“Hey, Hayami-san! Lieutenant Hayami!”

I panic as I slap Hayami-san’s cheeks lightly.

Was it too forceful to break through the barrier of the dimensional gap with sheer power?

But we can’t stay here long; we have to move, no matter what.

“Yuu… sama… sorry…”

Hayami-san responds, squeezing out the words.

Good, he’s conscious.

I breathe a sigh of relief.

But it looks like Hayami-san is pretty weak.

“Here, drink some water. Slowly.”

I open the military canteen and bring it to Hayami-san’s lips, but since he can’t sit up properly, I lift his upper body and tilt the canteen.

“Gulp… gulp…”

Like a baby drinking milk, Hayami-san slowly swallows the water.

A single tear runs down his cheek.

Yeah, I get it.

After going without water for days, it’s so good it makes you cry.

Even if it’s muddy and bad-tasting water drawn from a nearby river through a purification cartridge.

“I want to give you food too, but we need to move first.”

Saying this, I hoist Hayami-san over my shoulder.

“Yuu-sama, that’s too…”

Hayami-san protests, but carrying him like a fireman is the fastest way to cover short distances.

“I thought you’d be lighter since you haven’t eaten or drunk anything, but you feel heavy. I guess crawling here exhausted my arms too.”

Hayami-san must have had a hard time without food or water, but it was tough for me too.

My combat uniform is filthy beyond recognition.

“What? When did you carry me?”

Hayami-san, blushing, asks while being carried.

“During the Okinawa training camp, when you got drunk on awamori.”

“Oh, that time! I don’t remember at all…”

Though I can’t see his face while carrying him, he’s probably blushing.

“You were heavy because you were limp from being drunk.”

“Sorry… I can walk…”

Hayami-san struggles on my shoulder.

“Ha ha! Seeing you move reassures me. Thank you for holding on, Hayami-san.”

“I’m sorry for causing trouble, Yuu-sama…”

When I express my gratitude for his survival, Hayami-san finally quiets down.

“When we get back, I’ll scold you. Well, I’ll probably get scolded by Marshal Tachibana too for acting on my own.”

“I’m sorry… By the way, what are these around us…”

Hayami-san, now aware of his surroundings, asks about the area where he was trapped.

Several server racks, like those used to house server equipment, lay charred and scattered around.

“These were hindering your space transfer technique, Hayami-san.”

“What? These?”

Hayami-san is surprised by my calling the inorganic frames soul-equipped beings.

“Yeah. You fought against them in Okinawa, remember? The large floating whale battleship. It’s probably the same as the power source for that. Thankfully, it was moved from the cave to increase output.”

“Oh…”

Hayami-san seems to understand.

“I wonder how many soul-equipped beings were sacrificed to make one of these…”

These server racks, essentially shelves to stuff soul-equipped beings as fuel, could be likened to coffins.

But even coffins give one person their own space. These were packed with a horrifying number of remnants, like a mass grave.

“The output of that technique was possible because of this… Wait, one is still intact!”

“Yeah. Unlike Okinawa, where we couldn’t recover any, this time we managed to hit the self-destruct mechanism on one, so it didn’t blow up. It’s no longer operational.”

I explain to reassure Hayami-san, who is scared of the intact server rack.

“I see… This is a valuable enemy sample.”

“Yeah, but it’s too big to carry while escaping. We have to give up on it.”

I scratch my head, complaining.

“Yuu-sama, can you put me down?”

“What is it, Hayami-san?”

I gently lower Hayami-san to the ground.

“I’ll carry this.”

“No! Don’t overdo it. You stay with me. Always.”

“Gah!”

Hearing my words, Hayami-san spits up blood and collapses, shocking me.

“Hayami-san! You shouldn’t push yourself!”

“No… It’s because of Yuu-sama…”

Because of me? Forcing through the barrier hurt him that much?

[Can you hear me, Kamiya-senpai? Sorry to interrupt your skit.]

[It’s not a skit!]

[Is this how you treat me after ruining my fun weekend with my brother? And using me like a messenger?]

[I’m really sorry! So, what do you need, Marin?]

I was busy apologizing and bantering with Marin-chan through Espio.

During the rescue, we communicated via Marin-chan’s Espio for secrecy.

[I’m interested in that intact server rack. Please recover it.]

[But it’s too heavy to carry.]

Hayami-san’s space transfer can only move one person and their equipment or something they can carry by hand.

The server rack is over 2 meters tall and too heavy to lift even with my help.

[It’s fine. Hayami-san-sensei can move it now.]

[Why do you say that, Marin?]

[Because Kon-sama told me.]

Marin easily reveals the reason to my skeptical question.

[Why didn’t you tell me earlier, Kon?]

[Master was too engrossed with Hayami-san to notice.]

Kon answers nonchalantly.

Still, you could have told me first instead of conspiring with Espio and Marin.

[Why do you say Hayami-san can transfer it now?]

[Hayami-san’s soul was rejoicing. Thanks to Master’s blessing of pain, she awakened.]

[That makes her sound like a masochist.]

[Sorry. The shock from breaking through the barrier released the brain’s limiter she unconsciously set. The saturation pushed her beyond her limits, positively.]

[So, her soul equipment’s upper limit increased?]

[More like she regained her original power. See, she’s eager to try.]

Indeed, Hayami-san, wiping the blood off her sleeve, is looking at me excitedly like a loyal dog awaiting orders.

“Hayami-san, can you do it?”

“Yes, I can take the sample and you to our destination.”

My subordinate is so determined.

As her superior, I must trust and let her.

“Alright. Do it.”

“Yes!”

I show her the coordinates of the rendezvous point on my terminal.

“Activating the technique!”

In an instant, the scenery changes from a lush forest to a sandy beach, with the blue sea in front of us.

Next to me is a smiling Hayami-san, and the heavy server rack has been successfully transported.

“Thank you for believing in me, Yuu-sama.”

Having broken through her shell, Hayami-san smiles at me.

“Whoo-hoo! The sea!”

I suddenly run towards the sea, surprising Hayami-san, and dive in!

“Ah, it feels great!”

I shout joyfully after surfacing from the water.

“Yuu-sama!”

“Come on in, Hayami-san. It feels amazing. Wow, my uniform is so dirty.”

Floating in the water, I laugh at the muddy water coming off my combat uniform and invite Hayami-san.

After walking for three days in the forest and crawling on the ground near the target, I’m covered in mud.

“Yuu-sama!”

Without hesitation, Hayami-san teleports in front of me. I catch her, but we both fall into the sea.

“If you cling to me, you’ll get dirty. My uniform is filthy. Ouch, the saltwater stings.”

I realize belatedly that my uniform has torn and scratched in many places from crawling.

“No, Yuu-sama, you got all dirty and hurt to save me. This torn uniform is more beautiful than any pure white tuxedo.”

Hayami-san says, burying her face in my tattered uniform, not wanting to let go.