Kanesaki stood by the equipment lockers, adjusting the collar of his coat - the same dark red one he'd worn all throughout his service. The dull overhead lights flickered softly, throwing faint shadows across the racks of rifles and lined crates of heavy weapons were stacked by the wall. The cold scent of oil and metal hung in the air as boots scuffed against the concrete.
Yasuko approached quietly, one hand on her hip. She paused, glancing at him as he lightly cracked his neck. For a moment, she looked as if she wanted to say something, but her lips pressed into a thin line instead.
Kanesaki caught her gaze, lifting an eyebrow.
'Something up?'
She shifted, adjusting her posture before finally speaking.
'You're sticking with us out there, right?'
Kanesaki paused, his hand fitting on a glove before he turned, facing her directly. His expression softened, the harshness of the upcoming mission momentarily fading.
'I'll be there, Yasuko, don't worry.'
Yasuko's shoulders eased a fraction, but she kept her eyes lowered, fingers tapping lightly on her hip.
'Good. Just… don't get caught up in heroics, Kanesaki. We're supposed to stick together. That's what Yanagi said, and that's… what matters, right?'
He studied her for a moment, seeing the small crack in her usual composure. Then he reached out, placing a gloved hand lightly on her head, ruffling her hair with deliberate gentleness.
'Yeah. That's what matters.'
Her face flushed red as she pulled back, grumbling under her breath, but a small smile tugged at her lips as she turned away.
Across the room, Nishihara sat on a crate, checking the spinal implant of the YNS as he clipped it on with a sharp gasp, the pain disappearing shortly after the suit wired itself in, while Sakaguchi knelt beside him, humming a random tune. The quiet between them was broken only by the low clatter of metal against metal.
Sakaguchi glanced up, a smirk creeping across his face. 'So, how many do you think you'll bag tonight?'
Nishihara tilted his head, letting out a single dry chuckle.
'What, you planning to keep score?'
'Hey, a little motivation never hurts,' Sakaguchi shot back, flashing a grin. 'Loser buys the other drinks for a month.'
Nishihara snorted, stretching his arms until his back popped. 'Fine.'
'Deal,' Sakaguchi laughed, standing up slowly.
Nishihara cracked his neck, rolling his shoulders back as he picked up his sheathed odachi. 'Yeah, we'll see. Just don't get cocky and chase a stray into the dark.'
Sakaguchi's grin widened, but his eyes flickered briefly with seriousness. 'Yeah. I know.'
Kanesaki and Yasuko joined them, the four standing in the narrow hallway outside the armory, the air cold and heavy with the scent of fuel drifting in from the hangar. The low rumble of engines preparing dropships hummed through the concrete under their boots.
Sakaguchi glanced at Kanesaki, raising an eyebrow. 'Ready?'
Kanesaki smirked, nodding slightly.
Nishihara let out a quiet huff, glancing at Yasuko, who stood gripping her hands into fists tightly, eyes focused, yet softer than usual as she glanced back at Kanesaki.
Outside, the night pressed against the outpost windows, the wind carrying the distant rustle of dry leaves as the dropship engines roared to life, preparing to lift them into the cold dark.
For a moment, as they stood there together under the harsh fluorescent lights, there was a quiet understanding between them.
***
Ike slung his dark grey across his arms as Horuichi double-checked the thermal uplink on his wrist display, the glow flickering across his sharp features.
'We hit them in tight clusters,' Horuichi muttered, eyes scanning the quarry's map on the small screen. 'Sweep hard, focus on the leading runners first, cut the stragglers last. Force them into kill funnels near the ridge.'
Ike cracked his knuckles, grinning. 'You're just looking for the fastest way to rack up kills, huh?'
'You aren't?' Horuichi shot back, raising an eyebrow.
Ike chuckled, eyes scanning over one of his pistols before holstering it. 'Long as we don't let them form a swarm, I'll take whatever runs in front of me.'
Nearby, Yasui was checking her outfit - the same one she had worn on arrival. She glanced up, eyeing the two with mild amusement as she fitted on her gloves.
'You two are hopeless. Is this really the time to compare who kills the most?'
Ike flashed a grin. 'Always is, captain. You in, or you scared I'll outdo you again?'
Yasui rolled her eyes, smirking. 'I'll pass. I've got my own… priorities tonight.'
She glanced past Ike's shoulder, eyes catching on Nishihara across the bay, standing and bantering with Sakaguchi whilst Kanesaki and Yasuko talked beside him. For a brief moment, her face softened, something unreadable flickering across her eyes before she exhaled.
'I'm heading over,' she said casually, lifting a hand in half a wave. 'Don't break your legs trying to impress each other before we even deploy.'
Horuichi just grunted, turning back to his map, while Ike's grin widened.
'Don't worry about us, captain. Go do your thing.'
She shot them a quick, sideways smirk before weaving through the crowd toward Nishihara, the heavy clank of boots and the cold, dusty air wrapping around her as the dropships' engines roared, announcing the long night to come.
Nishihara sat back on a metal crate as Sakaguchi joined Kanesaki and Yasuko to go meet Yanagi. Around him, the storage bay roared with activity - boots on steel, crates sliding, the hiss of gas as canisters were locked down for deployment. The heavy drone of dropship engines waiting outside vibrated through the floor.
He reached for his pistol sat beside him, only to pause as a shadow fell over him.
'Hey.'
Yasui stood there, arms folded, her face appearing shadowed beneath the dim red lights. She eyed him up and down, a small smirk pulling at the corner of her lips.
'All ready?' she asked, tone casual.
Nishihara adjusted the cuffs of his uniform coat as he put it over his body, covering the YNS. He glanced at her briefly before looking away. 'Yeah.'
Yasui stepped closer, almost into his space, forcing him to meet her eyes. 'Hey. I know you like to play the quiet, brooding soldier, but do me a favor and come back in one piece, alright?'
He blinked once, lips pressing together into a line. 'That's the plan.'
She tilted her head, considering him, her eyes glinting mischievously as she lowered her voice. 'If you do a good job out there… Maybe I'll give you a reward.'
Nishihara's brows twitched, the faintest flush rising to his ears, but his face remained as stoic as ever. 'A reward?'
Yasui leaned in, her lips brushing lightly against his cheek, warm and quick, before she pulled back, smirking wider as she tapped the side of his head, his soft yet sharp hair brushing over her fingers..
'You'll find out if you survive the night.'
Nishihara sighed, looking away as he holstered his pistol, trying to ignore the way his heart began thumping in his chest.
'You're ridiculous,' he muttered.
'And you love it,' Yasui shot back, turning on her heel and walking away toward her team, throwing a small wave over her shoulder, signalling that she'd be waiting for him to join up with them.
He stood there for a moment, staring after her, then exhaled slowly, a reluctant, almost invisible smile ghosting across his lips before he wiped it away, standing and rolling his shoulders, head twitching before he moved to follow her.
***
Kanesaki stood patiently with Yasuko, her body leaning more towards him as they waited for Yanagi to arrive. Sakaguchi was further up in the ship, talking with Wachisaka.
A sudden force pushed everyone slightly, Yasuko stepping back as she tried not to fall, brushing against Kanesaki as he stood firmly, just slipping a little.
A faint blush covered Yasuko's face, her eyes avoiding Kanesaki's as she stumbled over her words.
'S-Sorry, just never really gotten used to flying.'
Laughing, Kanesaki nudged her shoulder with his hand. 'It happens, no worries.'
As they joked a little, the sound of loud boots on metal grew louder. Turning back, Kanesaki saw Yanagi approaching, the ships having taken off.
'Alright! We'll be getting to the drop point in roughly two hours! Make sure you're all ready, and remember, stick together no matter what!'
The whole room nodded, with a loud shout of 'Yes sir!' following it up.
The dropship was large enough to carry both Yanagi's team and Yasui's, with Maeda getting his own dropship alongside the third platoon. The two ships zipped through the night sky, aggressively crashing through the clouds.
Kanesaki gazed out the window, staring in amusement at the dark sky.
'So, how exactly is it night already?'
Sakaguchi walked over, taking a quick look out the window too.
'Valdeia is a strange planet, a lot of this stuff is kinda inexplicable. I heard it's something to do with the moon entering a weird spot in space where the planet's gravitational pull is stronger, essentially speeding it up for a moment as it circles. It only occurs around this part of the planet, though.'
Kanesaki's eyes seemed puzzled, trying to properly understand. He shook his head carelessly.
'Sounds confusing, to be honest.'
Behind him, Yasuko nodded, not looking at the two but still paying attention.
'Because it is.'
The ships were about an hour and a half away by that point.
Yatzul extermination operation - begin
Chapter 40 - end