Three days later, I found myself standing in front of an enormous dropship, the words "ARMED FORCES OF THE AETHER FRONTIER" painted across its hull in glowing blue letters.
Wind howled through the hangar as soldiers scrambled to load gear, weapons, and—strangely—snack crates labeled "Combat Rations: Strawberry Flavor."
I tugged at my too-tight armor and tried to stop my hands from shaking.
It wasn't working.
"Relax," said Rina Blazeheart, slapping me on the back with the force of a meteor. "It's just our first mission! What's the worst that could happen?"
"Death?" I squeaked.
Rina laughed. "Details!"
Beside her, Mira Fontaine adjusted her maid cap, checking her twin pistols. "Statistically speaking, rookies have a 40% casualty rate on first deployment. But don't worry—ours usually survive."
"Usually? That's not reassuring!"
Liri, the fairy medic, fluttered around my head like an overly energetic firefly. "You'll be fine! You've got us! The most beautiful, most powerful, most sparkly squad in the whole army!"
She struck a pose midair. Sparkles literally exploded behind her.
"Do you come with a volume control?" I muttered.
"Negative!" she chirped.
Celia Frostwind, our ever-calm commander, walked toward us, silver hair fluttering as she scanned a holographic briefing board. "Operation Dawnbreaker begins in twenty minutes. Objective: secure Forward Outpost Theta and neutralize all hostiles."
She turned to me. "Private Sakamaki, you'll stay close to me at all times."
"Uh, sure. Any reason?"
She gave me a flat look. "You're the squad's resonance core. If you wander off and die, we lose our magic amplification. Try not to explode."
"Noted! Wait—explode?"
Tsubasa Aoi, the quiet strategist, spoke up without looking from her tablet. "There's a 12% probability of spontaneous mana overload during synchronization. Slightly less if you remain calm."
"How am I supposed to remain calm knowing that!?"
Eira Moonveil leaned in, smiling serenely. "Think of it as… performance pressure~."
"I think I'm gonna pass out."
---
We boarded the dropship, and the engines roared to life. Inside, the atmosphere was tense but weirdly casual—like a school trip to a nuclear disaster zone.
Rina stretched her arms, hammer resting against her shoulder. "Man, I can't wait to crack some skulls. It's been too long since our last fight!"
Mira raised an eyebrow. "You literally fought in the training sim yesterday."
"Doesn't count! No explosions."
Celia stood near the cockpit, speaking to command through a headset. "Charm Battalion ready for deployment. Coordinates received. Preparing to descend."
As the ship lurched downward, I gripped the seat so hard my knuckles turned white. Liri zipped past, patting my head.
"Don't worry! We've got this!"
"Easy for you to say—you can fly!"
The fairy giggled. "Yeah, it's a great perk!"
Outside the window, the clouds broke to reveal the battlefield: a sprawling wasteland of jagged rocks, broken towers, and glowing veins of blue energy pulsing through the earth like arteries.
It was both terrifying and beautiful.
"This is… Outpost Theta?" I asked.
Celia nodded. "Or what's left of it. The Aether Legion hit this sector three days ago. We're here to reclaim it before they advance further north."
I gulped. "How strong are these… Legion things, exactly?"
"Strong enough," Rina said with a grin. "But not stronger than me!"
"Confidence is not a substitute for strategy," Mira muttered.
"Yeah, but it makes a great soundtrack!" Rina shot back.
"Quiet," Celia ordered. "Prepare for drop."
---
The ship's doors opened with a hiss.
Wind blasted my face. The ground looked very far away.
"Wait—drop as in jump!?"
Celia gave me a calm nod. "Affirmative."
Rina grinned. "First one down gets to call dibs on the biggest monster!"
"YEEEEEHAW!"
And she jumped.
Mira sighed. "So uncivilized." Then she dove gracefully after her, twin pistols glowing.
Liri followed with a cheer, leaving a trail of glitter.
Eira winked at me. "Catch you on stage, darling!" and leapt out while singing something that actually amplified the ship's speakers.
"PRIVATE SAKAMAKI!" Celia barked. "MOVE!"
"I CAN'T EVEN—AAAHHH!"
I didn't jump so much as I got pushed. By Celia.
The air screamed around me. My life flashed before my eyes—mostly images of instant noodles and unfinished games.
Just as I was about to make peace with my terrible life choices, a warm glow enveloped me. I slowed mid-fall, gently landing on the ground like a feather.
"Wha—?"
Celia landed beside me, boots hitting the dirt without a sound. "Wind magic. Try to land harder next time. You look ridiculous."
"I almost died!"
"Noted. Keep up."
---
The battlefield stretched ahead, littered with ruins and glowing crystal formations. Strange, inhuman silhouettes moved in the distance—black, insect-like creatures with glowing red cores.
The Aether Legion.
"Targets confirmed," Tsubasa said through comms. "Multiple hostiles, Class C and D. Recommend long-range engagement."
"Agreed," Celia replied. "Mira, suppressing fire. Rina, flank right. Eira, support spell formation."
"And me?" I asked nervously.
"You stay behind me," Celia said.
"Best order I've ever received."
The ground shook as Rina charged forward, hammer blazing with fire. "LET'S DANCE!"
She slammed into the first wave of enemies, sending shards of magic flying. Mira's shots followed—clean, precise, and terrifyingly elegant.
"Reloading," Mira said calmly, mid-spin.
Liri zipped between them, casting tiny healing orbs. "Sparkle Boost! Glitter Guard!"
"That's not even real terminology!" I yelled.
"Now it is!"
Eira's voice rose in song, her staff glowing pink. "♪ Crescendo of Courage! ♪"
A wave of energy rippled across the field, and suddenly, everyone's attacks hit harder, faster, louder.
The synchronization meter on my wrist console spiked to 80%.
Celia looked at me. "Private. Maintain resonance output."
"How do I do that!?"
"Stay emotionally stable."
"THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!"
---
Then one of the larger Aether beasts emerged—a towering humanoid with four arms and a face like a shattered mask. It roared, shaking the ground.
"Class A threat detected," Tsubasa said flatly.
Rina grinned. "Finally! Something worth hitting!"
Celia raised her sword. "Formation Delta!"
The squad moved like lightning—Rina up front, Mira and Eira covering from range, Liri floating above healing, Tsubasa feeding data through her visor, and Celia dashing forward with surgical precision.
And me? I stood there trying not to pee myself.
The monster swung a massive claw. Celia deflected it with her blade, sparks flying. "NOW, Sakamaki!"
"Now what!?"
"Think! Focus on us—amplify the connection!"
I clenched my fists and concentrated. A warmth spread from my chest outward, and suddenly, the air shimmered. Lines of blue light connected me to the girls like glowing threads.
Rina's hammer ignited. Mira's bullets turned to streaks of fire. Eira's song grew louder, brighter. Even Celia's blade began to shine like ice forged from stars.
"What the hell—!?"
Celia smirked. "That's your power. You're our amplifier."
"Amplifier… right. Totally normal thing to be."
The monster lunged again. Celia jumped high, slashing down in one perfect arc. The blow cut straight through its core, shattering it into glowing fragments.
It collapsed with a thunderous crash, disintegrating into mist.
The battlefield went quiet.
Rina pumped her fist. "BOOM! First blood!"
Mira sighed. "Crude, but effective."
Liri cheered. "Yay! Sparkle victory!"
Eira tossed her hair dramatically. "Encore?"
Celia sheathed her blade. "Objective secured. Excellent work, everyone."
Then she turned to me. "You. Good job not dying."
I blinked. "That's… it?"
She nodded. "A solid start."
I looked around at the chaos, the craters, the glowing dust—and the six women smiling in victory.
A weird warmth spread through my chest. For the first time since arriving in this insane world, I didn't feel like a total outsider.
Maybe… just maybe… I belonged here.
---
That feeling lasted exactly ten seconds before Rina slapped my back again. "You did great, rookie! You've officially survived your first mission!"
"Yeah… ow… thanks."
"Next time," she added with a grin, "we'll see if you can do it without screaming so much."
"I don't scream that much!"
Liri giggled. "Playback recording says otherwise~."
"Wait, you recorded me!?"
Celia's headset crackled. "Charm Battalion, prepare for extraction. Debrief in thirty minutes."
As the team gathered, I glanced at the wreckage of the battlefield—magic smoke rising against a blood-red sky.
It was terrifying. It was insane.
But somewhere deep inside, a tiny part of me whispered: This might actually be kind of cool.
> That time I got drafted to war with only cute girls on my squad… maybe I'll survive after all.
[To be continued in Chapter 3: The Base, The Bath, and The Unintentional Scandal!]