Chapter 41: See you in the four fields

For Yukina, her past life with the brother known as “Yanase Naoto” now felt like a dream, hazy and impossible to grasp.

Now that the image of the brother she admired and the face of the Ephnel she adored were gradually merging into one, she could no longer tell which was Ephnel’s true form.

“Because the headquarters building is being rebuilt, the medical department has been moved to the United Hospital,” Ephnel said.

“It’s a bit far, but the United Hospital is the only place with the medical facilities we need, so the inconvenience can’t be helped. Also, the underground parking garage is now being used as an office area, and my department has moved to a special underground section, so I probably can’t show you where I usually ‘work’… But, if you’re interested, I can introduce you to my colleagues. Anyway, let’s get out and head over.”

“Okay…”

Ephnel got out of the car first.

Yukina opened her door, her gaze following the somewhat dilapidated road toward the building.

It was an inverted U-shaped building of a truly remarkable scale, now covered in lights in the night.

It was different from how she remembered it; nearly a third of the building had been destroyed and was currently undergoing intensive reconstruction.

The busy figures of numerous construction workers and patrolling soldiers were visible everywhere.

“Follow me.”

Ephnel took Yukina’s hand and walked straight ahead.

Her palm was warm and soft, like the feeling of a solitary walk on a sunny day.

Yukina followed quietly.

…

Ephnel’s entire department had been moved to a special area beneath the headquarters building.

Because this place was originally intended for use as a warehouse and temporary shelter, there were no individual offices.

The staff’s desks were all lined up facing each other, serving as the office area.

Yukina looked around curiously.

The air here had the unique chill of an air conditioner, and a low hum was filled with the faint smell of printing ink and paper.

Busy figures walked quickly past her, and the air was filled with the sound of rustling pages and clacking keyboards.

The work atmosphere was much more serious than she had imagined.

So this was the organization where her sister had always worked… the Order Organization.

“This is the internal affairs department. It’s closely related to my department. Generally speaking, a lot of business is centralized and dispatched from here,” Ephnel said.

“Due to the two consecutive large-scale disasters, everyone in the department has been incredibly busy… Well, it can’t be helped. The losses from these two Erosion Disasters were enormous, far exceeding our capacity. There were significant casualties among Agents, logistics, and administrative staff alike. We’re very short-staffed right now. Anyway, let’s go over here. If I stay here too long, I’ll be disturbing their work.”

Only then did Yukina realize that ever since she and Ephnel had arrived, people had been casting curious glances their way.

“Okay…”

Yukina took the initiative to take Ephnel’s hand and followed her to the side.

Just then, a fashionably dressed girl walked toward them.

The moment Yukina noticed her, she also saw Ephnel and Yukina.

“Ephnel!”

The girl came up to Ephnel and greeted her.

“Why are you here at this hour? I was just worried about you…”

“Oh, I was just looking for you.”

Yukina looked at the girl, her brow furrowing slightly.

This was the same girl she had seen with her “brother” this morning.

Yukina didn’t like her very much.

Right now, she was holding a cup of coffee and a stack of documents, and her gaze happened to meet Yukina’s.

Then, the other girl froze for a second, her expression one of utter astonishment.

“L-Little Yukina??”

The girl’s surprise was clearly not feigned.

Yukina saw the coffee in her hand almost spill.

“Do we know each other?”

Yukina’s tone was not particularly polite, like a father questioning his daughter’s boyfriend.

“I’m…”

“This is Yonomikenami, my manager. You two just met today.”

Before Yonomikenami could speak, Ephnel explained.

Now it was Yukina’s turn to be astonished.

“Miss… Yonomikenami?”

“Because the nature of her work is a bit special, Yonomikenami slightly changes her appearance when she’s acting as my manager. This is how she normally looks.”

“I see…”

Yonomikenami still had a look on her face as if she’d seen a ghost, and Yukina felt the same.

No matter how she looked at it… Yonomikenami’s current appearance was not something that could be achieved by “slightly changing” it.

She was almost a completely different person from her manager persona.

But it was true that if one looked only at her face and ignored her clothes and makeup, there was a certain familiarity.

Yukina had felt a subtle sense of familiarity when she saw her this morning.

Perhaps it was precisely because she had met Yonomikenami before.

“Miss Yonomikenami, I was rude earlier. I didn’t realize it was you…”

“Ah, n-no, it’s fine, don’t worry about it…”

Yonomikenami looked as if she still hadn’t recovered, her gaze shifting blankly back and forth between Ephnel and Yukina.

“By the way, what are you two up to…”

“I’m showing Yukina my work. Don’t worry, we won’t disturb anyone. Also, Nami, is the commander downstairs?”

“Ah, yes! I just saw her and Miss Canary heading down.”

“I see… I need to talk to her about something. Before that, could you take Yukina to get something to eat?”

…

Yonomikenami took Yukina to the first basement level, a space temporarily converted from the original underground parking garage.

At this hour, there weren’t many people in the temporary cafeteria.

A few staff members were scattered about, most of them drinking coffee and taking a break, like Yonomikenami.

Yukina was the only one who had ordered a meal and was eating dinner.

There were no windows.

As a staff cafeteria, this former parking garage was exceptionally simple, even a bit crude.

The two of them sat facing each other at a dining table.

“Sorry, little Yukina. Because of the construction work upstairs, we have to make do with this place as a temporary staff cafeteria… Hmm, I’m not sure if the food here is to your liking.”

“Not at all. The food is delicious,” Yukina said with a smile.

She had been hungry all day and was quite famished.

Getting something to eat now was undoubtedly a godsend for Yukina.

“In fact, being able to personally taste the food that you and my sister usually eat, I’m very happy. Thank you, Miss Yonomikenami.”

“You don’t have to thank me for that.”

Yonomikenami sat up straight, waving her hand with a wry smile.

After today’s events, Yonomikenami no longer knew how she should act around Yukina.

She had a gut feeling that something had happened between Ephnel and Yukina, and that Yukina held some important secret, something that was likely very important to Ephnel.

“In my heart, little Yukina is like a little sister to me. Being too polite just makes it feel distant,” she said with a smile.

“I still want to thank you. My sister has been a lot of trouble for you, and you’ve taken care of me today as well…”

Yukina lowered her gaze politely.

“And, because of some misunderstandings, I had some bad thoughts about you. I hope you don’t mind, Miss Yonomikenami.”

“Eh? Is that so… Well, it doesn’t matter…”

Yonomikenami changed the subject nonchalantly.

“By the way, you’ve already started calling Miss Yanase… ‘Onee-chan,’ haven’t you?”

“That’s just…”

Yukina had a troubled expression and let out a faint sigh.

“There’s not much I can do about it. To be honest, I’m still not used to it.”

Yonomikenami’s expression was peculiar.

“That’s true. After all, she is your older sister…”

All this time, Ephnel had referred to herself as “Onii-chan” to her sister.

She had never understood why Ephnel was so insistent on playing the role of an “older brother.”

Occasionally, she would speculate whether it was because an “older brother” was male, fundamentally eliminating the possibility of her sister suspecting her identity, or because for a girl who had lost her parents early on, an “older brother” could provide a greater sense of security…

In the end, all of this was just unsubstantiated speculation.

…