Chapter 54

"Wow, number one overall for the month!?"

"This is it!"

"Hmph. It's not a big deal if I miss!"

"Ugh, you're so annoying!"

"That's the charm of urban combat!"

"Katonbo!"

"If you say so, then I'll take you down!"

(The word "talent" doesn't even begin to describe it.)

Watching the battle between Kaita Kawakami and Shoko Ito, Seika Kuga sincerely praised the two students and subordinates.

First, the most noticeable is Kaita Kawakami, a problem child who is already being seen as a young hero.

(To begin with, it's already strange that he can fight with the Kusanagi-type while wearing an exoskeleton, but his fear goes beyond that.)

Seika already finds it abnormal enough, but after Kaita argued, "Huh? But this was originally designed to fight medium-sized monsters, so it's only natural that I can fight a similar concept machine," based on his actual achievements and data of hunting over ten medium-sized monsters in Far Eastern Russia, she stopped questioning it.

So, what is it about Kaita that is so frightening? First, his adaptability.

Currently, Kaita can operate both the hybrid type and the Kusanagi-type in the simulator. For Kaita, it might seem normal, but to Seika, it is already abnormal.

Why? Because the way to operate the hybrid type and the Kusanagi-type is different.

(What kind of brain does he have to be able to operate both?)

Of course, Seika has also undergone the mass-produced type's activation test. But at that time, she could barely move her upper body.

She might have been able to move her lower body, but in that case, her upper body would have been completely defenseless. In other words, she couldn't produce results that would count as combat power.

This wasn't just Seika; most people were the same.

So, when she heard that Kaita was somehow moving them with a special operation method, she naturally thought, "That makes sense."

Therefore, Seika thought Kaita was specialized in a special operation method.

However, the reality is different.

Although he doesn't match Shoko Ito, who has been trained since childhood in a martial family, he can still move the Kusanagi-type to a combat level.

Moreover, Seika has never heard that Kaita has handled the Kusanagi-type before.

In other words, despite having only a few days of experience at most, Kaita can use the Kusanagi-type to the extent that he can fight Shoko Ito, who has been specializing in the Kusanagi-type.

How can this not be considered abnormal?

Furthermore, his mental fortitude is even more terrifying.

Even if you trust the machine, it's impossible for a person's mental state to be normal when facing a horde of over ten large and over a hundred medium-sized monsters.

The most impressive achievement is what Kaita is said to have accomplished in Far Eastern Russia.

(Equipped with an exoskeleton, not even fully data-driven, he stormed a city known to have over a thousand monsters, infiltrated close to the center, rescued an important person under attack by monsters, and successfully retreated? Then, after joining local forces, he stormed the city again, defeated ten medium-sized and hundreds of small monsters, and rescued thousands of civilians? What is that?)

According to Kaita, "The rescue of the important person was possible because she didn't give up and kept running. The subsequent defeats were just repeating 15-20 rounds of 10-on-1. The rescue of civilians was thanks to the local military." Unfortunately, no one accepts this explanation.

Especially those in the military who understand the difficulty of dealing with monsters.

(Who can charge into a 10-on-1 situation?)

If he had done this with the Kusanagi-type, it would be more understandable. After all, the kill ratio of the Kusanagi-type to medium-sized monsters is 1:2, and one medium-sized monster is considered as threatening as 10-15 small monsters. So, theoretically, one Kusanagi-type can handle 20-30 small monsters.

However, what if it was done by a student equipped with an exoskeleton, and even more, 15-20 consecutive battles?

The weapons and ammunition can be stored in the magic crystals, so there's no need to worry about running out or weapon damage. But what about the pilot's fatigue? Infiltrating a city with over a thousand monsters, selecting opponents, and winning one-sidedly? How many people can do that?

(At least I can't.)

Even Seika, who has received an education befitting a Kuga family's daughter and has trained in martial arts and endurance, would have to conclude it's impossible before even trying.

Kaita's actions, whether he realizes it or not, are that difficult.

Moreover, it is because of Kaita's achievements that the military academy can hold a "cultural festival" this year.

(If the lieutenant weren't here, the second and third-year students would definitely have been mobilized.)

The damage from the last major offensive was enormous, so much so that "severe" is the only word to describe it.

Among the damages, the most significant was the loss of artillery soldiers. 182 artillery soldiers were killed in action out of 260 participants.

With winter approaching, the situation might ease, but given the possibility of another attack of the same or larger scale this month or next, the demand for artillery soldiers and pilots of the Hachibou-type machines is extremely high.

In fact, the Second Division, responsible for national defense, is requesting reinforcements from the Sixth, Eighth, Seventh, and Ninth Divisions, which have not suffered significant losses.

They cannot overlook the existence of 140 artillery soldiers (70 per grade) and 40 pilots of the Hachibou-type (20 per grade) who are currently untouched.

From Seika's perspective, mobilizing students might seem questionable, but it depends on the situation.

So what if they are students? If they can operate the artillery, there's no problem.

If the defense line is breached, the school won't be safe anyway.

If the military academy is told this, they have no choice but to dispatch them.

The country is in a dire situation, more so than civilians and business people realize.

Therefore, the principal and the teachers in charge of the second and third-year B, C, and D classes were almost prepared to send their students to the battlefield in accordance with the student mobilization order issued by the integrated headquarters.

However, the mobilization order was not issued. This is because...

"Your guard is down!"

"Damn!"

Yes, the presence of Kaita, who was toying with Shoko right in front of Seika, was the reason the student mobilization was avoided.

(The Second Division chose one lieutenant over 180 students. While there are political factors, the main reason is "they can win with him.")

Issuing a student mobilization order is equivalent to announcing the country's crisis to the world.

Therefore, the country wants to avoid it as much as possible.

Incidentally, regarding Kaita, a student, being sent to the battlefield, it is no longer a matter of whether it is right or wrong. Kaita has already achieved results and been officially appointed as a lieutenant.

In fact, the Second Division did not conscript the military academy students because they valued Kaita more than the students.

One might think it would be better to gather both, but that's not the case.

Students who don't know the fear of monsters might see Kaita easily hunting them and mistakenly think, "Monsters aren't that big a deal," leading to reckless behavior.

In fact, it's not uncommon for soldiers to go berserk when their morale is too high on the battlefield.

This is even more likely for students who haven't completed proper training.

Of course, going berserk and forgetting fear might lead to victory, but as a commander, this is not recommended.

Worse, if they go berserk and interfere with Kaita, the consequences could be dire.

The military is also concerned about the possibility of intentional friendly fire by those who envy Kaita's achievements.

Therefore, the Second Division decided not to conscript the students, who are highly susceptible to influence, and to rely on the regular army and Kaita for defense.

(They have been instructed to prepare in case the mobilization order is issued, but it should be fine.)

Initially, Seika thought, "It might be unfair to the students, but we should use whatever we can," but she has changed her mind.

Why? Because she has realized how exceptional the performance of the machine Kaita operates is.

(Even the regular army might struggle, let alone students.)

Seika believes that in a real battlefield, even a 100-on-1 situation would be no match for Kaita, and she is confident that the Second Division shares this view.

Kaita and the Hybrid Prototype No. 1 are that extraordinary.

(Being able to talk on equal terms with such an extraordinary force, Kaita Kawakami, makes Shoko Ito a talent herself.)

Of course, she understands that Shoko is acquiring student-like piloting skills through training with Kaita and highly values her information-gathering abilities.

But the most important thing Seika values about her is that "she can communicate with Kaita Kawakami."

Shoko might frown and say, "I don't need such an evaluation," but Seika genuinely thinks so.

After all, 60% of the people Seika has interacted with are nobles, 30% are military personnel, and the remaining 10% are from business-related circles.

In other words, Seika has never interacted with a completely ordinary person.

Because she has never interacted with them, she doesn't understand the distance.

Not understanding the distance, she can't easily approach them.

Without approaching, the distance can't be shortened.

If the distance is far, they might not follow orders or fail to communicate effectively in a crisis.

(If it were an ordinary lieutenant, it would be different, but he is not ordinary.)

An ordinary lieutenant can be ordered directly, but Kaita has been knighted by an allied country, granted a rank equivalent to a noble in the country, and is trusted by the military.

With all these factors, even as a Kuga family's daughter, Seika cannot treat him normally. Therefore, the presence of Shoko Ito, who can mediate, is invaluable.

"Ugh, already!"

"Shooting blindly won't do. It's not easy to hit with a machine's shooting."

"Normal people can hit!"

"Haha."

(Yes, I really appreciate it. I'll send something to his family later. However, the simulated battle with the lieutenant seems to be quite challenging. It's helpful that he's showing this. I will have to face him eventually... What should I do?)

While watching Shoko Ito, who is engaged in a simulated battle with Kaita, with a mix of gratitude and sympathy, Seika began to simulate how she would fight against Kaita.

Thank you for reading.

Thanks to all the readers, my work has become the number one overall for the month.

I am deeply grateful.