A certain high school's graduation ceremony was quite fervent.
Inside the auditorium, which can fit the whole school, was an old-fashioned piano. It played along as the graduating students made their entrance, sang their school song, and even when they received their diplomas. As the calm atmosphere continued, there was finally a break for the student representative of the graduating class to make their speech.
All of the students had their eyes on her as she walked onto the podium. The microphone was adjusted to the principal's height, so the student adjusted it to her own height. For her age, she was tall (but not that tall) at 165 cm.
No, rather than tall it was more fitting to say that she had a powerful aura surrounding her. After all, the one who was standing on the podium was Class 3 – 7's fearsome Iron Wall Girl with a shiny forehead, Fukiyose Seiri.
"To think that Fukiyose would be the one giving the speech…" muttered Kamijou Touma, the God of Pestilence, to Tsuchimikado and Aogami. Besides those three, the others around them are also wearing their togas.
"She's our class valedictorian. What'd ya expect, nya…" Tsuchimikado explained as he folds up the sleeves of his toga.
Being covered by the eyes of the whole school, Fukiyose showed no sign of stage fright or nervous breakdown, and her back was straight as she continued to read her speech. Even her contents weren't sentences she copied from somewhere. She talked about her personal experiences and used her own words. Having no mistakes, it was a dignified speech that she prepared so well.
"It has a majestic feeling, doesn't it?" Aogami softly whispered in admiration while still in disbelief that he somewhat managed to graduate with all of his low marks.
It was a speech that left a deep impression on a lot of the students.
After the graduation, all of the students began to take photos with one another as others are already going home to their respective prefectures. But for the five people consisting of Kamijou, Fukiyose, Tsuchimikado, Aogami, and Himegami Aisa, the Deep Blood, their struggle in life had just begun.
"Fukiyose-san, I didn't expect that you're basically a carbon-copy of your mother…" Himegami commented while they were both eating parfait.
"Could you please stop with those carbon copy comments…" Fukiyose got irritated as everyone seemed to be telling her the same thing. Though in Himegami's defense, one could actually mistake Fukiyose's mother as her eldest sister and Kamijou was one of those who almost took that bait.
"By the way, are you already sure about your course?" Himegami asks once more.
Fukiyose nodded proudly as she grins. "Luckily, this school has a college branch so we would all have little difficulty in processing some documents. Now that we have all passed the college entrance exam test, I would be sure to stand out to our freshmen to attain a BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing)."
"Ah…so you're planning to become a nurse, Seiri? I took that as well." Himegami replies.
"Ah, that would suit the two of you!" Tsuchimikado praises them as he eats his barbeque. "As for me and Aogami, we'll…uh…to be honest, we're not sure yet of what major we will get so just join some random clubs this first year."
"So likely of you…" Fukiyose sighed as she already expected this kind of behavior from two of the Three Idiot Trio. But if Tsuchimikado said only him and Aogami, then…
"Kamijou-kun, you're awfully quiet for today…" Himegami just had to break the peace of the boy beside her, who seemed to be in daze as if he was in deep thought. "We're talking about our courses for college. What would you get?"
"Huh? Ah…oh…" Kamijou was surprised for the moment before processing Himegami's question. "Well…to be honest…I'm in the same situation as Tsuchimikado although I won't actually take college here…"
The last four words took the other four by surprise.
"Heh?!" Tsuchimikado nearly choked in his parfait. "Kami-yan, you gotta be joking, right? I mean, we all decided to attend one university here in Academy City and you're breaking off with us…"
"Besides, you have already taken the exam here." Fukiyose raised her eyebrows at the boy with spiky hair. "What's the deal?"
"Actually, I passed another written examination outside Academy City…" Kamijou didn't know if it's already the perfect time to reveal it. "I still have to…"
Suddenly, in the television of the restaurant where they are eating, news suddenly showed up.
Breaking news! The Japanese Diet has already approved the amendment of the 1947 constitution's Article 9 about the renunciation of war. Prime Minister Shigehiro Kouji had a speech to the parliament about the recent challenges that led to the reconfiguration of the constitution, such as the dispute at the Senkaku Islands, the attacks of Japanese citizens in the Middle East by hardline Islamists, and the threat of rocket barrage by North Korea. Stay tuned for more updates!
"Well…not that I care but that was bad…" Tsuchimikado muttered as he sipped the bowl of the desert.
"Not only bad, it's disgusting." Fukiyose didn't hesitate to let out her distaste for the Japanese military. "I mean, who would even want to be in a boot camp where you're only allowed to follow orders without question."
"Is that why you agreed to join a protest here in Academy City against that redefinition of the law?" Himegami asked.
"Correction. Everyone here in school was asked to participate." Aogami remembered marching under the hot sun while holding a placard that said "No to War."
While they were all speaking, Kamijou sighed as he then zipped his mouth. This is the reason why I don't want to mention what academy I will enter.
As they continued to eat, Kamijou's phone suddenly vibrated and as soon as he pulled it out and checked the message, he then sighed as it was coming from none other than Academy City's third ranked Level Five, the Railgun Misaka Mikoto. "Oi, you idiot. What course will you take?" She asks rather rudely.
The boy snorted as he typed. "Still undecided, Misaka." He partially lied as he knew she would oppose his decision. He actually saw her in the same protest that Fukiyose and the others were discussing a while back.
He then turns off the battery of the phone as he then mutters how he was relieved that he and Misaka only spent one year in high school together at his own school. Take note, at his school not in Nagatenjouki or Kirigaoka which are more prestigious schools.
Ah right, I still have to talk to Index and Othinus about this…
He then remembers a certain poster he had seen a month back.
"Dammit, I still have to choose a course…" Kamijou groaned one day as he was busy carrying his shopping bag with Index and Othinus.
"Neh, Touma, what is a course?" Index asks.
"A course is something that you get in college as a preparation for the next level of life." Kamijou explains. "Though it seems that I haven't yet decided on a major. The only skill that I'm confident off is street fighting and cooking but the university branch of our school doesn't even teach something as boorish as that."
Suddenly, they pass by a poster which happened to be a recruitment poster of Japan's Ministry of Defense. It says. "Wanted: Culinary staff at the JGSDF's Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade marine unit. Enroll now at the National Defense Academy of Japan!"
As Kamijou read the poster, he then saw one enticing offer: students who are enrolled at the NDA are being paid by the Ministry of Defense as employees.
"Human, we are standing in the middle of the sun so what are you looking at?" Othinus grumbled as she fans herself.
Yet, in Kamijou's mind, he had made up his mind.
A decision that was based both on his expectations and some sort of a misunderstanding.
"I think I had made a rash decision…" Kamijou muttered to himself as he cried softly.
NATIONAL DEFENSE ACADEMY OF JAPAN, Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture
It was just the first day in the military academy and the moment Kamijou Touma, with his hair trimmed and gelled slightly to be acceptable with his incoming superiors, had entered the campus ground, he saw his fellow cadets now being lined by their corps commander as there were still others who are running to join the rank-and-file. The plebes, with some of them now bald, are all being ruthlessly tortured verbally by their commanding officer as a part of the ritual before entering the academy.
"Shit…I don't want to be killed…" Kamijou murmured as he blamed his tardiness over Index not wanting to release her partner so early. But before he could quickly continue, someone suddenly bumped into him lightly.
"Oh, sorry," the one who bumped him looked to be a fellow freshie himself as he was also wearing a white shirt, "I didn't mean it."
"It's okay," Kamijou shrugged it off, "By the way, what's your name? I'm Kamijou Touma and I'll be honest with you…I needed friends as I don't know my way here hehehe."
"Kurata Rikichi from Hokkaido and I needed friends too," Kurata sighed as he then gave a hand to Kamijou, "Well, we should stick together then despite having met only this day."
"I agree," Kamijou replied wholeheartedly as they quickly ran towards the large platoon of freshmen, who were facing what seemed to be a formation of second year and third year cadets. I have a bad feeling about this. Kamijou thought as everyone in the formation seemed to be vocally pointing out what he was thinking.
"Oi, did you hear, Ikari? They said that this year's tradition for entering the academy has changed…I hope it's very easy this time…"
"E-Eh, I-I don't know about that, Hitsugaya-san…they possibly made it harder too…"
As there were other potential recruits who were speaking, they finally made it into the formation and Kurata then saw a guy on his left sweating heavily, "Hey, bruh, you fine?"
"Not much but I'm quite nervous about the entrance ceremony that I thought I might now pass at all," the man with the mohawk hair replied, "By the way, did you just come into formation right now?"
"Yeah…oh, by the way, I'm Kurata Rikichi and this is Kamijou Touma," Kurata introduced themselves to their fellow recruits that they were lined up with.
"Oh, nice meeting you guys. From Shimane, Fujima Nobunaga, reporting," the recruit named Fujima said.
"Shimane Prefecture? Oh, how bland…"
"!"
"Let's just all be friends, though," Kamijou said, now eyeing their officers from afar wearily, "I know they're also cadets just like us but I don't like how they're looking at us with a sinister look."
Everyone who heard Kamijou looked at the second and third year cadet corps lined up in front of them and gulped, "Shit, he's right. Something about their grin is giving me chills. Be my shield, Ukitake."
"Ba-Bakayarou, don't use me as their meat grinder, Shiranui-san…" the young man identified as Ukitake blurted out.
"Brats!" The sudden voice of one of their third year cadets made everyone shut their mouths, "Form square lines in less than a minute. One—Two—Three—!"
Quickly, everyone hurriedly formed a square formation by 90 degrees measured using their arms as Kamijou, Kurata, and Fujima were standing next to each other horizontally.
Suddenly, on the stage near the edge of the academy's football club, the president of the NDA had stood up and began to speak, "This will be the start of your journey so I won't speak that much. I'll give you all five counts. Whoever wants to resign, do it now and drop out quickly!"
At the bleachers, rows and columns of parents and loved ones were either watching their sons go through this new ritual by the academy or simply waiting for them to drop out, if ever someone from the plebes planned to do so.
"It's embarrassing to drop out with this kind of audience. Do you have your parents out there, Nara-san?"
"I'd like to drop out but it will be troublesome if my damned mom will hit me with a frying pan from the stage so I had no choice but to stay and endure…"
"I agree…it's kind of embarrassing to drop out with this crowd…" Kamijou sweatdropped as he agreed with the other cadets who had that line of thought.
"Five counts…five…"
No one moved.
"...four…three…"
No one was still moved.
"Your parents are still here. They can fetch you right now."
There was some laughter with that remark from the president of the NDA as no one from the sea of white moved even an inch. They all seemed to be either determined to enter the academy or were simply conscious about their image.
"...two…one…second and third year upperclassmen, take charge!"
All of the sudden, the upperclassmen, all clad in black uniform and beret, twirled to face the potential plebes and before they can even react, the CO of the upperclassmen, who was carrying the flag of the NDA, suddenly ran towards the plebes and it wasn't long before the rest of the upperclassmen followed suit and rushed towards the freshmen, all shouting a battlecry.
"Wh-What the hell is this?!" Kamijou said, his heart pounding wildly.
"Troublesome…" someone from the crowd said.
The upperclassmen then broke up all the formation of the first year cadets. Most of the officers ordered the unlucky ones to do 50 counts of pushups while the others had to do 70 counts of squats. The others were ordered to do suicide drills from one edge of the football field to another. A few more were ordered to roll on the muddy grass.
"You!"
"Y-yeah!" Kamijou was still standing amidst the chaos that was the welcoming reception for the freshmen. Due to that, he was spotted by an female upperclassman who was carrying a flag of their batch.
"Where did you graduate?!"
"A-Academy City!"
For some reason, the female upperclassman had fire breathing in her nose the moment she heard where Kamijou came from as she fiercely ordered, "Push-ups, 100 counts! And after this, suicide drills for 200 counts!"
Wow. So merciless. Kamijou groaned as he dropped himself down on the floor and began to push himself in the grass. He knew that as much as he wanted to complain, shouting at an upperclassman would mean nothing short of pain in his world and he didn't want any of that yet.
These four years in the military academy would be nothing short of hardships. Kamijou thought as he was getting on his groove.
"You're too slow, Academy City brat!" The female upperclassman then stepped on his butt, "And lower! I'll be watching your progress!"
Sadistic… Kamijou groaned as he put more effort into this welcome ceremony hell.
As he eventually finishes his 100 push ups, he then thought.
Now that I think of it, what happened to Tsuchimikado and the other guys?
