Editing City Series:Volume1 Chapter 7 (section)

===Part 4===

At 3:12 PM, the Kaiserburg glided approximately four hundred meters above Berlin.

The cockpit door was open.

“Welcome back,” said Else as she stood from the pilot’s seat.

When she turned around, she just about cried out.

Paul was supporting Walter who was covered in blood.

“A-are you okay?”

Walter smiled.

“Let’s just say I’m almost okay.”

He spoke in a jocular tone, but he did not actually say he was okay. It must have been a serious injury.

“What happened? Was it my bombardment?”

“Don’t worry. His wound just reopened from the difference in air pressure and the pressure of the wind as he fell. It wasn’t your fault.”

“Either way, this was our only choice. …More importantly, Else, thanks.”

“I didn’t do all that much… And this isn’t the time! We need to treat your wound!”

“This is the battlefield,” said the young man as he wiped splattered blood from his cheek.

She sighed, approached him, and checked his right arm.

It was still bleeding, but it looked like it would stop before long. She was more worried by how limply the arm was hanging at his side.

“Walter, don’t tell me…”

“Yeah, it’s broken. The bullet got me pretty good.”

Else had a thought while looking up at him.

…''Does he not feel any pain?

She mentally shook her head to reject that thought.

It had to hurt. He was just not letting anyone else know about it.

…''Why?

She had a hunch. Someone pursuing his dream could not show any weakness. Even if he wanted help, he would not let anyone reach out to him.

With that in mind, she said one thing.

“I’ll tie off the wound real quick.”

He looked troubled by that.

“But the enemy fighters should be approaching already.”

She slapped the face that said that.

It made a surprisingly satisfying sound.

Paul gave a joking whistle while supporting Walter.

She looked straight up at Walter.

“This ship is filled with delicate machinery, so I don’t want to get blood all over it.”

She gave a blatant lie and reached for the right sleeve of his lab coat and work outfit.

Once she touched them, she realized the inside of the work outfit’s sleeve had become a wet rag.

Ignoring how much she was dirtying her hand, she started by rolling the lab coat up to his upper arm.

“Mister, get to the pilot’s seat. Enemy fighters might be coming.”

“Sure, sure.”

Paul sounded oddly happy about that and he patted Walter’s shoulder before moving to the pilot’s seat. Walter smiled bitterly at the touch on the shoulder.

Else thought for just a moment and rolled up the work outfit sleeve as well. His arm was exposed and she could see the red oil-like blood covering it.

She saw the wound, rolled the sleeve up further, and stopped at the elbow.

“Is that too tight?”

“You’re trying to stop the blood, so it’s perfect.”

…''Good.

She pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the blood from his arm.

“I wish I had a splint. …Should I make a sling?”

“I can rest the arm on the armrest, so don’t bother.”

It still had to hurt quite a bit and Else carefully tied the handkerchief around the wound.

“That should do it.”

She stepped away from him and finally looked at his face.

He scratched his head with his other hand.

“Else.”

“What?”

“I’d only ever been slapped by a woman once and I was kind of proud of that fact.”

“Who was the first? If you say your mother, you’re about to get a third.”

He thought for a moment before answering.

“Try not to make it hurt too much, okay?”

She slapped his opposite cheek before he had even finished speaking. This one sounded nice too.

“Enough nonsense. Just get to your post. Honestly.”

She looked at his face and saw blood on the handprint from her slap.

…''Ah.

She realized her hand was covered in blood. It was drying and her fingerprints stood out.

She sighed.

“Do you have anything to wipe the blood up with?”

“I always wipe my hands on the bottom of my lab coat.”

“Please don’t say that so seriously.”

She had no choice but to grab the bag she had left in Walter’s seat. She pulled a towel out and belatedly realized she could have used it on Walter’s arm.

“Stick your face this way.”

“…Are you going to slap me again?”

“What has you so scared? Now stick your face over here or I really will.”

He crouched down and leaned forward as she had asked.

“Good boy.”

She spoke as if to a pet and wiped the blood from his cheek.

“There. That should do it.”

“Am I back to my handsome self?”

“You? Handsome?”

“…I’m never asking you anything again.”

He frowned, passed by her, and sat in the gunner seat.

He used his left hand to place his right arm on the armrest, opened his right hand, and grabbed the sphere for the field emitter.

Then he turned back toward her.

“This seat is shaped a little different from before.”

“I increased its range of transformation so I could sit in it. I also modified the voice recognition system a bit.”

She pulled the communicator from her pocket and handed it to him.

He extended his left hand and took it.

“How much can we use it now?”

“It should be a bit smarter than before.”

“I see.”

He faced forward and gave a single command.

“Sit.”

The Kaiserburg did not respond.

“This thing isn’t smarter at all, Else.”

“Are you sure it doesn’t try to match the intelligence of its user?”

“Hm, you may be right. So when I use it, it’ll only accept a complicated, intellectual, and highly refined command.”

“Are you sure you didn’t take a bullet to the head too?”

“How rude. I’ve always been like this.”

“Hey, you two. This is no time for saying stupid things.”

“I was not saying stupid things.”

“Neither was I.”

“Shut up!” shouted Paul as he slammed a fist down on his armrest. “Try to be a little quieter. The enemy’s here and they’re trying to charge in at us all at once.”

Sure enough, several contrails raced across the sky toward them. Else frantically sat in the seat with the navigation equipment.

The enemy fighters appeared as dots of light on the radar.

“Wow… There’s a whole army of them!”

“Don’t say there’s an army! Give us some numbers! Can you not count above three!?”

“That’s right, Else. Instead of calling this an army, call it a spectacular catch.”

“Shut up, both of you. None of them stand a chance, so what does it matter? We only have to worry about that black one, right?”

Was that fighter coming? Was Mayer coming?

…''If he is, we can have our battle.

With that thought, she fastened her seatbelt.

The battle was truly beginning.