I mean just look at how they take down all these bandits and they look at each other.

Here is another short story by Yanai Takumi, this time from GATE:ZERO (Part 2), here translated for the first time in English.

In the Case of Lieutenant Colonel Yōga

The 12th Brigade—

When Acting Prime Minister Hōjō ordered a public security deployment, the Ground Self-Defense Force units stationed in the Kantō region and its environs, though a certain frenzied bustle could be felt in them, readied themselves in orderly fashion and moved out.

The airfield at Sōmagahara Garrison was filled to the brim with the sound of turbine engines.

The rotors of the UH-1Hs and CH-47Js lined up in rows on the apron spun at high speed, tearing the air to shreds.

On top of that came the furious hot exhaust of the jet engines, so it was no exaggeration to say a gale was raging across the apron.

Through the blazing heat and turbulence, the personnel of the 2nd, 13th, and 30th Regiments of the 12th Brigade formed up in ranks and were boarding one after another.

Beside a UH-1H that had already finished its takeoff preparations and was waiting for the order to advance, Lieutenant Colonel Yōga was pleading with something before Colonel Hino, commander of the 2nd Regiment.

“Hino-rentaichō, a little longer, please, just a little longer! The power amplifier will be here any moment now!”

What Hino saw were the speakers mounted on the UH-1H, in great numbers.

No, judging by appearances, it might have been more accurate to say that a rotor and a cockpit had been attached to a countless mass of speakers.

Hino, the regimental commander, heaved a deep sigh and asked.

“Yōga, listen carefully. It’s true I approved mounting speakers. But the stated purpose was that they could be used to call on residents to evacuate from the air, or to call on the enemy to surrender. Is my memory of that mistaken?”

“No, sir, it is exactly as you say.”

“Then how in the world did it end up looking this cluttered? Are you planning to hold an outdoor concert?”

“No, sir, it’s background music. Psychological warfare, a war of nerves. Stirring music will have a strong intimidating effect on the enemy and a strong morale-raising effect on our own side. And for those waiting for rescue, it will serve as encouragement, like the bugle of the cavalry coming to the rescue.”

“Will it carry over the noise of the helicopter?”

“Leave it to me, sir. This Hirasera high-performance sound system can do it. To the existing 4-way setup I have added a fifteen-inch woofer for a bass-range back-loaded horn, and on top of that a super tweeter, so the sound will carry far, even over the helicopter’s rotor noise.”

“Will the vocals come through properly, too?”

“To cover the vocal band, I have installed eight ten-inch cone speakers as a Low-Mid system.”

“Sō ka. What will you use for the source?”

“I have prepared a masterpiece recording of Wagner, conducted by Karaman and performed by the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra!”

Hino’s head began to ache.

“And yet there’s no power amplifier?”

“That’s why! That’s exactly why I’m asking you to wait for the departure just a little longer, just a little! It was all so sudden, and the preparations took time, and—”

“Then give it up. We cannot afford to fall behind.”

“But — but I’ve prepared this much, siiir!”

“Scrapped. Wait for the next opportunity.”

“There’s no telling whether there will even be a next opportunity, siiir!”

But the regimental commander’s order was merciless, and the helicopters began taking off one after another.

Helicopters packed with personnel lifted into the night sky over northern Kantō, with Mount Akagi spread out below them.

It would be a little while yet before Lieutenant Colonel Yōga’s preparations proved useful in actual combat.

Notes: The name "Karaman" (カラマン) mentioned by Yōga is a thin disguise for the famed conductor Herbert von Karajan. While the Warsaw Philharmonic is a real orchestra, von Karajan never conducted or played with them, so the pairing is a joke. The HIrasera brand mentioned by him is also fictional.

Sōmagahara Garrison (相馬原駐屯地, Sōmagahara-chūtonchi) is a JGSDF military installation located in Shintō Village and Shibukawa City, within the Gunma Prefecture, Japan