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Annette's daily life didn't change much after the reporter from Free Jean left.
She still hadn't read any articles about anything other than the war, and she didn't have any personal relationships with the nurses, only talking about work-related matters.
Annette occasionally exchanged greetings with them. It was almost too formal to even call it a conversation, but it was a change from before.
Annette continued to lead a busy life. All day long, she crafted scarce medical supplies, managed supplies, and cared for the wounded. Even two bodies were not enough.
But it was certainly a much more relaxed experience than when she was treating wounded soldiers in a shell-blasted area. This was partly due to the psychological fear having somewhat subsided.
As the heat of the First War began to subside, a nursing officer called Annette.
Annette had never received a personal summons from a nursing officer. She went to the barracks with a sense of unease. The officer's message was this:
“The order has been given to move to the rear.”
“Rear... is that it?”
Annette asked with a puzzled look on her face, her eyebrows narrowed.
It wasn't unusual for orders to come from the military, but this one felt a bit sudden. Especially since it was a rear-guard action.
'If there is a shortage of personnel on the front lines, there is a shortage. There is no reason to replace the nursing staff who insist on remaining on the front lines in a situation where there is no room for leisure...'
The nurse responded curtly, as if she had no interest in Annette's questions.
“Yes. It is an order from above.”
“I’ve never supported the rear. So why am I suddenly moving?”
“I am simply relaying the order.”
Even the nurse knew this wasn't natural, Annette said, a little stubbornly.
“I want to stay here.”
“This is military. Please follow orders.”
“...Can you tell me where the order came from?”
“It is difficult to elaborate on the instructions from above.”
It was an incredibly stiff answer. It seemed impossible to get the information she wanted. Annette could only say, "Yes."
All the way from the nursing officer's barracks to the treatment center, she was lost in thought. The more she thought about it, the more ominous it became.
'Could it be that person?'
To begin with, given the limited information available, that was all she could come up with. Even if she dismissed it as an overreaction, the assumption, once it occurred, wouldn't easily disappear.
'If it's him... Why? Because you suspect my intentions? Or because you think I'll just cause trouble here?'
Of course, it was also possible that it wasn't him. Perhaps someone higher up had moved her because she was the Commander-in-Chief's ex-wife. Or perhaps some news article had been published.
The thoughts that had been tangled in her mind finally ended in a question mark. Annette sighed softly, rubbing her cold, frozen cheek.
Suddenly, a familiar voice was heard from next to her.
“Annette!”
“Oh, Ryan.”
Ryan approached her with his characteristically wide, powerful smile. Annette smiled back in greeting.
"You're doing great?"
“Yes. Thank you.”
“The reporters didn’t come today?”
“There hasn’t been any since then.”
Ryan launched into a lengthy tirade about the rudeness and unluckiness of "that son of a bitch." Annette, accustomed to such rhetoric from soldiers, readily agreed.
“Oh, Ryan, I think I’ll be moving to the rear.”
“Yes? Really? You’re supporting the rear?”
“That’s not it. It was an order from above.”
“Orders? Orders passed on to the nursing department?”
“No, I think it was just handed down to me personally.”
"You said it was personally ordered? Annette didn't even volunteer for the rear?"
“Isn’t it strange?”
“That’s strange.”
Ryan stroked his chin and made a humming sound. He seemed to be pondering something, then cautiously spoke.
“Annette, by any chance...”
"Yes?"
“What is your relationship with your ex-husband now?”
Annette was slightly taken aback by the sudden question. She knew Ryan wasn't good at beating around the bush, but she hadn't expected him to ask her something so out of the blue.
“...Why my ex-husband?”
"If there's anyone who insists on moving Annette to the rear, I wonder if it's him. Was I rude?"
“No. It’s just...”
Annette continued speaking, feeling a little awkward as he touched her hand.
"Well, we don't really have a relationship. We haven't seen each other or been in contact since the divorce. We're strangers now."
“Oh, is that so?”
Ryan's face brightened slightly. He immediately dismissed the assumption.
“Then that’s not it.”
"Actually, I did think about that, but I decided against it. And it's highly likely it's not true."
"Then I guess I was being unreasonable. Just forget it! Don't worry about it. Anyway, Annette's going to the rear, that's good news for me. I might meet you there, haha."
Ryan smiled slightly exaggeratedly, but his face was filled with genuine joy. Annette stared at him, observing him intently.
"It'll soon be dangerous here again. They say that as winter draws to a close and the cold eases a little, war will begin again."
“Again... So, are we going to invade the Western Fortress like this time?”
"I don't know. It's up to the command center to decide. There are a few possibilities. They could replenish their forces and return here. Or, since the last time was a disaster, they could find another route. Or they could land in the southern seas."
"Anyway, this is an invasion of the mainland. Are they trying to capture the capital?"
"The capital is a capital, but I think they'll first try to secure a stronghold. Or a territory where they can receive supplies. After all, the capital has a strong symbolic meaning."
“Is that so...”
Annette muttered in confusion. Of course, it was expected, but hearing it spoken felt different.
They hadn't ended the war. It was just a brief truce.
“Move unit!”
Suddenly, a shout came from across the armory. Startled, Ryan straightened his upper body, which had been leaning toward Annette.
"I have to go because I'm called up. I'll come find you later from the rear. Until then, take care!"
“Yes, Ryan, take care too.”
Ryan nodded and ran off, panting. He stopped mid-sentence and looked back once. Annette continued to wave at him. From afar, it seemed like he was smiling.
After Ryan completely disappeared from sight, Annette took a step forward. She, too, had to prepare to leave.
Soldiers lined up in a line walked swiftly across the open space. Their movements were unbroken, in a single, straight line. Ahead of them, an infantry tank moved slowly.
Annette stood in line in front of the transport vehicle, her suitcase in hand. She saw several familiar faces standing there.
Several nurses passing by noticed Annette and stopped. Annette met their eyes and gave them a quick nod.
Contrary to expectations that they would simply exchange a glance and pass by, they approached Annette. She also saw the nurse who had helped her when she was having trouble with Free Jean's reporter.
“They said you were going to the rear.”
“Yes, that’s how it happened...”
"Yes."
The conversation paused. In the awkward atmosphere, they glanced at each other. One nurse hesitated, then spoke.
“Thank you for your hard work here.”
For a moment, Annette's eyes fluttered. The nurse took a step closer and gave Annette a light hug. Although it was a common parting gesture, Annette felt a strange, unfamiliar feeling.
“I hope you stay healthy when you get there.”
“Goodbye. If fate allows, we will meet again.”
The other nurses also greeted Annette and embraced her one after another. Annette embraced them with a strangely tugging heart.
The nurse who had hugged her last took a step back and whispered.
“I wish you good luck.”
Annette's eyes widened slightly.
It is a word meaning fortune in winning or losing in war, and it was often said to soldiers going to war.
But Annette knew that her words meant more than just this battlefield.
The transport vehicle, its seats fully occupied, departed with a heavy thud. Then the next vehicle rattled in. A low cloud of dry dust rose.
Amid the familiar noise of the wires, Annette smiled faintly.
“I wish you good luck, too.”
In every battlefield of life.
She still hadn't read any articles about anything other than the war, and she didn't have any personal relationships with the nurses, only talking about work-related matters.
Annette occasionally exchanged greetings with them. It was almost too formal to even call it a conversation, but it was a change from before.
Annette continued to lead a busy life. All day long, she crafted scarce medical supplies, managed supplies, and cared for the wounded. Even two bodies were not enough.
But it was certainly a much more relaxed experience than when she was treating wounded soldiers in a shell-blasted area. This was partly due to the psychological fear having somewhat subsided.
As the heat of the First War began to subside, a nursing officer called Annette.
Annette had never received a personal summons from a nursing officer. She went to the barracks with a sense of unease. The officer's message was this:
“The order has been given to move to the rear.”
“Rear... is that it?”
Annette asked with a puzzled look on her face, her eyebrows narrowed.
It wasn't unusual for orders to come from the military, but this one felt a bit sudden. Especially since it was a rear-guard action.
'If there is a shortage of personnel on the front lines, there is a shortage. There is no reason to replace the nursing staff who insist on remaining on the front lines in a situation where there is no room for leisure...'
The nurse responded curtly, as if she had no interest in Annette's questions.
“Yes. It is an order from above.”
“I’ve never supported the rear. So why am I suddenly moving?”
“I am simply relaying the order.”
Even the nurse knew this wasn't natural, Annette said, a little stubbornly.
“I want to stay here.”
“This is military. Please follow orders.”
“...Can you tell me where the order came from?”
“It is difficult to elaborate on the instructions from above.”
It was an incredibly stiff answer. It seemed impossible to get the information she wanted. Annette could only say, "Yes."
All the way from the nursing officer's barracks to the treatment center, she was lost in thought. The more she thought about it, the more ominous it became.
'Could it be that person?'
To begin with, given the limited information available, that was all she could come up with. Even if she dismissed it as an overreaction, the assumption, once it occurred, wouldn't easily disappear.
'If it's him... Why? Because you suspect my intentions? Or because you think I'll just cause trouble here?'
Of course, it was also possible that it wasn't him. Perhaps someone higher up had moved her because she was the Commander-in-Chief's ex-wife. Or perhaps some news article had been published.
The thoughts that had been tangled in her mind finally ended in a question mark. Annette sighed softly, rubbing her cold, frozen cheek.
Suddenly, a familiar voice was heard from next to her.
“Annette!”
“Oh, Ryan.”
Ryan approached her with his characteristically wide, powerful smile. Annette smiled back in greeting.
"You're doing great?"
“Yes. Thank you.”
“The reporters didn’t come today?”
“There hasn’t been any since then.”
Ryan launched into a lengthy tirade about the rudeness and unluckiness of "that son of a bitch." Annette, accustomed to such rhetoric from soldiers, readily agreed.
“Oh, Ryan, I think I’ll be moving to the rear.”
“Yes? Really? You’re supporting the rear?”
“That’s not it. It was an order from above.”
“Orders? Orders passed on to the nursing department?”
“No, I think it was just handed down to me personally.”
"You said it was personally ordered? Annette didn't even volunteer for the rear?"
“Isn’t it strange?”
“That’s strange.”
Ryan stroked his chin and made a humming sound. He seemed to be pondering something, then cautiously spoke.
“Annette, by any chance...”
"Yes?"
“What is your relationship with your ex-husband now?”
Annette was slightly taken aback by the sudden question. She knew Ryan wasn't good at beating around the bush, but she hadn't expected him to ask her something so out of the blue.
“...Why my ex-husband?”
"If there's anyone who insists on moving Annette to the rear, I wonder if it's him. Was I rude?"
“No. It’s just...”
Annette continued speaking, feeling a little awkward as he touched her hand.
"Well, we don't really have a relationship. We haven't seen each other or been in contact since the divorce. We're strangers now."
“Oh, is that so?”
Ryan's face brightened slightly. He immediately dismissed the assumption.
“Then that’s not it.”
"Actually, I did think about that, but I decided against it. And it's highly likely it's not true."
"Then I guess I was being unreasonable. Just forget it! Don't worry about it. Anyway, Annette's going to the rear, that's good news for me. I might meet you there, haha."
Ryan smiled slightly exaggeratedly, but his face was filled with genuine joy. Annette stared at him, observing him intently.
"It'll soon be dangerous here again. They say that as winter draws to a close and the cold eases a little, war will begin again."
“Again... So, are we going to invade the Western Fortress like this time?”
"I don't know. It's up to the command center to decide. There are a few possibilities. They could replenish their forces and return here. Or, since the last time was a disaster, they could find another route. Or they could land in the southern seas."
"Anyway, this is an invasion of the mainland. Are they trying to capture the capital?"
"The capital is a capital, but I think they'll first try to secure a stronghold. Or a territory where they can receive supplies. After all, the capital has a strong symbolic meaning."
“Is that so...”
Annette muttered in confusion. Of course, it was expected, but hearing it spoken felt different.
They hadn't ended the war. It was just a brief truce.
“Move unit!”
Suddenly, a shout came from across the armory. Startled, Ryan straightened his upper body, which had been leaning toward Annette.
"I have to go because I'm called up. I'll come find you later from the rear. Until then, take care!"
“Yes, Ryan, take care too.”
Ryan nodded and ran off, panting. He stopped mid-sentence and looked back once. Annette continued to wave at him. From afar, it seemed like he was smiling.
After Ryan completely disappeared from sight, Annette took a step forward. She, too, had to prepare to leave.
***
Soldiers lined up in a line walked swiftly across the open space. Their movements were unbroken, in a single, straight line. Ahead of them, an infantry tank moved slowly.
Annette stood in line in front of the transport vehicle, her suitcase in hand. She saw several familiar faces standing there.
Several nurses passing by noticed Annette and stopped. Annette met their eyes and gave them a quick nod.
Contrary to expectations that they would simply exchange a glance and pass by, they approached Annette. She also saw the nurse who had helped her when she was having trouble with Free Jean's reporter.
“They said you were going to the rear.”
“Yes, that’s how it happened...”
"Yes."
The conversation paused. In the awkward atmosphere, they glanced at each other. One nurse hesitated, then spoke.
“Thank you for your hard work here.”
For a moment, Annette's eyes fluttered. The nurse took a step closer and gave Annette a light hug. Although it was a common parting gesture, Annette felt a strange, unfamiliar feeling.
“I hope you stay healthy when you get there.”
“Goodbye. If fate allows, we will meet again.”
The other nurses also greeted Annette and embraced her one after another. Annette embraced them with a strangely tugging heart.
The nurse who had hugged her last took a step back and whispered.
“I wish you good luck.”
Annette's eyes widened slightly.
It is a word meaning fortune in winning or losing in war, and it was often said to soldiers going to war.
But Annette knew that her words meant more than just this battlefield.
The transport vehicle, its seats fully occupied, departed with a heavy thud. Then the next vehicle rattled in. A low cloud of dry dust rose.
Amid the familiar noise of the wires, Annette smiled faintly.
“I wish you good luck, too.”
In every battlefield of life.
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