“You two are the new guys! So, how about you both give us a quick intro?”

Reina stepped forward.

Kenya thought it was impressive how she never flinched in moments like this, watching as she launched into her introduction.

“Reina Silfield.”

“…”

“…”

Silence.

“Huh? That’s it?”

One boy shot to his feet, raising his voice.

He stared at Reina with a look that screamed, Is that seriously your intro?

“Something up?”

“No way, there’s gotta be more to it! You straight-up made me tsukkomi there, and you’re not even playing a character!”

The boy delivered a full-on Kansai-style retort.

He had the look of a blond, bespectacled intellectual type, but that single line revealed his role as the class tsukkomi man.

In Kansai, they supposedly split into boke and tsukkomi roles—and this guy was definitely tsukkomi.

“A self-introduction’s all about letting people get to know you, right? Like your hometown or…”

“Hometown… Sorry, I don’t really remember.”

“Eh… Does that even happen?”

An inexplicable vibe filled the classroom.

Sensing the awkwardness, Kenya jumped in with his own intro to smooth things over.

“I-I’m Sword Silfield. Reina’s brother! From the 13th Special District. Our dad’s Zeke Silfield, of a baronet family!”

“O-Oh! Phew. I was starting to worry you two were the silent type. I’m the class rep—well, just the oldest here… Name’s Rilbelt. Commoner, but that makes me your senior, so nice to meet ya.”

Rilbelt extended his hand for a shake.

Kenya and Reina shook it and headed to their seats.

Rilbelt had that straight-laced class committee chair vibe.

As a commoner—not nobility—he was probably on the elite track.

He gave off a slightly pitiful aura, but he had to be top-tier talented.

“Yo, long time no see, Silver. Freaked me out when you shipped off to some backwater training school, but you’re back.”

One student called out to Reina in a gravelly voice.

Acting like he knew her, with total arrogance.

Kenya could tell at a glance.

This guy ruled the class—Kenya’s hypersensitive radar for school hierarchies picked it up on instinct.

He was probably the top dog here. Or at least acted like it.

And he seemed to know Reina, too.

“You’re…”

Reina turned his way and tilted her head.

“Who?”

(She doesn’t remember him!? Dude was definitely implying something went down!)

The guy was completely wiped from Reina’s memory.

Her response turned his face beet red as he exploded in fury.

“Forgot me!? Me, from this country’s duke house!”

(Duke house is pretty high-ranking, right? Not super clued in, but…)

From his old world knowledge, duke was the top noble rank, he figured.

“Duke house… Ah, got it. We fought once a long time ago, right? Name was… Soyah?”

(Good… she remembered…)

Kenya breathed a sigh of relief beside her.

He didn’t want her making enemies on day one—Reina was the type who’d forgotten the meaning of “tact,” leaving him sweating bullets inside.

“Who the hell’s Soyah!? It’s Zoid! Fine, I’ll make you never forget… Fight me! Time to settle that humiliation from back then!!”

(Total miss… If you weren’t sure on the name, just don’t say it… And it’s way off anyway…)

“Hah! Perfect timing, then! Let’s see what everyone’s got!”

Colonel Star—who’d been watching the drama unfold from the sidelines with glee—grinned as he made the suggestion.

He wore the exact face of someone who’d been waiting for this moment. And sure enough…

“Knew it’d come to this. Truth is, I invited a few alumni today—active-duty Holy Knights. Give ‘em hell!”

He’d planned this from the start, it seemed—pitting them against Holy Knights to test Reina’s and my strength.

“Colonel! Put me on the Holy Knight side! I’m one starting this year—no issue, right?”

(Whoa, Zoid’s a duke and a Holy Knight? Never heard of a student making Holy Knight—total super elite.)

“Sure, no problem. Point of today’s just checking out Silver Ice Princess’s skills now that she’s back from the boonies, and Zeke’s kids’ power.”

“Right. So teams: Zoid-kun, Rilbelt-kun—you in? And… heh, Jin, mind helping out?”

Colonel Star called over a youth named Jin, smirking slyly for some reason.

A little older than Kenya’s group? He had a calm air, quietly observing them.

Mysterious vibe about him.

Golden hair marked him as Earthguard stock.

Athlete type? Chiseled features that didn’t look his age at all.

Honestly, impossible to read his thoughts.

Still, everyone’s reactions showed he commanded respect.

Zoid didn’t object—looked scared, even.

The stoic youth finally spoke.

“Is that an order, Colonel?”

“Hah, like I could order you. Just a request.”

“…Haa, fine. Can’t turn down the Colonel.”

He rose slowly and walked over to Kenya’s group.

“Alright! Simulation room, let’s go! Seniors are already waiting. This is gonna be hype! Mock battle after so long!”

Colonel Star was buzzing with excitement.

Looked just like some beer-guzzling uncle at a baseball game—but in this world, KOG was both weapon and entertainment.

Back home, it’d been a global gaming hit with massive tournament crowds. The spectacle made total sense.

Led straight to the simulation room, they found three soldiers chatting it up.

Spotting them, one guy called out to Colonel Star.

“Colonel, you summoned us and kept us waiting? We’re Holy Knights now—national defense backbone, y’know?”

A cocky Holy Knight stood, voice dripping with swagger.

Playboy college dude vibe, somehow.

The other two were young soldiers too—flashy bar-hopping pretty boys.

“Whaddya mean? War-free slackers playing around.”

“Haha, can’t argue. Training’s all we got, really.”

“Alumni train the current batch. Grads train the next. Cycle goes on. Count on you today.”

“For you, Colonel! So those kids over there… Jin!? Him too?”

“Nah, he’s sitting this one out for now. Stars of the show are these two. Zeke’s kids—y’know ‘em? Zeke Silfield.”

“Zeke… No way, the Military God!? Uwaaah, mega celeb. And adorable too.”

(Sleazier by the second. Playboy Trio it is.)

The three squealed girlishly at Reina.

Big bro doesn’t approve of sleazy types like that.

“Alright, let’s kick it off! Student team: Rilbelt, Sword, Reina. Holy Knights: Zoid-kun and you guys. Winner buys the losers lunch! If students lose, I got it covered—no sweat. Fight your way.”

Colonel Star dropped the zero-risk deal.

His generosity shone through. Huh? Guy hasn’t even drunk—why’s his face so red?

Already full spectator mode.

“So, what’s the plan, you two? Survival’s a total mismatch…”

Rilbelt started suggesting a team battle with rotating survivors.

But with the power gap between rookies and Holy Knights, it wouldn’t fly as rules. He pondered better options.

Then one girl piped up.

“Survival’s fine. I wanna fight everyone.”

“Reina!?”

“Hah!?”

“What’d you say!?”

Kenya, the Playboy Trio, and Zoid all blurted it out.

They grasped the meaning instantly.

Survival—against all of them. Meaning…

“Survival’s good. I’ll take you all down while I’m at it.”

The Ice Princess turned battle junkie at the mention of KOG.

Eyes sparkling, she unwittingly pissed off the Holy Knight team.

“This’ll be fun, big bro.”