The next day.
　I woke up a little later than usual.

　I looked at my watch and it was 7:30 in the morning.
　There's still time before first period starts, but ...... I need to start getting ready.

"Wow .......

　I stretched and got up from the bed.

(hmm .......) I feel a little heavy. ......)

　I'm not sure what to make of it, but I'm sure it's a good idea.

(......I think I'll wash my face and switch.)

　So when I left the bedroom.

I'm not sure what to do.

　Leah, who was in a better mood than usual, greeted me with a cheerful smile.

　Seeing her in a good mood made me feel lighter.

Good morning, Leah. Is that a ...... winter dress?

　When I looked down, I saw that she was wearing a different uniform than usual.

(Come to think of it, it's ...... time for a change of clothes.

　Today is the first day of October, the day when the summer uniform changes to the winter uniform.

I don't know, ......!　I don't know. ......?

　She spun around on the spot and tilted her head, looking a little nervous.

　It's a short white dress that shows off the lines of her body.
　She wore a warm black jacket over it.

　The chic outfit matched Leah's beautiful golden hair very well.

Oh, it looks really good on you.

"Oh, thank you ....... I'm sure you'll be able to show me Allen's winter clothes as well.

Sure.

　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

What do you think of ......?

　To be honest, ...... winter clothes for boys are basically not that different from summer clothes.
　The top is a jacket of white cloth with black accents.
　The bottom is a simple pair of pants in the same color scheme as the jacket.

　And when I asked her for a quick comment.　

"Yeah, it's really nice!　It's so cool!

　Leah smiled like a flower blooming and said.

Thank you.

　I don't think it's much of a change, but ...... if she says so, it must be nice.

　So we showed each other our winter clothes.

I'm sure it's a good idea.

"Yes!

　"Yes!" We decided to go to Senbi Academy together.
　When we opened the front door, the cool autumn air caressed our cheeks.

It's a little chilly in here. ....... Are you cold?

I'm fine, thank you. I'm fine, thanks. ...... The lingering summer heat is over, and autumn is coming.

　I'm not sure if you've seen this before, but I have.

　As I walked slowly, feeling the end of summer and the arrival of autumn, I saw the old school building of Senbi Academy.

"Oh, it's so beautiful now!

"Yeah, it's kind of nice, isn't it?

　The exterior walls, which had been blackened by the darkness of that guy, are now pure white and beautiful.
　The gymnasium, which had been blown up by the bombing, had been completely restored.

　And the inside of the main school building was also clean.

　Not a speck of dust in the hallways.
　Not a cloud of dust in the hallways, not a pane of glass in the windows.

　It felt good just to look at them.

　I walked straight down the clean corridor and arrived at the classroom of Class A.

　I put my hand on the side door and let out a deep breath.

I exhaled loudly. "...... I'm a little nervous.

"Yeah, yeah ....... It's been two weeks since we've seen each other .......

"Whew, ...... open up?

Oh, okay. ......!

　So I made up my mind and opened the door with great force.

"Hey, long time no see, Allen!

Good morning!　How have you been?

Hey, you two!　Tell us about Shirayuri College!

　Everyone in the class rushed towards us at once.

　And right after that.

I'm not sure what to say, but I'll try. ...... and everyone.

　Rose came to school, looking as sleepy as ever, and the entire first year A class was safely assembled.

　Then we happily talked about our new lives together until morning homeroom began.

　A little while later, the chime sounded and the door to the classroom opened with a bang.

"Good morning, everyone!

　As usual, Ms. Leia was full of energy.


　She stared at us and nodded her head in satisfaction.

She nodded her head in satisfaction, "Hmmm, you guys have gotten stronger in a little while!　Morning homeroom, ......, nothing much to report!　Let's start the first period right away!

"Yes!

　And so the daily life at Senbi Academy returned.

And then

　After that, the days passed peacefully.

　The mornings were basically spent training in the spirit costume.
　During the lunch break, there was a regular meeting of the student council.
　In the afternoon, strength training and classroom lectures.
　After school, he would join the swinging club in the corner of the schoolyard.

　I devoted all my time to sword fighting--a very fulfilling life.

　One day in November, about a month had passed.

　I, Leah, and Rose were attending a regular lunchtime meeting when we were summoned to the chancellor's office.
　When we opened the intimidating black-painted door, there was a teacher who had just finished reading the Weekly Shonen Yaiba.

You're here. ....... I'm sorry to call you out on such short notice.

　She took out three sheets of paper from her work desk and handed them out to the three of us.

(Is this a ...... resume?)

　And as I tilted my head.

What ...... do you want me to recommend you to be the 'special trainees' of the senior holy knights?

""...... Special Trainees?"

　The three of us repeated the same words we had never heard before.

"Oh, no wonder you don't know. After all, this is a new program that was established this year.

　The teacher began to explain.

"To put it simply, it's a system where the Holy Knight Association surrounds the top students of the five academies. As you know, the international situation these days has become more unstable than ever. In order to secure better human resources, the Holy Knight Association has established a new system - the "Special Trainee System".

　She sipped her glass of water and continued.

She sipped her glass of water and continued, "The participants of this program will be assigned to each branch on Saturdays and Sundays when the school is closed. It's a great way to improve your sword skills and gain a better understanding of holy knights.

"I see. ......

　I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that.
　I'm sure you're not the only one.

　It's a good story that benefits both the students and the Holy Knight Association.

But it will be a hard day's work for you, because you will have to miss both holidays. Of course, this is not compulsory, but ....... This is beneficial to you. I hope you will consider it positively.

　With that, the professor ended his talk.

　At the same time, I quietly shook my head.

It's very kind of you, but ...... I'm sorry. Unlike Leah and Rose, I have not yet manifested my soul suit. So I can't accept this offer. ......

　One of the requirements for becoming a senior holy knight is that you must have already manifested your soul armor.
　This is a well-defined rule, and there has never been an exception.

　So, I politely declined the teacher's proposal.

(haha .......) What a waste. ......)

　I sighed loudly in my heart.

　It's a great opportunity to get your hands on your dream advanced holy knight, but you've ...... wasted it.

(The Soul Suit, or ......)

　I don't know when I'm going to be able to master it. .......

　I really hate ...... my lack of talent. .......

(haha ......)

　And then, when I'm feeling really depressed.

"Oh, if that's the case (・・・・・), don't worry about it. I'll talk to the head of the Holy Knight Association.

　I'll talk to the head of the Holy Knight Association.

I'm sure you're right.

The position of 'Chancellor of the Five Academies' is not a bad one. And after all, we're sending out Allen Rhoddle. I'm sure they'll be delighted with the chance to have the best talent of this generation.

　The teacher laughed softly, but ...... halfway through I didn't hear what she said.

　It was more than that - a whirlpool of joy was rising in my heart.

(Yes, I did it ......!　I did it, Mom. ......!

　If you become a senior holy knight, you can get a steady paycheck every month.
　

　Just thinking about it, something hot ran through my body.

"Hmm, Allen seems to be on board, but ....... What about Leah and Rose?

If Allen's going, of course I'm going!

Same as on the right.

　It looks like Leah and Rose will be joining us.

Okay.　I'll let them know you're coming. Tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m., I want you all to go to the Orestes branch of the Holy Knight Association with the resumes I just distributed.

Yes!



"Okay.

"Okay.

　And with that, we left the chancellor's office.

The next morning.

　The next morning.
　We knocked on the door of the Orestes branch of the Holy Knight Association.

　The next morning, we knocked on the door of the Orestes branch of the Holy Knights Association. We entered the large, one-story building, submitted our resumes at the reception desk, and were ushered into the training hall for senior holy knights.
　There, in an area the size of a gymnasium, swordsmen in white body suits were lined up.

(But ......, there's a great number of them. ......)

　At a quick glance, I saw more than a hundred swordsmen.

　The woman at the reception desk told me that all of the people here are eggs of high level holy knights - in other words, low level holy knights who have mastered the soul costume.
　If you pass the practical test here today, you will be promoted to a higher level holy knight.

I'm a little nervous about this .......

I'm not sure what to say.

　It's a great way to make sure you're getting the most out of your money.

It's a good idea to get in line with your friends and family.

"Yeah, .......

"Yeah, sure.

　They waited for thirty minutes.
　The scheduled start time of nine o'clock has long passed.

No sign of .......

No. What's the matter, ......?

Did you break down or something, ......?

　Then, just as the training hall became noisy, the door at the far end of the dojo opened with a bang.

"It's your instructor, Don Golug. I'm not sure what to say. All of you look like idiots. ......!

　Don Golug.

　He's got a rugged face with wrinkles between his eyes.
　His age is about mid-fifties.
　He is probably about eighteen inches tall.
　His body is as big as a rock.
　He has a head of gray hair and a black stubble.
　He wore an all-white robe like other lower-ranked holy knights.

　I felt that he had the same air as the teachers at the ...... Grand Academy of Swordsmanship.

　He was very late, and suddenly swore at us.

The first thing you need to know is that ....... I need to look through your boring resumes. In the meantime, you can pretend to be stupid!

　He spat this out shortly and went back into the back room.

""Hi!"

　The lower-ranked holy knights replied crisply, but .......

I'm sure you'll be glad to hear that.　I'm not sure if I want to be burned or not.

It's also possible to feed the ...... scarlet cherry tree.

　I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that I'm not the only one.

It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for. It's only your first day, so why don't you just do as I say?

　I couldn't just back out on the first day, much less cause a problem.

　I managed to calm them down and pretended to be quiet.

　For the next three hours, we just swung our swords.

""Say!　Huh!　Yah!"

　We raised our swords and swung them down, making the seiken stance.

　It's the same repetitive motion all the time.
　After an hour or two of this, one by one, their hands stopped.

　Perhaps they are not feeling well today.

(But .......) It's also fun to shout and pretend like you're doing it .......

　(But ...... shouting and pretending like this is also ...... fun.) Shaking is like ...... "eating".
　It is better to eat together than to eat alone.
　In the same way, it's more fun to swing a sword with others than alone.

　And as I was swinging my sword in a good mood.

"That's it!

　Suddenly, the door at the back of the room swung open, revealing the instructor with a bottle of wine in his hand.

"Hmm, it hasn't even been three hours yet, and ...... someone's already given up!

　This is a great way to get the most out of your day.

I'm not sure what to say.

I'm not sure what to say.　I'm not sure what to make of it.

Yes,....... I'm sorry. ......

　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

It's not a very pleasant thing to watch.

　When I was thinking about it.

As I was thinking this, the instructor suddenly shouted loudly, "There is one ...... 'foreigner' in this group!

　The instructor suddenly raised his voice loudly.

"Allen-Rhoddle!　Step forward now!



I'm not sure what to say.

　Suddenly my name was called, and I responded after a beat.

You ....... Do you know what you've done ......?

I'm not sure what you're referring to, but it's ...... a pretense, isn't it?

　That's the only thing I can think of that I've done since I've been here.

"You fool!　I'm sure you'll agree.

　The instructor shouted at me and thrust a sheet of paper in front of me.

"Is this ...... my resume?

"Yes, it is. Name, Allen-Roddle. Last name, Allen-Rhoddle. And - soul armor "unexpressed". You ...... what the hell is this ......?

　It seems that he is angry that I am here, and that I have not yet manifested my soul gear.

　But I'm sure we've already talked about that.

No, Dr. Leia has already talked to me about it.

"Shut up!　Don't give me that bullshit excuse!　I'm not sure what you're talking about.

　I'm not sure if you've heard of it, but I'm sure you've heard of it.

(This is a waste of ...... time to talk about it.)

　I think I'd better back off today and talk to the doctor.

It's a waste of time to talk about it.

　It's a good idea to take a look at the website and see if you can find anything you like.

I'm not sure what to say.　Let's talk about Allen some more...

　That's when she stood in front of the instructor.

"Who gave you permission to speak?

"What?

　He unintentionally pushed Leah away with his hand.

　At that moment, a deep darkness covered the entire training hall.

"Hee-hee!

I'm not sure what to make of this.

I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not.

　In the event that you're not sure what you're looking for, you'll be able to find a lot more information on the web.

"...... What the hell do you think you're doing?

　I'm not sure if this is a good idea, but it's a good idea.

　I tried my best to suppress my boiling anger, and with a smile on my face, I brought up a suggestion.

"Professor Don, would you like to play a game?

"A game? ......?

Yes, it's a serious one-on-one match. If I lose, I'll never enter the Order of the Holy Knight. I'm leaving this place right now.

"Oh. ......?

But if you lose, then you will apologize to Leah right here.

　I'm going to challenge you to a duel.

"Hmm ....... I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that. But ...... this is fun, I'll take it!

　He took off his jacket, revealing a muscular figure.

　And then.

I'll take it!

　With a tremendous yell, a dense killing energy was released.
　It seems he's not just talking the talk, he's got the skills too.

I'll tell you what my greatest pleasure is!　I'm sure you've heard of it, but you're not the only one.

I'm sorry, but ....... I'm not going to be defeated by a 'holy knight cripple' who raises his hand to a girl.

　In the event you're not sure what you're looking for, there are a few things you can do.