Chapter 32: Politics

Hatano's face was so scary right now, I didn't know why she exposed her hatred face like that to me. 

I looked back at Sarah, she was now sleeping very well after getting drunk, Hatano was now waiting for me to go with her while standing at Sarah's room door.

My feet started to move, seemed like Hatano had noticed my movement so she immediately went down the stair. 

I followed Hatano as her order to go with her, I didn't know what she was about to tell me, I hoped she won't say something bad. 

Hatano went down the stair then went to the left side of the living room, I was now wondering what was she doing, Hatano was now standing in front of the wall with a slight blue color.

Hatano then pushed a thing that looked like a small button that had a slight blue color placed on the left side of the wall.

A few seconds later, the side of that wall suddenly went down, exposing to me a room that looked like a hidden room.

"Get inside!" - Hatano said to me

I followed Hatano's order, she stared at me all the time when I was going to that room, when I got into that room, Hatano got inside then pushed the same button on the room to close the wall. 

I was now inside the room with Hatano, the room was a bit dark for me.

I looked at the room a little bit, it seemed to be empty except there was a thing that looked like a small table on its right side, seemed to have a small bag on it. 

I stepped closer to the bag and saw there were 10 things looked like small round jewels glowing very bright blue colored inside.

How could these things glow? I wondered.

"John Rigen!" - Hatano called me, I forgot about her appearance in the room

"We can talk here as loud as we want, John Rigen! This room is made for soundproof!" 

"What do you want to ask me, Hatano?"

"John Rigen, what is your definition of justice?" - Hatano asked me, she had talked to me in a normal voice with her normal expression all the time when I went with her, I felt very nervous about this

"I don't get it yet, explain to me more simply!"

"Russians invaded Ukraine, they are the invaders, but you Americans also invaded Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam...what make you invaders more different from the Russians?" - Hatano asked me this, I didn't care much about politics, it seemed very hard to say

"Our United States is standing with the justice, Hatano! We do not invade those countries as you said."

"We attacked Iraq because there was Saddam Hussein there, that man was a dictator, a tyrant so he must be overthrown!"

"About Afghanistan, the Osama Bin Laden brought tears to our people, he attacked the twin tower and the Pentagon, killed our citizens."

"We attacked Afghanistan for revenge, to bring the people there out of his dictatorship!"

"About Vietnam, North Vietnam broke the peace agreement, they sent their forces to attack South Vietnam. "

The influence of Communism at that time was so huge so we had to send our soldiers there to protect Vietnamese people from Communism!"

Hatano after hearing what I said, her face suddenly targeted me, seemed very hateful. She was now holding the Katana very tight, I hoped there won't be anything bad happening.

"So what the Americans did to those countries when they got there?" - Hatano shouted loud to me

"Iraq after you Americans overthrew Hussein, what happened to it? Even worsen than Hussein's time, more corruption, poverty!"

"If the previous time the Iraqis had to live with one Hussein, now they have to live with more than thousands Hussein in the new government you Americans created!" 

"About Afghanistan, you Americans just got there to steal, to rob, you sacrificed your people to have an excuse to step on the land of Afghans, to bring tears and blood to the people there, no doubt for it!"

"About Vietnam, hahaha! Hahaha! To protect the Vietnamese people, then who caused the massacres in the Vietnamese villages? You! You Americans! "

You people even left the Vietnamese behind to let Communist Vietnam take over the country!"

"I just say about those countries, I don't even mention other countries in the Middle East!"

"You Americans have invaded many countries, don't lie!"

"Don't think you are standing for the justice, John Rigen! If you are standing for justice so why you American people didn't send your soldiers to Ukraine?"

"Why didn't save Ukrainian people when they were invaded by Russia!" - Hatano had shouted to me very loud, this was the first time I had ever seen she was in rage

"The Russians and Americans, hahahahahahaha! You two are just invaders, this invader accuses another invader as an invader! Hahahaha!" 

"Hatano, I think we should stop the discussion here, I think there won't be a proper answer for the justice we are saying!"

"Hear me, Hatano! Maybe we are just the same, I admit that our American is the invader like Russian, we may be the same as the way we make wars, but the justice we are standing for maybe different!"

"It depends on our ideology, so the justice you are saying, Hatano! It depends on what kind of ideology you are standing for!"

"If you stand for the United States, you will see it as the justice, if you stand for Russia, you will also see it as the justice! It's about the different ideology after all!"

"So please! Calm down, Hatano!"

"John Rigen, if you could go back in time when Russia invaded Ukraine, which side would you stand for?"

"Russia, NATO or stay neutral?" - Seemed like Hatano wanted to hear my thoughts

"NATO!"

"Why?" - Hatano seemed to want to know

"Because if I stand for Russia, then I would be a crazy, a psycho or a warlike person!"

"I stand for NATO because they are my country's allies, though allies won't be with you forever, but as long as they are still with you are better than fighting alone!"

"About staying neutral, I doubt it! There is no neutral, if a country says it stayed neutral. That means they have already chosen to side with one side, they just don't want to announce it!"

"What a good talk! But you Americans only good at talk, the way you operate it is very "different"!" - Hatano said to me like that, cannot blame her, I was now trying to make her calm

"If the Democracy you Americans bring to the countries you have invaded is for the good of the people there. Then why do the Iraqi, Syrian, Vietnamese or Philippines have to live in poverty or with high corruption?" - Hatano shouted to me again

"Hey, Hatano! I don't think our United States made the people there poor and corrupted, listen to me! Why don't you see at your homeland Japan or South Korea to see that proof?"

"After Japan surrendered the Allied forces in the Second World War, their country was very collapsed because of two atomic bombs with the destruction the Allied forces caused to them during the war."

"Japan's government later changed into the new regime which created by our American but you see, your homeland just need only about 5 years to restore the economy and few decades to become a developed country!"

"Also like South Korea, the life of South Korean people after the Korean war was really poor. But after Park Chung Hee became the president of South Korea, though he was a dictator but he was a good dictator!"

"He immediately turned South Korea from a very poor country into a very wealthy country in the few decades by erasing the corruption, taking care of the people!"

"Hatano! Just calm down! I think the Democracy regime just gives a country more benefits, more chances to be wealthy. But that does not mean all countries will be wealthy if they follow Democracy!"

"It depends the most on the people in the country's government, I think if that country's government was very corrupt in their past then there will be no different at all if that government has Democracy regime or not!"

After hearing what I said, Hatano kept silent for quite long for a few minutes, seemed like she had understood what I said to her.

Hatano's face was now not so hateful as before but she still kept that face while thinking, I wondered what she was thinking about my thoughts.

"John Rigen, here is the last question, answer it honestly!" - Hatano said to me after going silent for a long time

"Why do your American government enslave our Japanese people and some of your allied countries like South Korea, the Philippines and Thailand, what's good for that act?"

"I don't get it! Give me more details, Hatano!"

"Are you stupid? Why our Japanese government doesn't have military! Why do the South Korean, Thai and Philippine armies have to follow orders from your American generals?"

"Hatano, about the armies from those countries you said, maybe they have to follow our American order to defend against the threat of China and Russia."

"Though Russia is now not the threat to us anymore when Putin got detained but our relationship with them is still very bad! About China, we have to stop their Communism influences, that's all I know how to say!"

"About your homeland Japan, I do remember they have military force called Japanese Self Defense Forces!"

"You liar! Self Defense? Can you identify the meaning of what is military, what is self-defense? Then why does our "military" have to be forced to limit our manpower and equipment, answer me!" - Hatano was now very mad, she shouted very loud

Hatano even holding the Katana's hilt by her right hand, about to draw it, she wanted to kill me.

"I, I cannot give you the answer! I don't know how to say!"

"Hatano, I think you should let the hatred go away, all the hatred should be forgotten for the good sake of this planet! We may be enemies in the past but we will be friends in the future!"

"All of us are brothers on this planet and all wars are civil wars, let forgive each other, Hatano! I have so many things to hate. 

"I don't want to hate anymore, I just want to have friends like you and Sarah at this time!"

"Nice word, you American invader! I have to kill you!" - Hatano suddenly threaten me

"Hatano, stop!"

"All Americans must die!"

"Hatano! I won't do anything against you, stop! Calm down your mind!"

Seemed like Hatano didn't want to hear me, I must do something!

"Urusai! Kaguko shinu!" (Shut up! Prepare to die) - Hatano suddenly drew her Katana and charged at me

But as I said, I didn't want to do anything against her, the way she moved too fast, I wouldn't have a chance to dodge her strike!

Hatano, she was so fast, she charged her sword at me with a very fast speed. When I had the time to realize, her sword's blade was already close to my throat, Hatano had stopped striking for some reason.

"Why you didn't dodge my sword? Didn't you scare to die?" - Hatano asked me while pointing her Katana at my throat with very deadly eyes

"Like I said! I won't do anything to harm you, Hatano! Just stop, I don't have anything to hate you, you should do that too!"

"Don't kill me because I'm an American! Hatano! If I was born in Japan, I would have done the same as you, to protect my homeland!"

"Tch! Shut up!" - Hatano pointed her Katana closer to my throat

"Stop for your own good, Hatano! Just go to sleep, staying up too late will make you more paranoid! Calm down your mind!"

Hatano suddenly drew back her Katana, I was very scared at that time, I breathed hard many times, I was scared that I would die because of her sword strike!

"You are not worth for me to kill, you are just John Rigen! Just a normal person! I spared you this time, there won't be next time!" - Hatano said that to me

Then Hatano opened the wall door and went outside.

"Get out here and sleep! I will reconsider taking your life tomorrow!" - Hatano said to me in a low voice, seemed like she didn't want to wake Sarah up

Then I got out of the room, Hatano ordered me to sleep on a sofa, I immediately lay on the sofa but still kept an eye on Hatano, just in case. Then I saw Hatano turn the wall door down and went upstairs to Sarah's room while still holding her Katana.

"Banging sound!" - I heard Hatano bang Sarah's room's door to open it

I thought Sarah had woken up now because of that banging sound, but I ignored that. I just wanted to sleep to forget the bad things, I slowly closed my eyes, trying to sleep.

Sarah's perspective

Ugh! Hehe! I had drank a lot of beers and alcohol, right? Did I just get drunk? I was sleeping, right? 

My head was now spinning around while I was sleeping, ahh! How could I get drunk! I was now still normal like before, just a little bit spinning! Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!

Where was my sis? Sis, where are you, sis! Don't just leave me alone to sleep! Ugh!

Where was my Commander? Ugh! I was just taking off...taking off what? I didn't remember, I just remembered that Commander had ordered me to take off something from my body...but what was he ordered?

"Banging sound" - I heard a banging 

Ahh! My sleep was corrupted by someone, I woke up to see who made that! Oh! Was that my sis, she now looked a bit scary! Yikes!

Did she just bang the door? Did she just get angry about something? John made her angry or something?

I could see my sis was now stepping closer to me, she was holding her Katana in her left hand, ugh! Cool! Did she want to sleep with me while bringing her sword to the bed? Ugh!

I looked closer at my sis's face! Yikes! Her face looked so scary! Oh! My sis had drawn out her Katana and pointed the sword's blade to my throat.

Her face seemed so scary! I never wanted to see my sis like that, but the way she pointed her Katana at me while keeping that face was so cool!

"Sugoi! Sugoi! Sis, you are so cool! I love the way you do that! Look very cool, sis!" 

(Cool! Cool! Sis, you are so cool! I love the way you do that! Look very cool, sis)

"Clap! Clap! Clap! Ugh! Did I just get drunk, sis? But anyway, can you teach me to be cool like you, sis?"

Eh? My sis's face suddenly turned sad while looking at me, did John make her sad? My sis suddenly dropped her Katana on the floor and hugged me tightly.

"What's wrong, ugh! Sis? Did you sad? Ugh! Okay! Okay! Let me hug you to make the sad go away, sis!"

"Uwahh! Uwahh!" - Eh? My sis suddenly cried while hugging me, it was the first time, ugh! I saw her cried

"Don't cry like a baby, sis! Ugh! We're all grown up! Ugh! Okay! Okay! Let's me turn into your mom, okay sis!"

Then I let my sis cry. Of course, I let my sis cry by telling her to keep her face deep to my chest, I didn't want her to, ugh! Wake everyone up! Ugh!

"Ah! Sis! Ugh! You are still crying? And even louder than before! Okay! Okay! Mother is here with you, sis! just cry as much as you like, ugh!"

Then my sis kept crying while keeping her face to my chest, ugh! Maybe, ugh! Few minutes, ugh! My sis had done crying and now was sleeping while keeping her face to my chest.

Sis, your face was very cute when you cry, sis! Okay, sis! If you need a mother to help you have a good sleep, that's me, ugh! 

Why I felt so sleepy, ugh! Sis, may I hug you while I was sleeping! Ugh! You didn't say anything, sis! Maybe that meant okay!

"Good night, sis!"

Rigen's perspective - Tomorrow morning

I managed to sleep a little bit, when I woke up, I heard some noises like the noise someone was cooking, it came out from the kitchen of the house. Maybe I would go to check it.

I slowly went to the kitchen, I cannot forget the thing that happened to me and Hatano the previous night, hoping she wouldn't hate me. I was a bit thirsty, I wanted to have some water.

At the time I went to the kitchen, I saw Hatano there, she was now wearing a yellow dress with an apron in pink-colored, her long hair had been tied up. 

Hatano was cooking breakfast, didn't know if she had noticed my appearance behind her or not. 

"Seemed like you are awake!" - Hatano talked to me while keeping her normal voice, which made me more nervous

Hatano had worn the Katana on her back while cooking breakfast, I was so thirsty right now so I just wanted to find a water tank to take some water to drink.

"Hatano! Can you permit me to drink some water?" - I must be wise in these situations

Hatano went silent a little bit, she stopped cooking, seemed to think about something, then she said.

"You are now allowed!"

"Tha-"

"I don't want to hear words from an invader like you, shut up!" - Hatano said to me in a low voice

Then I found a glass, I took it and went to a water tank just near Hatano a few steps to take some water. After taking the water, I slowly drank the water from the glass.

"You didn't do anything to me last night!" - Hatano said to me with that low voice again, seemed like she was wondering why I didn't harm her when she went sleeping 

"Don't you see my body look attractive?" - Hatano said to me a word, seemed like I just misunderstood her previous word

When I heard that word, I accidentally spilled all the water I drank from the glass down on the floor

"Excuse me?" - I asked Hatano with a loud voice

"Don't misunderstand what I mean, you don't see my body look attractive enough for you to kill me?" - Hatano said that word to me while cooking breakfast, I also saw her glare at me few times

"You just said loud, John Rigen! Don't wake Sarah up, do not break my dear little sister's sleep!" - Hatano also glared at me scarier

"Ahh! Commander, sis! did you two just quarrel?" - I saw Sarah coming toward me from behind, seemed like she had woke up before I said aloud

Sarah had just woken up recently, I thought! Her hair looked so tousled, she was wearing the same clothes that she wore yesterday, blue colored clothes, looked like babysitting clothes.

"Yawn! Yawn! Sis, how long until we can have breakfast?" - Sarah asked Hatano, seemed like this girl was still sleepy

"Just...a few minutes...Sarah...I won't let you...hungry!" - Hatano suddenly changed back to her strange talk like she usually does, seemed like she had held her hatred down when seeing her little sister

"Hey, sis! Yawn! Do you know why my panties had little scratches? Seemed like someone had tried to take it off from me but didn't succeed!" - Sarah asked Hatano about the reason why her panties got scratches, that was about of you, you dumb!

"Shiranai..." (I don't know) - Hatano said to Sarah by using a Japanese word, I didn't know what that meant

"Ahh! Did someone just spill the water out on the floor! Was that you, Commander? You are holding a glass in your hand!" - Sarah started noticing the water

"Sarah...I just accidentally...spilled it...don't blame John" - Seemed like Hatano had blamed herself though that was my fault

"Oh! Sorry, Commander! Someone must step on their fault sometimes, right sis?" - Sarah seemed very protected Hatano

"Breakfast...is done...we may now bring them...to the table...and eat..." - By the way Hatano talked, seemed like breakfast had now done, I hoped she would let me eat

"Rin! Rin!" - I heard the doorbell ring, that maybe Kaori, she said she would bring me my military uniform to these girls' house this morning

"Ahh! Who was that? Yawn! We have guests?" - Sarah asked herself while yawning

"That may be Kaori, she said she would bring me my uniform here this morning! Let me go take it!"

"Let...me...take for you...your uniform..." - Hatano just said to me a word, then she turned around and walked toward me

"What's...your...order, Commander?..." - Hatano told me to give her orders by calling me by title "Commander"

I hoped this girl was alright, I hoped so! At least when Sarah was still with her and around me!