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The highest-ranking officer of the Padania military stood before him. Perhaps only after he had spoken, Ryan realized his opponent's identity. He immediately straightened his neck and waist and saluted.
“Loyalty! Meet His Excellency the Commander-in-Chief!”
Annette was momentarily confused as to whether she should also pay homage to the Commander-in-Chief.
Ryan, who had lowered his hand, still stood stiffly at attention. Heiner didn't even glance at him and spoke in a dry voice.
“This is a church. There’s no need for that.”
“Yes, I understand!”
Ryan's attitude toward Heiner was, to anyone, that of a superior. Even casual passersby glanced at them.
Even Ryan was a large man, but Heiner was even taller than him. With two large men standing in the middle of the hallway, it was inevitable that everyone's attention would turn to them.
“Where do you belong?”
“This is Sergeant Ryan Fromm, assigned to the 62nd Infantry Division Replacement Battalion!”
“Did you just move in?”
“Yes! Until recently, I served in the frontline reserve unit!”
“Since when have you been serving in the military?”
“It’s been six years!”
"But you're still a sergeant? Promotions usually happen quickly in wartime."
"Sorry!"
Ryan just kept saying sorry without even knowing why he should be sorry.
To begin with, the rank difference between the commander-in-chief and the sergeant major was staggering. This wasn't a simple question; it bordered on harassment.
“Do you have any brothers?”
“I have one older brother and two younger brothers!”
“Did your brother enlist, too?”
"He did it!”
“What about your younger siblings?”
“He's at home!”
“Brothers enlisted together.”
“Yes!”
Annette was dying of discomfort in this place. She felt sorry for Ryan, but she wanted to get out of there, even if it meant leaving alone.
“Do you two know each other?”
“That...is right!”
“Did you meet on the front lines?”
“Yes!”
“Are you two close?”
"Yes?"
Ryan let out a dumbfounded voice. Annette, dumbfounded, looked at Heiner. Heiner repeated the same question without changing his expression.
“Are you close?”
“Yes, yes... that’s right...”
Ryan glanced at Annette before speaking.
“...I think so.”
"Friend?"
“Yes.”
She couldn't figure out what kind of conversation this was. Annette, unable to stand it any longer, finally stepped forward.
“Many eyes are watching. I think it would be best to leave now.”
“We were just having a conversation. What’s going on?”
Annette was literally taken aback by Heiner's childish response.
Even a passing dog could tell this wasn't "just a conversation." Heiner himself must have known he was being a pushover.
Annette swallowed a sigh and spoke softly.
“...Let’s say that’s true. Anyway, there are a lot of eyes watching, and I don’t want to be here. Why do you do that when you know what people will think?”
Heiner's face clearly showed a desire to ask, 'What do you think?'
But fortunately, he seemed to have that much presence of mind, so he didn't question it further and kept his mouth shut. Of course, his discontented expression remained.
“Then let’s go.”
Annette left immediately to avoid further discussion.
Ryan, sensing this was his chance to escape, saluted and hurriedly followed Annette. Dark eyes followed them behind.
"Wow, I'm meeting the Commander-in-Chief, someone I've only heard rumors about. And talking to him one-on-one, too. I thought I'd never meet him in a hundred years of military service! No, anyone who hasn't reached the rank of high-ranking officer in a hundred years is just a punk."
Ryan, looking a little excited, started talking.
“I heard he has a very calm personality, but he's much scarier than I thought from the article... So he's the commander-in-chief?”
Annette was worried about Ryan, who had been put in an uncomfortable situation because of her, but he didn't seem to care much.
Still, the unease persisted. Annette hesitated, then finally offered a brief apology.
“I’m sorry, Ryan.”
“Yes? Why are you sorry, Annette?”
Saying "because of me" here might seem a little self-conscious. In fact, the questions Heiner asked him seemed, on the surface, to be innocuous.
“Oh, it’s just that, I feel like I just cut off the conversation.”
“Yes? No. That seat was uncomfortable.”
“...It was uncomfortable, wasn’t it?”
“Haha, which soldier would be comfortable talking to the Commander-in-Chief?”
Ryan made a casual remark, but Annette still felt a pang of unease. She worried that he might be targeted by the Commander-in-Chief because of her and suffer some kind of disadvantage.
“But, Annette.”
"Yes?"
“You received an order to deploy to the rear... That’s the Commander-in-Chief’s order, right?”
Ryan asked cautiously. Annette stared blankly at him for a moment, then lowered her head and answered quietly.
“...Maybe.”
They'd talked about this before. Back then, she simply concluded it wasn't true, but now she was certain it was.
“I was right.”
“That’s right.”
Annette smiled bitterly. Ryan sighed, then spoke as if recalling a memory.
“When I asked you before what your relationship was with your ex-husband... you just said you were strangers. That you no longer see each other or contact each other.”
"Yes."
“Do you still think so?”
The dry wind of late winter clung to her walking legs. Annette's pace slowed slightly. Her eyes fell on the unidentifiable debris rolling around.
"... Yes."
The fragments gleamed in the morning sunlight. From a distance, they appeared white, but as they got closer and the angle changed, their true colors were revealed.
“I still think so.”
“I don’t think the Commander-in-Chief thinks so.”
“Regardless of what he thinks, I do. I think that’s how it should be.”
“Did Annette ask for the divorce first?”
"... That's right."
The fragments, seen up close, were a deep black. Annette stepped on them and passed. Something shattered beneath her feet with a crunch.
“But why does everyone in the world talk as if Annette ‘got divorced’?”
“Well, with the divorce, I only had to lose, and he only had to gain.”
"Well."
Ryan tilted his head.
“I think he lost you.”
“...What does that mean?”
“That’s exactly right. The Commander-in-Chief still has feelings for Annette, right?”
Ryan said it without a shred of doubt. It left Annette speechless.
“...That’s not true.”
"You don't? It's so obvious. Placing Annette in the rear, coming for an inspection a few days ago, speaking to me for no reason... and even speaking to me in a rather hostile manner... Anyway, the evidence is so clear?"
"The feelings he has for me... are a bit complicated. They're not all positive feelings, like Ryan thinks."
“Hmm.”
Ryan still had a look of disbelief on his face.
"I don't know what happened between Annette and that man, so I can't say for sure, but from what I've seen, that's what I've seen. The Commander-in-Chief still has feelings for you."
“What, you’re making a complete statement?”
“...It looks so clear.”
Ryan admitted it without even trying to hide it. Annette asked with a hollow laugh.
“Why are you so sure?”
“There are things that only men can see.”
"What the hell is that? Ryan doesn't seem to have much sense."
“Wow, you’re suddenly attacking me.”
“So what is it?”
"Men usually know each other. Especially when there's a woman between them, they know each other even better. Now that I think about it, didn't that three-way meeting just now seem a bit like a three-way meeting? Haha."
"Yes, I won't ask. You guys should go back and chat with the Commander-in-Chief so we can get along better."
“I’d rather kill myself.”
Annette let out a small laugh at the immediate response. She'd said she was fine, but it seemed she'd been through quite a bit.
“It’s a holiday, so are you going straight back to your accommodations?”
“I’m trying to catch up on some sleep.”
“I don’t understand the intent of your question at all...”
Annette laughed again at his empty words. Ryan, seeing her laugh, followed suit with a cool smile.
Actually, she wasn't really curious about his opinion when she asked.
She felt sorry for him for putting him through such a needless situation because of her. It was her own attempt to ease his feelings, in case he had been hurt.
It wasn't that Ryan's words were incomprehensible. In fact, they were valid. If she hadn't experienced something similar in the past, she would have thought the same.
But Ryan didn't know.
Heiner is a person who can act even down to the smallest of glances.
Pretending to love, pretending to be foolish, pretending to regret—all of this was as easy and light for him as lifting a piece of paper.
Just like those childhood days...
Annette closed her eyes and opened them again. The once cloudy dawn sky had cleared. At the end of the path she was walking, another road stretched out.
She set off down that path.
“Loyalty! Meet His Excellency the Commander-in-Chief!”
Annette was momentarily confused as to whether she should also pay homage to the Commander-in-Chief.
Ryan, who had lowered his hand, still stood stiffly at attention. Heiner didn't even glance at him and spoke in a dry voice.
“This is a church. There’s no need for that.”
“Yes, I understand!”
Ryan's attitude toward Heiner was, to anyone, that of a superior. Even casual passersby glanced at them.
Even Ryan was a large man, but Heiner was even taller than him. With two large men standing in the middle of the hallway, it was inevitable that everyone's attention would turn to them.
“Where do you belong?”
“This is Sergeant Ryan Fromm, assigned to the 62nd Infantry Division Replacement Battalion!”
“Did you just move in?”
“Yes! Until recently, I served in the frontline reserve unit!”
“Since when have you been serving in the military?”
“It’s been six years!”
"But you're still a sergeant? Promotions usually happen quickly in wartime."
"Sorry!"
Ryan just kept saying sorry without even knowing why he should be sorry.
To begin with, the rank difference between the commander-in-chief and the sergeant major was staggering. This wasn't a simple question; it bordered on harassment.
“Do you have any brothers?”
“I have one older brother and two younger brothers!”
“Did your brother enlist, too?”
"He did it!”
“What about your younger siblings?”
“He's at home!”
“Brothers enlisted together.”
“Yes!”
Annette was dying of discomfort in this place. She felt sorry for Ryan, but she wanted to get out of there, even if it meant leaving alone.
“Do you two know each other?”
“That...is right!”
“Did you meet on the front lines?”
“Yes!”
“Are you two close?”
"Yes?"
Ryan let out a dumbfounded voice. Annette, dumbfounded, looked at Heiner. Heiner repeated the same question without changing his expression.
“Are you close?”
“Yes, yes... that’s right...”
Ryan glanced at Annette before speaking.
“...I think so.”
"Friend?"
“Yes.”
She couldn't figure out what kind of conversation this was. Annette, unable to stand it any longer, finally stepped forward.
“Many eyes are watching. I think it would be best to leave now.”
“We were just having a conversation. What’s going on?”
Annette was literally taken aback by Heiner's childish response.
Even a passing dog could tell this wasn't "just a conversation." Heiner himself must have known he was being a pushover.
Annette swallowed a sigh and spoke softly.
“...Let’s say that’s true. Anyway, there are a lot of eyes watching, and I don’t want to be here. Why do you do that when you know what people will think?”
Heiner's face clearly showed a desire to ask, 'What do you think?'
But fortunately, he seemed to have that much presence of mind, so he didn't question it further and kept his mouth shut. Of course, his discontented expression remained.
“Then let’s go.”
Annette left immediately to avoid further discussion.
Ryan, sensing this was his chance to escape, saluted and hurriedly followed Annette. Dark eyes followed them behind.
***
"Wow, I'm meeting the Commander-in-Chief, someone I've only heard rumors about. And talking to him one-on-one, too. I thought I'd never meet him in a hundred years of military service! No, anyone who hasn't reached the rank of high-ranking officer in a hundred years is just a punk."
Ryan, looking a little excited, started talking.
“I heard he has a very calm personality, but he's much scarier than I thought from the article... So he's the commander-in-chief?”
Annette was worried about Ryan, who had been put in an uncomfortable situation because of her, but he didn't seem to care much.
Still, the unease persisted. Annette hesitated, then finally offered a brief apology.
“I’m sorry, Ryan.”
“Yes? Why are you sorry, Annette?”
Saying "because of me" here might seem a little self-conscious. In fact, the questions Heiner asked him seemed, on the surface, to be innocuous.
“Oh, it’s just that, I feel like I just cut off the conversation.”
“Yes? No. That seat was uncomfortable.”
“...It was uncomfortable, wasn’t it?”
“Haha, which soldier would be comfortable talking to the Commander-in-Chief?”
Ryan made a casual remark, but Annette still felt a pang of unease. She worried that he might be targeted by the Commander-in-Chief because of her and suffer some kind of disadvantage.
“But, Annette.”
"Yes?"
“You received an order to deploy to the rear... That’s the Commander-in-Chief’s order, right?”
Ryan asked cautiously. Annette stared blankly at him for a moment, then lowered her head and answered quietly.
“...Maybe.”
They'd talked about this before. Back then, she simply concluded it wasn't true, but now she was certain it was.
“I was right.”
“That’s right.”
Annette smiled bitterly. Ryan sighed, then spoke as if recalling a memory.
“When I asked you before what your relationship was with your ex-husband... you just said you were strangers. That you no longer see each other or contact each other.”
"Yes."
“Do you still think so?”
The dry wind of late winter clung to her walking legs. Annette's pace slowed slightly. Her eyes fell on the unidentifiable debris rolling around.
"... Yes."
The fragments gleamed in the morning sunlight. From a distance, they appeared white, but as they got closer and the angle changed, their true colors were revealed.
“I still think so.”
“I don’t think the Commander-in-Chief thinks so.”
“Regardless of what he thinks, I do. I think that’s how it should be.”
“Did Annette ask for the divorce first?”
"... That's right."
The fragments, seen up close, were a deep black. Annette stepped on them and passed. Something shattered beneath her feet with a crunch.
“But why does everyone in the world talk as if Annette ‘got divorced’?”
“Well, with the divorce, I only had to lose, and he only had to gain.”
"Well."
Ryan tilted his head.
“I think he lost you.”
“...What does that mean?”
“That’s exactly right. The Commander-in-Chief still has feelings for Annette, right?”
Ryan said it without a shred of doubt. It left Annette speechless.
“...That’s not true.”
"You don't? It's so obvious. Placing Annette in the rear, coming for an inspection a few days ago, speaking to me for no reason... and even speaking to me in a rather hostile manner... Anyway, the evidence is so clear?"
"The feelings he has for me... are a bit complicated. They're not all positive feelings, like Ryan thinks."
“Hmm.”
Ryan still had a look of disbelief on his face.
"I don't know what happened between Annette and that man, so I can't say for sure, but from what I've seen, that's what I've seen. The Commander-in-Chief still has feelings for you."
“What, you’re making a complete statement?”
“...It looks so clear.”
Ryan admitted it without even trying to hide it. Annette asked with a hollow laugh.
“Why are you so sure?”
“There are things that only men can see.”
"What the hell is that? Ryan doesn't seem to have much sense."
“Wow, you’re suddenly attacking me.”
“So what is it?”
"Men usually know each other. Especially when there's a woman between them, they know each other even better. Now that I think about it, didn't that three-way meeting just now seem a bit like a three-way meeting? Haha."
"Yes, I won't ask. You guys should go back and chat with the Commander-in-Chief so we can get along better."
“I’d rather kill myself.”
Annette let out a small laugh at the immediate response. She'd said she was fine, but it seemed she'd been through quite a bit.
“It’s a holiday, so are you going straight back to your accommodations?”
“I’m trying to catch up on some sleep.”
“I don’t understand the intent of your question at all...”
Annette laughed again at his empty words. Ryan, seeing her laugh, followed suit with a cool smile.
Actually, she wasn't really curious about his opinion when she asked.
She felt sorry for him for putting him through such a needless situation because of her. It was her own attempt to ease his feelings, in case he had been hurt.
It wasn't that Ryan's words were incomprehensible. In fact, they were valid. If she hadn't experienced something similar in the past, she would have thought the same.
But Ryan didn't know.
Heiner is a person who can act even down to the smallest of glances.
Pretending to love, pretending to be foolish, pretending to regret—all of this was as easy and light for him as lifting a piece of paper.
Just like those childhood days...
Annette closed her eyes and opened them again. The once cloudy dawn sky had cleared. At the end of the path she was walking, another road stretched out.
She set off down that path.
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