Chapter 4
Chapter 4
The issued cadet uniform felt a bit suffocating.
As I said before, Bethesda Academy is supposed to be a dream institution, a school of opportunity that trains war heroes while ignoring class and economic background.
“Of all things… a commoner.”
As I also said before, dreams are usually illusions. The ideals the academy claims to pursue and the direction its members actually follow are not necessarily the same.
For example.
Even the entrance procedure lines were divided by class. There were three departments, but they weren’t really departments. They were classes.
At least the number of commoners was fairly large.
In the world of Titan Core, merchant families held power almost equal to nobles. Many children of influential merchant houses entered Bethesda Academy as sponsors.
Or they might be those who passed the lower-class special exam elsewhere. Either way, commoners entering the academy wasn’t rare.
The problem was here.
Only three people stood in the commoner admission line.
Three out of six hundred seats. The literal bottom one percent, or even less.
One of them wandered around aimlessly, another sat in a corner staring at the sky with a blank face.
“Can commoners not even stand in a proper line?”
Why the hell do we even need a line when there are only three people, you idiots.
I only said that in my head. Nobles and commoners were still watching the commoners like they were animals in a zoo. I didn’t have the energy to argue out loud.
Not because of my constraints. That was just the kind of person I was.
My forehead started aching again. I had slammed my head into a wall again this morning. This time, I tried to deal with it physically before the suicidal thoughts even started.
It didn’t work.
There was only one way to suppress the rising self-destruction.
Expose myself to enough information to satisfy the otaku constraint.
“So they think flipping through pages means they’re reading a book.”
My hand froze mid-turn.
My reading speed was abnormal. Only now did I realize it, but my constraints were synergizing with my traits.
Speed reading, spatial awareness, and natural pilot ability.
When I read piloting manuals, it didn’t feel like reading. It felt like information being forced directly into my brain.
Since morning, I had been forcing myself to read just to stabilize my emotions. My forehead was already aching, and now it was burning hot.
“Ah.”
Warm blood trickled from my nose, carrying a metallic scent. I wiped it, then tilted my head back.
A hand grabbed me from behind.
“If you do that, the blood will flow backward.”
One hand pressed a handkerchief to my nose, the other pushed my head forward.
I turned toward the source of the voice.
It was the girl who had been staring at the sky earlier. Black hair, black eyes, nothing particularly distinctive.
“You’re a commoner too, right? I’m Ran. No surname, obviously.”
“D-Deep.”
My voice came out strange through my blocked nose. Ran blinked a few times.
“Your name is Di-Deep?”
That’s not even close.
“Deep.”
Ah. She nodded and went quiet. We weren’t even acquaintances, so there was nothing to say. Silence stretched between us until the wandering guy from earlier approached.
“Ran. Time’s up.”
“Wait, this person is suddenly unwell.”
“It’s really time.”
Wooooooong.
A siren rang out. Ran pulled her hand away, and the handkerchief dropped to the ground with a bit of blood.
“Entrance procedures will now begin. Please follow the designated lines.”
Ran flinched slightly, then stepped back beside the man.
“Oh, sorry. We have to go. Please return the handkerchief later.”
“It’s b-bloody…”
“I’ll wash it later. I think we’ll meet again. I’m Ran from the Operator Department, and that’s Ian from Engineering. Hurry up too!”
The two of them left ahead.
There were only three people in our line, and somehow I was already being left behind by two of them.
Inside the processing room, there were no staff visible. Only a wide screen and speakers.
The moment I reached for it, the screen lit up.
“Please avoid physical contact.”
A flat digital face stared at me. Thankfully, once I realized it was AI, I wasn’t as nervous.
Ah, so this is how shut-in keyboard warriors are born.
“Name: Deep. Pilot Department. Lower-class admission track. Confirm?”
“Yes.”
“External language scan complete. Speech impairment detected. Confirm?”
Rude.
“No impairment.”
“Confirmed. If assistance is needed, contact the administration. A wearable device will be provided.”
Clunk.
A drawer opened and a watch rolled out. The moment I put it on, a hologram activated.
“This smart watch functions as your student ID and provides various academy services. Please wear it at all times and avoid contact with water.”
It’s not even waterproof?
The screen turned off, and a door opened on the other side.
I hesitated for a moment, but there was nowhere else to go.
The moment I stepped outside, I felt it.
Noise.
Raw, massive noise filled the air, and countless eyes turned toward me.
Then I realized why the other two had rushed ahead.
Commoners become spectacles here.
Not just because of their class. It was because someone from the lowest class, who had never even touched a Titan, had entered the academy.
To enter as a commoner required overwhelming talent.
In this massive academy, I could feel every gaze on me at once.
My body froze.
Social anxiety. Definitely. If I could focus on one person, it would be fine, but this many was impossible.
My skin itched, then burned, then turned cold. Sweat soaked my clothes. My eyes dropped downward. My hands trembled.
Where do I go. Where do I hide from these eyes. The suited man said I’d be taken to the dorm, but there’s no guide. Where am I supposed to—
“Pilot Department freshmen this way.”
My body followed the voice.
A neutral voice I somehow found familiar.
When I looked up, I saw her.
A woman in a suit.
The same man from before, except now clearly a woman. She wore the same formal outfit, now with a name tag.
Zeke.
Professor.
“Z-Zeke Professor.”
She nodded.
“Go straight ahead. You’ll reach the hangar. As I mentioned, you’ll be assigned a personal unit.”
“Based on what criteria?”
She tilted her expression slightly, surprised I asked.
“First come, first served. If multiple students want the same unit, you negotiate. If more than three, you either pay or draw lots.”
First come, first served.
So even engineering and operator departments might work the same way.
“Don’t worry about class interference or losing units. Nobles mostly already have their own units, and wealthy merchant families’ children do as well.”
“Then…”
“Only about thirty students receive assigned units. Around fifty including reserve Titans.”
Thirty.
That meant this academy handled enough resources to supply Titans to thirty people.
Zeke gently pushed my back.
“Go to the hangar. You might end up sharing a unit if you’re unlucky.”
“Earlier you said—”
“Move.”
I had no choice but to walk forward.
Soon, a massive hangar came into view.
Completely different atmosphere from the processing area.
Metal clashing. Machines moving.
Strangely, I felt calm. No, I felt excited.
My body moved naturally, pushing through crowds, following arrows, taking an elevator upward.
“Assigned unit students this way!”
Following staff directions, I turned a corner.
And stopped.
“Wow.”
Fifty Titans.
A massive lineup of war machines.
My body trembled. Sweat dripped down. Not from fear. From excitement.
“Wow.”
Oil smell. Iron smell.
Each Titan stood in raw steel color, barely painted. But they weren’t identical.
Different builds, modified parts, reused components. Some looked like they had been repaired and rebuilt repeatedly. That made them feel more real.
My steps stopped in front of one.
The chest core was heavily armored and thick. The waist structure was extremely thin, almost skeletal.
Thick thighs, light arms designed for customization.
A body shaped with balance, power, and flexibility.
Voluptuous upper structure, narrow waist, streamlined frame.
They say love at first sight exists.
I couldn’t move.
Even though there were many Titans left, I was certain I didn’t need to see any others.
“…Still, I should at least look at—”
Clunk.
The chest armor lifted.
The cockpit was revealed.
People nearby glanced over briefly, then looked away as if nothing mattered.
So… I can just get in?
Lights flickered inside.
A clear signal. It was inviting me.
My body moved before my mind did.
I sat down in the cockpit.
Clunk.
The chest sealed shut.
Darkness.
Then light returned, and a voice spoke.
“Your eyes are way too creepy! Are you some kind of Titan otaku? If it were another unit, I’d report you for harassment, you know?”
What.
That voice.
That gal-like tone.