"It feels like ages since they first appeared, yet they're still the talk of the town..."
Beautiful women filled the TV screen, each clad in a distinctive, specialized uniform. The voiceover was in the middle of an enthusiastic explanation of what a 'shipgirl' actually was.
"An entire military composed of women—just like something straight out of a manga or a novel! Doesn't that make you want to enlist right now?!"
Sergeant Yoo Jinseong sat with the remote in his hand, staring at the screen with complete indifference.
A fellow soldier, who had practically bolted upright in his bed, leaned over with an excited grin.
"...All I can think is how horrifying that sounds."
"Aw, come on, Sergeant Yoo! They're completely different. They aren't just women—they're shipgirls, fundamentally different from the start."
"I mean... I get that they probably won't cause the kind of drama humans do, but they're basically super-strong women walking around with guns that are always loaded with live rounds. If I happened to stand next to one and she slapped me because she was in a bad mood, I feel like my neck would spin three times over."
"No, no, no! That [Rigging] is detachable! When they aren't wearing it, their bodies are no different from ordinary adult women! That's what the explanation is saying right now!"
"If they take it off, it vanishes instantly, and when they put it on, it appears like a summon and fits onto them... You've never been hit with a rifle butt, have you? That's why you're so fearless."
A group made up entirely of women. Even though he didn't know much about shipgirls—having had little reason to encounter them—he knew enough to understand the specific brand of chaos that tended to erupt in environments filled with women. But if those women weren't just carrying rifles, but multiple cannons, and possessed the strength to toss a grown man around like a ragdoll? A normal man would be lucky to leave that place in one piece.
"Well... we're in the army anyway. What's the point of worrying about it?"
"Ugh! I should've applied for the navy!"
"Apparently, the number of applicants and volunteers for the navy has skyrocketed. Since we're in Korea, you can at least talk to the Eagle Union girls during joint training, and with Japan right next door, you might even run into the Sakura Empire girls."
"Whoa... seriously?! I really should've gone navy! You're telling me I could see girls with animal ears and tails in person?!"
The noise in the barracks grew louder and louder, while the TV flashed the emblems of the Ministry of National Defense and the Navy, alongside the mark of the Eagle Union.
Bang!
"Hey, you lot! Are you getting your political education in properly?!"
The barracks door flew open, and a man in a military uniform bearing a lieutenant's insignia stormed in.
"Sir, yes sir! No issues during training, sir!"
"Good, good. As long as Jinseong isn't asleep, I'm happy."
"Why are you suddenly targeting me, Platoon Leader...?"
"Our Jinseong only has about a month left until discharge! Once he's out, I won't be able to bully him anymore, so I've got to get it all in while I still can!"
"Agh!! Please, stop!"
The platoon leader practically launched himself onto the bed where Jinseong had been half-lounging against the wall. He was shoved so hard that his body seemed to crumple against the wall, his face twisted in a grimace. However, the laughter and general atmosphere among the other soldiers made it clear that the platoon leader was close enough with them for this to be considered normal behavior.
"Ah, right. I have something more important than bullying to discuss."
With a sudden look of realization, the platoon leader climbed off the bed and rubbed his chin. He scratched his head for a moment, noticing the TV had moved on to a segment about [Cube Aptitude Testing].
"Platoon Leader, if you're acting like this, something serious must be going on... Did something happen to the unit?"
"Yeah. An official notice came down stating that the scope of the cube aptitude test has been expanded."
"...?"
"For the next few days, we're all going to be taking that aptitude test as much as possible, including during duty hours and personal maintenance time."
"Oh."
"Even during personal maintenance time...?"
"When it's your turn, the medical unit will call you, so stay on standby at all times."
As sighs and groans of annoyance rippled through the room, the soldier who had been most eager to join the navy raised his hand, his eyes shining with hope.
"Platoon Leader, have you taken the test yet?"
"Yeah. As far as I know, all the officers from the top down to the platoon leaders have already been tested."
"How was it? Does it hurt?"
"No? It just felt like a regular health checkup."
"Krrr... At last! My chance has finally come!"
Jinseong frowned at the soldier, who was now clenching his fists and shaking them with excitement, before turning back to the platoon leader.
"Um... when do the results come out? If the testing is slow and the results are slow too, will I only get mine after I've already been discharged?"
"Oh—no, no. The test takes a little while because they have to attach some equipment to you, but the results are instant."
"Oh... the military is actually doing something quickly for once..."
"Platoon Leader, what were your results? How does the scoring work?"
Faced with the barrage of questions, the platoon leader plopped back down onto Jinseong's bed and scratched his cheek.
"What was it again...? Anyway, the result isn't complicated. It's just a percentage. Mine was, what, 8%? Most people don't even break 10%. If you go over 10%, they run additional tests or keep you under observation. If you hit 20%, they'll set up direct meetings with those shipgirls for further evaluation... and if you go over 30%, you're immediately recruited as a reserve commander. They've been expanding the tests worldwide, but people with an aptitude over 30% are apparently rare as hell."
"20%! Even just 20%!!"
"Ugh! Wake up, you idiot! As if that's ever going to happen to you."
On the TV in the barracks, the [Cube] shimmered with a beautiful, ethereal light.
-------------
"Major Mason, from this point forward, all of your authority as an Eagle Union commander is revoked, and you are hereby dismissed."
"...."
The man in the white commander's uniform, standing in the center of the courtroom, frowned at the judge's words.
"We will allow you to remain the fleet vice commander's son. Quietly accept your new assignment and board the ship."
"Damn it... those women are still in their prime once you strip off the [Rigging], aren't they? Hornet, Bremerton... Right! Saint Louis! Saint Louis was the one who came onto me first!"
"Sigh... let us simply assume you have nothing further to add for your final words."
At the judge's gesture, the man called Mason was dragged out of the courtroom by the guards.
"We need even one more person with a high cube aptitude, and yet, how many times has this happened now...?"
"If we keep expanding the scope of the aptitude tests and increasing the number of candidates, it will be fine. Just watch."
"I sincerely hope so."
Soon, the only thing remaining in the courtroom was the commander's coat, abandoned on a chair where the man had been dragged away.
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