Upon Returning Home As A Military Major General, I Was Told To Attend School, Even Though It’s Quite Late Now - Chapter 120

Chapter 120. The Jungle Calls Me, Even Though The War Is Almost Over

“Ah, found it. This is Checkpoint 3. The keyword is 2196. Please record that, Kotomi.”

“2196, got it. Okay, all set.”

“It’s so peaceful. Is it really okay for our makeup lesson to be something like orienteering?”

“The instructors are obviously going easy on us. Oh, about 10 meters ahead, there’s a booby trap. I’ll disable it with Chuusuke’s electric shock.”

In the autumnal training forest, Kotomi and I were doing an orienteering exercise as a makeup lesson for missing class due to our missions.

“You’re growing up, Kotomi. During our first pair training, you almost got caught by the most basic booby trap.”

“Don’t remind me of my rookie days!”

Blushing, Kotomi uses her stuffed animal, Chuusuke, to zap the booby trap and destroy it.

“But, it’s when you start getting used to things that it gets dangerous. See that obvious tripwire on the ground? There’s an infrared explosive on the tree above it. If you crouch to disarm the trap on the ground, boom!”

“Ah… you’re right.”

Blushing slightly at my comment, Kotomi sends an electric current up to the tree, disabling the bomb.

“You really do have more outdoor battle experience, Yuu.”

“Well, I’ve spent a lot of time in jungles.”

“In the end, the only frontline experience I have is the jungle battle we went to together recently.”

“What, Kotomi? Do you wish you had more frontline experience?”

“Yeah, I know it’s a bit inappropriate during a war, but I kinda long for the frontlines.”

“Well, next time I’ll bring you a feast of edible insects that the jungle tribes shared with us.”

“All my yearning for the frontlines just vanished, so I’m good.”

I put in a lot of effort to pick the tastiest bugs. What a shame.

“Well, since the Eastern Union agreed to a ceasefire draft the other day, it looks like peace will be achieved with Europe and the Americas too. The world will be at peace soon.”

“Yeah, the war might be over by Christmas.”

Just as Kotomi said, the war was finally coming to an end. World War III had erupted when humanity discovered the power of Soul Armaments.

This global struggle for dominance was about to conclude with Japan, somewhat ironically, poised to take control as the leading power.

“It’s kinda ironic that this country, which was dragged into the world war against its will, is now set to take the world’s leadership.”

“The rapid progress with the Eastern Union is thanks to Misuzu, isn’t it?”

“Misuzu’s defection ended up saving tens of thousands of Eastern Union soldiers’ lives.”

“Are you sad that you won’t have a reason to go to the jungle anymore, Yuu?”

“Not at all! It’s almost winter, so I’ll be cozying up in the kotatsu this year.”

“That sounds great! Kotatsu and oranges.”

“All we need is a cat curled up in the kotatsu, and it’d be perfect.”

“Pant, pant… Did someone call me, Yuu-kun?”

“Kohou-senpai… why are you here in the training forest, still wearing your school uniform instead of combat gear?”

At the word “cat,” Mina had apparently come running into the forest. Maybe because no instructors were supervising the orienteering, security seemed pretty lax.

“Huh? I just wanted to mess with you two.”

Mina cheerfully confessed her motives. But it was bizarre to see a high school girl in uniform in a forest designed to simulate a battlefield.

“Yuu, I think the instructor set this up. It’s a mock enemy soldier. Shoot her on sight.”

“She is suspicious, but shooting without asking questions is a bit extreme, Kotomi.”

“I surrender! Please take me as a prisoner!”

“What are you even saying? Let’s shoot her, Yuu.”

“She was speaking Japanese just fine!”

We continued our playful banter, knowing full well we’d be in trouble if there were any instructors around. Eventually, Kotomi and Mina ended up tagging along for the rest of the exercise.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

“Hey, Yuusuke, we need you to head to the jungle.”

“That was quick. You’re fulfilling the prophecy too fast.”

“What are you talking about?”

After finishing the orienteering makeup lesson and delivering the results to the instructors’ office, I got roped in by Principal Takami.

“Why the jungle now, when the world war is practically over?! Do the higher-ups think I love jungles or something?”

“Read the details.”

Saying that, Takami handed me the mission orders.

“Let’s see… This mission is a rescue operation, huh? We’re rescuing Japanese military personnel from a conflict zone, and the target and location are…”

I started off reading with mild irritation, but as I continued, my interest quickly piqued.

“Junker Fortress… I see. For them, the war isn’t over at all.”

“That’s right.”

Junker Fortress is the stronghold of the Hao tribe, an ethnic minority in Southeast Asia that has long been fighting for independence from the Eastern Union.

“Ah, memories. Back when I was with your unit, we were really grateful to them.”

Takami’s squad had once teamed up with the Hao tribe, under the old adage “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.”

“Their food was a bit hard to stomach, though.”

“Same here.”

Despite our grimaces, we both smiled. The Hao people were so friendly to us back then, but their traditional cuisine was just… not something we could handle.

“By the way, judging by the name of the person we’re rescuing… could it be…?”

“Yes, she’s Colonel Kobako’s sister.”

“I thought that name was rare. So Toshi-nii had a sister, huh?”

Some soldiers avoid talking about their families, either because it makes them homesick or because they joined the military to escape complicated family situations. It’s an unspoken rule not to pry into family matters unless the person brings it up.

Toshi-nii was definitely one of those who kept quiet about his family.

“Well then, I guess I’ll have to ask Toshi-nii for information on his sister. It’s necessary for the mission, after all.”

“The mission is entirely in your hands. Assemble your team as you see fit.”

Alright!

This meant I could spend more time with Toshi-nii.

With a spring in my step, I dialed the number for the instructors’ office at the military cadet school where Toshi-nii worked, already memorized in my head.