“All right. Guess that about does it.” Hoshina thumped a finger on the report resting on top of his desk and let out a sigh. The report was an evaluation of Kikoru’s training exercise from the day before, written from the perspective of Hoshina, her vice-captain. “That took longer than expected.” Hoshina swallowed the last of his lukewarm coffee and stepped out of the room. Office hours had already ended, but he had another appointment coming up.
He walked down a corridor of the main office building and saw the television crew approach from the other end. “Mr. Director,” said Hoshina. “How was your day? Are the interviews going all right?”
The director gave a slight nod. “It really helps that everyone’s so cooperative,” he said. “Mr. Hoshina, I’d like to ask — Would it be okay if we heard a bit from you?”
“From me? I’m too old to call a newcomer, but—”
The director laughed gently. “No, I’d like to ask you about the newcomers. Everyone this year seems top-notch. I was really surprised at Shinomiya’s exercise yesterday too.”
“Well, the most recent entrance exam in western Tokyo was pretty harsh. Maybe the most competitive one we’ve ever had. It’s ’cause there’s so many talented people. I’d be glad to get just one of their kind every year.”
“Interesting,” said the director. “Actually, that makes me wonder even more about something.”
“What would that be?”
“Officer Kafka Hibino. Compared to the others, he just seems weaker in terms of basic physical ability. What exactly did you have in mind when you chose him for the job?”
It was no wonder the director was harboring such a question. For the past few days, Hibino hadn’t managed to do anything impressive in front of the news crew. He’d come in dead last in shooting practice as well as in the obstacle run.
“Well, it should go without saying that we don’t simply hire based on combat ability,” Hoshina said. “There’ve also been various changes of attitude in the upper echelon. Because of that, one of the reasons we hired Officer Hibino is—”
The director couldn’t believe what he’d heard. “One of the reasons?” he asked.
The corner of Hoshina’s mouth turned upward as he smirked. “I guess you could say he ticks the comedy checkbox.”
“Th-the comedy checkbox?” Startled, the director blinked his eyes, looking like he’d never expected such a thing.
“The life of the party, as it were,” Hoshina explained. “Even watching from the sidelines, he’s pretty funny, isn’t he? All those reckless, dim-witted things he does? Honestly, what a klutz! Up until now, I’d never seen an unleashed combat power of 0 percent, and while his fighting spirit would do any officer proud, he lacks the physical strength to back it up. At Sagamihara, he didn’t even know what he could do and just ran around the emergence site from start to finish.”
“Th-that’s a pretty severe evaluation, isn’t it?”
“Well, I just have a soft spot for that kind of moron,” Hoshina admitted.
“Let me ask you again,” the director pressed. “Why did you hire him?”
Hoshina scratched his cheek. “A long time ago, I saw someone like him doing the same things. People around him were always telling him to give up being a Defense Force officer, but he kept frantically running around trying to make it work. He was a moron too.”
“I see. So there was someone like him before. What is that officer doing now?” the director asked.
“No idea. But I like to think he’s off working as an officer somewhere.” Hoshina laughed softly and started walking. “Come to think of it, there’s a training session I’m running in the dojo that’s about to start. Newcomers will be participating too, so if you don’t mind, I’d like you to drop by and report on it.”
“Seyaa!”
Shouts of officers were resounding in the wood-floored dojo. The JDF base had indoor training facilities, which included a gymnasium. Even after dinner was over, many people were still focused on their training.
“Look at this.” the director murmured, impressed. “Even though this is their free time, there’s quite a turnout, eh?”
Hoshina looked around the dojo and remarked, “This year’s new hires are especially proactive.”
Near the entrance, two officers in protective gear were jabbing the tips of their swords at one another. One charged forward to strike at an opening and drove his bamboo sword into the mask of the other.
The officer who’d scored the hit pulled off his mask. It was Haruichi Izumo. “You’re pretty good at this, Reno. Did you do kendo before?” he said.
Reno, who had been Izumo’s opponent, took off his mask and exhaled. “Just a little, in a class I had in junior high. I couldn’t see that last charge of yours at all, Haruichi.”
“No, no. I was in a tight spot too.”
A relaxed, easygoing smile was on Haruichi’s face.
Nearby, another pair with decidedly different physiques were facing off against one another. One was a veteran male officer experienced at kendo, and yet he was being put on the defensive. His opponent, a tall, muscular officer, was swinging the sword downward from overhead in a blisteringly powerful strike.
“That officer’s intensity is something else, isn’t it? Is he a new hire too?”
Hoshina shook his head at the director’s question. “I know you can’t see their face because of the mask, but it’s not a ‘he’ but a ‘she.’ It’s new recruit Hakua Igarashi.”
“Igarashi— Oh yeah, the younger sister of Officer Jura from Second Division!”
Hakua Igarashi got along well with Kikoru and was herself another of the promising newly minted officers.
While Hoshina was letting his gaze wander around the dojo, a lone male officer walked up to him. He was a young man with light tan skin, a piercing gaze, and a shredded body. It was Aoi Kaguragi, formerly of the Ground Self-Defense Force. “Sir! May I request a sparring match with you?” he asked.
“All right,” Hoshina agreed. “A single-bout match.”