I believed this Regression wouldn't end with just one loop.
The Commander and I were bound together by the Contract, after all.
Surely we would turn back time together, again and again and again.
If this was the end with no next chance… well, that would be a shame.
Anyway — that was precisely why it was inconvenient for him to go around announcing himself as a Regressor.
It might be an effective solution to certain problems.
But it was also a risk factor that could slip beyond my control at any moment.
A bomb that could go off at any time, without warning.
In other words, for the sake of our future happy Regression life together.
That bad habit of his needed to be corrected as early as possible.
Blurt out that you're a Regressor, and something terrible happens to you.
I intended to carve that truth into his bones.
*The preparations are almost done. All that's left now….*
Was for the Commander to reveal to me that he was a Regressor.
I waited for that inevitable moment with my neck craned in anticipation.
Would it be today? Or tomorrow?
While I waited like that, three days vanished in the blink of an eye.
"Hm."
It seemed there was, somehow, a problem.
*
Day five of the 2nd loop.
My daily routine as Adjutant went something like this.
First, I reported to the Commander's office around seven in the morning.
The Commander would appear with a disheveled face.
We'd share a light cup of coffee and sort through documents together.
Years' worth of accumulated trouble left over from the previous Commander's tenure.
Just getting the files into their proper places took an age.
"Which squad is it today?"
"The medical squad. They're asking us to check the healing pods."
After pouring most of the morning into paperwork.
We made the rounds through the Valhalla Lumia Branch, visiting each squad in turn.
Partly to introduce ourselves as the newly appointed Commander and Adjutant.
Partly to review the supply and equipment status of each unit.
"I'm Yujin, newly appointed as Commander."
"Yes, pleased to meet you. I'm Sepia, the medic. These are the members of our squad."
"Hello, Commander."
"P-pleased to meet you…."
"Yes. Likewise."
It had already been nearly four days since we'd shown our faces.
And yet the Valkyries still seemed intimidated by the Commander.
Well, of course — he never smiled, always wearing that stiff expression.
It was simply too hard to approach him warmly.
Looks like I'll need to show them the difference in approachability here.
Standing at the Commander's side, I swept a casual glance around the room.
"If there's ever any problem within the unit, please feel free to come to me anytime."
"Kyaah! Lady Leila!"
"We'll definitely come to you!"
Ah, this wretched popularity of mine.
I smiled brightly and gave a little wave.
The Valkyries responded with eyes full of admiration.
A stark contrast to the Commander, who was being left out in the cold.
I had to make a conscious effort not to look at him, lest I burst out laughing.
"Phew, thankfully the medical squad doesn't have any major issues. Just that the blood reserves are a bit lower than the recorded numbers."
"It seems they went through quite a bit in the last battle."
"Then I suppose I'll have to donate some blood myself. Oh — Commander, what's your blood type? I'm type O, so…."
After finishing our duties, on the way back to the Commander's office.
I walked down the corridor with the Commander, making light conversation.
Then, out of nowhere, he asked me something with unusual gravity.
"How exactly do you manage to get close to people like that?"
"Pardon? What do you mean…."
"It's only been four days since we arrived in Lumia, and yet you seem to have already earned everyone's trust. I… found myself envying that."
"Ah…. There's a trick to it, actually. Would you like to know?"
"…Yes. I would."
The Commander looked almost desperate.
I folded my arms and answered with an easy smile.
"Hehe, the truth is, I went to visit the barracks yesterday. We had dinner together, played some board games. Everyone was a bit awkward at first, but once I opened up first — they welcomed me right back."
"That's… remarkable. Approaching strangers so freely like that — I find that genuinely admirable."
"Do you? Ahaha, now I'm a little embarrassed…."
I laughed with a touch of bashfulness and reached up to touch my neck.
Of course, every bit of it was calculated from start to finish.
In truth, it would have been strange if I hadn't gotten close to them.
I was pretty, personable, an elite from Central Command.
Not lacking in a single regard — at least here, I was a perfect specimen.
And Valkyries can sense each other's strength without ever crossing blades.
If someone far stronger than you walks up smiling and says let's be friends —
what weakling could possibly refuse?
In a sense, it wasn't entirely unlike pressing them down by sheer force.
After that, we exchanged a few more trivial remarks.
By any measure, the atmosphere looked peaceful and unhurried.
But inside, I was slowly burning.
*When is he going to say it? That he's a Regressor? That's the only thing I'm waiting for….*
Only three days remained before Midir would appear.
I needed to start moving soon if I was going to secure his cooperation.
But looking at the Commander's demeanor, there was no sign of it whatsoever.
Could it be he was still holding onto what I'd said last time…?
No, really? I'd only said that because I was in a rush and blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
If that was genuinely the case, I might need to give him a little push.
"Commander. Are you free this evening?"
"Free? …I am."
"Oh, then would you keep me company for a bit? Let's go on a date!"
"A date, you say?"
Well then. Let's take a peek at what's going on inside that head of his.
I smiled pleasantly.
*
She was a person as warm as sunlight.
Every time Yujin looked at Leila, that impression would drift through his mind.
She treated everyone without distinction, with unfailing kindness.
And occasionally, with a maturity that allowed her to scold sharply when it was needed.
But even in those moments, there was unmistakable affection behind her actions.
You could feel that warmth after only a brief conversation.
Yujin thought it was not the least bit strange that she had opened everyone's hearts in just four days.
*I can't let her die. I absolutely cannot.*
But the reality before him was far too bleak.
A mysterious Erosion Species that slipped through shadows.
The army of hundreds it summoned in its wake.
How could he protect Leila from all of those threats?
Yujin could find no answer.
He hadn't even earned the trust of the Valkyries in Lumia yet.
Just as Leila had said there was no way Regression could be real — no one seemed likely to believe his story easily.
And to begin with, he wasn't even sure whether Lumia's forces could handle it at all. That was where his doubts started.
*But requesting support from headquarters isn't easy either.*
In a way, that was only natural.
Humanity was in the middle of an ongoing war against the Erosion Species.
Strengthening one front meant weakening another by the same measure.
Without a compelling reason and solid evidence, even asking for help was difficult.
Lumia in particular was a low-priority city.
Situated on the periphery, producing no meaningful strategic value.
If it disappeared, another city could step in to fill its role.
It was no wonder there wasn't a single A-rank or S-rank Valkyrie stationed here.
*What am I supposed to do….*
No matter how he turned it over in his mind, there was no way out.
Yujin was clenching his fist, lost in that thought, when —
someone tapped his shoulder. Lightly. Once.
Startled by the sudden contact, Yujin spun around.
There stood Leila, holding a crepe in each hand.
"What's the matter, Commander? You were staring blankly up at the sky."
"Oh."
Only then did Yujin remember that he was in the middle of an outing with Leila.
She'd called it a date, but in practice it was an errand run for office supplies.
She had briefly wandered off to a street stall that caught her interest, and now she was back.
This is where I need to focus right now.
Yujin forced his emotions down and replied that it was nothing.
Leila gave a faint frown and held out a crepe.
"Is that so? Hmm…. Here, take this."
"Thank you."
"Well then, we've got everything we needed — shall we head back to the branch?"
Nom nom.
Leila took a bite of the crepe she was holding.
Perhaps because it was a frontier city with limited supplies.
It wasn't a particularly high-quality snack.
At best, it was the kind of thing you ate for the atmosphere rather than the taste.
Even so, she wore an expression of pure happiness.
A smile warm enough to loosen some of the tangled knot in the Commander's chest.
Walking alongside him, Leila asked lightly.
"Commander. Do you have something on your mind?"
"Ugh, that's…."
"You look really troubled sometimes. I suppose… it's still hard to adjust?"
"It's not… that."
*I don't know how to save you.*
Unable to say that, Yujin let his answer trail off into nothing.
But in the end, that was only suppressing the feeling, not resolving it.
The dark cloud hanging over Yujin's face refused to lift.
Perhaps Leila could tell.
She chewed slowly on her soggy crepe and spoke gently.
"If something's weighing on you, please tell me. Whatever it is, I'll hear all of it. I am your Adjutant, after all."
"…."
Yujin wavered.
If only there were a little more time.
If only he had already earned everyone's trust.
If only the enemy's threat were even slightly weaker….
But in the end, he couldn't bring himself to speak.
What if Leila looked at him strangely?
That thought alone was enough to drain him of courage.
At last, Yujin spoke with a frustrated heaviness.
"I'm sorry. Just… a little later…."
"Am I not trustworthy enough?"
"Ugh…! That's absolutely not it!"
"Hehe, I know. You just don't want to worry me, do you?"
"…."
"You can feel free to share whatever's troubling you. You really are such a kind person, Commander."
"That's…."
Yujin stared blankly at her bright, carefree smile.
For some reason, he had the strange feeling he had heard those words before.
*This is… from when I was struggling last time….*
Thud.
It hit him like a blow to the back of the head.
The reason was simple.
He had just realized he'd been overlooking something obvious all along.
Even with time reversed, Leila was still Leila.
What on earth had he been so needlessly afraid of?
Overcome with emotion, Yujin reached out without thinking and took her hand.
"Wh-wha? C-Commander?!"
"For a moment — I need to speak with you alone."
"Alone…?"
A startled jolt.
Leila's eyes went wide as her hand was suddenly caught in his.
A clear, visible flustering from someone who was always so composed.
Leila fidgeted with her captured hand, just slightly, as if suddenly shy.
The two of them left the eastern district and made their way toward the central district.
Their steps came to a halt at a quiet park with no one passing through.
At last, Yujin released Leila's hand, which he had been gripping tightly.
"Commander…? This thing you need to say…."
"It's something very important."
"Something… very important…!"
Leila's face had flushed faintly, and she wore an expression of tense anticipation.
She even swallowed nervously, her heart clearly pounding.
But Yujin seemed not to notice her peculiar state.
After a long moment of deliberation, he finally opened his mouth.
"I… know the future in which you die."
"Huh."
Leila froze at his words, which had come from nowhere.
But she slowly turned them over in her mind, and her expression gradually settled into calm.
Her face was a little red — perhaps from realizing she'd been mistaken about something — but there was an unmistakable sense that she understood this was no joke.
"Knowing the future… is it something like a prophetic dream?"
"No. I came back from three days in the future to the present. So if you had to put a name to it — time reversal. Regression."
"That's…."
Leila's eyes went wide at his answer.
Perhaps she was recalling the conversation they'd had a few days ago.
After sitting quietly in thought for a moment, she looked at Yujin with a serious expression.
"Can you tell me more? What exactly happened?"
"You believe me? This absurd, impossible story…."
Yujin said it almost reflexively.
It wasn't really something he had the right to say, having been the one to bring it up.
But that was how unbelievable the story was.
Yet Leila did not laugh at him.
She simply smiled at him gently, with clear, steady eyes.
"I believe you. You're not the kind of person who would lie about something like this."
"How… we've only known each other four days…."
"That's wrong. We've known each other for four whole days."
Yujin's eyes widened.
Her unwavering trust struck something deep inside him.
Then she clasped both hands together in front of her chest, as if in prayer, and spoke.
"Commander. I don't think the depth of trust is necessarily proportional to the time you've spent with someone. A friend of ten years can betray you overnight, and you can willingly stake your life on a comrade you met today."
It was idealism, pure and simple.
Most people would never trust someone they had known for only a few days.
Anyone who did was either a fool, or no longer of this world.
But Yujin knew.
He knew that she had staked her life for him when they had known each other for barely a week.
Leila's words… were her honest feelings, without a single lie.
"Could you tell me more? In detail?"
And so Yujin didn't notice.
Inside the eyes of Leila, who was watching him with a face full of trust —
the brief flicker of something dark that stirred, just for a moment.