Vol 5 Chapter 1 (1/2)

Chapter 1: The Start of the Fall Term

The 13th day of the ninth month, the year 3305 of the World Calendar

There was a blue planet with a very large moon

90 percent of the planet was covered in water, and the poles were covered in ice

There was an oval, potato-shaped continent in the northern hemisphere of that planet

The southern part of the continent was a brown desert But as the latitude increased, the land exploded in a splash of green

There was a inning at the desert The mountains, capped with snow even in the middle of summer, ended abruptly about halfway up the continent The two rivers on either side of thethe ht north and into the sea

There were two nations on the continent, one on either side

In the east was the Roxcheanuk Confederation, also known as Roxche It was made up of 16 countries and territories

In the ere the Allied Kingdoms of Bezel-Iltoa, also known as Sou Be-Il It waswith a handful of small subordinate countries

For eons, the people of the East and West had warred against one another with the Lutoni River between them

In ed alliances, and Roxche and Sou Be-Il were formed almost simultaneously What folloas a cold war, one massive war, and many smaller conflicts

But about 20 years ago, the cold as ended by a certain incident

The threat of another Great War was beginning to fade

The capital of Roxche was the Special Capital District, a region independent of any country within the confederation

It was on the northeastern end of Roxche, very far from the East-West border but also a fair distance from the sea

The Special Capital District was a circular area about 30 kilometers in diameter It had been built when Roxche was first formed

The city center was home to the presidential residence, the Confederation assembly Hall, civic centers, and courthouses Outside the center was a business district croith department stores and hotels Further outside was a residential district full of aparts

And on the outskirts of the Capital District, in the 9:30 direction, was the 4th Capital Secondary School

The 600 s, and housed class buildings, the grounds, gy others

The dore of the caender on either side of the lobby in the center

Unlike the drab grey concrete of the apartn of the dormitory was a perfect match for the rest of the campus

It was early in the , in the lobby on the first floor lined with phone booths

“It’s been a while, buddy! How’re you doing?”

“Great, Larry I had an awesome summer”

Seron and Larry greeted each other with smiles

Seron Maxas 15 years old and a third-year student He was of average height and had a slender build He had slightly long black hair and light grey eyes the color of clouds

Seron was dressed in street clothes Beige pants with a navy long-sleeved shi+rt, along with laceless shoes On his left wrist was a simple watch, which he wore every day

Larry Hepburn was also 15 years old He was shorter than Seron but muscular and fit His blond hair was cropped short, and he had bright blue eyes

“You’re looking braver than usual, Larry”

Larry earing a military uniform

He wore a Confederation Arreen summer coazine belt for rifle rounds and a water bottle tucked inside a cloth pouch On his feet were a pair of laceless black boots that had been polished to a shi+ne

Larry also carried a large rucksack laden with a rolled-up sleeping bag, a folding spade, and a metal helmet

“Cool, eh?” Larry grinned, pushi+ng up his hat “They haven’t even started issuing this new ca camp is over!”

“Hoas it?”

“Incredible! This tiy as an instructor telling us hoe can deceive the enereat! He said the louder the diversion, the more effective it is But at the saht be thinking, tofor a trap We also learned that you have toan ambush and—”

Larry was as energetic as ever, with the sarin on his face

“Anyway, that’s enough about the ca it up so soon, but please help me with my homework, Seron!”

But his face quickly took on a desperate hue

Seron’s room was on the third floor of the boys’ dorms

The 4th Capital Secondary School gave each dormitory student their own room out of consideration for their privacy, but the rooms were small and cramped to compensate

The rooms were furnished ooden beds, desks, closets, and dressers All the plu was concentrated at the center of each floor, so the kitchens and bathrooms were communal

The clear blue sky outside theseemed to declare the start of autumn It arm for the season, however They could leave the s open and still be coreen curtains fluttered gently in the breeze

“Aw, man… year in, year out, all this homework drives me insane…”

Larry had taken off his uniform jacket, and was in a T-shi+rt with the word ‘ARMY’ printed on the front He sat at Seron’s desk with his own notebook and printouts spread open

Seron sat on his bed behind hiiven up on

Taking a brief tea break partway through, Larry plowed through his homework until sweat dotted his brow

“Done… mission accomplished…”

It was a little past noon by the time he finally finished

“Tellonto the desk

“Good job, Larry” Seron said “Would you prefer to stay dead a little longer, or do you want to head to the cafeteria?”

“Food!” Larry leapt up

Larry and Seron, both in T-shi+rts and shorts, entered the dormitory cafeteria

The dormitory cafeteria was the size of a hotel banquet hall, and was usually reserved for breakfasts, dinners, and weekend meals for dormitory students However, non-dormitory students could also use the cafeteria if they were using the dorms for school-approved activities

A few students were already in the cafeteria Some were in uniform, and others were not

The former were students who had come to school for club activities The main cafeteria was closed, so they had to use the dormitory cafeteria The latter were mostly dormitory students like Seron

Only one of the counters was open that day Seron ordered cream of mushroom soup with chicken with a side of bread Larry did so as well, and also ordered a fish burger for two servings for food

Larry was a big eater, but because he exercised every day, he did not gain etables at the salad bar

Afterwards, Larry wrote down his student number on the record sheet so he would be billed later

Seron and Larry sat away from the other students, prayed, and started on their food

“It’s yslowly

“A strategyto his face Larry looked around to

“For helping you get closer to Megmica in the fall term”

“Oh”

“It’s too bad the caress this su where you started” Larry said with a s into Seron’s expressionless face Seron replied, still expressionless

“It was the greatest summer in the history of Roxche”

Larry blinked

“That’s souess this summer was basically like your own personal Mural discovery Anyway, this is where things are really gonna get started Hoe get you and Megether this autumn?”

“Hm…”

Seron had frozen, deep in thought

“You can keep eating, Seron Just hearto school every day this term That obviously means you’ll have a lot more chances to et That’s hoorks”

Seron slowly scooped up a large mushroom from his soup

“But… it’ll be hard to take the same classes as her”

Larry had to agree

In secondary school, most students could plan their own timetables Other than the mandatory classes, they had free rein to choose their electives This meant that everyone’s curriculum was different

Students had to choose the classes they wanted to take and submit their choices in the term before And because there were so many students and classes, it was unlikely they would end up in the same class by chance

“But! But! Starting this terht?”

Seron sed the mushroom and replied

“The newspaper club”

“Exactly You’ll get to see Megmica every day once class starts in two days Talk to her about a bunch of things, show off your good side And when you find the right moment, take a deep breath and ask her out”

“What if she turns me down?” Seron asked immediately Larry was taken aback

“Don’t be so pessimistic”

“B-but—”

Seron was expressionless yet clearly anxious Larry cut him off

“Neverout part as a final resort Like for if her family suddenly has to ”

“R-right”

“You can see her every day now, so we can go with a siy: spend asto know her Sound good to you?”

“Yeah Great”

Though it was a conservative conclusion, they arrived at one nonetheless and finished their lunches to boot Larry picked up his cup of tea and changed the subject

“You said you o? What’d you do yesterday? Was Jenny at school by any chance?”

“No, I haven’t spoken to her since the telephone call Yesterday I went shopping at the depart and spent the afternoon at the Roxche Museu there, but I think I finally ed to look at all the exhibits” Seron replied casually Larry cut in

“Alone?”

“Huh? Yeah Of course”

Larry fell into deep thought

Why couldn’t Seron have called Meg and asked her to go with him? She lived in the Capital District, after all Seron could have called Natalia or Jenny or Nick to help hio so far as to question him over it

“M-makes sense The museum’s massive, I mean Last time I as on a class trip in pri about how the weapons exhibit had stuff just like lared at me so I had to shut up”

“Too bad You were telling the truth, too” Seron said sympathetically

Seron had visited the Hepburn fa a 400-year-plus history Their halls were lined with swords and suits of arenerations

“The ones at hoh I feel bad for my ancestors, but that’s part of farin

Larry was not the only one who horsed around with the farandfather, and all the men of the Hepburn family—and some of the women— trained or played around with the weapons and arenerations

After lunch, Seron and Larry picked up their trays and headed for the counter

“Thanks for helping onna head over to the ear and head back ho relatives over for a conference at my place Sorry”

“No worries I’ll see you when classes start”

They placed their trays on the return counter and left the cafeteria

At that moment—

“E-excuse me!”

A girl came up to them

Two girls had been waiting for them at the doors Both were in uniforer than Seron and Larry

The one who had spoken was the taller of the tith curly brown hair and light green eyes, along with a pair of glasses And her eyes were fixed intently on Seron

The other girl was petite She was only a little taller than Jenny Jones, with short black hair and light brown eyes Unlike her clearly-determined friend, she looked at Seron even irl

“What is it?”

Seron knew exactly what the girl wanted, but he responded as calirl wanted, froaze

“Er… SC Maxwell! M-aret Whistler! I’m a second-year! I’ve liked you ever since I first saw you! I’m sorry this is so sudden, but I happened to see you today and I just couldn’t hold back any o out with me?”

The bespectacled girl’s fists were clenched tightly She was pouring out her heart Seron did not avert his eyes all throughout the confession For soirl looked on

Finally, Seron spoke

“Thank you, but—”

And he gently followed Larry’s directions on how to turn sos He had done so many times in the past

Seron had several set responses ready for when someone asked him out in person, or when someone left a love letter in his locker Each time he made sure to avoid any word that could possibly bethat he was not interested

The bespectacled girl seemed sad for a moment, but she listened to Seron until the end and relaxed

Perhaps she already knew that Seron had a track record of rejecting confessions; perhaps she kneas hopeless fro; perhaps she considered the atteful than the outcome; or perhaps all were true

“I understand Thank you sorefreshed

Larry waited for the lull in the conversation before butting in cheerfully

“That was pretty cool, both of you I’ve never had a crush on anyone and no one’s askedto watch!”

A faint sirl’s face

“Thank you I’ you, SC Maxwell And… er…”

“Larry Hepburn I’m a friend of Seron”

“I’ you If you don’t mind, could you please keep this—”

“I knoon’t tell a soul”

“Thank you”

The girl thanked theirl followed expressionlessly

Two seconds later

“Perfect”

Neither Larry nor Seron, nor the bespectacled girl noticed the sliver of a sirl’s face

The 15th day of the ninth month

The fall teran

Countless cars and students swarmed to the school, which had previously been occupied only by students doing club activities and dorates and the school hallere packed