Ch.133Chapter 18. Trust (3)

The research facility comes into view.

Seeing the familiar landscape made me feel at ease. I must have grown attached to it. I had only thought of it as a neighborhood I’d soon have to leave.

Well, it was the first place where I lived stably with Camilla and Cassandra. Despite all the absurd things that happened, it was the first time I had stayed in a real home where I could truly relax.

I feel quite regretful. I even made a small garden on the rooftop, thinking we’d stay for a long time.

“One. Two. Three…”

While I was reminiscing about old times, Leticia seemed quite tense. She was counting her remaining ammunition in a small voice. Ten rounds left in the submachine gun, eight in the pistol.

“I told you there’s nothing to worry about.”

Despite my reassurance, Leticia only responded after finishing her inspection and reassembling her weapon.

“It’s not worry, it’s preparation. You never know what might happen where.”

It’s good that she’s diligent, but I think she might be too tense.

“I already talked to Camilla and Cassandra, so they should be ready by now. You’re not planning to shoot them, are you?”

I meant it as a joke, but there was a certain resolve in Leticia’s eyes.

“Not unless they shoot me first. Just so you know, I’m pretty good at quick draws.”

Leticia gripped my windbreaker tightly. A military officer wearing only emerald underwear beneath my windbreaker, ready to quickly draw the gun at her waist—truly avant-garde.

“Zombies. A lot of them. They seem to be gathering around the residential area.”

Leticia lowered her head like a hunting dog. Surely she wouldn’t roll down the window and start firing? I honked the horn twice: beep! beep!

“What are you doing?! You scared me!”

Leticia looked at me in shock. She was gripping her gun handle but hadn’t put her finger on the trigger, seemingly to avoid accidental discharge.

The zombies slowly approached my direction. Familiar faces. Leticia frantically tried to open the window, but I had locked it in advance.

“Johan, did you deliberately call the zombies?”

“Yeah. I get along with those guys pretty well. Look, there’s even a familiar one.”

The military police zombie approached with its usual appearance, chains still on both arms.

“…Military Police.”

Leticia closed her eyes tightly. Though it wasn’t from her unit, seeing someone in uniform approaching as a zombie couldn’t be comfortable.

“Leticia. I’ll explain once we get inside. It’s a bit long and complicated. So please hold off on shooting for now.”

“…It better be a convincing explanation.”

I honked the horn and turned on the high beams to draw out the zombies. I slowly lured them toward the field, then accelerated while making a wide turn around the intersection. There was no way zombies could catch up to a car, even at their running-walking pace.

They seemed agitated, perhaps realizing they’d been tricked. But Camilla had already opened the fence gate. I quickly parked the car in the yard. I heard Camilla closing the gate behind us.

“Haah.”

Leticia leaned back against the seat and sighed. She slowly looked up at the four-story building before us.

“This is…”

“One of Cybele Corporation’s secret research facilities. It has a generator and decent facilities, so I planned to stay for a while, but it looks like we’ll have to leave soon.”

Leticia looked alternately at the building and at me.

“…Has the Minsk Mercenary Group infiltrated this far?”

“How did you know?”

“I told you I’m from intelligence.”

Knock knock.

Camilla, wearing dark sunglasses, knocked on the window. She smiled brightly at me, then twitched her cheeks when she saw Leticia beside me.

“Get out.”

As soon as I got out, Camilla hugged me intensely. No, not just hugged—she lifted me up like a trophy.

“Hey, I can’t, can’t breathe!”

“Johan! You know I missed you!”

It was obvious she was doing this to make Leticia conscious of her presence, especially since she immediately linked arms with me after I got out.

“I thought I recognized you—you’re that merchant from Hampton who was walking around with half your backside exposed. But why are you wearing Johan’s clothes… Ack?”

Camilla pinched my side hard. Leticia confidently unbuttoned the windbreaker, exposing the underwear-only interior.

“Indeed. I wonder why? Camilia of the Liberation Corps Eastern Group. Even your wanted poster looked like a propaganda model.”

“Who are you?”

She didn’t ask nicely, of course. Camilla also had a revolver at her waist. She had somehow already released the holster and lightly placed her hand on the grip. Leticia was also holding the automatic pistol in her windbreaker pocket.

“Johan. Who is this woman? What does she do?”

Camilla made no effort to hide her hostility, and Leticia seemed to feel the same. Just then, a low scream was heard.

“…You?”

At the entrance stood Cassandra. Having stayed indoors so much, her skin had become even paler, and the circles under her eyes darker. For some reason, though she was wearing a T-shirt, it was stretched to its limits.

“W-why, why are you here?”

Cassandra pointed at Leticia with trembling hands. Leticia sighed deeply, then deliberately took out her gun, placed it on the ground, and raised both hands.

“It’s been a while, Dr. Cassandra. I’m Leticia, Intelligence Chief of the 8th National Military Police Special Task Force. That’s my official title, but my temporary one is much longer and I’d rather not say it. I’ve put it aside for now.”

“Oh, so you’re active duty?”

Camilla’s hand twitched. She clearly wanted to draw her gun and shoot. I gently held her hand. Reluctantly, Camilla blushed.

“…Leticia will be joining us. Her conditions are the same as all of ours. Leave if you want to leave, stay if you want to stay.”

“J-Johan. W-what if sh-she calls the N-National Military P-Police here?”

Cassandra was trembling all over. I squeezed Camilla’s hand reassuringly, then moved next to Cassandra. She immediately hid behind me like a frightened rabbit, just peeking out slightly.

Meanwhile, Leticia remained smooth.

“Well. Are you telling me to surrender? Sorry, but I don’t want to. This isn’t even the 8th National Military Police’s jurisdiction; it’s an unprotected zone. Come to think of it, I’ve been feeling a bit hungry—could that be why?”

“Surrender?”

Camilla asked me without lowering her guard. I suppose I need to add some… favorable embellishment.

“Leticia currently has an arrest warrant out for her. Virginia said she’d tear her limb from limb.”

“Hieeeek!”

Cassandra made a sound like a zombie’s jaw tearing as she clung to my back. Ah, it’s been a while since this happened. No, that’s not what’s important right now.

“Huh? Why? Did you embezzle something, Madam Intelligence Chief? How desperate must you be to wear a decent man’s coat because you have no top?”

But Leticia remained shameless. She seemed intent on teasing Camilla.

“I read in the preliminary data that you really hate being called Camilia. So I’ll call you Camilla. Just like your precious ‘comrades’ do.”

“I quit.”

Camilla growled. Leticia snickered.

“Why? You acted like you’d give your liver and gallbladder for the cause.”

“Because I realized it wasn’t the path for Elsa. Like Römer’s puppets! When I think about what you National Military Police did to me and my friends, I still…”

Something was off about Camilla’s state. Her eyes widened, and her whole body trembled. Leticia’s reaction was also different. Her face was tinged with bitterness and self-mockery.

“Stop it.”

It wasn’t easy to intervene with Cassandra clinging to my back like a cicada. Instead, I looked at both women alternately.

“Camilla. Leticia prepared reagents, medicines, and experimental tools at my request. It’s true that the National Military Police came to arrest her. That’s why we escaped together.”

Good. This way, Leticia would think she was caught because of me.

“And Leticia. Camilla really did quit. She felt a lot of doubt and disappointment, and now she’s completely turned away from that place. It seems a guy named Hans deceived and incited her quite a bit.”

Leticia still showed no signs of calming down. She seemed to have a lot to say as well.

“…Many people died in the Liberation Corps’ bomb attacks. Among them were my classmates from the military academy. Yes, that’s the Liberation Corps’ motto, right? That the Elsa Liberation War isn’t over, and it’s natural for soldiers to die on the battlefield. What kind of liberation corps starts a civil war?”

“But Camilla didn’t do that.”

Well, she didn’t, right?

“…I didn’t do it. I said I didn’t want to do such things. I didn’t want to do anything that might harm civilians.”

Camilla answered in a subdued voice. Leticia also responded with a bitter smile.

“…Camilla. I know what happened to you in college. I saw it in the records. But I wasn’t there. And as for active duty…”

Suddenly, Leticia threw off her outer garment. Cassandra let out a short scream of surprise at this shocking act. Camilla turned her head away completely.

“W-what are you doing?!”

But Leticia didn’t stop there. This time she undid her belt and pulled down her pants. Like a lingerie model, Leticia stood proudly in the sunlight.

“This is me.”

“What?”

“This is the woman I am. A woman who has lived her whole life wrapped tightly in a military uniform. But now I’m sick of it. Life is long, and you never know what will happen, but I have no intention of putting it back on yet.

Saying I’m active duty was Johan being considerate of me. If, just if, something went wrong, Johan could say he ‘threatened and kidnapped me,’ which would provide some mitigation.”

Leticia placed both hands on her hips. Slightly large breasts, a slim waist, and very large hips. Emerald-colored matching underwear. Brilliant blonde hair under the summer sun.

“…But did you have to say all that in your underwear?”

Indeed, Dr. Cassandra is right.

It was truly avant-garde.