small hair style correction
bun => chignon
"---- you want me to introduce you to them?"
Eugene lifted his eyebrows slightly, oozing pure goodwill energy.
Eugene's concern is understandable. The Fox team is not the kind of crowd a normal civilian can approach and talk to.
"No thanks."
After taking a deep breath, Abigail stood up with determination.
She walked up to the group, tapping her foot on the floor.
The first person to notice her was the man with the eye patch called the captain.
He looked at Abigail and widened his eyes for a moment, and then immediately after, his gaze sharpened.
The members of the team saw this and all looked at Abigail in unison.
Countless eyeballs, all with different expressions, stared at Abigail.
Yet, she didn't fail to notice some agitated and surprised looks among them.
Several of them did.
The one with the eye patch was only for a moment, but there was also a large balding man, a young man, a man with snake-like eyes, and a chignon woman - InoRyder.
The woman was so cheerful earlier but now her eyes were shining like a hungry wolf.
(Looks like I hit the jackpot.......)
Abigail moaned bitterly in her chest.
Will the demon or the snake come out? She slowly opens her mouth.
"What's wrong with you guys? You look like you just saw a ghost."
"Eyyyyy, wattsaaap!"
A voice rose from the group, which had quickly get shushed by someone.
"Oh, my goodness, so Beeeautiful! What is this dazzling hot woman doing here, hmm?"
A bald guy steps out.
The man has a large physique. His ears are eye-catching. When he smiled all his teeth are visible, his eyes narrowed like a thread and the corner of his eyes drooped. Such friendly attitude gave Abigail somewhat creepy impression.
"My name is Hirsch. Some people call me <Hotei>."
"Abigail. I'm sure your captain already told you guys that I would be coming to see you today."
Then the man with the eye patch stood up.
"Hello Abigail. I am Whisley. I'm in command of the Fox team."
Abigail took a quick look at the insignia and nodded.
"Hello captain Whisley. I believe you've been contacted by the headquarters regarding the escort.
"Oh."
Whisley stared at her and fell silent.
She felt a piercing stare coming from behind the man.
Abigail used the edge of her vision to find the source of the gaze.
It was, as expected, the woman with the messy chignon - InoRyder.
While the rest of the crew simply looked at her with curiosity, her eyes were shining brightly and she her body went rigid with her gaze fixed on Abigail just like before, she felt that her reaction was particularly pronounced.
"...... Hey, you. Is there something on my face?"
"No, She just confused. You just look so different from the picture I saw in the newspaper. I apologize on behalf of all of us if we made you uncomfortable."
Abigail tried to step forward, but Whisley blocked her. A bald man named Hirsch also approached her from the side.
"Yeah! I never would've thought you are this beautiful!"
Hirsch smiled and continued.
"We're about to celebrate. Why don't you join us? Once we're all warmed up, maybe we can sit on the bed and have a nice long conversation."
Abigail was unfazed by the directness and roughness of his words, which would have made any normal woman feel threatened.
"I have work to do. I need you to assign me a good female member of your team."
Hirsch whistled at her.
"Don't scare off the lady, Hirsch."
Whisley scolded him and looked over his shoulder at his men.
He continued to do so for a moment, then turned to Abigail.
"You can choose any of them if you like, but there are some that can't be taken off the mission. The only women here right now are InoRyder and Vani....... By the way, Why's this man here?"
Whisley pointing his chin at Eugene.
"I'm a reporter, I just happen to be here with her."
"Of course, I know that......."
"Long time no see, Captain. I'm just an observant man today. I hope you don't mind."
Whisley gave a small sigh to Eugene and crossed his arms.
"Anyway...... Abigail, why do you want an escort?"
"I'm an ex-weapons researcher at Forcom. I'd like to hear the latest alien news from you guys on the front lines, and maybe some old news too. Also, Fort 88 is too big and complex for me to walk around by myself. There are some dangerous places. I'd like someone to stay with me for a while until I get used to the city."
"This is Fort. And The security in 88 is not bad, in fact it's probably better than other forts. Although there are some slums, it is not dangerous to walk around during the day. And the about the information about the battle, we already send it all to HQ."
Whisley looked at Abigail with unreadable eyes.
"If you are going to go to the trouble of getting an escort, it means that you are aware of certain dangers, right? Why are you being targeted? And what is it that's targeting you, a human? The ones in the Fort or the ones in the Central? Or the aliens? And what kind of alien would risk its life inside the Fort? What kind of alien? Why are you being hunted?"
" I'm ...... still having trouble remembering things clearly.""
Abigail flinched, unable to respond.
"I can't help you unless you tell me."
（I can't tell you!)
There was no way she could tell them that easily. There is a possibility that I am being targeted by the AASPINT from central rightnow, and I am in a position where even the lieutenant general cannot be trusted, I am surrounded by enemies. On top of that, what I am looking into is the past of the monster that so infamous among soldiers, the Butcher, who escaped from Faymbaum with me, and who is supposedly a former human soldier.
Abigail's face turned as if she had something stuck in her back teeth.
Whisley watched her, but after waiting for a while, he uncrossed his arms.
"---- I refuse. The alphas are best suited for security and that kind of mission."
"..."
"If you don't want Alpha, I know another woman you can trust. I know a woman you can trust. I'll write you a referral letter myself"
Abigail was at a loss for words.
Captain Whisley must have suspected that Abigail was in some kind of big trouble. because he had already agreed to the term when the headquarters asked him to escort her. and the reason for requesting an escort are already included in the request.
However, he raised the issue and refused the request for the same reason. This means that something has changed his mind.
After seeing Abigail, there was something about her that changed his mind.
--I have to make a move now.
While she was trying to find a way through, Whisley continued indifferently.
"Our battlefield is outside the walls, and we're going to kill as many aliens as we can and then die along with our friends. That's what we've been training for. We can't send our men on a meaningless and potentially fatal mission. Intelligence is notorious for using up soldiers with little regard for their own safety."
"......"
"Abigail, if you don't want to cooperate, then we can't help you."
There came a silence that pressured her ears. Before I knew it, everyone in the hall was listening to the conversation between the two.
"Excuse me. I know I'm interrupting, but ......"
Eugene intervened.
"Big sis is a very knowledgeable person, She took the trouble to choose me out of all the reporters. I'm sure she didn't come here without thinking it through already. Captain."
"......"
"She's a reliable woman. You can trust her, after all, she came back alive from the enemy all by herself. It's just that she seems to have forgotten a lot about her life in the enemy city."
Eugene stared up at Whisley from below.
"If you've been with her for a while, maybe she'll remember some of the more detailed information that I didn't write about the other day, such as spending time with a missing soldier whose body was never been found, or hearing information about the alien's headquarters that would turn the local government upside down."
"......"
Watching Whisley's reaction, he continued.
"Big sis also wants to know what Fox is up to, so I think we should cooperate with each other. And If aliens come to get Big sis back, that's exactly where you guys come in. I'd be more than happy if the War Maiden and Fox worked together, so I'll have plenty of material to work with."
Abigail was a little surprised by Eugene's unexpectedly serious intervention.
So she decided to go with the flow and lay down her card.
"I want to talk about the Grim Reaper."
There was a long silence that Abigail was not expecting.
"Please leave."
That's all Whisley said.
"Well, it's a shame then ......."
Abigail said just that and headed for the entrance.
"....Are you sure, Whisley?"
She heard Hirsch's voice behind her back, but she didn't care and walked out of the place. Along the way, InoRyder never took her eyes off Abigail.
The snow outside hadn't stopped, leaving footprints as she walked.
"...... Sorry, I'm all talk."
Eugene followed in her tracks.
"It's okay. Thanks."
Abigail looked at Eugene, who was standing next to her.
"I don't have any information to give you, but I'll buy you something."
"Oh, I guess I'll have some ramen then. There's a place just down the road that's really popular these days for warming up the body. I'd also like to know more about your relationship with that handsome guy from USEG."
"Goodbye."
"Ah, wait! It's just a joke, a joke!"
Abigail went to Eugene's favorite ramen restaurant. The sign said "Genko Ramen".
small hair style correction
bun => chignon
"---- you want me to introduce you to them?"
Eugene lifted his eyebrows slightly, oozing pure goodwill energy.
Eugene's concern is understandable. The Fox team is not the kind of crowd a normal civilian can approach and talk to.
"No thanks."
After taking a deep breath, Abigail stood up with determination.
She walked up to the group, tapping her foot on the floor.
The first person to notice her was the man with the eye patch called the captain.
He looked at Abigail and widened his eyes for a moment, and then immediately after, his gaze sharpened.
The members of the team saw this and all looked at Abigail in unison.
Countless eyeballs, all with different expressions, stared at Abigail.
Yet, she didn't fail to notice some agitated and surprised looks among them.
Several of them did.
The one with the eye patch was only for a moment, but there was also a large balding man, a young man, a man with snake-like eyes, and a chignon woman - InoRyder.
The woman was so cheerful earlier but now her eyes were shining like a hungry wolf.
(Looks like I hit the jackpot.......)
Abigail moaned bitterly in her chest.
Will the demon or the snake come out? She slowly opens her mouth.
"What's wrong with you guys? You look like you just saw a ghost."
"Eyyyyy, wattsaaap!"
A voice rose from the group, which had quickly get shushed by someone.
"Oh, my goodness, so Beeeautiful! What is this dazzling hot woman doing here, hmm?"
A bald guy steps out.
The man has a large physique. His ears are eye-catching. When he smiled all his teeth are visible, his eyes narrowed like a thread and the corner of his eyes drooped. Such friendly attitude gave Abigail somewhat creepy impression.
"My name is Hirsch. Some people call me <Hotei>."
"Abigail. I'm sure your captain already told you guys that I would be coming to see you today."
Then the man with the eye patch stood up.
"Hello Abigail. I am Whisley. I'm in command of the Fox team."
Abigail took a quick look at the insignia and nodded.
"Hello captain Whisley. I believe you've been contacted by the headquarters regarding the escort.
"Oh."
Whisley stared at her and fell silent.
She felt a piercing stare coming from behind the man.
Abigail used the edge of her vision to find the source of the gaze.
It was, as expected, the woman with the messy chignon - InoRyder.
While the rest of the crew simply looked at her with curiosity, her eyes were shining brightly and she her body went rigid with her gaze fixed on Abigail just like before, she felt that her reaction was particularly pronounced.
"...... Hey, you. Is there something on my face?"
"No, She just confused. You just look so different from the picture I saw in the newspaper. I apologize on behalf of all of us if we made you uncomfortable."
Abigail tried to step forward, but Whisley blocked her. A bald man named Hirsch also approached her from the side.
"Yeah! I never would've thought you are this beautiful!"
Hirsch smiled and continued.
"We're about to celebrate. Why don't you join us? Once we're all warmed up, maybe we can sit on the bed and have a nice long conversation."
Abigail was unfazed by the directness and roughness of his words, which would have made any normal woman feel threatened.
"I have work to do. I need you to assign me a good female member of your team."
Hirsch whistled at her.
"Don't scare off the lady, Hirsch."
Whisley scolded him and looked over his shoulder at his men.
He continued to do so for a moment, then turned to Abigail.
"You can choose any of them if you like, but there are some that can't be taken off the mission. The only women here right now are InoRyder and Vani....... By the way, Why's this man here?"
Whisley pointing his chin at Eugene.
"I'm a reporter, I just happen to be here with her."
"Of course, I know that......."
"Long time no see, Captain. I'm just an observant man today. I hope you don't mind."
Whisley gave a small sigh to Eugene and crossed his arms.
"Anyway...... Abigail, why do you want an escort?"
"I'm an ex-weapons researcher at Forcom. I'd like to hear the latest alien news from you guys on the front lines, and maybe some old news too. Also, Fort 88 is too big and complex for me to walk around by myself. There are some dangerous places. I'd like someone to stay with me for a while until I get used to the city."
"This is Fort. And The security in 88 is not bad, in fact it's probably better than other forts. Although there are some slums, it is not dangerous to walk around during the day. And the about the information about the battle, we already send it all to HQ."
Whisley looked at Abigail with unreadable eyes.
"If you are going to go to the trouble of getting an escort, it means that you are aware of certain dangers, right? Why are you being targeted? And what is it that's targeting you, a human? The ones in the Fort or the ones in the Central? Or the aliens? And what kind of alien would risk its life inside the Fort? What kind of alien? Why are you being hunted?"
" I'm ...... still having trouble remembering things clearly.""
Abigail flinched, unable to respond.
"I can't help you unless you tell me."
（I can't tell you!)
There was no way she could tell them that easily. There is a possibility that I am being targeted by the AASPINT from central rightnow, and I am in a position where even the lieutenant general cannot be trusted, I am surrounded by enemies. On top of that, what I am looking into is the past of the monster that so infamous among soldiers, the Butcher, who escaped from Faymbaum with me, and who is supposedly a former human soldier.
Abigail's face turned as if she had something stuck in her back teeth.
Whisley watched her, but after waiting for a while, he uncrossed his arms.
"---- I refuse. The alphas are best suited for security and that kind of mission."
"..."
"If you don't want Alpha, I know another woman you can trust. I know a woman you can trust. I'll write you a referral letter myself"
Abigail was at a loss for words.
Captain Whisley must have suspected that Abigail was in some kind of big trouble. because he had already agreed to the term when the headquarters asked him to escort her. and the reason for requesting an escort are already included in the request.
However, he raised the issue and refused the request for the same reason. This means that something has changed his mind.
After seeing Abigail, there was something about her that changed his mind.
--I have to make a move now.
While she was trying to find a way through, Whisley continued indifferently.
"Our battlefield is outside the walls, and we're going to kill as many aliens as we can and then die along with our friends. That's what we've been training for. We can't send our men on a meaningless and potentially fatal mission. Intelligence is notorious for using up soldiers with little regard for their own safety."
"......"
"Abigail, if you don't want to cooperate, then we can't help you."
There came a silence that pressured her ears. Before I knew it, everyone in the hall was listening to the conversation between the two.
"Excuse me. I know I'm interrupting, but ......"
Eugene intervened.
"Big sis is a very knowledgeable person, She took the trouble to choose me out of all the reporters. I'm sure she didn't come here without thinking it through already. Captain."
"......"
"She's a reliable woman. You can trust her, after all, she came back alive from the enemy all by herself. It's just that she seems to have forgotten a lot about her life in the enemy city."
Eugene stared up at Whisley from below.
"If you've been with her for a while, maybe she'll remember some of the more detailed information that I didn't write about the other day, such as spending time with a missing soldier whose body was never been found, or hearing information about the alien's headquarters that would turn the local government upside down."
"......"
Watching Whisley's reaction, he continued.
"Big sis also wants to know what Fox is up to, so I think we should cooperate with each other. And If aliens come to get Big sis back, that's exactly where you guys come in. I'd be more than happy if the War Maiden and Fox worked together, so I'll have plenty of material to work with."
Abigail was a little surprised by Eugene's unexpectedly serious intervention.
So she decided to go with the flow and lay down her card.
"I want to talk about the Grim Reaper."
There was a long silence that Abigail was not expecting.
"Please leave."
That's all Whisley said.
"Well, it's a shame then ......."
Abigail said just that and headed for the entrance.
"....Are you sure, Whisley?"
She heard Hirsch's voice behind her back, but she didn't care and walked out of the place. Along the way, InoRyder never took her eyes off Abigail.
The snow outside hadn't stopped, leaving footprints as she walked.
"...... Sorry, I'm all talk."
Eugene followed in her tracks.
"It's okay. Thanks."
Abigail looked at Eugene, who was standing next to her.
"I don't have any information to give you, but I'll buy you something."
"Oh, I guess I'll have some ramen then. There's a place just down the road that's really popular these days for warming up the body. I'd also like to know more about your relationship with that handsome guy from USEG."
"Goodbye."
"Ah, wait! It's just a joke, a joke!"
Abigail went to Eugene's favorite ramen restaurant. The sign said "Genko Ramen".
