High Ground Skirmish - Part 2
The second-year exams ended yesterday, so the seniors are probably all gathered in the CT Club room today. Whether it was for animation production or just because they enjoyed hanging out with friends, the upperclassmen spent every spare moment there. Well, except for Kirié, the mechanic senior. She was always so busy that she spent most of her time in the maintenance workshop instead.
Since Neria and I were treated like unofficial members of the CT Club, we had free access to the clubroom. I tapped my student ID on the sensor beside the door and pushed open the familiar heavy panel.
The scent of tea and snacks. A place I’d grown used to after coming and going for an entire month. I greeted Rane and Muri, who were drinking tea on the sofa, then scanned the room. Is Rendell not here today?
Rane must have noticed who I was looking for. She smiled with her eyes and pointed behind the sofa. I walked over quietly and peeked around the back.
Rendell and Carson were sitting on the floor, clutching game controllers. The game they were playing with such serious expressions was Aindium Fighters—a typical versus fighting game where you piloted Aindiums to defeat your opponent. Since this was a world where Aindiums actually existed, there were naturally tons of games about them. I wanted to try it too, but I’d been too busy both back in Karmanu and after coming here to ever get the chance.
“Rendell. Luna’s here.”
“Yeah, just a sec.”
Rendell’s reply was half-hearted, his focus still glued to the screen. Muri let out a small sigh.
“Boys, I swear…”
“Hehe. The exams are over, so they’re in full play mode. Next week we’ll be stuck outside for field training anyway.”
“You seniors have the high ground skirmish training next week, right?”
“Yep. You two are lucky. Your break starts today, doesn’t it?”
“Yes. Neria and I went up the hill earlier because of the Limpy. I wanted to talk to Senior Rendell about something related to that…”
“Not Kirié? Hmm. Rendell?”
“Wait. Almost… ugh.”
“Died again?”
“You should’ve been covering the other guy!”
Even the usually polite Rendell and the quiet, serious Carson argued when they played games. That was bound to happen if someone trolled during a team match. After their team lost, the two of them grumbled at each other for a moment before turning off the console and standing up.
“Sorry, Luna.”
“It’s fine. Senior, do you have time right now?”
“Sure. What time is it? I’m good until dinner.”
It was already past five-thirty. If I wanted to talk about what would happen next week, I’d have to be indirect, which would take time. The other seniors might get the wrong idea if they overheard.
“It’s already late today. Would it be okay if I told you tomorrow instead?”
“Yeah, no problem. I’ll be in the clubroom in the morning.”
The other seniors were watching us too, clearly curious about what I had to say. If things kept going like this, they’d all end up joining in. I pulled Rendell into a corner and spoke quietly.
“Um, this is something that might be a little awkward if the other seniors hear it. How about we meet in town tomorrow instead?”
“In town?”
“Yes.”
There were too many eyes on campus. Even though it was a holiday, quite a few students would be in town, but Alov City was large enough that there were plenty of quiet places to talk. If it were just a simple warning about the upcoming attack, I could have kept it short. But this was the perfect time to make Rendell fully aware that he was the protagonist and have a sincere conversation. That was why I wanted to set aside proper time.
Or at least, that had been the plan.
I stared at the forum titles popping up one after another beside Rendell, completely stunned. Here I was desperately trying to prevent an upcoming disaster, and this was the reaction I got? What on earth was going on in these people’s heads?
Of course, if I were just a regular viewer of the animation, I might have been right there with them. No, I would’ve been spamming the forum with bait 100 percent of the time.
Rendell must have thought my eyes darting between the floating panels looked nervous. He swallowed dryly and quickly spoke up.
“Let’s meet at ten in the morning in front of the clock tower.”
“Huh? Oh, yes.”
The appointment was set so quickly that I was surprised by my own suggestion. The forum titles I’d just seen flashed through my mind. Damn it, why did the board have to pop up at exactly that moment…?
Sometimes the board appeared for reasons other than my own will. I still didn’t understand why. Maybe I should start training myself to ignore it even if it suddenly appeared from now on.
“Luna. Want to grab dinner together?”
Thanks to kind Rane senior, my spirit that had sunk to the floor felt like it was recovering a little.
“Yes. Should I bring Neria too?”
“I’ll drag Kirié along.”
“See you in front of the cafeteria.”
I seemed to have gotten quite close to the CT Club seniors. I wasn’t personally close with Carson or Muri yet, but we chatted occasionally when we were together. The third-years didn’t participate in club activities much anymore. That was only natural—many had withdrawn or remained in name only because of career concerns. Even when we saw them, we usually just exchanged greetings.
In the animation, after the protagonist’s group became second-years, almost none of the third-year seniors appeared again except for one. And that senior was currently far away. She would show up eventually, but since she wouldn’t appear until the next attack, I had to treat her as nonexistent combat power for now.
Our forces were lacking. There was still a long way to go in preparing for the attack.
After the entire second-year CT Club, Neria, and I had dinner together, we hung out a bit in the clubroom before heading back. I fell asleep without realizing it while worrying about how I would bring up the topic with Rendell tomorrow.
**
Saturday morning. It was the start of the final weekend before the massive attack scheduled for next week.
Today’s schedule was: meet Rendell in the morning for mental management and to hint at the attack, then spend the afternoon on personal weapon training. As the animation’s lead, Ruwina—no, Luna—was doomed to be busy even on weekends. She barely appeared in the original work. Half of this was self-inflicted, and the other half came from my sense of responsibility since I knew how the story was supposed to go.
I took some bread from the mini-fridge in the room and finished a simple breakfast, then carefully chose my outfit. I absolutely couldn’t wear my uniform or training clothes—other students would notice. A plain t-shirt and pants… didn’t exist in Ruwina’s wardrobe. Having been born a princess, she had always worn dresses. But before coming here, she had hurriedly bought some suitable clothes.
Since I didn’t know much about ordinary women’s fashion, I remembered dragging along the maids who were knowledgeable about it and raiding department store clothing shops. The carefully selected outfits now filled the dressing room. The clothes hangers covering three walls of the room had Neria’s clothes taking up only half of the narrowest wall. The rest were all mine.
When packages kept arriving for the first full week, Neria had been horrified. Thanks to that, I wasn’t short on casual clothes for days off, but did I actually know how to pick them? Ruwina didn’t know much about normal clothes either. In the end, I chose something that looked ordinary. It wasn’t a color clash, nor did it stand out too much. This should be fine.
After fixing my clothes and hair in front of the mirror, I grabbed my bag and headed out. The clock had just struck eight. If I left now, I’d have over an hour to spare. I wouldn’t be late.
“I’m heading out.”
“Where…?”
Neria’s hoarse voice came from where she was still lying in bed.
“Into town. I’ll probably eat lunch outside and come back. Let’s do weapon testing in the afternoon.”
“Okay… have fun…”
She waved her arm lazily before sinking back into dreamland. I left the dormitory behind.
“Oh my. Junior Luna.”
“Good morning, President.”
Just as I was about to leave the dormitory, I ran into the third-year senior who had been student council president until last year. She was the kind senior who had saved me from mischievous upperclassmen on my second day in the dorms, and we had become friendly enough to greet each other whenever we met.
“You’re going out today, I see. You’re all dressed up—heading on a date?”
“Ah, n-no, not at all!”
“Hm? I was joking… but is it actually true?”
The president’s eyes narrowed sharply. To escape the suspicious gaze behind her thin glasses, I quickly bowed.
“I’m meeting some friends. I’ll see you later.”
“Alright. Be careful and enjoy yourself in a way befitting a student.”
“Yes ma’am!”
After parting with the president, I hurried toward the parking area behind the dormitory in case anyone else tried to talk to me. Buses ran from school to town every weekend, and quite a few students used them. I had ridden a few times before when sending packages or letters to the relay point in Alitus to contact my home country.
Now that the civil war in Karmanu had become obvious, sending letters or packages had become difficult. I could only hope that Line was safe.
As soon as I boarded the bus, I moved to the back and pulled my cap down low. Since first- and third-years had been on break since yesterday, most people who wanted to leave had already gone. The bus was unusually empty. There were so few passengers that everyone sat far apart, and I didn’t recognize any faces. Good. I’d head into town early, look around a bit, then go to the clock tower.
“Luna?”
I was looking out the window when a familiar voice called out.
“Senior Rendell.”
“You came out early.”
Rendell, neatly dressed, smiled and naturally sat down in the seat beside me. What the—? He was so smooth I couldn’t even stop him. The unexpected early encounter created an awkward atmosphere. We both turned our heads away on purpose. If anyone had been nearby, they definitely would have given us strange looks.
A little while later the bus departed. Staying silent like this would only make things more awkward when we arrived, so I spoke first.
“Do you have business in town, Senior?”
“Not really.”
Then why did you come out two hours early? Rendell seemed to read the hidden meaning behind my question and gave a small chuckle.
“I was worried I might make you wait. Did you have something to do?”
“No.”
“Really? Good thing I came out early then.”
“…Yes.”
Since he saw me leaving early too, I had nothing to say. And then another long silence.
Ten minutes later, the bus reached its destination. We waited until everyone else had gotten off before slowly disembarking.
“Are we going to the clock tower?”
“There’s no need. Let’s go right away.”
“Where to?”
“Hmm.”
I had been thinking of going to a quiet café to talk, but since we had come into town so early, I suddenly felt like having a little fun first. At that moment, as if on cue, the board appeared.
These people… Even if I had messed up a few times, calling me a klutz who wasn’t even on Haze’s level? Of course, Sister Haze was indeed amazing. Still, having people compare me to others in real time felt terrible.
Since it had come to this, I’d make sure the board guys couldn’t keep their composure. With a big decision, I grabbed Rendell’s arm and pulled him along.
“I want to go to the arcade!”
**
After playing like crazy, it was suddenly almost lunchtime. By the way, the board had exploded from the traffic and gone into maintenance. Serves them right.
That aside, the Aindium games here were incredible. They said it was a civilian adaptation of actual VR training devices, and the realism was off the charts. Even I, who had actually piloted a real Aindium, was impressed. I fought Rendell several times and lost every match, but I managed to land a few counterattacks in between. It was hilarious watching him get frustrated about losing to a beginner who had just started riding Aindiums.
“Where do you want to eat lunch?”
“Hmm. Something simple.”
I pointed at a food truck selling street food. Rendell looked a little surprised.
“Is that okay? It might not suit your taste.”
“Why not? I’ve eaten that kind of thing quite a lot.”
Ruwina might not have, but I used to buy street food all the time when I was a student, so taste wasn’t an issue. No matter how much my tongue had adapted to mint chocolate, Ruwina’s influence only went that far. I struggled a bit at first, but now I could eat soup rice and spicy food just fine.
I bought two crispy toasts, split one with Rendell, then got canned coffee from a nearby vending machine and handed it to him. He shrugged and accepted it.
“I feel a bit bad. I was going to buy you something good.”
“It’s fine. Everything around here is expensive, right?”
Alov was like Jeju Island back in my old country—prices were high. Rendell’s family was ordinary, so they couldn’t send him much allowance. With only his scholarship and cadet salary, going to an expensive restaurant would be quite a burden. Besides, while Ruwina might not feel the same, I was more comfortable with this kind of meal.
After finishing our meal on a bench, we headed to a quiet café. It had partitions and we were the only customers, so there was no worry of anyone overhearing.
“Senior. Shall we get to the main topic now?”
“Sure. You said you had something to tell me?”
“Yes. First, it looks like I’ll be able to join the CT Club. I’ll probably place around fifth in the year.”
“Congratulations. But didn’t you already qualify anyway?”
“What? What do you mean?”
Weren’t the CT Club entry requirements based on grades? The exact conditions hadn’t been announced, but the second- and third-year CT Club members’ grades had been made public once. They were all top of their respective years, so I had naturally assumed that was the case.
“For pilots, if you have your own personal unit, you qualify.”
“Not up to fifth place?”
“People often think that, but that’s actually the condition for a cadet with ordinary attributes to receive a personal unit. Carson only got into the top five at the end of last semester.”
“Ah.”
Carson had the earth attribute’s higher form, ‘Steel.’ That was why he had received his personal unit quite a while ago.
“Muri and I have consistently been in the top five. Not to mention Rane or Kirié.”
It might have sounded like he was subtly dissing Carson, but Rendell was simply stating facts.
“Ahem. Anyway, I’ve become able to join the CT Club too. Since the exams are over and all.”
“Welcome. The others will be happy too.”
Rendell smiled as he spoke. His gaze felt a bit heavy, so I slightly avoided his eyes.
“So I’ll keep the promise I made with you, Senior. I’ll show you what I can do.”
“Thank you.”
The words could have sounded a bit arrogant, but Rendell answered with genuine tone and expression. As expected of a man crazy about Aindium piloting. To be so grateful to a novice junior just because she was acquainted with someone who had beaten him…
“The high ground skirmish is next week, right?”
“Yeah. Are you coming to watch?”
“That’ll be difficult. I’m neither a second-year nor faculty.”
“Really? That’s a shame. I think it would work if I talked to the headmaster.”
“That would be difficult too.”
Hey. No matter how much of a protagonist you are, there’s no reason to borrow the headmaster’s influence just to have me watch you. Now for the real main topic. I had to hint at the attack that would begin during the high ground skirmish.
“Instead, during the high ground skirmish…”
Now that I had actually said it, no matter what words I chose, they all sounded suspicious. Be careful? I wasn’t a prophet, and there was no reason to warn someone about a normal training exercise. Something interesting is going to happen? With the possibility of people dying, saying something like that would make me a psychopath. An incident is going to occur? Then I’d only look like the mastermind.
Hmm. Let’s just go with what I originally planned.
“…there will be a chance for you to shine. I’ll help you then too.”
Rendell tilted his head slightly at my words.
“The high ground skirmish is second-year training. First-years can’t participate.”
“Yes, I know.”
I smiled brightly and looked into Rendell’s eyes. His deep green pupils shook with confusion.
“Still, when the time comes, I’ll be able to help you.”
“When the time comes? And what exactly can you help with?”
“That’s still a secret. Don’t forget to turn on the channel we made just for us.”
It was the auxiliary communication line for the CT Club. A channel left open so that Neria and I, who weren’t official members yet, could participate. Rendell mulled over my words, then let out a sigh as if he still didn’t understand.
“Then. I’ll see you later, Senior.”
I hummed the ending music I could hear in my ears and greeted Rendell before leaving the café. He got up belatedly to follow me, but since I had already paid for my share in advance, he was held up at the counter.
As soon as I left the café, I circled around the alley next to it a few times, hid for a moment, then confirmed he wasn’t around before getting on the bus. Once I got back, it would be time to practice handling weapons.
**