13 Instructor Incompetent

That evening, as Jin firmly nodded, determined to fulfill his duty as Instructor.

"I’m not cut out to be an Instructor..."

Jin stood there, wrapped in air so thick with humidity it seemed ready to grow mold.

There was not a trace of the boldness once displayed by the ace who had earned renown on the battlefield.

Only a person disappointed in themselves remained.

"From what I saw, it wasn’t bad..."

"The simulation combat... I think it went reasonably well. I managed to exploit the trainees’ weaknesses and identify their flaws."

"Not bad at all."

Yes, up to that point, Jin had felt confident.

Unexpectedly, maybe I’m not so bad after all.

"Then, I began the debriefing for the simulation combat..."

◆ ◆ ◆

"The movement of Unit Seven here was slightly delayed. Whether with the rifle or the dagger, a prompt response should have allowed interception."

Jin continues his explanation while calling up the recorded simulation footage.

Assault Frame Type 82, Leopard.

The linear armor, once a shade of gray, now appears outdated.

This frame was used for training cadets.

Combat in zero-gravity space.

Observing the cadet’s ambush using debris, Jin evaluates the moment, recalling the surprise from that time.

“This ambush was effective. ASID relies on visual input. Without full 360-degree coverage, surprise attacks remain viable.”

“Excuse me, Instructor. May I ask a question?”

One cadet raises a hand, directing the question toward Jin.

“What would have been required to ensure success in this ambush?”

"Indeed. We should have drawn them deeper. The ambush was initiated too early—distance opened between the decoy and the main force. Success would have increased if the decoy had been able to reverse and flank."

Jin explains the necessity of coordination between the decoy and the concealed unit.

Though Jin typically advances alone, he understands the value of coordination with allies.

When facing a formidable opponent, adjustment to others was required.

"Instructor. Why did you notice the surprise attack this time?"

A different cadet speaks up, seemingly curious.

Jin replies without hesitation.

"Ah. Because I was watching behind me."

"I see. Full-spectrum sensor verification is essential, then."

Assault frames are humanoid machines.

Yet their structure does not fully emulate human anatomy.

Particularly their sensory apparatus—sensors, in particular.

They are distributed across various points of the frame.

Cameras are no exception.

The trainee who thought he understood nodded in acceptance.

Yet Jin spoke as if it were nothing.

"Look behind. If you do, you'll avoid most surprise attacks from ASID."

A few laughed, thinking it a joke.

Jin’s eyes were serious.

The air grew slightly heavier, but he continued without pause.

"Precision shooting in formation—also a solid tactic. Aim a bit more with awareness of the enemy’s evasion patterns. Coordination is essential. Push them forward, then finish with the last one."

"Uh, Instructor. The final shot was blocked by the Etherdagger. Were you able to see that?"

"Was my line of fire anticipated?"

Questions passed back and forth, seeking to expose the source of Jin’s skill in effortlessly cutting through the trainee’s concentrated barrage.

Ether rounds fired from the Ether rifle traveled at a speed reaching a few percent of light speed.

Human perception should be utterly incapable of tracking them.

To deflect such a projectile could not be explained by reflex alone.

"One second ahead—just see one second ahead. That’s enough to intercept."

Before anyone could interject with the conventional objection—that one second was insufficient for interception—a collective confusion filled every mind.

The expression on each face clearly read: What does "seeing one second ahead" even mean?

The air grew heavier.

After that, few questions followed.

Perhaps the trainees’ defensive instinct had activated, bracing against the possibility of another impossible statement.

◆ ◆ ◆

"That’s about it."

No, sorry. I don’t understand what you’re talking about either. 'Keep an eye behind you,' 'look ahead by a second'...

Jin’s gaze questioned the remark as a joke—but unfortunately, he was entirely serious.

Rather, how are you supposed to prevent ambushes without keeping an eye behind you...

Why not integrate the sensors of multiple units via data link to determine the opponent's position?

Of course—exactly as expected. Jin felt as though scales had fallen from his eyes.

So that’s the hand, then.

No, you were taught that in training school, weren’t you? Forgot already?

Jin's expression of surprise is pierced by his mentor's cold gaze.

Jin spoke in a vague tone, his gaze averted.

Something like a faint memory—vague, as if it existed, as if it didn’t…

A method unusable for Jin, who often finds himself isolated and surrounded.

Aligning formations would resolve the issue, but in most cases, Jin’s solo approach proves more efficient—there is little choice in the matter.

“Hmm. Listening to you, it seems your methods have drifted too far off the standard path.”

It would be more accurate to say that the way Top Ace fights is not something other humans can easily comprehend.

The world they see is literally different.

“Regardless, those two maneuvers are prohibited in combat drills. No ASID performs such irregular movements.”

The slug-type units they’ve faced numerous times exhibit remarkably monotonous movement patterns.

The primary issue lies in their numbers, and the difficulty posed by larger, clustered specimens when they form swarms.

Neither case involves the kind of aberrant maneuverability exhibited by Jin’s Leopard unit.

“Still, the humanoid attacker just now was said to be quite formidable.”

"Yeah. Regular troops are taking considerable casualties. Holding them back for now, though."

The humanoid ASIDs attacking the convoy recently differ significantly from the worm-like ones.

According to Intelligence Division analysis, they undeniably possess something akin to intelligence.

Exactly how advanced remains unclear, but their understanding of tactics and coordinated assaults is undeniable.

"We Defense Force have abandoned combat between individuals under the Convoy Charter. A trainee graduating next month, trained only against conventional units, would be unreliable."

The home planet is already dead.

Only those who fled into space remain.

Humanity did not make the foolish mistake of destroying itself through internal conflict, despite the drastic decline.

As long as the ASID threat exists, abandoning force is impossible.

Yet, we strive to ensure that no human fights another human.

Only the preparation for human-to-human weaponry and combat had been abandoned.

"If training against myself proves helpful, I suppose."

"Conversely, you're about to lose confidence—so ease up a little. Even among humanoid units, no one matches you."

The reactor output gap approached tenfold, yet combat proficiency showed no exceptional disparity.

Still, compared to Jin, most opponents proved manageable.

Apparently, it came down to sheer force difference—enemy units far outmatched the worm-type variants.

Worm-type output barely reached fifty lammy, if lucky.

Queen-type units could approach a thousand lammy, but those were large enough to warrant fleet deployment.

"Shall we conclude today's duties? What now?"

A hand shaped into a mug.

Jin shook his head at the implied invitation to drink.

No, sorry. My child’s waiting.

Ah. I see… wait a moment! Are you married?

A look of shock crosses his face—outpaced by a student!

No, not really…

The word “marriage” inevitably brings up Rei, and his voice darkens.

There’s a connection. I took her in.

I see… then I can’t insist, can I?

Sighs, shoulders shrugging—disappointed, had planned to drink until morning.

Jin learns a new side of his mentor.

Then he goes to Jake’s shop, eats dinner with Mio, and heads home.

Good. Mio. How’s it going today? Shining bright?

Hmm… feels like something’s coming.

Good. That’s right.

Jin sighs inwardly—sleep unlikely tonight.

Mio’s instincts are remarkably accurate. Hit rate exceeds eighty percent.

Long ago, there was reportedly a profession known as a weather forecaster. Jin thought that perhaps people like Mio—those with keen intuition—had once filled such roles.

Hey, Jin. There's something I want to ask you.

Good. Now, ask the teacher anything you like.

He welcomed Mio’s question gladly, having just failed as an Instructor.

She had wanted to regain her confidence.

"Um, what's an 'assid'?"

Jin's expression froze unnaturally in response to the question.