“Good work. I’ll get straight to the matter at hand.”
“Yes, ma’am. Thank you.”
“Hmm… Based on your performance in the recent defense operation, you’ve been awarded a medal and will be officially commissioned as an ensign. Along with that, you’ll also receive a special bonus that’s normally not given to students. You’ll get the breakdown later, but the money’s already been deposited, so check your account when you get the chance.”
“…A promotion, a medal, and a bonus, huh.”
It was August, around a week after my return from Kyushu.
I had been summoned by the Boss—Major Kuga—and had reported to the staff room first thing in the morning only to be hit with that announcement right off the bat.
The “special bonus” she’d mentioned was basically just a fancy way of saying bonus pay. I didn’t know how many months’ worth it was, but whatever the amount, it was a hundred times better than getting nothing, so no complaints there.
As for the medal, it was probably like one of those old military-service decorations. Some of them even came with another little bonus, so again, I wasn’t complaining.
The problem was the whole “officially commissioned” part.
Even just getting appointed as a special ensign had caused a stir. If I was commissioned as a full officer now, it was going to draw even more attention than last time. Frankly, I could already see it being a huge pain.
What was worse was that I was still technically a student who hadn’t even completed basic military training.
Putting a kid with no real knowledge or experience in a position of responsibility? Basic common sense told you that was wrong.
Even I had my doubts about this promotion. I couldn’t imagine what the actual career soldiers must have been thinking. It was probably enough to make their blood boil.
I really hoped this didn’t end with someone metaphorically shooting me in the back. But when I asked about that…
“Oh, of course. Even though you’re now officially a full ensign, we won’t be putting you in charge of a squad until you’ve completed proper training. You can rest easy on that front.”
“…I see.”
So there wouldn’t be any poor soldiers forced to follow orders from an untrained kid, or students getting shot by those poor soldiers? That was good, at least… Maybe? I wasn’t quite done yet, though.
“I have a question. You mentioned my promotion was based on my performance in the recent operation. Is that the consensus among the higher-ups?”
“Of course it is. Why? Is something bothering you?”
“Not bothering, exactly… To me, it doesn’t seem like that alone is enough to justify promoting me.”
“…Huh?”
The Boss gave me a look that asked if I was out of my mind. Had I really said something that weird?
“I mean, you said it was based on my performance, but the only thing I did was use a prototype unit in a field test arranged by the Second Division against a wave of monsters. I won’t deny that taking down large and mid-sized monsters on my own is noteworthy, but I could only do that because of the unit’s capabilities. Given that, it feels a little off for me to be singled out because I happened to be the test pilot.”
“…Ah. That’s what you mean.”
Right. I wasn’t the one who was impressive; it was the unit that Mogami had built.
Honestly, the mech was so good that anyone could have pulled off the same thing.
If we started promoting every pilot who did what I did, we were going to be swimming in junior officers.
From a military standpoint, churning out officers who hadn’t even completed basic training was a nightmare scenario.
“Of course, I’m not saying I deserve zero credit. I did manage to pilot what most would put down as a freakish prototype and use it to great effect. But is that really enough to warrant officially commissioning a student with no backing or credentials?”
What I was saying was that just because someone could do what I did didn’t mean they should get promoted.
If every person who pulled it off got promoted, that was one thing—but what would happen when someone didn’t get the same treatment? They would end up resenting me for it.
Like, say, Kasahara or Obata. Those two already seemed to have it out for me.
“So with all that in mind, I figure it would make more sense to accept the medal and bonus and leave it at that. Otherwise, it might cause problems down the line.”
“Hmm. I see your point. Leaving aside the overall structure of the military, I agree that the potential for animosity directed at you is a valid concern.”
“…Thank you for your understanding.”
I got the feeling she’d just thrown my point about the formal reasoning out the window, but whatever. The only thing I really cared about was not becoming a target. So long as she was willing to help with that, I wasn’t about to protest.
“All right. I’ll keep that in mind and also recommend to the higher-ups that your position be handled with care. Any other concerns?”
“No. That’s it, ma’am.”
“Good. You’re dismissed.”
“Yes, ma’am. Excuse me.”
After those ups and downs, I’d managed to get promoted and gotten the daughter of a nobleman and an active duty officer like the Boss to back me up. I couldn’t really ask for more than that.
I was sure there would still be problems, but future me could deal with those.
But anyway…
“I wonder how much the bonus ended up being?”
Should I check my balance before heading home, or go get my bankbook first?
That was the real question.