Our class formed parties of four to five members, fixed since the moment we teleported here. Though Sanada Shiori-chan from the second group and Nagai Kahoru-chan from the fifth group had left, nobody replaced them.
All 35 students teleported with us, but eight had already died or gone missing. Two more, Shiori-chan and Kahoru-chan, left the class altogether.
Among us, three didn’t count as combat fighters because they weren’t assigned to any party: me, who handled shopping and odd jobs; Yawashi Jiro-kun, who cooked for us; and Funakoshi Aria-san, who possessed a mysterious skill called “Maid Skill” that covered all kinds of housework.
The remaining 22 students divided into parties from the first to the fifth group. This setup wasn’t random—it had been arranged right after teleportation by military instructors who sorted us based on skill and aptitude.
Groups one to three mixed boys and girls fairly evenly, while groups four and five were split by gender, made from whoever was left. Basically, those last two groups were a bit of a mess.
In this world, combat power relied mostly on skills, so there wasn’t much difference between men and women. Maybe the only gap was how fast they could run when things got dangerous.
”Takumi, I think this sword’s edge has gotten dull,” said Suenaga Tatsuhiro-kun from the first group. We’d been friends since elementary school. I took his two-handed sword and saw the blade’s color had faded, with small chips here and there.
”I’ll sharpen it with some effort, but it might need a proper shop. If that happens, I’ll borrow a replacement sword. For now, leave the frontline to Domoto-kun,” I said.
”Got it, thanks.” Suenaga-kun handed me the sheath and glanced around nervously at the others watching us. Then he whispered, “In groups one and two, there’s talk about going independent. I’m against it, but if it comes to a vote, I probably can’t stop them.”
”I see… maybe it’s a miracle we’ve stuck together this long.”
He nodded. “Everyone wants Funakoshi-san to come with us, but not Yawashi or you. The reason is that with Funakoshi-san there, she can manage cooking too.”
Listening more, I understood. The people in groups one and two weren’t trying to abandon us out of spite. After all these years, they just didn’t want to live together anymore. They planned to leave groups three and below behind because Yawashi-kun and I were supporting those parties.
Still, I didn’t feel angry. Honestly, it was impressive they held on and supported the whole class for so long.
”I understand, Suenaga-kun, but you need to stay here. Even if you’re in the first group, losing a member puts you in danger. If you can’t stay together as a group, you’ll die.”
”I know. Still, it worries me.”
Magic stones—the main source of our income—were barely breaking even for the third army, while the fourth and fifth groups ran constant losses. Without the first and second armies, our safety margin would shrink, and we’d have to take more risks. I recalled the third army party that made one mistake and never came back.
”Sorry…”
”Don’t worry. We’ll find a way.”
A few days later, it was officially announced that the first and second army parties, along with Funakoshi-san—nine people in total—would leave the base and become independent.
At that time, neither Suenaga-kun nor I knew that Kito Ginga-kun, leader of the first army and the class’s ace, had already steeled himself to make a desperate decision for all of us.
The contract for the new base of the first and second parties was already done. From the moment Ginga-kun gathered everyone in the dining hall to announce their independence, the move happened quickly.
They set up their base far away on the opposite side—east to west—so we wouldn’t run into each other unless we tried. I wished they’d moved closer. It felt lonely.
”It’s so empty now. Cleaning and laundry… Aria-chan used to do all that for us. Now we have to do it ourselves. Maid skills were more useful than I thought,” said Kadokura Hikari-chan as she sighed and looked around the quiet base. When we moved here, it felt like a festival, but now split into nine and sixteen people, it was eerily silent.
Maybe because of the loneliness, we instinctively held hands and intertwined our fingers.
”For now, Yawashi-kun and I will handle the chores Funakoshi-san used to do, but you’ll probably need to help more. The government official said we could stay here for a while, but who knows how long that will last…”
We who worked the dangerous job of harvesting magic stones weren’t disliked by the autonomous government. Most classmates had combat skills, which made us somewhat valuable. Still, we weren’t trusted enough to join the military.
”But Takumi-kun hasn’t given up, right?” Shiori-chan asked when she came to check on us after hearing about the first and second armies moving. She peeked into my expression, and Hikari-chan’s hand, which I held, tightened.
”Huh? Takumi-kun, have you thought of something?”
”Yeah, keeping secrets is hard now… First, I want to gather the leaders of each party. Hikari-chan, can you call them together? Shiori-chan, will you join us?”
”I’m glad… as expected, Takumi-kun is the one who keeps our class united. It’s comforting… During the cultural festival, you and Haruka-chan organized the exhibits perfectly.”
Hikari-chan kissed my cheek to show thanks. Then Chinatsu-chan, who had quietly appeared behind us, teased, “Oh wow, so hot, you two. Takumi-kun, if you keep this up, maybe you’ll get Hikari-chan’s first kiss. And maybe take me down too?”