บท 11: Leaving Sleipnir Base (1)
Keiko struggled through the second night since she came to this world.
"Aah… stop staring at me like looking at an animal in the zoo…" Keiko grumbled in a barely audible voice.
"Well… maybe you're that charming?" said the woman in white blouse, suddenly standing beside her and giggling softly.
"Ah… Dr. Leah?"
"Having a good time?"
"I can't say I don't, but their enthusiasm is scaring me... I don't think I'm worth that kind of attention, though." Keiko let out a small sigh.
"I don't know if you're just humble or trying to humblebrag," Leah rolled her eyes and continued, "With you achievement, you're basically a celebrity in their eyes,"
"Do you think I'm that kind of person?."
"Second Lieutenant, you shouldn't look down on yourself like that. If you ask me, you're worth every bit of attention," a gruff voice with a faint Italian accent joined in the conversation.
"Not you too, Sergeant Antonio…"
"I'm just telling the truth."
"What a good subordinate you got there, Keiko…"
"Stop you two…"
Keiko said helplessly and sighed.
Who knew, as soon as she arrived at the bonfire party, many young soldiers, regardless of their gender or skin color, ogled her with curious gazes so intense as if trying to bore a hole in her body?
If it wasn't for Doctor Leah and Sergeant Antonio being around her, she would have been surrounded by them already.
As the leader of the right-wing squadron, Lieutenant Valentine watched the fun with great interest but showed no sign of helping Keiko out of her predicament. She just stood in the corner with an amused smile plastered on her face.
'She said she wanted to be my friend. What kind of friend is having fun while watching their friend suffering?! ', complained Keiko inwardly.
Although it was called a party, the soldiers were mainly singing military songs together, allowing everyone to talk to each other, communicate, and release pressure. Many people mentioned their families and fallen comrades in arms, and many cried.
There were many soldiers who were very curious about the legendary "Death Reaper" and tried to strike up a conversation with her.
They were mostly asking about the details of her heroic action, which Keiko answered with a brief explanation of the battle six years ago, and sometimes used an excuse like "It's already six years ago, there are many things I don't remember clearly" to brush off any question she couldn't answer.
Even so, everyone still showered her with questions, making her feel so overwhelmed that her back started sweating profusely.
When she returned to her tent and lay on the bed after showering, she still had lingering fears.
"It's terrible… I can't fathom how those protagonists in the novel could stay calm after transmigrating…"
Occupying the body of someone famous was really bad for her heart.
Keiko has been honest since she was a child, and throughout her adulthood, she was very straightforward and sincere. Instead of finding a way around a problem, she prefers to face it head-on.
Yet, after transmigrating, not only did she keep being cautious, but she also spurted way more lies than in her previous life combined.
She didn't like the feeling of deceiving others, more so because these people were still her comrades in arms; people who depended on each other for life and death.
The upright Keiko felt slightly guilty in her heart. But, the guilt only lasted for a moment before she bounced back to being positive again.
"Well, it can't be helped, I'll do anything to make sure I'm surviving this strange situation," Keiko said firmly to herself.
She was a doer and wouldn't waste her time dwelling on something she couldn't control.
She lay in her bed under the quill, closed her eyes, and forced herself to sleep.
Keiko didn't sleep well that night. Although she fell asleep, she dreamt a long and bizarre dream. But when she woke up in the morning, she couldn't remember anything about it.
She woke up at eight o'clock in the morning.
She was still a bit in a daze; her eyes were only half-opened, her hair messy, and her shirt was unbuttoned and disheveled, revealing her white and smooth collar bone.
If she wasn't waking up in the hospital bed, people who saw her might have thought that she was having a steamy night last night.
She heard the hustle and bustle coming from outside the tent.
At this time, the base was already lively.
The soldiers had already started to pack their bags and prepare for a new round of marching.
Strangely, no one woke her up.
In the medical tent, Keiko was the only one left; the rest of the wounded soldiers had already been transferred out. All the camp beds had been refolded, and two nurses were gently removing the curtains.
Seeing Keiko's gaze on her, one of the nurses said with a faint blush on her cheek.
"Second Lieutenant Lee, good morning. Did you have a good sleep last night?"
"Oh... good morning. Thank you for your concern. I slept well." Keiko didn't bother to tell her the truth, and then continued, "Why didn't you wake me up earlier?"
"Seeing that you are still sleeping soundly, Dr. Leah didn't let us disturb you and asked us to wake you up later at 8:30. I didn't expect you to wake up earlier." The nurse replied.
'Hmm, I really got special treatment.'
Keiko smiled and started to pack up the things around her swiftly. She had it done in a jiffy since she didn't have much carry-on luggage. Her marching bag was lost because it was stored in the mecha cabin. All that was left was this military uniform, and the exosuit and several weapons were stored in the armory tent.
Then, she went to the dining tent to have breakfast and receive the rations for today's lunch. Two pieces of bread as hard as stones, a boiled egg, and a sealed package of ready-to-eat braised pork.
Keiko also received a water bottle filled with water, a carrier bag that contained some emergency supplies, and a sleeping bed. Lieutenant Valentine specially came to say hello and deliver it in person.
She exited the dining tent and trod the road towards the gravel square while enjoying the sight of the camp.
She noticed soldiers methodically dismantling their tents, and she noticed a lot of people coming and going into the armory tent. The small Sleipnir base was bustling with activity.
When Keiko rushed over, most of the soldiers had finished assembling their the exosuits and were heading to the main square to form a line.
To be honest, when Keiko watched the fully armed male and female soldiers lined up together according to their heights and counted, she felt a very strong sense of incongruency.
She still did not get rid of the habit of serving in the army all year round and was used to seeing the troops separated by gender. It seems she needs more time to get used to such a sight.
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BigMarch
BigMarch Please support my story by voting, if it occupies the first vote position in WPC#251 leader board I'll do a massive release (at least 3 chapters at once). And if it wins the challenge (either silver or gold) I'll do a super massive release (at least 5 chapters at once).
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