"Kisara..."
Rentaro's heart seemed to skip a beat, vibrating ceaselessly. Suddenly, he raised his hand, his palm touching Kisara's cheek.
Even though he used such an intimate gesture, Kisara neither avoided it nor seemed shy. Rentaro sighed.
"You know I won't let you get hurt..."
But Rentaro's unfinished words were cut short by the girl's unexpected action.
She suddenly took a step forward, evading Rentaro's arm. Her two hands grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him down. And then, she placed a kiss on Rentaro's lips.
He froze, seemingly unable to believe it.
Time itself seemed to be suspended in this moment, with only the frantic pounding of two hearts, and two souls seemingly synchronized. In this moment, all doubts, all calculations, were like dust blown away.
When Kisara broke the kiss, both were still in a state of shock. It wasn't until a throat-clearing sound came from a distance, belonging to Ms. Sumire.
"A little decorum, you two young people."
Rentaro and Kisara snapped back to reality, remembering that the place they were standing was not a private setting at all, but a field hospital.
From somewhere, a round of applause broke out, followed by a series of applause spreading throughout the room, making the atmosphere here seem no longer as heavy and sorrowful as before.
Faced with this utterly embarrassing situation, Rentaro could only lead Kisara out of the hospital.
"If you decide to come back, then I have to call you Commander-in-Chief."
"Huh, I'm the Commander-in-Chief?"
Rentaro was astonished. Usually, in a war like this, the self-defense forces would be the main factor, and Civil Security was mainly auxiliary. How could he become the Commander-in-Chief?
"It's true. But the self-defense ground troops have been almost entirely wiped out. Now, only the air force, which receives direct instructions from the Holy Residence, remains. Before this, Civil Security had appointed the highest-ranked person as Commander-in-Chief, but he died in yesterday's battle."
"So, Satomi Rentaro, with your IP Rank #134, you will become the new Commander-in-Chief. If you don't want it, I will inform Lady Seitenshi to allow you to fight in a personal capacity."
"No need, I will accept this position."
Rentaro said seriously.
He was not keen on seizing power or high positions. But just through the accounts of Ms. Sumire and Kisara, Rentaro could recognize how unoptimistic the current situation was. Even the word "unoptimistic" to describe it was too optimistic.
This was not just a matter of troop loss; morale was shattered. Even the Commander-in-Chief had died twice. Was that not desperate enough?
If their will could not endure, then it was no different from surrendering before the fight.
Thinking this, Rentaro picked up the phone, then began to call someone.
...
With Seitenshi's backing, Rentaro quickly sorted out the arrangements.
Coupled with the fact that Aldebaran's Gastrea legion had temporarily retreated and were stationed in Area 32, the human side finally managed to secure two days of rest to reorganize their forces.
This was the moment Rentaro took the stage.
All Civil Security personnel were summoned to an empty field adjacent to an abandoned villa. Everyone had, of course, been informed, but their expressions were mostly extremely grim, showing little improvement.
A Commander-in-Chief has arrived? So what? Another Commander-in-Chief to die?
This was their common mentality.
At this moment, Rentaro stepped out. Behind him were Sukekiyou and Kisara.
He witnessed the demoralized and depleted state of the Civil Security members. Surprisingly, among these people were quite a few familiar faces. Those people also recognized Rentaro, but neither side spoke. Because now was not the time for small talk.
"Hello everyone, I am Satomi Rentaro, IP Rank #134, your new Commander-in-Chief."
Hearing this name, many people finally reacted. Wasn't this the name of the guy who punched and blew up Aldebaran's head in the battle at the first line?
Although many new people had been recruited in the supplementary mobilization, there were still quite a few who recognized Rentaro, and their spirits lifted slightly. However, pessimism still dominated. Even someone as strong as Rentaro failed; what could a motley crew like them possibly achieve?
Rentaro's eyes scanned the crowd, quickly grasping their mindset. He sighed, then suddenly spoke.
"You feel desperate, don't you?"
Rentaro's question made everyone somewhat stunned, even Kisara behind him, because this was nothing like what they had discussed beforehand.
But Rentaro paid no attention and continued speaking.
"Yes, how could you not be desperate? The enemy is numerous and we are few. Furthermore, there are no reinforcements, because we are the last ones standing..."
"Satomi! This..."
Kisara was flustered. Wasn't this demoralizing their own troops? But Rentaro simply waved his hand.
"Everyone needs to know the truth, because hiding it is no longer necessary."
"We have no escape route left. Even if you give up, where can you run and hide? We... have reached the end of the line!"
"Behind us are only our families, friends, the people we love, and our homes. Nothing more..."
Everyone fell silent, and then, a person in the crowd spoke up.
"If that's the case, then why should we struggle to hold on here? We're going to die anyway."
We're going to die anyway.
This sentence resonated with many people.
Rentaro did not get angry and curse the person as a coward; he just smiled.
"But at least there's a small hope, isn't there? If we give up, then that truly is the end of our chances."
We're going to die anyway, so why not use one last bit of strength to fight for the hope of living? After all, the worst result is still the same.
This was the ideology Rentaro wanted these people to understand.
Having reached this point, tricks to boost morale with fame and fortune, or binding spirits with military orders, were no longer practical. Only the raw reality could revive their spirit.
Those with bare feet do not fear wearing shoes. Having already embraced death, why fear death anymore?
Now, at least everyone's morale was no longer as disheartened as before; there was even a sense of surging fighting spirit. Seeing that the effect had been achieved, Rentaro involuntarily smiled.
"I didn't know you were good at psychology..."
Kisara still couldn't hide her surprise. Rentaro just shook his head, not thinking his move was brilliant or anything.
Perhaps it was only because he had once been just like these people.
"Alright, tonight will be a war strategy meeting! Everyone must report; otherwise, it will be treated as desertion and dealt with!"
"Understood!!!"
The morale aspect was settled. Now, it was time to go meet some old acquaintances.