Meeting Again
“Commander, be careful,” said Kalina, supporting my right arm to help me out of the armoured vehicle.
Having only one arm left always made me feel as though my centre of gravity was off. Hence, I was grateful for Kalina’s consideration. Once I got my feet on the ground, I looked at the familiar, yet foreign, camp. I touched my close whilst nostalgically chuckling: “I never thought I’d have the chance to come back and take a look.”
“You can come back anytime you like, Commander,” said Kalina, smiling brightly and warmly as the sun.
I nodded with a smile: “That’d be nice. I can come and look around whenever I’m feeling nostalgic. Griffon’s employee benefits are still decent.”
“Commander, are you still single?”
Kalina’s tone changed subtly when she asked the question. I knew what she was cautious about. I didn’t consider it taboo or anything; it had been a long time already. I never forgot, but I could approach the topic calmly. My beloved Springfield was no more. The girl I wept over countless times when I woke up from my dreams was a simple tombstone at this point.
“Yeah, still single. It’s fine. After all, I have my work colleagues around. Plus, Griffon is dealing with enormous issues at the moment. I don’t have the spare energy to be thinking about romance at the moment.”
“I-I see….”
Kalina seemed to feel guilty about asking the question. I scrubbed her head then headed into the camp. After transferring control of the defence zone, the military and Griffon butted heads. T-Dolls, who refused to submit, protected their Griffon despite lacking heavy artillery.
Griffon eventually proved themselves to be innocent. Mr. Kryuger was convicted of failure to supervise the T-Dolls, leading to the rebellion and imprisoned. However, he wasn’t executed, as he didn’t incite the rebellion. The military soon cleared out Sangvis Ferri’s hideout. Afterwards, they found out they had a more lethal enemy they had to be wary of. Thus, they mobilised their main forces to the South. The remaining Sangvis Ferri forces were handed over to Griffon after the latter was reformed. Subsequently, the camp was transferred back to Griffon.
I was no longer the commander of the camp. I, therefore, had no right to enter the commander’s building. I didn’t feel a need to go there, in any case.
“Commander, would you like to visit the cafeteria? I heard you were coming, so we prepared a pleasant surprise for you,” said Kalina, leaning in from my side and acting mysterious.
I laughed: “Springfield? Springfield is all that comes to mind when you mention the cafeteria.”
Springfield was a T-Doll. I was aware that as long as the material was available, they could manufacture infinite Springfields. The new Springfield would inherit all of the former’s data and memories. In saying that, I agreed with Persica when she said that emotions weren’t memories. The former couldn’t be kept. I could have a group of Springfields with our memories, but they wouldn’t have any feelings for me. What would anyone expect when the Springfield who loved me was gone?
“Commander, can you not have hope?” sulked Kalina, pouting.
I saw countless Springfields already, so one more wouldn’t hurt. I laughed: “Sorry, sorry. I’m prepared, though. All right, let’s go see, then.”
I headed to the cafeteria. I heard the bell again. The familiar and warm coffee fragrance hit me as I entered. It was the cafeteria I was familiar with. It was as if I didn’t open a glass door but a time machine. I saw Springfield in an apron. She stood behind the counter with a gentle smile. I thought she might even look up to me with a bright smile and greet me.
Springfield looked up when she heard the bell. Her smile froze on her face. I surmised she didn’t expect to see me. I knew she felt more awkward than I did. She knew she once loved me, yet it was our first meeting. She didn’t have romantic feelings for me, yet remembered our relationship. The feelings rendered her at a loss for how to interact with me.
“Good afternoon, Springfield.” I smiled calmly and sat down by the counter: “Just give me a cup of coffee.”
Kalina, being sensible, left us alone. The other T-Dolls also left as though they received an order to, leaving just Springfield and I alone. Springfield silently nodded, and then went to make me my coffee. She served it up. I had a sip; the familiar sent dispersed in my mouth. She remembered my preferred taste. But alas, she had no affection for me.
Springfield kept her head down and cleaned cups instead of speaking to me. I didn’t plan to disturb her current life. I just wanted to selfishly enjoy her smile as I finished the slightly bitter coffee to escape reality for a short while. I planned to leave once I finished my coffee.
All of a sudden, Springfield looked up and politely asked, “Mr. Commander, do you know that emotions and memories are not one and the same?”
I nodded with a smile: “I do. Emotions aren’t memories. They won’t carry on. For that reason, you don’t need to feel awkward. I’m just a commander who is paying a visit. I won’t say anything that crosses the line to you. Just treat me as an ordinary customer.”
“Understood,” replied Springfield, looking relieved. As she cleaned the cups with a smile, she asked another question as though she was looking for something to talk about: “So, Mr. Commander, have you married again? From memory, Miss WA2000 always liked you as did Miss M4A1.”
“No,” I replied with a smile. I touched my head and elaborated, “WA2000 is a remarkable combat T-Doll. I assume she’s upset about me privately possessing Griffon. As for M4A1, she has goals of her own to pursue, so she’s not suited to staying with me. I’m also missing an arm; it can’t be easy to find a wife when I’m missing an arm. Without Griffon, I’d probably be homeless now.”
“Mm,” mumbled Springfield. She gently placed a cup on the shelf and asked, “I am curious, Mr. Commander, did you genuinely love the previous Springfield model? Do you… still love her?”
“Of course I do. I’ve always loved her.” Admittedly, it was quite odd to hear Springfield discussing another Springfield’s romance with me. But nonetheless, I nodded: “I’ve always loved her; that’s never changed. I can’t explain to you how the love feels; however, I still indulge in the memories we had together even though it was such a short romance.”
“I see,” responded Springfield, with a nod.
Springfield then returned to setting empty cups aside. I got up and placed my payment on the counter. Suddenly, she grabbed me, freezing me in place. She revealed a smile I was familiar with. Her smile was bright and mischievous similarly to a young girl pulling a prank.
“Commander, did I not ask you a question about emotions and memories?”
“You did…” I nodded: “Emotions aren’t…”
“Emotions are not memories, so they cannot be transferred,” repeated Springfield.
Springfield then grabbed my collar and pulled me in. Her fragrance rushed into my nose and surpassed time and death to reappear before me. I felt my heart palpitate faster and faster.
“But did you not once say that so-called love means loving going through everything together now and in the future regardless if that is only a short time together?” asked Springfield, coming closer and closer.
I froze in place; I didn’t know how to answer. She continued, “Therefore, while emotions will not be transferred, the sweet memories with you remain. Given so, who could be able to resist falling in love with you? Commander, since you do not have a new wife and are still single, can Springfield return to your side again?”
“Springfield…”
“Springfield will always be by your side.”
Springfield’s lips were soft and moist as I remembered… They were warm as the sun behind me. I gently hugged her; she gently caressed my face as if she was trying to imprint everything about me into memory.
“Commander, Team Force DEFY is read-, kyah!”
“Oh, AN94, d-don’t panic. Let me introduce you: this is my wife. Mm… it’s a little complicated; I’ll explain it to you another day. Just know that she’s my wife, Springfield. Umm, sorry, Springfield, I’ll come back for you. I have a new mission right now… Don’t worry. I can take care of myself. Mm, mm, I love you, too. Let’s go, AN94.”
END
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Translator: I hope you all enjoyed the short series. I also hope the quality of my translation and English was to your satisfaction – I know it was. I admit to making a lot of typos, and I have readers to thank for continually pointing them out for me and everyone else.
If the series was your cup of tea, I recommend checking out the author’s two other series. I have a brief picture of them for you below.
Oh no! After I Reincarnated, My Moms Became Son-cons!
A story of an ordinary young man being transported into a medieval era with magic and all sorts of yandere women. You will see Troy (main protagonist) have his values and views crushed until he decides to adopt new values and views. You will witness him try to mediate between extremes with support and suggestions from the different women around him in his life. Expect a slow-progress story. Expect to see a very vulnerable young man display the vices of being alive. It’s not a story of a heroic or perfect man. Troy is the complete opposite.
Click to go to Table of Contents
The Transmigration Survival Guide
Don’t let the title fool you into thinking this is a fluffy story. Due to the experience our main protagonist, Lin Dongqing, went through in the modern day before being thrown into a medieval era, he is poor with interpersonal relationships. His journey in the new world is about resolving his former inner demons, learning to open up while still protecting that which he wants to protect using his wits. You will see plenty of intertwined schemes, plotting and battles of wits. Get to the end of volume 2, and you will see what the story can offer. If you’re a fan of business, you should enjoy this one.
Click to go to Table of Contents
P.S. In case anyone DMs me on Instagram to donate for it on Patreon again, I don’t have one set up for this series. I just set up a paypal option very quickly for those asking, but you could just click one of the ads to save time, really. I haven’t asked for anything for the series, anyway. Just check out the other series.
