Back to business for her. Truly, the elite National Cadet.
She pointed her finger at me. It was so close that it almost touched my nose.
“Ordinarily it would be a miracle if someone exceptional, like myself, would share a class with you. Appreciate your luck. I recommend being a little more aware of it.”
“Right. Lucky me, eh?”
“Are you making fun of me?”
—You’re the one who brought up luck in the first place...
“I’m stunned that you were able to enter this school despite knowing nothing about the IS. I heard that you are the only man able to pilot the IS, so I expected a little more knowledge from you... But I was disappointed.”
“It’s best not to expect anything from me.”
“Hmph. On the other hand, I am a person of vast magnanimity. I will treat you properly.”
How very... “magnanimous” of you. Never met anyone half as good in my 15 years on this Earth.
“If you don’t understand something about the IS, well... Cry to me that you need help and I might just help you. I am, after all, the elite of the elite who managed to beat a teacher during the entrance exam. The only one.”
—The only one...? Wait a sec.
“Entrance exam? Like, the one where you move the IS and fight and stuff?”
“There is no other, is there?”
“Hm... Pretty sure I beat the teacher, too.”
“You what?”
I really had. Well, she’d come barging in, I’d dodged her, and she had knocked herself out flying into a wall. Nothing more. Still, what I’d said was apparently a shock for Cecilia. Her eyes opened in shock.
“I-I was told that I was the only one...”
“The only girl, right? There is a slight distinction.”
Gotcha!
I could swear I heard something... weird. It sounded like icicles fracturing.
“S-So... I’m not the only one?”
“Beats me.”
“You? You beat a teacher?!”
“Apparently, anyway.”
“Apparently?! What does that mean?!” she protested.
“Hey, calm down. All right?”
“H-How am I supposed to calm d—”
Ding-dong.
The beginning of third period interrupted our discussion. It was a blessing, frankly.
“I shall return! Don’t run away from me! Got it?”
—No...
But I didn’t say that out loud because I didn’t want her to be mad at me.
“I will explain the different aspects of the equipment you’ll be using in training now.”
Unlike the first and second period, my sister Chifuyu led the class instead of Ms. Yamada. But Ms. Yamada was still around carrying a notebook, it seemed.
“Oh, but first we need to select a representative for the class league match the week after next,” Chifuyu said, offhandedly.
—Class league match? Representative?
“The class representative is just that. They won’t just participate in the league match, but also on the student council, as well as committee meetings. They’re the class president. The class league match determines the various levels in competence between the different classes. Right now there won’t be much difference, but competition engenders improvement. It’s only going to take place once, then the ranking is fixed.”
The girls began to talk among themselves. I had no idea what was going on, and just sat there. I figured we were talking, ostensibly, about electing a class rep. It was probably kind of a pain in the butt. Bless the one who ended up with this chore.
“Well then, I suggest Orimura.”
—Hm? Did my class have more than one Orimura? How funny.
“Yeah, I agree.”
—Wow. I don’t care who turns into the class rep, as long as it isn’t me.
“Then the first candidate will be Orimura Ichika. Any others? No self-recommendation.”
—Oh, wow. There was apparently another dude called Orimura Ichika.
“M-Me?!”
I stood up. Everyone stared. I knew without turning around that everyone was looking at me, hoping I would solve all their troubles.
“Orimura, sit down. You’re disturbing class. Any others? If not, then we don’t even have to vote on this.”
“H-Hold on! I’m not going to do—”
“No self-recommendation. If they recommend you, you can’t refuse it. Get ready to do your job.”
“N-No, I—”
I was trying to argue against this development when I was cut off by a shrill voice.
“Please wait! I cannot agree to this!”
Cecilia had slammed her table and stood up. Bless my popularity. Getting along with people was important.
“What is this farce of an election? Do you want to disgrace this class by having a male representative? I, Cecilia Alcott, will not abide this humiliation for an entire year!”
—Yes, tell them how wrong they are about... Huh?
“If ability is what counts for class representative, then I should be the natural choice. I will not accept this Far Eastern monkey as my representative just because he’s a rarity. I came to this island nation to study the IS and train, not to participate in a circus sham!”
Wow, I wasn’t even human anymore. And besides, wasn’t Britain an island as well? It wasn’t that different from Japan.
“The most able fighter should be the class representative, and that is clearly me!”
Her rage did not subside; if anything, she was getting more and more worked up. I didn’t want to be the rep, but this was starting to piss me off.
“Besides, having to live in this pre-modern country is already seriously offensive to me, and—”
—The hell?
“And what are you so proud of in Britain? You’ve had the world’s worst food for years,” I blurted out.
“Wha—”
More like that slipped out. I looked back, hesitantly, and saw Cecilia red with rage. Wow. I’d done it.
“Y-You! How dare you insult my motherland!”
Oh, well. It was too late to take prisoners. No use crying over spilt milk. The rock was rolling down the hill.
“I challenge you to a duel!”
Cecilia slammed her hand on the table. I wondered if she would throw a gauntlet at me? She wasn’t wearing one. I think doing that was Italian, anyway.
“Fine. You’re on. That beats all this talking, for sure.”
“Just so you know, if you lose on purpose, I will make you my maid... No, my slave.”
“Oh, you’ll see. I’m not going to go easy on you.”
“All right. Perfect. This will be your chance to witness the abilities of the British National Cadet, Cecilia Alcott!”
I’d gone with the flow and now I had to battle her, apparently. As a man, I didn’t think it was quite right for me to use all my strength against a girl, though.
“What kind of handicap do you think is okay?” I asked.
“Oh, are you already begging?”
“No, I just want to know how much of a handicap you want.”
Suddenly, the entire class started laughing.
“O-Orimura, are you serious?”
“Men aren’t stronger than women anymore. That was ages ago.”
“Orimura, maybe you can use an IS, but you’re living in the past.”
They were all laughing. Well, I guess they were right; men were way weaker than women. Physical strength was useless. Maybe not all girls could pilot an IS, but the only ones with the potential for it were girls. Men couldn’t pilot them on principle. If a war erupted on gender lines, then the male military wouldn’t last three days. Maybe not even three hours. The IS outclassed all forms of conventional weaponry.
“Okay, no handicap then.”
“Yes, yes. Of course. If anything, why, it should be I who gives you a handicap. Fufu. A man, stronger than a woman? Japanese men have a sense of humor!” she responded smugly; her rage had all but evaporated.
“Hey, Orimura. It’s not too late. You can still ask Cecilia to give you a handicap,” said a friendly girl from behind me.
However, I could see she was suppressing a smile. She was messing with me, which furthered my annoyance.
“No, I suggested this. I don’t need a handicap.”
“You’re not taking a National Cadet seriously enough... Or maybe you don’t know.”
“.........”
Well, I’d never seen an IS battle in person. All I’d seen was some old footage from when my sister Chifuyu had fought.
“Looks like we have a conclusion. The battle will be next Monday. Third arena, after school. Orimura, Alcott: make your preparations until then. We will begin the lesson now.”
Chifuyu clapped her hands once to end the discussion.
I said nothing and sat down. I wasn’t sure what to feel about the situation. I could master the basics in a week, so it wouldn’t be all that hard, anyway. It moved right away during the entrance exam. It wasn’t rocket science. On the other hand, if this worked out, I was the class rep. I really didn’t want that, but that’s how the cards were laid. Can’t squirt the milk back up the udder.
—Okay, I should listen to the class.
I opened the textbook in front of me.