Chapter 5

Finally, the protagonist's name is... "Hmm, it's big even after multiple times."

Though it's only the second time.

--- Time moved forward to April. After receiving instructions from the military officer, I took the entrance exam and successfully enrolled in the military academy. Standing in front of the entrance to the military academy, I muttered those words.

Incidentally, the main campus of the military academy is located in Kichijoji, where the Ministry of Defense is situated. However, the branch campus where we mech pilots study is in Oume City, a bit away from the city center, due to the need for maintenance and operational testing of the mechs and the use of the Air Force base in Tokorozawa for transportation.

There are 100 students per grade, making a total of 300 students over three years. The top 10 students are in Class A, the next 20 in Class B, the next 30 in Class C, and the last 40 in Class D.

You might think it's not enough to have only 100 students per grade in a world where war is intensifying, but this is a department where only students with high compatibility with magic crystals can enroll, so it seems to be sufficient for now—of course, it would be better to have more students with high compatibility.

Among these, students in Class A and Class B are considered to have high enough compatibility to fully utilize the mechs. Students in Class C and Class D can use the mechs, but their performance tends to be lower. However, there is a system where students can be promoted to Class B or A if they show significant improvement during their studies, so there's no need to be discouraged if you start in Class C or D.

As for the feelings of the students placed in Class C or D, that's a different story.

Once a mech is registered, it becomes the exclusive unit of that student unless it is reset. Therefore, due to the preciousness of the mechs, the school, which is a mech pilot training institution, does not have enough mechs for all students. This is understandable in terms of space and inventory.

For this reason, the military academy prepares only 10 mechs per year, which is for Class A.

However, some students in Class A come from military-related families, and in such cases, their parents might prepare a mech for their child.

...Rich people have it good.

In such cases, the remaining mechs are allocated to the top-performing students in Class B. Of course, some students in Class B also have mechs provided by their parents, so the school has about 50 mechs in total.

As for what students who are not given a mech by the school do, they train using simulators and work on maintenance to deepen their understanding of magic crystals and mechs.

Being 'completely unable to use' and 'able to use to some extent' are different.

They may not have the skill to receive a 'J●' but they have the ability to fight with a '●●'. Considering emergencies, it's not wrong to provide basic education.

The important thing is which class I am in... of course, I am in Class A!

Hehehe. The memories from my previous life are not for nothing.

If I were to seriously analyze it, I probably have the compatibility of two people, combining my previous life and this one. Moreover, with the memories from my previous life, I am strong in written exams. If I couldn't get into Class A, it would be a problem.

I ranked third in the entrance exam!

No, how is it that I ranked third despite having the memories from my previous life and studying quite a bit? I managed to rank third by thoroughly studying the trends and strategies prepared by my sister amidst the busy preparations for the move. If I had ranked second, I would have thought, "There are real geniuses out there," but ranking third...

Well, it feels like I've reached my limit just by having two people above me.

"Shall we go?"

Although I am a bit dejected inside, a third-place ranking is not bad at all. If I were to belittle it, it would be disrespectful to the other students. So, I decided to walk through the gates of the military academy with confidence, saying, "I ranked third in the entrance exam! Isn't that amazing?"

---

(That's the one, right?)

Black hair, black eyes, medium build, and medium height. At first glance, he might seem like just a young man, but upon closer inspection, the impression is quite the opposite. His sharp gaze is constantly observing his surroundings, and he exudes an aura that seems to overflow from within.

(I think his name is Kaita Kawakami. He doesn't come from a military or financial dynasty, but it's hard to believe that our intelligence officers reported him as 'a somewhat smart child.' What did they see? Or did he realize he was being observed and put on an act?)

It's strange that a child from an ordinary family would be recommended to the military academy. Moreover, the recommender is not a civilian or a weakling who follows the influence of a military dynasty. It's the personnel officer of the Second Division, who has seen elite soldiers up close on a daily basis.

Considering all these factors, it seems plausible that he pretended to be incompetent to avoid trouble before entering the military academy.

(Well, it's in the past. I'll raise the issue of the decline in the quality of our intelligence officers later. The problem is what to do from now on.)

He ranks first in both compatibility with magic crystals and written exams. He can't be incompetent. The reason I, who ranked second, and the girl who became the top student, are ranked above him is solely due to the influence of our families.

(The face of the military dynasty? That's why the Third Division was annihilated.)

Since the military academy is a military organization, it's natural for the upper echelons' intentions to be reflected. However, it's questionable whether the military academy, as an educational institution, should prioritize reputation over substance.

But I can't complain openly.

(If they say it's our fault for losing, that's the end of it.)

Indeed, the reason the military academy had to resort to such tactics is that they lost to a child from an ordinary family.

Both the second-place student and the top student come from military dynasties. They were educated to become soldiers from a young age, and their enrollment in the military academy was already decided. They have a sense of pride in their preparation.

Despite all their preparation, they lost. And they lost to a civilian who, in December, took an exam to join the military and was invited by a personnel officer to take the entrance exam for the military academy.

This is a matter of honor. It's only natural that they would be given a boost.

(If you want to complain, show results first. That's the only way to deal with it.)

It's humiliating. But it's the result of my own lack of effort, and I have to accept it.

Once I accept that, the next question is how to approach him, the de facto top student.

(Should I see him as a friend to learn from, a rival to bring down, or remain indifferent?)

Of course, indifference is not an option. It's better to keep him close or eliminate him rather than ignore him, as ignoring him is the worst move.

It would be nice to be friends, but he was recommended by the personnel officer of the Second Division, meaning he will be affiliated with the Second Division. If I could have made contact before he enrolled, it might have been possible, but it's too late now to scout him.

The relationship between the Seventh Division, to which my family belongs, and the Second Division is not bad, but it's not good either. It's a rather ambiguous relationship. Considering this, I can't act on my own and cause trouble for my family.

(Wait a minute? Could he be a test subject for the Savior Plan? If so... Okay. Whether to form a friendly relationship or bring him down, I need to get permission from my family first. Until then, I'll maintain a moderate distance to be prepared for either outcome.)

--- While I claim that family has nothing to do with school performance, I feel a bit of self-loathing for prioritizing my family. Nevertheless, as the second-place student, Ichijo Fujita walked through the gates of the military academy.

Thank you for reading.