Chapter 1: After Summer Vacation
1
Man, summer vacation was quite the formidable opponent.
Yeah. It really was a formidable opponent.
After all, following the battle that took place in Kyushu the other day, I participated in a small skirmish to confirm how much my machine had grown. But after that battle ended, I was told something like “I want you to focus on growth and optimization” and was sent straight back to school. So, thinking there might be troublesome work waiting since I was sent back earlier than planned, it turned out that—perhaps due to a request from the Second Division—the boss told me “you should rest,” and I was exempted from both the homework assigned to me as a student and the assignments for becoming a mech pilot.
What a predicament.
That’s not all. Perhaps because my combat performance was good, I was officially promoted to second lieutenant and was even offered a promotion with “I’d like you to take on missions as a special duties first lieutenant from now on.”
Making a student an official second lieutenant or special duties first lieutenant is already a big deal, but the military decided to pile even more on top of that.
“Who would have thought I’d get a bonus, right?”
And it was the full amount. No wait, getting 2 million yen after just a month or so of being a second lieutenant is impossible, so it was more than the full amount.
I thought I might die from such generous treatment.
Though imouto-sama said something like “Isn’t that a bit little?” But she doesn’t know yet—the difficulty of earning money, that is.
Regarding this, it might be understandable since she’s still in middle school, but it would be troublesome if she remains too oblivious about money, so I’ll have to teach her properly later.
While I won’t say you can do anything with cash… you can’t do anything without money.
So I was able to confirm important things, and it was truly a fruitful summer vacation.
And now that fulfilling summer vacation has ended.
“You! What on earth have you been doing?!”
“Hm? What are you talking about?”
About how Isotani-san suddenly confronted me when I came to school to attend classes for the first time in a while.
She’s strangely angry, but what exactly did I do?
Honestly, I really didn’t do anything. No, seriously.
“Why aren’t you aware of it?! Put your hand on your chest and reflect on your actions during summer vacation!”
“My actions during summer vacation, you say…”
I trained, went hunting in Kyushu, watched over my machine’s growth while training, trained some more, and after coming back, I just trained and helped imouto-sama with her homework.
Compared to other students, I feel like my training frequency might have been low, but in my case, I had real field training. It’s normal to take longer breaks.
Well, since I was given time off under that pretext, I do feel a bit guilty about it, but that’s my own business, right?
If I die on the battlefield because I slacked off on training, that’s my own responsibility… Ah, wait, we’re going to be commanders, so it’s not just one life at stake. Yeah, that’s right. No wonder Isotani-san is angry. Alright, I’ll apologize.
“I honestly think I’m sorry about that.”
“…You absolutely don’t understand, do you?”
“What are you saying?”
What are you saying to a man who only wishes for imouto-sama’s peace?
That said, talking like this, I can tell that some kind of misunderstanding has occurred.
The problem is that I don’t understand what exactly is being misunderstood.
“Shouko-chan~ It’s not like he did anything particularly bad, so I think that way of speaking is a bit much, don’t you think~?”
Recognizing that Isotani-san and I are having a misunderstanding, a third party has appeared to admonish Isotani-san!
“Nana… you say that, but…”
Normally, Mutou-san, who entered as valedictorian, would be the one to interrupt, but this time it’s different.
Apparently, her family is a staff family, and they’re busy compiling the lessons learned from the battles that occurred during summer vacation.
So this time, the one who interrupted is Taguchi Nana-san, who entered as sixth in the class.
Since she was originally someone who didn’t glare at me, I didn’t get a bad feeling from her. But talking to her, what can I say—she’s the type who’s popular with men but disliked by women. Combined with her appearance, she gives off quite a calculated impression.
I personally think it doesn’t matter either way, but I thought she and the straightforward Isotani-san would have poor compatibility.
In reality, that doesn’t seem to be the case though.
Apparently, her family’s Eighth Division and Isotani-san’s Sixth Division originally had a good relationship, but in addition to that, both divisions were supposed to send personnel as support for the Second Division, and their connection strengthened considerably through that relationship.
Incidentally, I honestly don’t understand much about factional relationships myself.
To explain how much I don’t understand—I don’t even know whether I should approach or distance myself from them.
From the perspective of those around me, I apparently belong to the Second Division, but I’m not even aware of that myself.
I don’t even know if the Second Division people are backing me up.
Because I’ve never been directly told “your affiliation is with the Second Division.”
What can I say—I think I’m too defenseless against power, but I can’t help it since I don’t know how to manage the distance. I’d be in trouble if I got too close on my own and was told “don’t act like you represent the Second Division,” but I’d also be in trouble if I got friendly with other divisions and was asked “did you betray us?”
In the end, I’m starting to think that at least while I’m at school, it’s fine to maintain an ambiguous distance.
Besides, if something happens in that area, Mogami-san will probably tell me.
Setting aside my position…
At first glance, Taguchi-san seems like a soft and fluffy type, and she’s actually quite the young lady from a distinguished family, but naturally she’s not the typical young lady she appears to be.
Her attitude and glances toward men are completely calculated (source: Isotani-san).
The way she seems spaced out normally is also calculated (source: Isotani-san).
If you want to see the real her, you should watch her simulator sessions. You’ll see movements that a spaced-out young lady could never make (source: Isotani-san).
What’s particularly worth seeing is her handling of the naginata, which all daughters of military families are said to learn. Even Isotani-san and Mutou-san can’t match her sharpness with it.
…I’d never even heard that naginata was a required subject for daughters of military families, but I suppose I can imagine military daughters doing it. It’s surprising that the soft and fluffy Taguchi-san excels at it, but conversely, if you tell me she’s strong precisely because she’s a young lady, I can understand that.
However, regardless of what she’s like inside, as long as she doesn’t interfere with me, that’s fine. I’ve been dealing with her that way until now, but today she seems like she might mess with me.
For her too, as a student—and at the first-year stage no less—someone who became a second lieutenant and is treated as a first lieutenant in special duties on the battlefield must be unusual. Simply put, she’s probably interested in me. Of course, not as a member of the opposite sex, but as a military person.
That’s why she inserted herself into the conversation between Isotani-san and me, which she would have ignored before.
But just because I understand that doesn’t mean I intend to go with the flow.
This is true in any industry, but if you don’t assert yourself when necessary and to the necessary degree, you’ll just be swept along by circumstances. And what awaits at the end of being swept along by circumstances is, in most cases, nothing but regret.
That’s why I act on my own. I may fail as a result, but it’s so I won’t blame others for it.
“You gave up on understanding factions, didn’t you?”
No, that’s a separate matter.
“So then, this is what I think we should do.”
“…I see. That would certainly solve the problem.”
While I was giving myself a mental comeback, it seems the conversation between Isotani-san and Taguchi-san has ended.
I don’t know what conclusion they reached, but since I’m involved, my consent is absolutely necessary. And right now I’m in full alert mode, so I won’t easily nod to their opinions.
—There was a time when I thought that way too.
“You. Make today’s after-school training a mock battle with me. It’ll be in the simulator, but that’s fine, right?”
“Huh?”
What? Training in the simulator is fine, but a battle? Did that thing have such a function?
I’ve been fighting monsters alone the whole time, but were Isotani-san and the others having friendly matches?
What injustice. What corruption!
“What? Are you dissatisfied? Oh, of course I’ll pay you. Let’s see… how about 100,000 yen per match?”
“I accept.”
Injustice? Corruption? Don’t know what you’re talking about. 100,000 for just one fight—of course I’m going to do that.
“Really? Then, see you after school.”
“Sure thing.”
“Ah, can I join too? Of course, I’ll pay the same amount.”
“Eh? Ah, sure.”
Is this okay? Is it really okay to receive money just for training? I’m definitely not giving it back.
“…I’m looking forward to after school.”
Yahoo! I don’t know how many matches we’ll have, but I’ll get at least 200,000!
What a wonderful era, getting paid just for training!
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT gadgetizedpanda.net
2
“…As expected of Shouko-san. Who would have thought that a mock battle with him, whom even the military finds difficult to approach, could be arranged for just 100,000 yen?”
“Hah. And you’re the one who asked me ‘You’re paying him for information, right? So you could probably get him to do mock battles too, couldn’t you?'”
“Eh~ But still, everyone wants to have a mock battle with him now, don’t they? But we certainly can’t do it for free. That said, we couldn’t just say ‘we’ll pay you, so please have a mock battle with us.’ I think only Shouko-san could say that without being offensive and actually get him to agree.”
“Well, that’s probably true.”
In fact, if anyone else had said the same thing, Keita would have judged that he was being insulted and would have curtly answered “I refuse,” while also trying to cut ties with the person who said such presumptuous things.
Keita is a surprisingly difficult person who appears greedy for money and easily swayed but actually isn’t.
Understanding this, Taguchi had Isotani say such things.
And upon seeing that Isotani’s approach succeeded, she smoothly piggybacked on it and managed to achieve her own results.
This alone shows clearly that the woman called Taguchi is not just a soft and fluffy young lady.
Of course, Isotani doesn’t think that’s underhanded either.
Rather, she thinks she has no intention of forming relationships with people who don’t have at least that much cunning.
“In any case, there’s no doubt we’ll obtain valuable combat data… You’ll share it, right?”
“Of course.”
It’s a mock battle with an ace who took down ten large-types single-handedly in less than ten minutes.
What reason could there be not to share that combat data?
“Fufufu.”
“Ahaha.”
((((Scary!))))
(Oh my? Could it be that I’ve been outmaneuvered?)
On this day, thinking about the value of the information they would obtain after school, there were or weren’t young ladies who displayed smiles so intimidating that the boys couldn’t help but recoil.
TLNOTE:
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