Chapter 7: Disciplinary Committee(3).

“Get close to Lager.”
“Why?”

Her tone betrayed suspicion, but her lips trembled slightly.

To be precise, she was desperately trying to keep her mouth from curling into a smile.

She really likes him.

To like someone so purely and obviously—it softened my guard a bit and even made her seem slightly cute.

“As I said, Lager and I are just neighborhood friends. Nothing more, nothing less.”
“I assumed you naturally liked him.”

Despite her lingering wariness, her candid admission of feelings wasn’t much different from any other girl our age.

It put me at ease.

“We’ve been stuck together for nearly twenty years, seeing each other at our worst. It’d be weird if I still saw him romantically.”
“…I see.”

She fidgeted with the mug, her gaze hesitant.

“But that’s just your personal take on Godin.”
“…What?”
“Is there a specific reason you feel compelled to set me up with him?”

I swallowed hard. A sharp question.

My reason for suggesting it was simple.

According to my tail, Ale Chloe’s goal is female corruption.

I don’t know if I can avoid that fate, but to delay it as much as possible, I need to keep guys away from me.

But I can’t just push Lager away. He’s my main source of information in this world.

The easiest way to avoid conflict and protect my identity is to pair them up as the original story intended.

I couldn’t explain that complex reasoning, so I went with something simpler and easier to understand.

“I don’t want unnecessary misunderstandings. Like today.”

Dakota let out a soft hum and sipped her coffee, which had cooled, the steam now faint.

“Alright.”

She nodded.

“I’ll trust you.”
“Thanks.”
“But separately, the disciplinary committee will still happen.”
“Why?”
“Because Godin entered the girls’ dorm without permission and damaged property. Those are undeniable facts, and he needs to be held accountable.”

Her judge-like tone made me want to roll my eyes. Does she really like him?

But Lager said the committee wouldn’t be a big deal. Combining his reaction with Dakota’s words, it seems like a minor infraction that could be brushed off lightly.

Before jumping to conclusions, I decided to confirm one more thing.

“If we’re disciplined just for what we discussed, what kind of punishment would we get?”

Dakota hummed, pulled out her phone, scrolled, and stopped at a point.

“For two violations, normally it’d be something severe like ‘priority deployment in a crisis.’”
“Hm…”
“But since it’s your first offense and you’re freshmen unfamiliar with the rules, you might get off with a fine.”

A fine suggests the academy pays to train students rather than charging tuition.

“Priority deployment in a crisis” as a punishment implies the academy needs to train fighters for emergencies like the last one.

This is totally a military. Damn it, the veteran pretty girl reenlistment story was real. I knew the uniform’s military style felt off.

While I mentally cursed Lager for recreating barracks life so meticulously despite never serving, Dakota spoke.

“Don’t worry too much. It won’t be that serious.”
“So you knew it wasn’t a big deal but still called me for a witness interview because…”

At my implied accusation, she turned away, sipping her cold coffee.

*

A few days later, the disciplinary committee convened on Friday.

After morning classes, while others went to lunch, we headed to the meeting room on the fifth floor of the main building. Since morning theory classes were on the third floor, we took the stairs.

“Nervous?”

Lager asked as we reached the fifth floor.

“You?”
“Me? I’m fine.”

He grinned smugly, exuding confidence.

I’m rattled just hearing “disciplinary committee,” despite Dakota’s assurances.

Where does this confidence come from?

“Oh, by the way, Ale.”

Just before knocking on the meeting room door, Lager paused and looked at me.

“What’d you talk about with Dakota?”
“Oh, that.”
“You said you’d tell me later.”

It wasn’t a big deal, but I’d hesitated to share, needing to filter it, and missed the timing.

Lager seemed hung up on it.

“Like I said, just a situational interview. I told her I called you because you’re the only one I know. She surprisingly bought it.”
“She didn’t buy it; it’s true.”
“Anyway, that’s what I said. Oh, and I asked about the punishment. Since it’s our first time, it’ll probably just be a fine.”
“See? Told you.”

Lager puffed out his chest, grinning confidently.

Ugh, he’s so smug it’s annoying.

He cleared his throat, knocked twice, and we heard, “Come in.”

We slowly opened the door and entered.

The meeting room was surprisingly small. An oval table was lined with instructors, and the seats closest to us held Dakota and another student, likely representing the leadership team.

“Let’s begin.”

At an instructor’s prompt, Dakota stood.

Her light purple updo looked even more polished than usual, giving her a reliable air.

She calmly but briskly briefed the key points.

After, she added a concise perspective on the incident.

“The leadership team’s investigation found that Lager Godin entered the girls’ dorm because Ale Chloe called him, as she had no one else to turn to in an urgent situation.”
“What kind of situation warrants a male cadet entering a female cadet’s room?”

An instructor raised their hand with a question. Since it wasn’t discussed with Dakota, she looked at me.

All eyes turned to me.

It’s a bit embarrassing, but I had an answer prepared.

“Well…”

It’s awkward to say.

“…The door lock was broken.”

An awkward silence filled the room.

“You called a peer to break the door because it was stuck?”

The incredulous instructor pressed, and I admitted in a small voice, staring at my toes.

“…Yes. As a freshman, I didn’t know what to do.”

Snickers erupted around the room.

I’d become the clueless cadet who couldn’t handle a broken lock, but it was better than admitting my tail caused some intense moments.

Dakota, briefly at a loss, regained her composure and continued.

“To summarize, um… Chloe made an unavoidable choice to resolve an unexpected issue, and Godin, as a freshman unfamiliar with the rules, should be considered leniently.”

Her attempt to reframe a stuck door as an “unexpected issue” must’ve taken effort, as sweat beaded on her pale neck.

I thought the leadership team just policed students, but here they were advocating for us too.

She seemed kind of cool.

The instructors asked us to wait outside while they deliberated.

About five minutes later, we reentered to face them.

At the center of the oval table, the farthest instructor from us began the verdict in a grave tone.

“Now, we will announce the disciplinary decision.”