Chapter IV - The Academy

"Hey, sleepyhead! Get up!"

"H...hey Kenjiro, what are you doing in my room? Ahhhhhh!

Kenjiro poured out a bucket full of ice-cold water over my head with a disparaging look. Damn did I oversleep?! I had searched for my room for so long yesterday that I could hardly sleep.

"Come on now, you have 5 minutes! Put on your uniform and come to the courtyard. The others are already waiting."

Kenjiro shook his head while I tried to dry myself with a towel and escape the wet pajamas. He tossed me my uniform and left my room without another word. I could only hope that he wasn't too mad at me, otherwise, this day would be hell on earth for me. The other students from Kenjiro's unit waited in a formed formation in the academy's courtyard.

"Charlie Attention! I hereby introduce you to the newest student of the Academy. Starting today, Lieutenant Yamani will be my second in command. Each of her words should be treated as mine and executed accordingly. Do you understand that?"

"Yes Sir!"

Kenjiro's entire demeanor changed. Even though this was only an academy, he treated his subordinates in a harsh militant tone.

"Lieutenant, get in formation with the others so that we can begin."

Even though I wasn't all that unsportsmanlike, I got a really bad feeling in my stomach when I saw Kenjiro's diabolical smile on his face.

We walked for a few hours through the adjoining forest near the academy and were at the end of our strength when we finally got back into the inner courtyard. The only one who didn't radiate a trace of tiredness or exhaustion was Kenjiro. The only indication that he was present at all during this torture was the light beads of sweat on his forehead.

"Okay, after you've caught your breath, go take a shower. The meeting point in the west wing is in 20 minutes. Every minute you're late we'll walk 10 minutes longer next time, so be on time. Go!"

Not knowing where to go, I followed the other students into the shower's locker room. But it didn't take long until the first questionable looks stared at me.

"Lieutenant? Why are you coming with us? Officers have their own shower rooms."

"Oh, I just wanted to introduce myself without Kenjiro killing me, you know."

God this is embarrassing, I just wanted to sink into the ground hoping the girl would buy that lie. But then an idea popped into my head. Maybe I can get some information about Kenjiro that way.

"Um ok? You mean the major, right? Well actually the officers aren't supposed to hang out with the enlisted, but if you wish, We'll, of course, follow your wishes Lieutenant."

So Kenjiro is a Major. In the book, the Principal gave me it said that this was one of the more senior officer ranks within the Eastern Military. Let's see how much these girls know about Kenjiro.

"Amelia is enough. At least when the Major isn't looking. Then tell me what you know about the Major. Don't worry, I won't tell him anything. Word of honor among women."

If I could believe the words of the girls, then Kenjiro was just like me a student who had joined the academy later on. Any other information, however, was more gossip and fanaticism than useful knowledge.

--

A few days had passed and I got slowly used to Kenjiro's constant training sessions, but besides these, we also had lessons in weaponry and the use of magic. Above all, the latter was an absolute highlight for me, as even the royal mages of my country were unable to learn such skills...

"Look out!"

"Ouch..."

Damn, the blow came out of nowhere...

"You're unfocused again Yamani. Give it a try or you'll never graduate! Again, but this time your opponent is Sato. Sato! Over here!"

A fight against Kenjiro?! Is the instructor kidding me? Although Kenjiro was a loser in long-range combat, I figured he was one of the top duelists at the academy and a true ace in swordplay.

"Get ready! As soon as the command is given, the fight begins!"

Okay, Amelia, you've seen Kenjiro in fights before. He opens each fight with a sprint forward and a diagonal slash to the right.

"Fight!"

As I thought, Kenjiro tried to carry out his usual fighting style. My planning allowed me to block the opening shot, but Kenjiro didn't wait long for his next chance, using the force of my block and trying to throw me off balance with the force of the impact.

"If you don't try, you'll lose again, Amelia!"

Kenjiro's taunting words and provocations increasingly confused me, making it easier for him to attack me and expose my weaknesses. But it was at this point of desperation that I discovered his secret in hand-to-hand combat. His greatest strength and weakness at the same time. Kenjiro is left-handed. I tried to stand on his left side, forcing him to work more with his right arm, causing his attacks to be less rapid.

With this change, I got into his blind spot and only have to give him the final blow. I almost won.

"The fight is over! The winner is... Sato Kenjiro!"

How... how did he parry me? I was in his blind spot. No human could spin that fast and direct their sword movement in the perfect direction to parry at the same time. Kenjiro really is a strong opponent.

"Good fight, Amelia. You almost had me. But your technique is immature and full of emotions. Unless you control yourself, you will never beat me."

"Well said, Sato. Work on your technique Yamani. Otherwise, you're all but lost in a real fight. That's it for today. Sato, take your unit to the next class."

After we finished, Kenjiro ushered us into an older room filled with images of mythical creatures and tales of Eastern culture. One of the images struck me as strangely familiar. It featured a group of seven people with different unique characteristics. However, what the group did have in common was their blood-red eyes and the fact that strings were being pulled onto their bodies from a veiled figure in the background.

"First time in this room Lieutenant?"

A girl from the unit seemed to catch me eying the picture. According to the sign on her uniform, her name was Minami.

"Oh yes. The whole environment of the academy is so new to me but this image seems so familiar you know."

"No wonder, after all, these are caricatures of the seven S-Classes. Each one has a very special ability and was named after it."

"S class?"

I knew it was a mistake to dwell on this image, but while it could compromise my secret identity, I wanted to find out more about these characters.

"Lieutenant, are you saying you don't know the most dangerous and wanted Kuraiko in the country?"

There it is again. That word... It felt so familiar, but I can't remember why.

"Well, how am I supposed to explain this to you... You know that due to the various Kuraiko mutations, a system for classification and danger rating was introduced. And these seven were so powerful that they received their own classification."

The girl tried to explain to me the story of the characters depicted in the picture, but her explanation was interrupted by a loud bang on the table.

"Minami! Yamani! Sit down immediately!"

It was Kenjiro. I think he was worried about my secret identity. But he didn't think much of the fact of enlightening me about the general situation because otherwise, he would have done it himself. In order not to irritate him even more, we hurried and shortly after we sat down, the instructor came into the room for the lesson. Instead of the usual teaching staff, this time our teacher was a real military officer. His entire demeanor was very militant and stiff, and just his presence gave me goosebumps.

"Welcome to the lesson on fighting monsters and mystical beings!"

The lesson went deep into the stories and legends of this country. But despite the supposed lecture on fighting monsters, the lecturer only talked about one type. The Kuraiko. A few hours passed when the teacher's hoarse voice was interrupted by Kenjiro, who jumped up abruptly and left the room, but oddly enough, the teacher didn't seem too bothered and continued with his lesson without a break. It was only now that I noticed that one of the lights in the room was glowing in a bluish color.

"Lieutenant Yamani, should the Major not return in time, please arrange for the unit to be transferred to the next class."

Next lesson? I hoped Kenjiro would come back soon as I hadn't the faintest idea where we should go to.

"Lieutenant! That wasn't a request but an order, do you understand that, or do I have to give you a handbook for dumb first?"

"Erm yes, I got it!"

I just figured it would be better not to provoke the teacher any further, even though I had no idea why he was getting so angry. It occurred to me that it would be better to just ask my classmates as soon as the change should take place. But then we all heard a distant sound that should be burned into our memories. sirens.