The one who appeared was a girl with silver hair that flowed down to her waist.
“Reina…”
Kenyya was captivated by her appearance.
“Reina Sylphid.”
Kaguya glared at her as if she were her mortal enemy. Reina Sylphid, the daughter of the military’s top brass in this country.
She unintentionally sat next to Kenyya. It was just a seat that happened to be vacant.
Kenyya turned towards her.
“H-hey. Is that guy planning to talk to her?”
“That hair, she’s a Second-Class, right?”
Reina seemed to notice the commotion and turned towards them.
Her captivating blue eyes almost stole his consciousness. Still, Kenyya desperately resisted and managed to exchange a greeting.
“Nice to meet you, Reina.”
“Please don’t talk to me, I have no interest in you.”
He was instantly shot down. The Ice Princess was alive and well, indifferent to almost everything. Her heart was as cold as ice.
After that, she never turned his way again.
“You really do have guts, don’t you?”
Kaguya looked at Kenyya with pity. She pitied him, thinking he was looking down and crying from the shock of being shot down.
“Heh, as expected of the Ice Princess…”
But Kenyya’s eyes were not dead. Rather, they shone as if to say, “This is it!”
“Cool and aloof. Exactly as I imagined.”
Imagining the day that expression would crumble and she would smile at him, a smile crept onto his face. Kaguya was taken aback by Kenyya’s eerie smile.
Then, a soldier, who seemed to be the teacher, entered the classroom.
“Take your seats, within five seconds. Nice to meet you, Lord. I am Alfred, and I will be in charge of this class. It is the greatest honor to be able to be in charge of Lord’s class.”
The military instructor, who was commanding to everyone but being humble to the Lord, began to speak.
It must be difficult, it’s like the president’s son joining the company as a new employee. It would be difficult for the superiors to handle him.
In the first place, why is the Lord, who is royalty, a soldier? I know he’s an eccentric, but still.
“I am Alfred. First of all, congratulations on your enrollment. And to all of you Second-Class Aasgard Empire Citizens. You have shown great courage in choosing the path of a soldier. We welcome you all.”
About ten former Japanese people lowered their heads.
“And those of you who are First-Class, you are to manage and guide them well. We expect exemplary behavior.”
He implicitly declared who the rulers were. Some eyes sparkled at those words, while others darkened. The line between ruler and slave was clearly drawn.
“Now, let’s confirm the schedule for today. Please download the app on your devices.”
Kenyya activated his KOG Device and launched the app as instructed.
“Basically, you will all be aiming to become KOG pilots in our country. However, if you are deemed unsuitable along the way, you will be assigned to rear support.”
(Basically, this school is where we learn how to operate KOGs.)
Kenyya looked at the schedule and understood. And then he was shocked when he saw today’s schedule.
“This KOG aptitude test is…”
“As you can see, today you will be taking the KOG aptitude test. This is an important test to determine the hierarchy of this class. Do your best. The evaluation will be fair, so all of you Second-Class… well, do your best.”
Then, at the end, the instructor, Alfred, gave a smile that clearly felt malicious. Laughter could be heard from the classroom. But the laughter didn’t come from the Japanese.
But Kenyya was more concerned about something else.
(I can ride one!? Seriously!?)
The thought of being able to ride a KOG made Kenyya’s tension skyrocket. But the next words brought him crashing down.
“The test will be conducted using the Simulator. The basic controls are the same, though. Now, let’s go.”
(Well, yeah, of course. They wouldn’t let us operate one right away.)
Everyone stood up and began to move one after another. But the footsteps of our Japanese friends were heavy.
Kenyya looked at them with a puzzled expression. Kaguya was clenching her fist in frustration.
…
“Alright… then, those whose names are called, please come forward.”
And the ones called were, black hair and blonde hair. In other words, a Japanese person and an Aasgard Empire citizen.
Laughter of derision could be heard from the surroundings.
“Both of you have read the manuals that were distributed beforehand, right? If you read that, you should be able to operate it. Now, get in.”
In the center of the classroom, two virtual cockpits of KOGs, called Simulators, were prepared. And the two of them got in.
“Hey, Kaguya. Why do you look so frustrated?”
“Don’t call me by my first name, pervert. …You’ll understand if you watch, this tasteless show of humiliation.”
The battle between the two seemed to be displayed on the monitor above. The stage was a mountainous area. There were no particular gimmicks, but if it were an actual war, training on this stage would be good.
And then the battle began.
But it was not a battle.
“Hey, hey, hey! You can’t even stand properly!”
“Guh!”
“As expected of a loser. At least learn how to operate it!”
“Gwah!”
P1 WIN!
“Ah, so that’s what it is…”
Kenyya understood after seeing the video. This was not a battle, but a show of humiliation.
“As expected of a First-Class Aasgard Empire Citizen. Splendid.”
“Yes!”
“Compared to that, you… since you are inferior as a species, at least make an effort. Not being able to even stand… there’s a reason why you’re Second-Class…”
“…”
The two who got out of the Simulator faced each other. One was smiling, and the other was clenching his fist and remaining silent. The instructor shouted at them after seeing that.
“What are you doing! Second-Class, quickly declare your defeat and bow your head!”
“Guh!”
The instructor kicked the back of the Japanese boy who was clenching his fist.
“You’re such a slowpoke! Don’t waste my time!”
“I… lost…”
“Your voice is too small, and the words are wrong! It was written in the manual, wasn’t it!”
“I-I lost! Thank you for your guidance, Second-Class me!”
With tears of frustration in his eyes, he declared his defeat loudly and bowed his head.
“Alright, next!”
And one after another, the Japanese were defeated. They laughed together as they declared their defeat, instilling the hierarchy. Is it because the Aasgard Empire citizens are superior? That’s not the case.
“They’ve been practicing beforehand, this is our first time. There’s no way we can win.”
Kaguya clenched her fist in frustration.
This was probably a baptism for the Second-Class Aasgard Empire Citizens, who were at the very bottom of the completely vertical military society. It was to make each one acknowledge their defeat and declare who was superior.
“Hahaha, this feels good. From now on, you guys will be living like this, groveling before us every day. If you don’t like it, go back to Third-Class. An even worse life awaits you there. Hahaha!”
An Aasgard Empire citizen next to them laughed as he looked at Kaguya and Kenyya, who looked frustrated. A chubby guy with a bob cut who looked wealthy. Just looking at his condescending eyes made him angry.
“Next! Good Semaka and Kurokami Kaguya, come forward!”
The Aasgardian who had laughed at Kenyya and the others earlier came forward.
“Ahahaha! You guys are lucky. I’ll make sure to guide you properly!… Oh, right. Instructor Alfred!”
Then, the man raised his hand as if he had just thought of something with a nasty look on his face.
“What is it, Good-kun?”
“How about we make them do a dogeza when they lose!”
“Huh!?”
Kaguya raised her voice at that nasty suggestion.
“Dogeza? What is that?”
“It’s the most polite way for Second-Class citizens in this area to express their apologies. They kneel and rub their foreheads on the ground! It’s the perfect gesture for a loser!”
“Hmm… that sounds interesting. Alright. I permit it.”
Kaguya’s opinion was completely ignored, and the two of them decided on their own.
“Is there a problem? Kurokami?”
“N-no… there isn’t.”
“Very well. Then.”
The two faced each other in front of the Simulator. One glared as if at an enemy, and the other looked down with a sneer.
The instructor looked at the obvious future.
“Get in.”
He grinned.