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“Class F scored 20 hits, and Class A scored 18! With that, you have all learned the proper firing procedure.”

After the live-fire exercise, the number of successful hits on the targets was announced. The results seemed to pique Marie’s interest considerably, for she immediately declared the next phase of training.

“Next, we will proceed to a mock-bullet exercise against Class A.”

We had only just finished experiencing live fire, and already we were moving on to combat drills. I understood, at least intellectually, that the Arcadia Empire was a military state—there would be no room for leisurely pacing in times of emergency. Still, it would take me some time to truly accept that pace.

“Alright! Bring it on!”
“Nyahaha! Jumping straight into combat is exciting!”

Vannabelle and Farah were already brimming with enthusiasm, flexing their arms eagerly. Both of them had cleanly shot through the vital points of their targets—the head and heart—so their confidence was understandable. Rizel of Class A, however, met their gazes with a calm smile, showing no sign of intimidation.

“This is our chance to avenge the academic test.”

He matched Vannabelle and Farah’s competitive spirit step for step. It seemed Rizel was quite the sore loser himself.

“Such high morale—how rewarding. Very well, let us proceed to battle at once. Though, a simple exercise would be rather dull—”

As Marie murmured that and glanced up at the sky, Ms. Matilda appeared from seemingly nowhere and deployed a weather-manipulation spell. In an instant, heavy snow began to pour down.

“Whoa! You’ve gotta be kidding! It’s freezing!”

Within moments, the training grounds transformed into a snowfield buried under more than thirty centimeters of accumulation. Even I found myself taken aback by the sudden shift.

“Lili-Lulu, are you okay?”

Though it was winter, the sunlight had been warm enough to manage in relatively light clothing—until now. Alfe, concerned for Lili-Lulu, spoke up, her own lips already turning pale blue from the cold.

““There is no need for concern, o Alfe. …Achoo!””

Lili-Lulu insisted they were fine, but given their already light attire—unchanged even in winter—it was enough to make the onlooker shiver.

“…Lieutenant, what exactly is the meaning of this…?”

Even Mr. Tanutanu, confronted with this grand spectacle involving Ms. Matilda, could not help but interject hesitantly.

“I merely added a touch of entertainment value. But worry not—you shall all be wearing these.”
“These…?”

Before anyone could finish voicing their confusion, a steam-powered vehicle came barreling toward the training grounds from the distance, forcing us to fall silent.

“Uh… what is that…?”

Voices of bewilderment rose from both classes. The massive steam vehicle, fitted with a large box-shaped cargo bed, plowed through the snow and came to a halt before us. Its rear doors swung open with dramatic force.

“Now, now! There’s no time to stand around just because of a little snow. Put these on at once!”

Marie gestured toward the cargo bed, where a large number of winter outfits had been laid out.

“These are military-grade cold-weather uniforms. White makes it easier to blend in, don’t you think?”
“Whoa! This is totally over the top, Senior Marie!”

Before Vannabelle could even finish her exclamation, several workers leapt out from beneath the white uniforms draped over the cargo bed. They began setting up obstacles across the snow-covered training grounds, planting pairs of red and white flags like a strategic battlefield.

“This…?”

Rizel, who had finished changing first, blinked in astonishment at the setup. The flags and obstacles looked like a full-scale capture-the-flag game.

“As you can see, this is a capture-the-flag exercise. The flags mark each team’s base. Victory goes to whoever either captures the opponent’s flag first or eliminates the other team using mock bullets.”

As she explained, Marie fired her magic cannon at one of the remaining uniforms. Upon impact, a burst of yellow paint splattered over the white fabric.

“We’ll be using paint rounds as mock bullets. A hit leaves a thick layer of ink, which means the struck student must withdraw from the battle. The sword portions of your gunblades have been fitted with similarly inked training blades, so being cut also counts as an exit from the fight.”

Ah, so that was the reason for the white uniforms.

Even as a hastily arranged setup, the battlefield looked impressively vivid. Vannabelle immediately stationed herself in front of the red flag, which meant our Class F would take red, and Class A would take white.

Once both teams had moved to their respective bases, Marie let out a triumphant laugh and declared the start of the battle.

“Very well, let the match begin—fair and square!!”

***

Although it was our first capture-the-flag exercise, Class F’s coordination was impressive.

The Military Studies members were balanced between front and rear lines. Isaac and Romeo, who had excelled in the shooting exercises, used the central obstacles as cover, taking out Class A students who tried to advance toward our base.

Supporting them were the burly Gide and the agile Farah and Vannabelle. Other members also pushed forward from the center, exchanging fire with Class A on even terms—or better.

“Nyahaha! Things are going pretty smoothly. Well then, I guess it’s my turn—”

Farah, who had been steadily advancing the front line while defeating Class A, caught Vannabelle’s eye and shot ahead first.

“They’re coming! Fire, fire!”

Class A focused their fire on Farah, but that was exactly the plan.

“Vannabelle!”
“Dummy, of course it’s a trap! Let’s go, Nume!”
“Yeees~!”

While Farah used her Magic Eyes of Delay to confuse and distract Class A, Vannabelle and Numelin emerged from the opposite side, sweeping the remaining students aside.

“…Everyone’s incredible. We might not even need to step in…”

Alfe, Hom, and I had been assigned to guard the flag, allowing us to observe the battle most calmly.

Thanks to Farah’s disruption and the combined efforts of Vannabelle, Numelin, and Gide, Class A was reduced within ten minutes to only Rizel and the Gutenberg boy.

“Yes! Victory is in sight—”
“Hmm! This is completely one-sided and utterly boring~~!!”

Marie’s shout cut off Vannabelle’s premature victory declaration.

“The balance of power and command structure is all wrong! I shall join Class A to even the odds.”

Vannabelle and Farah exchanged stunned glances, their mouths hanging open.

“Huh? Wait—”
“No time for questions! Here I go~!”

Ignoring any objections, Marie charged into Class F’s territory wielding two gunblades—one in each arm—ready to tip the scales herself.

“Prepare yourselves!”
“Eh…?”

The first targets were Isaac and Romeo, who had been safely picking off enemies from behind the barriers.

“No way, come on!”
“Hey—!”
“Gyaaah!”

Classmates who had been forming a defensive line around Isaac and Romeo were caught in the chaos, getting tagged one after another.

“O-hohoho-ho! If it’s not like this, there’s no meaning in a real battle~!!”

Marie charged mercilessly into Class F’s territory, forcing Rizel and the Gutenberg kid to hastily follow her lead.

“With Senior Marie on our side, it’s like having a hundred extra people! Let’s go, Lyle!”

Suddenly, Rizel and Gutenberg had regained their fighting spirit, a stark contrast to their earlier composure.

“This… is allowed—?”
“No way!”

Vannabelle and Numelin, who were moments away from claiming victory, were now forced to retreat to put distance between themselves and Marie’s approaching onslaught.

Before long, Class F had been reduced to just the six of us: Alfe, Hom, Farah, Vannabelle, Numelin, and myself.