.
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?? Years Ago
So, I... ha... yeah, this happened back when I was a thug in the Middle East.
Back then, I was probably the strongest in the neighborhood, you know? Yeah, I was the boss of the block.
Everywhere I went, people called me big sis, big sis, you know?
Ahem. I got sidetracked.
Anyway, that was when I changed my mind.
.
.
"Thanks for the cash, losers~"
"Y-you bitch...!!"
"You want some more?"
"N-no?!"
Like always, I beat up some punks who were acting tough and shook them down. They shouldn’t have picked a fight with me in the first place~
I went on my way, leaving those guys to run off with their tails between their legs.
Where was I going?
"Let’s see... five... six... seven."
Here!
After walking down the slope for a while, I spotted a wall lined with red bricks. If I listened closely, I could hear children laughing on the other side.
"Big brother, big brother!"
"Ehehehehe!"
"Kids, could we... could we take a little break...?"
"No!!"
Good grief... I told him not to get too attached to them.
I stepped onto a protruding section of the wall and peered over. Sure enough, he was sweating buckets while surrounded by children.
Only then did he notice me, and he opened his mouth—
H
E
L
P
—trembling as he sent me a wordless signal.
But, you little idiot.
Good
luck
^^
You brought this on yourself, didn’t you?
"Gyaaaaaah!!"
"Ah, the monster fell down!!"
"Attaaaack!"
"It’s attack, not attaaaack... Aaaaagh! I got hit in the bone!!"
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
"...Did you really have to do that...?"
"Pfft... pffft... pwahahahahahaha!!"
"Don’t laugh!"
I wiped the red marks from the face of the guy chirping angrily like a baby chick, but eventually burst out laughing.
With his long black hair, an appearance that made it hard to tell whether he was a man or a woman, blue eyes like they held the sky, and a delicate body visible even to the naked eye, he made you want to protect him.
Honestly, you little thing!!
I ought to just kidn... ahem.
"Whose fault is that, huh?"
Thud.
"Ow?!"
"I told you not to get too attached to the kids, didn’t I?"
Thud.
"Urk."
That last blow finally sent him staggering several steps forward.
Yeah. That guy was Samael.
Meeting him had been like a bolt from the blue.
I got stabbed while fighting a few lowlifes and collapsed, when—
"Rise, brave warrior."
"Did I die and go to heaven?"
When I woke up, I was lying there with bandages wrapped tightly around my stomach, while he was sweating profusely as he poured disinfectant over my wound. (There was a cross hanging from the ceiling, so I really thought I had died.)
After that, as I became friends with him—I came by the church almost every day after that—I learned this and that about him.
Samael was an orphan who lived in the orphanage run by the church.
He was talented with medical work, and said his goal was to pass the high school equivalency exam and get into medical school.
And at the same time, he was... a sucker. A hopelessly kind sucker.
He thought of the younger kids at the orphanage before himself, and even handed over his money to fake beggars wandering around the market.
"Why the hell are you like this?"
"...I just feel like this is what I should do..."
Sheesh, it was always that. Whatever it was, he said he had to do this, had to do that. Seriously.
One day, he was definitely going to suffer because of that. I mean it.
Oh, and strangely enough, all the memories I made while spending time with him felt like they were... filling something inside me.
Fishing by the stream, for instance...
"Wow! This looks like you—"
Smack!
"Aagh!!"
Or going out to play all day and getting our skin completely sunburned.
"Oh, nicely cooked. Slurp."
"Red? Why are you... drooling...?"
Sometimes, we read books neither of us understood together.
"That Metamorphosis thing was fun, huh?"
"Have you read this one?"
"Buy me an apple."
For the record, I thought that Harry Potter whatever was fun.
Compared to all my experiences as a thug, it felt... yeah, more precious.
And then—
"...Thanks."
For becoming my real friend...
The troublemakers in the neighborhood and the adults either sucked up to me or pointed fingers at me, but he... was the complete opposite.
He saw me not as Red the thug, but simply as Red.
"Hm? What did you say?"
"Ah, nothing?"
It’s just... I... I...
...
Ah, whatever, I can’t remember the word!
.
.
.
.
Then time passed, and the Raptures invaded.
I lost contact with Samael, and before I knew it, I had become a NIKKE and was deployed to the front lines. I achieved a lot there.
And they said that once this mission was over, they’d assign me to some squad. I... didn’t fit in with a place like that.
And then...
"Why... are... you... here...?"
"Ah... haha... ta-da?"
Samael was repairing a NIKKE right in front of me.
"...You... You disappear without a word, and that’s the first thing you say...!!"
"R-Red, wait, wait!!"
"TA-DA, MY ASS!!!!"
CRACK!!
With a kick beautiful enough to make a gymnast cry, I sent Samael’s face flying.
Afterward, I finally exchanged the greetings we’d missed and talked with him about this and that.
Samael had gotten into medical school.
But before a few years had passed, the Raptures invaded. He was practically dragged here by force, and learned maintenance work so he could repair NIKKEs...
"And everyone’s kind! They’re like my little siblings."
"K-kind?"
"It’s true that everyone likes Samael,"
"Azalea!"
L-likes? Who... who does?!
I turned around to find the person who had spoken. A pink-haired NIKKE with a bob cut was approaching us, leaning on a cane and limping.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
"S-so what happened?"
At some point, Snow White had come to stand beside the Commander. Clutching a glass of water tightly, she waited for Red Hood to continue.
"Nothing happened... And Rapunzel, come out. I can see you."
"Eek?"
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
"Azalea, is walking okay now?"
"Yes~ Someone treated me really well~"
What was this fucking bullshit?
Samael walked up to that NIKKE named Azalea-or-Diesel-or-whatever and asked her all kinds of questions. Was she uncomfortable, could she move well, and so on...
This was seriously fucking bullshit.
"Honestly, Samael...♡"
Huh? That... that bitch?? Did you see that just now? Huh? Is that a face someone makes on a battlefield??
While my insides burned, that Azalea-or-Diesel-or-whatever finally looked my way and walked over. What? What do you want?
"I’ve heard a lot about you. Red Hood, could we... talk for a moment?"
.
.
.
.
"He won’t die?"
"Yes."
Step, step.
Limp, limp.
As we walked outside the barracks, Azalea continued speaking.
"Samael has treated and saved more than ten NIKKEs so far. With a human body."
"Hah. I told him not to go making sacrifices of himself."
"Please give him a good scolding~"
"Forget that. What do you mean, he won’t die?"
Her explanation went like this: Samael was currently the unit’s only mechanic and medic, so sending him out onto the battlefield would be tantamount to the entire unit dying.
And apparently, Samael was a NIKKEist... He treated NIKKEs like people, so no one in the unit disliked him...
"And so far, he’s saved three NIKKEs while dodging bullets~"
One of them was me, Azalea said, covering her mouth as she laughed. What an obnoxious bitch.
More importantly, what time was it... Oh, crap, I had to go.
I had forgotten something. This was the front line, and I had come here to escort supplies being transported here.
Which meant I had to leave...
"Red!"
"Yeah?"
Samael was running toward me from over there. What should I do? I had to go?!
He came up to me, panted for a moment to catch his breath, then pressed something into my hand. Let’s see... oh?
"You... pant... like pop music..."
Somehow...
It was a radio and a playlist. I immediately pulled him into a tight hug.
"Uuugh, Red?!"
"Thanks, idiot!! I’ll use it well!! Hahaha!"
After hugging for several minutes, it was really time for me to go.
"Next time, drinks are on me."
"No thanks. Just make sure you’re alive until then!"
I’m off~!
Vroooom.
The trucks started their engines and drove away. Looking through the rearview mirror, I saw him standing there, waving his arm toward us until he disappeared from view.
That was the last time I saw him.
What the Frontline Unit Thought of Samael
Soldier E.G: A strange man.
Soldier F.A: ...Someone I wish were our Commander.
Soldier O.W: Damn, what a killer face.
Product 98: Chatter during duty hours is prohibited.
Product 12: Just... a good person.
Product 23: How should I put it... a sanctuary?
Idol Flower: How should I put it... Ah! Sunshine on a spring day!
Idol Ocean: He’s... too kind.
Idol Sun: A softhearted person, in every sense.
Azalea: Just someone I want to fuck!!
Mass-Produced NIKKEs: ????????
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