Albatross Sky ~JSDF Love Story~ [Episode 9] My center is giving way, my right is in retreat; situation excellent, I am attacking. (2)

[Episode 9] My center is giving way, my right is in retreat; situation excellent, I am attacking. French Marshal Ferdinand Foch (2)

As it was the final period for the home squadron, not only the fighter squadron members but all personnel belonging to the Atsugi Base had come out in full force to cheer them on in front of the apron.

Responding to the loud cheers, I climbed into my aircraft and began taxiing. There was a strange feeling in not having the formation leader who always guided me in front.

Toshio had to withdraw in the middle of the air combat competition. I didn't know what had happened, but knowing his strong sense of responsibility, it wasn't hard to imagine him suffering alone right now. I bit my lip hard.

I will... become Toshio.

"Runway 01, Cleared for takeoff. Break a leg, EDEA !!"
(Runway 01, clear for takeoff. Good luck, Edea!)

"Roger, cleared for takeoff. Leave it to me. I have Mars on my side"
(Roger, clear for takeoff. Leave it to me. I have the god of war on my side.)

Yuhi signaled to Jack, who was waiting diagonally behind, and ignited the afterburners. The two Lightnings accelerated. As the aircraft lifted off, Yuhi instantly retracted the landing gear and pulled the nose up.

"Jack!"
"Roger"

A roar of cheers erupted from the personnel waving their caps in support.

The two Lightnings soared into the sky, rocking their wings in a flashy display. It was a performance unimaginable from the "serious and honor student Edea."

"That's just like Gaia, isn't it?"

Mizushima smiled bitterly.

"Yeah, she's possessed in a good way. She's going to transform."

Katsuno raised the corners of his mouth as he watched the sky where his subordinates had disappeared.

"Edea, be careful. This is a survival battle. Even if you lock on, don't pursue too deeply."

Carrying the expectations of their comrades, the two aircraft climbed to the combat airspace and began combat air patrol.

"It's simple. I'll just shoot down every enemy plane I find before they shoot me down. I'm counting on you for cover."
"Are you serious? The opponents are all seasoned veterans, you know?"

Ignoring Jack's warning, I busily scanned my surroundings by moving my head up, down, left, and right, based on the information on the display.

There.

"There is no man in this world stronger than Gaia! Tally-ho! Target in sight! Here I go!"
"Oh, alright, I get it! Leave the rear to me!"

The eyes of a bird of prey stalking its target. The enemy aircraft, having noticed me, enters a sharp evasive maneuver.

If it were Toshio here!

Images of his maneuvers flash through my mind one after another.

"Even if it's just for the moment of the initial setup, make sure you take them down without losing to the Gs."

Yeah. I know, Toshio. Right here—

High-G yo-yo!

While staying alert for an off-boresight lock-on, I slip into the enemy's blind spot.

Huh?

I am surprised at how easily I managed to get on their tail, almost to the point of being anticlimactic.

Compared to this, keeping up with Toshio as a wingman is much harder. I scan the area for a trap, but there is no sign of his partner appearing.

"GUNs, GUNs, GUNs!"

That's the first one.

Next!? There, over there!

The second one, and then the third. Riding the momentum, I capture and take down enemy aircraft one after another.

Next!

I fix my sights on the prey and give chase. It wasn't easy this time, but as I gradually cornered them, I managed to get on their tail.

Alright!

"Lock on! Fox 3!"

"You did it, Idea! That's an aggressor!"

Jack, who was covering my back, shouted excitedly.

Huh?

Squinting, I saw that the one I had shot down was a colorful camouflage aggressor aircraft.

You've got to be kidding me. Is everyone teasing me?

My own skills had made a leap forward without me even realizing it.

Yuhi-san! That was amazing!

When I returned to base and got out of the aircraft, I was surrounded and congratulated by everyone in the squadron.

It's the same. Just like Toshio during RIMPAC.

The jealousy and envy I felt back then while watching him from afar. And now, the one in the center of the circle of joy is undoubtedly me.

But I wasn't happy at all. In the end, the Nagato Fighter Squadron won the tactical competition, and Yuhi won the MVP with an undisputed top score, but I found myself looking at it objectively with a somewhat cold eye.

Is this really what I was looking for? No, before I came here to Atsugi, it definitely should have been.

Something is different from usual. It's that Toshio isn't by my side. And I realize it only now. It was Toshio's presence that gave Yuhi such fulfilling days.

Tears overflowed.

Yuhi-san? What's wrong?

It was the sharp-witted Misuzu. She would immediately see through that these weren't tears of joy. I didn't want to dampen everyone's happiness.

I'll give this to you, Misuzu-chan. Winning the MVP is all thanks to the crew.

Yuhi handed the award plaque to the surprised Misuzu and left the circle of people in a hurry. I wanted to be alone. I headed to the back of the barracks where I always spent my break time with Toshio. I collapsed, crouching down and burying my face in my knees.

I just wanted Toshio to praise me. I wanted Toshio to acknowledge me. I wanted to see Toshio's smile.

I remember Toshio during RIMPAC. Even though he had achieved great results, he had a sad look on his face. Now I can understand his feelings at that time. He had been thinking of me this much from a long, long time ago.

I wonder what Toshio is doing right now. I want to see him. But at the same time, the look on Toshio's face when he was hurt by my words won't leave my head. Although Hojo said that to me, I was still scared. Scared to confirm his feelings.

"Kamizuki..."

Hearing her name called, she looked up to see Kimura standing there.

"First Lieutenant Kimura..."

He looked somewhat pale. Yuuhi wiped away her tears, stood up slowly, and brushed off her backside.

"I'm sorry! I did something terrible to you!"

She was bewildered by his sudden bow. The only thing she could think of was the argument with Toshio the day before yesterday.

"What do you mean by that... could you explain in detail?"

As Yuuhi asked him to explain, looking into Kimura's face, he began to speak in a halting manner. *


Kimura was feeling impatient.

The 303rd Tactical Fighter Squadron he had transferred to was in the middle of transitioning to the F-35A, and more than half of them were still flying the F-15. It would take another two years to complete the transition. Participating in the tactical competition under such circumstances, Kimura, who was in charge of training the squadron's F-35A pilots, knew that results were expected of him.

However, they were no match in proficiency for the 302nd Tactical Fighter Squadron, the mother squadron of the F-35A (the first unit to be equipped with the F-35A), and furthermore, they were shown overwhelming power by the JMSDF's F-35B, which should have been inferior in air combat performance compared to the standard A-type.

And one of them was Yuuhi, his former subordinate for whom he had secretly harbored feelings. While it was true that she had boasted outstanding sense since her time in Chitose, she hadn't been so far beyond his reach back then.

But look at her now. She clearly possessed skills superior to his own and was displaying an incredible combination with a man he didn't know.

To top it off, she showed that radiant smile—which he had rarely seen during her time in Chitose—only to that man.

Everything was infuriating. His own incompetence, his jealousy toward his former subordinate, and the frustration of having the woman he loved taken away. That was why he had lashed out.

Toshio Kadoma. The man called the greatest genius pilot since the founding of the Air Self-Defense Force.

"I don't want to lose to your squadron's poster boy."

That was how it started, a remark he had blurted out as they passed each other, after the man had given him a polite bow.

"...What was that?"

The young genius stopped and turned around, looking as if he couldn't let that slide.

"You're quite full of yourself. You only became a pilot because of the JASDF's PR strategy. Acting like it's all your own ability."

No, that's not what I think at all. What on earth am I...?

"...Yuhi was Chitose's best guy, wasn't she? And she was a pilot chosen by that old man Katsuno. Above all, for the past year and a half, I've been flying with Yuhi the whole time. I know her ability better than anyone."

The junior pilot glared at me with piercing eyes. His words made me snap.

I know that much myself!

“Hmph, you think so too, don't you? That she’s just a poster girl.”
“Stop it.”
“Acting all cool. You just fell for her looks, didn't you?”
“...You bastard!”

The next moment, I felt an impact on my left cheek and collapsed to the floor. He climbed on top of me with an even angrier expression and grabbed me by the collar.

“Yuhi trusted you! She said you were the best superior officer! And yet you!!”

Tears welled up in his eyes, which only served to irritate Kimura even more. I punched him back in a fit of rage, and this time it was Kadoma who went down. I don't remember anything after that. When I came to, my comrades were holding me back.

And what caught my eye was the sight of Yuhi desperately trying to stop him.

Everything was my complete defeat――――

＊

“I was frustrated that you, who rarely smiled, were always smiling when you were with him. I was jealous of the perfect chemistry between you two. I am the worst, I am truly sorry.”

My former superior officer bowed his head deeply in apology. There was likely no lie or deceit in that posture. That’s the kind of man he is. However, Yuhi looked at him blankly, thinking about something completely different.

“...I see. So I smile naturally when I'm with him.”
“Huh?”
“Thank you, First Lieutenant Kimura. Oh, I'm fine. I've known all along that I'm just a poster girl.”

Having said that, Yuhi wiped her tears with her sleeve and ran off.

“Kanzuki!! I, about you...!!”

Kimura shouted from behind. Yuhi stopped and turned around,

“I'm sorry!! I love him, I love Toshio so much!!”

She shouted back with a beaming smile and started running again.

I want to see him. Toshio. As soon as possible. I hurried to take a shower in the locker room, got dressed to leave, and as I stepped out into the hallway, I saw Captain Katsuno walking toward me.

"Ah, Captain! Kamizuki, I'm leaving early! I won't be able to attend the victory party either!"

Katsuno looked stunned for a moment, but then a smile immediately appeared on his lips.

"Approved! You can take tomorrow off too!"
he replied.

Toshio..., Toshio, Toshio.

Running through the main gate while out of breath, she continued to run through the streets of Ayase. Since he was under house arrest, he should be at his apartment. She had never been up to his room, but she knew where it was.

When Yuuhi arrived at his apartment, she caught her breath and rang the doorbell.

However, there was no response. She tried knocking, but it was the same. Had he broken his confinement and gone out? Or perhaps, to heal his broken heart, he was with another woman...?

She shook her head vigorously to shake off the unpleasant delusions. She waited for a while, but he didn't return, so Yuuhi had no choice but to head back to her own apartment for the time being.

He was someone who had always been by her side as if it were only natural. The pain of not being able to see him cut to the bone. As she walked along, feeling lost, she caught sight of a man walking toward her carrying a convenience store bag.

"Yuuhi..."

He noticed her too, and stood there awkwardly.

The moment she saw his face, for some reason, an intense anger welled up inside her. Yuuhi stomped over to Toshio and slapped his left cheek with all her might.

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Next Episode Albatross Sky ~JSDF Love Story~ [Episode 9] Our right wing is being pushed back. The center is collapsing. Retreat is impossible. The situation is excellent, I am attacking now (Part 3) | Kyo

Previous Episode Albatross Sky ~JSDF Love Story~ [Episode 9] Our right wing is being pushed back. The center is collapsing. Retreat is impossible. The situation is excellent, I am attacking now (Part 1) | Kyo

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Albatross Sky ~JSDF Love Story~ [Episode 1] It is important for a commander to be optimistic first (Part 1) | Kyo