General 12.2

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Chapter 12.2. Hayami-san's Superiority

"I'll be on the side carrying the burden and fighting like you once I graduate."

"Is Mina aiming for the military?"

"Because my soul-armament ability is suited for combat."

"Huh, I heard many girls aim for civilian careers though."

"Yeah. Thanks to that, my relationships with other girls are kinda complicated."

Mina laughed awkwardly, showing a hint of loneliness on her face.

"Is that so..."

"That's not the only reason. I'm a half-blood with an enemy country, you can tell just by looking at me, right? That might also be why I'm avoided."

Still, Mina managed to become the top student in our grade through hard work.

Overcoming such adversity and achieving the top spot indicated Mina's excellence in reverse.

"Then, let's have a mock battle sometime."

"Huh, really?"

"Of course."

"Then, let's do it when we can borrow the school's training area. And... since it's a holiday, let's stop talking about school for now and focus on choosing your clothes, Yuu-kun."

Saying that, Mina took my hand and headed to the desired floor.

Since I don't understand the latest silhouettes and such, I left the clothes selection to Mina.

We tried on numerous outfits at several shops, picking out about three full sets and ending up with a large shopping bag already.

"It's a bit early, but how about taking a lunch break?"

Walking around in crowds after shopping gives a different kind of exhaustion compared to marching. And for some reason, women seem to feel less tired from that kind of fatigue.

Since I was the first to show signs of exhaustion, I suggested an early lunch.

"Yeah, what do you want to eat, Yuu-kun?"

"Something sweet."

"You like that~. Then, there seems to be a delicious pancake shop as a tenant, shall we go there?"

Mina seemed to have picked out the shop in advance for me, a sweet addict, as we headed toward that floor.

"Oh, I've been waiting for you, Kamiya-kun."

"Huh?"

In front of the fancy pancake shop, the atmosphere suddenly became tense.

For some reason, Hayami-san was standing there, as if waiting for us as planned.

"As expected of Yuu... Kamiya-kun... This pancake shop here has quite a reputation."

"Oh, thank you for the compliment. I actually recommended this shop, Hayami-san."

With a smile, Hayami-san looked at Mina, who responded with a smile but with a hint of tension between her eyebrows.

"Oh, Kohou-san. Your casual clothes are lovely."

Hayami-san, who wore a chic velvet dress, looked at Mina and smiled wryly.

"Sensei, you're dressed so elegantly. I envy you for being able to spend money on clothes as a seasoned single aristocrat."

While her words were gentle, it seemed like sparks were flying between the two.

"Oh, by the way, Kamiya-kun, we had a promise, didn't we?"

"I'm honored that you remembered."

I remembered our conversation about going to a delicious sweets shop after the long-distance remote saturation bombing operation in the Joint Chiefs of Staff office.

Back then, I just thought of Hayami-san as a capable female officer...

"Wait a minute, Yuu-kun, what promise? And isn't it inappropriate to call the instructor 'Hayami-san' so casually?"

As Mina emitted a serious aura, she approached me.

Oops. It suddenly dawned on me, partly because I was wearing casual clothes, that I had been calling her Hayami-san instead of Hayami-san.

"Oh, actually, Hayami-san and I worked together before entering the academy."

Since Mina knows about my military background, I omitted the details and told her about my relationship with Hayami-san.

"As partners, Kamiya-kun and I traveled around the world together and shared our meals and beds."

"What are you saying!"

While Hayami-san, despite her peculiar habits, is usually a well-mannered and thoughtful female officer who should have noticed the intention behind my words, today she seemed to stand out with somewhat provocative behavior.

"What do you mean by 'partners'? Ah, you're just exaggerating your relationship from working together at the research institute, aren't you?"

"Oh, you don't know about our side of things, do you?"

Upon hearing the part about the research institute, Hayami-san seemed to understand that Mina was talking about my fake background and realized to what extent Mina was aware of my situation.

"What do you mean..."

Reacting to Hayami-san's condescending attitude, which seemed to imply she knew everything, Mina responded.

"I can't tell you about national secrets~"

While smiling calmly and confidently, Hayami-san, in contrast to Mina, seemed a little taken aback.

In that expression, a hint of panic could be seen.

"You... you're just using your position as Yuu-kun's superior, aren't you?"

In a desperate attempt to divert attention, Mina returned with mere speculation.

"What? Yuu-sama wouldn't do such a thing, you little girl. Withdraw it."

Hayami-san reacted excessively.

Mina also seemed taken aback by Hayami-san's change.

"But, since Hayami-sensei is an instructor, isn't it natural that Yuu-kun was under Hayami-sensei's command...?"

"Yuu-sama is a Major General! And he is indispensable to this country."

"Okay, stop! Stop‼ Anyway, let's go inside the shop!"

I hurriedly took the subordinates who were about to leak state secrets and Mina into the pancake shop.