“Are you guys okay?!” Moribe calls out from the other side of the swaying flames.
“We’re all right! Please throw us the hose!”
“On it!” Following Tachibana’s orders, Moribe grabs the hose and tosses it in our direction. The metal nozzle slides across the floor and into Tachibana’s reach.
As I’m watching her, the flames sway toward us and lick my left hand. “Ouch!” The heat passes through my glove, searing the back of my hand. The growing flames send a hot blast of wind my way, burning the inside of my nose and the back of my throat. I start coughing and gagging.
“What are you doing, Captain?! Please stand back!” Tachibana barks, bracing the hose turned toward the rampant fires. “I’m releasing the water!” A powerful jet of water bursts forth, steadily pushing back the flames as it blows them out.
“Amazing…!”
“You want to aim for flammable, burning objects, not the fire itself, when putting out a fire. Please watch and memorize how I do it,” Tachibana calmly explains as she nimbly manipulates the heavy hose. Water swells into the burning room like a living creature. The fierce blaze grows smaller by the second until it’s completely doused. “The fire has been extinguished,” she quietly announces as she shuts off the flow of water.
Moribe dashes over to us. “You guys were in a serious pinch there!”
“Yeah…we somehow made it, thanks to Tachibana.”
“I’m glad you aren’t hurt, Captain, but”—Tachibana suddenly grabs me by the collar, shoves me against the wall, and starts berating me—“why did you give the okay without properly confirming the temperature first?! I warned you about how dangerous that is!”
“I-I’m sorry… I was starting to panic when I thought about how badly we need AD…”
“You panicked?! You’re blaming your failure on panic?! Do you honestly believe you can do our job with such naive thinking?! In your state, you won’t be able to protect yourself, much less save others!”
“…!” I avert my eyes away from her furious rant.
“Don’t be too harsh on him, Lieutenant! He’s out of sorts today, so we can’t expect him to be himself!” Moribe intervenes on my behalf.
“I know. He never makes such rash mistakes.” Disappointment oozes from Tachibana’s voice.
“H-Hey, Tachibana…what was I like before this?” I ask, unable to take being such a letdown.
“You were the ideal rescue worker. You were an impeccable commanding officer who possessed both composure and bravery, while excelling in the field with your physical and rescue skills.”
Moribe agrees wholeheartedly with Tachibana’s evaluation. “That was you all right. You were a bit standoffish and strict, but someone I could count on to keep us safe.”
“That was me, huh?” If that’s what they thought of me, then I must’ve been an exceptionally talented rescue worker. I feel like such a worthless coward in comparison to the me I don’t know. “I really am sorry for making such a big mistake… I know it’s late to say so, but I’ll make sure to put safety first from here on out.”
“Please be extra cautious until your memories and skills return. This area is in the clear now, so let’s continue the search before we waste more time,” Tachibana declares and briskly walks off.
Moribe and I follow behind her. My burned left hand stings. I would’ve never made such a stupid mistake if I was my normal self. Just knowing that eats away at me.
“What’s wrong, Captain? You look horrible,” Moribe whispers.
“I’m reflecting on my actions… I feel pathetic.”
“Ha! You’re like a completely different person today. You’re saying the same stuff I do.”
“You say stuff like this too?”
Moribe flashes a wry grin. “Truth is, I often think the same thing you just said. I always wonder, ‘Am I really fit to be on SIRIUS’s squad?’ SIRIUS is led by awesome people like you and the lieutenant, so I can’t help feeling like I don’t belong.”
“Awesome people, huh? Too bad I’m a far cry from that person now.”
“Don’t be hard on yourself, silly. It’s only natural you’d be a mess without your memories. I’d seriously be out of a job if you showed me up in your state.” Moribe gives me a light thwack on the back. She tends to be overly familiar with people, but she doesn’t seem like a bad person. “Well, you can’t beat yourself up over spilled milk forever. I’ll cover for you when you make a mistake, so let’s work hard together without losing hope!”
“Thanks, Moribe… I’ll try to catch on fast, so I’ll be counting on you to watch my back until then.”
“Okay! I’ve got you covered!” She smiles at me.
I’m filled with reassurance when all I’ve felt until now is helplessness. She’s a whole twelve years younger than me, but she seems to have a natural inclination to look after others. She has a cheerful disposition that makes her easy to lean on for mental support as well.
Thanks to chatting with her, I’m able to pull myself together and recommence our search of the outer ring. But we don’t come across anything of value. Worse yet, the last door is jammed because of the flames let loose by the backdraft.
“A room we can’t get inside, huh? This is my fault too…”
But unlike the other doors, this one has a small square window. I take a peek inside, but it’s empty.
“I don’t see any survivors… Should we still break down the door and look inside?”
“Breaking it will take time. Let’s wrap up our search of this block and return to the inner ring.”
Moribe and I are in full agreement with Tachibana. We turn around and travel back down the path we took to get here.