Infiltrating the Superhuman Training Girls’ School of the Republic of China!

“It seems Lieutenant Duey tried not to stand out. I can understand Colonel Tikhonov, but why the Lieutenant?”
Is Catherine Duey the subject of this evaluation now? It was quite a sharp observation, but the French officer answered clearly, seemingly not minding at all.

“Well, it seems the French President doesn’t want me to stand out too much in China!”

The answer was so straightforward that it was rather surprising. That’s almost like confessing that her country’s president gave her some secret orders when sending her to China…

Why are all these active-duty soldiers, who should be the most strict and disciplined, somehow off-kilter here? Zhou Lizhi seemed to have the same thought as me, as she asked with a hollow laugh:

“Is it okay for you to tell me that so openly?”

“The thoughts of the Republic’s government are none of my business! If I worried about every little thing like that, it would be very tiring!”

“But isn’t that what being a soldier is all about?”

“Is that how it is in the Republic of China? In the French Republic, it’s not quite like that!”

“Well, you showed impressive skill in using your ability. If you study a bit more, you’ll become an excellent soldier for your country. Don’t rely too much on Huangpu. Although this place is the best in the world, it also has many secrets for foreigners.”

“I’ll keep that in mind!”

“And Shin Eun-young.”

This time, Zhou Lizhi addressed me, looking straight at me. She quietly opened her mouth and said to me:

“Can you stay for a moment?”

Just as I was about to ask why, Briar Churchill cut in with a sharp voice:

“Is there some reason, Major?”

“No particular special reason. It’s just that the track is damaged, isn’t it? In this state, it can’t move.”

“Couldn’t you call the maintenance team?”

“The maintenance shop is quite far from here. Of course, I could call them by teleportation, but if I ask for teleportation again right after calling the medical team by teleportation, even I might get in trouble. From what I saw, it doesn’t seem difficult to temporarily repair the track with her ability. I just wanted her to stay and help out a bit. Is that not okay?”

…I have an odd feeling.

She’s giving a plausible reason, but I have a very odd feeling that she’s hiding more than what she’s saying.

No, I have such a strange feeling that I wonder if she stopped the test the moment the track was damaged for this very purpose. Briar Churchill seemed to have felt exactly the same thing as me, as she raised her hand and blocked my way.

“If you need to ask for help from a student who hasn’t even had a proper entrance ceremony yet, it might be better to give up on this heroine school or whatever.”

“As I said before, I don’t absolutely need to ask for help. It’s just that it seems it would be very easy for you to help me, and personally, I don’t want to make the maintenance team go back and forth too much. You can comfortably refuse. So stay quiet, Churchill. I’m asking your roommate, not you.”

Thinking rationally, could I refuse?

I’m Shin Eun-young now. Not CIA’s Yoon Jae-won who sometimes showed guts, took gambles, and made decisive moves, but college student Shin Eun-young. Refusing the ‘request’ of the Huangpu instructor who just overwhelmed several of the most talented superhumans with her presence?

It doesn’t fit the character. And… there’s no particular reason to refuse. If I have the will to faithfully carry out the orders from above, that is.

“Well, the choice is up to the individual. This Korean beauty isn’t a complete idiot who knows nothing, she can make her own judgment, can’t she?”

Catherine Duey shrugged her shoulders as if finding it amusing. Zhou Lizhi turned to Duey with a sharp gaze and asked:

“What exactly does that mean, Lieutenant?”

“It doesn’t mean anything special! I just meant that she can judge for herself whether she has the ability to do such an important task as repairing the track.”

“Hmm…”

Zhou Lizhi seemed to doubt Duey’s words. Certainly, the meaning of what Duey just said was different from her explanation. Although the conversation was interrupted in the middle, the French lieutenant had previously warned me that Zhou Lizhi was a ‘pervert’.

Given the circumstances, Major Zhou probably heard… part of those words.

“So, if you’re going to help, help, and if not, go back to the dormitory and rest. The other personnel can go back and rest right now. There will be a formal entrance ceremony soon after lunch, and since the Generalissimo himself will be attending, it will be quite large-scale. You might need to stand for a long time, so it could be physically demanding.”

“I’ll help you.”

“Hey, Shin, but…”

“It’s fine, Churchill.”

I cut off Briar Churchill’s words. Judging by the signs, it seems the Maestro also knows about the unsettling rumors about this Chinese instructor.

“I’m just helping with tank repair, what’s the big deal?”

“That’s right. Let’s all go back, soon Chiang Kai-shek will be coming here from Nanjing, that’s the story.”

With Tikhonov’s final words, the gathered foreign students dispersed one by one. Several foreign students, including Shradha Bhatt, who had been far from the tank, also slowly walked back towards the dormitory after seeing us disperse.

About 15 minutes later. Only Zhou Lizhi and I remained on the sandy field. I stretched out one arm, making it into the shape of duct tape, then held it out towards Instructor Zhou and asked:

“Is this enough?”

“We’ll need a bit more. The tank’s track is big.”

“I see. I’ll cut this much for now. We just need to temporarily attach it for the move to the maintenance shop, right? The idea of doing that with duct tape is a bit strange, though.”

“Do you know something about tank maintenance?”

“How would I know? I’ve… lived a life completely unrelated to the military.”

At least, that’s the ‘setting’. And to be honest, there are still some things that are a bit uncomfortable. Explosions, surging flames, terror, and… Ah, I think I’ve overcome a lot, but it’s still scary. Is the body that has changed into a woman making the mind weak as well? Although it might be disrespectful to the many heroines gathered here to say so, in the end, the brain is governed by hormones. Female hormones are being produced in my body, and a way of thinking closer to that of a woman is gradually appearing.

Fear has increased. I can clearly feel that the reckless bravery and courage I had when I was in a man’s body have been replaced by some other kind of delicacy. Not just fear for myself, but something… something beyond that. It feels like I’m experiencing that having a different gender is like becoming a completely different organism.

“I saw your face earlier.”

“…Pardon?”

“When the high-explosive shell I fired was detonated by Lieutenant Duey’s interception. The explosion that occurred then.”

“…Yes.”

“You were noticeably flustered.”

“W-Well, because explosions are scary.”

“But why were you so confident in front of the incoming machine gun bullets?”

“Because my shield… blocked the bullets?”

“Interesting. I clearly thought you might have some kind of trauma related to explosions.”

I do. To be honest, I do.

Five years ago, the bomb terror attack by the Korean Communist Party. I lost my entire family in it, and I clearly watched as people whose faces and names I didn’t even know died in the flames around me. The attack wasn’t even aimed at Korea. It was aimed at the U.S. President who had a scheduled visit to Korea that day. It was just, just on the way.

I just, really just wanted to see the event venue where the U.S. President and Korean President were said to be attending for a moment. In the end, they were safe, and only we… In the end, they were safe…

“Shin Eun-young!”

Suddenly, Zhou Lizhi’s voice tore through my ears. I realized in that moment that I had lost consciousness and fallen into a reverie, and my body shuddered.

“There is something, isn’t there?”

“…It’s an old story. Just, some aftereffects from childhood. Just, doesn’t everyone have something like that?”

“It will be difficult. Not like that.”

Zhou Lizhi declared.

“This is a field covered with dirt and sand. Over there, to the west, there’s a huge field covered with grass.”

“I see.”

“And further beyond that, there’s a training ground that simulates battle scenes. Yes. On the battlefield, artillery fire and explosions are everyday occurrences. Will you be okay with that mindset?”

“Major. Was there any mistake in my actions today that you felt was unsuitable for receiving future education? If there was…”

“No. Not at all. That’s why I had you stay behind.”

Zhou’s smile is faint yet fierce. I felt a tingling emotion from her. I know this emotion. This is… very strong greed, and possessiveness.

“Will you really be okay, just like that? Without receiving help from anyone?”

“Whose help are you referring to, Major?”

“What did Catherine Duey say to you?”

Suddenly, Zhou changed the subject. I shrugged my shoulders.

“We just had light small talk. Really…”

“On the interview day, Eun-young. On the interview day.”

“…I feel like I might have heard some strange talk…”

“Believe those words. Such rumors are usually true.”

Zhou said. I bit my lower lip tightly and quietly watched as she approached me.