Upon Returning Home As A Military Major General, I Was Told To Attend School, Even Though It’s Quite Late Now - Chapter 132

Chapter 132. Killing With Praise

[He undoubtedly saved this country. Without him, Japan would have certainly become some other country’s colony by now. Every adult in this nation should carry both gratitude and a sense of guilt toward him.]

[I hear he’s a Major General in the army, but that’s not the highest rank, is it? Shouldn’t the country be honoring him more as a national hero?]

[Given what Major General Kamiya has done, yes, you’d think so. But because of the secrecy surrounding him, he hasn’t even been awarded a single medal. He’s been used solely for the government’s convenience.]

“Turn off the TV, Mina.”

“Alright, alright.”

Mina chuckles and turns off the TV with the remote.

Since returning home with Hayami’s teleportation from school and finishing dinner, the TV has been non-stop covering me.

“They’re really praising you, Yuu.”

“They say ‘killing with praise’ for a reason.”

For me, being praised like this feels extremely uncomfortable.

“But I’m happy to see you getting praised, Yuu.”

With a proud smile, Mina glances at the evening newspaper she brought from home, smirking at the article about me.

“Was it hard for you, Mina, to be in the public eye as the ‘Songstress of the Battlefield’?”

“Since I’m in the military, my face gets shown everywhere even though I’m underage. That’s rough.”

That’s exactly it.

It’s not ideal for a minor to have their face all over the media.

Though as a Major General, I understand that some of these personnel movements are supposed to be made public.

This transparency exists so that the people can keep an eye on the government or the military and prevent them from running amok with arbitrary decisions.

“Still, bringing the press all the way to school is a bit much. I mean…can I even keep going to school like this?”

“What? Why not?”

Mina, who had been leisurely reading the evening paper at the dining table, suddenly looks up.

“The reason I started attending this academy was because my identity was almost exposed, so the government used it as a cover. But now that the whole country knows who I am, there’s no need for the government to keep me in school anymore.”

“It’s normal for someone your age to go to school, Yuu!”

“I’m not normal, for better or worse.”

“Yuu…”

I answered bitterly, and Mina is at a loss for words.

Right, if I keep talking down on myself, it’ll just make her worry, so I should change the subject.

“But why couldn’t the government control the media this time?”

When I first returned, my appearance in formal military attire at the Ichigaya headquarters as a Major General was leaked, and the top brass struggled but managed to keep the media in check.

“That’s true; the media knew you were a Major General and a war hero from the start.”

Indeed.

When Mina and I went to school together, my face and identity had already been fully exposed.

“The information must have spread so widely that the government couldn’t contain it. But my information should have been classified at a high level.”

I have no clue how the government monitors the internet or the media, being tech-illiterate, but considering the outcome, they probably poured a lot of budget and personnel into it.

For someone to slip through all those monitoring systems and spread my info—what kind of genius hacker would that be?

Prime Minister Kariya mentioned a special team was investigating the culprit, which means even the government hasn’t caught their trail.

“So, um, Yuu… About that ski trip we talked about before—considering the situation, I guess we’ll have to cancel it?”

As I was sinking into my thoughts, Mina, with a disappointed look, hesitantly asks me, like a child trying to be understanding about a busy parent.

Come to think of it, amidst the chaos of my identity being revealed, I’d completely forgotten that I’d promised to teach Mina how to ski.

“Well, if I wear goggles on the slopes, I can probably hide my face. So, we can still go, right?”

“Really!?”

Mina’s face lights up instantly.

With a look of hope, as if saying, “Are you really taking me even though you’re so busy, Dad?” it’s hard to say no.

“But we’ll definitely get recognized at a crowded hotel. So, maybe we’ll rent a lodge, like we did for the Okinawa trip.”

“A lodge… Just the two of us, sitting in rocking chairs by the fireplace, watching the snow fall gently outside… Perfect…”

“The main purpose of the trip is for you to practice skiing, Mina.”

“Two people lost in a snowstorm, finding refuge in a ski storage shed…”

“No way I’m letting you get lost during my ski lesson.”

If I got a student lost on a leisurely ski trip, that would make me the worst instructor ever.

“Only one blanket…two people warming each other with body heat, eventually…”

Oh no.

Mina’s already off in her own little world, lost in her fantasies, completely ignoring my attempts to snap her out of it.

“Yuu, I’m hungry. I want a late-night snack.”

“Weren’t you asleep, Misuzu?”

Rubbing her eyes, Misuzu, in her pajamas, opens the door and enters the living room, asking for a snack.

“Alright, alright. I’ll make some porridge in the earthenware pot.”

Quickly returning from her fantasy world, Mina cheerfully heads to the kitchen to make Misuzu’s late-night snack.

“Mina’s in a good mood. Something happen, Yuu?”

“You should be in bed, kid.”

Misuzu, looking suspiciously at Mina, glances at me for an explanation, but the ski trip is our little secret, so I brush it off casually.

“For the last time, I’m the older sister here.”

Misuzu pouts, but as she sits at the dining table, waiting for Mina’s porridge, she looks just like a young girl with a big appetite, being doted on by a mother figure.