I Was Sent to an All-Female Frontline Unit to Get Rid of Some of the Trouble, but the Most Beautiful Girls Who Are Rumored to Hate Men Love Me So Much That I Have a Hard Time at Night - Chapter 3: Frontline Unit (1)

Chapter 3: Frontline Unit (1)

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“Now that we’ve finished our introductions, I’d like to show you around the frontline base tower, Finn-kun. But before that! We need to introduce you to the others who are currently training in the nearby forest!”

“…! The others, you mean…?”

“Of course, the other members of the frontline unit besides me.”

“The members of the frontline unit… besides Elena-san…”

Elena-san, who was standing in front of me, had welcomed me so warmly.

But I had no idea about the others.

There might be some who would prefer things to stay as they are, having only women in the unit. And there was also the possibility that some might not think well of me simply because I’m a man.

“Are you worried that they might not accept you or find you a nuisance?”

“…! …Yes.”

When I nodded honestly, Elena-san responded with a bright smile.

“There’s no need to worry about that! Everyone here is kind, so they’ll definitely accept someone as kind as you, Finn-kun!”

Then, she continued.

“And even if the others don’t accept you… you have me.”

“…! Elena-san… you mean?”

“Yes. We’ve only talked a little, but I can already tell that you’re nothing like the men I’ve spoken to before. You’re truly a good person. So I promise—I won’t ever let you be alone.”

“Elena-san…”

How kind she is.

Even though we’ve only just met, she’s saying all this to me.

…Then, I should do the same.

Hearing such encouraging words from Elena-san, I can’t just let my fears hold me back forever.

“Thank you, Elena-san… Let’s go meet everyone.”

“Yeah! It’s just a short walk from here!”

And so, we left the area in front of the frontline base tower.

Elena-san and I walked together toward the nearby forest.

As we entered, I could feel magic energy being released all around us.

“…Amazing. There’s no impurity in their magic power.”

I couldn’t help but express my amazement.

In the magic academy and among training students, there were always some who leaked magic energy when casting spells, causing it to scatter.

But the people here didn’t have that issue at all.

That meant… they were able to control their magic power almost perfectly.

“You have a really sharp eye, Finn-kun!”

“Ah, thank you!”

I had hardly ever been praised in the military before, so even something small like this made me happy.

“Oh! Finn-kun, I want to make this a little surprise, so could you hide behind that tree and erase your presence as much as possible?”

“Huh…? A surprise…?”

“Just do it, just do it! Think of it as training in erasing your presence!”

“…!”

Training…!

“Understood.”

I moved behind the designated tree.

Thinking of this as an actual battlefield, I erased my presence completely, as if being noticed would cost me my life.

Erasing my presence meant—

I had to suppress the magic power that naturally leaked from my body, hold my breath, and remain completely still.

“…”

I peeked out slightly and saw Elena-san glance at me in surprise for a moment.

But then, she quickly smiled and turned forward.

“Everyone~! Stop what you’re doing for a moment~! Gather around me~!!”

Her voice rang out across the forest.

The traces of magic being used disappeared, and I could sense people approaching us one after another.

And then—

“Elena-senpai, what’s the matter?”

“What do you need?”

“Could it be… you’re bringing us sweets as a reward for training!?”

“I want fruit!”

“I want chocolate cake!”

“If you haven’t bought it already, asking now might be too late, right?”

“No way…!”

“My chocolate cake…”

A large group of women gathered around Elena-san.

And not just four or five of them—there were dozens.

Also, aside from Elena-san, all of them were so bright and beautiful that it was hard to believe they were warriors fighting on the deadly frontlines.

“Alright, alright! I’ll buy you sweets and cake once things settle down, so let’s put that aside for now!”

With a clap of her hands, Elena-san made a sharp sound that caught everyone’s attention.

“More importantly, I have a super special surprise for you all today!”

“A surprise…?”

The unit members looked puzzled, not understanding what she meant.

And… Elena-san!

Calling it a “super special” surprise makes it so much harder for me to come out…!

“Yes! Everyone, what do you think has been missing in our Luvankrum Empire’s frontline unit?”

“Sweet things!”

“More sleep!”

“Going out!”

“Hey! If you say all that, it makes it sound like our unit has terrible conditions! We get plenty of sleep and free time, and the only reason we eat so many sweets is because we all love them! As for going out… well, yeah, we hardly ever leave the frontlines, but we’ll work on that!”

Elena-san summarized everything and then continued.

“What we’ve really been missing is interaction with boys!”

“Boys…? You mean the men in the military!?”

“Wait, no way…”

Since Elena-san was someone the unit respected, no one criticized her outright.

But just hearing the word “men” made the atmosphere tense.

“We don’t need men, do we? We’ve been fine on our own so far.”

…As I thought, my presence here might be a burden to them—

“But!”

Elena-san’s bright voice cut through the heavy mood.

“What if… he’s kind, serious, and cool…? Maybe even cute? Well, that depends on perspective. But anyway, what if he’s straightforward and doesn’t have any weird pride? Wouldn’t you want someone like that in this unit?”

…!?

I hope I’m wrong, but… she’s talking about me, isn’t she…?

If so, please stop making this even harder for me, Elena-san…!

“If we had a guy like that, I’d feel more motivated than ever…”

“I’ve never met a man like that before!”

“Right, right! I get how you all feel! I hadn’t met one either—until today.”

“…Until today?”

Hearing that, Elena-san grinned.

“Come on out!”

She turned toward me and called out in a cheerful voice.

Come on out… in this situation…? But…

At this point, I had no choice.

I hesitantly stepped out from behind the tree.

Standing beside Elena-san, I faced the unit members and spoke.

“As of today, I’ve been temporarily assigned to the Luvankrum Empire’s frontline unit. My name is Finn Teraward, and I’m a trainee. I may be lacking in skill and might slow you down, but I’ll do my best. Please take care of me…!”

Even though I was nervous, I managed to say everything and bowed my head.

…I said what I needed to say.

If they didn’t accept me, I would just have to accept that reality.

“…”

For a moment, silence filled the air.

Feeling intense anxiety, I slowly lifted my head.

And then—

“Eh…? S-So cute…!”

“No way…! He has such a gentle aura, and he’s really a boy!?”

“A boy…! His eyes are handsome…!”

“He’s nothing like the men we’ve met before… So cute…”

The women all started speaking at once.

But the tone of their conversation was distinctly that of a casual chat between women.

I had no idea how to respond.

So I simply stood there, frozen in place.