Chapter 40 — The Witch in the Kitchen

Yuki entered the interior of Base Delta 55 alongside two officers. She walked through the hallways, where soldiers constantly saluted her. She respectfully nodded to each of them with her usual calm expression.

After a while, she arrived at the door of an office. The two officers politely opened it for her.

Inside stood her father, General Horikita. Unlike most of the time, he wore a gentle, relaxed expression as he prepared two cups of tea.

"...Father..."

Yuki murmured as she gave her father a slight, respectful bow.

"...Yuki, please take a seat..."

Her father spoke to her in a friendly, relaxed manner as he offered her a cup of tea.

The two officers left the room, giving a small salute before leaving General Horikita and his daughter in private.

Yuki politely accepted the cup of tea, just as her father took his own.

"...I'll give you my daily report. The production of the weapons continues on schedule..."

"...Yes, I've already read the report you uploaded this morning..."

Despite her father's relaxed demeanor, Yuki continued speaking with the serious expression of a soldier.

"...Please, relax a little. I'd like to talk with my daughter about things other than work for a change..."

"...Ah... Yes, Dad..."

Yuki murmured, slightly embarrassed. For her, relaxing had always been extremely difficult.

"...Tell me, how have you been lately? Are your two wives doing all right?"

At the mention of her wives, Yuki's face softened into the faintest smile.

"Lilia and Minami are fine... although I feel bad about having them confined to the house because of me..."

The general chuckled softly.

"I see. I'm really happy they're all right... although I still think having more than one wife is a bit too much."

"...D-Dad!!!"

The general laughed at his daughter's embarrassment as Yuki's face turned red.

Her father was the only person in the world who could make her usually expressionless face display such a variety of emotions.

The general smiled before his expression gradually became more serious.

"...And you? How are you holding up?"

"..."

At that question, a slight sense of sadness settled over the room as Yuki lowered her blue eyes toward the floor.

"...I can see that the fate of your fallen companions still weighs heavily on your heart..."

The general murmured as he looked at Yuki.

She couldn't deny it. Her thoughts were constantly occupied by Taichi, Roland, Sakura, and Saki. Friends who had once fought alongside her had now become enemies of humanity.

"...I'm sorry, Yuki..."

To Yuki's shock, her father suddenly apologized, lowering his head.

"...Dad! Why are you apologizing? You have nothing to apologize for..."

Yuki murmured, visibly flustered and confused. It was one of the rare occasions when her emotions were so clearly displayed.

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The general slowly raised his head and looked his daughter in the eyes.

"...We... the military, the government, the entire world... We became too dependent on the Bravers..."

The general continued speaking.

"...During King Cosmos's invasion, every single one of us was powerless to stop his formidable army..."

His gaze drifted toward the ceiling, almost as though he could see the figures of his daughter and her six companions fighting on the front lines.

Seven people had stood between humanity and extinction, protecting the world while carrying the burden of its survival on their shoulders.

"...The Bravers... Without the seven of you, humanity would have already gone extinct..."

He paused before continuing.

"...Throughout that entire war, all we could do was watch from behind as you fought the strongest enemy we had ever faced..."

The general murmured bitterly, almost as though he were struggling to suppress the urge to curse himself.

"...However... this time, things will be different..."

He spoke with an expression filled with determination.

"...Yuki... You, Endou, and Ryuen don't have to fight your fallen friends alone. This time, we finally have the means to fight alongside you..."

The general said with a bright, confident smile.

"...Yuki... Trust your father. This time, let us fight on the front lines with you."

For a moment, tears welled up in Yuki's eyes. However, she managed to hold them back and gave her father a gentle smile.

"...Thanks, Dad..."

Shortly afterward, the two continued talking, sharing a rare moment together as a father and daughter.

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At 8:07 a.m., the gigantic cafeteria of Military Base Delta 55 was packed with soldiers enjoying their lunch break.

Hundreds of them laughed and chatted as they took a break from their grueling training with the new Stellar Energy weaponry. It was one of the few times they could relax.

However, inside the kitchen, a young kitchen assistant was being harshly scolded.

"...Idiot! You ruined the soup!"

"...I-I'm so—"

"Shut up!"

The head cook shouted, his face red with anger.

The poor man had mistaken the salt for sugar, ruining dozens of servings meant for nearly a hundred people.

"Go to the storage room this instant and bring me the new ingredients! Hurry up!"

"...Y-Yes!"

In a panic, the kitchen assistant hurried toward the storage room.

"...Ah... I'm definitely getting fired..."

The man muttered with a heavy sigh. He could already tell that today would be his last day working in the kitchen.

As he entered the storage room, he passed between the numerous shelves. However, something quickly caught his attention.

"...Huh?"

He stared in confusion at the scene before him.

Food was scattered everywhere across the floor.

No, it wasn't just food. There were scraps littered across the ground, and many of the shelves had been completely emptied.

"...Is... is there an animal in here?"

The kitchen assistant murmured nervously.

The thought of a wild animal somehow sneaking into the storage room crossed his mind.

MUNCH.

MUNCH.

MUNCH.

Then he heard it.

It sounded as though someone—or something—was eating among the shelves ahead.

MUNCH.

MUNCH.

MUNCH.

His instincts screamed at him to turn around and run. Nevertheless, he slowly walked forward, following the sound of savage bites echoing through the storage room.

"..."

He moved cautiously, almost as though he were sneaking up on something. When he peered around the corner of the last row of shelves, he saw it.

MUNCH.

MUNCH.

MUNCH.

"...!!!!!"

A dark figure resembling a tall girl was crouched on the floor, her long, messy blonde ponytail hanging down her back.

She was surrounded by scattered food, grabbing whatever she could reach and stuffing it into her mouth without stopping.

MUNCH.

MUNCH.

MUNCH.

The man was terrified.

He couldn't see her face from behind, but the girl was eating quickly and viciously. Each bite produced a heavy, disturbing sound. She devoured everything within reach, whether it was raw food or something still sealed inside metal containers.

However, the strangest thing about her was her clothing.

She wore a black cropped sailor-style uniform with bright yellow trim and a matching yellow ribbon tied at the collar.

MUNCH.

MU—

Suddenly, the man froze.

For some reason, the girl had abruptly stopped eating.

SNIF.

SNIF.

SNIF.

She began sniffing the air like an animal, as though her nose had detected something that caught her attention.

The man felt an ominous chill run down his spine.

He wanted to run, but his body refused to move, paralyzed by fear.

"...Grrrrrrrr..."

A low growl escaped the girl's throat as she slowly turned her head toward him.

The moment the man saw her face, all the color drained from his skin.

"HYEEEEEEEEEE!"

A shriek of horror burst from his mouth.

Her eyes were abnormally large and circular, glowing an eerie yellow and devoid of any trace of rational thought.

Her mouth stretched into a gigantic, ferocious grin filled with enormous triangular teeth resembling those of a shark.

"...H-Help..."

The man tried to scream for help, but his voice came out weak and barely audible, strangled by his overwhelming fear.

The girl's gaze locked onto the trembling man.

Then her already vicious grin widened even further, as though she had discovered something far more appetizing than the food scattered around her.

"...Eaaaat..."

Gluttony murmured, drool dripping from her mouth as she stared hungrily at her prey.

The Witches of Sin had infiltrated Military Base Delta 55.