Okay, I see this turned out to be a bad idea. The original plan was to just have a mission that failed hard, leading into their disbandment, and the girls all agreeing to die together instead. We wanted to include just flashes of the mission, instead of having it all in, but as I was writing them I decided I wanted to expand on it, and that’s what I ended up with. Sorry, I guess I went overboard with it.
The downsizing policy was never intended to be explained, it just happens so that the story can start. Instead of reusing that reason for another part I wanted there to be a different reason – I feel there needs to be a reason, even if it falls apart if given more thought. The girls die in part 1 because of the new policy, but also because it’s Hayate that asks them to do it, and they don’t want to disappoint her by not participating in what’s important for her. Perhaps I should have made it more clear back when I was writing it. They’re not sad because they die, they’re sad because they’re going to be separated from their loved ones.
Nevertheless, I hope you’ll be able to enjoy the next part, with it being back to the usual feel. Once again, I apologize for the sudden shift in mood – I’ll be more careful about that in the future. Thanks for all the feedback!