Sweet Sixteen (2) - 6

"" We swear. ""

 

 

Just when I thought it was really over, my mouth moved on its own and formed a word.

I was so flustered by my body's sudden reaction that my thoughts gradually stopped, but nevertheless, I unconsciously continued to say something.

 

 

"" I, as a proud student of SRT, swear to fulfill my duty to protect the peace and security of Kivotos. ""

 

 

What? What's happening?

 

 

"" I will put the value of SRT's justice first...―""

 

 

Words that weren't in my head continued to form.

Moreover, without missing a single syllable, I spoke in perfect unison with Saki, who was taking the oath next to me.

Like that, Saki and I finished the oath without any problems and were able to come down from the podium safely.

 

 

In a daze, Saki, who had returned to her seat with me, spoke to me.

 

 

"What, I could tell you were nervous just by looking at you, so I was worried you'd cause trouble, but you can do it."

 

 

"It's amazing, Nanna-chan, Saki-chan... To be able to speak without any problems even with so many people watching..."

 

 

"No, I really thought I was going to die from nervousness..."

 

 

"You did well for someone who was so nervous."

 

 

["With this, we conclude the entrance ceremony. There are no regular classes today, so all students may return to their dormitories. Thank you for your hard work."]

 

 

"Phew... I-It's over..."

 

 

"Well then, let's go back~ We have to try out the bombs we couldn't use earlier."

 

 

""" That's not allowed! """

 

 

 

*

 

 

 

"So, how is it, Captain? Do the new recruits look promising?"

 

 

"Hmm, they all look brave and have a spark in their eyes. I think we can expect great things from them."

 

 

"Is that so? Then what about her? The student representative who came up during the oath."

 

 

"The tall, bob-haired one seemed like she would be perfect when it comes to theory. Not bad. But the other one..."

 

 

"You're worried, right? I thought she was cute. She really embodies the feeling of youth, you know?"

 

 

"...But since she was the runner-up, it wouldn't be bad to keep an eye on her."

 

 

"We won't know if they can pull their weight in actual combat until then."

 

 

"Yeah. ...We might have to deal with the Fox of Calamity soon, so we might see them sooner than we think."

 

 

"Should I make them some inarizushi if we end up working together?"

 

 

"Not a bad idea."

 

 

 

*

 

 

 

When we returned to the dormitory, we decided to introduce ourselves to get to know each other better.

 

 

"Then I'll go first. My name is Tsukiyuki Miyako. My position is squad leader. My call sign during operations is RABBIT 1."

 

 

"What, that's it?"

 

 

"Yeah, yeah, it's no fun if you end it so simply~"

 

 

When Miyako finished her self-introduction too simply, Saki and Moe heckled her.

 

 

"Is that so... Then... what should I do..."

 

 

"How about talking about your hobbies?"

 

 

"Hobbies... my hobbies. Right, my hobby is... watching animal videos."

 

"""" .... """"

 

 

Miyu was always quiet, and I just went with the flow, but even the other two who encouraged Miyako didn't say anything, so the atmosphere became awkward for Miyako.

 

 

"What's with that reaction!"

 

 

"No... I just thought it was quite unexpected."

 

 

"How boring~ Next~"

 

 

"Um, I think it's a nice hobby. It suits Miyako, since she's also very cute..."

 

 

"""" .... """"

 

 

"Why are you doing this to me this time!"

 

 

When I added a word to make Miyako less awkward, the silent stares turned to me this time.

 

 

"N-Nanna-chan, I think you need to be aware of how you usually talk..."

 

 

"What did I do!"

 

 

"...Ahem. Let's move on to the next person."

 

 

It was Saki's turn. Saki cleared her throat and began her self-introduction.

 

 

"My name is Sorai Saki. My position is pointman, and my call sign is RABBIT 2. My hobbies are gun maintenance and foraging―"

 

 

"Okay~ Then it's my turn~. I'm Kazekura Moe. My position is operator, and my call sign is RABBIT 3. My hobby is very big and spectacular fireworks... Kuhihi... Ah, just imagining it makes my mouth water..."

 

 

But Moe immediately cut off Saki and interjected, and Saki got angry and grabbed Moe's collar.

 

 

"Hey! I was introducing myself first!"

 

 

"So what. You were going to say something boring anyway."

 

 

"Did you just say what I think you said―"

 

 

As Saki's voice rose, Miyako intervened between the two again to mediate the situation, just like before.

 

 

"S-Stop it! Please stop fighting, you two! We're going to be squadmates from now on, so let's respect each other more!"

 

 

"Oh~ As expected of the squad leader."

 

 

"Tch... I'm only listening to you because you're the squad leader. We have to follow the rules within the school."

 

 

"Th-Then next is Miyu... Huh? Where did she go?"

 

 

Miyako called Miyu, who was next, but she couldn't see Miyu in the room, so she looked flustered.

 

 

"She got into the trash can when those two were fighting earlier."

 

 

"...Is this squad going to be okay?"

 

 

"Do your best."

 

 

Miyu got into the trash can and started her self-introduction without coming out.

 

 

"M-My name is Kasumizawa Miyu, and my position is sniper... My call sign is RABBIT 4... My hobby is f-finding stones..."

 

 

"Okay, good job, Miyu. Then is it my turn?"

 

 

Sigh, phew― I took a deep breath and spoke.

 

 

"My name is Youka Nanna, my position is sniper, and my call sign is RABBIT 5. My hobby is..."

 

 

Come to think of it, I didn't really have any hobbies.

Before I came to this world, all I did was play Blue Archive, but could I call a bonsai game that ends in 5 minutes a day a hobby...?

Anyway, I had to finish what I was saying, so I made something up.

 

 

"Gr-Growing bonsai, no, tending to flowers!"

 

 

I have a hydrangea vase that I brought from my studio apartment, so in a pinch, I could use that as an excuse.

 

 

"By the way, why are there two snipers in our squad?"

 

 

I couldn't say it was because I was an outsider here, so I made up a reasonable explanation.

 

 

"Miyu and I have different roles. Miyu is a sniper in the traditional sense, taking out enemies one by one from a hidden location."

 

 

Then, I held up my huge rifle that was standing on the dormitory's weapon rack.

 

 

"I'm focused on using overwhelming firepower to destroy heavy equipment. Of course, in a pinch, I can also perform anti-personnel sniping missions, but this rifle doesn't even have a scope, so long-range sniping is difficult."

 

 

"Overwhelming firepower... I like it. It makes me excited~ I think I'll get along well with Nanna-chan."

 

 

Moe... I hadn't seen the story, so when I first saw her, I just thought she was just an otaku with glasses and big boobs, well, she is an otaku. A firepower otaku.

 

 

After I finished my self-introduction, we had nothing more to talk about, so we went back to what we were doing before.

Miyako was smiling while watching animal videos on her phone... Saki wasn't satisfied with just her own gun, so she was maintaining the squad members' guns one by one.

Moe seemed to be on the phone with someone, but I couldn't hear what they were saying.

Miyu was still in the trash can and wasn't coming out.

 

 

...I couldn't just stand by and watch, so I forcibly pulled Miyu out and sat her next to me.

 

 

"Ugh... Just leave me alone, Nanna-chan... I'm sure I'll never be able to make friends and I'll be forgotten... Like a roadside stone that gets kicked around..."

 

 

"Really... Don't say things like that, Miyu. If you just have a little courage, you can easily make friends with other people."

 

 

"But... look at the atmosphere now... it's awkward again... and Saki-chan and Moe-chan almost got into a fight earlier..."

 

 

"It's okay. I'm here."

 

 

Miyu, who had been gloomy all along, smiled brightly and said, "Yeah... that's right," after hearing my words.

 

 

...As expected, I'm afraid of changing someone who originally existed.

But since I decided to live in this world, I couldn't just leave Miyu alone when she was having such a hard time.

If someone can become positive and optimistic because of me, I thought that would be enough.

 

 

Just like someone did for me.

 

 

For a moment, I looked at the old dog tag on my wrist and thought of a face I missed.

 

 

"...Nanna-chan, what's that dog tag? It doesn't look like it's from SRT..."

 

 

"Ah..."

 

 

What should I say?

If I said, 'This is an object from my comrade who came from another world across dimensions,' I'd be treated like a crazy person.

 

 

"Ah, this is just... um..."

 

 

"Um...?"

 

 

"It's, um, something that someone left me, something that's very precious to me."

 

 

I thought I could just get by with this, but suddenly I felt a chill run down my spine.

 

 

"Someone... very precious...?"

 

 

"Mi-Miyu?"

 

 

This isn't the Miyu I know, is it?

 

 

"Who is it...?"

 

 

"Uh, um?"

 

 

"Who is this person who is more precious to you than me, Nanna-chan...?"

 

 

"N-No, no, Miyu-chan, I think there's a misunderstanding. It's not that someone more precious to me gave me this..."

 

 

Scary! No, seriously, it's scary! Please don't look at me like that!

 

In the end, after a long explanation, I was able to escape from Miyu's interrogation.

...I decided to think of it as an opportunity to learn about a character's personality that I didn't know about because I hadn't seen all of the story.