04 Gathering of the Troublemakers

In the training academy cafeteria.

Jin thought the place was unusually crowded.

Had it been this packed last week? He tilted his head.

Soon, the reason became clear.

"So that's it. New recruits just arrived."

There were two options for lunch at the training academy.

Eat in this cafeteria, or at the PX—essentially a store.

Perhaps out of novelty, the new students chose this one.

"Hey, Jin. What’ll it be?"

"...Ah, right. You’re working here, weren’t you?"

Jin paused for a moment, then remembered and relaxed.

"Chef’s choice."

"Come on. That’s not how it works. Daily special."

As the food was prepared, he asked casually.

"How’s the supply situation for ingredients?"

Still not improved. Half a month since the humanoid attacks ceased... but still can't afford to let our guard down.

The Third Fleet remains in a state of emergency.

At least, thanks to the past two weeks, the fleet’s self-sufficiency hasn’t collapsed.

That alone should be reason enough to breathe easy.

"Showed up out of nowhere, vanished just as fast... damn confusing bunch. Here, daily special."

"Tell me about it."

Accepting the daily special, Jin headed toward the seat reserved for the Instructor.

A set meal, at best—just a cube food with a soup side.

He didn’t expect much, but took a bite anyway...

"Damn good."

The cube food was as usual, but the soup was unexpectedly delicious.

He wanted to ask Jake what was going on, but the counter had grown too crowded to approach.

Perhaps the unusually high number of people here wasn’t due to new recruits, but rather the soup itself.

“Huh, eating something rare, I see.”

“Special today.”

“Hmm, looks tasty.”

The former instructor leans in to peer at the soup bowl, and Jin gives him a sharp look.

“Tch, stingy.”

“If you want it, get it yourself.”

He glances at the line, and his former instructor grimaces.

“Standing in that line? Not worth it.”

“Besides, what’s with that squad over there?”

“Ah. Interesting, isn’t it?”

“Interesting? More like…”

A crucible of individuality, or something like that.

Jin, having caught only a glimpse of it in the brief time before lecture began, finds himself at a loss for words.

Too advanced a challenge for a rookie instructor, wouldn’t you say?

“Did you go through the data I gave you yesterday?”

“Yes. Of course.”

Then you should understand. Their talent surpasses that of any in history. I truly believe they are your equal.

"I’ll admit that."

Perhaps it’s best described as specialization in a single field.

In their respective areas of expertise, they achieve performance metrics rivaling even elite operatives, let alone regular recruits.

"I’ll admit there are behavioral issues."

"Indeed..."

"Exactly because of those issues, the purpose of pairing them into a unit is to isolate them."

"Isolation?"

"They shine too brightly. They crush the morale of other trainees. If they can rise from that, so much the better."

Unfortunately, that did not happen, the Instructor reflects.

When the troublemakers’ squad was first-year trainees, the number who left the training academy exceeded the usual annual rate by more than double.

That many were broken by the overwhelming brilliance of their talent.

" Well, it's not about repaying poison with poison... rather, the expectation is that having an active ace as a mentor might unlock even greater potential in a promising talent."

" Didn't you just treat your former student and colleague like poison?"

" Are you hearing things?"

Jin flinches at the confident dismissal from the senior colleague.

" Actually, those two... I feel like I've seen them somewhere before..."

The two girls besides Kou seemed oddly familiar.

They had likely passed each other at the same training academy—nothing strange about that—but still...

" Well, maybe this is a chance for me to understand a bit of what we went through back then."

The words sting a little, coming from Jin, once a notorious troublemaker.

" Surely you're not suggesting that's the real reason?"

There was no reply from the mentor.

He wants to say, 'Look at me for a moment.'

The afternoon lecture proceeds with quiet routine.

Today's session is theory and combat technique.

……Now, a review for first-years. On the fundamental structure of the Assault Frame.

A weapon system centered on the Ether Reactor.

Fifteen hundred years ago, the technology to construct the frame did not exist. They reportedly modified captured ASIDs to make them operable.

Honestly, Jin has no desire to ride something whose origin remains uncertain.

"Service issue. Bellwair trainee. Explain why we employ Assault Frames in combat against ASIDs."

"Yes. ASIDs possess Ether Reactors as well. Since their defense relies on Ether Coating, we must counter with a weapon of the same type."

Unexpectedly—perhaps too much so.

Relief comes at a reasonably coherent answer.

He had worried what he’d do if the response had been, "I don’t know."

That is correct. Conventional weapons that do not use ether can inflict damage, but the cost-effectiveness is poor. The same principle applies to the general exclusion of kinetic weaponry.

Though rarely seen in assault frame armaments, kinetic weapons do exist.

Yet without an ether coating, they cannot penetrate an opponent’s ether coating.

Given that the energy expenditure is nearly identical to firing standard ether rounds, the cost of the projectiles becomes pure waste.

That is why they are not widely adopted.

“The Leopard used by the Third Fleet enhances its adaptability by equipping optional modules tailored to the combat environment.”

Through such modular upgrades, specialized units are maintained.

Still, there was a rumor that the model adopted by the Second Fleet incorporated all such features into a single unit.

The result of such modifications was a monster incapable of being piloted by a living human—yet…

"Though this is maintenance work, pilots must also memorize each package's individual suitability. Optimal movement varies from unit to unit."

Jin thought, recalling that such details had not been emphasized at training schools. He spoke from direct experience.

"Sasamori trainee. Explain why the assault frame is humanoid."

"Because past statistics showed that hand-to-hand combat—more precisely, brawling—was common... sir."

The hesitation at the end of Kou's sentence suggested a deliberate effort to maintain a polite tone.

Jin already anticipated the headache ahead; the boy clearly struggled with proper phrasing.

"Correct. It is also expected to serve as an external work machine. With limited cargo space, such versatility must be remembered."

Simply put, immediately after the immigration began, there was insufficient material and cargo space to secure the required number of external work machines and combat drones.

Now, after 150 years, the cost of change has caused hesitation, and the status quo persists.

Jin continued explaining the intended role of the assault frame.

Whether those qualities were truly embodied—would become clear in future training.

And hand-to-hand combat.

A crucial factor affecting machine mobility.

As Jin had anticipated, Kou’s combat ability was exceptionally high.

Even a brief sparring session made that evident.

Most striking, however, was the absence of arrogance in his eyes—no trace of complacency regarding his skill.

Not many instructors could defeat him.

Even among regular troops, how many could claim victory?

Given such talent, one might expect at least a hint of self-satisfaction—yet none was present.

Stoic to the extreme, refining himself without respite.

Even when facing Jin, her eyes held an insatiable hunger.

Yuria was performing above standard.

The issue was May.

"Ah, Instructor. I'm hungry right now. You understand, don't you?"

"Understand what? Come on, assume stance."

"Please stop! I don't want to waste unnecessary calories!"

"Idiotic. You just had lunch break, didn't you? Why are you hungry now?"

"No, I mean... I overslept during lunch and missed my meal."

A headache flares—no impact, no cause.

How many times today has this happened?

A first for Jin.

"Belwar trainee. Feeding is not a privilege granted to us soldiers—it is an obligation. The lunch you failed to consume was paid for with citizens’ tax money. Do you understand that…?"

"Yes, Instructor! So I’ll eat dinner until my stomach bursts!"

"That’s not the issue!"

The words slip out before he can stop them.

Troubled. Jin feels increasingly hopeless—Mio still understands better than he does.

Above all, she is weak.

As expected from her appearance, her physical strength is below average.

Her arm strength is so lacking, he wonders if a child her age would still outmatch her.

This may be a difficult challenge.

Jin shivers at the heavy cloud gathering on his first day.