Fumika Noda

After the lizardmen raided our camp, we moved away from the river to an open field atop the mountain.

Once we arrived, Shinji created walled-off enclosures that served as tents, and we set up camp with our own unit.

...I felt like I was losing my mind.

I’m just an average high school student.

So how did I get dragged to this strange planet in order to fight monsters?

On top of that, I’d been appointed second-in-command of Section Seven, an all-female unit. 

It felt impossible to accept this as reality.

As a matter of fact, our commander, Yayoi, already seemed to have gone off the deep end.

Something must have happened when she was working independently from the rest of the group.

Right now, she was staring blankly into space and muttering to herself under her breath.

(My name is Fumika Noda. I’m 17 years old. My hobby is reading, and my favorite author is Kotaro Isaka.)

I silently repeated my self-introduction to myself to make sure I hadn’t lost my mind yet. Thankfully, it seemed like my sanity was still intact.

“Fumika? Do you have, like, a second?”

I turned around in response to find Itsuko Usa chatting to me in her usual manner.

She was a cute girl who reminded me of a small animal, like a rabbit or a hamster. Her voice was ridiculously loud for such a tiny frame.

“Wh-what’s up, Itsuko?”

“Well, the three of us were gonna discuss some stuff. D’ya wanna join us?”

“Huh? Discuss what?”

“Hehe, it’s a secret!”

I found it slightly unsettling how she managed to remain her usual self despite the circumstances.

“Sorry. I don’t feel too good. If you don’t mind, I’d like to rest.”

“I see, that’s too bad. Talk to ya later then! Take care!”

With that, Itsuko ran off to join the remaining two girls in our group: the tall and boyish Shoko Sasaki and the eccentric Mirai Tokito.

These three were known as the infamous besties trio “Uzattoki,” which was an acronym of their last names “Usa,” “Sasaki,” and “Tokito.”

“Mission failed, Shoko.”

“You’re an idiot, Itsuko. Couldn’t you have been savvier about it? I knew I should’ve gone instead.”

Shoko was the leader of “Uzattoki” and was always calling the shots. She had a tomboyish and strong-willed side to her, which I personally found difficult to deal with.

“Probably wouldn’t have made a difference. Useless, useless, useless. Wryyyy.”

Mirai quoted some line from an anime in a low voice without changing her expression.

“Shut up, Mirai. Did you have any luck with the other one, Itsuko?”

“It’s no use. They’re watching Daigo like a hawk. There’s no way we can sneak him out.”

I noticed some small insects flying around Itsuko.

Upon closer inspection, I discovered that they were robotic flies.

Apparently, Itsuko’s skill allowed her to manipulate insect spy drones. 

“How about the other units?”

“Nah, Homura’s unit is too unpredictable. I don’t think it’ll be wise to bring them along. Yachiyo’s unit is too rational, so they’re not gonna agree with us.”

Itsuko answered in reply to Shoko’s question.

Huh? “Sneak him out?” “Bring them along?”

What on earth were they talking about?

“What about Section Four to Section Six?”

Itsuko shook her head slowly.

“Section Four is outta the question. Most of Section Five and Six are still on Tsukasa’s side for now. I doubt anyone would leave their unit to join us.”

“Hope: The first step towards disappointment.”

Out of the three, Mirai was pretty quiet, but she sometimes dropped a bombshell out of nowhere.

...Could these three be discussing...?

“Hey, are you...?”

I asked nervously while approaching the trio.

“Hmm? D’ya wanna join us after all, Fumika?”

Itsuko perked up, trying to get me to join the conversation.

“No, I’ll pass. But are you guys talking about...?”

“That’s right.”

Shoko was the one who spoke up.

“We’re gonna leave this unit and go rescue Section Eight, who got left behind.”

“Dun-dun-duuun!”

Thanks to Mirai’s comical exclamation, the serious atmosphere was ruined.