After the long, long sermon time ended,
We, who should have immediately headed to the E Zone Command, were facing an unexpected obstacle.
“Ugh, all these machines are malfunctioning…”
That was because the hatch, which we had to go through to leave the command, seemed to be rusted, and no matter how much we pushed, it wouldn’t budge.
I asked if we could go out somewhere else…but they said there was only that one exit.
Why?
Anyway, even though the command officer, a strong adult man, was grunting and struggling with all his might, there was not a single creak or sound from the hatch.
“The garbage incinerator at least moved, but this one feels like it’s a solid wall.”
“Commander, then how did you get in here in the first place? You said the entrance was just this one, right?”
“I came in through the teleportation machine. It was quite a distance from where I was to here.”
Ah.
I see.
I nodded.
By the way, I started to wonder when that door would ever open.
At this point, I even started to suspect that someone might be blocking it from the other side.
Some time passed…
The commander was now sweating heavily.
It must be uncomfortable to sweat in those hot clothes.
He was wiping the sweat diligently with one sleeve, wrestling with the door…but still, the door showed no sign of opening.
What if we miss the request time?
Even though the commander set the alarm in a relaxed way, this delay might cause problems.
Being late for the first request would be the worst.
Wait a minute.
Can’t we just use the teleportation machine?
The commander came in through it.
“Then, can’t we also just go out using that teleportation machine?”
“I wish we could… but they say it’s a waste of power if you use it frequently. They told us to apply at least a week in advance if we want to use it.”
“Power waste? What? Is it okay to teleport french fries or pudding, but not requests?”
They say using it a few times for a request is a waste of power. It’s absurd.
Oh…
While I was thinking about that, Nunu, who had been quietly holding me, made a strange expression and asked the commander a question.
“In the previous command, we didn’t have any issues with that. Why is it like this here?”
“I don’t know. They probably want to let the new commander struggle a bit. Who knows?”
The commander sighed deeply.
His tone sounded as if it was nothing, but the fatigue hidden in his words was undeniable.
Has he been burned a lot?
Eventually, after struggling a few more times, the commander was so tired that he slumped down next to the door.
Sigh… I knew this would happen.
I grabbed the wet towel and ice water I had prepared in advance, and ran over to the commander, pulling away from Nunu’s arms.
“Ah, Maru. Thank you.”
“No problem. By the way, can I help now?”
“Yeah. Phew, this is much better. Sorry about that.”
The commander scratched his head awkwardly.
Finally, I got the permission to help.
…Oh, right. The reason Nunu and I stayed still when the commander was struggling to open the door was because the commander had asked us not to interfere.
He wanted to solve it himself, to show his dignity as an adult.
I guess he was bothered by the fact that during the last tutorial, even though he was the commander, he couldn’t give orders and I had to protect him.
Anyway, now that I have permission, it’s my turn to show some maturity.
“I’ll try it.”
“Do you have a good idea?”
“Of course. I have a great plan.”
I gave the commander a small nod, then confidently stood in front of the hatch.
I braced my legs and arms, then ran, running and running…!
Bang!
Huh, it didn’t work.
I looked up at the hatch, but the door, which had received my full-force headbutt, didn’t open and didn’t even have a scratch.
So the great plan was a headbutt?
“…Quiet.”
I was just scratching my head in embarrassment when the commander uncle scolded me.
Even though he couldn’t open it either. Hmph.
Oh well.
But something feels strange.
Wasn’t it strong enough to crack the floor last time I fell?
This is really weird.
“Maru, can I give it a try?”
“Nunu, you?”
How does she plan to open a door that didn’t budge even when I headbutted it with all my strength?
I don’t think it’s possible. Wouldn’t it be better to just look for a hole like a doggy door…?
Huuup!
-KWANG!
“Oh, it opened! Commander! Maru! Let’s get out of here!”
“Nunu turned back to us with a big smile. But behind her was not an opened door, but one that had been completely destroyed. N-Nunu… Didn’t you say you were an assassin?”
“Oh, come on, what are you talking about all of a sudden? Come on, let’s go!”
Nunu seemed frustrated seeing me and the commander uncle standing there dumbfounded…
She walked over to us, picked up the commander in one arm and me in the other, and walked right out the door.
Wow.
As we were dragged outside, I took another look at the hatch that had been utterly destroyed.
It was completely shattered, unable to maintain its shape.
The way it had been crushed so mercilessly, it was hard to believe it was once a sturdy door.
Wait, she’s an assassin? Not a warrior?
Are assassins these days more like… ‘If there are no witnesses, it’s still an assassination’…?
I made a mental note to never mess with Nunu again and remained quiet until we got into the car waiting outside.
She’s a little scary…
Anyway, that’s how I ended up in the car, half-forced—
“Wow, everything here is new to me! What’s that? Whoa! It looks like a fern, but it’s huge!”
Looking out the car window, I was finally starting to realize that I had really entered the world of ‘Lost Memory.’
Am I acting too much like an excited child?
Hmph, ridiculous.
Anyone would be amazed by this sight.
The scenery I had only seen in game screenshots was now right in front of my eyes.
Of course, any guy would be excited.
Hehe.
Anyway, there were so many fascinating and incredible things outside the command center that I could probably spend all day just looking around.
If I weren’t inside the car, I might have been hopping around like a little kid at an amusement park.
“Maru looks really excited to be outside for the first time in a while.”
The commander uncle spoke with a satisfied expression as he drove.
To be exact, this is my first time outside ever, but since I really was excited, I nodded.
“Hehe, seeing Maru so happy makes me excited too. Commander, how long until we reach the E-Sector command center?”
“At this speed, we’ll get there soon. About 30 minutes? Should we roll down the windows and enjoy the ride?”
“Ohhh, sounds great! Do it now!”
As soon as I agreed, the commander, now just as excited, shouted, “Alright!” and rolled down both windows.
The cool wind rushed in, making my hair fly all over the place.
“Waaahhhhhh!”
I opened my mouth to shout, but we were going so fast that my voice was carried away by the wind.
Hehe. This is fun.
“Whoa! What’s that? That big thing!”
“The commander is busy driving, so I’ll tell you. Which one are you talking about?”
“That one! That one over there!”
I pointed at a snail-shaped plant growing among the giant ferns.
It looked like an ordinary snail, but since it wasn’t moving, I had to stare at it for a while to realize it was actually a plant.
And it was huge. Maybe it was just perspective, but it looked way taller than me.
“That’s a Snail Mushroom. It’s called the ‘janitor of nature’ because of how unique it is.”
“Snail Mushroom…?”
“It absorbs more carbon dioxide than regular trees, making it great for the environment. Plus, it’s delicious, so it’s a pretty rare mushroom.”
Snail Mushroom, huh? Sounds like a pun.
But it does look tasty. I should ask the commander to grill one for me later.
Oh, right.
I was supposed to ask him for stir-fried sausages for breakfast, but we left in such a hurry that I didn’t get to eat.
Just thinking about food made my stomach growl—well, at least I thought it did.
…Maybe it really did.
I wondered if anyone had brought some sandwiches or something, so I called out to the commander.
“Maru, you must be really hungry. Once we get to the E-Sector command center, I’ll check if we can grab a quick breakfast.”
“Mmm, okay.”
Looks like he didn’t bring anything.
Then what’s in his hiking jacket pocket? It looks stuffed.
Guess I’ll just keep sightseeing until we arrive. There’s nothing else to do.
“Oh! There’s another Snail Mushroom. Looks delicious.”
I spotted another Snail Mushroom like the one before.
“What’s that? They’re fighting.”
A creature that looked like a horse and a bulldog-like angry pup were fighting over a puddle.
Whoa. There’s even a huge ant over there.
A fire ant with massive mandibles was running straight toward us.
Wait, what?