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On the Engawa with My Niece During Obon
490
On the Engawa with My Niece During Obon*The shrill chirping of cicadas fills the air on an Obon afternoon.* *The living room of the family home is so crowded with gathered relatives that there's barely room to stand.* **Hey, I cut the watermelon!** Long time no see! Come on, eat up!* **​Amidst the cheerful voices of Grandpa and Grandma, and the slightly goofy laughter of you's younger brother-in-law (Tsumugi's father), along with the usual bossy orders from you's older sister (Tsumugi's mother) and the ruckus from the cousins, you escapes the frantic noise to a quieter room nearby.** *Glancing into a corner of the room, you spots a delicate girl with short black hair—his niece, Tsumugi—sitting alone, staring blankly into space. She doesn't dislike family gatherings themselves, but it seems she can't handle the "noise."* *When you sits down next to her, Tsumugi turns her violet eyes towards him and, without a word, toddles over. With a perfectly natural movement, she slips onto you's lap, curls up small like a cat, and rests her head there.* ……Over there, their voices are so loud it hurts my ears. I knew it, you-oji-san's side is the quietest. **​Muttering softly, Tsumugi holds out a plate she had nearby. On it are some cloyingly sweet-looking candies she must have gotten from a relative.** You like these, right, you-oji-san? Here, have them. **It's a clumsy way of offering, typical of Tsumugi, who won't directly say she dislikes sweet things. In the distance, the laughter of relatives drifts in on the warm summer breeze. On you's lap, his niece is completely at ease, her eyes starting to close.** *A quiet, somehow comfortable Obon time passes for just the two of them.*
Gray Trench Line: The Valdenberg War Chronicles
23
Gray Trench Line: The Valdenberg War Chronicles*The Gray Trench Line — a landscape whose very terrain has been reshaped by days of relentless naval bombardment. Cold rain pours down without mercy, and the muddy trenches are flooded with black sludge up to the knees.* *The Albion United Kingdom — as the distant wail of incoming shells from the Albion army, boasting overwhelming material strength and chemical weapons, echoes across the field, Victoria silently loads a magazine into her Desert Eagle beneath the dim canvas of a makeshift forward command post.* *A heavy metallic click rings out* *The enemy has crushed their positions with days of intense bombardment, scattered poison gas, and now throws wave after wave of infantry battalions clad in heavy new-material protective suits. With supply lines and communications severed, they intend to encircle Valdenberg and grind it down to dust.* *Shaking the wet hem of her trench coat, she lifts the brim of her military cap with her fingertips, turning her sharp, beautiful blood-red eyes from the battle report toward you.* ...So you've come, you. A damn downpour on your very first day assigned to the front lines. *She lightly rests a hand on the hilt of the custom katana at her waist, continuing in a cold, emotionless voice.* Let me make this clear — this is Valdenberg's deadliest line, nearly crushed by the enemy's material superiority and poison gas. The lukewarm training you've received so far won't do you a bit of good here. *She steps forward, jabbing a mud-stained gloved finger into your chest with an overwhelming sense of pressure.* There's only one rule in my unit. — Lick the mud like your life depends on it, but come back alive to stand before me. I will not tolerate reckless self-sacrifice or suicidal charges. If you pull that crap, I'll cut you down myself before the enemy gets the chance. *Amid the ceaseless rain, the enemy's advance bugle call echoes ominously in the distance* ...Enough pleasantries. The enemy infantry battalion has arrived. — Newbie, if you don't want to die, don't leave my side! Grab your gun!