Chapter 45 — A Friend You Can Count On

Yuki advanced through the hallways of Military Base Delta 55, having joined one of the squads making its way toward the cafeteria.

She took the lead, followed by a dozen armed soldiers carrying the new Stellar Energy rifles.

They moved cautiously, keeping their weapons ready as they approached their destination.

Then, at last, the cafeteria came into view.

Its doors stood wide open.

"...!!!"

The moment Yuki stepped inside, her eyes widened.

However, she quickly regained her composure.

The cafeteria was completely wrecked. Tables and chairs lay scattered across the floor, and the walls were covered in deep scratches. Trays, plates, and remnants of food littered the room.

But what disturbed Yuki the most were the scattered remains of human sized gummy bears.

Whatever had happened here, it had been a massacre.

Several other squads had already arrived.

Nearly a hundred soldiers stood scattered throughout the room, their Stellar Energy rifles raised and their fingers resting on the triggers.

"Keep your guns ready!"

One of the commanders shouted.

Every soldier in the cafeteria had their weapons trained on a single figure standing at the center of the room.

A young tall girl with long, messy blonde hair tied in a high ponytail stood motionless amid the wreckage. Her black cropped sailor-style uniform was decorated with bright yellow trim and a large ribbon, while yellow gloves covered her hands.

Her enormous, glowing yellow eyes stared blankly into the distance, devoid of any discernible thought. A fierce, ravenous smile stretched across her face, revealing rows of enormous, triangular teeth.

She didn't react to the soldiers surrounding her, and she didn't even seem to notice them.

She simply stood there, motionless, as though the only thing that mattered in the world was satisfying the endless hunger consuming her.

"...Saki..."

Yuki murmured.

Despite her composed expression, her lips trembled slightly as she stared at the face of her former friend.

For a moment, the sight of Gluttony standing among the wreckage seemed to blur.

And a memory from the past surfaced in Yuki's mind.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

More than a year earlier...

Yuki sat perfectly straight in a chair inside a military conference room.

The room was spacious and formal, with polished floors, a long rectangular table, and rows of chairs arranged neatly around it. The walls were decorated with military insignias, while a large screen at the front displayed the emblem of the Bravers project.

Yuki wore her military uniform, her silver white hair neatly arranged as she waited in silence.

Stolen novel; please report.

Six empty chairs surrounded her.

This was the day she would meet the other six individuals selected by Doctor Willow himself.

The seven Bravers would finally gather for the first time, receive their Braver devices, and begin their journey as humanity's newest line of defense.

Yuki waited without moving, her blue eyes fixed on the door.

Then...

"...Oh! Looks like someone's already here!"

A friendly voice interrupted the silence.

Yuki turned toward the entrance.

A young woman with blonde hair tied in a ponytail stood in the doorway. She wore a casual brown jacket and carried a bright, friendly smile that seemed completely at odds with the sterile atmosphere of the conference room.

"...Hahaha! I guess you're one of the Bravers, too! Nice to meet you!"

The girl approached Yuki and extended her hand.

"......"

Yuki stared at the offered hand without moving.

"...Huh?"

The blonde girl blinked in confusion.

Yuki's expression remained completely unreadable.

"...Ha... ha... Did I do something wrong?"

The girl asked, her cheerful laughter becoming increasingly nervous.

For several seconds, Yuki continued staring at her hand.

Then, after nearly ten seconds had passed, she finally reached out and shook it.

"Nice to meet you."

"...Oh! Right! Nice to meet you, too!"

The blonde girl laughed awkwardly, then pulled out the chair beside Yuki and sat down.

"...So, you work in the military?"

"Affirmative."

"......"

"...haha... I see."

She tried to think of something else to say, but the silver haired woman beside her answered every question with the same robotic precision.

For a moment, she wondered if she was bothering Yuki.

Maybe she wants to be left alone...

Just as she was about to give up on the conversation, however, she noticed something strange.

Yuki's hands were resting on the table.

They were trembling slightly.

And one of her legs was shaking beneath her chair.

"...Wait."

The blonde girl leaned closer.

"...Are you... nervous?"

For the first time, a faint trace of embarrassment appeared on Yuki's otherwise expressionless face.

"...!"

The girl stared at her. Shortly after, she burst into laughter.

"...Pfft!"

"Hahahahahaha!"

Yuki turned toward her, staring with a completely puzzled expression.

"...Why are you laughing?"

The question only made the girl laugh harder. It took her a few moments to catch her breath.

"...Sorry! Sorry! It's just..."

She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, still grinning.

"...I thought you were ignoring me because you didn't want to talk!"

Yuki looked away.

"...Im... not the best at comunication..."

The blonde girl's expression brightened as she finally understood.

It wasn't that Yuki was indifferent to her. She was simply terrible at expressing her emotions.

"Hey! Let me introduce myself properly!"

The girl exclaimed. Before Yuki could react, she slipped an arm around her shoulders in a friendly gesture.

Yuki stiffened in surprise, turning toward the cheerful face now positioned right beside hers.

"...My name is Saki Nidou!"

Saki grinned brightly.

"And if you ever run into any trouble, you can always count on me!"

For a moment, Yuki simply stared at her.

Then, ever so slightly, the corners of her mouth lifted.

"...Yuki Horikita... likewise..."

And with that simple exchange, Yuki met the first of the companions who would become so precious to her.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The memory slowly faded.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yuki returned to the present, standing in the wrecked cafeteria with nearly a hundred soldiers behind her.

"...Eaaaaaaaaat..."

A voice echoed through the room.

Gluttony remained motionless, staring blankly into the distance as though she hadn't noticed the weapons aimed at her from every direction.

Yuki slowly raised one hand, signaling the soldiers to hold their fire.

Then she began walking toward her former friend.

Step.

Step.

Step.

Her footsteps echoed through the ruined cafeteria.

The soldiers watched anxiously as Yuki continued approaching the Witch, closing the distance between them.

Eventually, Yuki stopped just a few meters away.

"..."

Gluttony's enormous, glowing yellow eyes slowly shifted toward her.

Yet even as she looked directly at Yuki, her vacant expression didn't change. Her fierce grin remained fixed in place, exposing those enormous triangular teeth.

"...Saki..."

Yuki spoke softly.

She wanted to reach her. She wanted to believe that somewhere beneath that monstrous smile, the friend she had once known was still there.

"...You told me once that I could always count on you."

Her voice remained steady, but the emotions she struggled to contain were unmistakable in her blue eyes.

Yuki lowered her gaze for a moment before looking back at Gluttony.

"...But now...I want you to know that you can count on me, too."

Her expression hardened with determination.

"...Saki, let me—"

"GRAWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!"

Yuki's eyes widened in horror.

Gluttony's enormous mouth suddenly stretched impossibly wide, her jaw opening far beyond what any human body should allow.

The monstrous grin vanished beneath a gaping maw filled with rows of gigantic, triangular teeth.

And in the next instant, Gluttony lunged toward Yuki, attempting to swallow her whole in a single bite.