20 Sasamori May 2

"Umm. Is this a promising sign or not...?"

May watched Mio's reaction, hesitated slightly, then shrugged it off.

She had made her peace with the fact that she would never be as meddlesome as her instructor.

Jin, for better or worse, maintained an unorthodox distance—unlike a typical instructor.

Still, she considered offering a little support, given their sibling-like bond.

—But she must not forget. May's shooting skills had been harshly criticized by Yuria.

"But..."

Mio spoke, her voice uncertain.

"I wish I could be like May-nee-chan someday. If I ever have a child of my own..."

Clutching Haruhiko's hand, which had once again begun to linger at her feet, Mio murmured this.

"Yes... Children are good. Yes, honestly, I understand my parents' feelings now. I'd do anything to protect them."

"Is that so?"

"Your father probably felt the same. I’ve seen that scene a few times, actually."

It wasn’t just a matter of form or decorum.

Watching the recorded footage of a humanoid ASID assault, she’d felt her body tremble—genuinely.

She’d felt something close to fear toward Jin, wondering how anyone could plunge into such hopeless circumstances alone.

Ordinary people would freeze with terror.

Like me, once—she thought. Only someone willing to throw away their life could do something like that. —That was correct, but…

"Hey, May’s sister’s here."

"Ah, little brother, you’re right on time. Which of these two does Mio look better in—this modest one, or this provocative one?"

"Cut it out with the harassment already!?"

Mio decided, for now, to stop buying either.

She actually liked the first one quite a bit.

"Shameless, Tōya-kun."

"Not perverted. I just got here, didn’t I!"

"Still, being able to walk into a lingerie shop without hesitation—really impressive, May. I’m genuinely surprised."

"Attaching a map and summoning someone like that—what kind of excuse is that?"

Sharon’s brazen behavior made Jin frown.

He’d sacrificed his holiday to carry her luggage, and this was how he was treated? Unfair.

"Um, long time no see, Higashi."

"Hey, Jin, are you out of it? We saw each other this morning."

"B-but you—"

"Oh? Jin. You’re supposed to be forbidden from leaving the premises on weekdays. What’s going on here?"

May, always getting reprimanded by Jin for breaking rules, seized the moment to tease him.

Probably affectionate. Likely.

"You’re the one who taught me that shortcut, aren’t you?"

"How disappointing, Jin. I taught you that path precisely so you’d never take it."

A single sigh escapes as the older sister begins to fake crying.

"Junya-kun. You broke the rules, didn’t you?"

"Maybe."

"Could it be...?"

Mio’s eyes widen, a sudden realization dawning.

"Oh?" May leans forward, anticipation clear.

"Uh..." Sho tenses up.

"Ah—" Junpei notices Sho and assumes a tackle stance.

"Are you really that fond of running?"

"N-no—"

Struggling for breath as her nephew’s head presses into her abdomen, Mio interrupts her own answer from below.

"Sho—!"

"Nice tackle, Junpei… but stop at the stomach. That one’s effective."

The uncle, who plays along with such energy, is also a favorite of Junpei’s. Enough to be hauled down like this.

"Junpei’s taken…"

"If you want him, I’ll give him to you…"

Shoving the nephew into Mio’s arms, keeping him under her side.

Holding his aching abdomen, Junpei turned back toward May.

"Then why'd you call me? If it's for some kind of harassment, I'm gonna be pissed."

"I'm the one who was harassed."

"Stop acting like I'm the one doing it!"

"I'm just the pack mule. Here, take this for now."

From that point on, May and Mio moved from one purchase to the next.

Mostly clothing. The weight wasn't significant, but the bulk was excessive.

He thought about having it delivered, but as the one with the least say in the matter, Junpei silently bore the load.

For him, who had lost the greatest common ground—attending the same school—walking beside Mio was worth the effort, no matter the cost.

"I've been wondering for a while... How are you gonna wear all these clothes? By next month, they'll be too small, right?"

"Tōya-kun. That’s the logic of someone who grows like a vine. This traitor."

"Didn’t grow much, huh..."

Mio glares at Tōya, who’s already grown five centimeters during summer break.

Come to think of it, she realizes—this guy hasn’t changed much in height compared to two years ago. Neither has Tōya.

The gap between them has grown significantly, somehow.

"Say, is May-chan the one teaching Tōya-kun?"

"That’s right. I’m not his assigned instructor, so we only meet occasionally during lectures."

"Training school sisters are scary."

Her teaching style is pure Jin—no mercy.

In short, beat them into shape.

Repetitive mock combat under harsh conditions, pushing trainees beyond their limits.

And it seems to be working.

New recruits’ casualty rate has been declining over the past few years.

"Love whip."

"Oooh. Love, huh."

"Liar. Definitely a masochist… Ouch, ouch!"

May lightly punched her careless younger brother in the ribs and suggested it was about time for lunch.

"What? You and Jake at this place?"

"I wanted to talk about Mio-chan's birthday party next week."

"Right. Next week's her birthday, huh..."

She noticed Nao fidgeting—whether he noticed himself or not.

Mio asked, her expression unchanged from usual.

"Will Tōya come too?"

"Yup! I'm going!"

Nao answered immediately, his tone already rehearsed. May smiled at him.

Taking her son's hand, they approached the shop—only to find a line.

"Ah... We should've come earlier. This is a mess."

"Still, it's popular with trainees."

Jake had left the training school's cafeteria six years ago.

Even after Ship 5 was repaired, Jake kept the cafeteria open instead of reopening the shop.

Jin had seemed to have given up on his shop, but in fact he’d been saving money for a better location, planning to reopen it properly.

That place was in a corner of Ship 1’s bustling district.

A restaurant focused on serving large portions of food aimed at young people.

A certain friend, S, remarked.

‘Well, I mean. With that look, calling it a café would be too much… yeah. This kind of cafeteria suits him better, don’t you think?’

A rather harsh critique, indeed.

Yet the shop’s appearance seemed to fit the owner.

Or perhaps word spread among trainees and their alumni.

It quickly gained popularity, thanks to its reasonably priced, substantial portions of cube food—unlike anything else around.

‘K-kyoukan…’

‘G-gekou. What are you doing here…’

A voice trembled from among the crowd, fearful and strained.

Turning toward the source of the voice, Shu finds a face he recognizes from the training academy.

Older grade level—probably.

The other notices Shu too. A faintly puzzled expression. A glance of pity.

From behind May, Mio emerges. The pity in the gaze turns to murder.

A sharp click of the tongue reaches him.

“? Something’s tense.”

“Yeah… I don’t know why…”

In recent years, Mio has transformed from a child into a striking young woman.

Even with an Instructor assigned, Shu bears the full weight of envy for walking beside such a girl. His voice is dry.

The year-end cross-grade simulation battle looms—terrifying.

“Jake’s food hasn’t been eaten in ages. I used to go to the cooking class regularly, but lately I haven’t been….”

“Right—Souma was studying cooking, wasn’t he?”

Jake’s shop also runs a cooking class.

The Third Fleet, rarely cooking for itself, seemed to have no demand for such things.

Yet a niche demand did exist—undeniably.

Securing customers before other competitors arrived could be considered a success.

"Yeah."

"Wow. You really think it’ll be edible?"

Though mocking aloud, inwardly—

(If only I could eat something as good as Tohgo’s home-cooked meal—so badly, so desperately!)

—his mind screamed. But a man like him couldn’t admit it outright.

"Hmph. Toya. You’ve forgotten my stew, haven’t you?"

"No way. That kind of impact is unforgettable… It’s just a stew, after all. I could make one myself."

"You’re underestimating me."

Mio pouted, looking up at Shu with a slight tilt of her head. Their height difference made it unavoidable when she drew near.

"I’ll bring you lunch next time. You’ll eat it. Then apologize. Say you’re sorry for underestimating me."

"Uh-huh. Just make sure it’s something humans can actually eat."

Unexpected turn of events—no, not really. Shu well knows how stubborn Mio can be.

In a way, she’s being manipulated like a pawn—yet unaware of it.

Having successfully secured the opportunity to taste her crush’s home-cooked meal, Shu gives a small victory gesture.

A muttered sigh echoes in response.