Chapter 62
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: Comfort
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Achievement: Taking Care of Those Around You
You actively helped someone who hasn't adjusted to military life yet. Military Life Points +1!
A notification I hadn't seen in a while.
Even in my main unit, my tattoo, status window, and this ability remain fully functional.
Since we're still in the recruit protection period and not assigned to any missions yet, this is the perfect time to rack up as many points as possible.
"Ehehehe... Hee hee."
The Platoon Leader, who had been down in the dumps, was now humming a tune. Her upper lip curled up in excitement, almost pitifully so.
"Mm. If anything tough comes up in the future, just come find the Platoon Leader. Got it...?"
Her dejected demeanor had improved a bit. She tapped her fist near her rank insignia, gesturing for us to rely on her.
"Just follow the Platoon Leader, and you two can live like aces through your military service...!"
If a single word from me could bring her that kind of happiness—even if it was a white lie—it was worth saying.
But unfortunately, the Platoon Leader didn't have time to bask in her first success before running into a roadblock.
Bang!
The Company Commander burst through the admin office door. She locked eyes with me the moment she entered but said nothing, just shooting me a chilling glare for a moment.
For now, both Captain Yujin and I were keeping our childhood friend status a secret from the rest of the unit.
There was no upside to it getting out, especially since there were still unresolved grudges between us...
So at least for the next few days, we'd probably keep to our respective roles in military life.
"Has anyone seen the Supply Sergeant?"
Yujin—no, Captain Yujin—asked the admin clerk and Platoon Leader about the Supply Sergeant's whereabouts. Judging by the binder of documents in her hand, she had something to discuss.
Company Commander and Supply Sergeant.
A common pairing in the army. The Company Commander had to rely on the longest-serving NCOs to lead the unit, so she inevitably grew close to the Supply Sergeant.
"Oh, the Supply Sergeant? She was here earlier..."
But right to her face, our Platoon Leader used informal speech as if it were the most natural thing. The kind of casual tone you'd use on lower ranks...
"Supply Sergeant, the Company Commander is looking for—!"
The Platoon Leader shot up from her seat and yelled into the hallway. Everyone who heard her stopped dead in their tracks, forgetting whatever they were doing.
"Where'd she go? Ugh... Ma, ma'am Company Commander! I'll go find her!"
The atmosphere grew icy.
The soldiers' faces filled with shock and surprise.
The admin clerk passed out, face-planting on her desk.
And Captain Yujin's face, frozen in a way words couldn't describe...
It was terrifying at a glance, but our poor Platoon Leader remained oblivious, blinking blankly.
Even the ever-composed Mino broke a sweat from the tension. The bead of perspiration trickling down her temple underscored the gravity of the situation.
That's how scary Yujin was. The problem wasn't just that she was a crazy bitch trash bastard forcing me back into this isekai for more military service—she had the potential to make even Mino tense up.
"...Platoon Leader."
"Yes?"
"The salute?"
"Pardon?"
"You didn't salute when I came in earlier, did you?"
"Uh, y-yes... I think so..."
At this point, the Platoon Leader seemed like an extraordinary person. It was harder not to notice, yet she scratched her head with a beaming smile.
"And why are you doing recruit interviews on day one? It's dinnertime. Did you feed them?"
"Uh, um...? Y-yes, I think...?"
Fortunately, she didn't use informal speech with Yujin. She at least knew that captain outranked lieutenant.
But those vague answers only provoked Yujin further. Her anger was plain as day.
"...Step out for a word."
"Yes, ma'am...!"
I felt bad for the Platoon Leader, but Yujin was already pissed at me...
She wasn't likely to let even a small mistake slide.
Ten minutes later.
"Hic, sniff..."
The Platoon Leader returned to our table utterly shredded by the Company Commander.
Yujin wasn't the type to yell, but when she chewed someone out, she did it thoroughly.
Thud, thud—
"Oh my, what happened?"
The Supply Sergeant finally returned to the admin office after everything was over, instantly grasping the situation. She quietly brewed a cup of tea.
Then casually slid it in front of the Platoon Leader.
"Don't cry in front of the recruits~ Life gets tough sometimes, that's all."
"Mm. Thanks, Supply Sergeant... Ah, no! Th-thank you, Supply Sergeant, ma'am...!"
The Platoon Leader took the tea with trembling fingers. She'd finally learned to use polite speech with the Supply Sergeant.
"Oh, and... the C-Company Commander said to do the recruit interviews later... S-so, for now... let's wrap this up quick... You both filled them out?"
Her face flushed beet red, tears welling up as she collected our interview sheets.
"But... you two haven't eaten yet, have you...?"
"Not yet, ma'am."
"Oh, u-ugh... S-sorry. What do we do..."
Her brain had frozen. Her hands shook, sweat pouring like rain.
"Then how about your first meal with the Platoon Leader? Ehehehe..."
She was still trying her best to look cool in front of us.
"These are the first recruits since I got here as Platoon Leader. Makes me wanna take extra good care of you...!"
She had a good heart. A righteous one, too.
But in the army, competence mattered more than those qualities.
"Let's go. Huh? Come on, quick...!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
That made it all the more heartbreaking.
For the Platoon Leader, for me, and for Mino...
We all still felt like we hadn't quite fit in here yet.
13th Infantry Brigade Intelligence Company.
A military base near the border.
Among its facilities, the one built most impeccably was smack in the center: the barracks mess hall.
"Eat up, everyone. D-dig in. Quick."
The Platoon Leader ended up eating with us two. Normally, new recruits ate with their squad leader or team leader on day one, right?
"Enjoy your meal, ma'am!"
Mino and I buried our faces in our trays without a word. We'd barely eaten all day, our stomachs glued to our backbones—we had to stuff something in.
The menu was pretty basic: tomato beef stew, fried chicken, and some unfamiliar stir-fried root veggies.
We each got a palm-sized piece of bread on the side, and damn, it was good. Military bread was usually dry and tasteless.
Isekai military welfare was sneakily decent. Meals rarely tasted bad.
But the Western-style menu didn't always suit my palate.
I was scarfing it down like a combat ration now, but sometimes I missed white rice and kimchi...
"Glad you two are eating well. Hehe..."
Oblivious to my thoughts, the Platoon Leader grinned and patted us encouragingly. But unlike before, a hint of bitterness lingered on her lips.
"You two must've been shocked back there."
The mood shifted. Her choked-up voice had steadied, but its calm tone made it even more heartrending.
"Sorry. The Platoon Leader's still adjusting, too."
Her limp puppy ears said it all. She glanced at me cautiously, her expression a mix of smile and sob, as she continued listlessly.
"Argh. So embarrassing in front of a guy."
Thanks to that, I couldn't even eat properly. Mino kept shoveling food without a care for the Platoon Leader's mood, but I was too distracted to pick up my spoon.
"Hehe. It's fine, really. Th-this stuff's familiar now..."
"No, ma'am. You can do great."
So I encouraged her once more.
"Huh?"
"Your hard work is impressive."
Leaving her like this would just choke me up. Ignoring her pain to eat felt wrong.
We'd be together for years anyway—helping each other out was ideal. She'd feel better from my comfort, and I'd earn Military Life Points from her.
Achievement Unlocked: Kind Man
Yeah, that's the stuff.
The status window flashed. Just helping a poor comrade duplicated my Military Life Points—what a sweet event.
Only a beautiful man can heal a wounded woman's heart... Mm-hmm.
Arousal Points: 6 → 8
What the actual fuck.
Hey, you bastard, why the hell is this arousing?