The Sweet Gift of the Deer
Rai's deer meat carried a faint hint of spice, the kind that made the surrounding students' mouths water as they watched. The sizzling roast over the campfire alone was mouthwatering, but once the seasoning was brushed on, it was pure temptation. Everyone stared, drooling openly.
"... ..."
"Don't complain about the smoke. I told you to use fire."
Even though he'd allowed fire, watching him produce thick smoke from the smoking fire while Leila kept a steady gaze on the seven-team, Rai offered the usual excuse.
The students who had been teased by him were secretly hoping Leila would blow the whole thing up, but she only left behind the single order to do whatever he wanted.
Cesset, who had stuffed herself full far beyond her limit, lay sprawled on the ground with both hands cradling her belly, her face glowing with pure bliss. Zeroa and Aria were still chewing away at their portions.
Rai, who had eaten exactly his usual amount, filled the smoking fire with the leftover meat from the other teams and stood up, heading deep into the forest.
Far from the main camp, he pulled out a cigarette and glanced back.
"Stalking is a crime, friend."
"I'm not your friend, and stalking is even more so."
"Then why are you following me so closely?"
Aslan, who had trailed after Rai when he left the main camp, turned his head with an awkward expression. When he hesitated without saying a word, Rai asked again.
"Want me to snatch a cigarette?"
Aslan, who hadn't brought any cigarettes because of training, had been suffering from withdrawal for three days. He had already seen Rai secretly slip out of the gathering area on the first day, so this time he didn't miss his chance.
But since they weren't close, the words to ask for a cigarette were hard to say. When Rai spoke first, Aslan answered immediately.
"... ... If you know, give me just one."
"Why would I give you one if you're not pretty?"
Rai flicked the cigarette in his mouth with a smirk. Aslan frowned and glared back.
"Give me one token per cigarette."
"That's not mine, so I'll give you money instead. How much? Name your price."
The second team, led by Aslan, held all the tokens since he was the captain. Rai found the quick refusal interesting. He tossed the cigarette case over.
"Your money isn't really yours either. To be precise, it's the family money."
"If that one sentence had been missing, I'd have prostrated myself and kowtowed. Thanks anyway."
With a twisted smile, Aslan took out a cigarette and handed the case back. Struggling to hold back during training, he inhaled deeply and exhaled.
His sharp features looked far more relaxed through the swirling smoke.
"Why are you this weak? What kind of taste is this cigarette even supposed to have?"
"Hand it over if you don't like it."
"I never said I didn't like it."
The absurdly bitter taste, less than one-tenth of the usual cigarette, made Aslan frown, but he didn't refuse.
Rai sat squatting, smoking in silence, while Aslan leaned against a tree and stayed quiet too. The only thing left was peaceful stillness. Beyond the forest, students' voices echoed as they chatted. Aslan suddenly felt the same casual atmosphere as when he and Rai had smoked together behind the cafe.
"How did you catch the deer?"
"I saw it and caught it. Can't you even do that?"
It was mocking words, but Aslan had once gone mad chasing a single bird and failed, so he kept his mouth shut.
Rai's face was full of laughter as he looked down at Aslan.
"You rely too much on mana."
"Why do we have to do such training? Just suffering like hell."
"Detecting with mana is immediate, so non-mana marches are essential whether it's reconnaissance or ambush. You'll remember this training desperately when you're captured and escaping. You'll probably kowtow toward the academy safely afterward."
Aslan stared at Rai.
A few instructors who seemed cultured on the outside but shallow inside often complained about Rai when students weren't around. Even if they were careful, conversations at the academy would inevitably reach the students' ears.
Words reaching the students spread quickly, and Aslan already knew Rai's resume only had the Rennen battle. Yet the words should have sounded like boasting, but they carried surprising vitality.
Rai read the emotion in Aslan's eyes and chuckled, then stood up after stubbing out the cigarette.
"You know it, but in actual combat, don't show off to outsiders. Smoke in the barracks. You'll get a hole in the back of your head."
"I know."
"Yes, yes. For good kids, there's a gift."
Rai suddenly threw something. Aslan caught it hastily and checked. It was a half-empty cigarette case wrapped in cloth.
He knew what was inside without opening it. The faint blood scent, the slight plushness, and the heavy weight of deer meat.
Food was precious everywhere. There were even teams sacrificing their rations to get tokens, so the value of meat enough for four people to eat a full meal was far greater.
Aslan lifted his head, staring at the heavy deer meat.
"Eat it well and grow nicely. Hide it so no one sees, then eat it tomorrow. It also gives your team face."
Before Aslan could thank him, Rai turned and walked back toward the main camp.
* * *
Cesset, wrapped in a blanket like a cape, bounced around until she spotted Philia. Philia was reviewing the map when Cesset suddenly jumped in. She easily caught her in her arms. With the blanket draped over her like a child being carried, Cesset sat on Philia's lap.
"Phili, Phili. What are you doing?"
"I'm checking the surrounding geography because I don't know what comes out tomorrow."
"Ugh, so diligent. There are only diligent people at the academy, so being lazy and having no stamina makes me suffer too much."
Cesset puffed her cheeks in complaint, but Philia knew Cesset had prepared diligently and smiled faintly. Philia’s soft chest made Cesset lean back comfortably and look up to chat.
"Rai suddenly shouted about a deer but nothing was visible. It wasn't just me—Zeroa asked him too. Because Aria was so serious, Rai suddenly threw a shovel toward a forest dozens of kilometers away. Shuuu~"
Cesset chattered about the incident from the seven-team. Philia, matching her rhythm, found it amusing and looked at her with envious eyes.
"Everyone saw it was just a shovel left behind. When I went to check, there was a deer with the shovel stuck in its neck! Hungry, they thought of steak the moment they saw the body instead of pity."
"You got your wish."
"Yeah, yeah. I ate until I was stuffed for the first time in a while."
"So it got heavier. Ouch, my knee hurts."
"Aaaah! I'm not heavy!"
Cesset struggled, but Philia hugged her tighter so she couldn't escape and soothed her. After laughing for a while, Cesset shifted her gaze and spoke softly.
"What about that orc boy?"
Gilbard, referred to as the orc boy, came up, and Philia smiled awkwardly without saying anything unpleasant. But when Cesset noticed the meaning in her expression, she frowned.
"Should I hit him from behind?"
"No, don't. It would only lower my evaluation."
When Philia shook her head, Cesset frowned and glared at the distant Gilbard. He was boasting about his heroic deeds in front of the students gathered around the campfire again.
Cesset hesitated whether to tell Philia what she had heard from Rai.
Cesset had only realized late that Selenas's words weren't a hint but a training device.
She was sharp, but because Rai existed in the seven-team, she couldn't feel it at the time.
No matter if Rai was good or bad, he was an instructor and stood above the students in the team. Whether power, status, or strength, if one member stood out, no other noise would arise.
Even if they tried to gain more points, they couldn't act like a captain with the princess in the team. The teams with Violet or Sozeta, who claimed no rivals in the same grade, had already unified without fighting.
There were also teams where friends gathered, like Aslan's, but even among friends, some groups caused discord over individual points.
More than half the students had already seen through Selenas's intentions.
But knowing the intent didn't make the problem easy to solve. Teams that failed to unify their opinions and self-destructed were still appearing.
And in Cesset's view, Philia's team was heading toward self-destruction.
"Philia... Do you remember what the headmistress said?"
With a worried expression, Cesset whispered. Philia looked at her and pressed a finger to her lips. When Cesset realized Philia had also caught on, she glanced at Gilbard and said.
"Cooperation is important, but that idiot still doesn't know what he's testing and is running wild..."
"It's not cooperation."
Philia's words made Cesset look up at her. Philia scanned the surroundings to see if anyone was listening, then spoke quietly.
"It's my personal opinion, but while evaluating cooperation is one thing, evaluating the team leaders is even more important."
"Team leaders?"
"Yes. This training favors the team leaders who direct the teams. Since the captains are already set, they give more orders and can score better points. The instructors made the test slightly harder for the team leaders."
Cesset fell silent and thought after Philia's whisper.
If Selenas's words were a trap, the biggest victims would be the team leaders. Their helpful teammates suddenly changed attitudes during preparation, leaving the leaders frustrated.
Whenever they spoke, they faced interference; any small mistake revealed their thoughts. As the training progressed, their positions narrowed. The academy created a structure where team leaders protected their status while students climbed up.
Making team leaders give up items by force was ruthless. No matter the choice, they suffered losses, and even minor disagreements caused complaints from the team members.
Cesset thought quietly, then looked at Philia.
"So Philia is the most dangerous? That idiot is swinging his arms freely."
"It's fine."
Philia smiled faintly and said it was fine. And since she had grown up with Cesset, the older girl knew exactly what that confident smile meant.
If Philia had been born a boy, no difficult thing would have troubled her. Whenever Philia smiled confidently and said it was fine, everything turned out fine.
"Yes, yes. Then I won't have anything to evaluate and I'll just worry about my own score."
Thanks to Rai, the training prepared by the academy didn't apply to Cesset, so she had expected her score to be slashed. There was no complaint since Rai wasn't there to even do proper training, but she felt a twinge of regret.
"Rai always helps and then messes with us."
"But Rai instructor seems to suit your taste."
"Yeah, yeah. I like it, I like it. He helps reliably when needed, his actions are funny, and he doesn't add pressure. Philia, do you hate Rai?"
"I really hate him."
Philia answered honestly while still remembering the memory of Philia chewing deer meat in front of her eyes while starving. When Cesset avoided the stern look on her face and fiddled with the blanket, she draped it over Philia's shoulders.
Philia, who wasn't hot since she was sitting in front of the fire, turned to Cesset and saw the blanket. She smiled gently and stood up.
"Return the blanket tomorrow. A political gift to solidify the captain's status! Since Philia can't do politics, I have to do it for her."
Philia, who didn't understand the connection between the blanket and politics, stared blankly at Cesset until she felt the heavy something inside the blanket she was wrapped in. Fumbling, she touched it. The weight was solid but not hard, bringing back the image of Rai chewing the deer meat with a bad expression.
Philia's eyes changed. Cesset narrowed hers and grinned wickedly.
"This is Rai's gift that Philia hates the most. Of course, I chose who to give it to, so you should thank me. Show the team members how great the captain's connections are."
After saying what she wanted, Cesset dashed to the tent and tackled Aria from behind, both disappearing inside together.
Still blank with gratitude he couldn't even say, Philia fumbled again and measured the meat's weight. She clenched her fist unconsciously at the amount exceeding their current rations and smiled happily.
Feeling gratitude, Philia coughed, glanced at Rai who was rummaging through the smoking fire for a moment, and headed toward her own tent.