Chapter 54 – Choice

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Editor’s Note

Edited

“…Student Charlotte.”

“Hueh?”

When I shook Charlotte’s body as she slept hugging her blanket, she blinked her bleary eyes and woke up with a cute voice.

“It’s time for your watch duty.”

“Huaaah… is it…?”

She smacked her lips and stretched her small body.

The reason her face looked refreshed was… probably because she slept well?

That must be it. In the rotation, Charlotte had what’s commonly called the “last shift,” or vulgarly put, the “sweet spot.”

Somehow I couldn’t help but smile, remembering Evelyn’s disgruntled expression when she woke me up.

Charlotte tilted her head at my smile, then smiled back without knowing why, and wriggled her body.

…She’s cute.

She looked so adorable it was hard to believe she had a “wet dream” earlier.

My resolve to solve this problem quickly with Aileen burned brighter.

“Since you’re the last… it shouldn’t be too difficult. Good luck.”

“Yes. Good work, Teacher. Sleep well!”

“…Thanks.”

Though I’m not sure how well I’ll sleep.

If Charlotte’s “last shift” is the sweet spot, my “second-to-last” shift was notorious for being the worst.

In my hazy memory, it felt like closing my eyes and opening them to the sound of a bugle… ugh, my head….

I could almost feel the damp leather against my feet. It felt like I should be stumbling out of a creaking bed any moment.

Sitting in the darkened tent, all sorts of thoughts floated through my mind.

“Terrible…”

To drive away those lingering images, what I chose was.

Ridiculously, to gently fondle my breasts.

No, there’s a reason for this.

There are officers, but I came from the enlisted ranks. So there were no female enlisted in my memories.

So… to make my brain recognize this, I touched the breasts that wouldn’t exist on a man.

See?

Just lightly touching the soft breasts made those terrible thoughts that were clouding my mind disappear.

It might simply be that the sensation of breasts feels good.

Honestly, I often thought they’d be nice if they weren’t attached to me.

…Of course, if that were the case, I wouldn’t be able to touch them so freely.

I guess I’m still a man at heart.

“Hauu….”

If only they weren’t so sensitive, I might touch them more often.

I removed my hand since strange sounds were escaping and pulled up the blanket.

Now that I’d calmed down, I tried to go back to sleep, though it would be brief, but a voice came from outside the tent.

“Teacher…?”

What, is it morning already?

Are you kidding me?

While I trembled in fear, the voice from outside, Charlotte’s voice, drifted in.

“I thought I heard something. Are you feeling unwell?”

…I guess not.

I lowered the blanket and replied.

“It’s nothing.”

“Really?”

“Yes….”

I could feel my face getting hot.

If I told her I was making strange noises while kneading my breasts to drive away the smell of barracks, I couldn’t imagine what face Charlotte would make… it would be terrible.

Fortunately, Charlotte didn’t seem to suspect anything and went back to the campfire.

Maybe she was too far away to be sure.

Anyway, after sending Charlotte away, self-loathing washed over me.

…Should I be grateful that the lingering images in my head completely disappeared?

As I lay down and closed my eyes again, different thoughts began to torment me.

But they weren’t useless worries like the mem…ories from “there.”

Rather… it was a topic that deserved serious consideration.

Actually, at first, I didn’t think much about it.

Since the first field training event had begun, I vaguely assumed that the fixed event that always happened on the second day would occur, and I didn’t feel any particular concern.

But as I sat by the campfire and pondered what that event was, the thought kept creeping in: is it really okay to leave this alone?

That preoccupation made time pass quickly, but I still hadn’t firmly decided my stance.

The event that occurs on the night of the second day of field training.

In the game, it was just an incident to heighten tension, not given much importance.

But the sensations I felt now made it impossible to think of this as just a game.

All I could do was sigh.

*

*

*

*

“Teacher? You look tired.”

“…Ah, well. I guess it’s because I woke up in the middle of sleep.”

“Oh….”

Charlotte looked at me with something like pity.

…As she worried, I was indeed a bit tired from not sleeping well.

I had just realized that at this point, not remembering who gets “injured,” there wasn’t much I could do immediately.

I wasn’t in a good mood.

If Evelyn were in front of me instead of Charlotte, I might have given her a knock on the head.

Whether I had dark circles under my eyes or not.

Morning came without fail, and the tent occupants began to crawl out one by one.

The first to catch my eye was Michelle.

Unlike how I saw her in the dormitory, her hair, tail, and ears were sticking up sharply.

It didn’t seem like she was angry, and seeing the golden and light pink threads tangled in them, I had a rough idea of what happened.

…Their sleeping habits must be terrible.

I felt fortunate not to have slept with her.

Then again, I’ve experienced sleeping in the same bed with Michelle and Philia, and they didn’t seem to have such terrible sleeping habits.

Evelyn.

Is it you again?

Our Evelyn was like an onion.

Even when left alone, she kept giving us reasons to criticize her.

Following Michelle was Philia. There wasn’t much difference in their emergence, but Philia was carrying something like a bundle.

Looking closely, it wasn’t a bundle but Evelyn.

…That onion-like girl.

Philia, who was dragging Evelyn out, had hair sticking out in all directions just like Michelle.

The result of static electricity building up.

Her blonde hair had Michelle’s black tail fur and light pink threads stuck to it.

…If some strange thoughts come to mind, I don’t think it’s particularly my fault.

“Heh.”

“Teacher?”

“Ahem, it’s nothing.”

Seeing my mood improve from how gloomy it was just moments ago, I wondered if this too was an illness, but I neither had the intention nor the means to treat it.

Suddenly feeling pain and waking up in another world—wasn’t I doing pretty well at maintaining my sanity?

Isn’t this minor in comparison?

…It might be because I didn’t sleep well.

Anyway.

The second day had dawned.

After briefly having breakfast with the leftovers from yesterday, the group dispersed to where they were supposed to be.

…Though Charlotte and Evelyn would still be with me.

Then I carefully approached Philia, who was preparing to move, and asked.

“Um, Madam President?”

“Ah, Teacher. What is it?”

If it were El, wouldn’t she have added, “Have you finally decided to go to the forest with me?”

But Philia looked at me with a clear face and waited for me to speak.

…She’s really proper.

I don’t know why she doesn’t get along well with Michelle, but I was curious what flavor they would produce if they were paired up.

“Teacher?”

“Ah, um. Yes, that… by any chance, is there a red-haired student among those who came for this training?”

“Red hair….”

After thinking for a moment, Philia shook her head with a slightly awkward expression.

Well, even someone like her couldn’t possibly remember everything.

…If there was a red-haired person among black-haired or bald students, it might be different, but basically, the students’ hair colors were quite diverse.

The only characteristic I remembered about the person who gets injured was red hair, so I asked, but it wasn’t helpful.

When Philia asked why I was asking, I brushed it off saying I just personally wanted to see them, and she gave me a lukewarm look.

But it couldn’t be helped.

It was overwhelming to try to explain.

I couldn’t say I knew because this world was from a game.

…It would be fortunate if she didn’t understand, but I might end up in a mental hospital.

I don’t know if there are mental hospitals here, but I can’t take that risk.

Nor could I move around to check each and every student scattered here and there.

I had an immediate role to fulfill.

Unlike yesterday, injured students were occasionally brought in, so I couldn’t leave the makeshift infirmary.

“Have you seen a red-haired student among those who came with you?”

“Huh? No…?”

“I see….”

Treating the injured students and asking that question was the best I could do, but it also yielded nothing.

After a healed student left, Evelyn approached and spoke.

“Why are you looking for a red-haired student?”

“Well… I have my reasons.”

She looked at me with an expression that made me want to give her a knock on the head.

Thinking she might earn herself a beating, I raised my fist, and she startled and hid behind Charlotte.

Clever girl.

As I flexed my fist, Evelyn spoke with an aggrieved face.

“Teacher. I think you’re treating me a bit too harshly.”

“…You’ve committed crimes. You know about the milk I expressed yesterday, right?”

“Ah, well that… haah….”

The culprit bowed her head.

I had once again instilled politeness in her.

During this.

“Oh, red hair? There’s one in our group. Why do you ask?”

“…Really?”

Heaven helps those who help themselves, they say.

I hadn’t decided what to do, but at least I seemed to have found them.

…Now what?

I was concerned enough to search, but…

Meanwhile, time doesn’t wait for me.

The moment of choice had arrived.

Editor’s Note

Haha, well her mind is halfway towards going to a mental hospital. It took around 40 chapters so…we’ll see a possible hospital arc around 80?