At last, today I would enter the Defense Force training school. I checked my bag one more time, and it seemed I had not forgotten anything. After I finished getting ready, I walked toward the school written in the guide.
"Here it is," I said to myself when I reached the place. The school building looked a bit small, but I could see a sports field and a gym. It was a real school, and much nicer than I had expected.
When I went to the classroom that was written on my paper, about half the seats were already taken. My number was sixteen. I sat in the seat marked with the number, but many eyes turned to me at once. The students around me were all young, and I stood out because I was clearly the older man in the room. I could feel their looks, and it made me a bit uneasy, though I had known this would happen.
I pretended not to notice and waited quietly. More students came in, and soon almost all the seats were full. There were about thirty of us in total, and it seemed there were a few more girls than boys.
"It looks like everyone is here. I am Umezawa Toshiki, your instructor. Nice to meet you," the man at the front said. He looked to be around thirty.
"There are thirty students this term," he went on. "You will study here for three months. After you finish, you will be sent into real action, so you must learn to use magic (magical power) well before that. Also, before you leave, there will be a graduation test where you enter a dungeon. There will be a written test too, so please take the classes seriously."
I knew it already, but hearing it again made me feel the weight of it. I had only three months to learn how to handle magic well, and I also had to enter a dungeon. Still, I could only try my best.
The first day passed with self-introductions, the schedule for the course, and a tour of the place. It seemed the real work would begin tomorrow.
"Hey, old man," someone called.
"Hm? Me?" I asked.
"Who else?" the boy said.
A boy with brown-dyed hair, the type who looked a bit wild, stepped closer and spoke to me.
"Do you need something?" I asked.
"How old are you?" he asked.
"40. Why?" I said.
"40... I thought you looked old, but 40? You're the same age as my mom." He let out a small laugh.
Same age as his mother... well, that could happen. Still, the words stung a little.
"I see. How old are you?" I asked.
"I'm 19. I'm Jinnai Ritsu."
"I'm Hanaoka Shutarou," I said.
"Old man, why are you here at that age?" Ritsu asked.
"Why? I guess I awakened to magic only recently," I said with a small shrug.
"That can happen?"
"It seems it can."
"Don't you have a family or something?" he asked.
"No, I'm alone."
"...Sorry," he said, looking away.
"Don't worry. It only means I'm not popular," I said with a small smile.
Saying "I'm not popular" to a 19-year-old hit harder than I expected.
"Did you get divorced or something?" he asked.
"No, I never married."
"Are you into men?" he asked in a low voice.
"Into men? No, no, no. I'm normal," I said quickly.
"Sorry. If you want, I can introduce you to a girl," he offered.
"Introduce... thanks, but I'm fine," I said.
A nineteen-year-old offering to introduce me to women... that also hit hard.
"I see. You seem like a decent guy, so I could ask one of my wife's friends for you," Ritsu said.
"Your wife? Ritsu, you're married?" I asked.
"Yeah, I got married last year. Want to see a photo?" he asked with a grin.
It was true that in this time of low birth rate, getting married at nineteen was not so rare. Even when I was nineteen, some students married young. Still, I never thought I would hear a classmate's marriage story at this age. It hit more than I had expected.