Chapter 37: We Are Not Useless Cowards

The next morning, I arrived at the classroom early, and before long, the other students began streaming in one after another. Ryu Yu rushed in frantically, stood on the podium, and shouted, "I need two big, muscular bros to come with me to grab our military training gear and shoes!"

Several guys responded right away and headed over to the Academic Affairs Office with him. A short while later, they returned carrying a huge pile of camouflage uniforms and military canvas shoes, and everyone swarmed forward, scrambling to get their sizes.

Putting on these camouflage outfits completely changed the vibe—everyone suddenly looked like a squad of green young soldiers, and we all began poking fun at how ridiculous each other looked. Ryu Yu showcased his leadership as class president at this moment, roaring at the top of his lungs: "Class 5, listen up! Everyone fall out and gather at the stadium. We need to show everyone our high standards in front of all those people—no slacking or messiness when we line up later!"

Everyone cheered in response. Just then, Shuyan arrived at the classroom as well. Seeing that everyone was fully prepared, she nodded in satisfaction and led us straight to the main stadium of the University of Tokyo.

By now, a massive crowd was already standing on the field. Ryu Yu barked out an order: "Marketing Class 5, assemble! Line up by height!" Dressed in that camouflage uniform, shouting with a raised voice, he actually carried a bit of a real soldier’s aura. The classmates quickly cooperated and formed a neat formation; our orderly line stood in stark contrast to the scattered, messy groups from other classes.

It had to be said that everyone’s sense of collective pride was very strong. Seeing us, the other classes began organizing themselves spontaneously, and before long, numerous neat phalanxes appeared across the stadium.

In the distance, a Red Flag sedan with military license plates and a large bus drove in, coming to a halt right in front of us. President Takahashi stepped down from the sedan, followed by a man wearing a large military cap—and woah, goodness me, there was a gold star resting right on his shoulder straps!

Young people like us inherently held a sense of longing and admiration for the military. Now, seeing a real, living general in person for the first time, every single one of us puffed out our chests, standing straight as ramrods with our heads held high.

The general, nearly fifty years old, nodded with a smile and said to an officer beside him, "Go tell the soldiers to get off and assemble!"

Responding promptly, the officer walked to the front of the bus and shouted in a loud, booming voice: "Special Forces Brigade, all personnel! Disembark and assemble!"

As soon as the command left his mouth, the bus doors swung open. Soldiers—each around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old—ran out of the vehicle in precise sequence, lining up in neat ranks before the bus.

"Atten-tion! At ease... Atten-tion! Count off!"

"One, two, three... thirty-six!"

"At ease." The officer turned, ran up to the general, and snapped a sharp military salute. The general returned the gesture.

"Reporting to the Chief of Staff! The Special Forces Brigade expected thirty-six personnel, actual count thirty-six personnel. Assembly complete. Please instruct, Chief!"

The general nodded, signaling for the soldiers to rest for a moment, and turned to nod at President Takahashi. Understanding the cue, President Takahashi stepped up before us, took the microphone handed to him, and said: "Students! Standing before you is Chief of Staff Nagai Kokurin of the JSDF Special Forces Brigade, along with thirty-six of the most elite soldiers selected from his unit. Over the next week, they will guide you through rigorous military training. Now, let us welcome Chief of Staff to say a few words. Let’s give him a warm welcome!"

Amid our thunderous applause, the general first saluted us before taking the microphone from the President. He spoke in a voice full of resounding power: "Hello, students! I am Chief of Staff Nagai Kokurin of the Special Forces Brigade. It is an honor for our unit to guide your training this time. First, let me state that we will implement a strict semi-military management style. Officers and soldiers alike will strictly supervise your training. Whatever your instructors do, you must do as well! No one is allowed to slack off—anyone caught doing so will be dealt with under military discipline! As red-blooded sons and daughters of this nation, do you have the confidence to pull this off?!"

"Yes!"

"Louder! There are no sissies in the military!"

"YES!" Hearing the general’s words, every single person roared at the top of their lungs, sending our high-spirited voices echoing across the entire stadium.

That earth-shattering roar marked the official start of military training.

Our instructor for Class 5 was a dark-skinned man who wasn’t particularly tall, but his bulging, explosive muscles clearly demonstrated his sheer physical strength. Standing before us, the man swept a sharp, fierce gaze across our ranks and said with a stern face: "My name is Jin Tsuyoshi. From now on, you will call me Instructor Jin. I will only treat you as soldiers, not students. If anyone here feels this requirement is too harsh right now, you can step out and leave immediately—I will not stop you. Is there anyone?"

No one was willing to admit defeat right at the very beginning; everyone held their heads high, looking at the instructor without a shred of fear.

Instructor Jin nodded in satisfaction and said, "However, once training starts, I will not allow a single deserter! Even if you drop dead, you will do it on the training ground! I will give you one last chance to withdraw—is there anyone who wants to back out?"

After waiting a moment, Instructor Jin nodded approvingly: "Good. You’ve all got guts. I hope your courage lasts until the very end! Now, for the first step of our military training: run ten laps around the stadium to warm up!"

If someone said that running was the most painful thing in the world, I’m sure that was the exact shared thought in our whole class’s minds at that moment. The first two laps didn’t feel like much, but right as we started the third lap, the entire group’s speed drastically slowed down. By the fifth lap, the formation had completely fallen apart.

Seeing this, the instructor—who had originally been running at the front—ran to the back and roared at the stragglers: "What do you think you’re doing?! Taking a stroll?! Speed up! Whoever finishes last will run five extra laps for me!"

His already dark face looked utterly terrifying right now. A few timid girls trailing at the back were scared to the point of tears, covering their mouths as they desperately forced themselves forward.

Having been lazy since childhood, I had never run such a long distance before either. By the third lap, my legs felt as though they were filled with lead, barely able to lift themselves to take a step.

As I ran, I gripped my bracelet and called out in my mind: "Summon Athena!"

"What are you up to now?" Athena floated through the air right beside me, matching my pace.

"Sister, help me quick! I really can’t run anymore!"

Athena flashed a graceful smile and casually waved her hand, bathing my body in a beam of golden light. Instantly, a cool sensation rushed through my entire frame; every cell in my body sprang to life, and my legs surged with power. My running speed picked up rapidly, and without even feeling like I was exerting effort, it felt as though I were flying. Slowly, I overtook everyone, taking the lead right at the very front.

"Ah..." A painful cry suddenly echoed from behind me.

Turning around, I saw that kid Ryu Yu collapsed on the ground. I quickly sprinted back to his side, helped him up, and asked, "How are you? Are you alright?"

"I’m fine... I didn’t see where I was going while running and stepped on a small pebble, so I took a spill," Ryu Yu said with a furrowed brow.

"Can you still move your foot right now?"

Ryu Yu nodded and tried to take a step forward. But the second his foot touched the ground, he let out another cry of pain. Quickly supporting him, I pulled up his pant leg to look—his entire ankle was swollen bright red.

Just then, Instructor Jin saw the two of us stopping and ran over, shouting: "What are you two doing?! Get back to running!"

"Instructor, I accidentally sprained my ankle while running!" Ryu Yu quickly explained.

"Where are your eyes looking when you run?! You’re a bunch of useless cowards! If this were a battlefield, acting like this would delay tactical opportunities—you could be shot dead at any moment!"

"Instructor, please show some respect when you talk to others—we are not useless cowards!" Ryu Yu seemed particularly sensitive to that phrase, glaring at him coldly as he spoke.

"You can’t even finish running ten laps—what good are you?!" Instructor Jin stared right back at Ryu Yu, refusing to yield an inch.

I couldn’t help but get enraged by this instructor’s insult-laden words as well. Holding Ryu Yu up, I looked at the instructor and said, "Don’t you worry—today, even if we have to crawl, we’ll crawl all the way through the finish line for you!"

With that, I supported Ryu Yu, and step by step, we began dragging ourselves forward.