Chapter 160: Morning in the Military State
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 160: Morning in the Military State
Five minutes is surely a short time, but even that fleeting moment follows the logic of economics. To one in a hurry, five minutes is worth its weight in gold, but to those with time to spare, it's nothing to give away.
Right now, to me, those five minutes were as precious as gold.
Because I was asleep.
Poke, tap.
The alarm was shut off before it could ring. I didn't know which angel was responsible, but thanks to them, I'd gained five precious minutes. And those five minutes before you open your eyes in the morning are simply irreplaceable.
"Please wake up... Third attempt. Further attempts are deemed meaningless. Proceeding to the next phase."
Something tapped my shoulder, but a touch so gentle could never disturb my deep slumber. I would defend these precious five minutes from the vile invader.
I pulled the blankets higher and mumbled.
"Ugh, just five more minutes."
"...Third attempt. Further attempts are deemed meaningless. Proceeding to the next phase."
Huh. What came next again? Wait a second. Don't tell me.
"WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH!"
"Aaaargh!"
A yell louder than any alarm clock blasted right next to my ear. I rolled off the plush bed, flung the blankets aside, and shot to my feet.
"Again? The same routine again today! You didn't wake up yesterday when I tried it on you!"
It's so unfair! Why am I the only one who has to go through this? I want to wake you up like this, too, but you never do!
Unable to contain my indignation, I yelled.
"I told you to wake me by tapping my shoulder, didn't I? What's all this racket first thing in the morning?!"
The captain, already dressed in her uniform, stated calmly, "I have already made the attempt."
"What attempt! There's no way I wouldn't have woken up!"
"I do not file false reports. Furthermore, why are you acting so entitled when you woke up a full ten minutes past the scheduled time? It is an act of negligence."
"Ten minutes?! I was ten minutes late?"
"Affirmative. Oversleeping for ten minutes is a clear act of negligence. Therefore..."
"Oh, come on. That's nothing. Wake me up in a bit. Yaaawn..."
As I tried to lie back down, the captain grabbed my hand and pulled.
"Get up! Is negligence a part of your very being? How can you speak of sleeping more!"
"Ugh, I'm tired. I was out meeting a friend last night and barely got any sleep."
"You snuck out in the middle of the night as well? Your words and deeds show no intention of abiding by the regulations!"
"Says you. You fell asleep before it was even time for lights-out yesterday."
"N-Negative! No, not a negation of the fact, but a negation of intent! That was not my intention! It was beyond my control!"
Her face flushed crimson, but the captain still wouldn't let me sleep.
This is why having a roommate is so inconvenient, I thought. Living alone is the best.
"I will not fall asleep like that today. I have recovered from the journey and am well-rested. I will not repeat yesterday's disgraceful display!"
"Oh, really."
"Affirmative! Yesterday's incident was an unforeseen strike! Today will be differen—"
The captain trailed off, tilting her head in confusion.
"...? Query. I believe I fell asleep in the bathroom yesterday. How did I..."
"Right! Shall we go get breakfast? Sorry, but it's Anna's beans again this morning!"
I shot up and threw the door open. The captain, bless her naive heart, forgot her question and trotted right after me.
"Query. Why is that a matter for apology? Her bean dish was perfectly... no, it was exceptionally delicious."
"You think you can eat stir-fried beans again?"
"Affirmative. I could eat them all day."
Wow, she's less picky than a dog.
Once again stuffing her mouth with Anna's stir-fried beans, the captain's eyes sparkled as she savored the flavor.
"......!"
It's delicious...! A different flavor from yesterday! It looks exactly the same, but...!
"Is it good? I put a little extra effort in today. Eat up, dear."
Anna smiled warmly. The captain nodded again and again as she shoveled the stir-fry into her mouth.
If I were to ask for this recipe...! Ugh, impossible. A recipe of this level must be classified! I would never be able to obtain it...!
What's there to imitate? I thought. All you need to remember is high heat and plenty of oil.
No, wait. There's something else in here. This faint, shimmering fragrance that cuts through any unpleasant smell... Don't tell me.
Wow. She actually used it?
"Anna! How could you sprinkle that on this!"
I chided, but Anna answered calmly.
"I only used a tiny bit. Just a pinch between my thumb and forefinger. I didn't even take from my ten-percent commission, so don't worry."
"You're using it like it's your own."
"Does it pain you to let that girl have some?"
"I just wasn't planning on feeding her gold dust."
As I grumbled, Anna let out a small laugh and picked up a bag next to her. She placed a bowl of soup in front of the captain and said gently, "I have to run an errand in another district today. The restaurant will be closed, so you two will have to find lunch elsewhere."
"...?! An emergency! Is it true that you are closing?"
"Heh. Hughes will take you somewhere even more delicious, so don't you worry. He's well-connected; I'm sure he knows plenty of good places."
"Negative..."
A canned bean dish more delicious than this one? Impossible!
Why is she so fixated on beans? Has she never thought about other kinds of food?
Anna's smile toward the crestfallen captain was that of a mother looking at her daughter. Filled with maternal affection, she said, "If you can, try to wait until dinner. I should be back by then. Hughes, you take good care of her. I'm off to handle that business you asked me about."
She meant she was going to sell the spices I'd left with her. I grumbled, "What's there to take care of? She's perfectly capable of surviving on her own."
"That's why I'm telling you to be a source of support for her," Anna said. "When you're alone, you have no choice but to be brave. But when you're together, you can afford to let your guard down a little. And I think that's what both of you need."
"Why do you keep treating her like a helpless child? You should be more worried about me."
The captain might not know her way around the back alleys, I thought, but back at her base, there are plenty of soldiers who would snap to attention and salute her.
They might look down on her if they knew she was a signaller, but she keeps her identity hidden on duty, so they'd just see her as a captain.
"...When I return, I'll use all sorts of ingredients to make something even better, so try not to feed her anything too delicious."
With that smile, Anna left the makeshift restaurant.
She was headed for the market in District 13. There, she would exchange the gold dust for actual gold. She'd probably pick up some vegetables while she was there, and if she had money to spare, she might even buy some fresh meat—a Level 1 luxury good that cost extra.
Hmm. I'm actually looking forward to it. Maybe we'll just take a simple tour today.
"Bbey, you done?"
The captain, who had scraped her bowl clean, nodded.
"Affirmative. Her skill is truly outstanding. It rivals the finest meal I have ever consumed."
They say the taste you know is the scariest, but calling a canned bean stir-fry the finest meal she's ever had... It really makes you wonder about the state of welfare for soldiers in the Military State.
I can't wait to see her reaction to whatever Anna cooks up when she gets back, a dish made with plenty of money and the best spices.
"Query. Who is Anna? I have never met a mess cook who could prepare a meal of such quality. Was she a legendary quartermaster in a former life?"
"A legendary quartermaster? What's that? She's just a regular level 0 citizen."
"...A level 0 citizen? Her?"
The captain's eyes widened in surprise. I seized the opportunity to needle her.
"You were just thinking it, weren't you? 'How can a mere level 0 citizen eat such delicious food! It's so unfair!'"
"N-..."
About to deny it, the captain caught herself and gave an honest nod.
"Negating... the negation. That may be true. I was under the impression that all low-level citizens led difficult and miserable lives."
Low-level citizens do have it rough, but you're the exception, Signaller. Compared to you, the average low-level citizen is practically an aristocrat.
...Then again, maybe not. At least the captain's salary is steadily accumulating at the Department of Veterans' Affairs. Who knows how that money will eventually vanish, but it has to be better than being level 0.
"Even so, the lives of level 0 citizens, who are treated as practically abandoned by the administration, are not so bad. The military authorities would be proud..."
It means my loyalty to the State has not been meaningless.
Huh. That's a strange way to think.
Normally, seeing this, someone would think: "Even a level 0 citizen enjoys this much luxury and freedom, so why am I, a level 3, living like this? This is unacceptable! I rebel! I'm on strike! Revolution! I will cease all duties as of today!" That's what I expected. But instead, she's taking pride in her loyalty to the State?
She's something else. Is she just that pure, or is she that resolute? It's almost impressive how the Military State managed to create people like her.
"I can't say I agree. Is that really true? People get along just fine when things are good. The real problem for those with nothing to spare arises when hardship strikes."
As the start of the workday neared, alarms began to blare from all corners of the residential area. Unlike the previous night, no one complained about the noise.
If they failed to wake up and were late, their labor sentence could be extended.
For the average citizen, the alarm clock was an object of both love and hate. It cruelly shattered their sweet morning sleep, yet it was also the signal that protected their precious daily routine.
Most citizens, jolted awake as if being evicted, walked the streets like zombies, clutching their empty stomachs without a bite of breakfast. They all moved in roughly the same direction, their individual processions merging into one great river of people.
A few young men stood in a hallway, banging violently on a door.
"Hey! Phillip! Wake up!"
"He's not dead, is he? Dammit, he looked exhausted. We should've sent him home earlier yesterday."
As the young men voiced their regrets, a shrill alarm continued to ring from behind the closed door.
The captain asked, "Why are they pounding on someone else's door?"
"They have an agreement to wake each other up, just in case someone sleeps through their alarm. If you're late, your labor for the day might not even count, you see."
It was a form of human cooperation, born out of the need to survive in this concrete jungle. An alliance of necessity.
But the captain, a paragon of proper living who always woke before her alarm, could not relate.
"Query. Why is the assistance of others necessary to wake from sleep? It is a simple matter of going to bed on time and rising on time."
"Don't think everyone is like you. There are people who, like me last night, have unavoidable circumstances that keep them up late."
"That was a product of your own poor character!"
The captain seemed genuinely curious, so I decided we should follow the flow of people for a while. The crowd trudging down the main road soon split into several groups.
Some piled onto a large, clattering automaton carriage like cargo. Others formed lines in front of a massive building downtown. And still others were swallowed up by a factory that looked like a giant warehouse.
"Some go to the factories, some to the logistics warehouses, some to the terminals, and some to the Engineer Corps or supply units... all off to perform their daily labor."
The lower-class citizens of the Military State, with no land to farm, possessed nothing but their own bodies. Thus, the only work available to them was manual labor.
Most of the money the common people earned came from these labor camps; they lived day by day off their work. Of course, all their wages came from the State, and the State, in turn, collected all the products of their labor.
In effect, it was safe to assume that any place employing laborers was under the State's control.
"I am aware of that much," the captain said.
"But you didn't know about the different types of labor, or how hard they are, did you? Or which jobs people prefer."
"...Affirmative."
"Heh. And you're a captain."
The captain's lips tightened, her pride clearly stung. Before she could get any more upset, I made a suggestion.
"Since we're on the topic, how about we go try out some of the work for ourselves today?"
"Is that something one can simply 'try out'?"
"What in the world can't be done? If you talk to people the right way, you can always find a way in."
"...Warning. That statement carries a significant risk. The Military State has matters that are forbidden by law. Violating them will result in severe punishment, commensurate with the level of the anathema."
Despite her words, she seemed to want a look inside the factory, because she fell into the procession behind me.
It might be a bit much for an indoor type like the captain, but it wouldn't hurt for her to learn about the hardships of labor. This might even be a bigger shock to her system.
Just then, a shout erupted from the middle of the crowd.
"You little thief!"
Thwack! A vicious kick sent a small boy flying. He rolled across the ground, waving his hands frantically.
"I-I didn't do it!"
It was the same young pickpocket who had tried me yesterday.
He clearly hadn't mastered his craft yet, as he was now face-to-face with the fuming man he'd targeted.
"I saw the whole thing! Don't even try to hide it!"
The passersby all spared them a single glance.
But that was it.
The citizens took one look at the man and the boy before continuing on their way. Their attitude was one of pure indifference.
"Help! This man is—Aargh!"
Whether it was the victim of a thief or a thief getting a beating, it was none of their business.
In fact, not a single person had intervened yesterday when I'd caught the boy myself. They had only stared at us with hostility because a State captain was present.
Few people in this district, if any, had the luxury of getting involved in someone else's problems.
"...Pickpocketing is a crime. Though not the most serious of offenses, to brazenly commit the same crime again after yesterday is a significant problem."
And the captain certainly didn't have that luxury either.
But this girl, who empathized with others to a strange degree, was about to step forward for the crying child.
"However, private retribution is not permitted. That man has no right to pass judgment on a criminal by himself."
She's the type who would have been the first to break in the Military State. Even with nothing to spare, she'd give a piece of herself to make room for others.
I wonder, did the State protect its signallers, or did it merely use them?
"...Do not stop me."
"No, I have to. The boy wouldn't want you getting involved."
I leisurely adjusted my pace within the river of people. The man, nearly late for his shift, gave the boy one final kick before vanishing into the crowd.
The boy lay still as if dead, then cracked his eyes open to watch the man's retreating back. He then shot to his feet. A groan escaped his lips, but strangely, so did a smile.
"...Heh. Getting caught during the morning rush... they rarely drag you to the orphanage... It's manageable..."
No profit, but no loss.
Considering it a stroke of luck, the boy vanished back into the street.
Just then, by sheer coincidence, the captain happened to pass by the boy and overheard him. Her lips tightened into a thin line.
"..."
They didn't want it. Neither of them wanted the State's judgment. If I had interfered, both would have faced an outcome they didn't desire.
From her perspective as a soldier, both were derelict in their duties. The guilty boy should have been sent to an orphanage, and the man had shirked his duty to report the crime in favor of private justice.
And yet, the captain was truly, sincerely glad she hadn't gotten involved.
Pretending to console the conflicted captain, I said casually, "Haha. Don't let it get to you. This is just another day in the life."
She didn't answer.