FSE

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"Sometimes, I still wake up in shock from dreams of bootcamp," Kotetsu said with a casual shrug, glancing at Yamato. "So I figured it might work."

"Thank you so much, senpai, for not letting me embarrass myself further," Yamato said, lowering his gaze to his plate.

Since earlier, he'd been avoiding eye contact with me, his movements stiff and awkward.

Initially, I felt a bit annoyed, but upon reflection, if I were in his shoes, I’d probably want to vanish into thin air too. I decided to give him some space so we could both adjust.

"You're welcome." Kotetsu waved it off, chewing lazily on some clover. "Relax. You're a member of the Academy now. Other identities don’t matter much here."

That’s generally true, but not everyone gets that lucky.

I stuffed a hefty slice of smoked salmon into my mouth, trying to banish the lingering gloom in my chest with good food.

"Yes, senpai," Yamato replied stiffly, while the Altai Wapiti simply shrugged and kept eating.

"You two knew each other before?" I tried to steer the conversation, avoiding sensitive topics like uniforms.

"The Naval Academy is huge," Kotetsu said with a chuckle, shaking his head as he pointed at Yamato's shoulder sleeve insignia. "Plus, Yamato is in the ground forces, and I'm in the fleet—our paths rarely cross."

"Oh, your uniforms are different?" I asked casually. The Altai Wapiti tilted his head slightly, giving me a sly, knowing smile.

Damn, was I that obvious?

"Yes, they're different." Yamato glanced at both Kotetsu and me, his expression a bit puzzled. "Richter... senpai."

Though not the first time I'd been addressed like that, I couldn't tell if the odd feeling creeping up my back was due to the respectful tone or the earlier awkward incident.

"You’d better get used to it," Kotetsu said in an amused tone, clearly entertained by the scene.

I didn’t want to guess who he was addressing, so I was thankful when I sensed Tadao's familiar presence approaching.

"Hey, going okay?" I regretted the words the moment I saw the red deer’s expression, but it was too late. I forced an awkward smile and waited for his response.

"This guy tried to print controlled substances!" Tadao gestured to the brown Labrador Retriever beside him, whom I’d only just noticed. "Got us kicked out by the administrator!"

"You can't blame a stray for trying," the Labrador shrugged nonchalantly, his tone unapologetic. "When you grow up in the slums, you learn to seize opportunities."

A sharp, jolting sting in my psychic senses was as painful as a blade slicing through skin. While smoothing my bristling fur, I noticed the other three herbivores shivering to varying degrees.

"Academy survival rule number one: don't insult herbivores with half-baked lies," Hemp senpai suddenly appeared, removing his psychic barrier only after sitting down. Tadao shot the border collie a desperate glance before sliding his plate over to him.

The Labrador hesitated, glancing at me and Hemp senpai before taking the seat directly to my right, opposite Tadao. I tried not to show my discomfort.

"So," Kotetsu said in a low voice, nodding slightly. "Aren’t you going to introduce yourself?"

"Of course, my pleasure." The Labrador smiled, his white canine teeth stark against his brown fur. "Hunter Chocolate."

Hunter stood as he introduced himself, pressing a hand to his chest and bowing theatrically to everyone. Despite his exaggerated gestures, I couldn’t ignore the momentary ripple of his psychic aura—Kotetsu’s eyebrow twitched slightly.

"Like... the dessert?" Yamato asked, visibly confused.

"A lineage," Hemp senpai clarified with a dismissive wave. "A branch of the Labrador House, under the Golden House."

As Hemp senpai explained, Hunter turned to Yamato with a creepy smile, baring both his canine teeth.

"You’re quick to learn, but far from good enough. Nobody here cares about your past, so using a fake name is your choice." Kotetsu, still eating his salad, continued. "But let me give you some advice: if you want to survive the Academy, you'd better make some trustworthy friends." The Altai Wapiti raised his gaze, locking eyes with the Labrador. "And starting with lies isn’t the best way to build trust."

"Duly noted, senpai...?" Hunter replied in a syrupy, ingratiating tone.

I felt my tolerance for this guy rapidly being tested. Judging by the others' reactions—except for Yamato—it seemed we all reached the same conclusion. Tadao, meanwhile, awkwardly attempted to hide under the table.

"Kotetsu," the Altai Wapiti said, his voice even lower now. The psychic waves emanating from him had grown perilously intense.

"Kanazawa Yamato," the impala interjected, sitting upright. "It’s an honor to meet all of you."

The others briefly introduced themselves, easing the tension in the room.

I shot Yamato a grateful look, but he didn’t seem to notice.

"Well then," the Labrador began again after receiving his meal, sweeping his gaze over us. "Who's the top dog here in the Academy?"

"What?" Tadao frowned, his tone caught between confusion and surprise.

"You know, every playground has its big dog," Hunter gestured with a series of vague hand motions. "You either knock them down or join them—it depends. Just a survival tip from me." He seemed to flash his canines intentionally toward Kotetsu senpai, though the Altai Wapiti continued eating without reacting.

"The Academy's nothing like a playground," Tadao muttered, poking at his food with chopsticks. "Clinging to that kind of thinking is dangerous."

"Ah, I beg to differ, Tadao senpai," Hunter replied with a grin. "The whole world is one big playground."

"Finding similarities in differences, huh." Tadao shrugged. "But if you're really curious about who the top dog is, he is sitting right next to you."

"Huh?" Both Hunter and I spoke in unison, equally baffled. Yamato glanced at me, startled.

"Seriously? Richter senpai looks so harmless; I bet I could take him down!" Still too confused to react immediately, I only realized what was happening when Hunter slung an arm around my neck, causing the fur along it to bristle instinctively.

"Can’t you tell Richter is a Snow?" Hemp senpai asked, his furrowed brow causing the black-and-white border of his coat to form odd patterns.

"Ha! Nobles and their pampered martial arts. True life experience is what counts, something you'll never get living in manors and castles." Hunter chuckled, giving me a few hearty pats on the shoulder. "No offense, of course. Just stating facts."

"I wouldn’t be offended by that," I replied quietly, brushing his hand off my shoulder.

"You think millennia of breeding for lethality amounts to nothing more than pampered tricks?" Kotetsu senpai finally looked up. "Usually, I’d warn someone like you to be careful about getting beaten up someday, but I think a good beating is exactly what you need."

Kotetsu senpai’s description unexpectedly stung—I hadn’t realized that’s how he saw me.

The emotional weight left me momentarily detached from their conversation until Yamato seemed to ask a question.

"...I won’t say it doesn’t happen, and the Academy does have a hands-off approach that could foster survival-of-the-fittest dynamics. But bootcamp conditions like that don’t occur here," Kotetsu was explaining, setting his chopsticks down. "Besides, that’s not something you need to worry about. When Tadao said Richter is the top dog, he wasn’t joking."

"Oh," Yamato responded with an upward inflection, making me curious about their earlier topic. "Thanks for explaining, Kotetsu senpai."

I shot the Altai Wapiti a disapproving look, expressing my feelings about the "top dog" moniker. His reaction? A faintly upturned corner of his mouth.

Ugh. Annoying.

Just then, Yamato and Hunter’s terminals chimed simultaneously. Both detached their armbands to check the notifications.

"A background check? That’s hilarious," Hunter quipped, scrolling quickly through his screen.

"Something like that," Tadao replied, exchanging a knowing glance with me.

"So, uh... what’s this for?" Yamato’s brow furrowed higher as he read, and I found myself wondering how high it could go. "I’ve filled out security forms before, but this seems like more than that."

"If you mean sensitive personal data, the Academy hasn’t stopped trying to identify commonalities among psychics," I explained the part I know, recalling what Dawn had told me. "Some believe that with enough data, they can determine what makes someone a psychic—or even the factors that influence psychic strength."

"Can you really tell if someone’s a psychic by how much they like anthropomorphic insect works?" Yamato asked, scratching the base of his horn.

"If you doubt it, you’d be surprised," Hemp senpai shrugged. "It’s one of several variables with significant correlation."

"Oh," Yamato paused, glancing around at the rest of us. "I see."

"So, does this mean Richter senpai is, uh, an entomophilia?" Hunter leaned closer, resting his chin on his hand.

"I do enjoy anthropomorphic insect works like Metamorphosis, and I identify as an ‘Buggy*’—a term widely accepted within the community." Ignoring his rudeness was getting easier; my mind was as calm as tranquil waters.

"Hey, no judgment here!" Hunter straightened up, raising his open palms defensively. "Everyone’s free to have their thing, even if it involves arthropods. After all, ‘paraphilias’ got delisted from the mental health manual, right?"

"It’s the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders," I corrected, finishing my meal and setting my utensils down. "Some enthusiasts do develop sexual attractions to insects, and entomian* community show a higher tendency, but both make up less than ten percent of their respective groups."

"Wow, you’re so boring." Hunter turned back to his meal, while I caught a glimpse of Tadao covering his face with both hands.

I lingered a while longer, listening to discussions about course schedules and the psychic community. Occasionally, I chimed in with thoughts or advice. Once the group shifted to casual chatting, I excused myself, leaving Yamato in Kotetsu senpai’s care.

"You’ll be okay?" I asked Yamato quietly, just loud enough for him to hear.

"Oh, uh... yeah, I’ll be fine," he replied stiffly, though he made an effort to hold my gaze.

"See you at the party tomorrow?" Kotetsu senpai asked as I stood. I offered a noncommittal reply, which the Altai Wapiti accepted with a shrug.

As I left the cafeteria, I masked my emotions and steadied my pace to avoid seeming too hasty.

Moments ago, the tranquil waters of my mind had been stirred by a faint ripple.