Upon Returning Home As A Military Major General, I Was Told To Attend School, Even Though It’s Quite Late Now - Chapter 134

Chapter 134. Mob-Face Major General

“Uh, who ordered the Teriyaki Muffin again?” 

“That’s me. Side of corn, orange juice.”

Distributing the burgers from the heated brown paper bag, I hand them over to their rightful owners.

“Alright, Mina. Next, Double Cheese Chicken Griddle is for Kotomi, right?” 

“Thanks, Yuu. Side of mashed potatoes and a cola.”

“Pair set of Demi-Tama, Demi-Bacon, and L Fries goes to the Siscon and Brocon duo.” 

“What kind of nickname is that?” 

“By properly speaking up, you admit to it, Suo-senpai.”

“And the load of Lucky Sets is for you, Misuzu.” 

“Why am I the one stuck with the kids’ meal…”

With a huge paper bag cradled in both arms, Misuzu protests with a sour expression.

“It’s the best value, that’s why. Okay, everyone, let’s dig in!”

At my signal, the meal begins.

“Remember, it’s a rental car, so please don’t make a mess.”

Hayami-san in the driver’s seat offers a responsible adult’s reminder.

“Okay, Hayami-sensei.”

“There’s something exciting about eating breakfast burgers from a drive-thru while heading to our destination, huh, Yuu?” 

“Feels like the start of an adventure, really pumps me up.”

Early morning, on the highway.

Right now, we’re all in a rental minivan driven by Hayami-san, heading straight for an out-of-prefecture hot spring amusement park complex.

“Why am I stuck in the front passenger seat?” 

“That’s my line, young lady. Now, pass me the frankfurter. My hands are occupied with driving.”

“A woman feeding another woman a frankfurter… who even benefits from this…”

Grudgingly, Mina holds a frankfurter to Hayami-san’s mouth from the passenger seat.

“Munch, munch… Can’t be helped. I too would have loved for Yuu-sama to feed me, but asking him to handle a meat stick while driving would be far too stimulating and lead to catastrophic driving errors.”

“Uh-huh. You sure know yourself well, Hayami-san. As expected of a skilled aide.” 

“Much appreciated.”

Chewing, Hayami-san acknowledges with a nod through the rearview mirror.

“Must’ve been tough having her as your aide, Yuu-kun.” 

“Now, now, Mina. If Hayami-san hadn’t offered to drive today, we wouldn’t even be on this trip.”

“I suppose…”

Our destination, the hot spring complex, does offer a shuttle bus from the nearest terminal station, but given how recognizable Mina and I are, crowded public transport was a no-go.

Thus, traveling by car and asking Hayami-san to be the driver was our best option.

“Traveling together like this brings back memories of that Okinawa trip, doesn’t it, Yuu-sama?”

“It sure does. This time it’s just a day trip, though.” 

“Yet, somehow, we’ve ended up with just as large a group.”

Given the circumstances of our travel, Mina’s usual jabs at Hayami-san were softer.

“But ever since the second half of the year began, Toraho-senpai’s been busy with her idol work, and there was that whole Kamiyama-senpai incident… it’s a miracle we could all gather again like this.”

“Yeah. If I were under house arrest by the state, this would’ve been impossible.”

Nodding at Marin-chan’s words, we ponder the “what-ifs.”

“If that happened, I’d have used spatial transfer to rescue Yuu-sama and we’d have lived out our lives together in a remote cottage.” 

“Had it come to that, I’d have exposed everything about Yuu-kun during a concert and called upon public sentiment.” 

“I’d have opted for poison gas at the government office, simply.”

“Thank goodness Prime Minister Kariya made a wise decision.”

While this was all hypothetical, the unwavering resolve of the women except Marin-chan and Misuzu was… terrifying.

“No way a guy like Major General Kamiyama would surrender without a fight.” 

“Agreement from Suo.”

Their cool-headed replies, in a way, were comforting. If ever I were confined, they’d be the ones to stop me.

“Indeed. But I’m grateful to be walking free under the sun.”

“Then let’s make the most of our hard-earned freedom today.”

“You bet!”

The war is over, and for now, my position in society is somewhat settled. International affairs are stable, and barring any major incidents, I won’t be called out for a while.

For now, I’ll live a student’s life, just playing around until graduation.

With that carefree thought, I took a bite of my ham-cheese-egg muffin.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

“Was peace just a fantasy after all…?”

I stand there, bewildered, as people clash around me.

“If people truly sought peace, they’d plant flowers. Yet with those same hands, they destroy those flowers…”

What have I even been doing…? I felt powerless.

“Quit the sentimental musings and guard your left side, Kamiyama!” 

“S-Sorry, Suo-senpai! Move back, everyone! She’s off-duty today!”

Shouting, I shield the approaching crowd with my whole body.

We’re still at the entrance to the hot spring amusement park when Mina is quickly recognized by the other visitors, and chaos ensues.

“Mina-chaaaan!” 

“Wow, such beautiful silver hair!” 

“Sing for us!”

Mina’s silver hair is unmistakably striking.

Even though she stepped out of the car with her hair tied up and wearing a wide-brimmed hat, a sudden gust blew it off, revealing her identity instantly.

“Where’s security?” 

“Uh-oh, more people are gathering.”

It’s becoming difficult for Suo-senpai and me to contain the crowd as we’re slowly being pushed into a corner of the parking lot.

“Shall we execute an emergency escape with my spatial transfer, Yuu-sama?” 

“No way; doing that in front of so many people and filming onlookers would expose Hayami-san’s military spells.”

“Then how about deploying my homunculi army to trample them, Yusuke? I’m still full of energy post-meal.” 

“If hordes of naked girls flood out, we’ll be permanently banned! No, Misuzu!”

“What abou—” 

“No, Kotomi!” 

“But I haven’t even said anything yet…”

If Kotomi used stun gas on the crowd, it’d cause police and fire department troubles.

What do we do?

Suo-senpai is good at close combat, Marin-chan excels at espionage—neither fits this escape.

“Sorry… It was my fault…”

From her sheltered spot, Mina murmurs an apology with teary eyes.

The sight of the battle songstress, a healer of hearts, shedding tears fills me with resolve.

“Looks like there’s only one option.”

Muttering, I removed my disguise cap and dark sunglasses, facing the crowd.

“This is Kamiyama. I’m sorry, everyone. Toraho Mina is here on private business today, not for duty. I kindly ask you to let her enjoy being a regular girl today.”

My voice carries as I look at everyone, pleading.

With the presence of a major general, the crowd…

“Ahhh! Mina-chan!” 

“Show us your face!”

“Whaaat?!”

I’m Kamiyama, a hot topic on TV right now! Yet, not a single person notices me, let alone heeds my plea.

“Hey, Kamiyama. You’re not in uniform, so no one recognizes you.” 

“With such a nondescript face, it’s only natural, Kamiyama-senpai.”

As I blinked in disbelief, Suo-senpai and Marin-chan delivered biting remarks like sharp punches.

“Yusuke. An unmemorable face is actually a skill in espionage.” 

“That doesn’t help, Misuzu.”

I don’t need that kind of talent.

[Apologies, Master.]

[What’s up, Kon? Perfect timing—scatter some warning shots at these fools.]

‘I have a better solution. That’s why I appeared.]

[Is that so?]

[This is what happens when all I do is fire guns for you…]

[Out with it, Kon.]

[Our ability is Saturation. We just need to saturate the crowd’s minds.]

[Oh, that! You’re right.’ ‘You’d forgotten, Master.]

[It’s subtle!]

[You’re unbelievable… [Mental Saturation Technique], activate.]

The technique, once cast, has no detectable start or end. Only the change in circumstances can be seen.

“Let’s head inside.” 

“Time to enter.” 

“Why were we so fixated again?” 

“Right, she’s just a war singer.”

The crowd, as if doused in cold water, drifted away toward the entrance.

The [Mental Saturation Technique] makes people’s minds absorb an idea repeatedly until it dulls their interest.

The crowd quickly lost fascination with Mina and dispersed.