Albatross Sky ~JSDF Love Story~ [Episode 6] Regret makes a man, misery makes a man, sadness makes a man. And it is a powerful enemy that truly makes you a great man. ②

[Episode 6] Regret makes a man, misery makes a man, sadness makes a man. And it is a powerful enemy that truly makes you a great man. German Imperial Army Air Service Cavalry Captain Manfred von Richthofen ②

As expected, the menu Toshio created for me was hell. I had to be able to complete the entire menu within the time limit of a busy morning.

I whipped myself, gritted my teeth, and kept at it. Surely, he must be breezing through it with a cool face by now. Thinking that, I couldn't afford to give up.

After somehow finishing it while seeing stars, I hurried back home, took a shower at top speed, and prepared for work. With the start time approaching, the thought of going by car crossed my mind, but I shook my head and chose to walk as usual.

My whole body felt heavy. The parts that hurt were the ones I didn't seem to use often. I would probably be sore tomorrow. I finally reached the barracks, changed into my flight suit, and headed for the squadron morning assembly and the briefing for the morning flight training.

As soon as I sat at the meeting table, Toshio peered into my face.

"Are you okay? You look like you're feeling unwell."

I was pretending to be calm, but he saw right through me. However, I couldn't admit it.

"I-I'm fine. It's nothing."

Toshio stared at me intently. I desperately endured his probing gaze, but eventually, when I gave in, I quickly looked away. He sighed and slumped back into his chair.

"Today's flight training is canceled. Go home and get some rest."
"Wait! Why!? I..."
"Yuhi."

Cut off by his unusually stern expression and tone, I couldn't say another word.

"If your personal training interferes with your actual training, it defeats the purpose, doesn't it? I gave you that menu, but surely you didn't push yourself on the very first day, did you?"

My body stiffened under his piercing gaze. It was a perfectly valid point for a superior officer to make. I did remember him saying, "Make sure you can do it within two weeks."

"If you don't think about how to catch up over two weeks while consulting with your own body, you're disqualified as a professional. I'll let it slide for today, so come back when you're ready. That's an order from your superior officer."
"...Yes."

There was no room for excuses. I knew I had been too impatient.
I let my shoulders drop powerlessly. I was once again made to realize my own immaturity.

The morning flight training was canceled, and I was assigned to support duties alone. It seemed Toshio had reported to the squadron leader, Katsuno, and in the end, I was given a half-day off starting in the afternoon.

After finishing my preparations to leave, I was called out by Toshio as I left the locker room with my head hanging low.

"Here, this is for you."

He held out a paper shopping bag. Inside was a box.

"What?"
"Something you need right now, Yuhi. Take it home and open it."
"I can't, that's too much."
"It's just my old one, don't worry about it. See you tomorrow."

Toshio gave Yuhi's shoulder a light pat, bowed, and headed off to his afternoon flight training. Yuhi watched the hallway where he had disappeared for a while, then let out a soft sigh and left the barracks.

What am I doing...

She was plagued by self-loathing and guilt. When she returned to her apartment, she sat on the bed and remained dazed for a while, but then remembered the paper bag Toshio had given her and opened it.

"This is..."

What came out was an aroma diffuser. It was so clean that it didn't look used at all, giving a glimpse into his personality of taking good care of his belongings. And a small bottle of sweet orange oil. When she looked up its benefits on her smartphone, she found it was supposed to soothe depressed moods and also help with sleep. She read the instructions and immediately turned it on, and a pleasant scent gently spread throughout the room.

"It smells so good..."

As she lay on the bed and closed her eyes, tears welled up naturally. He must have known this would happen. That's why he had prepared it in advance.

She wanted to catch up to Toshio. She had thought that the desire she had been holding onto all this time came from her ego as a pilot. No, she was sure that was the case when she first arrived here.

"Why... can't I get Toshio's face... out of my head?"

She couldn't stop the tears. Wrapped in the gentle scent he had given her, Yuhi eventually fell asleep.

*

The day of the promise. As she was doing a thorough warm-up in front of her apartment, he came to pick her up as if he had timed it to the very end. Over the past two weeks, by gradually increasing the pace, she had managed to complete all the menus.

First, a run to a park about 5 kilometers away. She tried her best to keep up so as not to fall behind his pace. He looked cool and composed, while she was gritting her teeth. Stride length was no excuse. This was the gap between them at the moment.

"Shall we start?"

They arrived at the park, and he waited casually until Yuhi's breathing had steadied.

"Yes. Thank you."
"Right. So, for this session, we're going to do core training."
"Huh?"
"Never done it? By strengthening your body's axis, mainly your inner muscles, your body balance improves and it becomes easier to generate power. Your metabolism also improves, making it harder to get muscle-related injuries, and your respiratory muscles are strengthened, which improves endurance and allows you to withstand rigorous training."

Of course, Yuhi had heard of it, but she thought it was a menu for athletes like soccer players and track athletes.

"The way to do it is simple. Just try to imitate what I do. First, the plank."

Toshio lay face down on the grass, propped himself up on his elbows, and lifted his hips.

"The trick is to do it while drawing in—in other words, keep your stomach sucked in while breathing. Keep your posture in a straight line from your neck to your feet."

Unlike the weight training she had imagined, there was no movement at all. While feeling bewildered, she tried to imitate him just as he said.

"How is it?"

It was unexpected. I could feel a dull strain around my midsection.

"Let's start with 30 seconds of this, for 3 sets. Begin."

Starting with this plank, he taught me six types of core training exercises. By the time I finished three sets of each, a pleasant sense of fatigue had taken over my body.

"Alright, shall we call it a day for now?"

Huh? That's it? I checked my watch and it had only been about 30 minutes since we arrived at the park. The warm-up and running were tougher than this.

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