Chapter 5: The Beginning of School Life

Driving the truck with the pom-pom cannon mounted on its bed, I left the farmlands behind and headed toward the center of Trinity. Well, “driving” was a bit of an exaggeration—Millennium’s custom-built self-driving AI was doing all the work, so all I really did was sit in the seat. It might look like an old-fashioned bonnet truck, but it was packed with the latest tech.

And, since just calling it “the truck” felt a little dull, I decided to give it a proper name as I entered the academy.

—The Loyalty. Meaning devotion, faithfulness, sincerity. A name carrying my vow to “remain faithful to my duties at all times,” and my hope that this vehicle—and the pom-pom cannon on its bed—would stay loyal to me as well.

Setting that aside, I was finally nearing my destination: the Trinity General Academy dormitory. When I reached the parking lot, I pulled into an empty space away from the other cars and scanned my brand-new student ID at the parking control terminal, completing the check-in. To leave, I just had to scan it again. Trinity students could use this lot for free as long as they were enrolled.

…And if someone who wasn’t a student parked here without permission? Well, they wouldn’t have much room to complain if they returned to find their car turned into a bullet-riddled heap by the Justices.

Anyway, time to unload the luggage I’d brought along with the pom-pom cannon and carry it into my private room. The weight and size were nothing I couldn’t handle—my body was used to farm work. After confirming my room number at the dorm reception, I headed over.

"Phew… that should do it."

Stacking the boxes of belongings, I wiped my forehead. I only took out the essentials for now—my computer, reference books, student planner, and stationery. The rest could wait until I got back from school.

"Starting today… it really begins."

After packing what I needed into my bag, I stepped out of my room again. My student life at Trinity General Academy was about to begin.

Classes, however, wouldn’t start until next week. This week was dedicated to course registration. It felt a lot like university lectures from my previous life. Even the classes shown during yesterday’s orientation used BD for video learning; it resembled a university more than a high school.

Once I reached the school building, I went to the PC room and registered my courses while poring over the course guide. Maybe because this world was so different from my old one, some of the lecture names were unfamiliar, but I managed to finish without any issues.

After that, I bought a sandwich, a scone, and some herbal tea from the school store for lunch, then headed back to the dorm. Trinity General Academy was huge and had a massive student population. Maybe because of that, I didn’t come across anyone I recognized from my previous life. Honestly, it was a relief—I probably would’ve gotten awkward if we bumped into each other by coincidence.

Back in my room, I started unpacking the boxes and organizing everything.

"…Hehe, Miss Adelie goes over here."

Angry Adelie. One of the Momo Friends—a penguin with a pink face*2. Her eyes had that unreadable, slightly vacant look that I found oddly charming, and I liked her a lot—enough to put her badge on my school bag. Who was it again who said, "If you stare at it too long, you start feeling sick"? Rude.

Anyway, I’d brought this plushie from home because hugging it helped me sleep. Embarrassing as it is, even as a high schooler I still have a soft spot for stuffed animals.

Not that I’m some fanatic about the rest of the Momo Friends. Especially Lord Peroro… yeah. His eyes look gone—a little scary, honestly.

Thinking thoughts that would probably make someone laugh nervously like “Ahaha…,” I continued organizing. By the time I’d mostly finished, the evening sun was shining through the window. I grabbed dinner at the convenience store*4 near the dorm, took a shower, fiddled with my phone for a bit, and went to sleep.

The week before classes began. Just finishing course registration didn’t mean I was done—far from it. For committee recruitment purposes, we had to take a simple exam, undergo physical measurements, and even take a test on gun handling.

"Wait… does this mean I might get recommended to the Justices depending on my results…?"

The Justices—the Justice Task Force. Equivalent to the Public Morals Committee at other schools, they were mainly responsible for maintaining peace in Trinity. Their members—including the captain, Tsurugi Kenzaki, and the vice-captain, Hasumi Hanekawa—tended to have a somewhat “martial” reputation, making them a bit intimidating. Though, of course, I knew from their inner-story depictions in the game from my previous life that they were good people at heart.

"Well, surely no one would take interest in a plain country girl like me. I should be safe."

Let’s go with that. I was only toned up a little from farm work—actual combat wasn’t exactly my specialty.

—Though, a few weeks later, I would come to learn that someone had taken an interest in this plain country girl. But that’s a story for another time.