Ch.126

The first passage seems to be a snippet from a Japanese text, and it can be translated as follows:

"── For now, it should be fine."

"Thank you very much."

"── No, please don't worry."

Abandoned for a long time, the house showed signs of decay. It had been decades since the landlords were absent.

Inside the thoroughly devastated interior, Anis laid out a makeshift blanket and placed a half-naked man on it. She then draped an extra cold-weather combat suit jacket pulled from her backpack over him.

Having collected Moore's belongings along the way – backpack, assault rifle, and shattered body armor plates – Neon arranged them on the floor. Turning towards Rapunzel, who had straightened up, Rapi expressed her gratitude once again.

In response to the thanks, the golden-haired saint shook her head gently, dismissing it as nothing significant.

"By the way... what happened?"

"...That is..."

Seeing Rapie hesitate to speak, the saint reconsidered that it might be a bit too early to inquire about the situation.

First, let's sit down, she suggested, looking around at the two of them. She then carefully lifted his head, lying motionless on the floor, onto her lap, using her knee as a pillow.

"...I apologize for asking before everything is sorted out."

"...No..."

"...But I understand that something irregular happened."

Slightly mixed with white, the black hair – not a significant amount, but enough for the white and more abundant black to stand out – was gently combed by the slender fingers of the saint with a hand comb.

"Commander... do you know Captain Moore?"

Having joined them and taken a seat on the floor, Rapi asked Rapunzel. The way she spoke made it sound like she knew about him.

In response to the question, the saint showed a slightly troubled expression, shaking her head gently after a while.

Rapunzel, looking down at his sleeping face on her lap, especially the bandage diagonally wrapped around his right eye, did not miss the emotion.

"── I know someone who looks very much like him... Always... causing trouble... and worrying everyone..."

The forget-me-not-colored eyes swayed with a poignant emotion. Rapi didn't overlook it.

.

.

.

.

── It hurts.

The pain was felt in the right thigh, abdomen, chest, and around the right eye.

The moment he realized it, his consciousness rapidly surfaced.

Failed── no excuses.

Considering the possibility of betrayal, he had been prepared, but he had miscalculated the timing. He thought, even if betrayal were to happen, it would be a little later. He messed up.

However, even if he were to realize it now, it would be too late. Nonetheless, considering the severe damage to the squad in that situation, he couldn't afford to overlook it. I see. So it has come to this, he thought honestly.

──If I were to betray, it would be at the same timing, he added.

"──Ah... the movement of these abdominal muscles...!"

A familiar voice struck his ears, and as he regained consciousness, his left eyelid began to tremble slightly.

"──Have you woken up? Can you open your eyes?"

Guided by the voice, Moore, feeling sluggish all over, reluctantly opened his eyes.

The field of view felt narrow. How long had he been sleeping? His vision was blurred, and the world was unclear.

Amongst the haziness, golden stood out prominently.

Blinking a few times, his vision gradually became clearer.

Clearly capturing the figure of a person in front of him, he trembled his lips.

"──Rapun...tzel...san...?"

The golden saint – not particularly devout, but emitting a predominantly sacred aura that occupied most of his vision – heard her name uttered by Moore's trembling lips.

However, the reason her forget-me-not-colored eyes, having heard the name with an honorific, swayed with sadness, resignation, and such, remained unknown to him.

Shaking her head lightly from side to side, she directed a towel held in one hand toward Moore's skin. The saint's eyes, wiping his skin with a gently wrung towel in a tender manner, gradually, for some reason, softened and her cheeks began to flush. The reason for this change was also something he couldn't understand.

"...Indeed... abdominal muscles don't lie, do they?"

The sound of steam leaking – he tilted his head, resting on her knee, to follow the sound.

A blue flame burned on an alcohol stove. Steam indicating boiling leaked from a small kettle placed on it. It was something he had stored in his backpack.

The towel was also his belonging, but it seemed that she had been using these to wipe his body.

"...First aid?"

"Yes, just basic emergency measures. I used your things without permission, too."

"Thank you."

"Well... I'm the one who's grateful to be alone with such a sturdy man – no! You're welcome."

──Was she always like this?

At the moment an incomprehensible question flashed through his mind, a headache chased it away forcefully, squeezing the interior of his skull tightly.

"...Does it hurt?"

"...A bit."

"I see... but I'm glad you woke up."

Rapunzel, having put down the towel, let out a relieved sigh again. Placing one hand gently on his thick chest, she began to comb his hair with a gentle hand comb in the other hand.

"Really... I'm glad."

The saint, who expressed genuine relief, looked down at him without hiding her trembling eyes.

That figure and the warmth felt beside him – Moore couldn't help but feel nostalgically familiar.

Anyway, first things first, he needed to assess the current situation.

"How long was I asleep...?"

"Just one night. Don't worry."

"One night?... What about Raptures?"

Even in the relatively sluggish movements of enemy units in the northern region, Rapture was rampant. Unless there was an extraordinary situation, the encounter rate was 100%.

As if sensing his question, Rapunzel, using one hand to grasp her long, braided golden hair, gave a succinct explanation. Each strand of her hair had jamming functions, and while a single strand had little effect, a bundle of them synergized, providing high efficiency.

"...That's... enviable."

As Moore inadvertently voiced his true feelings, Rapunzel couldn't help but let out a small laugh at his reaction.

"...How about my condition?"

"Not bad. I had help from three people, and we removed the bullets."

"My subordinates──!?"

The three people – Rapi, Anis, and Neon, his subordinates. He instinctively tried to sit up, flexing his well-defined eight-pack, but instantly pain shot through his abdomen and chest, contorting his expression.

"Ah... you can't get up yet."

With Moore's body halted halfway into an awkward position, the saint guided his head back onto her lap.

"I said it was just first aid."

"But..."

"...Did you forget you had a serious injury?"

A large shrapnel fragment had pierced his right thigh, and a bullet fired for Rapture grazed nearby, piercing through flesh and skin. Not only that, a bullet had hit his abdomen despite the ceramic plate deflecting it, and another had pierced through the chest, creating an open wound near his heart. There was also a shot to the head, tearing out his artificial eye.

Frankly speaking, it was miraculous that he was alive.

"──Rest for now. If something happens, they will be saddened."

"...Where are my subordinates?"

"They are outside. I went to check if this place was suitable for a temporary camp..."

"...How long ago?"

"About 30 minutes. ──They were earnestly calling for help. Despite knowing the danger of being spotted by Rapture in the blizzard... they were desperately shouting."

Just before consciousness faded, the image of them shouting towards something came back to Moore.

Ah, he couldn't help but let out a sigh.

"But it's a bit late. I thought there wasn't such a dangerous element..."

"──I've rested enough...!"

He dismissed the pain. Moore tried to rise from the saint's lap as if seeking solace. As he raised his upper body, intense pain surged, but at this level, he was accustomed to it.

"To my subordinates...!"

"...Ha..."

Rapunzel sighed. As if saying, "Well, what can you do."

Then she wrapped her arm around Moore's back and drew close.

"I understand. Please hold on to me. I'll help you stand up... stand up?"

"...Eh?"

"Th-that's right... I'll help you stand up... haa... haa...!"

Repeating rough breaths up close, Rapunzel, desperately trying to restrain some impulse, caught Moore's sidelong glance.

The supporting hand on his back showed a rather caressing gesture, but that must be his imagination playing tricks on him.

And she was talking about "stand up," not, under any circumstances, saying anything related to "erection." It had to be that way.

"No, it's okay. I can stand up on my own."

"R-right, of course... You're still young, so morning reaction will surely be...!"

"......"

"Ah! N-no, that's not what I meant!? I'll help you stand up in a pure... I mean, a healthy sense!!"

──Was she really always like this?

The question that flashed through his mind again, accompanied by a pain running simultaneously this time, seemed rather preferable.

Realizing he was wearing only underwear for the treatment, Moore extended his arm to the backpack without minding the pain.

Moving slightly away from Rapunzel, he rummaged through his backpack placed nearby and pulled out the cold-weather combat suit pants and jacket.

Even while putting them on sitting down, pain ran through the inside of his abdomen and chest. Deep wrinkles appeared on his forehead involuntarily, but once he fastened the belt and put on his boots, he ignored the pain.

Having probably sensed that the preparations were complete, Rapunzel, bending down, kneeled beside Moore. She looped his left arm around her shoulder, her right arm supporting his back.

In this posture, they stood up together, and indeed, there was still some pain, but it wasn't unbearable.

"Shall we go to the three of them now?"

"Please."

"Yes. ──Also, may I make one request?"

"What is it?"

A request – considering her recent behavior, Moore instinctively tensed.

"Please call me Rapunzel. There's no need to be so formal. Just be yourself."

"...Understood."

"No, that won't do."

"...... Fine. Rapunzel."

At the saint's request for no honorifics or formal language, Moore nodded and uttered her name.

Then, the forget-me-not-colored eyes of the golden saint were ever so slightly moistened.