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Chapter 62 part 1 – Send-Off Party

“Well then, Great-Grandfather, Grandfather, I’m off.”

“Yeah. Study hard.”

“Stay in good health.”

One day in March, this exchange was taking place between my great-grandfather and grandfather, directed at none other than my “onii-sama”—Uncle Ryuuya.

Having impressively achieved top marks in all four Army academies, now working in the Army central command, favored by the prominent mid-ranking officer and leader figure Nagata Tetsuzan, and with his name known even among the upper echelons of the Army since the Toranomon incident, my brother is still speeding along the fast track to success.

And as proof of that, starting this spring, he’s being dispatched overseas as a military attaché—a customary career path for Army officers.
His assignment is Germany, traditionally where only the elite are sent.

Granted, the German army of this era is going through a rather pitiful time, but for the Japanese Army, where precedent and custom take priority, the fact that he’s going to Germany is what matters most.

Now, the send-off day itself is calm, as all the wild partying is over.
But just as the term “wild party” suggests, things had been pretty hectic beforehand.

“If it’s Czechoslovakia, it’s right next door. I’ll visit on vacation, just to do a bit of sightseeing.”

“Please do, Onii-sama.”

Because my onii-sama’s send-off party, prior to his departure for Germany as a military attaché, was being held at our estate, I was unexpectedly lucky enough to get the chance to speak with him like this.

And I had made a certain request.

If it turned out to be unnecessary, all the better—but it was the kind of request that wouldn’t hurt to make just in case.

“I’m surprised Reiko even knows about foreign machine guns.”

“(Because I saw them in a dream.)”

I responded in a whisper next to my brother’s ear.

The servants were already bustling around, busy preparing for the send-off party, so I kept my voice low just in case.

My brother only gave a faint smile in response.

“I see. Still, it’s something else for a girl to want to see weapons.”

“In that case, can I be a little more selfish?”

“Of course. Clothes? Or maybe a Western doll? You used to love those.”

(Ugh, I’m happy you remember, but don’t say things that make it harder to ask.)

He must have sensed my inner voice—my brother gave a wry smile.

“Still more weapons?”

“Y-yes. For the Czech side, if possible, I’d like you to obtain a sample unit. Then send it to Japan, and at the very most, secure a license for domestic production. We could even consider a small initial purchase, keeping future developments in mind.”

“And the selfish request is something else. Germany’s not producing weapons right now… so is it Britain or France?”

“Neither. This one might end up being just a viewing trip, but—I want you to go to Sweden.”

“That’s unexpected. That country’s traditionally neutral, isn’t it?”

“Yes, but they’re always wary of Russia, so they’re very active in weapons development. And because Germany can’t legally produce weapons due to the treaties, they’ve teamed up with Sweden. German companies and engineers are developing weapons over there.”

“Ah, I’ve heard something like that before. So you want me to go see that?”

“Exactly. Some very advanced weapons should be in development there—so advanced, in fact, that Japan probably couldn’t produce them right now.”

My brother gave another wry smile.

The army especially struggles when it comes to weapon development, and since my brother had once been involved in arms procurement at army headquarters, he probably knows that better than anyone.

But the wry smile quickly faded, and he turned a bit more serious.

“So, do you know what kind of weapons they’re developing?”

“A cannon to shoot down planes. If it’s really that good, even just getting a test sample would be worth it.”

“I see—an anti-aircraft gun. If it’s a good one, it’ll definitely be needed in the coming era.”

(Right now they still mostly have biplanes, so that’s probably the extent of their thinking… They haven’t even considered firing it at tanks yet.)

“Hm? What’s wrong?”

“I-it’s just… I read somewhere that long-barreled cannons can pierce through hardened targets, so I was thinking maybe anti-aircraft guns could do that too… Sorry, that’s just a naive thought… Onii-sama?”

Since my brother always sees through everything anyway, I figured it’d be better to say something close to the truth rather than try to bluff.
But as I searched for words and spoke, he started thinking midway through my sentence.

“No, I don’t think that’s a naive thought at all. It’s probably worth experimenting with. But if we’re talking about cannons that can shoot shells to altitudes of several thousand meters, then the targets they’d be piercing would likely be thick béton fortifications at the very least. You’d also need specialized, hardened shells. And anti-aircraft guns aren’t exactly lightweight, so if we consider their transport on the battlefield, they’d probably be limited to use in fortress warfare.”

“Ah, sorry for going off on such a technical tangent. I guess I just naturally start talking when it’s with a clever girl like you, Reiko.”

“Not at all. I think I understood about half of it. But as expected of you, Onii-sama. You can immediately analyze even a layman’s idea like a pro.”

(If I were a JSDF officer or a hardcore military nerd, I’d be able to talk more in depth. I can manage more if it were about swords, though…)

And so, after about an hour of talking about the local situation and other practical matters, my happy time with Onii-sama came to an end.

Guests for the send-off party began to arrive one after another.

Aside from a few family members, nearly all the attendees were military personnel.
Most were from the 33rd class of the Army Academy, Onii-sama’s cohort, along with officers from the surrounding classes and his colleagues. 

These were primarily those stationed in the Imperial Capital or its surrounding areas.

There were also superiors from the Army Ministry or the Army War College who had looked after him.
Since my grandfather would be attending as well, it seems a few letters had arrived from military acquaintances of his too.

In any case, Onii-sama was not only well-known but also widely admired for his character, so it was no surprise that there were many attendees.
Using the main estate for the event was only natural.

While they weren’t attendees, messages were even delivered on behalf of Prince Chichibu (Yasuhito), of the 34th class and a member of the Imperial Family, and Prince Kayo Tsunenori of the 32nd class.
This was in recognition of Onii-sama’s role in helping to prevent the assassination of the current Emperor—then the Regent Crown Prince.

Naturally, this was an enormous honor.

However, the one who delivered those letters was, at least in my view, among the most dangerous individuals around.

After all, it was Nishida Zei.

What’s more, among Nishida’s classmates was Hattori Takushirou.
There were others too—like Ikeda Sueo, who would fight valiantly on Shumshu Island, and someone who dropped out and later became a cultural figure. 

In any case, Onii-sama’s juniors belonged to a generation that would go on to have diverse and eventful experiences in history.

That is—if history proceeds as I know it.

But as of now, the ones who are truly dangerous are only two: Nishida Zei and Hattori Takushirou.
Both of them are currently at the Army War College, so their danger level should be low for the time being. 

However, Nishida was entrusted with letters from high-ranking members of the imperial family.

What’s more, there was also a member of the imperial family—though having renounced royal status—who was Onii-sama’s classmate.
A letter from him was also entrusted to Nishida by Prince Chichibu.

What I want to say here is this: this proves that Nishida and Prince Chichibu are on very good terms.

I nearly found myself clutching my head thinking, “Nishida, you’re just a captain in the army. Why is this part of history proceeding exactly as I know it?”