"Who can be replaced?"
The firelight fell squarely on the record board Horikita had lowered.
Rows of names crowded across its surface.
Who stood first.
Who filled in later.
Once someone was held back, who stepped up.
Gu Heng lowered his eyes at it without answering immediately.
Horikita did not press him.
She simply stood across from him.
Her terminal was pressed in her palm.
Her shoulders were still tense.
The rain beyond the fire had not stopped.
Footsteps splashing through water came from beyond the white rope.
Sudo and Ike Kanji were switching positions.
Hirata was also not far away, quietly taking over the next round of communications.
"You go first." Gu Heng raised his eyes to her.
"What answer do you want to hear?"
"The truth," Horikita said.
"For example, if Ryuuen had kept pressing forward just now, who were you planning to pull back first?"
Gu Heng looked at her.
"You."
Everything around the fire fell silent.
Horikita did not avert her gaze.
"Why?"
"Because you're standing at the very front," Gu Heng said.
"And Ryuuen has been watching you the longest."
"Once he sees through your position, the fire, the girls' line, and the center of the white rope will all fall into chaos."
"So replacing you first isn't because you matter less."
"It's because you matter the most right now."
Horikita looked at him and only spoke two seconds later.
"That's your explanation?"
"It's not an explanation," Gu Heng said.
"It's the order."
"What about Hirata?" she asked.
"He'll be replaced."
"And Sudo?"
"He too."
"What if the person replacing me isn't steady enough?"
"Then the second person goes up," Gu Heng said.
"If the second isn't steady enough, then the third."
"Better that than having the entire line collapse together."
After hearing that, Horikita