Chapter 18: Side Story - Azalea

"Become a shield for the weak."

A shield for the weak. It was something my mother, bedridden with illness, always told me.

When I was little, I did not understand what she meant. I would simply nod and act spoiled.

Mother always used difficult words. My younger sibling and I treated them like riddles, searching for their meanings in Father’s study. The dictionary on the third column of the fifth shelf in the display case probably still bears the wear of our hands.

"Ugh, why does Mom always use such difficult words?"

My younger sibling’s whining came as a bonus.

My family, the Jang clan, had produced generals and soldiers for generations. Perhaps because of that, our physical abilities surpassed those of others from an early age, and we drew a great deal of attention. Once Father noticed this, he enlisted my sibling and me in the military, just as our family had always done.

Life in the military suited me better than I had expected. Assigned missions and rules—it may sound strange, but I liked those things.

"That’s because you’re a neat freak—Aaargh!"

Honestly, little brother.

I thought this ordinary life would continue on like that, but—

Bang! Bang!

Boom!

Was it fate playing a cruel joke? On the day I was promoted to captain, the Raptures invaded Earth, and I lost the people precious to me.

.

.

XX years after the Rapture invasion.

Creak, creak.

Through my battles against the Raptures, I felt the limits of the human body and became a NIKKE. My name remained the same: Azalea.

The war dragged on, and I had long since lost my emotions. Shooting, dodging, mourning dead comrades... It hurt so much that sometimes, when no one was looking, I would load a pistol against my head and attempt suicide.

Why am I speaking in the past tense?

Because everything changed after I met that man.

.

.

When my depression was at its worst, I began avoiding humans, aside from NIKKEs. They saw us as nothing but consumables.

Things they could replace once we broke.

Then, one day, a medic joined the unit.

At first, I thought he was insane. There were NIKKEs everywhere, so what did we need a medic for? I called him over and threatened him.

I told him to memorize how to service NIKKEs within a week, or get out. And he really did memorize it within a week. He was insane in more ways than one.

Then one day, I was so exhausted and worn out that I was crying behind the barracks where no one could see me.

"Um... are you okay?"

That medic found me.

. . . . . .

"...What is it?"

I snapped at him as he timidly poked his head out from the barracks.

"Do I look pitiful to you?"

"Huh? No, no! I... uh... I mean..."

His eyes darted around as if he were searching for the right words. Then he let out an "Ah!" and said,

"Ha ha... um... why... why, why did I come hereee~?"

"....."

Click.

"Stop, stop, stop, stop!!!"

*

"Fenrir?"

"Uh... yes."

Before I knew it, he had sat beside me and carefully slid a cup of coffee over. I don’t need it. Ah,

Fenrir was the youngest of the three members of Horn Squad, the one who used her small body to attach bombs to Raptures.

And... she had eighth-grader syndrome.

"...Heh heh... Healer, I shall be in your care."

"What did you say?"

"That is what Fenrir said."

She said her big sister had been having a hard time. What a busybody.

Ignoring him, I rose from my seat.

"Don’t get attached to machines."

"Huh? But..."

"But what?"

I turned my head and met his obsidian-black eyes. He hesitated as though deep in thought before opening his mouth.

"You... you’re a person too."

Freeze.

"......"

It was something I had never heard before. A person? Me?

"Just a machine."

"Stupid NIKKE. A promotion? They should just scrap you instead."

"Machines should act like machines."

Machine, machine, machine. I had heard nothing but that until I was sick of it. I had screamed for them to treat us like people, but all that came back was insults and condemnation.

No one had ever been the first to see us as human.

"Um... do you like tea, by any chance? Next time..."

"...I..."

"Pardon?"

Azalea cut him off and muttered something.

"I like sweet things. Come to think of it..."

Azalea turned to the man and asked,

"What is your name?"

"Samael. Medic Samael."

.

.

After that day, the mood in the unit changed.

Laughter was able to exist in this place that had been lifeless and utterly worn down.

Behind the front lines, countless NIKKEs formed a queue in front of the barracks marked with a red cross. Some were injured, while others were perfectly fine(?) mixed among them.

"Hey, hey, I heard Samael likes mint chocolate."

"What are you talking about? I heard he likes green tea chocolate."

Samael drew the attention of every NIKKE. No, he was loved by them.

He viewed NIKKEs as people. And if someone had a number like 6289 for a name,

"Cain. How about Cain? It’s the name of a knight from that book I read to you last time."

"Would your surname happen to be Han..."

"Ahem!"

He personally gave them names.

And whenever someone fell behind on the battlefield—

"Aaaaaahhh! Raptures!!!"

"Aah! Mister! I tripped over a rock—Aah!"

He dragged them back himself.

His actions went beyond those of a benefactor; they were like those of a saint. The NIKKEs came to the repair shop and clinic where he stayed to chat or leave small gifts.

"So... all of this is..."

"Yes..."

To thank him...

The table where Samael placed his medicine bottles was covered in all kinds of things: chocolate, combat rations, drawings, and more.

In the bleak backdrop of war, this act of gratitude was both funny and sad, and Azalea could only smile bitterly.

"Ah, how is your leg?"

"The pain... has lessened a little, but—"

Tap. Tap.

"It still feels stiff."

"Then... shall we wait another two weeks?"

"Two weeks? That’s too long..."

"What matters is that it heals completely."

My legs were specialized for speed. I used them to pressure the Raptures, but they overheated in the last battle and were currently under repair.

It had already been almost a month...

"Still, it’s a relief."

"What is?"

"The supplies arriving this time include the parts your legs need, Azalea."

"You’ll be able to run like you used to." Samael grinned as if that alone made him happy.

Haa... honestly...

"I want to eat him."

It had not been long since I began taking an interest in him. That one thing he said had saved me, and I gradually wanted to know more and more about him.

What his past was like, what his dreams were, why he gave us hope, whether he had a lover...

That’s right.

I had fallen for him.

Setting aside my wandering thoughts for a moment, I approached him.

"Samael, I have a favor to ask."

"Huh? What is it?"

"No one knows when this war will end. It could take ten years, or even fifty."

Click.

I unclasped the cross necklace my family had given me, said to be blessed by God, and placed it in his hand.

"Azalea, this is..."

"Please... please stay with me until this war ends. I will protect you."

This was both a confession to him and my sincere feelings.

"I will become your shield."

Please, let God hear this prayer.

.

.

.

.

.

.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!!! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!!!! Aaaaah!!!!!!!"

"Captain...! We have to... go...!!"

"No! No! Noooooooo!!!"

"Please... we have to go!! Sob... We have to... we have to go, Captain!!!"

"Samaeeeel!!! Samaeeeeeeel!!!! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!!!"

A sudden attack. An air raid by a massive force of Raptures.

We evacuated Samael first, then barely managed to retreat ourselves and reach the designated tunnel.

"Sob... sob... Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!"

And there—

"God!!! Are you a goddamn bastard?!"

—was a Rapture chewing on a human arm, with the blood-soaked cross necklace lying nearby.

...

.......

............

We survived.

Through the tunnel, we reached an empty coastal village and began a new life.

"Hey! A little higher there!"

"Got it!"

Creak, creak.

At first, most of us were lost. What we should do, what we should eat to survive, and so on.

Whooooosh.

But we moved forward, one step at a time.

"You would have liked this if you could see it, Samael."

Sitting atop the village’s tall chimney, I turned the cross necklace over in my fingers and spoke to myself.

Sometimes, I entertained the futile hope that Samael was still alive. But... I had to accept reality.

But... but...

"Haa..."

I miss him. His gentle touch, his expression, the way he treated us.

Crackle... crackle.

And on top of that, the radio was broken.

I should just turn it off...

Crackle... an ordinary med... ic... why?

...Samael?

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