Boom—
With a deafening explosion, a shell hit the ground, throwing up a huge cloud of dust and covering the soldiers behind cover in dirt.
"Shit, those shitfucks are at it again."
"This is the fifth exchange of shoots fired today, isn't it?"
"Return fire! Conserve your ammo!"
The soldiers in bulletproof vests grabbed their assault rifles and began firing rapidly at the enemies in front of them.
"Tch, those sons of bitches sure are passionate."
A blond teenage soldier held his sniper rifle, held his breath, and squeezed the trigger at a filthy enemy in the distance. The bullet struck the target cleanly in the head from hundreds of meters away.
"Aren't these guys getting cozy with Uncle Sam lately? Why are they coming after us?"
"Because we're also here for counterterrorism."
"Whatever."
The blond boy clicked his tongue, leaned back against the cover, grabbed a can from beside him, and used his knife to pry it open. He dumped all the meat and broth straight into his mouth.
With artillery thundering all around, there was no time to taste what he was eating.
After wolfing it down, he tossed the empty can aside and asked the bearded middle-aged soldier beside him, "How long have we been stuck in this hellhole of Afghanistan?"
"Three months and five days."
"What about support? Artillery? CAS? If nothing else, can logistics at least send us some KFC?"
"No chance."
"Fuck!"
The blond boy spat to the side and fired off two more shots with his rifle.
Though he had delicate features and could easily pass for a handsome young man in normal times, his filthy face and foul mouth made it feel like his good looks were completely wasted.
Just then, a soldier came up from the stairwell and saluted him.
"Second Lieutenant, there's a call from headquarters."
"Huh?"
The blond boy—Takamine Rinji—frowned, tossed his rifle aside, and pushed past the soldier to head downstairs.
He picked up the comm and said directly, "This is IW Afghanistan Branch, Fifth Company, ID 0054. We're currently engaged in combat. If this call is for anything stupid, I swear I'll fuck your ancestors."
"Takamine Rinji, it's me."
"Oh, Uncle Sagara. What's up? Has support finally arrived?"
Upon hearing the familiar voice, Rinji's expression softened slightly.
"No. We're pulling out of this warzone."
"Pulling out? What about the base we built? Just gonna leave it behind?"
"How much longer until the outpost is finished?"
"About a week."
"Then hold on for one more week. Someone else will take over after that."
"As long as someone's taking over, I don't care."
Rinji chuckled.
"I'll pass the word. Everyone'll be thrilled to finally get out of here."
"Oh? Are you happy about it?"
"…Of course I am, hahaha."
"Don't lie. I knew your father well. You're just like him—can't adjust to life outside the battlefield."
"…"
"Once you're back from Afghanistan, you're heading somewhere new."
"Somewhere new? Lebanon? Syria? Israel?"
"Not the Middle East."
"Congo? Somalia?"
"Not Africa either. You're going to Japan."
"…"
"What do you think?"
"Can I say no?"
"Huh? Why not?"
"Uncle Sagara, did you forget why I fled Japan in the first place?" Rinji's face twisted bitterly. "I absolutely don't want to go back to that place."
"They've got a post for you. High salary."
"Of course I know the pay's good. Headquarters has tons of operations based there… I just… ugh, I don't want to go."
"Japan's not bad. Your dad and I both studied there."
"Yeah, and from what I heard, you two nearly tore the school down. Aunt Kaya told me all about it." Rinji paused. "So what's the mission in Japan?"
"School."
"Sorry, what? I didn't catch that. Huh? The enemy's attacking again! I have to go help!"
Rinji shouted dramatically, clearly trying to hang up and escape the conversation.
"Hold on. This is your father's decision."
"My old man wants me to go?"
"Yes."
"…"
"At your age, you should be in school. And if anything happens to you here, I can't answer to your father."
"If Dad dared to leave me in your hands, it means he never thought I'd die out here anyway." Rinji sighed. "Fine. I'll go."
"Great. Your identity, school, and housing have all been arranged. You can enroll right away without issues."
"Got it."
"Alright, we'll be in touch once you're in Japan."
The comm clicked off.
Rinji stared at it for a while, then shook his head and walked back upstairs.
It was quiet above—probably because the firefight was over.
"Report casualties."
"Three lightly wounded, no fatalities."
"Good."
Looking at the dust-covered soldiers around him, Rinji raised his voice.
"Gentlemen, headquarters just gave the word—hold out for one more week and we're getting out of here!"
"Yeah!!"
"Finally out of this hellhole!"
"I don't want to spend another second here!"
As the cheers rang out, Rinji stepped to the side and sat right on the dusty ground without care. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes and lit one out of habit.
"Second Lieutenant, is HQ giving up on this base?" asked the bearded soldier from earlier, sitting down beside him.
"Nope. Someone else is taking over."
"That's a relief… Are you taking a post at HQ after this?"
"No."
Rinji hung his head the moment he heard that question.
"I've been reassigned to Japan."
"Japan? Working in research?"
"No…" Rinji's expression turned gloomy. "Going to school."
"Pfft—hahahahahahaha!!"
"Dammit! Can't you show a little sympathy for your miserable superior!?"
"What's so bad about it? Japan's way better than a warzone—peaceful, stable, and great benefits." The soldier grinned. "Besides, at your age, you're supposed to be in school, aren't you?"
"I really don't want to go."
Rinji took a drag from his cigarette and exhaled a puff of smoke.
"I had a falling out with one of the zaibatsu back there, which is why I ran."
"I thought your dad was… what kind of zaibatsu dares mess with you?"
"The Shinomiya Zaibatsu. And it's not that I was afraid of them, dammit—my heartbreak made me act out, okay!"