“Nn… Ah, crap, I fell asleep.”

The jolt of my head drooping in the bedside chair brought me back to my senses. I shook my head and looked over at Mina.

“Suusu~”

Mina was quietly breathing in her sleep, which gave me some relief.

“Her fever seems to have gone down a bit.”

I gently touched her cheek to avoid waking her, and Mina shrank her neck slightly, looking a bit ticklish.

She seems to be sleeping well.

With this, her fever should be down.

I looked at the wall clock and saw that it was just past noon.

“Come to think of it, I haven’t had lunch yet. Is there anything to eat?”

I headed to the pension’s kitchen to scavenge for something, but after yesterday’s barbecue and the late-night snack before the bonfire, there weren’t many ingredients left.

All that remained was a small amount of rice and the seasonings provided in the pension.

“Hmm. I’ll make some rice porridge in the rice cooker so Mina can eat when she wakes up.”

Having decided on the menu, I quickly rinsed the rice, seasoned it with salt and Chinese broth, set the rice cooker to porridge mode, and pressed the cook button.

“This should do. Since we stayed up late and had a midnight snack, a light lunch would be fine. For dinner, I’ll ask someone to get some local delicacies.”

I thought about asking Suo-senpai, who was probably out shopping with Marin-chan, to buy something and took out my phone.

(Beep! Beep! Beep!!)

A loud ringtone blared from my phone.

In a panic, I quickly tapped the accept button to avoid waking Mina.

Relieved that it didn’t ring while I was in Mina’s bedroom, I checked the message.

“This is…”

Reading the message labeled “Emergency Recall”, I couldn’t help but frown.

“Sigh… Even in Okinawa, there’s work…”

I muttered to myself, rubbing my temples.

Then, without missing a beat,

“Good work, Major General Kamiya.”

“Yeah, good work to you too, Hayami-san. It’s tough for both of us during our time off…”

I didn’t have to turn around to know who it was; only one person could do this. I spoke directly to my aide, Hayami-san.

“Uh… The message said to head to Chinen Subdivision.”

“Yes. We’ll go with the second Airborne Brigade of the rapid response unit. It’s an elite unit with a friend of mine from my cohort.”

“Oh, it’s the unit with your friend you mentioned. That’s reassuring… Wait a minute. Airborne Brigade means… could it be…”

“We’ll discuss the details once we arrive at the subdivision. Let’s go.”

“Hey! Wait!”

Since it’s an emergency recall, Hayami-san was right, but I ended up leaving without leaving a note for Mina.

I vowed to finish everything before Mina woke up!

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

“Second Airborne Brigade, Headquarters Company, Lieutenant Matoi Iori reporting! Today, I will be attending to Major General Kamiya!”

When I stepped out of the locker room in my combat uniform, Lieutenant Matoi was waiting for me. It was immediately clear that she was the female officer friend of Hayami’s that I’d heard about beforehand. Female officers in the Airborne Brigade are very rare.

“So, you’re the friend from Hayami-san’s class. Nice to meet you. I have a question right away.”

“Yes, sir! What would that be?”

“What’s that thing you’re holding that looks like restraints?”

I asked about the item Lieutenant Matoi was holding. Though, seeing Matoi already fully equipped in front of me, I knew exactly what it was, but I hoped I was wrong.

“Yes, sir! This is a tandem skydiving harness!”

“Skydiving, really?! I told the Joint Staff Office that skydiving is a no-go for me!”

I dropped to my knees, clutching my head. I really didn’t want to do that again!

“In order to entrust our lives to this, a qualified person must always assist with wearing the tandem harness. I will be helping you put it on!”

“Ah… okay. Please do…”

My spirits plummeted, but as a Major General, I couldn’t let my fear of heights interfere with the mission. I managed to muster a reluctant acceptance.

“Excuse me!”

With my consent, Lieutenant Matoi skillfully fitted the harness onto me. It was tight, as it should be when you’re entrusting your life to it.

“Is it too tight anywhere?”

“No, it’s fine…”

Ugh… this is so stressful…

I understand that parachute jumps are essential for this mission, but I’m still scared…

“Sorry to keep you waiting. It took some time since it’s been a while… Major General Kamiya, I’ll assist you with the tandem harness…”

“Oh, Hayami-san.”

(Clank!)

Hayami-san, who emerged from the women’s locker room, dropped the harness she was holding when she saw me.

“Io… can you explain this?”

“We’re on duty, so it’s Lieutenant Matoi. Let’s keep our professional and private lives separate, Lieutenant Hayami.”

Lieutenant Matoi responded with a slight smile, dodging Hayami-san’s piercing gaze with a polite facade.

“Professionalism is irrelevant right now! You… you touched Yuu-sama’s body…”

“You’re not good because you have ulterior motives. You’re out of practice, right? You can’t match my proficiency with harnesses in the Airborne Brigade. Ensuring Major General Kamiya’s safety is the priority. Right?”

“Ugh… the exciting event where I get to worry about Yuu-sama’s delicate zones…”

Hayami-san crumpled to her knees, overwhelmed by Lieutenant Matoi’s unassailable logic. Despite Hayami-san’s outburst, my mind was mostly occupied with the fear and anxiety of the upcoming skydive, so I let their conversation wash over me.

“Major General Kamiya, although she’s like this now, her diving skills are honed in the officer academy’s diving club, so she’s as capable as any paratrooper. If it comes to it, I’ll rescue both of you with a rapid descent.”

Trying to reassure me, Lieutenant Matoi whispered encouragingly in my ear. She had a boyish, big-sisterly air that was quite cool and admirable. If I were a girl, her dependable words might have made me fall for her in this anxious state.

“Io… are you trying to improve your standing with Yuu-sama by undermining your best friend?”

For some reason, Hayami-san, who had a sixth sense when it came to matters involving me, stood up unsteadily, glaring at Lieutenant Matoi with bloodshot eyes.

Clearly, this was not the look of someone addressing a friend.

“Look, your hair’s all messed up because you’re fooling around, Lieutenant Hayami. Let me fix it for you.”

“You always change the subject like that…”

“Yes, yes. You want to show off in front of your crush, right? Then straighten up.”

“Yes…”

Having lived together for so long, they knew each other inside out. Watching Lieutenant Matoi combing Hayami’s hair with her fingers, I thought how nice it must be to have such close comrades.

(Whir! Whir! Whir!)

The rear hatch of the transport plane opened, and a strong gust of wind rushed in.

Why!? Why!?

I was just thinking how nice it was to have such camaraderie, and now we’re already 4,000 meters in the air!?

“Camel, the course is clear, proceed as planned!”

At the drop zone, Lieutenant Matoi gave a hand signal.

“Camel, course clear, ready, ready, jump, jump!”

Hayami-san, attached to me with the tandem harness like carrying a baby, ran straight out into the open sky.

In variety shows, they usually take more time to prepare for skydiving!

I still needed to mentally prepare!

The moment I saw the white clouds below, the ground disappeared beneath my feet, and that floating sensation hit me like a roller coaster.

“Noooooooo!!!”

My scream was likely drowned out by the loud wind and didn’t reach Hayami-san.

Probably…