Sweet Sixteen (3) - 7

While everyone was spending their time in the dorm, it was time for dinner, so we all went to eat together.

As expected of the school directly under the Student Council President, the quality of the food was exceptional.

Compared to the food in the army in my previous life, it was so good that I felt sorry for the SRT...!

 

 

"I think this is the first time I've ever had such delicious school food in my life. As expected of SRT, it's amazing...!"

 

 

"Hmph. Now do you understand the prestige of SRT? As an elite school, the quality of our supplies is on a different level from other schools."

 

 

"Why are you so proud of it?"

 

 

We returned to the dorm while having such trivial conversations with the squad members. I thought it had been quite a good day.

 

 

 

*

 

 

 

It was about an hour after dinner.

 

 

"Why don't you want to go wash up!"

 

 

"I-I-told-you! I'll wash up alone later, so you guys go ahead and wash up first!"

 

 

"How many times do I have to tell you that the dorm's communal shower has set hours! Geez, you're the smallest one here, so why are you so strong!"

 

 

This is how the incident started. Miyako, the squad leader, suggested that we all go wash up together before going to bed since we had digested our food, and I strongly refused to go alone, which led to the current situation.

I used to be a man, so it's still hard for me to see my own naked body!

 

 

"I can just wash up in the bathroom in my room, can't I? Let go!"

 

 

"There's only a sink, how are you going to wash up there!"

 

 

"Miyu! Moe! Come here and help me!"

 

 

"Roger―."

 

 

When Saki called them, Moe seemed to find it fun and readily came over to grab my arms and legs with Saki and Miyako and started pulling me. Miyu hesitated for a moment, but then she joined in pulling me.

 

 

"Miyu, you traitor! I trusted you! I trusted you―!"

 

 

"Haa... I-I'm sorry, Nanna-chan."

 

 

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't resist the strength of four people alone, and I ended up being dragged to the shower room. As a bonus, the slight commotion drew the attention of other students.

 

 

Being forced to show my private parts in front of everyone and being washed by naked girls was an experience that was hard to bear for an experienced military man.

 

*

 

After another small commotion, we were back in the dorm.

When I was exhausted and tried to lie down without even drying my hair properly, Miyu and Miyako forced me to sit up again and dry my hair for me.

 

 

"N-Nanna-chan's hair is wavy and semi-curly, so if you don't take good care of it, it'll get really tangled later..."

 

 

"Being like this, it feels like I'm drying the fur of a golden retriever."

 

 

You guys seem to be having a lot of fun, huh?

 

 

While we were doing that, it was almost lights out, so we changed into the clothes provided by SRT and started to prepare our bedding.

...I found out later, but there were two bunk beds on each side of the dorm room.

And there were five members in our squad.

That meant there was inevitably one spot short.

 

 

"N-Nanna-chan and I are the smallest, so if we sleep together, maybe it'll work out somehow..."

 

 

"That could work. What do you think, Nanna?"

 

"I don't really mind... But what's Saki doing?"

 

 

While we were worrying about what to do with the remaining spot, Saki was going back and forth between the two beds, doing something.

 

 

"Ah, I thought it might work. Look. If we set up a hammock between the beds like this, we'll have an extra spot, right?"

 

 

Saki had somehow set up a hammock that looked like it would never come undone, using the frames of the two beds as supports.

Ah, I see, so that's what it was. I should praise Saki for this.

 

 

"There was this method. That's amazing, you're great, Saki. As expected of an elite, honor student, top of the class."

 

 

"This is in the manual. It's not bad to know in a survival situation, so you guys should learn it too."

 

 

She says that, but looks at the corners of her mouth turning up.

 

 

Anyway, we solved the sleeping arrangement problem and were finally able to lie down.

For some reason, Miyu looked disappointed, but I won't say anything more about it.

 

 

...I felt like I had a lot on my mind these days right before falling asleep, and I reviewed what happened during the entrance ceremony again.

 

 

When I found out that I was the second-ranked student in the grade, I was honestly a little surprised, but I could somehow accept that it was possible.

But there were some other things that bothered me.

 

 

Making eye contact with the Student Council President... let's just say it was a coincidence for now.

But the abnormal noise that interrupted when the Student Council President was saying her name, and the oath that I said without even remembering it, were difficult to explain.

I wondered if it was a side effect of interfering with the world, but I couldn't get a grasp on it since I had no clues.

 

 

I decided not to worry about it and started to have my first dream at SRT.

 

 

 

*

 

 

 

The day at SRT starts with running on the parade ground, not, the school athletic field.

 

 

["Run faster, you sloths! The ones who fall behind will be cleaning the toilets!"]

 

 

["Hey, you little yellow-haired one! Don't obstruct the other guys' paths!"]

 

 

["How many times do I have to tell you, if you're tired, don't obstruct the others and move to the side, you idiots!"]

 

 

"Haa... haa... This kind of... thing..." I thought I wouldn't have to do this anymore after being discharged. I swallowed the rest of the words because it wouldn't do any good to say them out loud.

 

 

After running and morning exercises, we dragged our exhausted bodies to the cafeteria for breakfast.

Everyone, including me, looked a little tired, but strangely, only Saki was very energetic.

 

 

"As expected, a meal after morning running is special."

 

 

"Aren't you... tired?"

 

 

"I am tired, but if this all becomes nourishment for me to become stronger later, I can't complain. If you're the second-ranked student, you should stop making weak sounds and just eat your food."

 

 

Ah, I remember now. There was a guy among my subordinates who used to say that.

 

 

"The ones who say things like that are always the ones who... s-sorry."

 

 

Saki glared at me for saying that, and then she started eating again.

I also barely managed to lift my tired arms and finished my meal little by little.

At least the food was good, which was a relief.

 

 

Since SRT was located at a high school, most of the day was spent on theory classes using BDs and textbooks, with practical training in between.

As expected of an elite military school, the content of the classes was more advanced and difficult than what I had done in my previous life, but since I had gone through it all before, it wasn't too difficult to understand and solve.

 

 

The training was hard at first, but after repeating it a few times, my experience from my previous life helped, so I was able to adapt quite easily.

 

 

"Saki-chan was always amazing, but Nanna-chan is also becoming hard to keep up with..."

 

 

"That's the top and second-ranked students of the grade... It's very informative."

 

 

"Why are they only giving us practice low-power explosives when it's supposed to be like real combat training?"

 

 

"M-Moe-chan is dissatisfied with that part..."

 

 

As I was moving in sync with the other three members of the squad, excluding Saki, I heard various voices from behind.

When I looked ahead again, Saki had gone far ahead of us alone, so I sped up and caught up to her, right behind her back, and spoke to her.

 

 

"Slow down a little. The others can't keep up, Saki."

 

 

"I don't care about those laggards. You're the one who's matching their pace even though you can run faster, aren't you?"

 

 

"We're in the same squad. Squads need to work together. It's in the manual."

 

 

"..."

 

 

When I mentioned the manual, Saki sighed deeply and then slowed down, running in sync with the other squad members behind us.

 

 

"Did Nanna do that?"

 

 

"Yeah, pretty much."

 

 

"I should have done it as the squad leader, I'm sorry."

 

 

That's right, the squad leader.

 

 

When I was the team leader, did I also have the same worries?

 

 

"N-Nanna, watch out in front!"

 

 

"Ah."

 

 

Lost in thought, I didn't see the pit on the ground in front of me, and I tripped and fell forward spectacularly.

 

 

"Ack!"

 

 

"I-Injured person! Let's hurry to the infirmary!"

 

 

"Ugh... I think I sprained my ankle..."

 

 

I thought that the bodies of Kivotos students were strong and wouldn't get injured easily, but it seems I was mistaken.

Miyako quickly helped me up to take me to the infirmary.

 

 

"Hey, we're in the middle of training."

 

 

"But we can't just stand by and watch when a squad member is injured!"

 

 

"Then I'll go. You guys are far behind me, so just focus on training."

 

 

"Then please, Saki."

 

 

"W-Wait, what?!"

 

 

I was thinking of just being helped and walking, but Saki suddenly picked me up.

It was the so-called princess carry.

 

 

"Don't move! You'll shake!"

 

 

"No, I mean, um... The others are watching..."

 

 

"Who cares about what the others are looking at? You're injured, so just stay still."

 

 

There was something I wanted to say, but it wouldn't come out.

 

 

I was carried in Saki's arms safely to the infirmary and received appropriate treatment.

After that, I thanked Saki appropriately, but for some reason, I couldn't help but feel embarrassed.