The Goddess Comes to Japan (Suffering Chapter)
At the top of the large underground submarine dock, overlooking a greatly damaged, massive submarine, sat the bare-bones office of its maintenance director. It was currently occupied by a young girl (the captain of the amphibious assault submarine Tuatha de Danaan, Colonel Teletha Testarossa) and also her executive officer, a middle-aged man named Lieutenant Colonel Richard Mardukas.
“And I think that’s it for what needs repairs,” Teletha Testarossa—Tessa—said, as she tapped at her clipboard-shaped tablet’s LCD screen.
“Indeed. Well done, Captain,” Mardukas said.
The craft had taken serious damage during an incident on their way back from the Perio Archipelago and required drastic repairs. First made to take reckless actions in its full autopilot mode, driven below its maximum depth, suffering a torpedo explosion in close vicinity, followed by an AS battle in its hangar... after which it had been forced to run silently for hours and hours at a high speed...
Having undergone that much strain, it was only natural for the de Danaan to need a litany of checks and repairs. Certainly, the submarine was Mithril’s trump card and super-weapon, but it was still just a machine—without proper care, it was a worthless hunk of junk. And using the AI’s self-diagnostic abilities and all their man power to the fullest, Tessa had managed to compile over the course of a few days a list of everything that needed attention.
Thankfully, the damage to the reactor and hull had been minor. The main issues were repairs to the port-side machinery room, checks and replacements on all the air hoses, and swapping out the damaged hangar infrastructure. The sub had thankfully been designed for easy repair, so it was projected to take, in total, just a bit under three weeks. Tessa, who had thought it might take at least six months of work and hundreds of millions of dollars to repair, was relieved to hear this.
Of course, any weapon that had suffered through such a violent engagement would never be like new again. In a sense, the Tuatha de Danaan was older now than it had been before, but so long as it didn’t capsize or suffer some other great accident, it still had a long life ahead. Seagoing vessels tended to last a lot longer than most people imagined they would, and given that she’d designed this one herself, Tessa could vouch for its toughness and dependability.
If she lived to see her submarine decommissioned from pure wear and tear, how old would she be then? Forty years old? Fifty? Would she have a husband and children by then? No... In all honesty, as long as she shared her submarine’s fate, the idea of falling in love, getting married, and having children remained unthinkable for Tessa, who already lived a life very different from any other girl her age.
A normal girl would be going to school and having silly conversations with her class friends. Tessa let out a sigh at the thought.
Mardukas continued speaking, seemingly ignorant of her woes. “That’s all on the schedule, but I believe we can leave the more direct supervision to the other officers. It’s a good chance for them to take care of things without you.”
“You may be right,” she agreed.
“Full repairs will take over two weeks. Once you’ve finished your immediate paperwork, it might be time to use up your leave.”
“Leave?”
“Yes, leave. I doubt you’ll be able to truly relax here at the base,” Mardukas pointed out. “You should take a holiday somewhere far away.”
“Hmm...” Tessa gazed at the stark ceiling of the submarine dock for a while, then nodded firmly. “You’re right. If I stay around here, I’ll just stress about things. Yes, I’ll take some time off!”
“Excellent. Let’s start the planning at once.” Mardukas immediately produced a sheaf of travel pamphlets from the file case tucked under his arm and fanned them out at her.
The degree of preparation suggested he’d intended to push her into leave from the start. Tessa privately winced at his presumptuousness.
“I’ve done a bit of research on the matter,” he told her next. “What about Tahiti? If you desire a companion, I could send Sergeant Mao to be your bodyguard. And if you’d rather somewhere more temperate, the southern hemisphere... Yes, New Zealand could be ideal. Or perhaps you’d prefer Canada? There’s a hotel in Vancouver, run by a subordinate of mine from my navy days. The sunset over the Burrard Inlet is quite—”
“All right, all right. I appreciate your kindness,” Tessa interrupted gently, cutting him off in the middle of his speech. Then she thought for a minute and said, mischievously, “But there is a place I’ve been wanting to go. If I’m going to take leave, I’d like to spend it there.”
“Is there? Then I highly recommend doing so. If there’s any way I can assist you, don’t hesitate to ask.”
“Really?”
“Of course, ma’am.”
“I see. Then, if I might ask...” After a moment’s pause, Tessa told him the place where she wanted to spend her leave.
Upon hearing it, Mardukas just stared for a moment, slack-jawed. Then he remembered himself and began to argue fiercely. “Unacceptable, Captain. I can’t approve of this!”
“Why not?”
“W-Well... it’s simply unacceptable! Why would someone of your station even want to go there? Bad air quality and worse scenery! And we cannot ensure your safety—”
“You liar!” Tessa said with a glare fixed on him. “Mardukas-san, you just said I had your full support!”
“I... I did indeed, but—”
“You said you highly recommended it.”
“But...”
“And when I asked if you were sure, you said, ‘of course.’”
Mardukas shrank silently.
“So, it’s decided. Let’s get it arranged, shall we?” the captain declared, while giggling and dancing in place.
●
It was five days into their second term, after class on Saturday, after a very eventful summer vacation. Sousuke, feeling relieved after having handed in his summer homework, was approached by Chidori Kaname.
“You look tired, Sousuke,” she observed. “What’s up?”
It would take a keen eye to perceive my present condition, he thought suspiciously. But nevertheless, he responded, “Insufficient sleep. I struggled with my classic literature homework, but managed to meet the deadline.”
“You were still working on that? I figured you for the type to hand things in well before schedule.”
“I usually am,” he admitted. “But writing a report for my main employment monopolized my time until two days ago.” The report was about an incident that had occurred just last week, before the end of summer break. There had been an attack on the amphibious assault submarine Tuatha de Danaan, which belonged to the mercenary group, Mithril, with which Sousuke was affiliated.
“Paperwork, huh? You do more than just fighting all day? Must be hard,” Kaname commented.
“It is hard.”
Just then, their classmate Tokiwa Kyoko ran up to them in a flurry. “Oh, there you are! Hey!”
“What is it, Kyoko?”
“There’s a predator in the girls’ changing room!” she shouted, heaving for breath. “Th-This weird old guy just busted in and said, ‘Oh, my’ in English! Then everyone screamed and ran out of there! He was just talking and talking and we couldn’t understand any of it...”
Kaname tried to soothe Kyoko, who was panicking. “Slow down. You’re not making any sense.”
“But... but...”
“So the predator wasn’t a student?”
“No, it was a middle-aged man! He was tall and thin and wore glasses. He looked like the total groper-on-a-train type...”
“Not a teacher, then? An outsider?” Sousuke stood up and checked the rounds in his pistol. “A bold move. Not content to simply infiltrate our school, he even invades places to which student council authority does not extend. I admire his daring, at least.”
“You’re making a standard pervert sound like some kind of awesome secret agent...” Kaname muttered.
Meanwhile, Kyoko pleaded with him. “Please, Sagara-kun, catch him! I think he’s still wandering around the southern school building.”
“Understood. I will apprehend him.” Sousuke roused himself up and ran out into the hall.
Kaname chased after him. “Wait, Sousuke! Don’t hurt him!”
“Why not? Why should I restrain myself with a lecherous intruder?”
“I mean, pervy stuff like that isn’t okay, but that’s no reason—”
“He has to learn that inflicting painful humiliation on others and intruding on our school territory comes with a high price—in a manner such that he never forgets,” Sousuke told her firmly.
“Stop saying that dangerous stuff! Just stay calm, okay?”
“Understood. I’ll calmly teach him a lesson.”
“Grr...”
As they argued back and forth, they eventually reached the area near the teachers’ office on the southern building’s second floor when...
“Oh. Is that him?” Kaname wondered. “I don’t think I’ve seen him around before...”
A middle-aged man was indeed standing next to the long bulletin board posted in the hallway. He was tall and thin, wearing a plain gray suit, and was facing away, staring at the works of the photography club pinned to the board. His vibe certainly matched Kyoko’s testimony about him, but he seemed surprisingly unconcerned for someone who’d just been caught peeping.
“Remain here, Chidori.”
“Ah, wait—”
Before Kaname could stop him, Sousuke soundlessly approached the middle-aged man, then abruptly spoke. “You.”
“Eh?”
The moment the man turned around, Sousuke knocked him to the floor. The man ended up on his back, with Sousuke’s gun (which had been drawn at some point) aimed right at his nose. The man could do nothing but let out a muffled groan while Sousuke said coldly, “What is your business at this school? If I don’t like your answer—” He got that far and then froze, staring wide-eyed down at the man.
“Why are you always so violent? Sousuke, I just told you not to hurt him! Are you listening?!” Kaname scolded him as she ran up to him, but he didn’t seem to hear her. “Sousuke?”
Sweat was pouring down his face. His shoulders, his arm, and his gun had all begun to tremble. He just stood there, frozen, uncertain of how to deal with what he’d done.
“What kind of greeting is that, Sergeant Sagara?” the man asked in very calm English. “Do you address all of your superior officers around here like that?”
“Well, er... I... I...” Sousuke worked hard to try to switch over languages. “I’m sorry, Colonel. I was really out of order. I don’t know what to say... If I’d known who you were, I wouldn’t have been so... brash.”
“Before you apologize, lower your weapon.”
“Yes, sir. I’m sorry, sir!” Sousuke sprang back and holstered his pistol. As he then came to attention, the colonel stood up, dusted off his suit, and straightened his posture. At a distance he’d looked like a Japanese salaryman, but he wasn’t Japanese at all. He was Caucasian, with a pale, gaunt face, and wire-rim glasses. He had a cold and dour air about him.
“What in the world are you... ah.” Kaname, confused by Sousuke’s sudden total change in demeanor, let out a noise of surprise as she saw the man’s face.
The gentleman cast a quiet glance at Kaname. “You look full of vim, Ms. Chidori,” he said in tones far more friendly than the ones he’d used with Sousuke.
“You... You’re...” she said, mouth flapping. “You’re... that bossy old man!”
“No!” Sousuke argued, panicking. “This is the executive officer of the Tuatha de Danaan, Lieutenant Colonel Richard Mardukas!”
Mardukas held the rank of lieutenant colonel in the mercenary squadron, Mithril, and Sousuke was a sergeant in the same hierarchy. It was like the distance between a vice president of the company and a mere shift manager. In other words, this Englishman was far and away Sousuke’s superior. As executive officer, he was second in command of their battle group of hundreds.
Mardukas led Sousuke, who was now acting extremely formal, through the school hallways. After a while, he spoke up. “I met with your principal, Tsuboi, earlier.”
“T-Tsuboi-sensei?” That one word filled Sousuke with a bottomless fear.
“Yes, Tsuboi-sensei. A good woman,” Mardukas commented, “though I felt ideological and political tensions with her.”
“Aha...” said Sousuke. He wondered, what in the world did the colonel and the principal talk about? He couldn’t possibly have come here to debate philosophy with her...
“After finishing my business with her and taking my leave, I took it upon myself to tour your school building. But it appears I stumbled upon a changing room in error. I did my best to apologize, but I’m not sure the young ladies understood me,” Mardukas admitted, not sounding particularly thrilled about his error. Perhaps he really saw Japanese high school girls as children and nothing more.
“You didn’t bring an interpreter? That seems... less than advisable.” As far as Sousuke knew, Mardukas didn’t speak any Japanese.
“I brought Private Kasuya, the cook, but gave him his leave earlier. He said his home was in the area, and that today was the anniversary of his parents’ death.”
“I see.”
“I was hoping to ask you to fill in for him,” said Mardukas. “Will you act as my interpreter henceforth?”
“Er... me?”
“Is that an issue?”
“No, certainly not,” Sousuke told him hastily. “I’ll do anything you ask of me, sir.”
“Excellent,” said Mardukas, without a hint of a smile. “My name is Richard Mantissa, an instructor from Cambridge about to embark on a years-long employment at a laboratory in Tokyo. My field of specialty is acoustics, but I’m also interested in educational studies. I’m an old friend of your on-paper guardian, the Russian political refugee Andrey Preminin. I came to this school on his recommendation, hoping to learn about the true state of Japanese education.” He easily rattled off the cover story meant to hide his real identity (‘Andrey Preminin’ was Major Kalinin’s alias). “You and I have met before—you’ve come fishing with me and Preminin several times. It was through these activities that you met my daughter. Practice this information until you can recite it on call.”
“Er? Yes, sir!” Sousuke responded, coming to full attention. again.
Kaname, who was quietly following along behind them, poked at Sousuke’s shoulder and asked him in Japanese, “Hey. What in the world is he doing here?”
“I don’t know.”
“You think he came to check in on how well you’re doing your duty?”
“Perhaps,” Sousuke admitted nervously.
“Hey, are you scared of the guy?”
“Does... it appear that I am?”
For another hour or so, Sousuke and Kaname walked through the halls after school, giving Mardukas a tour. The gym, the courtyard, the AV room, the music room, the biology room, the art room... the older man gave them all scrupulous attention, examining them with intense curiosity before asking Sousuke various questions. “What does it say here?” he asked about the writing on the blackboard in a classroom.
“Celebrating Daiei’s six straight wins,” Sousuke faithfully interpreted.
“What does it mean?”
“I’m afraid I don’t know, sir.”
“Oh, it’s a pro baseball team. A fan wrote it,” Kaname explained in his place.
Mardukas smiled at her. “Aha... I see. The writing is so mysterious, I thought it might be some kind of magical chant. But of course, it’s something so mundane.” Then he whipped around and glared at Sousuke. “Sergeant Sagara, I question your ability to blend in with the citizenry while being unaware of the local baseball teams.”
“I apologize, s-sir.”
“It suggests a lack of due diligence and commitment to your mission,” Mardukas said critically.
“I promise you, sir, that’s not the case...”
“Enough excuses. Fix it. The battle group is not paying you merely to assault your superior officers.”
The comment stung. Sousuke thought Mardukas had forgiven him for his earlier insubordination, but apparently not. “Y-Yes sir,” he said. “I will attempt to do better.”
Without waiting for Sousuke’s response, Mardukas quickly moved for the window. “This is your classroom, isn’t it? Is it secure?”
“Affirmative, sir.”
“Is it hygienic? No nasty germs or parasites?”
“Sir. That is not... an issue, I believe. The school meets the appropriate standards.”
“It’s clean, then?”
“Sir.”
“You’re certain?”
“Sir.”
Madukas traced a fingertip along the windowsill. He eyed the dust picked up by his finger suspiciously, and let out a disapproving hum. “You call this ‘clean’?”
Sousuke said nothing.
“If your apartment is in a similar condition, I’ll be forced to lower my opinion of you.”
“I’ll take that to heart,” Sousuke replied.
Mardukas shook his head. “I can’t believe the captain... for a man like you...”
“Sir?”
“Nothing. Be quiet. I didn’t say anything.”
“E-Excuse me, sir,” Sousuke responded, still completely lost.
Kaname whispered from beside him in Japanese, “Does this guy hate you or something, Sousuke?”
“I don’t know,” he told her. Mardukas certainly was cold with Sousuke. He’d always been a dour man, but he wasn’t this hard on his other subordinates. And yet... “What did I do wrong?” Sousuke quietly agonized.
Ignoring his dilemma, Mardukas looked out of the classroom window into the courtyard. “Well, we’ve spent enough time here. Let’s return.”
“What? Return whe—”
“Where else? To your apartment.”
For a moment, Sousuke felt his soul leave his body.
The weekend had been a complete nightmare.
When he’d returned to the Mithril safe house that acted as his apartment with Colonel Mardukas, the officer had ordered him to clean his room thoroughly. The fastidious Sousuke always tended to keep his surroundings clean regardless, but the colonel was completely unforgiving with him.
Once the cleaning was done, the older man had even more orders for him. “Put your firearms somewhere inconspicuous! Your apartment needs decoration! Buy more proper dishes!”
Sousuke was forced to simper, saying things like, “I’m sorry, sir,” and “I’ll aspire to improve, sir” over and over again.
“As I thought,” Mardukas had declared, “this is completely outrageous. I must have this room completely remodeled by tomorrow.”
So, on Sunday, they’d headed to the area around Chofu Station to do a lot of shopping. Curtains, carpets, a high-quality mattress, bedding, a tablecloth, high-quality silverware and dishes, cooking utensils, decorative plants, et cetera, et cetera... A lot of which Sousuke didn’t even understand the purpose of, so he’d ended up calling Kaname and asking her to accompany them.
During the outing, Mardukas had turned to Kaname and said cheerfully, “You’re quite a big help, Ms. Chidori, always so considerate. I wish there were some way I could thank you.”
“Really, it’s nothing,” she’d protested. “But why are you buying all this all of a sudden?”
“You’ll find out in good time. Sergeant, keep up the pace. Hurry!”
“Sir,” said Sousuke, who’d been struggling to keep up with them while carrying a small mountain of parcels.
Once their shopping was done, they’d gone about remodeling the apartment itself. Mardukas’s interior design sensibility didn’t seem particularly refined, and the color of the curtains and such weren’t quite right.
“What do you think, Miss Chidori?” he’d asked anxiously. “Would the beige be more calming than the stark white?”
“I think so...”
It was here that Sousuke had broken in. “Colonel. If I may, neither color is calming. These ordinary curtains will leave the room completely exposed to enemies with infrared sensors.”
“Don’t bring that nonsense into this, fool.”
“...”
It had just been that exchange, over and over again.
Kaname had left around ten o’clock that night, but their work had continued long after that. It was only sometime after midnight that the room finally seemed to be gaining some semblance of civilization.
But what in the world are we doing this for? Sousuke had wondered.
The answer to that question would arrive early the next morning. With Sousuke already feeling completely exhausted by the two intense days he’d spent with Mardukas, an even more superior officer would arrive at his apartment.
Entering the front door while awkwardly trailing a large suitcase behind her, Colonel Teletha Testarossa declared, “I’m taking extended leave to attend your school. Thank you for taking care of me!” She had luminous ash blond hair and large gray eyes. She was currently wearing a sleeveless dress—civilian clothing—and seemed unusually energetic despite the early hour.
Second Lieutenant Santos of the transport helicopter squadron followed along behind her with more luggage. There was probably an ECS-enabled helicopter parked somewhere in the nearby Chofu Airfield.
Once she was inside, Tessa explained the situation: the incident last month had resulted in the de Danaan taking a great deal of damage, forcing it to need a few weeks’ downtime for repairs and maintenance. Because of that, the battle group would be able to function without Tessa for a while, as long as no more emergencies popped up.
“So... you’ve transferred to my school?” Sousuke asked hesitantly.
Tessa responded a bit bashfully, “Well... I’ve always wanted to try attending school with you, Sagara-san. Is that strange?”
“No, not at all. Please attend school until you’re satisfied, ma’am.” Nevertheless, he felt a shudder run through him as he said it. He hadn’t expected not just Mardukas, but also Colonel Testarossa herself, to come and directly monitor his work in Tokyo. Was his competency under question from all his battle group superiors?!
“Then I should get ready to attend school,” said Tessa, who then helped herself to the bathroom in order to take a shower.
While she was gone, Mardukas beckoned secretively to Sousuke.
“Y-Yes, sir?”
“I must return to the base now. I have a great deal of work to do.”
“D-Do you, sir?”
“I do. Now, listen to me, Sergeant... I believe you’re aware of this, but Colonel Testarossa is an invaluable resource to us.”
“Sir.”
“Without her, the de Danaan is as helpless as an orphaned infant,” Mardukas reminded him. “Although I think of myself as not placing a hierarchy on the value of life, I will say this: One of her is far more valuable than one hundred NCOs like you. Do you understand?”
“A-Affirmative, sir.”
Mardukas slowly lifted his gaze to the ceiling, his gaze distant. “I believe the recent incident has dealt her a grievous psychological blow. The death of a subordinate will hit anyone hard the first time it happens—even more so when one is possessed of as kind and gentle a spirit as hers. That is why I have chosen to indulge this little flight of fancy.”
“Sir?” asked Sousuke. “What do you—”
“Be quiet and listen. However—if she suffers any physical or mental distress while she’s staying with you, I fully intend to throw the book at you. Prepare yourself for the most severe punishment I can think of. You have been insubordinate multiple times already. Do not forget that. Understood?!”
“Yes, Colonel!”
“Excellent. Now, one last thing.”
Sousuke waited, sweating.
“As long as the colonel is in Japan, Sergeant Mao will be here to support you. Having another woman present should help smooth over any issues. However... one other point of caution. I’ll tolerate you two living under the same roof, but if you display the slightest unacceptable behavior towards her...”
A dark aura began to flare behind Mardukas—a strange combination of anger, fear, and anxiety—burning in pitch black, as if he was just barely keeping control of himself.
“...I swear to God and Queen that I will rip you to shreds,” he promised. “I’ll load you into a torpedo tube with three hundred kilograms of powder and fire. No, worse—I’ll make you do silly walks around the base until you go mad, send you to training camp to teach self-defense against people armed with bananas and raspberries, then dispatch you in a suicide mission against the Kremlin as part of the Scottish Kamikaze Regiment. Understand?!”
It was completely incomprehensible, but... “Sir, I absolutely never—”
“Do you understand or not?!”
“I understand, sir!” If Kaname could have seen Sousuke’s face in that moment, she might have described him as a Bonta-kun about to cry.
It was at this point that Tessa came bursting energetically out of the bathroom. “Look at this, look!” Wearing a Jindai High School uniform, she did a light twirl from the other end of the hallway, which made her miniskirt flare out and sent her red ribbon fluttering. “Well? Isn’t it perfect? I wanted to surprise you, so I had it arranged in secret. They only had the winter uniform, but I thought it might be nice to have the summer one for a few days... er?” Tessa trailed off suddenly. “What’s the matter, you two?”
Sousuke and Mardukas just stood there awkwardly for a few seconds. At last they shared a look, simultaneously cleared their throats, and spoke up calmly.
“Nothing. It suits you well, Captain.”
“I agree, Colonel, ma’am.”
The two men immediately returned to their usual stone-faced bearings. And in a corner of the room, Lieutenant Santos, who had seen the whole thing go down, whispered a quiet, “Weirdos” in her mother language of Portuguese.
Two hours later in Class 2-4’s homeroom...
“My name is Teletha Mantissa. Please call me Tessa!”
Just the sight of her standing at the lectern and introducing herself caused most of the boys in the class to cry out in excitement. About half of the girls were equally excited, whispering about how pretty she was, while the other half murmured dubiously about waiting to see what her personality was like.
The only two divergences to this general trend among the students came from Sousuke and Kaname. Sousuke’s expression was highly guarded as he kept his eyes and ears peeled to the windows and the hall, while Kaname’s jaw had dropped open in an expression halfway between surprise and exhaustion.
“Wh-What an absolute cliché,” she mumbled. The other members of the class didn’t seem to notice, though.
Their homeroom teacher, Kagurazaka Eri, sounded like a lion tamer as she tried to soothe her rowdy students. “All right, settle down! Mantissa-san will be joining us for the next two weeks,” she said. “Her father is a professor at a famous university, and he’s interested in learning more about the Japanese education system. In other words, it’s a matter of international goodwill. So... Sagara-kun?”
“Yes?”
Eri’s voice took on an unusually threatening tone as she glared at him with bloodshot eyes. “I’d like you to avoid showing her your own particular worldly point of view... Is that understood?”
After a long pause, Sousuke said, “I’ll do my best.” For the first time, he felt he understood the concept of irony... though, obviously, he didn’t laugh.
When break time arrived, a mass of students formed around Tessa’s seat. A group of girls (headed up by Kyoko) and a group of boys (led by Onodera Kotaro) began to barrage her with rapid-fire questions. It was the kind of situation where most people might give someone space, but the students here were all very friendly. They wouldn’t hesitate to make a fuss over even the most intimidating of beauties.
“Hey, hey! Where are you living right now?”
“Your Japanese is so good!”
“Are you free after class? I’ve got a karaoke pass...”
“What’s your father like?”
“So cute! You look just like a china doll!”
“Excuse me, Tessa-san. Would you be free to model for the photography club?”
It was all that sort of thing.
Sousuke, meanwhile, was feeling extremely agitated. He couldn’t imagine his classmates would try to do Tessa any harm, but there was no way to completely avoid accidents. Mardukas’s warning was the foremost thought in his mind: if she suffers any physical or mental distress while she’s staying with you... Also, standing at the back of the crowd of excitable students while paying close attention to his chaotic surroundings proved to be exhausting.
Tessa, meanwhile, was cheerfully responding to the barrage of questions, when she suddenly felt her eyes fill with tears.
“Eh? What’s wrong, Tessa-chan?” Kyoko asked in surprise.
“Nothing,” Tessa responded as she quietly wiped at her eyes. “I just never thought I’d be welcomed this warmly by people my own age. It made me so happy...”
“Oh, is that it?” All members of the group folded their arms and nodded in understanding. “Well, I’m glad you’re okay. If you ever need any help, feel free to ask. Right, Kana-chan?”
“Huh?” Kaname, still sitting in her seat some distance away, looked up, eyes wide.
“Tessa-chan, that’s our class representative, Chidori Kaname-san. She’s also the student council vice president. She’s fluent in English and super reliable, so ask her if you need anything at all,” Kyoko said with a smile. “C’mon, Kana-chan. Come over here.”
“Oh... Sure.” Kaname slowly walked up to the group and spoke in a monotone, like a bad actor reading from a script. “A pleasure to meet you, Mantissa-san. I’m the class representative. Feel free to ask me anything, from how to use Japanese toilets to how to help out the captain of a hunk-of-junk submarine.”
Tessa replied, unfazed and smiling. “Thank you so much, Kaname-san. If I’m ever having trouble in the field of romance, I’m hoping you’ll be there for me.”
“Oh, of course. Heh heh heh...”
“Much appreciated. Heh heh heh...”
The rest of the class drew back a few steps, intimidated by the exchange for reasons they couldn’t quite account for.
By around second period, news of the transfer student in Class 2-4 had made it all through the school.
“Did you see?”
“I saw. It’s true!”
“She’s gorgeous. Better than the rumors said!”
Such were the conversations among the boys.
Tessa performed well in classes, too. After borrowing a textbook and a few notes from others, she only had to stare at them for a few seconds before being able to answer the teacher’s question perfectly. Her third-period physics instructor suffered the most from this—to a girl who had designed the world’s most advanced submarine, a basic lecture on thermodynamics was child’s play.
But for Sousuke, who was worried about Tessa standing out too much, this was all also extremely exhausting.
Even at lunch break, it was chaos around Tessa. Students from other classes wanted to drop in and see her, including first-years and third-years he didn’t know on sight. What if an assassin has infiltrated the students I don’t know, hoping to approach the colonel?! he fretted. More than a few times, he’d been forced to draw his gun and shout “Stay away from her!” on instinct, confusing everyone around him.
He ate his lunch while remaining extremely on-edge. He could barely even taste the bread roll, dried meat and tomato, which even his stomach seemed poised to reject. Ignoring its protestations, he washed the roll down with a hard swallow of orange juice.
My exhaustion is reaching unprecedented levels, he realized. He’d barely slept these last four days. Between the report, his homework, Mardukas’s visit, and Tessa’s... invasion, his life had been particularly stressful lately, especially since the Saturday when Mardukas had arrived.
Obviously, he’d had extreme experiences in the past—spending a week infiltrating a dangerous enemy base without sleep or rest; spending several days in an AS cockpit with nothing to eat, waiting for the enemy’s arrival. Compared to that, this trial should have been nothing, but...
He couldn’t shake the vague thought that he might not survive this one.
Eventually, the chaotic day began to reach its end.
Fifth period was gym, the one potentially awkward subject for the ever-clumsy Tessa. Since they’d just entered their second term, the subject of the class was swimming. The students gathered around the pool in the northern school building in their swimsuits. Girls from classes 2-3 and 2-4 stood next to the starting blocks, while a group of boys from the same classes were lined up on the opposite shore.
The competitive swimming uniform for the Jindai High girls was a curious one, colored in orange on white. Among those largely light-colored swimsuits, Tessa stood out in a classic indigo one, complete with a white cloth patch in the front that had “2-4 Tessa” written on it. In comparison to the other girls, her short stature and underdeveloped body only made her stand out more.
“What’s with the weird fetish costume?” Kaname asked her quietly in English. She herself was taller than Tessa, with more mature proportions.
Tessa, beside her, flushed bright red and wriggled nervously. “Well... Weber-san said that it was a must for attending a Japanese school...”
“That pervert gaijin,” muttered Kaname.
“I-Is that why? But Corporal Yang was with him and he said, ‘I s-seem to recall that being the case too.’ I’m sure he was being serious...”
“They were in cahoots.”
“Oh... That explains why he apologized to me afterwards with tears in his eyes. Perhaps I should sit the class out.” Tessa, only now seeming to realize how close to naked she was, tried to hide her body with her arms.
“No, it’s fine,” Kaname told her. “It does look good on you.”
“Really? Then I’m sure Sagara-san will like it... hee hee...”
Kaname said nothing, and the two turned their eyes to the opposite shore. Beyond the crowd of leering boys, they could make out Sousuke, who looked worn to the bone. He was sitting the class out, wearing his usual high-collared uniform, and staring at them, his face pale but expressionless.
The girls’ gym teacher gave a toot on her whistle. “All right, enough chatter! And get those towels off! If you act too modest right out of summer break, the boys will know you didn’t get any action at all!”
About half the girls cackled in laughter.
“Today we’re practicing starts. As competitive swimming comes down to milliseconds...”
Following the teacher’s brief lecture, the class started their warm-up exercises, using the first four lanes to get used to the water for a few minutes before jumping into the day’s lesson. After a demonstration by the swimming club, the girls took turns jumping from the starting platforms into the water for practice.
“Are you all right?” Kaname asked Tessa, standing beside her.
“What do you mean?”
“You’re not going to drown, are you? You have enough trouble walking.”
“I... I fall down very infrequently,” Tessa insisted, “but I’ll be fine, really. I can hold my breath for a very long time!”
“I’m not sure that’s the issue here...” said Kaname,
Soon enough, Tessa climbed onto the starting board. As Kaname watched nervously—and all the other students just watched—the signal whistle blew.
“Here I go!” Tessa threw her little body forward clumsily. There was a massive splash, and she disappeared below the water. Burble burble burble... A few small bubbles came to the surface, and then the lane that she’d plunged into—the second lane—went silent. Kaname and the others watched for ten seconds, twenty seconds... The pool remained silent beneath the bright sunlight. They waited and waited, but Tessa didn’t surface.
N-No way... Did she hit her head on the bottom and drown? Kaname recalled how often such incidents appeared as human interest stories in the newspaper at this time of year.
It was Sousuke who moved first. Despite still being in his regular uniform, he leaped into the pool from the other end. Jumping past the lane rope into the second lane, he splashed into the water, and swam out like a human bullet.
“Sousuke?!”
While the whole group stared in disbelief, Sousuke sped his way down the second lane into which Tessa appeared to have sunk. He seemed to be searching for her, skimming around recklessly at the pool’s bottom. He surfaced once with a gasp. “Help me find her!” he shouted, and without waiting for an answer, dove down once more.
Kaname, the gym teacher, and several others prepared to leap into the pool, when just then...
Far along the course, almost to the finish line, a little head burst up above the water. It was Tessa.
As Kaname and the others stared, she waved back at them. “How did you like that?! If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s swimming!” she said smugly. Being able to swim over twenty meters without taking a breath was certainly a boast-worthy feat. It would be rather tragic for a submarine captain to be a poor swimmer, after all.
“Oh, don’t scare me like that!” Kaname said in relief.
But Kyoko spoke up trepidatiously behind her. “Hey, Kana-chan? Sagara-kun’s still down there...”
“What?”
“Clothing turns as heavy as lead when it gets wet, you know?” Kyoko reminded her, “and he’s been under the weather all day...”
Kaname scanned the bottom of the pool until she made out a human form lying there, limbs fluttering like seaweed. This time, it was Kaname who dove into the water in a panic.
One minute later, with Tessa’s help, Kaname pulled Sousuke up limply at poolside. It was the most pathetic sight imaginable.
The students looked down at Sousuke in concern.
“Sagara-san... He did that for me?” Tessa’s eyes filled with tears and she knelt down next to him. Her face then turned determined. “Stand back, everyone. I’ll take responsibility to help him recover!”
“Can you do that?” Kaname asked, running her fingers through her wet black hair.
“Of course,” said Tessa. “Watersports are my specialty, after all.”
“I don’t think that’s the phrasing you want...”
“Never mind that. Besides, I’ve committed the US Navy’s entire first aid manual to memory. You have to start with artificial respiration. That’s how it goes—you make sure the patient’s airways are clear. You pinch their nose, then put your lips on theirs... It’s embarrassing, but someone has to do it. Now, if I may...” Tessa drew towards Sousuke, who was groaning quietly. Heart racing, she narrowed her eyes and moved her face close to his. “Sagara-san...”
“Hang on, you!” Kaname grabbed Tessa’s braid from behind.
“Ow, ow, ow!” she cried. “What are you doing? Don’t you care if he dies?”
“He’s not going to die! You just heard him groan! His airways are clear!” Kaname shouted, her face bright red.
“But... that could just be an auditory hallucination! A pure psychological phenomenon, stemming from your unreasonable resistance to letting me have him! You’re hearing voices that aren’t really—”
“Gnnn...” Sousuke groaned.
An uneasy silence fell over everyone, Tessa included. As the entire group watched, she cleared her throat and said, brightly, “Oh, thank goodness! Be careful in the water, everyone!”
“You can’t wrap this up with a pithy phrase, y’know,” Kaname told her tartly.
“Oh, dear... What will I do?”
“You think I care?”
“Don’t say that. It’s cruel!” Tessa shouted, grabbing the hem of Kaname’s swimsuit and weeping.
“Don’t cry and cling to me!” said Kaname, struggling against her.
“Hey... Do you two know each other or something?” Kyoko asked as she watched.
“Huh?”
“I mean, you’re acting pretty buddy-buddy, talking to each other in English... like old friends or something.”
“Er... well...”
While Kaname struggled to give an answer, Tessa answered plainly. “Oh, I ran into Kaname-san just yesterday by chance! I was lost in Chofu and she showed me how to get around. Right?”
“Huh? Oh... right.”
“Oh, so that’s it! No wonder,” Kyoko observed. “Running into a classmate the day before school starts... Total transfer student cliché!”
The whole group clapped their hands in understanding.
“But... what about Sagara-kun?” Kyoko wondered next. “He’s seemed especially worried about you all day. He even dove into the pool to save you, despite not being dressed for it...”
“Yeah, that’s pretty suspicious.”
“Totally. That isn’t normal.”
Kyoko and the others nodded to each other in agreement.
“Oh, well...” Tessa cleared her throat again. “My father and his guardian are old friends. And... we played together often as children.”
“Oho!” said the group, watching as Sousuke began to sit up groggily.
“He saves me when I’m in trouble, encourages me when things are hard... and teaches me all kinds of things. He’s really my... my...” Tessa wrapped her arms around his chest, smiling. “Yes... my most special male friend!”
“My, my!”
Gossip ran through the crowd like a group of bored housewives.
“Oh, no. A rival for Kana-chan?!”
“Wh-What’s that supposed to mean?” Kaname said in panic.
“C’mon, don’t play dumb! Oh... oh, and he’s awake. Hey, Sagara-kun!” Kyoko called.
“What?” he responded, pressing a hand to his forehead as he tried to fully regain consciousness.
“Do you and Tessa-chan have a special relationship?” she asked, brimming with curiosity.
Sousuke looked around in suspicion. “Eh? Ah... affirmative. I can’t reveal the details, but our relationship exceeds whatever you could imagine.”
“Kyaaa,” she squealed. “So bold!”
Sousuke just shook his head in non-comprehension.
As the rest of the group squealed in excitement, Tessa blushed as if to say, “Oh, don’t tease...”
Kaname alone simply looked down at Sousuke, expressionless.
“Ch-Chidori?”
“I’m diving next.” She turned around swiftly and walked away to the starting platform.
Sousuke’s mental reserves were reaching their limit. Why did so many awkward problems have to explode on him all at once? None of it made any sense to him. On top of that, when the day ended, he was going to have to share his apartment with Tessa. Just imagining the psychological pressure that would inflict on him was terrifying.
Once fifth period was over, Sousuke used a secret line on his cell phone to connect directly to his superior officer, Major Andrey Kailnin.
“What is it, Sergeant?”
“Andrey Sergeyivich. Tell me the situation. What in the world is happening here? I’m reaching my limit.”
“There’s nothing happening. I sympathize with you, but... Just try to make the best of it.” It was a rare sentiment to hear from Kalinin.
“But by myself—”
“Don’t worry. Mao left the base this morning. Her helicopter should be arriving in Hachijoji Island around now,” Kalinin told him reassuringly. “From there, she can take a civilian Cessna and be in Chofu Airfield by tonight.”
“You’re sure about that?”
“Of course. Rest easy tonight.”
“Thank you. Goodbye, sir.” Sousuke was truly relieved.
Fifty minutes later, after classes were over and just as Sousuke was thinking the clouds looked ominous, his cellphone rang. “Yes? Sagara here.”
“Ah, hello?! It’s me!” He could hear his comrade, Melissa Mao, shouting from the other end. Behind her was the sound of powerful rushing wind.
“Mao? Where are you?”
“Um, the airport in Hachijojima! We just arrived, but there’s a typhoon coming in! All flights to Tokyo are canceled!”
“What?!” Sousuke asked in alarm.
“Canceled, I said! So I’ll be stuck here tonight! Look after Tessa, okay?!”
“Wait, you can’t—”
“Guess it’ll be just the two of you! Go on and have your way with her if you want! You have my permission! Oh, you macho man!” Mao said teasingly.
“Don’t be ridiculous!” Sousuke yelled. “Are you abandoning your comrade?!”
“Learn what it’s for other than storing water, okay?! See ya! Good luck!”
“Can’t you hear me?! Respond, Uruz-2! Reinforcements needed urgently... Uruz-2!”
Click. The line went dead.
In the classroom, which was abuzz with students getting ready to go home, Sousuke turned pale. Shakily, he approached Kaname, who was putting textbooks into her bag. “Ch-Chidori...”
“What?”
“I... realize this may be a strange question, but... would you stay at my apartment tonight? Mao was supposed to come, but an... unfortunate issue arose. If you would come instead, I’d be... so grateful...”
“No way. You have a special relationship, right?” Kaname said coldly.
“No, I didn’t mean—”
“Besides, I have plans tonight. Fifty handsome Johnny types are staying in my room tonight, so I don’t have time to deal with a war-obsessed fool like you. Bye!”
“Chidori!”
Kaname stomped off, leaving him entirely on his own.
“What’s the matter, Sagara-san?” asked Tessa, who was holding her bag and wearing her school uniform as she ran towards him.
Those worried gray eyes. That beautiful face. Even I can see that she’s a highly appealing girl, he thought. But why does she make so much trouble for me? Rather, why do I feel so troubled by her? Where does this intense psychological pressure come from? I don’t know. I just don’t.
I’m... I’m finished, he realized. I can’t see. I can’t breathe. My ears are ringing and the back of my mind is sounding alarms. I can just barely remain standing. In fact, am I even standing? The floor of the classroom seems to be rapidly approa—
“Sagara-san?!” Tessa exclaimed.
Sousuke had collapsed like a sack of potatoes.
“We have a communication from Colonel Testarossa. Uruz-7 has collapsed. Reason unknown, but most likely exhaustion...” Sergeant Shinohara, the communications officer, relayed the message at the Merida Island communications center.
“You see that?!” Colonel Mardukas screeched. “I knew it was a mistake to leave her in the hands of that young man! He behaves that way only when our precious captain is around! It’s unacceptable! I’m utterly disappointed!” He sounded outraged, but his manner was that of an ‘I told you so.’ “That’s exactly why I was against it,” he continued to rail. “Someone that soft isn’t worthy of the captain. When her leave ends, I’m going to have to give her a piece of my mind! And perhaps I’ll introduce her to my nephew. He’s a lieutenant in the Royal Marines, a boy with everything to recommend him. Why, in the Gulf War—”
As the lieutenant colonel babbled on and on, Major Kalinin whispered to himself, “I’d likely have collapsed in his place as well.”
“What did you just say, Major?!”
“Oh, nothing.”
“That’s right,” Mardukas continued angrily. “Still, the captain is still a young girl. She’s likely to make mistakes of this sort. If you ask me, young women these days are simply—”
With Kalinin observing him, the lieutenant colonel ranted on and on about his views on family, society, and everything else. Kalinin thought to himself, I don’t think Sagara’s going to do anything to her...
“What did you just think, Major?!” Mardukas demanded to know.
“Oh, nothing,” Kalinin responded with a poker face, and then left the communications center behind.
That night, Sousuke was taken back to his apartment by Kaname and Tessa, where he spent the rest of the evening unconscious in his room. The days to come would bring even more shenanigans with Tessa and the students of Jindai High...
But that’s a story for another day.
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