
“Huh? How come?” Kafka asked. “They’re scheduled through today, aren’t they?”
“It was fine to film us training. But they’d need to file a formal request with admin to follow us into the field, and it’s next to impossible for regular civilians to get one approved.”
“Ah, is that so?” Kafka asked. He recalled how during his days as a disassembly worker, he’d head straight to the scene as soon as they received notification.
“Sir,” Reno said, concerned, “please don’t tell me you were acting all gung ho just now because you thought the news crew was here.”
“Uh, no! I mean, well, maybe just a tiny bit,” Kafka admitted.
“New recruits, can you hear me?”
It was a transmission from Hoshina. There was a lot of noise in the signal, possibly due to the rainy weather. “All platoons, proceed to your positions. I’m going to go over the operation one more time. The kaiju targeted for neutralization emerged inside Lake Kawaguchi. The honju’s in the lake now, and yoju are coming ashore on the southern side of the lake, which has an urban area. Captain Ashiro, myself, and the veteran officers will eliminate the honju, as well as the yoju wandering around in the town. New recruits, it’s your job to wipe out the yoju that came ashore on the western side of the lake. There are big ones and clever ones, so don’t let your guard down. And although we’ll be dealing with the honju, there’s still the possibility of one of the big ones moving toward you. If that happens, it’ll be up to you to stop it.”
“Yes, sir!” Kafka shouted, trying to whip up his own spirits.
“Now I’ll hand it over to Captain Ashiro. Listen carefully, and remember what she says.”
The voice that rang out next was graceful, strong, and tense.
“Can you hear me, everyone?”
Mina!
“As was stated in the notification, the estimated fortitude of this honju is 7.1. Many yoju have also been confirmed. Make one mistake, and your lives will be in danger.”
“Your lives will be in danger”—Defense Force duty regularly went hand in hand with death. This was something Kafka knew was true, but hearing it from Ashiro’s mouth made his heart beat faster.
“I want to express my utmost respect for those of you who do not flee from your duties, but embrace them willingly. The time is 10:15—from this moment, the Lake Kawaguchi neutralization operation commences.”
With those words, the sound of gunfire rang out in the distance. Neutralization had begun.
Right away, a transmission came in from an operator. “Three yoju sighted coming ashore! Shinomiya Squad, can you handle them?”
“Certainly!” Ashiro said. “Let’s do it, Reno! And Kafka Hibino!”
“Let’s go!” Reno shouted.
“Yeah!” Kafka said, giving a vigorous answer to Kikoru’s and Reno’s words.
With Kikoru in the lead, the trio headed for the point displayed on their map.
As they ran down the rain-slicked road, several kaiju came into view. They were four-limbed ichthyoid kaiju. Ichthyoid kaiju lived in water during their juvenile stage, but once they matured, they were able to live on land. Their hides had a silver gleam and a pattern of three horizontal stripes on their bellies. All three creatures were running straight down the road toward the squad.
Kikoru went to deal with the largest individual. The midsize one was Reno’s, and the one Kafka would be taking on was the smallest individual. Their length was only two to three meters, about the size of a compact car.
The kaiju opened their mouths wide. The insides bristled with countless teeth.
Kafka came to a halt and raised his rifle.
Combat power, full release—!
Kafka had put in a lot of training since Sagamihara. His times on the shooting range had shortened as well. This wouldn’t be like Sagamihara, when he had been swatted aside by a yoju.
“Uoooooooo!” Kafka raised his voice in a battle cry, took aim at the kaiju, and squeezed the trigger. The shot he unleashed with all his might struck the kaiju’s head, piercing through a thin layer of epidermis before ricocheting harmlessly away.
“Huh?” Kafka said, stunned by the lack of damage his shot had done.
The kaiju came barreling toward him at tremendous speed, and then with a sound like a racket smacking a tennis ball, Kafka was swatted aside.
“Ugh—!”
Kafka tumbled in midair, then slammed headlong into a thicket by the side of the road. His field of vision was enveloped in darkness. His head was stuck firmly in the bushes, and he couldn’t pull it out.
“Ng, grgrgl!”
“What the heck are you doing over there?” Kikoru’s scolding voice was followed by the roar of a powerful gunshot.
“Ngggg! I can’t pull my head out!”
As Kafka writhed in darkness, somebody grabbed his ankle and yanked him out like a turnip. It was Kikoru, and she was looking at him with an appalled expression.
“P-pwah! Where’s the kaiju?” Kafka asked.
“Already dealt with.” The kaiju lay fallen where Kikoru pointed. A large hole had been blown through its body.
“Oh, wow. Way to go, Kikoru!”
“Are you still at 1 percent unleashed combat power?” she asked. “There’s no way you could have handled that thing!” Kikoru stuck up her finger in front of Kafka’s nose. “Listen, we can’t have you transforming with officers all around. Stick to doing what you’re capable of.”
Kafka nodded obediently and said, “R-right.”
What Kikoru had said was absolutely correct. He might have put in a lot of hours training, but with his present unleashed combat power, he still didn’t hold a candle to the other general officers.
“Where’s Ichikawa?” Kafka wondered aloud.
His rifle had inflicted practically zero damage on the kaiju. But the kaiju Reno was dealing with was much, much bigger. Kafka was just wondering if Reno was all right when—
A heavy thump shook the ground. When Kafka looked toward the sound, he saw a kaiju lying on the road. There was a gaping hole in its stomach. Reno was standing next to it with his rifle poised, as he wiped the sweat from under his hood.
“Whoa! Nice one, Ichikawa! You did good!”
“Sir, the information from the analysis unit was correct,” Reno said. “When I shot it through the core, I was able to beat it. I also get the feeling I can see their movements more easily than before.”