Chapter 14.2. Hayami-san’s Confession

“Alone together, aren’t we, Major General Kamiya♪”
“That’s right. It’s a secret operation, so we can’t use communication either.”
“Look, Major General! There’s a bird with beautiful, colorful feathers flying that I’ve never seen before.”
“Birds in the jungle always seem so vibrant, don’t they?”
To me, it’s a familiar sight of the jungle, so it doesn’t evoke any particular feelings.
“You’re quite knowledgeable, Major General.”
“Hayami-san seems much more relaxed compared to before.”
Back when we first teamed up, she was noticeably tense, so this relaxation is a positive development.
“Back then, I was just so nervous to be working with the admired Major General Kamiya.”
“You seem to have gotten used to it.”
“More like, I’ve already revealed my secret desires, so there’s no need to pretend anymore.”
“Oh… Right. Just don’t act on them during the operation.”
By ‘act’, I mean acting on Hayami-san’s maternal instincts.
“Today’s assembly was so sudden, I didn’t bring any props for that sort of thing.”
“What props? Oh, like rattles?”
“I have wet wipes for adults’ use, but that’s about it.”
“Oh, adult-sized wet wipes can be useful even in the jungle.”
She casually mentioned such an advanced item that I couldn’t pursue the topic further and shifted the conversation in a different direction.
“Speaking of which, I’ve been meaning to say this when we’re alone…”
“…What?”
Her solemn tone made me instinctively wary.
It’s not another revelation about her preferences, right?
Even now, it’s already quite close to the edge, I don’t think I can handle more.
“I’m alive today because of you, Major General Kamiya.”
“…? I saved you?”
To my surprise, I just echoed what Hayami-san said.
“Do you… remember?”
Hayami-san asked me with a surprised expression.
“At the time, you had very short hair.”
“I couldn’t take proper baths or showers in the southern front, so I kept it short.”
Saying that, Hayami-san gently touched her current long black hair.
With her hairstyle being the exact opposite now, and the Hayami-san from back then, a mud-covered female soldier, not aligning with the current Hayami-san, I never noticed until now.
Five years ago, during the southern front, I was just newly deployed to the battlefield, and it was a time when Japan’s defeat seemed imminent.
I remember seeing the scene where a female soldier almost committed suicide, prompting me to hurriedly activate my Soul Armor abilities.
“At that moment, as I watched the enemy approaching, I realized I was saved, and then I lost consciousness. The only thing I barely remembered was the sight of a young soldier running towards me in a panic.”
“That must have been unmistakably me.”
I was around 10 years old, so I must have looked like a young soldier.
“When I regained consciousness at the medical camp, your unit had already moved on to another battlefield. So I couldn’t meet you. Thank you so much for that time.”
“If only you had told me sooner.”
“I was so excited to work with the person I admired every day… I just couldn’t bring myself to say it.”
Hayami-san, blushing and looking embarrassed, displays a maidenly reaction.
The sight of a beautiful woman being bashful is quite captivating.