Chương 110: Chapter 33 Day One (Part 1)

After buying clothes and leaving the store, I have a light dinner with Mochida and return to the hotel. I feel like I drew quite a lot of stares, but since no one came up to talk to me, I haven't been found out. I did wonder whether showing my midriff after turning forty was really okay, but it's cooler than a sleeveless high-neck top, so I might end up wearing it fairly often. Even a bra gets rather stuffy, but the comfort of a NuBra is something else. I really have to be grateful for this young girl's body.

That said, I also feel like Mochida was being overly vigilant, or perhaps intimidating the people around us. Still, when a woman is wearing revealing clothes, I suppose rude stares can't be helped. If someone actually touches me, I might punch them, but getting angry simply because someone looks is unreasonable.

"Well, all that's left is to prepare for the training starting tomorrow."

"Do you like that outfit?"

"It's nice and cool for summer. I'd get scolded if I were wearing just underwear, but with this, it's fine even if I sit cross-legged. Before, I was wearing a uniform with long sleeves and long pants, and it was hot, so this is incredibly comfortable. And I don't have to worry about my age, either."

"... Please, be careful about things like being photographed without your permission, okay?" She tells me to be careful, but while this body is pretty, it's rather slender and underdeveloped. There's no chest to speak of, and the butt is small too. It might appeal to people with that sort of taste, but if they do something like that without me knowing, I don't really care. In the first place, disgust arises because the person themselves is aware of it.

Anything outside what I can perceive is essentially the same as something that doesn't exist. Since there's no way of knowing what anyone is hiding in their heart, making accusations without knowing the facts isn't right. And now that I've become famous, if people recognize me, they'll ask for photos or handshakes. People took pictures of me without permission at the pool, too, so it's hard to deny that feeling of, "It's a little late to worry about that now."

"I don't go out that much, so I should be fine. Personally, I think I'm more covered up than I was in a swimsuit."

"Even if the clothes are conservative, what about the person wearing them being so loose?" As she says that, Mochida tries to pinch my stomach. Unfortunately for her, there isn't any fat there. It's soft, but even I couldn't pinch it. Even when I run my hand along my side, I can't feel so much as a hint of bone. To the touch, it's squishy, smooth, baby-soft skin.

"Why aren't you sweating at all...? I'm hot in this suit. Huh? Is this what beautiful girls are like? They don't sweat, they don't go to the bathroom, and they're this soft?"

"Whether I'm a beautiful girl or not, hot is hot, you know? Otherwise, I wouldn't be dressed like this."

"I see... Well, we have tomorrow too, so please get some rest early, okay? It looks like you barely got any rest after coming out of the Gate today." Mochida also headed back to her hotel. Alone in my hotel room, I take a shower, call my wife, and have a smoke. As preparation for the training, I go over the materials again before going to bed. Since I'm on the teaching side, I need at least a minimum level of knowledge. Perhaps thanks to the Sage, the information seems to slide into my head fairly smoothly.

But it makes me wonder. I asked for my memories to be attached to my soul or spirit, so perhaps that's part of the reason too. Maybe this mysterious body, with nothing inside it, is actually ideal for storing things. I wake up to the alarm on my smartphone, take a morning shower, and finish the rest of my preparations. Today's outfit is the white blouse and black pencil skirt I bought yesterday. With black tights and low heels, I don't look entirely unlike a female teacher.

I considered putting on fake glasses to really get into character, but they'd just get in the way, so I decided against it.

"Good morning. So that's what you're wearing. It suits you."

"Good morning. Kaori, you're wearing training clothes. Considering we'd have to change, maybe that would have been better for me too." While I'm eating breakfast, Mochida comes to pick me up. She's wearing a tight-fitting Under Armour top and bottoms, with a white T-shirt and black shorts over them. Close-combat classes receive an overall enhancement to their physical abilities across the board, whereas other classes only receive improvements related to their particular class.

Magic classes, in particular, have almost no enhancement to their physical abilities and remain more or less as they originally were. Tachibana is the same. Mochida is probably basically unchanged too, aside from her improved hearing.

"By the way, Kaori, are you good at sports?"

"Pretty average. I have the physical ability necessary for an SP, but I haven't been going to the gym lately, so I'm a little rusty." My preparations are finished as well, so I suppose we should get going. Everything I need is inside the ring, and there are changing rooms over there, so I don't need to worry about carrying anything. Now all I can do is hope the people there aren't too eccentric... We travel by car and meet Miyafuji and the others in yesterday's room.

Miyafuji is wearing a suit, while the other two are in tracksuits. Mochida says that, as an SP, she'll stay nearby, but since this is our first face-to-face meeting, I tell her to blend in with the other members in the classroom. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"I look forward to working with you starting today."

"Likewise. These two are also serving as my assistants, so they'll basically be with me, but if you need anything, just let me know."

"I look forward to working with you starting today. Um, the university told me I already have enough credits to graduate, so I can graduate now. Do you know anything about that?"

"You too? I was also told that I already have the qualifications to graduate. Chloe-san, did you pull some strings?"

"Honestly, I don't know anything about that... Well, even after this is over, if you still want to attend, I'm sure you probably can. If you're coming along with Miyafuji-san, you'll be welcome." It's probably either Chiyoda's intention or the university's. Taking part in this training means having some degree of connection with the government, whether they like it or not. If the two of them eventually take up Director-General positions, they'd become a valuable connection for the university as well.

Well, as long as it's formally approved, I don't really care. I just don't want them getting involved in some scandal. And if they want to continue studying, they should.

"All right, shall we go? It's about time." With Miyafuji leading the way, we enter the classroom. Thirty-one people are looking at us—sixty-two eyes in total. As expected, I'm not used to being in front of a crowd. I wish they'd look at Miyafuji and the others instead, but an awful lot of their attention is directed toward me. I understand that it's unavoidable, but it's still uncomfortable. It feels like giving my first self-introduction back in high school or something.

"Um, nice to meet you. I'm Miyafuji, and I'll be in charge of the classroom instruction. In terms of my position, I'm Chloe-san's subordinate and a staff member of the Special Specified Harmful Beast Countermeasures Headquarters. These two are..."

"I'm Yuji Kizaki. Nice to meet you."

"I'm Suguru Kanzaki. We're both Miyafuji-san's assistants as well as participants in the training. Nice to meet you." The three of them introduce themselves in turn. Now it's my turn, but is an introduction even necessary at this point? Well, first impressions are important. There seems to be some sort of ulterior motive at work here, so I'll at least put up a little warning to keep things from getting strange.

"Chloe First. I'll be serving as an advisor for this training. Please call me 'First-san'—keep it polite and a little formal, as though we're not particularly close. Those of you who aren't calling me that right now can continue as you are." A few people stare blankly at me, but being suddenly addressed by my given name feels a little strange anyway. With this name, First becomes my surname. Mochida should probably understand the proper TPO.

After that, the participants introduce themselves, and we have a brief orientation. I'm glad they prepared nameplates for everyone.

"This morning, we'll continue with explanations concerning the relevant laws. Starting this afternoon, we'll be doing physical training, so please change into clothes that are easy to move around in. The changing rooms are located to the left when you leave this room.

"As for showers, it's not that there aren't any, but I'd like the women to use the bathhouse facilities. There are Self-Defense Force personnel other than those of us here, and this is to prevent unfortunate accidents for everyone involved." After briefly explaining the facilities, Miyafuji begins explaining the relevant laws. What is currently recognized for Sweepers is extraterritoriality within the Gate and the right to salvage unearthed items. The latter in particular is complicated.

Valuables and resources don't necessarily have to be declared, but weapons, medicines, and documents absolutely must be reported. Failing to do so can result in legal punishment. Hmm. I have quite a few unopened boxes inside my ring, so I'd better declare them later. There was even something as dangerous as the blueprints for a compact reactor. It's unsettling that these things are effectively left unmanaged until the Headquarters is established, but there's nothing I can do except ask them to deal with it later.

The police are doing their best too, but once something is stored inside the ring, it becomes completely concealed. Ultimately, we're forced to rely on the individual's conscience, and that's frustrating. If an item is declared, weapons and medicines, depending on the circumstances, can be purchased from the finder and privately owned. That's because they're regarded as necessary equipment for activities within the Gate.

Naturally, taking a weapon out of the ring and bringing it outside the Gate would result in punishment. Medicines, on the other hand, can be used because there are situations inside the Gate where they may be needed to save someone's life. There are detailed classifications for other items as well, so the legal experts have put a fair amount of effort into this. Tachibana has also been contributing by appraising the unearthed items currently known to us and helping create a reference guide for handling them.

The Resource and Other Goods Inventory is, as its name suggests, merely an inventory. It lists the names of items, but contains no photographs—only written descriptions. Creating a proper reference guide won't be easy, but since we know the names, we can have the items appraised, photographed, and documented. For dangerous items, the policy is to discuss with the finder whether they should be purchased or confiscated.

Items whose purpose is unknown are to be held by the Headquarters, with further discussion taking place after they have been appraised. There are other complicated provisions written down, but that's roughly the gist of it. With so few appraisers available, I'm starting to worry about Tachibana's scalp, but apparently he's not the only one doing it, so I hope he hangs in there. If an appraiser goes berserk, they could potentially use the items they've appraised, which could cause a considerable amount of damage...

We spend the morning in classroom instruction, with each period lasting about an hour and ten-minute breaks in between, while I watch the participants. Everyone is taking the training seriously, but every so often, one of the WACs sends a glance in my direction. I think she's probably one of the people who had been looking for Hyodo, but perhaps she's eager to get some advice. There are others who glance my way as well, but they're all paying attention to the lecture, so it should be fine.

Yuji and Suguru are taking it seriously too, although Yuji occasionally holds his head in his hands. Good thing he's Miyafuji's assistant. I recruited him myself, and being able to leave these headache-inducing legal matters to him has been a huge help to me as well. I can memorize things, but even then, there are situations where it's difficult to make a judgment on my own. Having someone I can consult with is reassuring.

"I have a question. Is the Headquarters also planning to handle the purchase of valuables and resources? There are issues concerning tax declarations and such."

"After the Headquarters is established, that's within the scope of what we're considering. There are already private companies accepting payment in gold and silver coins, so eventually, I think they'll settle into being a formal international common currency. After all, gold coins are coming out of Gates in every country.

"As for taxes, honestly, even the government is divided on the issue. In the first place, gold and silver coins are produced in places that belong to no country, so it's difficult to treat them as taxable revenue for any particular nation. That said, they have value, so they can be used. For now, they aren't subject to taxation."