General 25

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Chapter 25. Becoming A Body Pillow

"Here. This is the report for when Principal Takami was absent."

"Thank you for serving as my substitute when I was away, Major General Kamiya."

"It's just... part of the job."

The next morning in the principal's office, I responded curtly to Principal Takami's half-joking, half-formal greeting with a salty attitude.

"Don't take it so seriously."

Principal Takami chuckled and motioned for me to sit on the sofa.

I deliberately chose to sit on the higher seat.

"So, what was your intention in revealing my rank to the teachers?"

"We suspect there are insiders leaking information about the academy, so it was a way to flush them out. Thanks to that, we've almost identified them."

"Wouldn't it be worse if someone like me, a kid, was exposed as a major to spies?"

While only my rank as a major general was disclosed to the teachers this time, it wouldn't be difficult for them to connect the dots and realize I'm a significant asset in this country's soul-armament capabilities.

"We've imposed strict secrecy regarding this information. However, despite that, there was an attempt by an insider to bring back information to their nest, which led to their exposure. Now it's just a matter of rooting them out entirely."

"Like rolling up an ant nest."

It was too tempting for spies to ignore, leading them to risk bringing back information despite the consequences.

"Some teachers seemed to have already suspected your true identity."

"Some of them didn't seem too surprised when I revealed my rank."

"They probably saw you on the battlefield before. You stood out in various ways."

"Although technically, my existence gets treated as a secret within the military."

"Many of the instructors here are soul-armament users. Within the community of users, it's an open secret."

Since my very existence is shrouded in secrecy, I try to avoid interacting with other soldiers on the battlefield as much as possible. 

But it seems impossible to completely seal my identity from people's mouths.

"Still, it's quite audacious to involve students in countering terrorists."

"We ensure the difficulty is appropriate, and in some cases, instructors intervene beforehand to mitigate risks."

Impressive management.

"You hinted at a terrorist crisis before my trip, but if this is the system we have, please inform me beforehand."

"You're still a student, so knowing beforehand wouldn't benefit your training."

"Don't conveniently switch between treating me as a student and a major."

Haha! Principal Takami laughed, sipped his tea, and glanced through the report I handed over.

"Why did you personally intervene in the 1st-year section's follow-up, even going to the scene as the commander? That was a reckless move."

He was referring to my visit to Hinoura-san, who is in charge of the first-year floor.

"I didn't go there as the commander of the operations center. I went as a fellow classmate."

"You're using your status as a major and a student quite conveniently."

"It's fine. I'm still a minor."

Despite feeling slightly embarrassed by Principal Takami's remarks, I replied boldly.

"When you put it that way, there's nothing more to say. You're quite overprotective."

"We don't need to repeat what happened to me."

My first battle was during the peak of the World War, and it was a tragic experience.

If students got subjected to such experiences, most would probably drop out.

"Building resilience against injustice is also part of this academy's role."

"I've experienced enough of that on my own. Besides, I'm here now."

"Quite confident, aren't you?"

"That's why, despite my reluctance, I'm in the military."

Although I felt too confident in myself, I had no intention of backing down from my beliefs.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

Leaving the principal's office and checking the time, there were still about 30 minutes until classes started.

"Alright, time for a nap in the club room."

Having a private space within the school is quite nice.

I took out the key to the club room that I secretly held due to abusing my club president privileges and entered.

As I flopped down on the raised tatami floor, I noticed a banana-shaped body pillow that I didn't recognize.

"Did Mina or Hayami-san bring this banana pillow?"

The banana pillow was filled with beads and felt incredibly soft.

"This is perfect. I'll borrow it for a short nap. It shouldn't retain body odor in such a short time."

Thinking so, I pulled the body pillow towards me.

Huh? It's heavier than I thought.

"Mmm... huh? Yuu?"

The banana body pillow suddenly spoke! I was startled, but as I turned it around, I found Kotomi's face right before me.

"Huh?"

"Wow, why are you here? Yuu. Did you come to hug me again~?"

It seems I had been hugging the Kotomi body pillow until just now and she's still seemed half-asleep.

"It's just a dream, so it's fine, right? Anything goes."

Kotomi looked at me with sleepy eyes, playfully sticking out her tongue.

Despite Kotomi's petite and youthful appearance, there was an inexplicable allure about her that made my heart race.

"Wait! Kotomi! This isn't a dream."

"Just accept it, Yuu~"

Oh no, this is bad!

Squeeze 

"Ehehe, this time I hugged you~"

This was definitely healthier than the scenario that briefly crossed my mind earlier.

"Mmm... let's sleep together, Yuu."

Saying so, Kotomi turned me into a body pillow and drifted back to sleep.

"I'm wide awake now."

I complained but had no choice but to become Kotomi's body pillow.

This situation was the opposite of when I turned Mina into a body pillow last time, and it reminded me of the aftermath of the previous mission.

"Hey, wake up. It's time to get up."

I lightly tapped Kotomi on the head to wake her up. It was almost time for class to start, just five minutes away.

"Mmm... huh? We were sleeping together..."

"Huh? I just got here."

I managed to smoothly extricate myself from Kotomi's arm to avoid acknowledging being her pillow.

If Kotomi realized it wasn't a dream, it would be incredibly embarrassing.

Thankfully, she still seemed groggy, so if I played dumb, she'd probably think it was just a dream.

Unlike with Mina, who I've known since childhood and have slept with before, sharing a bed with a girl I'd only recently met at the academy was a bit embarrassing.

"Why were you sleeping here?"

"It's comfortable here, so I borrowed it."

I deflected the conversation by playing dumb.

Well, the antique-style sofa in the student council room does seem uncomfortable to sleep on.

"What about the key? Wasn't it locked?"

"I have a master key due to my student council authority."

The student council's authority is too much.

I guess I can't bring many personal items into the club room because of this.

"You didn't go home yesterday?"

"I had a debriefing from yesterday's defense."

"A girl staying overnight..."

"I informed my parents when training ran late. Besides, there's a shower in the student council room."

"Don't push yourself too hard."

"Thanks."

Yesterday's defense must have been frustrating. It's good to reflect deeply during times like these.

"Since you seem like you didn't sleep much, you can use this place for a nap during lunch break."

"But technically, I shouldn't use it since I'm not a club member."

"It's fine since I, as the club president, permit it. The advisor won't mind either. Anyway, hurry up and get ready; the bell for class will ring soon."

With that, I left the club room.