Marginal Operation

Our hero Ryouta Arata is an otaku who's just lost his job after the dissolution of his company. Unwilling to return to his old NEET ways, he applies online to a private military security company, thinking the benefits to be promising. After what appears to be a baffling test, he's assigned to be an "operator of operators" and begins his training in a foreign country. Little does he know, the life of a private mercenary is far more grueling than he could have ever imagined!

With Arata's training camp now complete, he's sent off to his first official post as a PMSC employee. Determined to atone for the sins he unwittingly committed, he tackles his new job with zeal, trying his best to keep as many people alive as possible. Unfortunately, the mercenary life is a harsh one, and the darkness within PMSC runs far deeper than Arata could have ever imagined. Can he stay true to his ideals despite coming face-to-face with the horrors of war?

Arata had come to accept the weight of his life-or-death decisions, but with his own life on the line for once, will he be able to keep his cool under fire? Even as he faces this new challenge, his mastery of battlefield tactics has caught the attention of a mysterious group of combatants in this endless war. Will he live to fight another day?

No Place Like Home... A year has passed since Arata took the child soldiers under his wing - after discovering they were on the receiving end of his orders. In that time, he has toured numerous battlefields across Asia, while doing his best to provide for the kids under his care. Fed up with forcing them to continue to fight just to survive, Arata takes them to Japan in hopes that his peaceful homeland may provide a solution to the dilemma he faces.

Chaos Hangs in the Air... Everything seems to be going wrong as Arata's client, the Japanese government, fumbles in their handling of the job's agreements. As conflict begins to heat up within the country, Arata is forced to take to the bustling streets of Tokyo and face off with the terrorist cult. Will he and the kids be able to survive in this unfamiliar battlefield?

Foreign Shore Trouble... After leaving Japan, Arata ends up drifting to Thailand. His fame has continued to grow, and now there is no one in the mercenary world who hasn't heard of the famous Headmaster. However, all he wants is to find a place where he can raise his children in peace, and not have to send them to war just to earn a living. Will this south asian nation finally provide him with an opportunity to do so, or will he be forced to fight again?

A Storm is Brewing... Having come to Thailand in the hopes of finding a way to support his children without forcing them onto the battlefield, Arata instead finds himself being asked to recruit more children from the slums and expand his mercenary operations. It may be the only way to save them from being exploited by a far more predatory company, but he still feels conflicted about sending yet more children to war. Will he be able to escape this industry before it claims the lives of his precious kids?

The fires of vengeance burn on... With Arata's battle against his former employer now concluded, the situation has finally begun to stabilize. During this time, after careful deliberation, he decides to accept Miss Li's request and begins recruiting child soldiers from Thailand's slums. However, unbeknownst to Arata, while his rival company may have decided to back out for now, there are still those within it who hold a personal grudge against him, and they won't rest until they've had their revenge.

Arata believed his travails in Thailand were over, but Kishimoto had other plans. The moment Arata let his guard down, his former colleague struck, kidnapping Hakim and Sophie. For the first time, Arata has to contend with the possibility that someone under his command might die. Will he crack or will he be able to operate effectively under such pressure?

An ill-fated encounter... Driven insane by the loss of his daughter and the death of Hakim, Kishimoto turned on his coworker and killed him in cold blood. After this, he used Sophie to goad Arata into a final showdown at a park in Thailand. From training camp comrades to bitter adversaries, how will this confrontation end as their two paths collide?

Pushing foreign borders... In accordance with his sponsors' wishes, Arata finally makes a move against the Chinese army. Initially, things are going well, and he's able to recapture multiple villages without any casualties. But while it seems his momentum is unstoppable, Arata soon discovers this conflict is far more complicated than he originally thought...

Old Paths Intertwine... With Arata's own allies, the Burmese army, terrorizing the local population, he quickly realizes he must take care of internal affairs before focusing on the Chinese. He works to save the local villagers from their own government, with his efforts eventually leading him to Yangon. He not only meets the UN peacekeeping team being detained there, but finds himself in an unexpected reunion as well...

The battle in Myanmar rages on fiercer than ever before. China has deployed their helicopters and drones, while Arata’s allies, the Burmese Army, turn out to be far less reliable than he'd hoped. It will take the full extent of his considerable wit to continue winning his battles and keeping his kids alive. Fortunately, by rescuing the nearby villagers from their own government's tyranny, he may have inadvertently created the perfect strategic opportunity for himself.

Going on the offensive... With the Chinese Army presenting an overwhelming difference in firepower to his own forces, Arata employs guerrilla tactics to successfully take out a key refueling base. However, this enrages the Chinese Army more than expected, leading to an air strike against Camp Hakim in retaliation. With the Burmese Army still disorganized and his sponsors unwilling to lend further aid, the only person Arata can rely on to get them out of this mess is himself.

Reunions abound... Arata succeeds in securing more funds from his sponsors and is now able to procure the anti-aircraft weapons he so desperately needs. However, before he can, he encounters previous friends and enemies alike. Laying his old grudges to rest, Arata then moves forward with fighting back against China's aerial forces. No amount of victories will return the lives he's already lost, but he can't afford to stop in his tracks or risk incurring more casualties.

The final push... Once a former NEET, Arata Ryouta is known worldwide as the legendary mercenary leading a tiny platoon of child soldiers against the Chinese army. With only 3,000 troops under his command, he's succeeded in multiple campaigns against a force tenfold his own. Respected by his allies and reviled by his enemies, Arata has one last marginal operation to complete before his story comes to a close.