They had pressured him into handing over the prototype, only to get stuck spinning their wheels with no hope of success. This was definitely a “How do you like them apples?” sort of situation, and Mogami had every right to point and laugh.
By doing exactly that, it seemed he’d finally managed to blow off some steam from the frustrations that had been piling up over the past couple of months.
It wasn’t like this canceled out the damage the Third Division had done by taking the prototype in the first place, but at least Mogami wasn’t seething anymore. That was something.
“Oh, right.”
Mogami had been wearing a deranged grin, but just then, he turned serious.
“As I’ve said before, this mess probably means the Third Division is going to start harassing you. You better watch your back.”
“Why does it always have to be like that…? Got it. Thanks for the heads-up.”
If the Third Division’s efforts to mass-produce the hybrid unit weren’t going well, that meant their reputation would be taking another hit.
The other divisions only planned to take advantage of the project if it succeeded or else place blame if it failed, so they likely didn’t care one way or the other. But from the perspective of the Second Division—the ones that had requested the second prototype in the first place—seeing the Third Division provoke Mogami Heavy Industries with no results to show for it could only be a major disappointment.
In other words, the Second Division and its associates would probably start going after the Third Division hard.
And I was a civilian aligned with the Second Division.
Q: What did that mean for me?
A: I was probably going to be targeted by people connected to the Third Division.
It wasn’t a thrilling prospect, but it was no doubt an accurate prediction.
In Class A, Muto (ranked first), Kasahara (fifth), and Obata (ninth) were affiliated with the Third Division. That was three out of ten. Class B, apparently, had five or six people from there as well.
Not great.
Plus, I was just a civilian with no backing at all. Compared with them, I was basically a nobody who stuck out far too much.
Up until now, they had probably been willing to overlook me because they felt good about taking the prototype unit. But if that changed, they were going to be simmering with resentment toward the Second Division—and I would make for an easy outlet.
Mogami’s warning was dead serious. I couldn’t afford to ignore it.
Jealousy from within your own ranks was ugly, but it was something you had to prepare for, especially at school. If someone went out of their way to give you a warning and you brushed it aside thinking your classmates could never be so petty, then you were a fool.
After all, you had no business being a soldier if you couldn’t even protect yourself.
Ugh. Guess I better come up with a plan.
The only silver lining was that summer break was coming up soon.
Military schools weren’t supposed to have long breaks, for the same reason as Golden Week. The public tended to get up in arms when things were too different from regular schools, though, so we did get a token summer holiday. That said, we were always one step away from the battlefield, so taking an actual break was practically suicide.
That made summer break a time for nonstop training without having to worry about studying.
Then again, for students in the academic trenches of exam prep, summer break was when you didn’t have to deal with stuff like gym or art and could focus solely on studying, so maybe it wasn’t all that different.
In any event, it meant I didn’t have to show up to class, so I could avoid my classmates for a while.
I wasn’t worried about petty harassment like people leaving scratches on my desk, writing on it, or covering it in trash. After all, the desk wasn’t mine. It belonged to the military.
In the military, wasting government property got you marked down. If anyone tried, the school would investigate. My classmates, all aspiring to be soldiers, would know that much, hence why I wasn’t worried on that score.
The same went for my living arrangements, where security was even tighter.
If someone did try anything, they would probably come after me directly. Or my sister.
I didn’t think they would hurt a young girl, but there were idiots everywhere, and for certain creeps, Yuna was probably a prime target.
“Right. I’ll make sure to tell her not to go out alone during the break. And to contact me if anyone suspicious shows up. Oh, and if the guards get bribed or intimidated by some high-ranking family…what then? Yeah, I’ll definitely need to have her contact me. I’ll also need a safe house. Maybe booby-trap the place just in case. Or no—it’d be better to create a vulnerable point of entry and set tons of lethal traps there. If someone’s going to illegally break into the dorm, it’s their own fault if they die, right?”
“Your inner monologue’s leaking out…,” Mogami whispered. “I know I told you to be careful, but maybe chill out a bit.”
“Hmm? Oh, of course. I’ll make sure no problems crop up.”
As long as there was no victim, there was no problem. After all, what kind of moron would complain after breaking into someone else’s home and getting hurt in a trap?
“…I mean it. At least try not to get carried away.”
Mogami still had his objections, but it was fine. There was nothing to worry about. I’d make sure to have the perfect trap waiting for any intruders.