Chapter 6

The principle that those who are prosperous must surely be watched.

"Hey."

As a matter of course, the entrance ceremony ended without any particular incidents.

"Hey, I'm talking to you."

I know there was the principal's speech, the student council president's speech, and the new student representative's speech, but I don't remember the content.

"Hey!"

The people giving the speeches probably practiced in advance and delivered them seriously despite their nervousness, but as a listener, if there were no major mistakes, the content wouldn't stick in your mind. That's what I learned from my student days.

"Are you listening? Can you hear me?"

However, it seemed that I was the only one visibly uninterested, as other students seemed to look at the student council president and the new student representative with admiration. Whether this was true or not, it didn't really matter.

"Hey? Ignoring me? Am I being ignored?"

In the end, I decided it was something I didn't care about, but there were those who didn't like that.

"Can you hear me! At least respond!"

The girl making a fuss in front of me was probably one of them. Definitely. Probably.

Her hair was brown and shoulder-length, and she was about 150 cm tall.

I couldn't examine her in detail, but she seemed to have a decent bust. Her voice was somewhat high-pitched, but her most distinctive feature was her sharp gaze.

Even from below, her glare seemed intense, but her eyes were naturally sharp.

"Enough! Ah!"

While observing her, I noticed she seemed about to attack, so I warned her internally, 'Watch your footing,' and tried a leg sweep. She easily fell on her butt.

Indeed, the moment of attack is the moment of greatest vulnerability, as they say.

"Eh? Eh?"

The girl, seemingly unaware of the leg sweep, was stunned.

It's understandable. You see, I, who carry memories from my past life, understood the importance of physical training from the moment I could comprehend things, and I trained diligently.

Moreover, there were many books about mechs at home, probably related to my parents' work.

Every book emphasized the importance of imagination in operating a mech, stating that if you can't imagine it in real life, you can't do it as a mech pilot. Therefore, if you want to be a mech pilot, you should learn martial arts and shooting skills. Additionally, there were many martial arts manuals recommended for learning before piloting a mech, so even though I didn't aim to be a mech pilot, I was interested in operating mechs and worked hard to learn these skills.

Even in games like Gundam or combat flight simulators, balance and G-force resistance are important.

...During the training process, I desperately tried to replicate the techniques of warriors, holy fighters, and reapers, a secret only my sister knew.

Well, if you're a guy and you realize you've been reincarnated, wouldn't you do it? Awakening a small universe means you're in the winning team! (I trained seriously because I thought if I didn't awaken, I'd die as collateral damage.)

Let's get back to the topic.

As a result of my intense training, combined with the high physical capabilities of this body, I now have a certain level of skill and physical ability.

Therefore, using my full strength, it was easy to sweep the feet of a girl who wasn't paying attention to her footing, like a dream on a spring night.

"What, what?"

The girl still didn't understand what happened and was flustered, sitting on the ground. As I was about to tease her in the style of a certain assassin, saying it was "trivial," I noticed something.

I saw a vivid white, reminiscent of the flowers of the sarasach tree.

"Hmm."

It was white. Due to the position and angle, it was an involuntary sight, but the color of the flower was indeed white.

...If I were a typical teenage boy, I might have taken some action. But I'm different.

Regardless of the appearance, the inside is that of a mature gentleman. Moreover, I have a sister, and I do the laundry, so I'm used to seeing girls' underwear.

So, what's the big deal if I see a girl's underwear now?

Well, I do have a bit of interest, but considering the consequences of staring at this suddenly visible flower, my course of action is clear.

"..."

Kawakami Keita will leave coolly!

"Hey! Wait!"

She's saying something, but I don't care! I will leave coolly!

---

"Kurisu, did you see it?"

"No. I didn't. Ichijo?"

"Me neither. But she didn't just fall on her own, right?"

"Right. It didn't look like he tripped her, so he probably used some technique to unbalance her with breathing or something."

"An expert."

"Can't rule it out."

"True, but..."

After the entrance ceremony, Ichijo, who was planning to observe someone, thought about intervening if something happened to gain favor. He and his classmate and faction member Fukuhara Kurisu were watching the scene, but the result was what they saw in front of them. From a distance, it didn't look like Kawakami Keita did anything, but they knew he did something.

"Ugh! What's going on?"

The girl, still sitting, raised her voice at the quickly departing Kawakami Keita. Her name is Itoh Shoko, a talented girl who entered as the fourth-ranked student this year. Without Keita, she would have been the third-ranked student, making him a clear rival and competitor.

Furthermore, her family belongs to the Sixth Division faction, which primarily guards the Kinki region. They are naturally interested in the movements of the Second Division, which is engaged in defense in Kyushu and the neighboring Chugoku region.

Given these circumstances, she probably decided to provoke Kawakami Keita, who seemed to be related to the Second Division.

The problem is the scene that just played out. Having entered as the fourth-ranked student, she is undoubtedly talented. But who is Kawakami Keita, who so easily dealt with her? They don't know.

"We should avoid contact, right?"

"Right. Since we don't know what he did, we need to be cautious. Especially Ichijo, who represents the Seventh Division. We can't afford an injury here."

"You too, right?"

"It's a matter of priority."

"Troublesome."

"Complain to the Third Division."

"I already have."

As Kurisu said, the expectations for Ichijo, who entered as the second-ranked student after missing the top spot, are high. Normally, this wouldn't be the case, but this year is different.

The reason is the annihilation of the Third Division in Imphal.

Why this affects Ichijo, who belongs to the Seventh Division faction, is because the number of officers each faction can produce in the next few years is seen as directly influencing the power struggle between divisions.

To explain in more detail:

First, the National Defense Army is divided into nine major divisions.

Their jurisdictions are as follows:

First Division: Jurisdiction over Kanto. Main task is to defend the capital.

Second Division: Jurisdiction over Kyushu and Chugoku regions. Currently the main battlefield against the invading demons from the continent, receiving a larger budget.

Third Division: Originally responsible for the Chubu region, prepared to back up the capital and Kinki in case of emergencies. Deployed as the main force of the expeditionary army and now being rebuilt after its annihilation.

Fourth Division: Originally responsible for the Chugoku region, now deployed as an expeditionary army and fighting in Vietnam.

Fifth Division: Originally responsible for Hokkaido, now deployed as an expeditionary army and fighting in Thailand.

Sixth Division: Jurisdiction over the Kinki region. Currently supporting the Second Division and eliminating stray demons from the Chugoku region.

Seventh Division: Jurisdiction over Tohoku and Hokkaido, primarily fighting demons that take a detour via Russia.

Eighth Division: Jurisdiction over Shikoku. Currently supporting the Second Division in a similar role to the Sixth Division.

Ninth Division: Jurisdiction over the Chubu and Hokuriku regions. Primarily fighting demons that take a detour, but currently not as active.

This is the current state of each division.

As can be seen, the relatively less busy divisions are the First, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth. The First Division, responsible for capital defense, is in a special category, so the remaining four divisions are trying to increase their influence over the Third Division.

Regarding the Third Division: Although many officers were lost in Imphal, their families and relatives remain, so it is thought that the Third Division can be revived using them.

However, if only Third Division affiliates are appointed, they might rush to restore their honor and become an overzealous division.

The military is not so lenient as to appoint overzealous people to high-ranking positions—while there was some leniency in favoring family members, the responsibility for failure would fall on them, so they are naturally cautious—thus, officers with a restraining role are needed. However, with the current uncertain battlefields, no division has the spare personnel to send.

Therefore, the focus is on the students about to graduate from the military academy. If they can be sent as the first officers, it is thought that they can increase their influence within the Third Division.

In fact, if the officers on the front lines are dominated by other factions, the Third Division faction will collapse. Conversely, if the Third Division faction can provide front-line officers, they can maintain their position.

This is why the ranking within the school is so important for Ichijo and Kurisu, who belong to the Seventh Division, and Itoh Shoko, who belongs to the Sixth Division.

They are wary of and trying to investigate Keita, who is the de facto top student.

(Though, the ones most anxious are the Third Division affiliates.)

Among the students who entered Class A this year, three are from the Third Division faction.

Specifically, the top-ranked, fifth-ranked, and ninth-ranked students.

This is because, with many officers and staff losing their positions after the death of many officers, including General Muroguchi, producing officers from their faction has become their top priority.

However, it is quite difficult, if not impossible, to achieve military merit while being monitored to prevent overzealous actions.

However, there is one opportunity for them to achieve military merit.

That is to excel as a mech pilot on the battlefield.

Originally, officers are supposed to command troops, not fight themselves, so seeking military merit on the battlefield is considered inappropriate for an officer.

However, the ancient wisdom that 'soldiers will not follow a leader who does not fight' is also a fact.

Therefore, the current Third Division affiliates are adopting a policy of 'first becoming a junior officer and achieving military merit on the battlefield, while receiving education to become a senior officer or general.'

Thus, even factional daughters who were originally supposed to attend prestigious schools for nobles and aristocrats ended up enrolling in the military academy this year.

This is why Muto Saori, who entered as the top-ranked student and the new student representative, is in this situation.

(No matter how much they try to act elegant, they are still a military faction. If they make a military mistake, they will be knocked down. Phew, phew.)

"Ichijo?"

"Ah, sorry. I was thinking."

She is pitiful, but Ichijo, who couldn't even become the second-ranked student by his own merit, has no room to worry about others.

(Seeing Itoh Shoko, who was ignored after trying to contact Kawakami Keita, and Muto Saori, who is forced to achieve military merit for her clan, one can either revel in their misfortune or use it as a lesson to be cautious. Decide your future here!)

Of course, Ichijo's choice is the latter. The second-ranked position he obtained, even with the help of his faction, is not something he can be proud of.

"Really, it's throwing me off."

In front of Ichijo, who was cautioning himself, was Itoh Shoko, who had stood up but still looked dissatisfied.

---

Fortunately or unfortunately, neither Ichijo nor Kurisu saw the white flower that Keita saw.

It was an invisible leg sweep, like a superhuman.

The principle that those who are prosperous must surely be watched.

Because you're a teenage boy. I don't want to do it either.

Thank you for reading.