General Mhenfllnen personally assigned Captain Qail's unit to me, or at least a huge part of it, asking me to take this chance to learn until they find a good replacement for the unit, which won't be long according to them.

  ...After the briefing was over, I stopped right outside the building to find a letter given by Eiwel.

  "Dear Staff Sergeant Meyraqyrofy: This message declares the official start of your mission. Our current target, Cwkviw Arqw Nevrssan Apolys III, has recently began an attack on the east coast of Strauk. All Toqian-occupied cities have been retaken by now and our forces are pushing through Toqian lands without problem, but that's only because we focused our troops into taking the chance you gave us, so our target—with the help of new Toqian allies—took this opportunity to counterattack and stab us from behind where we're soft. It should be best for you to go and complete your mission before the enemies gets to our capital. Good luck."

  Well shit... Eiwel gave this letter a bit too late. I've already been ordered to go back into the frontlines with Captain Qail's unit—backing down now will only cause more troubles, so the only thing I can do is hope the Toqian forces manage to prevent this sudden attack.

  "Hm? My, my! Are the enemies closing in on you guys? Wahahaha! That's for locking me up!!" The Asrai laughed.

  "Will you stop being such a child? You're already smaller than one so how tiny is your brain gonna be?" I sighed.

  "Wha-?! You..! You meanie!!" The Asrai yelled before flying off.

  After that, I think the Asrai got angry and left to pout somewhere inside the barracks.

  ...Later, I went to a coffee shop to relax knowing I'm gonna be back on the battlefield in a week or so.

  I'm supposed to be doing covert operations but that old man didn't have any replacements for Captain Qail—he must've been quite a powerful mage if I had to be forced to take his place even if it's just for a while with less soldiers.

  "Here's your order, Ma'a-, I mean, Staff Sergeant Meireco- I mean, Meyre- I mean, Meriacoro-" The woman beside me stuttered.

  "It's Meyraqyrofy, how can you get that wrong-" In annoyance, I looked up to unexpectedly see Risa Oxes holding a plate with my coffee.

  I thought she was a caretaker at the orphanage, what's she doing here?

  "Ah! Risa! Sit down and speak with me for a while wontcha?" I asked whilst tapping the table.

  Risa hesitantly agrees and sits in front of me. I took my coffee as she fidgets, looking around nervously. She didn't need to be so wary around a 7 year old—or is it because the 7 year old is me?

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  Risa, unlike me, is really tense and anxious despite coming from a rich family with not much to worry about. Does being British really make you that different from others? I had a poor history, both on Earth and in this world. But I'm still relatively calm... Maybe it's just a matter of perspective.

  ...This girl is basically my polar opposite so I shouldn't worry about it too much.

  "So... Risa, what are you doing here?"

  "Eh?! Oh- um..! I only go to the orphanage at weekends, I usually work here, and it's more comfortable, y- you know..?"

  That explains why I don't see her much there...

  "You shouldn't worry about things so much, Risa. Just be like me and drink coffee." I calmly stated, putting my coffee out for her.

  "Ah..!" As if refusing was disrespectful, she took the coffee and slowly began taking small sips from it. "Ow! Hot!"

  ...I rested my face on the table, watching birds fly from somewhere in between the buildings. The sun was out with no signs of clouds today, so it was hotter than usual.

  Despite my attempts to calm her down, Risa was made even more nervous.

  I looked at her, and on her head, she wore a headband. And on her body was a frilly black and white dress. This girl had the same quality of skin as mine and the same hair colour as well. The only difference between our appearance was our eye colour, as she had heterochromia—with one eye red and the other blue.

  "Y-You're very lucky, Meir- Maric- Myro-"

  "It's Meyraqyrofy."

  "Hah... I can't seem to get your name right... How pathetic of me..!" She awkwardly laughs. "You know... I aspire to be you sometimes. You were born with great talent... And you made many great achievements at such a young age... When I was 7, I couldn't even read a book!"

  "Nah... I'm actually jealous of you, Risa. You're from a rich family and you have most of the things I've never had in my life."

  "W-What?! No need to flatter me, I-I know I'm just hopeless..! But you... You're dealing with those demons out in the battlefield... I could never do that, even with your talent..."

  "Cowardice isn't something one should worry about, Risa."

  "Really..? You're very brave, and you have no trace of cowardice... I don't mean to be rude but I don't think you're able to see things through other's perspectives..." Risa says. "Ah! F-forget about it, I'm sorry..! You're still a child aren't you?"

  "A child..?"

  "But don't you get overwhelmed when you are given so many tasks at once..? I only do my jobs once or twice a week, so it's not much, but you do so many things like working, studying, training, and even going out to war..! I can't even begin to compare..!"

  "Hm... I never thought of it that way." I just wanted to get back to earth, I don't really care about what I need to do as long as I get there in the end.

  "Sergeant..." She grins. "Why do you think rabbits are preyed upon by their predators, such as lions?"

  A riddle..? Is she telling a joke..? Or is she trying to make fun of my ears..?

  "It's because they're opposites! And opposites attract each other! Though, if you take on a different perspective, you'll see something different~"

  What does that even mean?

  Wait- opposites attracting opposites... Isn't that just Coulomb's law?! Is she saying she knows I know about CANA3's use of Electrical Magic?! I might have to take action here... I thought she was just an ordinary citizen...

  I slowly stood up, but suddenly, Risa pats my head.

  "With a different perspective; it's because they're both just cogs in the great wheel of life. They must attract each other or each other dies off. Why do you think rabbits are rabbits?" She gives me the same friendly grin as before and leaves after putting down my coffee.

  Hmmm... I don't really know if I should do something about her...

  I guess I'll let her go for now. I'm not even sure if she's actually a spy.