"So with that, let's begin the strategy meeting."
I made the announcement as we gathered in a hall that doubled as our meeting room.
"Yay! Time for party horns and fanfare!"
Suzume-neesan jumped in without missing a beat. As energetic as ever.
Right now, it's me, Suzume-neesan, Grandma Yata, and Hachikuma-neesan in the room. Hachikuma-neesan isn't much of a talker, but she looked a bit restless, so we pulled her in too.
"Honestly, I don't think we even need a strategy meeting for that one," Grandma Yata tilted her head skeptically.
"Really?"
"I mean, all we need to do is pour him a drink while he's half asleep and toss him in, right? Job done."
"Ehhh…"
"he said his effective range is his age plus ten years, and since he claims he's 30, that means he can go up to 40, right?"
Now that I think about it, Hisui-san looks like a teenager but insists he's 30 on the inside. Even though he looks like a kid, when you talk to him, he has this odd maturity and a strangely comforting aura.
"Anyway, the other day, he ran into Toki in the open-air bath, and when Toki hugged him, he didn't even resist. Actually, he seemed kind of happy. If he's okay with that, he's probably fine with just about anyone."
"Uhhh…"
I couldn't help but clutch my head.
"Never mind appearances—Toki-obaa-chan is in the 'beautiful woman' category!"
I had to step in with a correction. There's no way you'd call her appearance "30s." She easily passes for someone in her 20s. Don't lump her in with the Wolbachia-compatible folks who age weirdly.
"Well, we can throw Tsugumi in as a test case for the upper limit. Since Hachikuma worked, we might as well bring in Hakuto, Ojiro, and Tobi too, right?"
"Those three, huh…"
I stared off into the distance. They're the generation above Hachikuma-neesan, and honestly, I've barely interacted with them. They've always intimidated me a bit. That said, they seem strangely popular with kids. Every time there's an open base festival, pictures of them holding kids they clearly don't know show up in updates.
They're not the "cute" type—they're cool, stylish, and badass.
Also, they're super popular with other women. Most of them ended up in same-sex marriages by sheer momentum. Apparently, they've all got several wives.
"Well, Tobi-neesan said she was coming back soon, so she's no problem. But can Hakuto-neesan and Ojiro-neesan even make it here?"
Tobi-neesan, who plays the mascot inside Namage at the theme park, is definitely coming back since it's a scheduled return. But Hakuto-neesan and Ojiro-neesan are officers in the 7th Division of the JSDF in Hokkaido—practically the cornerstone of northern defense. I feel like it's been ages since they were last home.
It doesn't make the news much, but apparently, the red-and-white bears keep violating our airspace daily, so things are always tense up there.
The only reason we get to live in peace is thanks to those older sisters. No one ever speaks badly of them.
History has already shown what happens to countries like Ukraine that lacked preparation and allies.
In the end, when Russia got desperate and resorted to using nukes, all their previous advantages vanished. They got ganged up on by the whole world and were eventually broken up. Japan unexpectedly got the Northern Territories and Sakhalin back out of the deal, but with the widened defense line, things have gotten pretty complicated.
And now, amid the chaos, the yellow-white bears in red uniforms have been stirring up trouble again.
We really need Hakuto-neesan and Ojiro-neesan to hang in there.
If Hisui-san gives the green light, I'd love to show them some appreciation.
"They said they were raring to go when I called them."
"…Wait. Those two are raring to go…?"
I've got a bad feeling about this.
Suzume-neesan and Hachikuma-neesan both sighed and cradled their heads in defeat.
Ringtone rings out: ♪Piroriron♪ Piroriron♪
Suddenly, all our devices lit up at once.
"Today, an unidentified aircraft violating the airspace over the northern tip of the Northern Territories (Shumshu Island) was shot down."
"Pfft."
I couldn't help but burst out laughing at the message on my screen.
"It's definitely those two."
Suzume-neesan muttered, stunned.
Hachikuma-neesan nodded in agreement.
Somewhere Else…
"Every damn day, and they still don't get bored of this crap?!"
"Fine! I'm so gonna knock you jerks out and enjoy my vacation!"
As I yelled mid-scramble, a familiar voice crackled back over the radio.
""Let's do this!""
We said it at the exact same time, completely in sync. We were of one mind now.
"Aren't you going to stop them?"
"Can't."
"There's no stopping them, come on."
I could hear the hopeless voices of our subordinates, but there was no room to listen.
So yeah… we might've gone a bit overboard.
They were flying in a three-aircraft formation, and, uh… we might've just pretended to do a warning shot and shot them all down instead.
But hey, in this era, almost all the jets are remote-controlled AI drones with dummy pilots, so there are barely any casualties. It's fine!
We were told to submit a report, reflect on our actions, and "cool off" by using up our paid vacation—so of course, we're going to enjoy that time off to the fullest.
Can't wait to see the look on that Misago guy's face.
Author's note :
Hakuto Kitaumi (Age 30)
Modelled after a Bald Eagle.
200 cm tall, a high-ranking officer in the JSDF.
A cool, strong, muscular, and beautiful woman. Her trademark is her white hair.
A commander-type with a bold and boisterous personality.
Clear work-life boundaries. Loves children—or more like, anything smaller than her is automatically "cute."
She'll lift them up and give them the "high-high" treatment with a big smile, which is either adorable or terrifying depending on who you ask.
Ojiro Kitaumi (Age 28)
Modelled after a White-tailed Eagle.
180 cm tall, also a JSDF officer, one rank under Hakuto.
A cool and well-built beauty. Black hair with a single streak of white is her trademark.
She's a pilot and front-line officer. Often ends up dragged around by Hakuto.
She once tried to recruit Hachikuma during her trial training, but the escort officer snatched her back before she could be transferred, so she's still a bit salty about it.
Note on same-sex marriage in this world:
More about practical cohabitation than romantic love.