The time of comfort is not too long. But then again, in a dangerous place like the front line, even if you don't have to fight for two days, it's not comfortable.

Ueno came to the front line to report when I could barely recognize all the fifty tones and stumble over the words in the book, except for the complex kanji.

The last war seemed to drain a lot of his energy, and he looked much thinner than before. The sunken eye sockets are noticeable, and the cheekbones are more prominent. But he seemed to be in a very good state of mind, and the moment he saw me, he enthusiastically took me in his arms.

"Kazama, look at me." He showed me the three stars on his badge, "Private." ”

"Good!" I'm happy for him, he still had two stars on his badge the other day, and mine only had one star on his pinch.

Ueno's social skills are much higher than mine, and on the premise that I joined the team a week earlier than him, he was already fighting with the other soldiers just two days after joining the team. And I don't know more than half the people he knows.

But I don't really care.

I usually learn literacy with Tachihara and listen to him read poetry, and my life is already sufficient.

But within two days, the artillery of the war began, and the camp of the whole army was transferred from the ground near the sea to the underground, that is, the trenches dug during the construction of the military fortifications.

The trench was not wide, but it was two meters deep. The walls of the trenches on both sides were pits dug by the soldiers, and these pits were large enough for people to rest and sleep in them. As for the ground at the top of the trench, it is almost all sandbag bunkers that are built high enough. For a long time, I looked up and could only see a line of sky at the top of the trench.

It was a normal day, and the sun was pale.

Even the bombs dropped near the trenches looked so unremarkable.

But Tachihara made a rare face at me.

Actually, I can't remember the details. All I remember was that when the bomb exploded near the trench, the earth shook. Rubble of earth and gravel fell from the walls of the trenches, and even the wooden frames supporting the holes creaked.

I followed Tachihara behind the sandbag and set up my machine gun, always on the lookout for a counterattack against the enemy who was ready to attack. But at this time, what we were waiting for was not a dense bullet attack, but an impartial bomb that happened to fall in the trench.

Tachihara's face turned pale in an instant.

Abnormal abilities attacked, and the light appeared.

But when the light of the ability dissipated, only a hemispherical metal shield that was not too large and could even be called small appeared in his hand. It seems that his supernatural ability is indeed as he says, and can only control or make small metals.

What to do? Want to run?

But the fuse of the bomb is almost burned to the end, and even if you run, you can't get anywhere.

Tachihara quickly put a hemispherical metal shield over the bomb and dragged me into the distance. I hadn't gone far before I felt a familiar wave of gunpowder coming from behind me. Even if the metal shield is on top of the bomb, it will have little cushioning effect.

For a moment, the scene in front of me coincided with the previous one, and Okura and Tachihara appeared in front of my eyes. Somehow, I subconsciously pounced on Tachihara and covered him under me.

[Bang-]

There was a loud bang and the bomb exploded.

＊

Of course, I didn't die, but along with Tachihara, I was injured to varying degrees. Because I pounced on Tatehara, the explosion damage I suffered was naturally much heavier than that of Tatehara.

But even so, Tachihara was seriously injured. On the contrary, I, with the effect of strong repair ability, recovered much faster than Liyuan. While he was still unconscious from a concussion and broken bones, I was able to get up and move freely.

As wounded, we were temporarily transferred to the medical service inside the warship and retreated from the front line.

I watched as Tatehara's body completely metabolized the aftermath of the bomb, and he gradually became conscious from a state of confusion. But after he came to his senses, the moment he looked at me, his expression was not the gentleness and kindness that I was familiar with, but complex and serious.

"Tatehara, are you feeling unwell?"

Even though I was lying on the bed, Tachihara still pinched my wrist very precisely. He was so hard that even his fingertips were squeezed until he lost his blood. My wrist was pinched, but I didn't move when I saw his abnormal appearance.

There were wounded all around, and no one cared about the silent confrontation between Tachihara and me. That was until the door to the medical room was pushed open, and Ueno walked straight after locking down the positions of me and Tachihara.

"Kazama, I don't know which one to take for the poems and novels you are talking about, so I just took two of them." He babbled as he put the book next to Tatehara's stretcher, and when he looked down, he saw me being grabbed by the wrist, "...... What's wrong? I have something to say. Isn't it good to pick up a life from the battlefield? ”

I shook my head innocently.

I don't know what's wrong.

Ueno freed my wrist from Tachihara's hands in a round. To my surprise, Tachihara let go of my wrist so easily.

He let out a long sigh and softened like a leaky balloon, "I'm sorry, Kami-kun. I just felt like you shouldn't have protected me when the bomb exploded. Of course, I'm grateful for that. ”

Hearing him say this, Ueno and I were stunned.

I pursed my lips, "Is there something wrong?" ”

"On the battlefield, you should protect yourself." Liyuan still looked serious, and his face, which was so weak that he lost his blood, couldn't hide his solemn expression, "This is not out of the pride and vanity of adults facing children. Rather, the first thing you have to protect is your own safety. ”

It turned out that he had a straight face because of this.

But I still don't understand.

I told him, "I'm not going to die, my powers will repair all the damage I've blocked for you, and I won't have anything to lose." ”

But looking at his frowning and disapproving, I added: "You taught me to read, read poetry to me, be good to me, and be friends with me." Isn't that okay? ”

"Is it just because I'm good to you and friends with you that you don't want to protect me with your life?" Tachihara's tone was raised, and I could hear the obvious disapproval in his words.

But I still stubbornly muttered in a small voice, correcting the error in his words: "No, I have extraordinary abilities." ”

Liyuan sighed helplessly: "Hunter-kun, being friends with you and being good to you is already a relationship between me and you." Instead of saying that I am good to you, so you have to repay me with your life. It was a completely forced unequal exchange. ”

Completely forced, unequal exchange.

This is the first time I've heard that statement. I subconsciously looked up at Ueno on the side, and I wanted to seek an explanation from him. Ueno received my gaze, but his big hand pressed against my head and snorted several times.

"Kazama, you don't have to live for the approval of others." Ueno tugged at my pigtails, "It's their business to treat them well to you, and you can't stop it." But if they're nice to you, you have to die for them, are you a stupid boy? ”

I was silent.

Ueno asked again, "I also know about the matter between you and Okura." Then let me ask you, if he uses you as a cover to send you to death, will you hate him? ”

Why did you talk about Okura again? But I still answered honestly: "I feel uncomfortable." But I don't think there's anything to lose for me. ”

When Ueno heard me say that, he grabbed my pigtails and shook them, and I felt like he was trying to muddy my brain.

He hated the iron and steel: "You can understand his desire to live, but in every way, this is selfishness. He chose to sacrifice your life for the sake of his own survival, and he did it wrong in the first place. ”

He said, "Kazama, you can hate him, you have this right. ”

Ueno couldn't stay in the medical room for long. He took a leave of absence to see me and Tachihara, and after sending us something, he had to hurry back to the team, adjusting his state and preparing for the next battle.

When Ueno leaves, I'll be left with Tachihara. I'm not very good at dealing with people who are in a bad mood. So in the face of such a serious Liyuan, I just sat in silence and didn't speak.

Little by little, time passed.

Finally, Tachihara couldn't help but open his mouth first.

"Hunter, maybe the ability is not an unconditional gift from fate." I felt him tap me on the shoulder, "Every life of yours is worth cherishing." ”

I lowered my head and said, "I see." ”

I know, but I don't agree.

"If you devalue and make life cheap because you can have an infinite chance of resurrection and reopening, then you can only get one result - you will be numb, you will sink, you will fall into infinite suffering and you will not be able to be free."

Tachihara's voice returned to its previous clarity and gentleness: "Kami-kun, that's not what I wanted to foresee. ”

"Can you read poetry to me?" I pointed to his hand that had already opened the book and urged him.

I didn't really like poetry, and I couldn't understand poetry. But I like to listen to Tachihara read poetry. When he reads the poem, it is as if the whole world is silent.

I don't want to hear him talk about "life" and "death" anymore. I don't understand what he says, but if he wants me to value my life, then I think I'll try to do it.

Tachihara opened the book, and the rustle of the paper rubbed over the □□ of the soldiers. I stared at the fluttering characters in the book, waiting for Tachihara to clear his throat before reading the poem.

When Tachihara turned to a certain page, he paused. His fingers slowly tracing the name of the poem. I waited for his next move, for him to read the poem to me.

But Tachihara looked up. His pale golden eyes looked at me very seriously, and there was a bit of excitement and excitement in his eyes. I wondered about his sudden transformation, and I couldn't figure out what was wrong with it after reading the poem.

"What's wrong?" I asked him.

"Kami-kun, I've thought of the name of your supernatural abilities." Tachihara pointed to the page of the poem, "Why don't you name it after this poem?" ”

"Huh? What is your name?! When he said that, I was excited, and my abilities could finally have a name. But I couldn't read the poem, so I had to wait for Tachihara to tell me the answer.

"[Death Fugue]."

"Death Fugue?" I repeated the name, and the unfamiliar pronunciation made me unconsciously repeat it again, "death...... Fugue? ”

Tachihara watched my reaction intently and asked cautiously, "How is it?" Is the name OK? ”

"Yes!" I nodded, "Cool! After that, my ability is called [Death Fugue]. ”

After hearing the "cool" comment, Tachihara was stunned for a moment and laughed. I'm satisfied, and he's satisfied.

I put the name on the tip of my tongue and chewed on the joy of being given a name over and over again in my heart. When I don't know who to share this joy with, I think of Dr. Sen.

Originally, Tachihara and I had already been admitted to the medical room located on the warship, and Dr. Mori died as the top person in charge of the entire medical department.

I had only seen him once in a hurry when I first arrived, and Dr. Sen probably didn't notice me because he was too busy with too many wounded. But since then, he hasn't been seen for two days.

Forget it, I turned my attention back to Tatehara again.

The door to the medical room was soon opened again, and a blood-soaked stretcher was brought in. On the stretcher was a soldier who had lost consciousness due to blood loss.

With the opening of the gate, the cold wind in the passage of the warship blew in. Along with this wind, there are two voices, a man and a woman.

"-You weird uncle, I said I didn't want to be a military medical intern here. If I find an opportunity, I will bite you to death and then take the opportunity to escape. ”

The voice was very arrogant and energetic, completely different from the lifeless people in the infirmary who were tortured by war.

"But Xie Yejun's strange ability is really easy to use, there is no way." The other voice was full of laughter and helplessness, and it was deliberately teasing.

"Although the ending of letting Xie Yejun bite to death seems to be good, but if you look at it this way...... I'm afraid that Xie Yejun is going to be charged with attacking his boss. ”

"Huh-"

The sound is getting closer. With a loud kick of the iron door of the medical room, a little girl in a nurse's uniform appeared at the door.

She didn't look very old, even a little younger than me. But at this moment, her eyes are shining, and her expression is so puffed up that she is teased, which is particularly vivid.

But then another person appeared from behind her.

"Ah, it's so cute to be angry with Xie Yejun. So the next step is to trouble Xie Yejun to treat these soldiers. ”

He stood behind the girl, put his hands on the girl's shoulders with the advantage of his height, and talked to her with a smile. Even though the girl rolled her eyes in displeasure, she was not angry at all, and the smile on her face deepened a little.

It's Dr. Mori.

A Sen doctor I've never met.

Will he even tease the little girl, and even laugh happily because he is disgusted by the little girl? This is not at all the same as the ever-tall, eternally elegant Dr. Mori in my heart.

I pursed my lips.

I don't know why.

The joy of getting the name of the supernatural ability dissipated.