9 In Search of the great Commander (1/2)

After a few minutes of walking, They finally reached the Center. The Center of Saijun Village were surprisingly as large as the Tsuchiyan Center. And at the north of the Center lies a steel gates with bushes surrounding the very building of the leader. Inside the gate was a long narrow way accompanied by the beauty of the blooming flowers by each side. A fountain in the middle before reaching the building.

A few more minutes and the group has arrived at the gate. ”Here we are, Past this gate is our Palace, This is where Itsumi and I resides” Hiro sparked a conversation. ”It's so huge! Even with these hiding the place, You can still see the upper part!” Ayumi observed the building up to the top. Then Hiro went first and opened the gate and gave them a way. ”Eh? Don't you have a guard on your gates?” Chiho noticed that there were no soldiers guarding the gate, and Hiro's the one who opened the gates. ”Ever since the war finished, Our village's crimes dramatically dropped. When we noticed that, We started to reduce the security inside the village and instead, strengthen the securities on borders” Gentaro explained as they walk through the narrow path. Ayumi was stunned by the flowers on the side and had her jaws dropped.

Hiro closed the gates after them and ran to catch up with them. As they reached the end of the narrow path and the fountain, Chiho and Ayumi stopped in front of the building to look at it. ”It's beautiful, isn't it?” Chiho speaks as She observe every corner of the building. ”I know right!” Ayumi nods in agreement. Gentaro opened the entrance and faced the girls. ”Well, Come in!” Gentaro invited the two, in which they Ayumi ran while Chiho just walked.

The two girls were blinded by the bright white interior. There are two hallways at each side and in the middle, A Large insignia of the Saiju is embedded in the middle of the wall, and on the right, There's a stairs leading to a small balcony supported by brown finished wooden balcony fence. In the balcony, There's a door, leading to a room.

As the two girls admires the interior, Itsumi called for Ayumi. ”Ayumi-chan, Chiho-san and nii-san are going to have a talk, How about we waste time to the gardens until they're done?”. Ayumi remembers about visiting their garden. ”Yay! Onee-chan, Can i go with her now?” Ayumi asked Chiho. ”Yeah, You can. Itsumi-san, Please take care of Ayumi” Chiho bows. ”My, You don't need to do that. And I'll make sure She'll enjoy everything” Itsumi mentioned that Chiho shouldn't be all formal around them. ”Itsumi's right, you know. You should drop the formalities, We are all friends here” Gentaro supported her sister's words as He approach the stairs. ”Well then, Ayumi-chan?” Itsumi called for Ayumi and they started walking to the right hallway.

”My office is right up here, Come with me, you two” Gentaro started to ascend the stairs. Hiro steps forward. ”Well?” Hiro signaled Chiho to go first. ”Ah, Yes” Chiho hurriedly climbs the stairs. Once they reached the balcony, Gentaro faced the fence and started talking. ”This is where i made my speech when we got rid of the corrupted leader” Gentaro started to chuckle as He remembers his memories, Chiho were fascinated, to think that here's where He stood to change the Saiju. ”It was not really a speech, or i don't know. But i stood here and listened to my heart. I shouted everything i wanted to say about our falling village. And i was surprised people actually wanted change, They were all cheering in front of me, The scene of people happily cheering made me and Itsumi very happy” Gentaro continued. ”I was there too! I was a little brat back then” Hiro told Chiho, Which She looked behind her by her shoulder and gave a shy laugh.

”Alright, Let's not waste time” Gentaro faced the door and took a key from his pockets. The room were expanded to make more space and more room to be accessed, Of course, The leader's table is in the middle, Gentaro walked there and took a seat. Chiho, With Hiro on her tail, Goes in. ”Please, Take a seat” There are comfortable long sofa in each side of the wall. Chiho quietly went for the left sofa and Hiro sits on the right sofa.

”I want you hear you out first, Hiro” Gentaro started with Hiro. ”Gentaro-sama.. Um.. I would like to have a search party formed up with me as its leader” Hiro speaks his request. Chiho gave him a nervous yet determined look, Hiro saw her and just nods at her. Gentaro, Thinking about it, looks at the roof. ”Who are you trying to look for?” Gentaro asked. ”It is Commander Yagano!” Hiro's answer made Gentaro look at him. ”Chiho” Gentaro called for Chiho then switched his eyes to Chiho. ”When was the last time you were with your father?” Gentaro asked Chiho but Hiro answered. ”She believes that her Father is dead, But i wanted to go against it, I know he's still in there!” Hiro was about to shout. ”Hmm..” Gentaro thinks deeply, then looked at Chiho. ”Are you sure your father's gone?” He asked directly. ”I-I'm..Not sure... But the soldiers who guided us told us so..” Chiho nervously answered. ”Goddamn it! They don't know that! Commander Yagano or even your mother is still out there!” Hiro finally shouted at her, Which She looks at him with worried expression, Then Hiro looked at Gentaro directly. ”Gentaro-sama, I beg you! Give me a chance! I'll not stay here and think They're dead without knowing it myself!” Hiro begged. ”I will accept your request” Gentaro firmly accepts his request. ”Gentaro-sama!” Hiro happily smiled. ”But the risk of losing our people there worries me, Hiro” Gentaro lays his worryings. ”D-Don't worry! I'll make sure to avoid any problems as possible!” Hiro tried to reassure Gentaro.

Which made him chuckle in return. ”Easy for you say that, You know that we don't know where the enemies came from, If i guess right, Maybe it's the same people as those who went to us” Gentaro wasn't still convinced. ”It is them” Chiho proves his words. Gentaro gave her a worried nod. ”Did Hiro told you about people who went to visit us?” Gentaro asked and Chiho answers with a nod. ”If you would like, Hiro. I want you to wait for us to talk about them, I had to make sure what kind of people those are, and their incredible technologies” Gentaro suggested to Hiro. ”But the clock's ticking! If we don't move soon, It might be too late!” Though, Hiro refused it right away. ”I'm sorry, Hiro. It worries me that you will just harm yourselves, and to think they have way advanced technologies than what we have now, I don't think you'll even last long fighting them” Gentaro was really sorry. Hiro quickly noticed and responded right away. ”N-No, Please don't apologize. I know you're worried about losing your men. But, It's Commander Yagano that we're saving here” Hiro mentioned Yagano. Which made Chiho and Gentaro looks at him at the same time. ”If fighting them is impossible, Then we'll avoid any fights at all cost” Hiro suggested a rule. ”Avoid a fight..” Gentaro sighs. ”You can say everything here, Hiro. Still, I don't have any choice but to permit you, since you're trying to save Yagano-san here”. Gentaro states the obvious. ”I..I guess so” Hiro leaned his back on the sofa.

”Then, I allow you to pick up any soldier and as much as you feel like. Save Yagano-san and come back here alive, Hiro” Gentaro accepted his request for real this time. Hiro quickly stood up and bowed. ”Thank you, Gentaro-sama! I shall make my promise and save Commander Yagano and come back here!” Then He faced Chiho. ”Then, Chiho-san, I'll be on my way” He said his goodbyes on Chiho, She nodded as a response. ”Please be careful out there”. Hiro also nodded in response and stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him.

”Then Chiho-san. I'm pretty sure you have a lot to talk about” Gentaro eagerly suggested that She should start now. ”R-Right.. Where do i start?” Chiho wonders where should She say first. ”Hmm... We might have already talked about it, But for one last time. Hiro told you about the people visited us right? Do they really match the description of the invading enemies on your village?” Gentaro asked one more time. ”Yes, There's no mistaking it. They have those loud and flashing weapons that could kill even from afar, And they have a vehicle called....” Chiho tried to recall the name of the R37. ”It has numbers on it” Chiho gave a hint, Gentaro quickly knew the answer. ”The R37?”. Chiho perks up. ”Yes! That's it! They also have that flashing weapon from the side seat!” Chiho describes the R37. ”It's called Sidecar, And those flashing weapons are called Guns” Gentaro told her the names. ”Y-Yeah! Hiro-san actually told me about them, I easily forgot the names” Chiho shyly scratched her head. ”It can't be helped, right? They are indeed hard to remember. I too never heard such names like these” Gentaro lays his frustration on the names.

”Names aside, I have met one of their soldier” Chiho started to talk about her first encounter and this interests Gentaro even more. ”Go on” Gentaro let her to continue. ”It was a very close one, But i managed to fend him off and steal.. or get his gun” Chiho took out the handgun for him to see. ”I see, Can i take a look at that gun?” Gentaro asked. Chiho answered Yes and stood up, She held the gun with both of her hands and hand it out to Gentaro. He took the gun and observed it. ”This.. This looks different from what the people have shown us before” Gentaro lays the gun on his table. ”I-Is that so?” Chiho looked at the gun. ”Oh actually...” Gentaro reached under his table and took another gun and set it aside Chiho's handgun. The gun Gentaro took out was a Luger. ”They looked for me, The leader of the village, and gave me and Itsumi both of this gun” Gentaro taps the Luger. ”They called it The Luger” Gentaro introduced the gun as Chiho quietly observed the Luger. ”C-Can i touch it?” Chiho asked for a permission. ”Of course, Go on” Gentaro let her hold the gun. Chiho picked up the handgun and held it with both of her hands. ”T-They're heavy, isn't it?” Chiho tried to hold the gun with one hand. Gentaro nods in agreement. ”They have these things called Magazine inside that thing” Gentaro mentioned the magazine. ”Eh?” Chiho wonders about the magazine.

”Do you see that circle thing on the left side near the trigger?” Gentaro locates the magazine ejector. Chiho flips the Luger so She can see where He was pointing. ”Yes, I see it” Chiho confirmed. ”Press it” Gentaro asked her. ”O-Okay..” Chiho held the gun with both of her hands and used her right thumb. She slowly pressed, followed by the click noise and the magazine fell to the floor. ”Ah!” The sudden fall of the magazine. ”I-Is this..?” Chiho looked at the magazine. ”Yes, This is where the bullets are stored for the gun to shoot. Bullets, Are what you call those little things inside that magazine” Gentaro explained. Chiho picks up the magazine with her left hand and observed it. ”You see the yellow things inside it? Those are its bullets. They are ejected from the gun at high speed and that's how it kills” Gentaro explained further. ”Amazing...” Chiho stared at the Luger. ”It's the deadliest weapon we have ever discovered. And to think all of them are carrying these deadly weapons” Gentaro nervously picked up Chiho's handgun. ”I know right, There's even those flying things. They do the same, They emit loud noise and shoots too” Chiho remembered the plane Ayumi took down on the way to the village.

”They fly and shoot? They haven't told us that yet.. But that one's even more dangerous” Gentaro laid Chiho's handgun down. Chiho looked under the handle of the Luger and inserts the magazine back. Then She whispers ”Amazing”. Then She looked at Gentaro. ”That's not all, They also have these monsters called Tanks” Chiho have saw a tank before but She was at an intense moment and never had a clear description of it. But She remembers a bit how the T-62A looked like. ”It's a big loud moving thing andThey have a long barrel sticking out of it and the..” Chiho forgot what its called, She looked underneath the Luger. ”Bullets?” Gentaro said the name. ”Ah.. Yes..” Chiho shyly answered. ”The bullet that came out of it is so big, Bigger than a person” Chiho explained. ”The tank was shooting the walls to block our way, The walls are completely nothing to the Tank, The wall gets easily collapse as that tank's bullets hits it hard” Gentaro sighs at her words. Chiho noticed him and went sad, She looked at the luger as She speak. ”Just who are these people? Where did they come from.. Who's the one leading....” Chiho remembered something. ”Their Leader.. The enemy soldier revealed their leader!” Chiho looked directly at Gentaro, Which surprised him at her sudden energy. ”His name is Shichiro, Fujiwara Shichiro.. Does it sound familiar?” Chiho asked but Gentaro shakes his head. ”Sadly, No” Gentaro responded.