I ASKED IF YOU TWO ARE CLOSE.
PARDON?
W-WELL...
YES, I WOULD SAY SO! SIR!
FRIENDS?
YES, SIR!
OH DEAR...
PEOPLE ARE WATCHING.
I THINK IT'S TIME TO CALL IT A DAY.
IT'S JUST A CONVERSATION. WHAT'S THE PROBLEM?
WHAT IS UP WITH HIM ALL OF A SUDDEN?
...IF YOU SAY SO. BUT I'D RATHER NOT BE HERE.
YOU AND I BOTH KNOW WHAT THE PEOPLE WILL THINK.
I CAN TELL HE'S THINKING, "WHAT DO THEY THINK?"
I'LL BE LEAVING NOW.
I'LL ALSO BE ON MY WAY, SIR!
W-WAIT, ANNETTE!
Episode 43
WHOA!!!
I FINALLY SAW HIM IN PERSON!
I DIDN'T THINK I'D EVER GET TO SEE HIM! NOT EVEN IN A CENTURY!
AND A ONE-ON-ONE CONVERSATION AT THAT!
RYAN...
I ENDED UP PUTTING HIM IN A TIGHT SPOT...
I'VE HEARD HE'S USUALLY VERY CALM, BUT HE'S MUCH MORE INTIMIDATING IN PERSON!
I GUESS IT'S REQUIRED OF HIS POSITION.
...FORTUNATELY, HE DOESN'T SEEM TO MIND TOO MUCH...
I'M SORRY, RYAN.
PLEASE, DON'T BE.
BUT...
...IT SEEMS YOUR RELOCATION TO THE REAR WAS BECAUSE OF HIM, AFTER ALL.
AM I RIGHT?
...PROBABLY.
NO, DEFINITELY.
DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN I ASKED ABOUT YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM?
WE’RE NOTHING.
WE’RE JUST STRANGERS NOW.
DOES THAT STILL HOLD TRUE?
...YES.
I STILL SEE HIM AS A STRANGER.
HMMM... IS THAT SO?
HE SEEMED TO BE STRUGGLING A LOT.
...WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
IT'S EXACTLY AS I SAID.
HE STILL HAS FEELINGS FOR YOU, ANNETTE.
...I DOUBT IT.
BUT IT WAS SO OBVIOUS!
FIRST, HE SENT YOU HERE...
...THEN HE PERSONALLY SHOWED UP FOR THE INSPECTION...
...AND YOU SAW HOW HOSTILE HE WAS TOWARDS ME.
THE EVIDENCE IS IN PLAIN SIGHT.
...HIS FEELINGS FOR ME ARE A BIT COMPLICATED.
AND I CAN ASSURE YOU, IT'S NOT QUITE WHAT YOU THINK, RYAN.
WELL, I CAN'T SAY ANYTHING FOR SURE BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED BETWEEN YOU TWO,
BUT BASED ON WHAT I JUST SAW, I THINK IT'S TRUE.
IT WAS QUITE OBVIOUS.
WHY DO YOU THINK THAT?
IT'S HARD TO EXPLAIN, BUT AS A MAN, I CAN TELL.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN?
BE HONEST, RYAN, YOU'RE NOT VERY QUICK.
so brutal!
MEN CAN JUST TELL THESE THINGS, ESPECIALLY WHEN THERE'S A WOMAN IN THE PICTURE!
NOW THAT I THINK ABOUT IT, I THINK WE WERE BEING QUESTIONED BACK THERE.
NEVER MIND. KEEP YOUR SECRETS.
SINCE YOU MEN HAVE SO MANY SECRETS, YOU SHOULD JUST GO CHAT SOME MORE WITH THE COMMANDER.
I'D RATHER BE AT THE FRONT LINES AGAIN.
IT'S NOT THAT I DON'T UNDERSTAND RYAN'S WORDS. BUT...
...HEINER IS SOMEONE WHO CAN FAKE EVEN THE SMALLEST THING.
PRETENDING TO LOVE ME...
...ACTING AS IF HE STILL HAS FEELINGS FOR ME...
...EVEN FAKING REGRET.
...FOR HIM, IT'S EASY.
JUST LIKE BACK THEN...
I'VE FOUGHT IN SEVERAL WARS AND PARTICIPATED IN MULTIPLE OPERATIONS NOW.
AHHH!!!
HELP!
RETREAT!
ARGHHHHH!
NO!!!
GACK!!!
HEINER! COVER ME!
HEINER! THEY'RE BREAKING THROUGH! WE HAVE TO GO NOW!
BUT IRONICALLY, I NEVER ACTUALLY FOUGHT AS PART OF PADANIA'S ARMY.
WHAT IS AT THE END OF THIS HELL?
OH...
THOSE OCEAN BLUE EYES.
MY LIFE LONG PURSUIT...
...MY ONLY CENTER.
...THE ILLUSIONS I SAW ON THE BATTLEFIELD HAVE BECOME A REALITY.
ALL THOSE MEMORIES I WISHED WERE TRUE...
I NEVER THOUGHT YOU'D ACTUALLY BE DOING THIS KIND OF WORK, IN THIS KIND OF PLACE.
...IF BY ANY CHANCE...
...WE HAD MET HERE, WOULD THINGS HAVE BEEN DIFFERENT?
IF WE HAD MET, JUST AS ANOTHER SOLDIER AND A NURSE...
I WOULD HAVE COME HERE WOUNDED, AND YOU WOULD HAVE TREATED ME.
THAT WOULD'VE BEEN HOW WE FIRST MET.
I WOULD USE ALL MY WITS TO FIND OUT IF YOU WERE SINGLE...
...CHASING YOU LIKE A LOST PUPPY.
AND ON MY DAYS OFF, WE WOULD MEET AT A LOCAL BAR FOR A CHAT...
...JUST LIKE THE OTHER NURSES AND SOLDIERS.
YOU AND I WOULD LAUGH TOGETHER, WATCHING THE PEOPLE DANCE.
MAYBE, JUST MAYBE.
IF YOU WERE IN MY REACH...
...NOT DRESSED IN BEAUTIFUL LACES AND FRILLS...
...BUT JUST AS AN ORDINARY WOMAN...
...MAYBE, JUST MAYBE, I COULD HAVE...
...USELESS DELUSIONS.
I NEED TO GET BACK TO THE COMMAND CENTER.
THERE'S NO TIME TO WASTE HERE.
SHE MUST GO BACK TO THE CAPITAL...
...AND I TO THE BATTLEFIELD.
MISS! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!
SOMEONE HELP!
SHE JUST COLLAPSED!
When the Commander questions how close Annette and Ryan are, the atmosphere turns tense and Annette chooses to walk away while everyone watches. Ryan is thrilled to see the commander up close for the first time, suspects he had Annette transferred to the rear, and says he still has feelings for her. Annette, however, believes Heiner can fake even love. The chapter closes with war memories and a dream of an encounter that never happened, as someone faints in the hospital.
