Solnus 26. World Tour; Irregulars Training, Special Rifle

408 days, or 1 year, 1 month, and approximately 13 days before the Circumadversum Omatsuri, one morning.

Seira Ito Fotiou took some photos and recorded videos. Now she was ready to do her job: traveling the world with her band.

Seira immediately uploaded her digital documentation to her social media. Many responded to the post. One such person was Seira's mom.

Namiki Fotiou wrote, "Truly a my daughter. Smart and talented."

Meanwhile, Seira's friend, Matsuri, replied to Seira's mom's comment: "That's right, Mom. "She graduated faster than the others."

Seira smiled at her mother and best friend's comments.

What Matsuri meant by "Seira graduated faster" was when Seira's band decided she was eligible to join as an official member after completing a training period of about a year and a half.

That eighteen months or so passed quickly because the average band member who passed needed about two years of training. Furthermore, there were more prospective members who didn't pass than those who did.

The sound of a reminder that Seira's flight was arriving made Seira immediately prepare to board with her bandmates. After settling into her seat, Seira briefly tapped on the media services provided by the airline she was flying.

There were movies, songs, games, and even the latest news. Seira briefly noticed a news report about the change in Japanese prime minister: Yuuichirou Hatoyama had been replaced by Yuito Kitagawa. But Seira chose to ignore the news. She turned off the media services and went to sleep to conserve energy.

(000)

408 days, or 1 year, 1 month, and approximately 13 days before the Omatsuri Circumadversum, one late afternoon morning...

John Anatole Holland was closely watching the news about the change in Japanese prime minister. The man he knew, Yuuichirou Hatoyama, would be replaced by Yuuichirou's political opponent,

Holland thought, "With this change, the Buriki Kan no Barakku might be slightly less powerful. But we are still united. Our divisions are still working, carrying out their respective tasks."

Holland's division, G Division, continues to conduct research and experiments in accordance with its objectives. One example of this research and experimentation can be seen in a room in the Buiki Kan no Burakku tonight. The room, known as "test room A1," is enormous, measuring approximately 54 meters long, 22.37 meters wide, and 9.267 meters high.

Holland was standing behind a glass window in the observation room. Beside Holland, Professor Kimura sat in a chair in the room. The two men were observing two other members of the Buriki kan no Barakku who were performing various exercises on the floor of test room A1.

The two men on the test room floor were Yuukyuritoo Mitsuishi and Daan Batra Mizuguchi. They both appeared to be wearing the same military-style uniform. Their boots were also typical military boots.

On the test room floor, several targets were visible, some mounted on the wall and others standing on the floor. Some targets were static, while others moved at varying speeds. Among these targets were also several obstacles that could not be touched.

Daan, who was moving around very actively, shouted, "Yes, yes, yes, Mitsuishi the Light. Look at my movements. Can you keep up with me?"

Yuukyuritoo, who seemed more composed, commented, "Heh, everyone has their own style."

Yuukyuritoo and Daan were practicing controlling the pendants on their wrists. The pendants could change shape: they could elongate, cover an area, or even move rapidly like bullets. They could command the pendants that separated from the others to return to their group.

From behind the glass of the observation room, Holland asked, "How is it, Professor Starwood?"

Professor Kimura replied, "As we expected, they would make excellent members of the ij Division."

The ij Division, Buriki kan no Buraku, was a division formed as a combat force. The name "ij" comes from the abbreviation for "irregular jarhand." In the military, the word "irregular" has become a term with its own meaning. Meanwhile, the term "jarhand" might sound a bit like the term "jarhead."

For your information, "jarhead" is a popular slang term used to describe United States Marines. The term originated during World War II. The term originated from the Marines, who had high, neat haircuts and wore uniforms with high collars that resembled glass jars.

Meanwhile, the word "irregular" in the military means "a soldier who operates outside a nation's standard armed forces and uses non-traditional tactics." In the case of the ij soldiers, their "non-traditional tactics" were, of course, the use of pendants on their wrists.

These pendants were attached to their hands thanks to a device created by Professor Kimura, John Holland, and other members of G Division. The device was called the "jarhand." The name refers to the jar-like shape of the device, into which a person's hands would be inserted to install something.

Of course, there were developments in how the device worked. For example, in the early version, in which Professor Kimura used himself as a "white lab rat," humans could not control the pendants from entering their hands.

However, this is now possible, allowing people with modified hands to still perform normal daily activities without appearing out of place. With this development, a member of Division ij can carry out Division H duties, which require moving around the ordinary people.

Division H of the Buraki kan no Burakku is tasked with raising funds, purchasing necessary supplies, gathering information, and monitoring various social conditions outside the Buraki kan no Burakku. That's why the capital "H" in this division is often used to refer to terms like "hedge fund, husbandry, heist, hearing, and hand of invisibility."

While Holland and Professor Kimura were still observing Yuukyuritoo and Daan's training, they heard the door to the observation room open. Holland turned to find Tomoko Sairenji opening the door.

Holland said, "Welcome back, Ms. Sairento." Then, his eyes returned to Yuukyuritoo and Dan.

Holland expressed his opinion regarding the training demonstrated by Yuukyuritoo and Daan, "Look at them. Professor Starwood and Ms. Sairento probably agree. They're as good as their seniors, Yuri Nagae, whom we recruited earlier, and Takeichi Gushiken, whom we recruited a few months after them."

Professor Kimura commented, "I agree. I suspect they excel in some areas as well."

Holland said, “That aspect. Agreed, Professor Starwood.”

Professor Kimura reminded him, “But we in the G Division also have to support the people in the IJ Division. I think we can expedite the completion of that rifle.”

Holland commented, “Ah, yes. A rifle that will match the IJ Division symbol. We have to work on it as quickly as possible.”

Tomoko said, “I agree.”

At that moment, a bell rang. Holland said, “Oh, it’s almost time for the training for that situation simulation.”

Holland thought to himself, “We’re increasingly convinced that our opponent isn’t a country. But something we call ‘bladderites.’ We already know some things about them, but we can’t be certain of their next moves, which is why every possible simulation is necessary.”

Professor Kimura immediately spoke into the microphone, “Yuukyu, Daan. We’re going to try a new situation.”

Yukyuurito and Daan, hearing Professor Kimura's voice, waved their hands, signaling they were ready for another simulation.

Shortly afterward, something from the ocean poured out in large quantities, filling test chamber A1.