Chương 111: Chapter 33 Day One (Part 2)

"By the way, because there are few weapons whose shapes can be immediately recognized as weapons, the punishments are set somewhat strictly. Those who have not caused any harm will receive a stern warning. For those who have caused harm, we are considering a sentence requiring them to harvest crystals of a specific size within the Gate. This is still only a draft law, so you only need to keep it in mind for now." It's what they call a community-service sentence overseas.

The scary part is that what they're putting on the line is their own life. Well, if it's only minor mischief, that's one thing, but if it goes as far as murder, then depending on their ability, they should be prepared to harvest ten Small Bones. If someone is going to take up a Director-General position, they have to deal with people like that, otherwise it would be a problem. That's precisely why I demanded that they have the strength to back it up.

"If there is nothing else in particular, the morning is over. If you have any questions, please ask me individually." As Miyafuji says this, the bugle announcing lunch sounds. So, the morning is over. Since I spent most of it listening while looking at people I already knew about beforehand, it went by relatively quickly. I was busy going over the materials during the breaks, too. Lunch is being provided by the Self-Defense Forces, so I'll gratefully accept it.

"Chloe, let's go to lunch. Is the food in the Self-Defense Forces really served in such large portions?"

"That's not how it works, Mochida-san. Unless you're an officer, you serve yourself. Just take as much as you like." Besides Mochida and Hyodo, Natsume comes over as well. During the break, Natsume had been talking with the other WACs, so I assumed she'd be eating with them. She has short hair and an energetic air about her, so perhaps she and Hyodo get along well.

"First-san, may I join you too? I'd like to hear various things from you."

"Of course. Let's just have a relaxed meal. I'm not a Self-Defense Force member, so you don't need to worry about ranks or anything. Hyodo-san, please show us to the cafeteria." With Hyodo leading the way, we walk to the cafeteria. Since I'm not wearing sunglasses either, I attract quite a bit of attention, as expected. There are even people who salute me rather than Hyodo and the others.

When I left the Self-Defense Forces, I was a low-ranking soldier and was always the one doing the saluting, so it's rather moving to be on the receiving end now.

"You return the salutes beautifully. Do you like the Self-Defense Forces?"

"Hmm? You don't know about that?"

"About what?" Hmm. Since Tachibana had made inquiries with the Self-Defense Forces, I assumed that information was common knowledge by now. I don't know whether she's pretending not to know, but it's probably better than having things become troublesome later. Natsume is talking to me, but she's with the Medical Corps. It's not surprising that she doesn't know.

"G-1733448. That's my recognition number. Keep it strictly confidential. I'm even registered as female now."

"So we're two of a kind, huh? Fufu. I would have liked to meet the you from back then. You must have been quite capable, weren't you?"

"Just an ordinary Leading Private. Work was so-so, and I played around so-so. If this hadn't happened, I'd just be an ordinary nobody quietly spending time with my family. A mob character. Just a mob." I speak quietly enough that only Natsume can hear me. I wonder how many of the members here know about my past. At least Miyafuji, Mochida, and the police group know to some extent. Conversely, the Self-Defense Force members probably have had no contact with my past other than the inquiry about my recognition number.

I wonder if they traced me from that. There's also the possibility that they simply received my records from the police.

"We've arrived. Well... then we don't have to line up anymore."

"I don't like it. It feels like we're cutting in line. Shouldn't we go to the back?"

"Chloe, there's no point in holding back here. Let's go in." The soldiers lined up in front of the cafeteria spot us and, before we know it, they have smoothly parted to make way for us, leaving us standing at the entrance. The others have work to do as well, so under normal circumstances they'd simply line up and wait, but... Prompted by Mochida, we enter the cafeteria, take whatever food we want onto our trays, and sit down.

The seating is generally divided by unit, but apparently we're supposed to sit in the section designated as the "Gate Training Unit." The other members are sitting there and eating as well, so there's no mistake.

"Chloe... isn't that way too little? You normally eat at least five times that much, don't you?"

"Mochida-san, does First-san really eat that much...? Is there some reason for it? That's already quite a lot of food. You were an SP, right?"

"That's right, Natsume-san. Chloe is a big eater. If we go to a yakiniku restaurant, she eats an enormous amount, and she orders an enormous amount of room service too. Are you feeling unwell?"

"Hmm? It doesn't make any difference whether I eat or not, and I'll be moving my body this afternoon. If I wanted to eat, I could fit as much as I wanted in here, though." Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings. Mochida and Natsume continue talking, while Hyodo, the only man among us, eats his meal in awkward silence. I know how he feels. Being the only man mixed in with women who are talking away really puts your communication skills to the test.

One-on-one, I can talk fairly well, though. Let's throw him a topic and help him fit in at least a little. I can also give Hyodo a little boost in front of Natsume.

"Hyodo-san, have you heard about this afternoon's curriculum?"

"Today, we're going to do some light running first, then split up according to our respective classes. The goal is the thirty-fifth floor, right?"

"Yes. Hyodo-san, you were able to fly right away, so you'll be able to make it. I'm counting on you too, you know?" Natsume, who had been talking with Mochida, hears the conversation between Hyodo and me and looks over at him. I wonder if I've gotten her to pay a little more attention to him. If even the advisor is counting on him, her opinion of him will probably improve as well. And in reality, Hyodo fought his way through Akihabara, so he has the ability to back it up.

"Heh, Hyodo-san, you and First-san are pretty close, aren't you?"

"Well, we did go into the Gate together once..." In a training session where we're from different organizations and rank isn't really a concern, something might come of this. Like love. Or comedy. A sudden marriage and retirement would be troublesome, but if that's how things turned out, I suppose it couldn't be helped. You can't exactly stop someone from falling in love.

"All right, now that we've finished eating, let's get ready for the afternoon." We leave the cafeteria and return to the classroom. As for getting ready for the afternoon... maybe I should borrow the meeting room we'd used for the briefing. I'd already used the pool's changing room, but changing in front of people I'd be seeing every day from now on made me feel self-conscious. Besides, I'd already told Natsume about my recognition number...

If it were a once-in-a-lifetime encounter, I wouldn't worry about it that much, but once someone becomes an acquaintance...

"Chloe, what are you doing? We're going to change."

"No... I feel a little self-conscious, so I was thinking of changing in the meeting room."

"Ah~, well, yeah. I'm going too, so let's just change in the changing room. Either way, once you enter the Gate, you'll be working as a woman."

"Well, it can't be helped. I'll just accept it. There's also what happened when I left the pool." If someone sues me later, I'll sincerely apologize and pay whatever damages are appropriate. Surely there won't be some manga-like development where someone demands marriage just because they saw my skin. Besides, all I have to do is make sure I don't look at them. Yeah. I can do this. I can do this. We enter the changing room and change. The lack of partitions bothers me, but more importantly, I'm being watched.

They're really watching me! Sure, Mochida has seen me in my underwear and naked, but that was within our living quarters, and there was only the two of us. The men's gazes are mostly quick, furtive glances, but the women, recognizing me as one of their own, stare openly. I take a pair of leggings and shorts out of my ring, along with a T-shirt and a running top used for yoga. The moment I take off my top, someone draws a sharp breath.

"Um... is there something wrong?"

"No, I was just thinking about how white and slender you are. I never imagined the hero of Akihabara would be this thin and small."

"... Putting my appearance aside, I'm not a hero. I'm only doing what I can. If you're going to call someone a hero, don't say it to me. Say it to those who passed away." I finish changing and head outside. A body that rewinds, and a class I chose for myself. With those things, what I'm doing is simply limited to what I'm capable of doing for the time being.

The title of "hero" belongs far more appropriately to the extraordinary people who were suddenly thrown into the situation, assigned to lower-level classes they weren't accustomed to handling, and fought for the sake of their mission without even understanding what was happening. (Natsume, do you think I upset her?) (No, I think she's fine. I heard she didn't attend the memorial service and instead chose to honor those who passed away, so perhaps she's still carrying their deaths with her.) I take a puff from my kiseru to clear my head. Normally, I wouldn't smoke before exercising, but physically there's no problem, so I don't worry about it. As I puff away, making smoke rings, the people who have finished changing start arriving. Akamine and Hyodo clearly train their bodies, their muscles bulging enough to show even through their clothes. Miyafuji has changed as well, though he'll probably only be doing enough to warm up lightly.

The female members are also wearing tracksuits, T-shirts, and other clothes that look easy to move around in. If we're talking purely about physical training, the Self-Defense Force members have the advantage, but even setting that aside, those in close-combat classes should be able to win easily. Well, it looks like everyone's here. Let's get going.

"From here, we'll have you run lightly for one hour, after which we'll split into close-combat and magic classes. If you're not sure which side you belong on, ask me afterward."

"Can the close-combat classes run however they like?"

"Ah~, Chloe-san, what do you think we should do?" Miyafuji asks me, but there's no point in simply running normally. Sure, they'd build their stamina, but the fundamental purpose of this training is to learn about their classes. If that's the goal, then we should train accordingly.

"Those in close-combat classes, understand your own limits. If you can run for an hour without getting tired, increase your speed to a level that won't cause injury. Once we're finished, exchange opinions with the others.

"Those in magic classes, strengthen yourselves. I'll say this now: throw away the idea that magic class means backline. The same goes for frontline classes. If you're going to fight, train with the intention of crushing your opponent without compromise." The magic-class members stir slightly. Yes, that's the image they have... magic equals backline. Get close, coat a sword or fist in magic, and punch. But then, isn't that basically a physical class? Exactly. That way of thinking is naïve—or rather, restrictive.

If the enemy gets close, just use magic as it is. In the first place, if something can be accomplished through imagination, then ultimately, all you need to do is look.

"First-san, um... what do you mean by strengthening ourselves?"

"Think about it through your own imagination. Something fast. Something strong. Something that seems compatible with your class. Every magic-class member here can use magic.

"So you can do it. I guarantee it.... Well, since we'll be running lightly, those in the magic classes should follow along while thinking about it with everything you've got. If your bodies can handle it, we'll do individual training afterward. Don't worry. Let's have fun and talk as we go." For now, we'll start at an easy pace of about five to six minutes per kilometer.

There's no need to worry about running out of oxygen or having too little oxygen reach the brain, and they can even use the opportunity to chat with whoever is beside them and get to know each other. After running at an easy pace for about three kilometers—roughly fifteen minutes of jogging—their bodies should be warmed up.

"Is the pace okay?"""Yes!"" If everyone's fine, let's speed things up.

"The image for strengthening can be anything... Let's see. How about a horse? Not a racehorse, but Sekitoba—the Red Hare, the horse that can run a thousand ri." We increase the pace to four to five minutes per kilometer. Now, how far should I push it?