Oran Knight is out (2/3 chapters for today)
Attendance Number 17: Mitta Sonia
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**Today’s Diary**
Today, Sonia, Hana and I went to scout out our practice match opponents. The main avenue of the academy during classes was oddly empty, which felt a bit strange. Amidst a restless and uneasy feeling, I asked Sonia why she had entered this school. It turned out Sonia admired a cool older girl named Rita-san who recruited me, and that’s why she came to the academy. Of course, she wants to be a Scout, the military type similar to Rita.
It seems Sonia had been preparing even before enrolling, but she still has a long way to go in terms of skill. However, Phil-sensei allowed her to join me and Hana, thinking that it would be a good learning experience.
—
The team I belong to, Team B, consisted of five boys including me and three girls. There were quite a few girls, but that was because our team wasn’t overly aggressive. Normally, there would fewer girls. After all, this was a military academy preparing us for future battles. To be frank, it was tough and dirty. I didn’t think it was a profession many women would aspire to. Therefore, it wasn’t uncommon for teams to have only two women or even none at all.
In the case of 1-C, both Team A and Team C had one female member each. Among the few female students, many were from military families or nobles like Maria. Sonia, on the other hand, came from an ordinary family background, so it was really rare for a girl like her to be here out of admiration for someone.
Sonia met Rita-san three years ago. Just like when she came to recruit me, Rita-san arrived in Sonia’s hometown for talent scouting and somehow ended up confronting the local gangs.
What was that woman really doing back then?
The trigger for the confrontation with the gang was the land grab of the apartment where Sonia’s family lives. Peeking secretly from her apartment window, Sonia saw Rita-san bravely facing off against the gang which inspired her to want to become like her. By the way, that gang was eventually crushed by the military. They picked the wrong fight.
Sonia’s parents strongly opposed her decision, but she remained steadfast in her determination and, with effort, successfully enrolled here. Sonia, who worked hard to enroll, still hasn’t had a chance to talk to Rita-san. I thought I should encourage her to speak up next time.
Afterward, Sonia asked us a few questions about how to avoid being noticed by the other party as we walked to the battlefield. Hana was teaching her ninja walking techniques. I talked to Sonia about how to use gaze. For me, it was usually about observing prey. Living things were generally sensitive to gazes. Humans were the same, but not as much as wild animals.
In my case, if the target is close by, I try not to fix my eyes on it until the very last moment. The idea is to take a broad view and see it as just one part of it.
“Hmm, it’s difficult, but… I’ll give it a try anyway.” (Sonia)
As Sonia stretched and narrowed her eyes with her finger on her eyelids, we finally approached the practical area where 2-C was conducting their class. From here on, no more talking. We communicated using newly learned hand signals.
We entered the forest to detour and proceeded cautiously, making as little noise as possible. The target, Team A of 2-C, should be practicing in a grassy area just before an artificial river beyond the forest.
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As we advanced through the forest, we started to see open spaces. From here on, we proceeded carefully and slowly. As we actually saw the upperclassmen of 2-C in class, tension rapidly increased. In training, each team wore bibs of different colors to distinguish them, so that instructors could easily tell which teams they were assigned to within the class. Team A wore red, Team B wore yellow, and Team C wore pink. They avoided using blue or green to prevent easy visibility in the bib’s color.
Our opponents should be Team A of 2-C. I focused on those wearing red bibs among those sitting in front of the instructor receiving instructions. Just as the training was wrapping up and everyone was sitting in rows listening to the instructor, they dispersed after finishing the instructor’s speech. Each team began to gather separately.
We were holding our breath, watching them gather in their bibs of the same color. My gaze was fixed on the face of one boy who turned towards us. A fresh eye patch covered his right eye, and there was a bandage on his forehead.
I barely managed to stifle an “ah”. The other two looked at me suspiciously, so I gave a hand signal to indicate that it was okay and somehow managed to tear his eyes away from the boy. During that time, the culprit who bullied the cat I sniped with a sling in the evening, although I couldn’t say for sure, but at least one rubber bullet hit his forehead. From the way he recoiled, it should have hit his eye or a similarly vital spot. Now, the boy in the red bib in front of me had an injury exactly in that area.
Is it just a coincidence? It’s not good to jump to conclusions… No, I need more information right now.
Just then, the boy with the eye patch turned his gaze towards where we were hiding in the forest. I shifted my gaze to the ground and tried to minimize my presence. I felt his gaze on us for a while, but he didn’t approach us and seemed to focus on preparing for the exercise. After that, no one else seemed to pay attention to us, and we were able to conduct our reconnaissance thoroughly. The boy with the eye patch is a Knight (Ritter).
Team A of 2-C consisted of:
Knight (Ritter) – the boy with the eye patch
4 Gunners (Shooter) or Raider (Commander)
2 Spearmen (Lancer)
1 Heavy Armored Soldier (Armor)
1 Technician (Tech)
From their weapons, this seemed to be their unit composition. There were no snipers or scouts visible. Both in composition and in the nature of their training exercises, they seem like a team that relies on sheer strength.
Once we had gathered enough information, we quietly left the scene.
—
Today, Fol, the homeroom teacher for class 1-C, received a report from the instructor who had been leading class 2-C’s practical training. Scratching his head, Fol glanced through the report and muttered, “Hmm,” after a short pause.
It seemed the first-year boys he permitted for reconnaissance managed to complete their mission without being detected. There were a few risky moments along the way, but their ability to erase their presence afterwards was deemed satisfactory. Of course, Fol had informed the instructor beforehand, and if it were any less than Lux and the others, the instructor would have caught on quickly. Even so, it was noteworthy that newcomers received such a favorable assessment from an instructor.
“Hmm… This year might turn out to be somewhat interesting.” (Fol)
He said so before turning his attention to another document that arrived with the report.
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