3 - Friends x Explanations

Schola Sanctus.

The Federation Space Force’s training facility on the Mixture space station has a large and wide campus.

The Officer Development Department trains future elites, the Pilot Department trains Stella Corpus Pilots, the mainstay of their military forces, the Aeronautical Ships Department trains the crews to navigate and control spaceships, the Maintenance Department trains students to do repairs on and manage all manner of machines, and then there’s the Information Department, the Strategic Research Department, the Material Production Department… there are many Departments and the young people here study for all manner of reasons as well.

The same goes for the number of students, but many teachers are dedicated to running the school, and there are scores of personnel who run the facilities necessary for living daily lives.

Well, what we’re trying to say is,

“So-So huge…”

This entire campus was large and wide.

“Hehe, isn’t it? I was also shocked when I saw it for the first time,” Ornit said.

It’s noon now.

At present, Ratio was in front of the dining hall.

On the left-hand side of the entrance, the wall is lined with showcases of food packages, and many students are putting what they want to eat on trays.

There are many round tables and long tables on the right side, and everyone is enjoying their meals.

If you look up, you can see the glass ceiling letting the colony lights (sunlight) in and the ceiling fans keeping air circulating.

Although she can’t see it from where she is standing, there are seats on the second floor above the showcases, and many students are eating there as well.

It’s a wonderful space to dine in the bright sunshine.

However, it was too wide.

It is the size of an athletics stadium.

The dining hall that Ratio imagined was more compact, and it was the type where the dining hall ladies served the food.

But what is this?

There were hundreds of different dishes that were divided into portions for one, in a showcase that was over 100 meters long, and there were so many table seats that Ratio didn’t even bother to count them, and there was also a moving walkway to get around the place.

“Huh? This is the dining hall, right?” Ratio asked.

“Yes, it is,” Ornit said, giving her a wry smile. “That’s why I said it earlier, you know? You’ll be very surprised your first time here.”

Ratio had managed to find where the cafeteria was with the notebook-type terminal provided after she finished the morning classes, and now she was thinking of eating alone.

She thought it would be a small dining room, and thought she’d have no trouble using it.

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Well, there was also her wanting to escape her classmates asking her questions by hurrying out of the room for lunch.

At that point, Ornit, the girl who sat in front of her, and Ornit’s friends all called out to Ratio.

The three others, Amicitia and the twins, Ceru and Ceno, also chuckle at Ratio’s reaction.

Under the guidance of those 4 people, Ratio somehow managed to secure lunch for today.

She needed a personal card to take out the food from the showcase, and she didn’t even know where it was, so if she was alone, how hard would it have been?

After they had their chuckles at Ratio’s confusion, they told her that she could choose a seat and search for vacant ones in her notebook.

They got on the moving walkway and settled down safely on an empty round table, and Ratio let out a grand sigh of relief.

“I didn’t expect to have such a hard time just getting lunch…” Ratio said, exhausted.

“Ahaha!” one of them, Amicitia Kelsas, laughed cheerfully.

“It’s no laughing matter…” Ratio muttered, looking at the tanned, energetic girl with her spiky, messy head.

“Well, honestly,” Ceru Concilio said plainly, “it was explained during orientation. If you’re going to blame anything, blame when you transferred in.”

“Oh, don’t say that~!” Ceno Concilio teases in a sing-song voice with a smile, as well.

The Concilios are identical twins, and at first glance, they look indistinguishable but look closely, you’d see the difference in their hair: Ceru has a ponytail, bangs, and hairpins, and Ceno has braids and ribbons.

“Speaking of which, Ms. Winkrum, why did you–?” Ornit said.

“Ratio is fine,” Ratio said.

“Then Ratio it is!” Amicitia cried.

“Ami, you’re being a bother,” Ceru said.

“Be quieter~,” Ceno teased.

They stared at Amicitia and she bowed her head, but they found it funny and the five of them started laughing.

“So then, Ratio, why did you transfer here at this time?” Ornit asked as she stuffed her mouth with a huge bite of her cutlet.

In truth, when Ratio was bombarded with questions during break time, everyone just asked their questions without giving Ratio any time or opportunity to answer.

“Hmm, well, to be honest, I wasn’t planning on transferring here, you see?” Ratio asked.

“Oh, is that so~?” Ceno hummed.

“Yeah, it was a last-minute decision,” Ratio said.

“Why?” Amicitia asked, with her mouth sticky with ketchup like a child.

Seeing that, Ceru roughly wipes Amicitia’s mouth clean.

“I guess you could say… the company wanted me to?” Ratio asked.

“Hey, why’d you say that like a question?” Ceru asked.

“You mean you’re part of the Corporate Group, after all, Ratio!?” Amicitia yelled.

“I heard that you’ve also got a dedicated unit~,” Ceno hummed. “Is that true~?”

All three were fired up but Ratio tilts her head at the questions.

“Corporate Group? And what do you mean ‘dedicated unit’?” Ratio asked.

“Huh? You don’t know!?” Ornit cried.

Mixture is a multi-purpose experimental colony.

Many companies were involved in the establishment, or rather the construction, of the space station, and there are many related facilities and experimental areas of each company.

The Schola Sanctus where they are located is formally a military training facility, but many companies are involved in its operation.

“Especially when money is involved,” Ornit said.

“It’s a tough world,” Ceru added.

They’re being frank.

But it’s not just about operating capital.

Corporations are involved in many of the facilities, teaching materials, and so on in Schola Sanctus.

The desks in the classroom are made by Company A, the OS is made by Company B, the notebook-type terminal is made by Company C, and the uniforms are made by Company D.

“According to the rumors, they’re all taking test data here,” Ceru said.

“Test data?” Ratio asked.

“I wouldn’t go that far~,” Ceno said.

“Isn’t it nice, though?” Amicitia asked. “Because you can touch things that haven’t hit the market yet. Is that a bad thing?”

“No, I don’t think so,” Ratio said.

The company’s products don’t stop there, the major subjects they cover in their classes—even the Stella Corpuses involve companies.

The Stella Corpuses used by the Pilot Department are from a generation ago, but it can still be viably used in live combat.

It is said that they’re using these models to collect operational data using new materials, change the layout of the control system and transmission system, and test the UI design daily.

“So they’re all still in experimental phases?” Ratio asked.

“You’d think they’d at least call us test pilots, right?” Amicitia said.

“Are you actually more cynical than you let on?” Ceru asked.

“My, my~,” Ceno said.

The companies will pay the operating capital, so the school will have students do the field tests.

That’s what it boils down to.

“So, what we mean by ‘Corporate Group’ is just that,” Ornit said. “It’s a student directly involved with one of those companies.”

“Especially the daughters of executives, or someone key to a company,” Ceru said.

“We don’t have anything with to do that stuff!” Amicitia said.

“Because us~, we’re just part of the General Group~,” Ceno hummed.

In other words, not all of them are at the mercy of corporate influence.

“So, it seems that all the members of the Corporate Group have a luncheon, debriefing, and meeting every day at noon, and they are in a dedicated dining hall,” Ornit explained.

There, Ratio looked around restlessly,

“So, if that’s what you mean: everyone here is…?”

“General Group,” Ornit said.

“Seriously~?” Ratio asked, slack-jawed in surprise.

Even if she makes a small estimate, there are more than 100 people in this cafeteria. Despite this, the Corporate Group students are gathering in another room.

How many people would you say they would all be if put together?

“But, but,” Amicitia said, “Ratio, you said it was because the company wanted to, so you’re part of the Corporate Group, right?”

“Eh, no, umm,” Ratio whimpered like she was in trouble, “It’s nothing like that. It’s not like I’m carrying a company logo or name. I came here for socialization Wis’s rehabilitation and Flos’s testing.”

“Details,” Amicitia said.

“About my affiliation?” Ratio said. “I’m the only student from the company, and I haven’t been ordered to take over the world! Also, please don’t make fun of me! I haven’t been to school until now, so I’m here to socialize, learn how to make friends, and also enjoy my youth. Also, I have a younger sister, but she got injured a little while ago. We thought she should take it easy in a place that was well-stocked with amenities and facilities. So, while she’s resting, we’ll test the Stella Corpus we brought with us.”

At the unexpectedly heavy reason, the four others felt indescribable.

“So that’s why,” Ratio said, despite that, “I’m happy to have made friends like this.”

As she was saying it so shyly, everyone else smiled happily despite their embarrassment.

“Then you should try this,” Ornit said.

“And this one!” Amicitia said.

“It can’t be helped, have some of mine,” Ceru said.

“This is also delicious~,” Ceno added.

“Huh, I can’t eat this much?!” Ratio cried, panicking at the multitude of offers.