The fifth platoon is down to three men, including Spinoza.
　There was only one man left--Fam.
　As they walked out of the tavern, Spinoza stretched widely.

I'm gonna go home and sleep. I'm not going to sleep until the evening.　I need to sleep until the evening to get in shape.
"No. I'm on duty. Go to bed at night. ...... And you're gonna have to change your habits tomorrow.
Heh-heh-heh. You have my word. I'm at your mercy.

　I'm at your mercy," Spinoza muttered, as if thrown off by the situation.
　I'm at your mercy.

"All that's left is Fam.
I'm not sure where she is, but she's out and about and I can't locate her. ....... I don't know where she is either.
What does he look like?
Uh... She has a beautiful silvery-white short cut and is a little shorter than me. He's a little shorter than me. He's generally very calm.

　She has a beautiful silver short cut and is a little shorter than me.

She's a very pretty girl, by the way!

　I didn't really need to know that information.

I see. I don't think we need to look for her then.
"What?　Why?
There's a guy who's been watching us since a while ago. The way he looks, he matches the information Seira gave us.



　I said, looking back at him.

You're there, aren't you?　Why don't you come out?

　I called out into the void, and the next thing I knew.
　The next moment, something flew at me from a distance.
　It was a ...... bow and arrow!
　It was a bow and arrow, and I caught it with two fingers as it came straight for my forehead. If I hadn't been so good, I would have gone to the other side by now.

　At that moment, a figure appeared from the shadows of the alley.
　A girl dressed in black, as if she had been boiled in darkness.
　She had silvery-white hair and a face like that of an aloof and capricious cat. The skin that peeked through the gaps in her attire was translucent.
　Her slender and petite body was not that of a guard.
　But...
　The way he shot an arrow at my forehead with precision from a distance, he was a master.

So you're the fam.
Yeah. I am. Nice to meet you. Captain Zeke.

　Pham said with an aloof look on his face and asked me.

But how did you know?　I don't think I've done anything to attract attention. You're clairvoyant, aren't you?
"It was an excellent tail. Every footstep, every rustle of clothing, every sign of your presence was completely gone. But the others told me you were there.
My surroundings?
Did a cat pass by the alley where you were hiding?
Yeah. Yes. He made eye contact with me, so I just put my finger in his mouth and told him to be quiet.


I could feel the cat gasp. It must have been surprised to see you lurking in the alley when it thought no one was around. There was no sign of anyone around, but the cat reacted with surprise to someone. Then there's someone lurking there. And someone who is careful not to let his presence be noticed.
"But you didn't see what I looked like, did you?　--How did you know it was me you were hiding from?
How did you know it was me? I had no proof that it was Fam lurking in the alley. I thought it was more likely than not.
"I'm surprised you could find me with that much information.

　"I'm surprised you found me with that much information.

I heard that a newcomer had become a squad leader. I was curious about it. It was more than I expected.
Is that why you decided to follow him?
I like to know everything about people I like. I want to know everything about the person I like, and I'll stalk them to get it. I want to understand everything about them.
You're a stalker.
Yeah. You could say that.

　Femme chuckled.

"But, Zeke. But Zeke, you're a very interesting man.
What?　I didn't mean to say anything funny.
I didn't mean funny, I meant intersting. I meant interesting. You're a lot different than your last squad leader.
Did you follow the last squad leader, too?


Yeah. I stopped her right away. That guy got to the bottom of things pretty quickly. I don't have enough time left in my life to waste on boring people.

　As I thought about Spinoza, he seems to be a very bad guy. Perhaps those who have superior power are somehow unpredictable.

Anyway, I want you to come to work tomorrow.
That's not going to happen.

　Fam brusquely brushed off my request.

I'm still not sure about you. So I'd like to observe you for a while. So let me observe you for a while and see if you're worth the time of my life.

　...... As was the case with Spinoza, why do I have to be tested every time to see if I'm worthy of my squad's men?
　The positions are supposed to be reversed. .......
　Oh well.
　If I try to force him to obey me, he won't obey me honestly. It's best to convince him on his own ground.