A youth story of a passerby at the end of the world

"What were you saying just now, in English?" Sakuta Azusagawa had the same question as the Self-Defense Force officer. What on earth was he talking about?

“Uh…” With his shoulder still draped over his shoulder, Uesugi Genshin turned to look at him. “English, German, and Russian.”

"!" Sakuta Azusagawa shrank his neck inward. "So you're that strong? So you're not just good at fighting."

“I’m curious about that too. How did you learn so many languages ​​at such a young age?” Eriri’s father put his arm around her shoulder and laughed heartily.

He only decided to learn multiple languages ​​when he was in college, when he had a lot of free time.

But this daughter's friend is a high school student, right?

"Well, I learned it by risking my life," Uesugi Genshin shrugged and answered casually.

"Very good." Looking at him with great appreciation, Eriri's father smiled approvingly, as if he were looking at an outstanding junior.

He admires hardworking people, seeing it as an excellent quality that demonstrates their strong will. After all, who would bother learning a foreign language when they have nothing better to do?

"Have you two known each other before?" Sakuta Azusagawa asked curiously, looking at the two who were behaving intimately and completely familiar with each other.

“Oh, right.” Eriri’s father laughed. “Uesugi-kun is my daughter’s friend.”

“Mr. Spencer’s daughter…” Although he had never met her, Sakuta Azusagawa guessed from Mr. Spencer’s handsome appearance that his daughter must be very beautiful as well.

"Speaking of which, Uesugi-kun... you came to my house again later, didn't you?" It's understandable that Eriri's father had such a question. There were two other daughters' classmates at the villa at the time. Although they had been invited, neither of them planned to leave. Now it seems that this decision might have been the right one in a way.

“Yes, I also saw the one in the study.” Uesugi Genno gestured with his hand.

"Hey~" Eriri's father smiled knowingly, revealing a knowing smile. The aura of an otaku shone down on him. At this moment, he was no longer a British diplomat with aristocratic air, but a local otaku with the atmosphere of Akihabara.

"I spent 40 yen to get that Sazabi," Eriri's father said with a proud smile, as if showing off.

"40 yen..." Although Uesugi Genshin could easily come up with that amount of money, he still hesitated a bit when it came to buying a Gundam.

However, if it's a figurine, that's a different story. It seems that Eriri's father's love for the dimensional world far surpasses his own.

40 yen. As Sakuta Azusagawa listened to the other man casually mention that he had spent 40 yen on a model, he gained a better understanding of Mr. Spencer. It seemed that the other man was very fond of Japanese culture, which was why he came here as a diplomat.

"Um..." he called out to the two people in front of him, "If there's nothing else for me, I'll be going now."

In his heart, spending time with his sister was far more important than being with those two people.

"Won't you join us for a chat?" Uesugi Genshin asked, trying to persuade him to stay.

"Forget it, I don't want to know that much." Sakuta Azusagawa looked behind him. A person hurriedly ran up behind him. The Self-Defense Force officer named Yamauchi was probably still not at ease, so he immediately sent a Self-Defense Force member to follow. How could he listen in under these circumstances?

If I find out something terrible, I'm afraid I'll be silenced.

He didn't hear about people going missing every day, but he didn't know if it was true or not.

"Then you can go now. Thank you for your hard work, Azusagawa-kun." Eriri's father said goodbye to him.

Then Uesugi Genshin and Azusagawa Sakuta looked at each other and nodded.

"If anything happens, come find me there. You know, just tell them it's Sanjokawa when you go in." With that, Sakuta Azusagawa put his hands in his pockets and slowly walked away in another direction, exuding a unique sense of weariness.

The Self-Defense Force member had already run up to them. "Um, it was Colonel Yamauchi who sent me to follow you."

"It's alright, thank you for your trouble." Eriri's father didn't make things difficult for the other party. If he really wanted to be serious, there would be things to argue about every day lately.

The other person then followed behind them, and the two began to speak in Russian.

Of course, the first thing Uesugi Genshin would say was, "This person probably doesn't understand Russian, right?"

“I don’t know,” Eriri’s father said, shaking his head. “However, judging from his shoulder insignia, he should be a non-commissioned officer, and he looks to be in his thirties.”

The implication is that the other party likely rose to the rank of non-commissioned officer through seniority and doesn't possess any outstanding talent.

Just in case, he looked at Uesugi Genshin and asked, "Uesugi-kun, are there any other languages ​​you speak?"

"I know a little bit of Latin, but not enough to have a fluent conversation." After all, Latin was the language of the gods in the Middle Ages, and ordinary people had no way to learn it.

"I also studied Latin. In university, I majored in classical literature," Eriri's father said nostalgically, reminiscing about the past.

He then took the civil service exam, became a diplomat, and volunteered to go to Japan, far away from London, the center of British power.

Later, in Japan, she met Eriri's mother, Sayuri Sawamura, and fell in love at first sight. The two also shared similar interests.

Finally, she got married and had a daughter—it was the perfect life that everyone longed for!

Uesugi Genshin listened to what he said, then silently observed the expressions of the Self-Defense Force members behind him. Seeing that they always looked confused, Uesugi Genshin realized that they didn't understand what they were saying at all.

Unbeknownst to them, the two had already reached the north side of Haneda Airport, where the road, or rather the bridge, connecting the airport to the outside world was just ahead.

Sandbags were piled up on the bridge, barbed wire was strung up, and a machine gun was mounted in the center, clearly indicating a state of strict defense.

"Is it not allowed to pass through here?" Uesugi Genshin asked, turning his head.

Eriri's father raised his chin, gesturing for him to look into the distance. A car happened to be parked on the other side of the bridge, and people got out and walked towards them step by step.

"Do people come here every day?"

"often."

The couple walking over were young, or perhaps newlyweds, anyway, a very young man and woman.

The two were carrying huge backpacks and holding hands.

From this angle, Uesugi Genshin saw that the man on the other side, wearing glasses and looking rather thin, was probably an ordinary office worker.

The woman was particularly beautiful; even wearing a heavy coat, the fullness of her breasts was still undeniable, and her face had a youthful and adorable look.

He watched as the two were stopped by the Self-Defense Force members guarding the area, and then the man bowed deeply and begged them, even kneeling down in a dogeza (a traditional Japanese kneeling gesture).

The woman watched anxiously from the side, somewhat at a loss.

However, the man stood up happily after the Self-Defense Force member nodded.

If things have only progressed to this point, it doesn't seem like there's anything wrong.

However, afterwards, the Self-Defense Force members helped the woman carry her luggage, leaving the man standing outside alone.

Although the woman kept turning back to show her reluctance, the man remained standing in the same spot, probably because he felt his sacrifice was worthwhile.

Uesugi Genshin turned his head as if to say something to Eriri's father, but saw pity in his eyes and even closed his eyes in reluctance.

"..." Uesugi Genshin seemed to understand something, and looked again at the scene that was harmonious yet tinged with a hint of disharmony.

He looked at Eriri's father again, as if wanting to confirm, "Really?"

He responded with a wink, which was tantamount to acquiescence.

“Most people aren’t like that, for now,” Eriri’s father said, denying the claim, but his denial wasn’t entirely incomplete.

That is to say, even if military discipline is corrupt, it is still only a small part of the military.

"What will happen to that woman in the end?" Uesugi Genshin asked, turning his head to the side.

"She'll probably end up in some sergeant's bed," Eriri's father said softly.

"Aren't the higher-ups going to crack down on this?" Nobody wants a unit full of scoundrels.

"Most of the militia members are not very strong, so this is a way to maintain morale, isn't it?" Eriri's father said with a laugh.

“The girl will either be taken to the camp to do some chores first, and then coerced into it. Or she will be starved for a few meals, and then lured into it step by step with food. The crudest approach is to take her directly to the bedroom right now.” He listed out the possible things that might happen next.

"That man still thinks his wife is safe." Uesugi Genshin watched as the man stood there, watching his partner walk inside.

“That’s the most tragic thing.” Eriri’s father lowered his eyes.

"Aren't you going to stop it?" Uesugi Genshin asked.

“They might have died out there soon, but at least one of them is alive now, isn’t that what that man was thinking?” Eriri’s father explained why he didn’t stop them.

"If it were me, I would definitely die with him." Uesugi Genshin sneered at the other party's actions.

"Yes, yes." Eriri's father kept repeating, his gaze somewhat vacant, until the couple disappeared on either side.

"Speaking of which, Mr. Spencer, aren't you going back to your country? Didn't you come to Haneda Airport to go back to England?" Uesugi Genshin inquired about the reason why the other party was still staying in Japan. He originally thought that Eriri's family had left long ago, but he didn't expect them to still be here.

“I later learned that the situation is the same back home.” Eriri’s father smiled bitterly and spread his hands. “The royal family and the Royal Navy have fled to the Isle of Wight, civil servants and the government have moved to Wales, and the army is now colluding with the locals in Scotland, ignoring the pleas for help from the south, and acting as if they want to become independent.”

"I thought Scotland was just trying to gain more domestic resources by seeking independence."

As the saying goes, "the squeaky wheel gets the grease," and the Scots surely understand that once they become independent from the United Kingdom, their international standing will be far lower than it is now.

“That was impossible before, but it’s not necessarily possible now. This place is a good example. The Navy cleared out the Izu Peninsula, but the Army didn’t want to lose its voice, so it made demands. As a result, both sides wanted the other to dictate terms, and the negotiations broke down.” Eriri’s father told a joke about this place.

Lu Jiang felt he had the most men and should lead everyone. The opposing side, however, felt it was territory they had fought so hard to conquer, and they were not about to give it up so easily.

"Speaking of which, Mr. Spencer, can you get your hands on a gun?" Uesugi Genshin asked tentatively.

"If you want it, I can get you a standard-issue pistol, along with a magazine and bullets, in a bit," Eriri's father assured her confidently.

“One isn’t enough.” Uesugi Genshin shook his head. “And I want a rifle.”

“That makes things a bit tricky. You’ll need to come up with something more appealing to them,” Eriri’s father said meaningfully.

"woman?"

"No, only a small percentage of people want women right now; the majority want..."

Eriri's father loosely clenched his fist and spoke of what most people yearn for.

"gold."

Chapter 285: Persuading People to Reform

On the way back, Uesugi Genshin began to think about where he could get a large amount of gold.

He also assured Eriri's father that if he could facilitate the arms deal, he would be willing to provide 10% of the proceeds as a commission.

The other party readily accepted this, because they both understood that there were risks involved.

The existence of intermediaries is necessary; no one can quickly understand the situation in a place.

If the self-defense officer you hire is a greedy and untrustworthy person, you are very likely to be double-crossed, and in the end, both sides may suffer losses or lose both your money and your reputation.

Eriri's father probably already has a target in mind. I asked him and it turned out to be true. He has a good partner in the Self-Defense Forces. That person is at least a money-loving officer and has a family.

The reason for our previous contact was that the other party wanted to leave a route to the UK open.

Another important reason why Eriri's father was stuck in Japan was simply because the UK had no intention of sending a plane to pick him up.

Perhaps they believe that the importance of diplomats abroad is not as important as their own; at this stage, the British are still prioritizing their own country.

But at least they made contact, which is why the Self-Defense Forces value Eriri's father.

Given the current situation, it is probably impossible to get foreign aid, as almost all countries are struggling to cope with their own problems.

If there were to be a real "change of government," and the Self-Defense Force officers wanted to establish a military government, then foreign recognition would provide the legitimacy of the government. Therefore, what they valued was Eriri's father's status as a diplomat.

Even if it's useless for now, it's just a matter of feeding a few more people with one meal, so it must be of some use eventually.

Uesugi Genshin really wasn't sure if Eriri's father had any intention of taking the family back to England. Even though he said his country was in chaos, all that could be seen was that he didn't really want to stay at Haneda Airport.

After all, the situation here is unlikely to improve much, and may even worsen in the long run.

They wandered aimlessly through the airport, and wherever they went, Eriri's father could tell them something about the place. I really don't know where he found out.

According to Eriri's father, they weren't confined to the airport terminal and could wander around freely as long as they didn't go outside.

As we approached the shore we had swum from, we found that Self-Defense Force personnel were already on guard. It was indeed because of the rain that there was no one there.

Now that the rain has stopped, the guards have been redeployed along the coastline, though the density is sparse because this area isn't very important. But during the day, you can't expect to come or leave from here.

They wandered around until dusk, then began to head back.

"Because the Yamauchi Self-Defense Force officers start their shift at six o'clock." Eriri's father explained with a wink and a smug smile.

"..." Uesugi Genshin was quite speechless. He meant that as long as nothing happened while he was on duty, it didn't matter what happened during his rest time. That was probably the gist of it.

Is this what the Self-Defense Forces are like? Even in the apocalypse, they haven't made much progress.

The silhouette of Terminal 3 could be seen in the distance. The searchlights placed on the fence were already on, illuminating dozens of meters in front of the terminal.

Only then did the Self-Defense Force member following behind them breathe a sigh of relief, seemingly happy that they were safe and sound.

"Thank you for your hard work." Eriri's father turned around and said to him with concern, and said that he could go and report back now.

After confirming with Eriri's father that she wouldn't be going out anymore, the man prepared to report back, looking like he was in a hurry to leave work.

"Because it's almost dinner time," Eriri's father teased Uesugi Genshin about the Self-Defense Forces' situation.