Chapter 2

"You filthy beast!"

Aaron wakes to the sound of yelling and explosions. It has been a week since he moved in, and the two of them had spent nearly every waking moment bickering. The two were so consistent that Aaron had begun using this as his alarm clock.

"You guys forgot your ties again."

Aaron tossed the twos ties over as he started making breakfast for himself. The two grabbed their ties and put them on while continuing their bickering. After he finished up, Aaron began the tedious process of getting the two of them out the door.

"Reinforce."

Aaron recited a chant to himself before he grabbed the two of them. Immediately Aaron was covered in sparks from the two of them.

With some difficulty, Aaron managed to get the two of them out the door. While hauling the two of them, Aaron greeted another mediator not far away.

"Ah, Joanne, do you need some help with them."

Joanne shook her head at Aaron while she and another guy hauled another guy between the two of them.

"If I don't start doing it myself I won't be able to later down the line. Worst comes to worst, I'll just make it look like he's injured and call the medics."

"Kay, good luck, try not to hurt them."

"No promises."

Aaron waved at Joanne as he dragged the Ian's around a corner. Similar examples of mediators struggling with their fractured were littered throughout the halls. Every morning was a chorus of shouts, explosions, and more shouting.

"Can you two walk on your own yet?"

Aaron called over his shoulder at the Ian's with a trace of irritation in his voice.

"Shut up!"

The two yelled back at him before increasing their output. Aaron, consequently, was electrocuted even with his reinforcement magic. After which, he promptly collapsed.

""....""

"This may be a problem."

"You say something smart for once."

The two of them pick up Aaron and begin hauling him two class, before realizing that they don't know where their classroom is.

""...""

"This is your fault! Your obsession with sailor uniforms fried him!"

"My obsession!? Look in a mirror you blazer addict!"

"Excuse me, what happens to be the problem?"

A student asked them while pushing up his glasses. Blazer Ian whipped his head around like he had found his saviour.

"We don't know where our classroom is."

Blazer explained to the guy. The student sighed and shook his head.

"Give me your student id."

The student declared with an irritated look. Blazer, while annoyed with the guy for acting like a prick, handed over his id since he was the only hope he had. The student glanced at the card before tossing it back to Blazer.

"Go up those stairs, take a left, it's the fifth class on your right."

The student walked off, not bothering to check if they understood or not.

"What a prick."

Blazer complained as the two of them dragged Aaron up the stairs. However, even with directions, it still took them half an hour to find the right class, as by that time Aaron woke up and dragged them to the right class.

The three of them barely sat in their seats before the bell rang.

"Good morning class, I'm your teacher, Mr. Smith. Today we will be going over the general curriculum."

As the teacher droned on with his lecture, Aaron was giving a lecture of his own to the Ian's.

"If you guys knock me out again, we won't be able to make to class, and if we skip too many classes, you'll be expelled, except you two are fractured so you will be put under military supervision, which will put a damper on your obsessions."

The Ian's shudder at the thought of being ripped away from their obsessions. They both can't imagine how they would survive in such circumstances.

"Now then, be quiet and pay attention."

Aaron said and turned back to the teacher.

After school

""Please!""

The two Ian's begged Aaron while kneeling and grabbing his clothes.

"No! You guys already have enough manga, why do you need more!"

Aaron rejected them while he pried himself free. However, the two clung to him harder.

"You don't understand! I would never forgive myself if I missed a new discovery in female protagonists wearing blazers!"

"I protest about one point, but I agree with everything else!"

"Alright, fine, but you two better behave yourself."

And so, the two managed to drag Aaron into going manga shopping with them.

As soon as they reached the mall the Ian's ran to find the manga store. As Aaron ran to catch up to them, he saw a news broadcast playing on TV out of the corner of his eye.

"Today we have an interview with young Colonel General Kritbosch M. Howard. It is an honour to meet you, General."

The reporter introduced her guest. He was a middle aged man with dark black hair in a military uniform. His slanted eyes combined with his slightly pale complexion and handsome features would make any number of women swoon over him, however he was frowning slightly like he found something to be irritating.

The beautiful news anchor introduces, enthusiasm directly radiating from her.

"It is a pleasure to be here."

The tone of the General's words was very flat, he sits almost frozen on the sofa, facial muscles barely twitching as he speaks.

"We would like to ask you for your opinion on the war in the Voenian desert. Seeing as you have experience in the Second Desert War, could you further explain the intricacies of the struggle to us?"

"Desert wars are less dependant on the army's firepower rely more on their ability to perform in the terrain. There are two important problems to consider in such a terrain. The first is the soldiers. Our soldiers find difficulties adjusting to the local environment and climate. Combined with the lack of infrastructures in the area, ground-based supplies cannot satisfy all supply needs. Due to these problems, the army relies on a multitude of helicopters and cargo planes to deliver supplies to the front lines."

As the General outlines his point his face somehow manages to grow even sterner than it already was. The news anchor nods enthusiastically at the General's words. The General waves his hands punctually to emphasize his point.

"The second problem is the maintenance of instruments, weapons, and vehicles. Extreme climate conditions cause challenges for our troops and equipment, but especially to aircraft and precision instruments. Air-based supply lines are also highly dependent on the desert climate. It is also because of the supply difficulties that both armies were unable to deploy masses of troops."

"General, what is your opinion on the relationship of the Ruth Kingdom and the Regime, do you believe that aggressive actions will be the result of the new conflict in the desert area?"

The news anchor asks the General with a smile and slightly narrows her eyes. The General sighs and takes a breath before replying. Although he doesn't show it in his tone or facial expressions, it is easy to guess that he is slightly irritated by the reporter's question. The General folds his hands and re-adjusts his posture, which isn't much, before replying in a flat tone.

"If you would like to know more on international relationships, I suggest you go to the foreign administration. However, I can state that if military actions become unavoidable, our advance army will achieve another victory just as we did in the previous conflict."

"Are you concerned about the newly established alliance between the Regime and five other smaller nation-states? Do you think that will have any effect on the current situation?"

The reporter throws the question eagerly, not giving the General any time to gather his thoughts before the next question, obviously hoping for him to slip up and reveal some truth behind the matter.

"I am not concerned about the alliance. Militarily, our troops in the desert area still hold large advantages. I also believe that the Sector of Economy and Industry, and other civic departments are fully prepared to manage all other minor problems."

"Does the military have any plans to send fractured personnel to the conflict areas?"

The reporter continues her assault, re-adjusting her legs under the table, her pencil skirt not revealing anything.

The General continues to answer her questions with the same tone he has been using the entire interview.

"According to international treaties, use of fractured personnel in a military operation is forbidden, unless otherwise permitted by the Special Intervention Act. Other than that, I have no comment on the matter."

Ignoring the reporter's other questions the General stood up from the sofa and proceeded to walk off the set. Aaron, who had been watching the broadcast woke up from his daze as the Ians approached him carrying a bag full of manga.

Aaron sighed and shook his head at the two of them as they made their way back to the dorm.

Later that night, Aaron was getting ready to go to bed when his phone rang. Aaron sighed before checking the number of the caller. When he saw the number, he was surprised and straightened his posture before picking up.

"Special Operator Sergeant Major Aaron Thorne reporting!"

The voice of a young adult came out from the speaker of the phone.

"Lieutenant Wilhelm."

Aaron replied in a respectful tone.

"Orders from Colonel General Kritbosch."

Lieutenant Wilhelm's voice echoed from the speaker.