Chapter 64 – As Partners
Katamimi was waiting for the young soldier who rushed back to his room. She gave a beautiful salute that made an audible snap when he entered. Remembering the words of his senior soldiers earlier, he bowed lightly towards Katamimi.
＜Captain, I just received an order from the commander. Please confirm the contents.＞
She handed over the sealed order, locked in her upright posture. The young soldier unsealed the contents and checked what they were.
Briefly summarized, it was an order to do reconnaissance around the garrison. The young soldier understood the commander’s intentions,
（Ah, I see. I guess he wants me to familiarize myself with the terrain around the garrison, otherwise, it could be for me to get used to handling a unit of combat homunculi. My basic training only covered managing a single combat homunculus, so this will be good practice.）
Katamimi continued to hold her salute while the young soldier looked over the letter. When he noticed, he commanded her to rest and made her take a comfortable posture. He started at her while thinking to himself,
（The combat homunculi are certainly loyal to their orders, but… will I really be fighting with them? This girl is missing an ear, but I’ve never seen anyone as cute in my home village.
「Combat homunculi are disposable」 or so they said…
I wonder if these girls will be forced into a gruesome death….）
He studied her from top to bottom and noticed a number of small scratches on Katamimi’s body.
（Now that I think about it… why is she missing an ear? And why are there so many scars all over her body?）
Curious, he asked her,
「Katamimi, why do you have so many scars on your body? Is the Republic mass-producing scar-riddled combat homunculi?」
＜Captain, it has been a month since I was delivered here. I was fighting on the battlefield with my previous leader until yesterday. These scratches are the results of combat.＞
The young soldier did not expect such an answer.
（Katamimi’s been fighting for a month already?
Waa, she’s basically a veteran.
We were taught that combat homunculi usually couldn’t survive for over a week…
If she’s been fighting for a month it would be strange if she wasn’t full of scratches.）
「mm? Does that mean that you lost your other ear in battle?」
＜Yes. My ear was blown away in battle four days ago.＞
「So that’s what happened. By the way, what happened to your previous leader? Did he transfer to some other garrison?」
＜My previous leader was injured in battle two days ago and died yesterday.＞
（What, so he died. So that’s why she became my equipment.）
「Other than you, Katamimi, did the other combat homunculi last just as long?」
＜They are new. They arrived two hours before Captain did. No combat experience.＞
（…is that so. I guess they recruits, the same as me.）
「Gotcha. Then I’ll be in your care tomorrow.」
He said, as he reached out a hand. He wanted to shake hands, but Katamimi just stared at his outstretched hands without moving. The young soldier looked at her mysteriously, and only when he said,
「nn? What’s wrong? Do you not want a handshake?」
Did she slowly reach out her own hand and hold his in a handshake.
「Then I’ll once again leave myself in your care tomorrow. Let’s be partners who can watch each other’s backs, shall we?」
＜Yes, 「partners」 it is. Understood.＞
He let go of her, but Katamimi kept staring at him.
「What’s wrong now? Did I miss something?」
He asked, as the girl appeared to be in deep contemplation.
＜Captain, which homunculus shall I send to your room tonight?＞
Katamimi replied with another question.
「What does that mean? I don’t understand your question.」
＜Will the captain not need sexual relief tonight?＞
At those words, the young soldier burst out in a fit of coughing.
「I don’t! I don’t! What in the world are you saying!?」
＜Would you like me to give you sexual relief? But I’ve been used by my previous leader about three times. If that’s okay with you…＞
「As I said! I don’t need it! I’ll sleep alone tonight! Actually it would be better if you stopped thinking about these strange things! Go sleep quickly for tomorrow!」
＜Captain, combat homunculi do not need sleep.＞
「Ah! Of course I know that! That’s enough, go back on standby!」
＜Orders received. We will wait.＞
And with that, Katamimi left the room with a salute.
The young soldier’s shoulders rose and fell to the beat of his heavy breathing. He collapsed on his bed and rolled around.
（My brains are turning into gel! I’m ecstatic to be invited by such a cute girl but…
…In the end, I can’t sleep with them. Not after I heard those words. I’m in love with them, and at the same time want to be friends. I want them to be allies who trust me to watch their back as they watch mine. Partners who support each other’s troubles. Friends who share the same living space…）
Then he opened the picture book he kept at his bedside. A book that depicted the legends of the Republic of the Sages.
A story about a female scholar who travelled the world on a demon with a homunculus girl who supported her A joyous tale of the harmony between humans and homunculi.
The young soldier wanted a relationship like the one depicted in that story.
Superiors who used the combat homunculi as tools for sexual relief. People who sent combat homunculi to the front lines instead of humans because they don’t want to die in a war that they themselves started. A world built on the blood of homunculus soldiers.
He hated everything that involved sacrificing homunculi.
He believed that humans and homunculi should live as friends. He wanted them to love each other, to walk towards the future hand in hand.
He thought that someday someone should correct the relationship of masters and tools.
….But, that aside, he was still an adolescent boy.
He received an invitation from a beautiful girl. No matter how adamantly he denied it in his head, something was rising from Katamimi’s words.
The young soldier could only comfort himself with the lingering scent of Katamimi’s body odor.
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