Chapter 935: How to Spend the Year-End and New Year Holidays 4
It seems Isaac and the crossbow squad are set to depart for Polka soon. It’s become a well-established, official tradition, the winter break……or rather, the long-distance march training.
“My goal this year is to pick up the pace. Based on last year’s experience, I’ve carefully planned the route and designed the campsites……I want to shave three days off both the outbound and return legs”
“Don’t push yourselves too hard. If we end up with injuries or sick people, saving a little time won’t mean a thing. Even if it all gets wiped clean at the Spirit Spring in the end”
“I’ve factored that into the plan. Honestly, last year we fumbled a lot because we didn’t really know the geography of Trot, and we should have chosen a different spot for the mountain crossing. We couldn’t resupply as planned either, so we ended up having to hunt with crossbows more often than we’d like. ……And it’s not just you and Anzeros who are from Trot in our squad. Once we gathered information thoroughly, we came up with a good plan”
“……Just to be safe, you should consult with Dianne later. If she knows the route, she and Laila can check on things from time to time, and it’ll give us peace of mind in case of an emergency”
“Of course”
Isaac’s really starting to act like a 100-man Commander. If I’d been promoted, I’d have had to do that kind of work, planning, scheduling, and all that. But the reality is, even when I try to come up with something that looks the part, the female slave advisors usually have to subtly step in to make things work. Plus, since I’ve become such a magnet for trouble, even those plans tend to fall apart. Even now that I’m just waiting to be discharged, I still yearn for the title of 100-man Commander, but maybe it’s for the best that I didn’t get it.
“Hey, Williams. How long are you going to lie there? No one’s going to feel sorry for you, so get up already”
Isaac picks up Williams, whom he had just knocked down. Even as he’s being picked up, Williams shoots a resentful glare my way.
“Gugigi……Isaac aside, no matter how you look at it, there’s no way I’m less popular than Smithson……so why is he living it up while I can’t even get a single girl to date me, let alone marry me?”
“Your self-esteem is way too high, even for you. Especially after hearing about what Smithson’s been up to lately”
“It’s all down to luck, anyway! If I had that much luck piling up, I’d be just as lucky as him!”
“No matter how much luck piles up on you, you don’t have the guts to attack Sister Laila or the guts to punch Lord Bonaparte. You don’t even look like you’d have the sense to go one-on-one with a dragon rider as strong as 100-man Commander Dianne”
“……W, Well, if I were that popular, I’m sure I’d steel my resolve……maybe”
“Are you some kid who believes that losing your virginity will awaken your inner hero?”
“Damn it! Just because you hooked up with those beautiful sisters, you think you’re all that, you herbivore!”
Williams is getting more and more bitter……. Actually, in terms of ability, he has no flaws. But in a unit full of guys like this, just saying 「He has no flaws」 isn’t enough to make him stand out. ……Oh, right. Talking about popularity reminded me of something. A marriage proposal.
“By the way, where’s Bronson right now?”
“Bronson? Were you two close?”
“No, it’s just that Polka’s mom, Keel’s mom, asked if there was a suitable guy for Keel’s sister”
At that, Williams, who’s still being held back, surges forward.
“Why bring up Bronson and leave me out of it!? I’m a 100-man Commander! I’m making good money!”
“The rule was no one over thirty”
“Why!?”
There’s no reason or anything. All I can say is that’s just how they want it.
“If he’s got a girlfriend, I’ll pass, but if he doesn’t, I thought I’d at least take the message over to him”
“I haven’t heard anything like that……well, the squad and Basson have been pretty lively lately, so it’s possible he’s snagged someone without us noticing”
“Well, it’d probably be faster to ask him directly”
“Still, it’ll be nearly a month before we even get there. Are you sure this is okay? It’d be pretty pathetic if I got all worked up about it, only to find out she’s already hooked up with some other guy by the time we arrive……”
“That’s a good one!”
That’s exactly the point, Williams. I mean, don’t you know Keel’s sister well enough to get this worked up?
“Polka is so much more rural than here that people don’t just suddenly get together or break up like that, so I don’t think you need to worry too much. Especially in winter, when there aren’t many people coming and going”
“Umm”
“Let it fall through……let it fall through……”
Leaving Isaac, who was grumbling, and the stingy Williams alone for now, I decided to pay a visit to Bronson’s room in the dormitory.
Hank Bronson. The second-in-command after Anzeros……that position was originally held by Isaac’s wife, Mikagami……no, the former Mikagami, who now goes by the name Rinne Isaac, snatched it away partway through, but anyway, he was the guard infantryman who had been in that position. A round-faced bastard sword user who was recently appointed an Ace Knight. We visit his room.
“10-man Captain Smithson”
“Hey. You’ve gotten used to being 10-man Captain by now, right? Don’t be so formal”
“Ah……yeah. So, what’s up?”
The room is tidy. Is he naturally meticulous, or did he clean up in preparation for the expedition? If you leave things a mess during a months-long expedition, dust just piles up. If you’re unlucky, you might even find droppings from mice, birds, or bats that snuck in while you were away, so if you don’t clean up, you’ll be in trouble later……recalling that nostalgic experience, I speak to Bronson.
“So, apparently he wants to arrange a marriage for Keel’s sister. But in Polka, there aren’t many eligible women left”
“Umm……I mean, I’m not quite thirty yet, but there’s still a pretty big age gap, isn’t there?”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ve gone for girls more than ten years younger than me, and in the end, even their parents approved”
“I don’t think that’s exactly a good example to follow”
“But I can’t just introduce a cadet I don’t know well based on youth alone”
“It doesn’t have to be a private I don’t know well……wait, didn’t Lantz end up going that route too?”
“She told me with a straight face, 『Are you telling me to recommend a guy who talks about masturbating in broad daylight on the street to my daughter?』”
“……Sorry”
Really, if only that weren’t the case……Lantz is hardworking, cheerful, and young, I have no complaints about him.
“So, if you’re not currently seeing anyone or anything like that, could you at least do me a favor and go on a blind date?”
“A girl, huh……umm”
“……Is there someone you’re interested in?”
“No, it’s my squad……you know how girls joined us during the unit reorganization, right?”
“They did?”
“……Yeah, they did. Besides Mikagami, too. And one of them recently got caught cheating, so the atmosphere’s been really tense”
“Uwa……”
“It seems there’s a misunderstanding about whether they’re actually dating or not, so it’s all a mess. But we’ve been saying a lot that……yeah, an all-male unit really was better, you know?”
“……And so, as the squad leader, you feel it would be inappropriate to arrange a match?”
“……Yeah”
But you know. I’m not quite thirty yet, but I’m getting close, and as a working adult, it’s a problem to keep putting it off forever. Marriage is by no means a sin. It’s no good to sit around waiting until you end up like Williams just because you’re worried about what others think. ……Also.
“Listen, Bronson. You’re forgetting something important”
“?”
“Anzeros was your squad leader for years, right? There was never a time when it was just men”
“Ah. ……N, No, that’s not what I meant”
“Besides, Isaac is your leader, so there’s no point in holding back. This is Isaac, the guy who married two sisters at the same time”
“……Well, yeah, that’s true…….I mean, I’m sure 100-man Commander Isaac wouldn’t want to hear that from you of all people!?”
“Huu. Tell anyone who complains exactly that. Ask them if they want to be like Williams, or if they want to be like Isaac or Smithson”
I can’t help but wonder what on earth I’m saying, but I really want Bronson to get excited about this matchmaking. For the sake of our future life in Polka, I really want the track record of having played a part in a neighbor’s matchmaking, and Bronson has been working hard at it all this time. Besides, Ace Knight is a title that’s fair to say he’s made a name for himself with. It’s fine for him to get married. Or rather, the current situation where there are so few married men in the squad is, if anything, the strange one. A bunch of grown men, all of them.
“If you let this chance slip by and just keep watching everyone else’s reactions, you’ll definitely stay stuck like this until you end up just like Williams. Is that okay with you?”
“……T, That’s true”
“Besides, a matchmaking meeting is just a matchmaking meeting. Whether you actually end up together is another story. It’s way too early to feel like you’ve already won”
“Yeah……I guess so”
Vaguely feeling like I’m some kind of con artist, I get Bronson excited about it.
But a female squad member, huh. I wonder if having someone like that in a male-dominated squad would cause trouble. As I walk through the familiar barracks, thinking this, I hear a girl’s voice coming from a room. For a moment, I almost accepted that they were living in the same barracks, but then I remembered that we’d built a women’s barracks, she should be staying over there. Wondering if this was a breach of discipline, I peeked in to check. ……And then I realized the voices of the man and woman talking sounded familiar.
“……I really want to come along on the expedition the whole time”
“Well, it is the military, after all. They said we’re moving at a faster pace this time, so I think it’d be too tough for you, Silvia-san”
“But……”
“We’ll be able to meet up once we get there. If you want, you could ask 10-man Captain Smithson who’s here right now to take you there on a dragon, and then all you’d have to do is wait”
“……But I’ve heard that guy is a total pervert……plus, he caught us together before, Ernie. Are you okay with that?”
“……I, I do trust him. Sort of. He’s publicly stated he won’t lay a hand on another man’s woman, and 100-man Commander Dianne is there too”
“You’re not worried enough about me……”
“Still, I figure it’s better than making you go on a winter mountain trek like that……”
……Come to think of it, has Boyd been here the whole time? Is he tagging along on the expedition? No, since the Special Duty Unit is disbanding, if he doesn’t join the Crossbow Squad here, he’ll be left hanging. No, but……I really don’t have any credibility, do I? Especially with women. Sighing, thinking that it was only natural, I quietly left their room.