"Here, your orders. Check them."
Hakuto accepted the documents from his superior in the command room and casually flipped them open.
The assignment was to guard a man named Hisui Umino, recently discovered in Niigata. Since Hachikuma was already stationed there as his escort, it seemed Hakuto would be joining her.
Escort officers, with roles closely aligned to those of JSDF personnel, were relatively flexible in terms of deployment.
"Can I form my own team for this?"
"If you're heading straight to Niigata, you can take the Osprey from base."
A surprisingly kind offer.
"Wow, that's unusual."
Normally, personnel transportation meant riding trucks across Japan, sometimes even cross-country in cargo beds—unless it involved remote islands.
"Take your wives along, too."
"You're spoiling me."
"She only listens to you. If you leave, she's useless."
"Fair enough."
Hakuto couldn't help but smile. In this northern territory—beyond even the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin—there was almost nothing but military bases. Without military aircraft, even going out for fun was next to impossible. Sure, you could make do within the base or the island, but for real leisure, you'd want to at least get to urban Hokkaido.
Naturally, that meant tagging along with regular transport or supply runs. And no public servant could afford to bring in their own boat or helicopter. The sea was often frozen with drift ice in winter, and rough at the best of times. Air transport, hiding among the cargo like a remora, was the most viable option.
"To let you guys take a break, I'm assigning fifty replacement personnel. You're a real pain, you know that?"
Though the officer was smiling, his eyes weren't, and a vein visibly throbbed on his forehead.
"You're even getting more than we're sending back."
Only about twenty were being pulled from the field, so numerically, Hakuto's side was winning.
"Don't get cocky! We're losing twenty top officers and elite soldiers. Replacing them with fifty rookies doesn't even come close!"
"Getting replacements at all is a win."
The superior's voice rose into a yell, and Hakuto brushed it off with a smirk and some sarcasm.
"Take good care of them, yeah?"
"I'll raise them even better than your wives."
The mood returned to normal, and both smiled.
"So, who's this order from?"
"Not Konohazu-sama, the Chief of Staff. It's higher up. Directly from Prime Minister Isagi."
"From the top, huh?"
While Hakuto's clan held key positions all over, political turf wars and power struggles often twisted orders. Even among family, trust wasn't guaranteed.
That infamous idiot getting assigned was a prime example—it wasn't even funny.
"For this man's protection, use your 20 personnel. If that's not enough, pull more from the local base."
"Well, that's overkill…"
"With Kohaku-sama gone, male humans are rare. Even temporarily, one escort isn't enough for an S-rank."
On paper, the male-to-female ratio was 1 in 100. Realistically, it felt more like 1 in 1,000—maybe even 1 in 10,000. Males existed, sure, but where they were, they were scarce. And where they weren't, they didn't exist at all.
In this world overrun by Hito-Borubakia, that demographic imbalance was a global issue.
"Surpassing Kohaku's grandfather, huh? No wonder countries are going nuts."
Nowadays, semen was considered a crucial resource for population maintenance—traded internationally. From grade B upward, it was strictly regulated. Kohaku's grandfather once had a full platoon guarding him. Though back then, most of them looked like buff neighborhood ladies who acted like stepmothers, so who knew who was who.
Hakuto remembered being surprised when she was assigned to the training unit and saw so many familiar faces.
Despite national requests to stay reclusive for safety, Kohaku's grandfather always greeted guests in the lobby with a smile. He valued human connection. It made things hard for the guards, but everyone admired him. No one ever spoke ill of the man, who was kind and sincere to all.
As a child, Hakuto idolized that image and aspired to become a kind and sincere adult too. As a result, he ended up being the type of woman who never refuses a marriage proposal and gained a lot of wives. No regrets, though.
"If we'd used the subsidy system, we could've protected him under the welfare and special district framework."
That would've been cheaper in terms of security and stationing, but—
"You think our great-grandmother would ever allow that?"
Despite her youthful appearance, she was a stubborn traditionalist. Whether it was considered outdated or not, she believed the joy of having a man should be shared with the entire family—guests included—and even monetized. Not that she could ever spend all her money at this point.
She would never leave the place where she lived with Kohaku's grandfather, and she would never let go of a man once she had him in her grasp.
(The idiot exception doesn't count. He's not worth keeping alive.)
"If it's just us who have to suffer a bit, it's fine. If that sharp-eyed old lady went out of her way to snatch him up, we'll probably benefit too."
Hakuto grinned, genuinely looking forward to meeting the man.
"When the time comes, share the spoils, yeah?"
Officially superior and subordinate, but in reality, they were long-time comrades. In a woman-dominated world, hiding one's libido off-duty was pointless—so honesty prevailed.
"You probably won't be able to move freely, but feel free to drop by as a guest."
At this point, the protected man was basically the mascot of an amusement park—his absence would be a big deal.
"You think I can actually go?"
"If you really want to, just force your way in. We're all just gears in the machine. One goes missing, another takes its place."
A military force that panics when its commander dies is a joke. Hakuto's disappearance shouldn't stall operations.
Even if this was technically a disciplinary transfer, it was a bit of a gamble.
"Sending the deputy before the commander, huh?"
They shared a bitter smile.
"It's an official order~!"
Hakuto broke the tension with a grin.
"Oh, shut up already. Just get going."
The superior gestured him away like swatting a fly. Hakuto grinned and turned toward the door.
Then, just before stepping out, he turned back, straightened up, and saluted.
"Then I will respectfully accept the transfer order!"
The salute was returned.
"May fortune be with you!"
"Why not start with that from the beginning?"
The tension vanished instantly, and the superior shook his head with a sigh.
"Idle chatter is the main event."
Hakuto grinned mischievously. Time to gather Ojiro and the others—whether subordinates or wives—and pack up.
The guest rooms were probably full, so they'd use the staff quarters or requisition an empty local house. Tsubame worked at the town hall—maybe she could help.
Would be easier with advance notice, but if they went in with the JSDF label, they'd draw too much attention. Best to act like civilians, at least on the surface.