Chapter 44
* * *
After watching Benny’s training, I moved to the shooting range and began my own drills.
If I wanted to survive here, the most important thing was to train diligently and never skip practice.
Bang!
A bullet fired from my gun struck the target and shattered it halfway through.
“Phew, maybe… I’m a genius?”
My shooting skills could destroy anything I aimed for! Truly, how could I not love myself?
Then, the image of Benny’s swordsmanship I had just seen flashed in my mind.
“That’s what a real genius looks like…”
Suddenly, my earlier self-praise felt embarrassing.
Right—how many times had I promised myself to stop being so self-absorbed?
Well, even if I couldn’t help a genius like Benny when it came to training—
“At least I can help her adapt to life in the unit.”
That, I was confident in. If I could do that, I’d be the kind of senior she’d come to respect.
* * *
“Okay, so the most senior person in our unit is Taro from the 70th class…”
I began explaining our seniors to my lovely junior, Benny.
“Taro’s always tired, so he doesn’t interfere with platoon affairs. You don’t need to worry about him. Ever since ‘that incident,’ he’s lost all his energy…”
“What incident?”
“There was… an incident…”
Benny looked confused, but I ignored it and continued.
“Um, and then there’s Sir Dear… He’s new, so I don’t know much about him either.”
Dear was the commanding officer who had arrived with Benny. He was from the same class as Leon and Brave—the infamous duo known as the embodiment of violence and fear—who had thankfully been promoted and transferred out. What a relief.
Anyway, Dear had curly brown hair and a gentle appearance. Like most officers nearing discharge, he was a pretty ordinary guy who didn’t care much about the platoon.
The only thing he ever asked us every day was, ‘What’s for lunch today?’ A very simple man indeed.
“And then there’s Sir Plato—he’s neat and strict, so just do your job well. And…”
“Oh—Sir Aquila?”
Benny flinched and looked past me, calling out Aquila’s name.
“Aquila?”
I turned around—and met Aquila’s crimson eyes.
“Done with work?”
“Yeah.”
He had just been dragged to battalion headquarters again today. Poor guy.
“Your male-lead charisma drops by two points every time that happens…”
“Tired?”
“Not really.”
Aquila gave a curt reply, glanced briefly at Benny, and then ignored her entirely to come stand beside me.
“What is it?”
He wrapped an arm around my waist—a habit of his when he was tired. But he didn’t look tired today.
Since we were in front of my junior, I tried to push him away, but Aquila only tightened his grip and whispered near my ear.
“Do you like her?”
“Huh?”
His breath was hot against my ear, making me flinch, but since he was holding me tight, I couldn’t move away.
“W-what do you mean?”
“That new recruit.”
“Benny? She’s nice, talented, a good kid.”
“I don’t like her.”
…I knew Aquila better than anyone.
So it wasn’t hard to guess what emotion he was feeling right now.
“Are you jealous…?”
When I asked incredulously, he stiffened. Even he probably realized it was ridiculous to get jealous over me looking after my own subordinate.
Aquila always needed reassurance that I depended on him. I hadn’t been paying him much attention lately because I’d been helping Benny, and that must’ve bothered him.
But Benny was the precious recruit who finally freed me from being the youngest in the barracks! And besides—no one else knew this—but she was a two-star general’s daughter! Of course I had to take care of her!
“Hey, a junior is different from a peer.”
Aquila stayed silent, so I added something to cheer him up.
“I look after my juniors. You’re… different.”
I grabbed the hand around my waist. Warmth spread instantly through my fingers.
“You’re the only one I can rely on.”
Aquila said nothing, only squeezed my hand in return.
“Even if you get tired of me, I’m not letting go—so don’t you dare run away.”
“You have to promise that too.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
His tone told me his sulking had completely faded.
Benny’s eyes went wide as she looked back and forth between us.
“Um… you two…”
“Hm?”
“Are you… married?”
“…What?”
I stared at her, speechless.
“That’s against military law. It makes no sense.”
“Ah… then are you engaged?”
“No! That’s still against the rules!”
“Ah… I see…”
Benny replied with a strangely solemn look—like she had just realized something profound.
I turned back toward Aquila, only to find him smiling. Smiling! The guy who never smiles!
“Like you said, Benny really does seem like a good recruit.”
“…What?”
Why the sudden change in attitude!?
* * *
D-2308 days until discharge.
Time in the military moved slowly.
No, correction—painfully slowly.
It had already been two months since Benny joined, and in that time, I had managed to live a peaceful, uneventful life.
Well—aside from the fact that three of Benny’s classmates had died.
But since I hadn’t even memorized their names, it didn’t affect me much.
Benny, my gentle and obedient junior, got along with me wonderfully.
And so, rare peace settled over our unit.
One night, while I was asleep, I woke up with the urge to use the bathroom.
The first thing I did was roll my eyes toward Yuri’s bed to check on her.
“Good, she’s asleep.”
Perfect. As long as I didn’t make any noise, I could sneak out quietly.
Tiptoeing like a thief, I slipped out of the barracks.
“Honestly, I’m like a ninja now. Having to sneak to the bathroom like this…”
To be fair, Yuri was relatively reasonable—she’d probably just curse me out if I woke her up.
But thanks to April’s insane temper, I’d developed stealth skills at a near-professional level.
Rubbing my sleepy eyes, I was just about to enter the restroom—when I froze.
“…Sob… sob…”
For a moment, chills ran down my spine. I almost screamed. But then I realized—it couldn’t be a ghost.
If I were a ghost, I’d never linger in a hellhole like the Border Defense Corps.
“Think. Let’s think.”
It was the women’s restroom, and the crying voice was clearly female.
And I’d confirmed Yuri was fast asleep before I left.
That meant only one person could be in there.
“Benny.”
Wait. Hold on.
“Why does this feel familiar…”
Right—it reminded me of when I’d found Caron crying alone in the laundry room.
Was this… some kind of ritual to bond with juniors? Like a trend among new recruits these days?
It was such a complicated situation that I almost wanted to cry too.
Still, I quietly stood near the door, trying to time my entrance.
“Okay, if I go in now and listen to her troubles, maybe I can comfort—”
Bang!
Something crashed inside, and I jumped.
“I-is it safe to go in there…?”
Unsure what was happening, I pressed my ear against the door.
“…No, get a grip…”
It was Benny’s voice—tinged with tears, like she was talking to herself.
“How long are you going to live like this…?”
From her words alone, I couldn’t tell what the problem was.
“Was it that her three classmates died last month? Missing her family? The brutal training? The constant near-death experiences? The terrible facilities?”
…There were so many possible problems I couldn’t even narrow it down!
“You can’t live like this forever… You have to change…”
Her voice trembled, then went quiet.
Water ran—probably from her washing her tears away at the sink.
“Should I go in now and comfort her?”
Then it hit me—her pattern lately.
“Normal during the day… cries at night… talks to herself in the mirror… and that bang—she might’ve hit her head on the wall…”
…Oh no.
This was way beyond my ability to handle.
“This is something the company commander needs to know.”
If I described her symptoms to him, he’d probably panic and collapse.
It was clearly severe depression—and if I interfered, I might just make it worse.
Then I heard footsteps. Benny was coming toward the door—she was about to leave!
“If she sees me now, I’m screwed.”
I panicked and darted into the laundry room nearby.
If she realized I’d overheard her crying, she might think I pitied her or saw her as weak—and that could make things worse.
Yeah, best not to approach her for now.
Holding my breath, I stayed hidden until I heard her footsteps fade down the hallway, likely heading back to the barracks.
“Phew…”
Only then did I exhale, my legs giving out beneath me as I sat on the floor, staring blankly into space.
“Of course things couldn’t go smoothly forever.”
Even perfect Benny, it seemed, was struggling inside.
“…Ah, right.”
I almost forgot why I came out here in the first place.
Damn it—first, I need to actually use the bathroom.
* * *
The next morning, after breakfast, I spotted Benny hesitating, glancing nervously at me.
“Benny, what is it?”
“Um, Sergeant Saruvia…”
She stepped closer and whispered softly.
“Were you… anywhere last night?”
“Huh?”
“I went to the restroom for a bit, and when I came back, you weren’t there…”
“Oh.”
So after she’d returned from crying in the restroom, she must’ve noticed my bed was empty.
