The pilot of the plane turned to say:

— "Refueling complete. We're leaving."

The soldiers stood up to say goodbye.

— "Thank you for your help and we're sorry for the loss of your comrade," the co-pilot said, his voice full of respect.

Kay stood up firmly and replied:

— "Thank you! Be careful on the way back."

The pilots thanked him again, climbed into the aircraft and took off, disappearing over the horizon. As soon as the sound of the plane died down, Kay turned to the others.

— "Let's go." He got into the helicopter and sat down again in front of Ethan's body, his eyes dark.

Joana hesitated before suggesting:

— "I can go here, if you prefer."

Kay shook her head, dismissing the idea simply:

— "Don't worry."

The helicopter took off, leaving the base behind. Joana looked at the soldiers inside the helicopter, silence prevailing as each one seemed immersed in their own thoughts.

— "They are still shaken by the loss. This is normal, especially since it is the first time they have experienced something like this." — she thought, with a worried look as she adjusted her seat.

Kay, sitting in front of Ethan's body, remained silent, his eyes fixed on some point on the horizon, although his mind was far away.

— "I didn't feel the ghoul moving... Did the others' fall confuse me? Or maybe... Did San notice something? No. It is better not to talk about that now." — He took a deep breath, leaving the thought aside for now.

Kay broke the tension with an unexpected command:

— "Let me ask you something. How would you describe this mission?"

The soldiers exchanged confused looks.

— "What do you mean?" — Thais asked, frowning.

— "I want you to summarize this mission in one word. Think about it and, when you're ready, write it on your cell phone and show it to me." — Kay said, calmly but firmly.

Joana looked at him, questioning:

— "Don't you think this is already—"

— "Okay." — Raven interrupted her, understanding that Kay had her reasons.

One by one, Raven, Slayer, Kratos, Fiona and Thais wrote their words and showed them to Kay. He read each one in silence and returned the cell phones with a nod.

— "I understand."

Shortly after, it was Mira, Viviane, Sarah, Sky, San and Dan's turn. Kay repeated the same gesture after reading the answers.

— "I understand."

Finally, Kay turned to Alex and Brenda.

— "You two were the closest to him. Don't be afraid to write."

The two looked at each other, the hesitation clear on their faces, but soon took out their cell phones and wrote. When they handed it to Kay, he read it and paused before replying:

"I see. Although we have had casualties, everyone sees this mission as a success."

Raven crossed her arms, arching an eyebrow.

"But that is literally the result of the mission."

Kay ignored the blunt comment and announced:

"Raven, you will be the deputy leader of this squadron."

The helicopter seemed to stop for a moment, such was the shock.

"What?" Raven exclaimed, her surprise reflected on the confused faces of the others.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Everyone cast furtive glances at Mira, as if expecting a reaction from her. Mira, noticing, snorted:

"I feel the stares. You can stop that!"

Kay laughed lightly before explaining:

— "Takemichi has other plans for Mira. If it weren't for that, I'd prefer her for the position..."

Before he could finish, Mira kicked his leg, eliciting a groan of pain and muffled laughter from the others.

Kay continued, ignoring the pain:

— "Raven, you coordinated the team when I was away. Your suit's synchronization percentage is already at the level of a leader. You have military training and can think quickly under pressure. Considering all this, I want you to take the lead in my absence."

Raven looked at Mira, who seemed relieved.

— "I'm not fit to lead. You can have this position." — Mira said with a half smile.

Raven took a deep breath, understanding the weight of what was being entrusted to her.

— "I understand. I accept."

— Hey, Kay! What is this plan my father has for me? — Mira asked, crossing her arms, her tone full of suspicion.

The soldiers exchanged glances, as if they already knew what was going on. Joana let out a discreet laugh, increasing Mira's confusion.

"No... No, no, no! I don't want that!" Mira exclaimed, finally understanding the meaning of the words.

The helicopter landed at the base, the noise of the blades echoing like muffled thunder.

"That's what Yumi told me, but I don't know if it's true. Ask him directly!" Kay replied, opening the helicopter door and calmly descending.

When they got out, the soldiers at the base were lined up, waiting. The atmosphere was serious, almost intimidating.

"What a terrifying welcome! You're going to end up scaring my people!" Kay commented, raising her eyebrows in slight disapproval.

"You bastard, you want to k...," Takemichi began, irritated, but was interrupted by Lena.

"Captain!" Lena called, hurriedly, making Takemichi cough to hide it.

— You did a good job completing the mission! — Takemichi said, raising his hand in salute, followed by the entire division, who paid homage to the recruits.

— Don't do that, I'll be embarrassed! — Kay said, looking away, uncomfortable.

— Take this seriously, you blockhead! — Takemichi ordered.

Kay sighed and raised her hand, imitating the gesture with disdain.

— Fifth Squadron successfully returning from the mission! — he declared.

— Good job! — Takemichi replied, formally.

— Speaking of which, I asked Yumi to lay this achievement on your back. Good job, Takemichi! — Kay teased, already walking away.

— Damn you! — Takemichi gritted his teeth.

— I have some things to take care of, and Mira wants to talk to you. You better pay attention to her! — Kay said, leaving.

— Kay, come with me! — Fernanda called, grabbing his arm.

— Wait, I don't want to! — Kay protested, trying to free herself.

— I have something to ask! — Fernanda insisted firmly.

— I imagine... Okay, ma'am, you're the boss. — Kay sighed and followed her down the hallway.

Takemichi, in turn, looked at Mira, who was staring at him with a smile that hid hostility.

— Dad, I want to ask you something. Can you come with me, please? — Mira said, too calmly to be honest.

— Of course... — Takemichi replied, reluctantly. "She's speaking calmly, but I can hear hostility in her voice. She's acting just like her mother... I feel like trouble is coming," he thought, worried.

The Scene Changes

Kay walked down the hallway, following Fernanda, clearly uncomfortable.

"Fernanda is insistent..." he thought, casting quick glances around.

Suddenly, his attention was caught by Thais, Viviane and Sarah, who were in the same hallway.

"Kay, we have something to show you. Can you come to our room?" Thais asked seriously.

"Okay." Kay replied, suspicious, following them.

They walked to the female dormitory. Halfway there, Mira appeared, her eyes red and wet.

"Mira, why are you crying?" Kay asked, worried.

"Kay!" Mira ran to him and hugged him, tears streaming down her face.

"What happened?" Kay asked, even more alarmed.

"I refused several times, but my father made me vice-captain!" Mira confessed, sobbing.

— I think it's appropriate, considering your IQ... — Kay started to answer, but was interrupted by a punch to the stomach.

— You were supposed to be on my side, not against me! — Mira complained, furious.

— Take off your clothes before you hit me, love... — Kay moaned, holding her abdomen.

— You deserved it! — Mira retorted, wiping her tears. — By the way, why are you in the female dormitory? If my father catches you here, he'll be in trouble!

— They seemed to be having trouble, so I just followed them. — Kay explained, still bent over in pain.

Mira took a deep breath, trying to compose herself, and joined the group that was heading to the bedroom.

In the Bedroom

— So, what did you want to show me? — Kay asked, sitting casually on the bed.

— Don't sit casually on a lady's bed! — Thais scolded, crossing her arms.

Sarah blushed immediately, looking away. Kay stood up, a little embarrassed.

— I'm sorry. The conversation seemed problematic, so I acted naturally. — he said, scratching the back of his neck.

“Okay…” Sarah murmured.

“Now, what did you want to show me?” — Kay insisted.

“The last moments of the mission.” — Thais explained, handing her a cell phone with the video.

Kay watched the video in silence, her expression serious. The images showed the horror of the battle and the moment when Ethan was cut in half.

“I don’t know if it’s appropriate to show the moment when someone’s son was killed like that… But I think his parents should know how it happened. Ask the captain.” — Kay said, returning the cell phone.

“Understood. Let’s talk to him.” — Thais replied, determined.

“Show this video to Fernanda. She was asking me about the ghouls.” — Kay added.

“Okay.” — Thais nodded.

“Can you leave us alone?” — Kay asked, looking at the girls around her.

— But you... — Thais began hesitantly.

— That's right! I'm sorry. Let's talk outside the barracks. — Kay hurried to answer, realizing the situation.

— Okay! — Mira said, letting out a little laugh.

— Since you're going to talk to Takemichi, come with me so the girls don't misunderstand. — Kay gave a calm but determined smile.

The girls left the barracks in silence.

— Thank you. — Kay thanked her as they left.

— Now let's go to the captain. — Thais said.

— Good luck! — he said, saying goodbye to the others with a casual gesture.

After the girls left, Kay and Mira headed to the courtyard.