Click!
When the dignified and solemn Auxilia officer formally rendered a military salute to Hachiman Hikigaya, the reporters who had been waiting nearby immediately began snapping photos. Long lenses and broadcast cameras flashed in perfect timing, while the surrounding crowd raised their phones to capture this rare and precious moment from every possible angle.
And just like that, beneath the calm gazes of the Auxilia personnel and the envious looks of the Servitor Army soldiers, Hachiman Hikigaya's mind went completely blank.
Once the formal procedures were completed, the officer in charge of the investiture quickly departed with the military delegation. They still had work to finish. Across District 11, there were several others who had also been granted the Second-Class Military Merit Peerage.
As for how many officials from the Chiba municipal government had come one after another, he had lost count. Faced with wave after wave of proactive goodwill, Hachiman felt lightheaded as he returned greetings, shook hands, and posed for photos.
"Young man, congratulations!"
"Hachiman, congratulations! That old man Hikigaya finally raised a fine son."
"Hachiman, hurry home and share the good news with your family. Hahaha... they must be dying to hear it."
Toward the end, he vaguely recognized quite a few of them—the street office supervisor Uncle Tezuka, Chief Sugihara from the nearby public security patrol...
After all procedures concluded, he drifted back toward his apartment amid a whirlwind of invitations, praise, and flattery.
It's real. I've actually got it!!
He could now truly feel the rise in his social standing.
He strode inside, pulled down the security grille, and closed the main door with a slight bow of courtesy. Reaching the entryway, his steps grew noticeably lighter. He could hardly wait to see the rewards in full.
Thud thud thud!
A rapid string of footsteps sounded, and Komachi Hikigaya appeared right in front of him.
"Onii-chan, Onii-chan! How did it go?" Komachi looked at her brother, whose legs were still trembling. Her heart pounded wildly as she asked with eager anticipation.
Truly—when that Auxilia officer in formal dress had cast his gaze over them earlier, that cold, appraising look had frozen her where she stood. Goosebumps had spread all over her body. Though he had seemingly confirmed their identities as the correct individual and immediate family and then withdrawn that scrutiny, the memory lingered vividly in her mind, impossible to forget.
Hearing the concern in Komachi's voice, Hachiman immediately laughed, his tone smug. "My foolish imouto! Who do you think your big brother is? Of course there was no problem."
As he spoke, he bent down and made a show of offering the briefcase in his hands to her.
"This is..."
Komachi looked at the exquisitely crafted commendation letter, appointment order, and invitation, all wrapped in precious leather. She reached out slightly, clearly tempted, but ultimately restrained herself and shook her head.
"Even though Onii-chan's performance just now scored very high from Komachi's perspective, these are things you exchanged your life for. Komachi thinks Onii-chan should open them yourself. Hehe..."
At such a joyful family moment, she completely ignored her brother calling her foolish earlier. In any other setting, she would absolutely have cried on the spot to protest!
Hearing this, Mrs. Hikigaya withdrew the hand she had been about to tug Komachi's ear and nodded in satisfaction. At least the girl knew what mattered most.
Placing the commendation letter and appointment order neatly together on the freshly wiped table, Hachiman knelt properly on the tatami and set the briefcase in front of him. With deliberate ceremony, he opened it.
Creak—
There was no burst of golden light, no legendary radiance. Inside lay red silk lining patterned with gold thread. Within several recessed slots rested his new officer identification, medal certificate, qualification documents—and placed at the very center, the item he cherished most: his military peerage certificate.
Calling it a certificate was somewhat inaccurate. It resembled a large command token more than anything else. Embedded on its surface was a platinum double-headed aquila emblem inlaid with a purple-crimson crystal, bordered with white enamel. The front bore a red background, upon which the three golden characters of "Hikigaya" were engraved in Imperial Common.
It contained a dedicated identification system. Aside from that, there was nothing especially extraordinary—merely an exquisitely crafted, semi-custom luxury item.
Although he had known during the return voyage that he would receive a title upon coming home, when it truly arrived, excitement was still inevitable. Hachiman found himself unable to stop looking at it. His calloused fingers slowly traced the raised relief of the double-headed aquila on the emblem's surface, as though caressing a peerless beauty—gentle and tender.
In truth, that comparison was not entirely wrong. The physical token itself was merely tangible reassurance for the recipient. All explicit and implicit benefits tied to it had already been verified and recorded by the Imperial government in advance.
Do not underestimate the Second-Class Military Merit Peerage.
Well... if you judged by the standards of the Imperial heartland or the Imperial Auxilia... then yes, it was indeed low.
From the perspective of the entire Imperial military, it was common—even widespread. Any rank below the Eighth-Class Military Merit Peerage still fell within the broader category of lower nobility.
But for a colonial world that was not considered strategically critical—especially one famed for scenic beauty, leisurely lifestyle, gourmet cuisine, entertainment, and its supply of chefs—a so-called tourist world—it was rare.
After all, this was not a famed recruitment world known for producing high-quality troops, reckless berserkers, or ferocious barbarians. Nor was it a planet that reliably supplied endless waves of servitor cannon fodder each year.
In material output, it could not rival agricultural worlds, hunting worlds, or mining worlds. In industrial manufacturing, it could not compare with forge worlds. It had a bit of everything—but excelled at none. Well, except the tertiary sector—tourism. There was no need to be harsh on them.
As for the higher Third-Class Military Merit Peerage and above, those were typically granted either to exceptional individuals who transferred into the Imperial Auxilia through sheer personal prowess, or to entire Servitor Army regiments that distinguished themselves so greatly in battle that they were elevated into frontline Auxilia combat units. Whether individual or unit, their ratio of ennoblement was much higher.
Even so, even the most basic lower-tier peerage allowed one to receive an annual stipend from the Empire commensurate with one's military merit rank. There were also monthly allowances and additional rewards during Imperial statutory holidays.
One would also be granted more land—measured in hectares—which could be used personally or leased out. One could construct a larger estate foundation, keep servants (slaves), and qualify for relocation to the new capital city where the planetary Governor's residence stood.
Without a title, no matter how wealthy you were on a colonial world, strictly speaking, you were not permitted to keep servants. You could only hire domestic staff. As for elf or beastman servants—you did not even have the right to purchase them. Daily life came with numerous restrictions.
It could be said that with a title—even the lowest rank—as long as you did not seek death by committing crimes, from this very moment onward, you could choose to idle away your days in comfort until death.
Of course, such people were exceedingly rare—so few that across the entire Empire, one could count them on one's fingers. Only those who had suffered devastating blows—such as the death of a lover or the loss of close comrades—might fall into despair and self-abandonment. And even then, most of them would soon recover, carrying their fury toward the Empire's enemies and fighting with even greater rage.
Under the call of the Mental Seal, the Empire had no such thing as idlers.
Likewise, the Third-Class Silver Eagle Medal was also a rare item—at least within District 11.
As for the rank of Sergeant, just as that Auxilia officer had told Hachiman Hikigaya:
"Soldier, seize this opportunity."
Hachiman's gaze landed upon the military academy qualification certificate.
This was the opportunity.
Sergeant was the dividing line toward officership. Within the Empire, if one wished to become an officer, one was required to possess systematic command training. One had to learn how to coordinate troops of different races and different regiments in joint combat operations. After entering military academy for advanced study and passing the examinations, one would officially become a commissioned officer at the lieutenant level.
That was what the title of Officer Candidate signified.
If one failed the officer examinations, it proved that one lacked command talent and was instead a pure warrior. In that case, they would become a Master Sergeant—a senior non-commissioned officer and elite veteran of the military. It was another route of advancement entirely, and its ceiling was not low either. Depending on one's luck and personal ambitions, there might still be another chance to retake the officer examinations in the future.
"Onii-chan, Onii-chan, does this mean people can call you 'Sir' now?"
Komachi Hikigaya looked at Hachiman with sparkling eyes full of anticipation. Those lively, twinkling eyes were unbelievably adorable.
"Don't make fun of me."
Hachiman could not help laughing. Carefully, he placed the emblem back into its slot and let out a long breath.
Although anyone granted a title could technically be addressed as "Sir," his personality... how should one describe it?
Keeping a low profile.
Staying hidden.
If you didn't provoke him, he wouldn't bother you.
Still, perhaps it was precisely this cautious personality—his ability to see through people's true nature, think quickly, pull off desperate gambles, and endure loneliness—that had allowed him to stand out among the returning soldiers and become one of the extremely few awarded the Second-Class Military Merit Peerage.
First-Class Military Merit Peerages were delivered by specially dispatched security robots from the local Governor's Office. Second-Class Military Merit Peerages were personally conferred by representatives from the local military command headquarters.
As for higher peerages, they did not know how other regions handled it, but in District 11, Fourth-Class Military Merit Peerages and above were personally awarded by the local Governor.
And beyond that?
Sorry—they had no idea.
Perhaps those recipients traveled to the planetary Governor's Office to receive their honors. Or perhaps they were granted by even higher Imperial institutions.
"That's wonderful, Hachiman. If you go to military academy, then once your leave ends, you won't have to head back to the frontline so quickly."
Mrs. Hikigaya had also noticed the military academy qualification certificate and immediately spoke with delight.
"Mom, it's not that easy. Being a good officer is incredibly difficult..." Hachiman shook his head.
After glancing a few more times at the 'wealth and glory' he had earned through risking his life, he closed the briefcase.
"This invitation... should I go or not?"
Removing his military cap and setting it on the table, Hachiman put away the commendation documents and picked up the carnival invitation that looked completely out of place among the otherwise serious official paperwork.
Aside from the explicitly regulated rewards tied to lower-tier military peerages, the actual implementation still depended on the local Governor's Office. By unspoken convention, local governments were permitted to provide additional rewards and preferential treatment in the form of regional specialties.
And this gourmet carnival invitation was clearly one such additional reward granted by the Tokyo Governor's Office of District 11.
"Eh?! An invitation? Let Komachi see!"
Squeezing up beside her brother, Komachi craned her neck over.
"Tōtsuki... Moon Banquet Festival... Waaaah—!"
The instant she recognized it, Komachi's eyes lit up with excitement.
"Onii-chan! Onii-chan! This is a military-issued invitation! And it's even a VIP invitation granting access to the mountainside area of the Third Reception Zone?!"
"Uh... is there really that much of a difference?"
"The difference is huge! The tickets Komachi prepared beforehand only allowed access to the First and Second Reception Zones..."
As she spoke, Komachi carefully glanced at her mother seated across the table. Seeing her expression remain calm, she immediately pointed excitedly at the invitation and began explaining.
The Moon Banquet Festival was the official name of the Tōtsuki Culinary Academy school festival. It was the grand finale of autumn—a super luxurious gourmet carnival.
The stores opened by Tōtsuki students were mainly divided into three major areas.
The First Zone was the main avenue district with the highest popularity. The avenue stretched directly from the front gate, lined with temporary tents. Throughout the event, it was the busiest and most crowded area.
The Second Zone was the central district containing the academy's instructional culinary buildings.
After all, temporary tents could not adequately support highly specialized cuisine or complex dishes requiring advanced equipment.
Finally, there was the Third Zone—the mountainside district with the highest average customer spending.
Buildings hidden sparsely throughout secluded mountain scenery were used as restaurants. Unless a chef possessed truly exceptional skill, attracting customers there was nearly impossible. It was said to be the area that offered the most anticipated heavenly flavors of the entire gourmet carnival.
"So it's a collaboration between the Shinomiya Conglomerate and the Tōtsuki Group..."
A collaboration between the Tōtsuki Group and the District 11 Governor's Office.
The timing of the Moon Banquet Festival happened to coincide perfectly with the soldiers' homecoming period. One side needed customers and influential connections, while the other needed to provide decorated soldiers with an excellent vacation experience.
The two sides hit it off immediately.
That was why this VIP invitation had ended up in his hands.
It was not difficult to figure out.
After all, the land here still carried the remnants of the old zaibatsu.
Beep beep beep—
"Tch. Zaimokuza's probably already there..."
The ringtone of the phone on the table sounded. Looking at the caller ID displaying the name of his close friend, Hachiman did not even need to guess what that hopeless chuuni wanted to say.
Standing up, he narrowed his dead fish eyes and carefully examined the corner of the invitation bearing the certification seals:
'District 11 Governor's Office Partner Group.'
'Senior Sponsor Certified by the Planetary Governor's Office.'
"If it's inside Tokyo, then it's basically right next to Chiba... and it's officially certified by the Governor's Office."
Hachiman turned his head toward his little sister, whose large eyes were blinking expectantly, and uttered a single word.
"We're going."
...
At this moment, Tōtsuki Culinary Academy, Moon Banquet Festival venue.
First Zone, Main Avenue District.
Selene sat lightly upon a white polygonal reclining chair inside a barbecue tent.
This sort of academy with a competitive atmosphere really was different. Even cooking felt like a life-or-death speed contest.
Arisa had already vanished somewhere.
Watching the young chef in a spotless white uniform sweating profusely under the charcoal fire, Selene slightly narrowed her eyes, leisurely enjoying the rich aroma of grilled meat permeating the air as she crossed her exquisite legs.
"Today's target... the Main Avenue District."