Chapter 6. Dinner Invitation

“Whooooaaa! You’re back, Yuu-chan! Welcome home!”
“Dad. How many beers is that now? Isn’t it a bit too early for pitching…?”
“On a joyous day like this, how could I resist a drink!”
With tears in his eyes, Satoru-san, Mina’s father, gulps down his liquor with a Tokyoite accent.
Was Mina’s dad always such a heavy drinker?
“If you keep drinking like that, Mom, Milia-san, will get mad…”
“Whooooaaa! I’m so glad you’re back, Yuu-chan!”
Yeah, right.
No good, there’s no one here to act as a brake in this situation.
After that, I got taken by Mina to the Kohou family’s house and joined them for dinner.
I resign myself to various things and bring the dish in front of me to my mouth.
It’s a simmered root vegetable dish, delicious.
“Oh, that’s the simmered dish I made. So, how is it?”
Mina, sitting next to me, anxiously waits for my reaction.
“It’s a taste I haven’t had in years on the battlefield… It’s delicious.”
“I’m glad.”
Mina smiled happily. It really is incredibly delicious.
Right now, I’m getting treated to dinner at Mina’s house.
Today is just an ordinary weekday, and since I showed up unannounced, Milia-san, Mina’s mother, was apologetic because all she had was premade side dishes. 
But for me, homemade dishes like this are something I haven’t enjoyed in a long time, so I’m happy.
“Yuu-chan, Yuu-chan. Mina worked hard not just in cooking, you know.”
Completely drunk, Satoru-san, fully immersed, starts talking to me.
Despite tomorrow being a weekday, I wonder if he could go to work properly?
“Yes. She also helped with cleaning the house, and I’m really grateful for that.”
“No, that’s not it, Yuu-chan. It’s since you got taken to the military research institute.”
“Research…? Oh, I see.”
Upon returning home, I got briefed by the military high command, but I got told that my neighbors and others, said I was cooperating with the military institute because I awakened to my Soul Armor abilities.
In reality, I got deployed to the harsh front lines of battlefields like jungles teeming with life, not some sterile research facility.
“Mina tried to get you back! She even tried to storm the military base!”
“Hey, Dad! Please stop embarrassing me with stories from the past!”
Mina stands up from her chair and hurriedly tries to stop him, but her drunken father doesn’t hear her voice.
“At that time, the country was still in a tough situation, so I’m really glad Mina got stopped just before she stormed the military base.”
While sipping her drink, Milia-san, Mina’s mother, nostalgically mutters.
It was a time when Japan was losing the world war, and the country was in a gloomy period.
The military probably didn’t have the luxury of allowing actions directly criticizing the military, even from elementary school girls like Mina.
“She cried and cried at home for not being able to save you…”
“Mina, worrying about me that much…”
“Well, you 2 are childhood friends, so it’s natural to worry…”
Mina didn’t show her face, but her ears were bright red.
“Not just that! Not just that, Yuu-chan! She goes to that famous academy!”
“Famous academy…? Sorry, I have no idea about the name of the high school.”
I respond with a vague nod to the drunken conversation change.
Whether on the battlefield or in peaceful places, drunks don’t change their nature.
“Oh my, Dad. Yuu-chan just returned to Japan. He won’t understand such abbreviations. You should use the full name. Um, what was it, Mina?”
“Mom, you’re also drinking too much… It’s the Special Duty Soul Armor Academy.”
“Haha!”
“What’s wrong? Yuu-kun, are you okay?”
“I-I’m fine. So, this Special Duty Soul Armor Academy is for kids with soul armor abilities? Mina, did you have Soul Armor abilities?”
“Since you’re in the military, the official name made more sense to you. Yes. I also have Soul Armor abilities and will be in the second year starting in April. I’m top of my class.”
“Ehehe! I’m proud of it.”
Come to think of it, Mina is a year older than me, despite being childhood friends.
“She cried and cried at home for not being able to save you, then suddenly a tremendous shock hit our house.”
“I thought our house got blown away by a hurricane at that time.”
As far as I heard, Mina’s Soul Armor ability seems to be of the attack type.
But still, I never thought that after I parted ways with her, Mina would awaken to Soul Armor abilities.
“Actually, starting from April, I’ll also be attending that school.”
“What? You’re going to the academy too?”
Mina turns to me eagerly and asks.
It’s clear from her voice how happy she is.
“Oh, so, so! Yuu-chan will be Mina’s junior starting in April?”
“Then, Yuu-chan, at school, you’ll call Mina ‘Senpai,’ right?”
Milia-san, my mother, teases Mina while tipping her drink.
In response, Mina says,
“‘Mina-senpai’… Sounds nice.”
No good.
I’ve completely entered a different world.
“There’s not much time until the entrance ceremony, right? Yuu-chan, have you prepared your uniform?”
“No, not yet…”
“Oh, are you worried about money? Alright! I’ll use my pocket money to tailor Yuu-chan’s uniform!”
“Aww, Dad, you’re so generous! Truly, a man I loved!”
“Right? When I decide to do something, I do it. Strike while the iron is hot. Oh, hello? I’d like to inquire about tailoring a uniform. Do you have any available dates?”
Whether it’s because Satoru-san was pleased with Milia-san’s flattering or due to the mysterious agility of movements when he’s drunk, the plan to tailor my uniform is progressing smoothly.
“Hey… That’s too much…”
“Don’t be shy, kid!”
“That’s right, Yuu-chan.”
I think the uniforms will be provided by the military before enrollment anyway. So I honestly don’t think there’s a need to buy them. But right now, I can’t think of a good reason to persuade the two drunkards.
Meanwhile, Mina says,
“Mina-sempai♪ Mina-senpai, right now, we’re not upperclassman and underclassman. Just a boy and a girl… Ehehe… Yuu-kun and I will be at the same school again…”
Lost in her fantasy world, Mina’s consciousness is elsewhere, completely useless.