The Sports Festival Begins
The Alitus Aindium Military Academy was established by consolidating the separate Aindium training facilities that had been operated independently by the Alitus Army and Navy Officer Academies. Naturally, it inherited many traditions from both branches, and among them, the most famous was the sports festival that carried on the legacy of the athletic competition between the Army and Navy academies.
There were events that involved moving one's own body, but in keeping with the name Aindium Military Academy, there were also competitions that involved piloting Aindiums. It was a rather unique sports festival. Another characteristic was that, due to tradition, it was held with participants divided into two teams regardless of grade level.
“The teams were announced four days ago, so everyone checked which team they’re on during homeroom, right?”
“Yes!”
“Our CT Club often ends up serving as the aces for each team in the sports festival. Last year, it was Senior Yvette and Rendel.”
At Line’s explanation, Rendel scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. The ever-enthusiastic Senior Line slapped the whiteboard with a loud smack and shouted.
“Red Team, hands up!”
Carson, Line, Kirié, Mikhail, Yui, and me.
“Blue Team?”
Muri, Rendel, Savian, Jena, Christine, Neria, and Marius.
The pilot count was four to three, but our side had more people overall, mostly first-years, while theirs had Muri and Rendel. For operators, our Red Team had Line covering four people by herself, while the Blue Team could provide nearly one-to-one support. As for mechanics, unless an Aindium suffered a major breakdown mid-event, they wouldn’t have much to do, so it ended up being an even five-to-five split.
“They probably did it on purpose. The CT Club always tries to divide its forces evenly. After all, it’s full of the academy’s aces.”
“Really? But it feels like the Blue Team would have the advantage with more senior pilots.”
When judging purely by pilot skill, the Blue Team did seem significantly stronger. If they paired people from the same class one-on-one, it would be Rendel versus Mikhail, Muri versus Yui, and Carson versus Savian, leaving me as the odd one out. In a real matchup, our team would lose every bout except Carson’s. Even if I joined in, I wouldn’t be able to quickly defeat Rendel or Senior Muri.
As I made a serious face, Rendel smiled and said,
“Don’t look so disappointed, Luna. This isn’t combat training, it’s a sports festival. Our team isn’t automatically at an advantage.”
Oh, right. Without realizing it, I had run a mental simulation based on combat scenarios. But I didn’t like the way Rendel phrased that.
“Who said I was disappointed?”
“Weren’t you disappointed because we’re on different teams?”
“Th-that’s not it at all.”
What kind of nonsense was that? Look, the other club members were giving us strange looks too.
“You two… never mind.”
Kirié, who had been glaring at us, shook her head and shrugged. Line gave a gentle smile.
“The teams turned out pretty interesting. No matter which event we compete in, even if we end up facing each other, let’s all do our best.”
“Defeat or elimination is only allowed when facing fellow club members. Understood?”
“Ooh!”
At Carson’s words, the members burned with fighting spirit and dove into sports festival practice.
*
Today, two days before the sports festival, Yvette had specially agreed to help with preparations. Although there had been quite a commotion last time, Yvette often stopped by the CT Club to help us like this.
As an apology, I had sent her high-quality Alitus confections along with a heartfelt letter. The good-natured senior readily accepted my apology. However, her sharp warning not to carelessly recommend the Princess Special to others suggested she had truly suffered because of it.
Only volunteers from the third-year class were participating in the sports festival, and of course Yvette planned to join. Incidentally, she was on the same Red Team as me.
We gathered at the CT Club’s exclusive training ground wearing our gym uniforms and split into teams for practice. Having experienced the sports festival twice before, Yvette explained the expected events and their rules. There were quite a few, and they were rather complex.
“The sports festival includes events where people move directly, events where only Aindiums move, and mixed events.”
“Mixed?”
“Yes. Do you know the triathlon? It’s like taking parts of that and replacing them with Aindium piloting.”
“I see.”
There were many unfamiliar and strange events, but Yvette’s explanations were easy and fun. It was more diverse than I expected, and since one person usually competed in two or three events, the actual day was going to be exhausting.
“There are also events centered around operators and mechanics.”
Although it was called a sports festival, there were competitions to test Aindium piloting skills, but it seemed there were also events where operators and mechanics could shine. That changed things. With Line and Kirié being top-tier second-years, our team might actually have the advantage.
“Oh, right. Last year’s winner of the ‘Speed Operating’ event was none other than our Miss Line here.”
“Really?”
I didn’t know the exact details of the Speed Operating event, but for a first-year like Line to have won it back then… As expected of a main character.
Line’s face flushed a rare shade of red, but she wore a confident smile.
“I’m going to win again this year!”
She clenched both fists in front of her chest. I had discovered a new side of my favorite character. If this were an anime, I would have taken a screenshot. I suppose the forum users would have done it for me.
“With more participants this year, I believe we’ll achieve excellent results.”
It might seem strange to pour so much passion into something like a sports festival, but this was an officer academy within an anime world that trained pilots for strategic weapons. Every single result from the sports festival or training was recognized as skill, and since it was directly tied to the cadets’ greatest goal of career advancement, giving it one’s all was only natural.
Our CT Club members were already acknowledged elites by everyone, but they still needed to prove they deserved that position. Therefore, the goal was to win every event we entered. Furthermore, to become the ace who would decide each team’s victory.
I, Ruwina, was aiming for that very spot as well.
**
The sports festival spanned two days and was so popular that journalists flocked from outside. It was one of the few opportunities for outsiders to see who the next ace pilots would be, and since the military’s power balance could shift depending on which units those cadets were commissioned into, the media coverage was intense.
The first day of the sports festival dawned clear. As if the recent heatwave had been a lie, the sun shone brightly but the training grounds weren’t particularly hot. The weather was perfect, and we had prepared by piling up plenty of water and ion drinks under the tents set up on the field.
Our CT Club gathered in one spot, each of us wearing armbands in our team’s color for identification. The second-year seniors whispered among themselves before signaling to us first-years.
“Everyone, gather round.”
At their call, we gathered and were immediately pulled into a group huddle as the seniors put their arms around our shoulders. The grinning second-years each offered a word.
“Let’s do our best today.”
“Don’t get hurt.”
“I’ve been telling you to win since last time, but don’t push yourselves too hard.”
“Just do what you can.”
“Good luck.”
At the seniors’ words, each revealing their own personality, we first-years answered in unison.
“Yes, understood!”
“Ahem. Then I’ll lead the cheer. CT Club—”
“Fighting!”
After warmly encouraging one another, we noticed quite a few eyes on us from around the area. Who was that guy pointing a camera at us?
“So from now on, we’re enemies?”
“I’ve been waiting for this moment all year.”
Rendel and Carson, who were close friends, playfully exchanged punches before heading out to the field. As we heard the announcer declare the start of the first event, Aindium boxing, we moved to our respective team areas.
**
BOOM
“Whoa!”
The heavy impact of steel clashing against steel was swallowed by cheers. These were old mass-produced Aind-class Aindiums that could be destroyed without consequence. These hunks of scrap had been stuffed away in a corner of the hangar for an entire year just for this day.
Piloted by young cadets, they were led not to a battlefield but to a sports ground. After receiving clumsy maintenance from the fresh-faced mechanic cadets and being thoroughly oiled, they entered a competition where they would destroy their opponents—and possibly themselves.
But no one paid any attention to that tragedy. With giant Aindiums punching and kicking right before their eyes, who had time to think about anything else?
The ones currently fighting while taking up the entire fourth training ground were the protagonist Rendel and Enlow, the student council member who called himself his rival.
The most basic rule of the sports festival: even pilots with personal machines had to use the mass-produced units provided by the school. It was only natural. The performance gap between personal and mass-produced units was too large to ignore, and it could easily lead to accusations of favoritism.
Our CT Club had been training with simulations even with mass-produced units so we could demonstrate sufficient skill, and everyone was good at handling Aindiums outside their personal machine’s weight class. Rendel, too, was overwhelmingly dominating his opponent even while riding an eight-meter mass-produced Aindium instead of his ten-meter White Fang with its acceleration capabilities.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Enlow’s Aindium, which had been cornered, suddenly charged at Rendel. Rendel’s Aindium stood in a strange stance with its hands slightly apart, then grabbed the incoming arm, pulled it forward, and drove its knee upward.
"That technique is—!!"
The commentator’s excited shout was probably because the move was very similar to the one Rendel had suffered repeatedly from Line. Since it had been broadcast live nationwide, most people here would recognize the scene.
Lmao that’s the same move he got wrecked with by big sis
— ㅇㅇ(66.66): (White Fang getting bare-handed by Ardent meme)
— ㅇㅇ(257.1): (Ardent getting bare-handed by White Fang meme)
— ㅇㅇ(525.2): Why do these memes even exist lol
Indeed, there were people who recognized it both here and there. I was a little surprised myself, and even slightly moved. It was proof that Rendel, who had been so traumatized he punched a wall after losing to Line, had completely overcome it.
I couldn’t hold back and swung my arm as I shouted,
“Senior Rendel! Fighting!”
“Uh, Luna… Rendel’s on the opposing team…”
“Ah.”
I tried to ignore the murmuring Red Team members and looked around awkwardly, only to see that the match had already been decided. Enlow suffered a humiliating defeat, while Rendel, supported by the excellent mechanics Neria and Marius, comfortably took the win.
**
After the first event, boxing, the Blue Team had scored a massive amount of points. To turn this crisis around, I stepped up for the Aindium cross-country event. Though it was far more complicated, incorporating coordinate navigation.
It was a race where you had to track and hit over ten scattered targets across Allob Island using only coordinates, then return. You wouldn’t know the locations of the targets until right before the start. It was an event that required the ability to instantly read coordinates, plan a route, and accurately hit targets from as far away as possible.
But I had a secret weapon.
Humming a tune, I was about to board the eight-meter Aind-class assigned to me when—
“Wait a moment, Cadet Luna Adelheit.”
“Yes?”
I was suddenly stopped by one of the teachers.
“We have information that you are accompanied by three Supporter AI Fairies. The use of fairies is prohibited during the sports festival.”
“Ah, I see.”
I summoned Numbers 1, 2, and 3 and had them wait.
“Stay here and wait for me.”
> Understood. Come back soon.
The teacher, wearing glasses that could detect magic power, confirmed the number of fairies and permitted boarding.
“Oh, and just so you know, it’s best not to even think about secretly using them. If any abnormal signs are detected in the Aindium, you will be disqualified.”
“Yes. Understood.”
I had started to feel a bit upset at being suspected for no reason, but the teacher silently mouthed “Good luck” and my mood improved.
The cockpit hatch closed. I fastened my seatbelt and took a deep breath.
“Let’s go.”
[…….]
The crew fairy from White Fang, Number 5, whom I had secretly brought along, sat silently on my shoulder and nodded.