Chapter 17. Desertion (6)
“Römer Spam canned food set! “This precious thing!”
Leticia’s surprised voice. Big. It seems like they are deliberately telling me to listen.
“Oh, if I had known you would like it this much, you should have brought it a long time ago. “I was wondering when to give it to you, but I heard that you just moved in, so I came to give you a housewarming gift.”
“Oh, it’s a housewarming?”
Housewarming? Why today? Not only me but also Leticia seems quite embarrassed. Last night, I noticed that if something deviates from what I expected, the tone of my voice goes up, and I still see that now.
“… Huh. Now that I think about it, while I was in the military, I had never taken care of housewarming for her subordinates. I heard that you just moved, so I thought it was a good thing. “But you and I were so busy that we completely forgot about it.”
“No, it’s okay. “Thank you so much for the gift.”
I’m worried.
Housewarming literally means looking around the entire house. In that case, I would of course be caught entering the dressing room.
But are you just going to walk away? That’s the problem as it is. If I can’t get out and it’s difficult to stay here, I’d rather hide deeper.
The room is quite spacious. There’s nothing you can’t hide. The built-in closet is quite large, so it wouldn’t be a problem for someone to hide there. But when I opened the door,
“What is this?”
There were finely folded leather tights. The colors are also diverse. Black, brown, red. Next to it are different types of smoke bombs with a clear ‘military use’ mark.
It has become clear. The mysterious pervert who helped us when we escaped last time was Leticia. But why? Why?
Could it be that you and Virginia planned to set up a trap to catch me?
“Do you mind if I take a look at the house?”
No. Let’s think again. If Virginia came purely because she wanted to congratulate Leticia.
Virginia came to visit on a holiday morning, even bringing a Spam gift set for her subordinate’s housewarming party. She even emphasized that it was ‘something that had never been done before.’
If Leticia were to say ‘I’m sorry’ here, it would be strange and unprecedented for anyone to see.
“Oh, please come in. Please sit here on the sofa. I made you stand in the front door too long. Sorry.”
Yes. Well, it can’t be helped. If Leticia and Virginia only see each other for a day and don’t even talk to each other, but just give her a gift and say ‘Go,’ then that’s a problem.
“Captain, would you like tea or coffee?”
“Just water. I’ve been having severe migraines lately, probably because I’ve been drinking too much caffeinated beverages. But I got some good news last night, so I think things are going to get better now. Actually, that’s what I came to talk about.”
Why did you bother to come and talk to your subordinates about work on their days off?
“What if it’s good news?”
“I think I’ve caught the real culprit of the tights thief. “I’ve been fooled several times so far, but this time it seems like the odds are high.”
Hasn’t Leticia been caught yet? Didn’t she catch a live person? Leticia was silent and Virginia looked curious.
“You’re not really surprised, are you?”
“Well, there have been quite a few cases of catching copycats so far. “Did this come to light during the interrogation?”
“The interrogation is ongoing, but the facts revealed so far are sufficient. He handled military supplies very freely and seemed to know the layout of guard posts well. “I thought the real culprit would be a soldier or a police officer, but strangely, no one has been found like that until now.”
It was not strange at all if Virginia suddenly said, ‘You are the culprit!’ On the other hand, Leticia is trying hard to hide her embarrassment.
“Can’t it be that soldiers and police did something like that?”
“To be exact, a retired soldier. When I approached it that way, all of this was explained. But infiltrating the National Military Police kitchen and trying to rob the food warehouse was going too far. So, you don’t have to do what I asked you to do.”
Last night, Leticia seemed quite troubled by the problem. She subtly made me feel good by asking, but she pretended not to be able to win and said everything… No, she told me to look around.
‘Actually, there is a thief who is causing trouble in the city. However, many copycats of the thief emerged. So my boss is trying to send a message to the thief: ‘Turn yourself in.’ By putting copycats out on a limb. But I, that’s… ‘I don’t think it’s right.’
‘Why do you think that?’
‘Because they are people too. If you make a mistake, you should be punished, not killed. Even if you stay still, you will turn into a zombie and you never know when you will die, but if the law is too restrictive… ‘
Even though Leticia was accused of being a traitor and a stooge, this was the last line she tried not to cross. Or, perhaps she wanted to resist the cries of ‘selling out her compatriots’ all her life. And now it seems that Leticia’s concerns have been resolved quite easily.
“You mean releasing fakes to put pressure on the ‘real’?”
“Yes, I don’t think you need to do that. “We’ve caught the real culprit, and he’s going to be executed by firing squad in the square in front of Hampton City Hall.”
Clink. The sound of a spoon being thrown into the sink.
“Did you say execution?”
“There are so many reasons to do so. He stole the wealth of good people. He made the National Military Police a disgrace in front of civilians.
Recall the countless copycat crimes committed by ruthless people who are not afraid of public power. This is a challenge to the community and a mockery of law and order. I can no longer tolerate this behavior. “It is especially necessary during times of great turmoil like these days.”
The real culprit.
I looked at the closet. The equipment inside clearly revealed that Leticia was the ‘perverted thief in tights’ herself.
So, they definitely caught the wrong person this time.
Virginia continued speaking.
“Even those working in government agencies are participating in these copycat crimes. I understand. The black market froze. Whether you take a food voucher or a meal ticket, you cannot get proper food. But if everyone starts stealing, the community will eventually fall apart.”
I couldn’t bear it anymore. I opened the door slightly, lay down on the floor, and looked outside.
Fortunately, the hallway is quite long and dark, and only the back of Virginia’s head is visible from here. I don’t think it will get caught unless there are eyes on the back.
But Leticia turned pale. From what I hear, Virginia strangely seems to be telling Leticia to listen.
“And it’s already happening. Have you heard that armies in other regions have conscripted civilians, tied them into military organizations, and created their own defense forces, just like we did?
There are also stories of people going around unprotected areas where acute hunger symptoms are less common and collecting supplies. In the process, disturbing movements were detected. Deserters. Interestingly, there are very few cases where one or two people run away, and it is a squad or platoon unit.
They also don’t want to live alone in an unprotected area. However, if you take over a place with abundant goods, such as a department store… That’s enough incentive. “It’s a top secret document, but I want you to know it for reference.”
Soldiers are walking around. This is troubling news. A squad or platoon that has been working together for a long time becomes bandits? I don’t want to deal with it. But how do they supply bullets?
“Leticia, as you know, we at Hampton also need to prepare for the future. As roads become narrower every day and the quality of goods becomes poorer, it is impossible to feed the people of the city by relying on supply and exchange. We also have to go out and look for it.
But we won’t repeat the same mistake. Therefore… The team should be composed of active-duty resources and civilian troops, but only those with connections to Hampton should be selected. I wouldn’t run away and leave my family hungry. Not yet.”
This seems very dangerous.
This is ultimately a story about the military taking the lead in requisitioning civilian property. And if local defense forces are doing that, eventually the entire country’s military will do the same.
What happens next? Since there is no food left, the only thing left to do is for the wild beasts, or armies, to fight each other.
“Hey, Captain. If we run out of items in close range, then… “
It seems that Leticia had the same question as me.
“Of course, this does not mean that it will continue to be like that in the future. All I want is to stock up. “Until a clearing operation is specifically established, we must gather as many supplies as possible.”
Planning operation? This is my first time hearing this.
“Well, it’s called a clean-up operation. Are the details still confidential? All I know is that the Elsa government and the National Military Police are planning a major counterattack against zombies. New administrative districts are formed and absolute safety areas are re-designated… “This is all I know.”
It seems like a meaningless operation. According to Cassandra, Erza has already been infected with the zombie virus.
But Virginia is quite serious.
“Only the top commanders of each unit and district administrators are still aware of this. In fact, there is nothing that can be called confidential. Because there is nothing set in stone. Everyone just talks about how good they are. “It would be great to have a capable adjutant like you in that position.”
“This is too much praise.”
“No. If it weren’t for you, Hampton wouldn’t have been able to remain this stable. I don’t have to worry about the tights phantom thief anymore. “She will remain officially dead.”
Even though he only seems to be looking at Virginia’s back, he seems to be hissing strangely. It’s subtle and subtle. As if you are crying.
“Leticia. I feel so fortunate to have you as my lieutenant. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have been able to do all this. “What I have to do in the future.”
‘What needs to be done’. It seems like something strangely emotional is going on. Virginia stood up lightly.
“Okay. Anyway… It’s been a while since I caught up with someone who was taking a break and just talked about work. It’s a difficult time, but I’m really grateful for your efforts. “Leticia.”
“Okay, thank you.”
“Then that’s enough…” “
Hmm. Thank god. This is how it goes.
“Ah. Really.”
What is it again?
Virginia turned away from the front door as if she had forgotten something.
“Housewarming meant seeing the inside of the house, right? It was my first time so I was a bit nervous. “If it’s okay with you, would you mind if I show you the inside of the house?”
“Well, the house is very messy, but I hope you don’t mind…” “
“I’m curious. Did the administrative department do their job properly? There are a lot of poor houses with mold growing in them knowingly or unknowingly. Since you are my lieutenant, I have to check it with my own eyes.”
Oh my.
I can’t do it. I put the weapons in my bag and stuffed Leticia’s tights and a smoke bomb. Because it was a large bag, I was able to fit it in somehow.
I left my bag in the corner of the closet as if it had been there for the first time.
“Good.”
I finished preparing by taking off all of her top.