After the meeting was adjourned, everyone vacated the tent. Except for Mizuno and Furuya.
I was curious if they'd been plotting something, so I returned to listen to their conversation.
That's when I spotted an intimate moment between the two. Their arms were coiled around the other, locking them in a tight embrace. They then sealed their hug with a heartfelt kiss.
'So that's how it is.' I wasn't surprised, given how Furuya talked about her last night.
"Make it back to me in one piece, okay?" Furuya pulled away. "I trust you can do that."
He took his hand and brushed a rogue lock of Mizuno's hair behind her ear. They exchanged deep eye contact and hugged tightly again.
Mizuno pushed away and gave a slight smile. "It'll be fine. Just don't get overthrown by Barrett while we're gone."
The two chuckled at her joke. "I'll see you soon, Suya. I'll be back."
"You better," Furuya smiled, "I love you, Yuuki."
Mizuno shied away with a tinge of red on her cheeks. I guess "lovey-dovey-ness" was her weakness.
"C'mon, you're going off on a long mission. Would you say it once? Please?" Furuya put his hands to her shoulder to plead.
His pressure worked. That was shown when she leaned up to kiss Furuya and forced the words out. "I... I love you too, Suya."
His eyes widened as much as his smile. He hugged then hugged Mizuno tightly again and nuzzled her neck.
"Thank you," he smiled warmly. "You're the best."
The two then broke physical contact, and Mizuno began to leave. With her inching to the tent's exit, I backed away. I hadn't meant to intrude on such a private event, but I did. By the time I thought about leaving them alone, the moment was already over.
Mizuno and I then regrouped to start packing supplies for the journey. Based on the time constraints, we had to leave that very day. So we were to fill two-weeks worth of provisions within a few hours.
The supplies consisted of food, bandages, spare weapons, spare clothes, armor, and some odd liquid for emergency use only. Barrett called them "potions" and then emphasized how difficult they were to create.
"Don't fuck up with these," he ordered and begrudgingly handed them to me. Six were red as blood, and the final was as blue as the afternoon sky.
"What are these for?" I asked Mizuno while we walked away.
She turned her head and held up one of the reds and the blue vial. "The red will heal any fresh injuries, even critical wounds. The blue... that one increases mana flow efficiency. You can't control magic yet, so you won't be drinking that one."
I was confused by her statements. I didn't see how some liquid could heal you from death, and I wasn't sure how magic worked. Despite that, I knew Mizuno wasn't one to lie, and I figured I'd learn about how "potions" worked eventually anyway. So I dropped it; I had other things to worry about anyway.
Soon, I met the rest of the team. It consisted of the blacksmith introduced as Barik Forge, the Traunt brothers, Mizuno, and me.
I asked Mizuno why a blacksmith was accompanying us on a military operation.
"Remember when I mentioned how fortified the warehouses were?" she asked. "He'll help with that. Besides, he's no rookie to a fight, so we'll need him."
Barik hadn't strayed from my first impression of him. He looked to be in a perpetual state of frustration and preferred secluding himself from us.
'I guess he's not a people person.' I hoped that wouldn't impact our mission negatively.
The Traunt brothers were happy to see me. Well, one, at least.
Alan ran up to me and shook my hand aggressively. "Hey, buddy! Sorry for throwing you under the bus earlier with Hearth; she terrifies me, man."
Though I didn't appreciate being lied about, it was a harmless thing to do. Plus, he had to clean a latrine, so I was happy. However, his actions did raise a bit of concern. Was he the type to sacrifice others for his own gain and survival? If he was, he'd be a clear liability to the group.
"Don't mention it," I smiled through clenched teeth. 'Though I'll be keeping a close on you now,' is what I added inwardly.
pαпdα Йᴏνê1,сòМ Joseph, unlike his brother, lacked any immature hyperactivity. On the contrary, like when we met, he tried his best to remain composed and reserved.
Upon further inspection, it almost seemed like he was copying Mizuno. I had even caught him staring at her while in a daze.
Alan must've caught it, too, because he took the opportunity to verbally pounce on Joseph to tease him. "You'll never get her," he cackled. "She even rejected you already!"
"Shut the hell up, Alan!" Joseph replied angrily.
Though he tried to hide it, romance was plastered across his face. Between his reddened cheeks and embarrassedly turning away, it was apparent.
After seeing something so juvenile, I chuckled inwardly. It was refreshing to see something normal like "love" amidst all this madness. Even if it was an unrequited one.
Sadly, I could only see my countrymen briefly before I left for the expedition to the farm. I was happy about one thing. Rather than a muck-covered metal collar, the reddened bare skin of their necks was visible.
When I asked, Kamida told me they'd met in the elusive "R&D" building to get the collars removed.
"We met...an odd girl in there," Ayame laughed. "She was very monotone? I guess? But she was definitely a genius! They had so much stuff in there!"
I laughed. It was a joy to see them all so excited about this place. It also helped me steel my resolve to preserve it at all costs. After a heartfelt goodbye, I began my departure with the rest of my team.
Kamida was hesitant to let me go. He tried his best to convince me to reconsider. That we needed to stick together no matter what. But I wouldn't be persuaded.
He sighed wearily, then accepted my decision. He projected a smile, though it was obviously forced. "We've already lost one good man to the hell of those woods. Come back alive, sir... Sato... You have to."
I said nothing. I only nodded with a fake grin and turned away. I had no idea what to expect, and I wasn't one to make promises I might not keep.
And so we left with not only the weight of our gear but the entirety of the camp's hopes on our backs.
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