Upon Returning Home As A Military Major General, I Was Told To Attend School, Even Though It's Quite Late Now

Chapter 39

Episode 39: I Don't Understand Studying...

"Feeeeh... Suou-senpai, I can't read anything in this 'Tozenkusa' story."

"It's 'Tsuredzuregusa.' By the way, can you read the name of this essay?"

"Makurakusako?" "It's 'Makura no Soushi.'"

"And what about this 'レ' and '一、二' next to these kanji?"

"It starts from there..."

At the family restaurant, our study session had finally begun, but I was facing a significant hurdle.

"I thought I'd be fine with English and math, but I never expected classical Japanese and Chinese to be the gap."

Suou-senpai sighed.

"Yuu-kun is really good at English, it’s cool that you can read and speak it!" "Yuu is good at geometry. I'm bad at it, so I want you to teach me."

"And you all spoil him like that... What were you doing during classical literature classes until now? Sleeping?"

"I was awake, but I was just re-appreciating the beauty of the sky..." "So, you were daydreaming out the window during class. No hope for salvation through classroom attitude then."

"Feeeeh..."

That's right.

Surprisingly, I was okay with English and math, subjects I often hear people easily fail.

Revisiting the textbooks, my knowledge from military surveying helped with math geometry, and having run around the world, I had picked up broken English.

"Because my English grammar is incorrect, I'll probably lose points, and I solve math by brute force memorizing trigonometric tables, so it’s not that safe. But the biggest problem is..."

"Classical Japanese and Chinese literature are introduced in upper elementary school, so Yuu-kun has never studied it."

"I learned haiku though..."

The consequences of being conscripted into the military at the age of ten...

Honestly, during my time on the battlefield, I put off studying Japanese, thinking any book would do.

"Looks like we need to start from elementary level basics." "Nowadays, you can watch tutoring classes online for free, right?" "Not all classes are posted, and some are cut off mid-way. I'll look for free materials online."

"Feeeeh, thanks... everyone."

Unwittingly, all three, being top students from second and first year, devised a suitable curriculum for me.

However, starting from an elementary level was somewhat embarrassing...

"Hmm... there aren’t many videos for elementary school students, mainly because most are for arithmetic, which many kids struggle with." "The situation is the same with free materials for classical literature."

Mina, Suou-senpai, and Kotomi searched on their smartphones but couldn't find good materials.

"At the elementary level, the textbook is really the best material available."

Suou-senpai made a troubled face while crossing his arms.

"I'm fine with any material." "No, when learning a new topic for the first time, it's better to study with proper materials, you'll understand faster."

"Suou-senpai is seriously serious even about studying."

While I thought about going for a refill at the drink bar, the entrance of a girl in a summer sailor uniform caught my eye, and I was speechless.

"Oh, what a coincidence. Big brother."

"Right after I learned of the situation my brother was in, naturally, I started planning to crush you completely."

"That’s scary..."

"However, it also peeled away the constraints that bound my brother, the corporate shields. And..."

"And?"

"Basically, it's safer for both my brother and myself to be under your command. I'm sorry... I shouldn't say more than that. Espio agrees."

"So, you know that much and still choose to join me?"

"Having you as a patron allowed me to expose Espio’s abilities to the world. It would be easy to eliminate the pests nesting in my brother with Espio’s abilities, but that would separate me from my loved ones, much like what happened to you."

"..."

"Master, quite a cunning girl and soul, what will you do?"

At Kon’s question, I pondered for a while as Marin-chan waited silently.

"Alright. Then from now on, we're comrades."

As I said that, the connection with Espio, the spirit in the inner mind, was severed.

"Phew! Ah..."

"What’s wrong, Marin? You suddenly went quiet."

Suou-senpai worriedly leaned towards Marin-chan, who had just let out a breath she had been holding.

"It's okay, big brother. I just forgot to breathe for a moment."

"That doesn't sound okay at all!?"

Probably because the tension had snapped.

Marin-chan had hinted at holding secrets to dive into our circle.

Knowing the full extent of mine and Kon's powers, Marin-chan approached us for negotiations.

It was a bold move but a risky gamble with high stakes.

"Staring at each other in silence, it’s getting even more suspicious..." "If you like the sister type, I’m more orthodox!"

I realized I had left Mina and Kotomi misunderstanding my relationship with Marin-chan.

"Don’t worry, both of you. Marin-chan loves her big brother, so I'm not in her eyes."

"Yes. I plan to be my brother's wife in the future."

Marin-chan, having regained her composure, dropped this bombshell as casually as she had mentioned her plans to apply to the academy next year.

"‘Eh...’"

Mina and Kotomi were momentarily speechless.

Instinctively, they must have felt that Marin-chan was serious.

"Ah, don’t mind it. It's just a joke Marin has been saying since she was little."

Suou-senpai tried to defuse the situation with a practiced ease.

If she’s been saying it since she was little, doesn’t that mean it’s actually serious?

I thought so, and probably Mina and Kotomi did too, but preferring not to make it definitive, we all chose to remain silent.