Editing BlazBlue:Spiral Shift - Hyokujin no Eiyu (section)

===Part 5===

Once outside, the smell of plants and soil that seemed to be coming from the dense forest put pressure on Jin. The heat that made Jin’s back sweat only made him feel uncomfortable, and even though it was almost time to call it an evening, the sun was still burning high above the ground, asserting its vicious presence.

While naturally raising his eyebrows, Jin made his way through the not-so-large encampment.

On the outskirts of the crowd of tents, somewhere between the encampment and the jungle, there was a khaki tent with the number nine written in large letters.

It seemed to be the tent for the ninth squadron they were assigned to.

No one bothered to offer to show him the way, so he walked into the tent he was looking for, passing the strange stares that were still pouring in.

He entered, and as soon as he did, Jin couldn't help but frown.

The first thing that struck him was the smell. The stench of earth, sweat, and blood.

The smell of the command center was also quite strong, but it was still much better than here and that alone made him keenly aware of the difference between the role of this place and the command center.

“Uu......"

When Jin heard a small groan, he looked over to see Honoka holding his mouth and nose. His face seemed to be pale. He was surprised that he hadn't jumped out of the tent and ran away.

Instead, the small boy soldier lets out a muffled grumble under his palm.

“We'll be sleeping... here, right?”

“That’s right.”

"A-are you serious?"

“ٍSerious or not. There are no other alternatives, or do you want to sleep in the middle of the jungle?”

“No. No!”

Honoka shook his head in panic.

Jin sent a single sigh at that.

The inside of the tent seemed to be more spacious than he had expected, probably because of the lack of useless things. There seemed to be two tents connected together inside, with a folding table and chairs in the front room and sleeping bags and simple bunk beds in the back room.

There were four soldiers inside.

All of them were wearing the uniforms of the Librarium in different ways, but from the atmosphere, he could tell that they were mercenaries hired for this war. At the very least, it was unlikely that they had attended the military academy from the primary level.

One of them was a woman. She and one other person had tanned skin, one had white skin and the last one was from the yellow race.

They were of different genders and skin colors, and they stared at Jin and Honoka with a quizzical look in their eyes.

They looked as if they wanted to say something, but Jin didn't feel the need to call out to them, so he turned away and walked to the back room.

There was a shelf near the bunk beds, and he could see that each of them had a bag that looked like their personal belongings pushed into it. He was going to put his luggage in the empty space there.

But before he could do so, a figure quickly stood in front of him.

“Wait."

With a sharp voice, Jin's path was blocked by the only female guard with brown skin.

Her slim, toned body was much smaller than Jin's, and she was probably on the smaller side of the average. She wore the uniform of the Librarium to keep herself light, and her shoulders and stomach were boldly exposed, revealing her dark, wild skin tone.

Her black hair was collected in particularly long and strong dreadlocks, and it was pulled up high in a unique way. The way she pulled it up made her eyes look even tighter than they already were.

Under her thick, strong-willed eyebrows, her mysterious indigo blue eyes reflected Jin's image without becoming overcast.

“Who said you could go in there without permission?”

Her piercing eyes were as big as a cat's. Jin looked back into her eyes with an indifferent expression.

“I've been assigned here. I have the right to use this tent."

"Assigned? Don't act like you're a full-fledged soldier already, even though you're a scion of the Duodecim."

The woman sniffed at Jin's nonchalant remark.

Jin raised his eyebrows slightly. The term "Duodecim" was handy because with just one word you can understand what she was complaining about.

The woman still glared at Jin with a sharp glint in her eye.

"I have no use for a new innocent well-bred recruit. Now get back to your mom and dad before you hurt yourself and get a scar on your beautiful face."

The woman lifted her peach-colored lips sarcastically.

Behind her, the other soldiers breathe mockingly, as if they were fed up. It's him who was being mocked. He can tell by their gazes and attitudes.

But this level of sarcasm and cynicism was adorable compared to what he had heard in the Kisaragi household so far. It wouldn't affect Jin now.

“You're not the one making the assignments, or do you think you're the captain here? If that's the case, then I can't just go home without a formal discharge order. If you have that authority, feel free to use it."

Jin's green eyes were cold, as he returned the blow without stuttering.

The woman's cheek flushed red, probably because of her anger at being scorned in front of her peers without knowing how to back up. She wagged her chubby lips and tried to find something to say to him.

But then another voice interrupted her.

"No, but I'm the captain."

Concomitantly with the voice, a dark shadow came from behind Jin. The shadow was so large that it completely swallowed Jin's shadow. Somewhat startled by its size, Jin looked back.

A large man with a rich mustache stood at the entrance of the tent.

It was a man with the most splendid physique.

His massive body looked as if it were clad in muscular armor and his broad shoulders would still be wider for the big man even if Jin and the brown-skinned woman stood side by side. His chest and belly were thick enough to hide Jin completely in the shadows, and his legs were as big as Jin’s torso.

Although not as inhuman as the red devil he encountered in the wilderness the other day, he was a man covered with flesh so well trained that Jin doubted a human skeleton could have any more muscles.

His head atop of his steel body was also big and squared, with short trimmed ash gray hair and a beard that surrounded his mouth, giving it an even tougher impression.

However, his bright green eyes, and the expression showing on his face, were taken in by his soft demeanor and his gentle amiability.

“Oh, that's a big guy...”

When Honoka blurted out an overly honest mutter, the big man gushed boldly, his thick chest rising and falling. Then, with a good-natured smile on his face, he held out his hand toward Jin.

"Captain Grimwood Huster, Captain of the Ninth Squad. She is my subordinate, Corporal Karenjina Parsett. Nice to meet you."

“My name is Lieutenant Jin Kisaragi. As of today, I have been assigned to this squad. I look forward to working with you."

Jin replied in a firm tone of voice.

Jin was momentarily lost in the proffered hand, but first he took a salute, then shook Captain Grimwood's hand as discreetly as possible.

Immediately, the captain squeezed Jin’s hand back with such strength that he felt as if he were trying to capture him.

Jin's shoulders jerked involuntarily.

Grimwood's smile remained cheerful and exuberant. After shaking hands firmly, he slapped Jin's back with his hand once, hard and with a bang.

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“But I never thought that a member of the Kisaragi family would be assigned to a place like this. It seems that they 'like' you very much. What have you done to deserve this?"

He said jokingly and laughed gaily.

Looking up at the falling laughter, Jin did not move his expression and remained silent. But more than that, he was unsure of how to react when he dared to do so.

Grimwood's words were teasing, but there was a friendly "familiarity" about them. It was the first time he had been on this base.

Jin was used to sarcasm and irony, but he was not very good at this kind of thing. There were only a few times in his school days when he was not afraid to take a big step.

Without thinking, Jin looks at Karenjina and the others. The brown-skinned woman folded her arms in reluctance, while the other guards looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders.

They were unfazed. Grimwood must be this kind of person in general. He could smile and offer his hand to even the cockiest recruit who had just graduated from the academy.

Of course, Grimwood shook hands vigorously with Honoka, and also introduced the three guards who were smiling behind him.

It seems that the ninth squad was made up of seven members: Grimwood as captain, the three of them, Karenjina, and Jin and Honoka, who were assigned to the squad today.

“This tent is where we eat, get ready, and go to bed. As you can see, the back room is the bedroom. Pack your things there. Then go to-"

Grimwood then walked to the back of the tent to show them around, but his words were cut off before he could finish.

Suddenly, a siren wailed loudly.

Jin heard someone gasp and saw Karenjina look up like a guitar string that has popped. Grimwood let out a muffled moan and perspired his head, and after a single blink, his expression changed.

At that moment, something like a needle passed through the field.

It was not a thread of tension, but something far sharper and stronger. It was a kind of concentration and spirit that instantly tightens up what had been loose.

“Ninth squad, get ready! Time to work!"

Grimwood barked, his voice was thick and full of life.

“Yes, sir!"

As if in unison, Karenjina and the rest of the 9th squad took their weapons and ran out of the tent.

Jin followed, throwing away his personal belongings.

He must have been affected in no small way. Something like an electric shock ran through his body. He knew what was going on even without asking.

The sirens were repeating the same sound mechanically, signaling an emergency sortie and the approach of the enemy.