March

Our march was relentless.

It was pitch black when we stepped out of the church.

I wondered if the moon didn’t exist in this world, for we were surrounded by total darkness.

The church was built atop a small hill. As far as I could see, there was nothing else besides it.

There only seemed to be green pastures stretched out in all directions.

Section Two’s commanding officer, Homura Kisaragi, used her skill to set fire to the goblins’ clubs and create makeshift torches.

Once she had finished distributing the torches to each commanding officer, it was time to leave.

My classmates were drained from their fight with the dragon and goblin army.

However, no one dared go against Tsukasa, who now had full control of the class.

Eight 5-person units marched north through the darkness.

If you ignored the monsters and the missing moon, this place looked no different from Earth.

That was my impression of this planet, now that we were outside.

Our unit brought up the rear, making sure not to fall behind since we lacked fighting power compared to the rest of the class.

“Hey, Futoshi. Do you mind sharing some snacks? I’m on a diet, so I didn’t bring any.”

Chika simpered at Futoshi, who had been munching on snacks the whole time we were walking.

He had been eating non-stop ever since our battle ended.

I looked at his full backpack and wondered if it was filled to the brim with snacks.

“N-no way! These are all mine! I won’t give you anything, not even a crumb!”

“*Sob*...!”

Chika crouched on the ground, almost in tears.

I refused to fall behind because of something stupid like this.

Just as I was about to force her to her feet, our second-in-command, Shizuka, took out a box of Packy from her bag.

“Here. I’ve eaten some already, but you can have it.”

“Th-thanks!”

Chika grabbed the whole box of Packy from Shizuka and started eating several at a time. She had dropped her cute-girl act entirely.

While Chika and Futoshi continued to eat, we resumed walking and just about managed to keep up with the others.

“You sure you’re okay, Shizuka?”

“It’s fine, I still have plenty left. I’m so glad I’m not on a diet.”

I wasn’t just talking about snacks, though.

Ever since we arrived, Shizuka had looked ill.

She’s a kind person who worries more about our teachers and bus driver than herself.

This kill-or-be-killed type of situation with the monsters was probably hard to bear for her.

“Ugh, I’m tired of walking. Let’s just give up. We’re done for anyway.”

The leader of our unit, Saburo, was already in a despairing mood.

“Just hang in there a bit longer, all right?”

“This is pointless.”

Section Eight was on the verge of collapse.

Charlotte grinned, thoroughly amused, as she observed us from behind.