Heading to the Sea

"Scared the hell out of me..."

In the returning jeep, Shiro Amada, who was driving, sighed as he saw the road ahead was relatively straight, wanting to strike up a conversation with Eli.

"You know, that military policeman kept asking me the same questions over and over. The moment my answers varied even slightly, he'd immediately interrogate me. It's gotten to the point where I don't even want to answer anyone's questions anymore."

Shiro Amada sighed and groaned, pulling an energy bar from under the jeep's seat and gnawing on it.

It was clear that he was exhausted after the interrogation.

"Serves you right. Who told you to say those things on the battlefield?"

Eli did not follow up on Shiro Amada's grumbling.

"You were lucky this time; the other side recognized you, and that flight-type Gouf's goal was just to drive us off. Otherwise, it would've been perfectly normal for you to have died there by accident."

Eli covered his face with a magazine to shield himself from the tropical sun.

"But if it happens again, I really can't accept it—fighting against Aina like that."

Shiro Amada naturally knew that what Eli said was correct.

To act like that on the battlefield was simply being irresponsible to himself.

"...What kind of person is Aina, anyway, that you could accept her?"

Out of the blue, Eli questioned Shiro Amada.

As for what kind of person Aina was, Eli had his own conclusions based on the episodes he had watched.

Undoubtedly, Aina was a kind person.

But unfortunately, because she was the reason for Ginias's illness, she willingly became a bird in a gilded cage for the latter, serving as a tool for Ginias to realize his ambitions and the revival of the Sahalin family.

This was also because Aina was too kind.

Even though she could realize that the completion of the Apsalus would lead to the deaths of countless people, and knew that the Zeon war against the Federation was wrong, she still became a puppet without a will of her own.

It was hard for Eli to feel hatred toward Aina; he could distinguish that she was, in the end, a victim caught in the gears of war.

However, when it came time to pull the trigger, he still wouldn't hesitate.

"What kind of person is she? I don't even know... It's strange, isn't it, Eli? I only spent a few hours with Aina, and I only learned her name right before we parted."

Shiro Amada operated the jeep with one hand, while his other hand reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out the pocket watch he kept inside.

During the interrogation earlier, this watch had been searched and inspected thoroughly by the guards.

And when Shiro Amada was cleared of suspicion and got it back, all he received were the mocking smirks of the military police.

"Click."

Shiro Amada opened the outer casing of the pocket watch, where a photograph was neatly tucked inside.

It was a photo of a man and a woman; the woman was the Aina that Shiro Amada was familiar with.

And the other man, naturally, was Ginias.

However, Shiro did not know the relationship between the two, so he could only sigh to himself again.

"Yeah, why is that?"

Shiro Amada found it hard to articulate his own thoughts, so he put the pocket watch down, mocking himself.

Yet, he still tucked it away carefully and placed it back into his breast pocket.

"Actually, that was Aina's brother."

Seeing Shiro Amada in this state, Eli amusedly revealed the truth to the dejected Shiro.

"Huh?!!"

Amidst Shiro's incredulous shout, the front wheel of the jeep hit a rock on the side of the road.

As the vehicle went airborne, Eli wore a rare, joyful smile.

"You guy, don't go talking to yourself in the future. Give me a proper 'Thank you, sir'!"

"Do you have any idea how critical the situation is right now? Even a single jeep is a resource that needs to be properly cherished!"

Captain Kojima was rarely this angry.

Despite being a newly minted ace pilot who was already being talked about even in Jaburo, Eli could only lower his head like an ostrich, honestly listening to Captain Kojima's reprimand.

Because of the two of them messing around, the jeep had flipped onto its side after going airborne.

Fortunately, neither of them was seriously hurt, but the jeep's transmission was totaled, and it could no longer be driven.

In the end, it was Captain Kojima, who happened to be returning from the base as well, who picked them up and brought them back.

"Forget it... Your squads will be merged from now on, and the callsign will have to be changed. I'm thinking of calling it 86 for now. Do you two have any thoughts?"

Captain Kojima poured a glass of water and drank it to soothe his throat, which was sore from the scolding.

At the same time, he squinted at the two of them, waiting for their answer.

"86... Ha, that's actually a pretty good name."

Shiro Amada looked at Eli, who was inexplicably grinning beside him, with a hint of confusion. He had intended to suggest swapping the order of the two digits, but he silently swallowed the words back down.

"Can we call ourselves the Vanguard Squad from now on?"

"No."

"Oh."

Seeing his suggestion rejected, Eli signed his name on some official documents with utter boredom.

After all, Vanguard Squad was too prone to ambiguous interpretations in actual combat, making it truly unsuitable as a callsign.

"...Eli, you need to watch your own safety."

When Eli handed all the signed documents to Captain Kojima, the captain gripped the corner of the papers, his expression flickering with uncertainty as he spoke to Eli.

Kojima's words were completely without context.

Eli looked at the files Kojima was holding.

His fingers were pressing right over the signature of Colonel Yinsen.

After Eli and Captain Kojima locked eyes for a long moment, Eli finally nodded.

"I know. Don't worry."

They said nothing, and they pointed to nothing.

This was merely the concern of a superior for a subordinate.

"Very well. 86 Squad, attention!"

Eli and Shiro Amada immediately snapped to attention.

"The first mission for 86 is now issued. You are to head east to carry out your orders!"

"The east from here... are we going to Burma?"

Eli asked, maintaining his rigid posture.

"No, further east than that."

Captain Kojima raised his water glass with a hint of mockery.

"Head to the sea to rendezvous with another unit sent from above. Come to think of it, that unit has some history with you two."

Under their astonished gazes, Kojima drained the water in his glass in one gulp.

"The Medea will arrive soon. You have two hours to assemble your team. A friendly reminder: make sure you're prepared for the drop."

This is the final ripple, you know.