MDHO 06

Chapter 06

“In the original, when the heroine is shocked by another recruit’s death, Ishina doesn’t understand her at all. Even so, he tries to comfort her, but the heroine notices that Ishina can’t empathize with her at all.”

What did Dalin and Ishina say to each other in the original?

“I‑Ishina‑nim… You don’t seem sad at all… Am I just mistaken…?”

“Hmm, is there any reason I should be sad, Dalin?”

“B‑but someone died…”

[Dalin, feeling a chill, instinctively took a step back. For some reason the man before her didn’t feel like the always‑gentle senior Ishina she knew.]

“Yeah, they’re dead. But what of it?”

I clearly remember what comes next. That bit is exactly what made Ishina’s character stick with readers.

[Ishina narrowed his deep green eyes prettily and spoke in a gentle voice. His gaze was fixed squarely on Dalin.]

“There’s someone more precious to me, you know?”

Ishina gained popularity as a character who, on the surface, is kind but doesn’t regard those around him as the same kind of people — he thinks only Dalin is special.

“But that doesn’t matter to me right now. What matters is whether Ishina is a terrifying senior or not….”

Whatever schemes Ishina might have in his heart had nothing to do with me. In any case, Ishina was the kind of senior who didn’t scold his juniors — a pretty decent senior.

Besides, at this point he wouldn’t be as blackhearted as in the original. The original heroine hadn’t enlisted yet, so he’s not 100% villainous — maybe about 70% villainous?

“Ishina‑nim, what brings you here?”

When I asked, Ishina gave his usual soft smile and said in a gentle voice:

“Mm, there’s a special training this afternoon, so hurry up and get going.”

Don’t say that kind of thing so sweetly, damn it.

“Are we all here?”

Brave surveyed us lined up on the training ground. Brave was Leon’s classmate — the same lazy smiling type who always swaggered around like Leon.

“Winter, Altair, Yuri. You packed the things I told you to get earlier?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Plato. Did you check the personnel?”

“Yes, everything’s correct.”

After checking a few things meticulously, Brave finally spoke.

“All right, it’s about time for this month’s training. Today we’re going down to the lake at the foot of the mountain.”

Why does this feel so ominous.

“We’re doing water training.”

Damn!

My classmates went pale, and Brave just gave a nasty little chuckle as he watched us.

“You’ll suffer a bit today, probably.”

Damn, don’t say that kind of thing with a smile, you psychos…

The path down the mountain was not difficult at all.

Our unit was located deep in the mountains, and I remembered being hauled up like cargo when we first arrived.

“How much stronger have I gotten since then…?”

I couldn’t guess how much my physical ability had improved in a month.

Finally, the lake appeared in the distance — the place where we might end up burying our bones.

What does “water training” mean exactly? Lots of possibilities, but the immediate thought was…

“Swimming.”

I’m doomed. I can’t swim.

I don’t know whether the original Sarubia could swim, but the person now in this body certainly couldn’t.

“All right, recruits. Basic swimming instruction starts now.”

Louise, the senior who taught us swordsmanship, came up in front of us.

“Take off your shoes first. Wet shoes don’t dry quickly and it’s uncomfortable.”

A bad feeling surged up, but we obediently took off our shoes.

“Damn, wait. Please tell me it’s not what I think.”

At the very least, tell us before you shove us into the water…

By the way, ever since I enlisted, my bad premonitions have never been wrong.

“From now on, you’ll hold out in the water for ten minutes.”

Why did it feel like the seniors behind Louise were all coming this way?

I blinked in denial with a dumb look, but reality crashed down without warning.

“Damn!”

Shoved by a senior’s hand, I plunged into the water and, for the 116th time since enlisting, vowed I would desert once this training was over.

“Hey, hold out for ten minutes! Go!”

“Take care of your mates!”

Voices came from above, but I was thrashing so hard just trying to get out of there that I couldn’t take in what they said.

My body bobbed and sank, and the freezing water repeatedly forced itself into my nose and mouth. The cold made me curl up instinctively; I couldn’t even open my eyes properly.

“Hey! Float on the water! Relax your body and lie back!”

Plato shouted loudly.

Damn, easy to say. Who can relax when they’re suddenly thrown into water?

I kicked my legs hard to try to float, but I felt myself sinking deeper instead.

“Sarubia, relax!”

I felt someone grab me from behind. Instinctively I tried to grab their collar, but they were holding me too firmly to do that.

“Open your eyes! I’m holding you so you won’t sink! So relax your body!”

“Hah, hah….”

Only then did I snap to.

I stopped flailing my arms and legs and slowly released the tension in my body. My body really didn’t sink.

When I opened my eyes, I saw classmates like me — either relaxing or flailing — doing their best to stay afloat.

“You can’t swim, can you?”

From just behind my head I heard a voice and realized who’d been holding me: my classmate Linia.

“It’s been so long I forgot, cough!”

I choked and coughed for a while when I tried to speak — probably from swallowing so much water.

“That’s how you rescue someone in water — you grab them from behind! If you grab from the front, the drowning person clings to you and drags you down!”

Calmer now, I looked at Senior Louise who was checking the watch in one hand and glancing between us and the time.

“Linia, are you good at swimming?”

“At least better than you.”

He said it like he wasn’t especially skilled, but he was holding me pretty steadily.

“Having one eye is inconvenient in the water, surprisingly.”

Linia smoothed the scar over his one eye as he said that.

I didn’t ask why he’d lost an eye; out of courtesy I didn’t pry into whatever rough past he must have had.

“Now I’ll let go, so try floating on your own.”

“Huh, huh?”

“You’re going to have to do it alone sometime. I’ll help you, so don’t worry.”

“…Thank you so much.”

Meeting a classmate like Linia in this messed‑up place was truly a blessing.

With moist eyes I glanced around and saw my classmate Aquila floating nearby.

…He was right beside me, so he didn’t help when I was thrashing earlier… Ha, such a disloyal bastard.

Yeah, whether you were the original male lead or whether you loved me in the original story doesn’t matter anymore.

‘But seriously, you need to learn loyalty, you socially inept guy.’

Supported by Linia, I barely floated and internally grumbled about Aquila’s lack of comradeship.

“All right, it looks like everyone can at least float.”

Seeing all of us managing to stay afloat somehow, Louise looked pleased.

‘Please, let today’s training end like this.’

Members of other units were doing swim training a little apart from us. I was praying we’d only practice floating today.

‘I hate swimming. I don’t even remember how to do it.’

“All right, while we’re at it, let’s try swimming across the lake and back.”

Damn.

What are you going to do with recruits who just learned to float?

No matter what he does, getting all of us to actually swim across the lake in one day is impossible.

“Even if some of you can’t swim, don’t worry. Violence and fear will save you all.”

And that day I actually succeeded at swimming across the lake and back.

‘It works, damn….’

“How many days left until our discharge?”

“Seven years, eleven months, eight days.”

“Damn.”

Hearing Linia’s answer, I grabbed my head with both hands in despair.

Counting down the days until discharge had become part of our daily routine. It only increased the sense of hopelessness.

“You all, come sit.”

We were moving laundry from our arms to hang on the drying rack when we noticed other comrades seated in front of Plato and quickly sat down in front of him.

‘What’s up this time….’

Wow, what’s the assembly for today? I’m half enlightened at this point!

“All right, we’ll test the Grade‑3 monster memorization we told you to memorize last time.”

‘Phew, at least it’s not an assembly for punishment.’

I’d thought maybe someone made a mistake and the whole unit would be punished by another “violence and fear will save us” lesson.

But “a memorization test” seemed worse than an assembly for some; their expressions darkened.

“Sarubia, you first.”

Plato pointed at me, who was sitting at the far left.

My throat tightened reflexively and I swallowed hard.

‘If I get it wrong I’m dead, if I get it wrong I’m dead….’