Long Journey

The soldiers looked puzzled as the group returned to base early. "Did they forget something?" one soldier whispered to another. "Maybe they couldn't defeat the Raiders," another suggested. All eyes followed them as they made their way to the general's office, their behavior suspicious.

Souta threw a bag onto the general's desk, and the man smiled. "Ah, Souta, just as I expected. Here is the information I promised," he said, handing over some documents. Souta took a few minutes to read them before nodding. "Alright, we'll be leaving then," he said.

The general raised an eyebrow. "Leaving already? Well then, Souta, I have another request for you," he said.

Souta looked at him curiously. "What is it?" he asked.

"I want you to take my daughter Stacy with you," the general said.

Souta's confusion was evident. "Why would you want your daughter to go on such a dangerous journey with us? You know many will target me in the future," he said, voicing his concerns.

"It's not as bad as you think," the general replied. "Stacy is a smart girl and a genius when it comes to tactics. She could be useful to you on your journey, knowing so much about this world. What do you say?"

Souta hesitated. "But are you sure she'll agree to this?" he asked.

The general smiled wryly. "She doesn't have to know," he said, swiveling his chair around to reveal his sleeping daughter. "We gave her some sleeping pills. She'll wake up tomorrow, none the wiser. So, what do you say? Will you take her with you?"

Souta sighed. "I suppose I don't have much of a choice, do I? Fine, we'll take her with us," he said.

The general grinned. "Excellent. I knew I could count on you," he said

Souta glanced at Stacy, who was still asleep in the chair. He couldn't help but wonder what kind of person she was, given her father's insistence that she join them on their journey. He had a feeling it wasn't going to be an easy task.

Souta walk to Stacy and carry her on his back, They went back to their vehicle and put her on the back, "Do we really need her?" Yuki asked with concern, "We'll we do need a tactician" Albert replied "I'm happy that we have a new member!" Emily happily said, Souta got in the driver's seat and rolled his window down, "Are you sure about this?" He asked the commander who is outside the building with the soldiers crying that their favorite Stacy is now gone.

"Yup! Now go!" Souta sighed and drove away, All of the citizen wave at their vehicle as they drive past them, "What a noisy bunch" Yuki said, "Now now, You don't need to act cold about it" Souta said, "Hehe, You should be more honest with yourself young miss" Albert said, "I'm not dishonest with myself! I'm just stating the truth!"

Emily was happy to have another person on board

The next day, the group have already leaved, Stacy finally woke up, rubbing her eyes and yawning loudly. "What's going on?" she asked, looking around in confusion.

"Your father asked us to take you on our journey," Souta explained, trying to keep his tone even.

Stacy's eyes widened. "What? No way! I don't want to go on some stupid adventure," she protested, crossing her arms stubbornly.

Souta raised an eyebrow. "Your father seemed to think you'd be useful to us," he said, not bothering to hide his skepticism.

Stacy rolled her eyes. "He's always trying to push me into things I don't want to do. I don't know anything about fighting or survival or whatever you guys are doing," she said, her voice loud and grating on Souta's nerves.

Souta sighed. "Look, we don't have time for this. Your father made a deal with us, and we're honor-bound to follow through. You can either come with us or stay here. It's up to you," he said, trying to keep his tone even.

Stacy glared at him, but after a moment, she seemed to relent. "Fine, I'll go with you. But don't expect me to be happy about it," she said,

Souta shook his head. This was going to be a long journey.