My Desertion Would Be Faster Than Heros’ Obsession

2374 Days Until Discharge.

The blazing sun dominated the cloudless blue sky, making its presence impossible to ignore. The trees, their branches thick with summer foliage, stretched outward as birds chirped and flitted among them.

Summer had arrived.

And with it came the arrival of new recruits—replacements for Jaiden and Milphy, and whoever else wouldn’t last.

"Did you hear? New recruits are arriving today," Karon said.

"Oh, really?" I replied absentmindedly, barely paying attention as I scrubbed laundry. I was eager to be promoted to private first class so I could escape these tedious chores.

"Hmm, new recruits, huh…"

Though I acknowledged his comment, I didn’t feel any excitement. By now, the arrival of new recruits had lost its novelty.

Karon probably felt the same but brought it up anyway to make conversation. I wrung the water from my hands, patted his head, and asked, "How many are coming?"

"Four in total."

Well, within a month, half of them would be gone—if not all of them.

"And one of them is a woman!" he added, his eyes sparkling as he looked at me, expecting some kind of reaction.

"A female recruit, huh…"

Memories of Reina surfaced in my mind, leaving a bitter taste. I decided to avoid getting attached this time. It was better to follow Yuri’s example and keep my distance. Building a bond out of a misplaced sense of responsibility would only lead to more pain if they didn’t make it.

Still, I had a selfish reason for reacting to the phrase female recruit. In the women’s barracks, I was still the lowest in rank, meaning Yuri made me do everything. With a bit of luck, this new recruit would replace me as the barracks rookie.

As I headed back to the barracks after finishing the laundry, I spotted the new recruits undergoing training.

"There they are."

They all looked clueless, as expected of fresh recruits. I glanced over their training indifferently when Ishina suddenly appeared at my side.

"What’re you doing? Watching the rookies?"

"I was just passing by. Where are you coming from, Ishina?"

"Had an errand at company HQ. Aquila’s still there," he said, his expression laced with pity. "The company commander put him to work."

"Ah…"

I mirrored his look of sympathy.

Previously, Winter had been the commander’s favorite pick for extra tasks. But now that Winter was busy managing juniors and other duties, Aquila had taken his place. With only six months left until his promotion to private first class, the commander must have decided it was time to start piling work on him.

"Poor guy…"

It really was better to aim for mediocrity. Being too competent only brought more trouble. As I sighed with a wistful expression, Ishina continued.

"I just heard the new recruits’ names. Want me to tell you?"

"Of course, sir. I’d appreciate it," I replied politely, even though I couldn’t care less about their names. Ishina began listing them off.

"Shine, Muscle, Kashier, and Benny."

"...Could you repeat that last one?"@@novelbin@@

For some reason, one of the names sounded eerily familiar.

"The female recruit. What’s her name?"

"Her name’s Benny."

A thrill shot through me, electrifying every fiber of my being.

"Benny! Benny is here!"