3.
Despite unexpectedly finding myself observing beautiful and fresh (?) “flowers” at close range, I managed to maintain a gentlemanly attitude and successfully reach the classroom. Now, I was calming my nerves for the upcoming homeroom.
After all, this would be the first homeroom since our enrollment. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the success or failure of the self-introduction event held here would determine whether I’d spend the next three years as a loner or in cheerful companionship with friends.
Considering that we’d become soldiers after graduation and be sent to separate posts, one might think we should focus more on training than socializing. Still, the bonds formed with classmates should hold considerable weight… probably.
Well, I don’t actually know since I’ve never been a soldier before.
Depending on the situation, there might even be cases where getting too friendly is a bad idea, like becoming enemies due to faction relationships or competing for promotions.
Considering that I’m an old man on the inside despite my outward appearance, it’s strange how the idea of keeping everyone at arm’s length doesn’t seem so bad.
(Come to think of it, what would happen if they found out I have memories from a previous life? Normally, they’d just dismiss it as delusions, but given that I’m treated as a genius and have a high compatibility rate with magic crystals, they might thoroughly investigate me. Considering the Second Messiah Project, it’s scarily plausible.)
“Alright. Everyone’s here.”
Just as I internally decided, “I’ll make absolutely sure they never find out!” a woman who seemed to be our homeroom teacher entered the room.
She appeared to be in her late 20s or early 30s. Her height was around 160 cm. She was slim overall, but her center of gravity was stable, and she had no openings, indicating she was quite well-trained. She had short blonde hair. Looking at her facial features, I thought, “Haven’t I seen her somewhere before?” Upon closer observation, she reminded me of a character from a game about smelting hard gears.
In other words, while I’m not sure if she can take a joke, she’s definitely the type you shouldn’t cross.
Of course, it’s a given that soldiers shouldn’t disobey their superiors. But I could tell she was the type that required extra caution.
I decided to nickname her “Boss.” No objections allowed.
“We’ll start the homeroom right away. First, self-introductions. Just state your name. By the way, I’m Kuga Shizuka, your homeroom teacher. My rank is Major.”
Boss briefly introduced herself and told us what we needed to do.
That meant self-introductions without greetings or mentioning hobbies.
As expected of someone who became a Major at that age. Impressive.
By getting it over with quickly, she’s saving time and also being considerate of students who might struggle with self-introductions. I’ve heard that this is something excellent homeroom teachers do in advanced schools before classes begin.
I’ve tried to come with explanation, but what’s really important is whether the teacher knows the students, not whether we know each other.
At this stage, receiving superficial information about each other would be useless. However, not knowing the names of classmates, who are my peers, would be problematic. Considering this, Boss’s proposal, though somewhat curt, seems like a reasonable suggestion.
Then again, I don’t know what’s normal for self-introductions in military schools, so this might be standard practice.
“We’ll go in order of academic ranking, starting with the top student. Get on with it, Muto.”
“…Yes.”
The girl who was called on immediately after being told the order of introductions was the one who had given the representative speech at the entrance ceremony. I thought I saw her glance at me briefly before standing up, but it was probably my imagination.
“I’m Muto Saori.”
I see. The top student is Muto Saori.
Her height seems about the same as our teacher’s. Her straight black hair reaches down to her waist. It would be rude to stare too intently, so I won’t mention her physical characteristics, but she doesn’t seem to be the type with prominent curves. Her posture is impeccable, so she’s likely experienced in martial arts. Also, she gives off more of a high-class young lady vibe than a soldier.
“Next.”
“Yes. I’m Fujita Kazunari.”
The second-ranked student is Fujita Kazunari. I’ve memorized that. He’s taller than me, probably around 175 cm. His core doesn’t waver, so he seems quite well-trained too. His hair is black and short, what you might call a short cut. It’s just long enough to cover his ears.
These two are the real geniuses who outperformed me, even though I had some advantages. I don’t know if we’ll become friends, but I’d like to avoid becoming enemies if possible.
“Next… well, we’ll skip to number four.”
“Huh?”
Just as I was about to psych myself up, we unexpectedly skipped a number.
Is this bullying? Are we witnessing the discovery of teacher-led bullying?
“Do you have any complaints?”
“No, ma’am!”
Don’t defy Boss. I just decided that a moment ago. Well, if this really turns out to be bullying, I’ll retaliate, but we don’t know yet. That’s right, it’s not time to panic yet.
“Then, next.”
“Yes. I’m Isotani Shouko.”
What do you know, the fourth-ranked student was the flower girl from earlier. The impact of that encounter is stronger than her name, so I’ll have to be careful not to call her by the wrong name. She’s still glaring at me, but maybe she’s just frustrated about losing in terms of grades.
“Next.”
“Yes. I’m Kasahara Tatsumi.”
The fifth-ranked student is male. He’s a bit shorter than me. His hairstyle is a two-block cut.
I wonder why he’s glaring at me more than Isotani-san, despite this being our first meeting. If he’s frustrated about losing in terms of grades, he should just study more.
“Next.”
“Yes. I’m Taguchi Nana.”
The sixth-ranked student is a petite woman. But she has some chest armor. Her hair is a dark brown color and has a soft, fluffy feel to it. She gives off a relaxed impression. However, considering that she aimed to become a soldier, entered this school, and even made it into Class A, she’s probably not exactly as she appears.
She’s not glaring at me, so I have a very good impression of her.
“Next.”
“Yes. I’m Hashimoto Natsuki.”
The seventh-ranked student is also female. She’s about the same height as me. Her hairstyle is what’s called a ponytail, with her hair gathered at the back, and it’s silver in color. She has a slim build. I think she might have some Eastern European blood.
After all, since World War II ended prematurely, the Soviet Union didn’t break the Soviet–Japanese Neutrality Pact as they did in the history I know. On top of that, due to various diplomatic blunders, we have decent relations with countries in that region.
Setting aside international connections, she’s a distinctive person, so I probably won’t forget her.
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“Next.”
“Yes. I’m Fukuhara Junji.”
Eighth place. Male. Big. No further explanation needed.
Seriously though, he must be around 190 cm tall. He’s well-built, so his intimidating presence is intense. With his blonde buzz cut, he gives off a strong “I practice Systema” vibe (※personal opinion).
“Next.”
Boss is quite something to ignore Fukuhara-kun… no, Fukuhara-san, who clearly has a physique and aura unlike a typical student… Wait, am I the only one who’s concerned about this?
Ignoring my shuddering at everyone else’s lack of reaction, the self-introductions continue.
“Yes. I’m Obata Kenjiro.”
The ninth-ranked student is also male. He’s not as big as Fukuhara-san, but he’s still large. I think he’s about 180 cm tall. Honestly, I’m envious. He has black hair in a crew cut. He looks like the quintessential Japanese soldier. He’s also the one glaring at me the most.
Did I do something wrong?
“Next.”
“Yes. I’m Ayase Matsuri.”
The tenth-ranked student is female. She’s a bit shorter than me. She has blonde hair in a side ponytail. She gives off the impression of a spirited young lady. She’s also quite well-endowed. In terms of chest size, it’s probably 6-4-10 from the top, with 1 and 7 being about the same. I won’t specify what I’m referring to.
By the way, in terms of height, it’s 7-10-1-6-4 from the tallest.
(Come to think of it, looking at it this way, half of the class is female.)
Even though it’s a school, I thought it would be all male since it’s the military, especially for a branch like mecha pilots who are destined for the battlefield. I’m surprised it’s not the case.
I can’t help but think it’s unnecessary to implement equal employment opportunities here, but maybe it’s special because it’s Class A.
“Next. Last one, third place.”
“Ah, yes. I’m Kawakami Keita.”
“And?”
“Huh?”
I followed the others and just stated my name, but Boss gave me a look that seemed to say, “What are you doing?”
“…Hah. Well, whatever.”
Was that a sigh of resignation?
“Let me introduce this guy who clearly doesn’t understand the purpose of this meeting.”
“Huh?”
Purpose? Was there such a thing? Wait, did everyone except me know about it?
“Keita Kawakami. Age 15. Family consists of just him and his younger sister. His parents were researchers related to magic crystals but died last year in Thailand, caught up in a counterattack by demon forces. His main motivation for joining the military is to earn a living. Any mistakes so far?”
“…No, sir.”
Hey, hey, hey. There may be no mistakes, but what’s going on with my personal information? I mean, I understand being investigated, but is there any point in announcing it here?
(I decided not to go against the boss, but this is a bit… Hm? What’s that?)
Just as I was about to object, I suddenly noticed a change in the atmosphere around me.
Looking around, I saw that the people who had been glaring at me earlier were now all averting their eyes.
“Some of you seem to be aware, but let me say it explicitly. Kawakami is a victim’s family member, no, a victim himself, born from the devastation caused by the Third Division’s rampage. Don’t forget that the victims of what the Third Division caused last year weren’t just military personnel.”
“…”
(Ah. I see.)
It was only now that I finally understood the intentions of the boss and those who had been glaring at me.
First, those glaring at me were probably related to various factions. They knew each other or had information about each other, but they didn’t have any information about me.
So they probably got scolded by their families or faction members for losing to someone they didn’t know in terms of grades. You could call it misplaced resentment, but they’re still children. It’s natural to feel some dissatisfaction when your hard-earned acceptance is criticized.
That’s what those glares were about.
Considering this, let’s think about the boss’s intentions. She probably told them about me being a victim of the military’s loss to convey the message: “If you lose, more people like him will appear. Instead of harboring misplaced resentment towards victims, focus on training yourselves.”
This should prevent them from resenting me, and if they still try to cause trouble, they’ll probably face some kind of punishment. …Probably.
In addition to restraining them, she’s also warning me to be cautious, saying, “You’re being resented.” Come to think of it, even though it’s personal information, it’s not like my address or bank PIN was revealed. It was just a brief background. And such information could easily be found out if someone looked into it.
In other words, the boss had no intention of bullying me at all. Her purpose was to warn the children harboring futile feelings of resentment, and the idiot (me) who wasn’t aware of being the target of such feelings.
(Thank goodness. There wasn’t a teacher here who would expose a student’s personal information to encourage bullying.)
If that had been the intention, I was prepared to retaliate in some way, but that would have been misplaced resentment on my part. I’m sorry, boss.
“Good. I’m glad you understand. Any further information would be subject to personal information protection laws, so if you want to know more, get to know each other personally and ask. Now that introductions are over, let me explain the upcoming schedule.”
Whether she noticed my inner prostration or not, she at least noticed that the children’s attitudes towards me had changed. The boss nodded with satisfaction and shifted the topic to “future plans.”
Huh? But I don’t know anything about the other people. Isn’t there any compensation for that?
No? Get to know them and ask myself? Right. I understand.
Having only my information exposed and then abruptly changing the subject left me feeling incredibly left behind, but I couldn’t very well ask for other people’s personal information…
“That’s all from me. You lot, head to the hangar immediately to receive your units.”
“Yes, sir!”
(Well, I guess communication with classmates can wait. The unit comes first!)
In the end, I finished my first HR session, suppressing my slightly mixed feelings by getting excited about the personal unit I was about to receive.
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