An Unexpected Encounter in the 39th Sector
An unexpected encounter in the 39th Sector. Who would've thought I'd run into this guy here.
...Why is this guy here?
Is his condition bad too? That's why he's at the infirmary?
Thinking about it, it's not strange at all. In fact, it'd be weirder if he were the only one fine.
Forced coupling puts a huge strain on a pilot's body. That's why Karen's condition had deteriorated so badly right after returning to base—she'd headed straight for the infirmary.
And naturally, Netoru, her coupling partner, couldn't possibly be unscathed either.
Guess he wasn't totally fine on his own after all.
A lukewarm silence hung in the air around them. The two stared at each other, observing without averting their eyes.
Eventually, in the midst of that strange silence...
"Hmph."
Netoru moved first. He passed by Karen's side without a hint of emotion, as if she were a complete stranger. A cold attitude toward someone he'd just met.
Karen stared at his retreating back, her lips twitching, then called out as if she'd made up her mind.
"...Wait. I have one thing I want to ask you."
Netoru paused at her words, turning only his head to glance back. Beneath his faded, dull blonde hair, barren eyes devoid of emotion fixed on her.
Maybe it was the bad first impression, but even that gesture felt somehow off-kilter to Karen.
"Just how much of the rumors about you are true?"
Netoru was a guy with a ton of nasty rumors swirling around him. That's why Seres had been so worried when Karen's condition tanked right after the battle.
Even a first-time coupling was a burden on Karen's body, and then her partner had this shady reputation. From an observer's standpoint, there was no way to not try stopping it.
"Which ones exactly?"
"...The story about how you wrecked your coupling partner in your previous unit."
"Oh, that one?"
At Karen's words, Netoru twisted his mouth like he'd heard something ridiculous. Then he suddenly stepped closer and said,
"What do you think? Is that rumor real or fake?"
"...That's—"
"You coupled with me today, so you should have a rough idea. Why that rumor even started."
Was it because of his tall frame? The way Netoru looked down at her felt somehow condescending.
Karen met his gaze head-on, steeling her own eyes as if refusing to back down.
"At least... it doesn't seem like total bullshit."
Even thinking back on it now, today's coupling hadn't been normal at all. Karen had never experienced anything so violent.
And what was even more horrifying was that she couldn't resist Netoru's will at all. That's why he'd handled the entire battle on his own.
Sure, maneuvering the Holy Knight was the man's role, but that didn't mean the female pilot was powerless. After all, at its core, the Holy Knight was based on the female pilot's body.
But when coupling with the guy in front of her, Karen could do nothing. By the time she snapped out of it, control of the Holy Knight had been completely seized at some point.
How the hell was that even possible?
Karen couldn't understand it. She'd never heard of anything like that.
Unilaterally controlling the Holy Knight from one side went against everything she knew.
But there were too many weird things to count here. For starters, succeeding in a coupling with Netoru on the first try was suspicious as hell.
Karen had tried coupling with other male pilots back at the training institute. Plenty of times. But aside from Natsuo, they'd all failed.
Out of dozens of pilots, only Natsuo had ever matched her coupling wavelength. And now this random guy shows up out of nowhere and matches on the first go?
What were the odds of that?
And when they actually coupled, it didn't even feel like their wavelengths matched. If anything, it was the opposite of a match.
If their wavelengths had synced properly, her condition wouldn't have tanked so suddenly today...
"What? Regretting coupling with me?"
"...!"
Netoru's sudden voice snapped her back. Somehow, he'd closed the distance to right in front of her nose.
Startled, Karen stumbled back in a fluster.
"...Ugh!"
But maybe she panicked too much. She felt her body tilt unnaturally—she'd tripped over her own feet.
"Idiot."
But her head didn't hit the floor. Bracing for the impact, Karen slowly opened her squeezed-shut eyes.
"What the hell are you doing?"
Netoru had caught her waist as she fell, staring down at her coldly. Biting her lip under that icy gaze, Karen felt her face burn red-hot.
She was embarrassed herself. Why'd she have to show such an ugly side to this guy of all people? She wanted to die.
As if reading her thoughts, Netoru spoke.
"Your name's Karen, right? That Seres woman said you'd refuse to couple with me."
So Seres had already talked to him. Karen nodded quietly.
"Why?"
"You can't seriously be asking that. If I keep coupling with you, my body won't hold up."
"Yeah, you're worried about your body?"
Netoru let out a scoffing laugh at her answer.
"So what're you gonna do? Just sit out the next battle in the base?"
"...That's—"
That was the one thing bothering Karen most. That's why she'd hesitated to accept Seres's offer outright.
Everyone else fighting while she watched from the back... No way that'd sit right with her. Even if the whole unit agreed to it.
"Fine, if you don't want to, nothing I can do."
Netoru eyed her sullen face as if peering into her soul, then spoke in a flat tone.
"But don't come regretting it later after someone dies."
"..."
That one line pierced deeper than any insult. Karen's lips trembled.
But... she couldn't say anything back.
The wind blew strong. By the time he left the infirmary, the sky had already darkened.
The basketball court he'd passed on the way was now empty—the twins had vanished too. Probably at the mess hall for dinner by now.
Pocketing the meds from the medic, Netoru headed to the cafeteria.
The unit's mess hall didn't look great on the outside, honestly. Like the whole base, it was rundown and dilapidated.
Still, decorations the crew had put up here and there added some bright color to the empty space, making it somewhat pleasant to look at.
And the most eye-catching among them was, on one wall,
[WE MUST SURVIVE!]
Along with huge letters proclaiming that, countless photos plastered thickly on the wall—probably group shots of the crew.
Netoru slowed his steps, browsing the photos on the wall.
They were intriguing. He'd seen everyone's faces over the past week, but plenty of unfamiliar ones filled these shots.
Why was that? No need to overthink it—the obvious answer.
They were all dead.
The war with the Bugs had raged for a long time. Countless pilots must've been assigned to the 39th Sector and died here.
The base's original members might be completely gone by now. Just like its crumbling state, this place was piled high with deaths.
And sure enough, as proof...
As he went deeper into the cafeteria, amid the grimy, faded photos from who-knows-when lining up, the number of unfamiliar faces grew.
People no longer in this world.
What had they been thinking as they fought here? Simple patriotism? A noble sense of duty as soldiers?
Whatever it was, Netoru could only give a bitter smile, knowing how this kingdom would end.
In a way, none of them would get any payback for their meaningless deaths.
After scanning their faces once, Netoru turned away. That's when a rowdy noise caught his eye.
—Haha! Karen, you remember how much of a crybaby Kanzaki was back then? The guy was like...
—H-Hey, hold on! Chandler bro! I said don't bring that up!
—Anyway, good thing Natsuo's recovering safely. Right, Karen?
—Told ya! Natsuo's tough as nails—he'd be fine for sure!
Where Netoru looked, the crew was gathered, chattering noisily over dinner.
He watched the scene impassively. Or more precisely...
Stared at Karen, laughing along in the center.
It might've been his imagination, but her smile looked somehow awkward.