The Legendary F Rank

"So you're Haru Kitagawa? You got here sooner than I anticipated. I was only told about you a few hours ago, yet you are already here. I guess the perks of having famous parents means that you can travel anywhere in the world." The man Jake had introduced as Major  Samson.

"Yes, sir, I flew out right away. I got bored of the scenery in Tokyo, so I couldn't bear to stay there any longer." Haru said with a smile. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to address the major, but he didn't seem to think anything of it when Haru called him sir. 

He spoke with generals by just using their names, so it felt a little weird calling a Major sir. But since he seemed to be a straightforward and formal speaking man, it seemed like the right thing to do. The last thing he wanted was to be punished on his first day at the base. That would be the worst possible way to make a first impression and would make the officers target him for insubordination. 

"Is that so? I was told that you wanted to get away from your parents too. So what do you intend to do while you are stationed here? I mean, you will obviously fight if we are ever to be engaged in combat, but what do you specialise in? 

We have some combat instructor roles available if you are into that kind of thing. I heard that you are a hell of a fighter and managed to defeat three soldiers at once with just your bare hands in a dark room.

It seems like you might be a contender to take on Captain Liegan. She too is a body enhancement mage and also a combat instructor." Major Samson said with a smile, thinking that Haru would jump at the opportunity to take the role of a combat instructor. But since they already had an instructor, he felt as though he would be taking somebody else's job away from them. 

"Thank you, sir, but I'm not really suited for teaching anything. I'm not sure that I can be much help with practical things like that since I don't have anything I specialise in." Haru replied, thinking that he could get out of the whole being helpful thing and become a little bit lazy while at the base. But it seemed as though Major Samson had other plans for him. 

"Well, if that's the case, then why don't you attend the combat classes anyway? I'm sure you can pick up a thing or two from Captain Liegan. She is an incredible fighter. Even I wouldn't stand a chance against her at close range." Major Samson smiled before looking down at a sheet of paper on his desk. 

"Oh, since you will be attending her classes, it's probably for the best if you get acquainted with her as soon as possible. Would you mind taking this letter to her? I'm sure you two can talk about your body enhancing magic together, so it might be useful for you." Major Samson asked. 

'Pretty bold of him to assume that all body enhancing mages have things in common with each other. Well, maybe I would if that was actually what I was.' Haru thought before reaching out his hand to accept the letter.

"Yes, sir, I will get it done immediately," Haru replied in a stern voice as he was handed the letter. 

"Then you are dismissed, Private." Major Samson said with a smile before Haru turned and marched out of the room. 

'He's pretty well trained. From what they told me, it was likely that he would be an arrogant little brat, but it seems like he knows his place pretty well' Major Samson smiled as he was impressed by Haru's first impression.

As Haru walked out into the corridor, he heard Jake call out to him since he had decided to wait out in the hallway for his friend to come back to him. It had been a while since they had last been together, so they wanted to make the most of it. 

"Over here," Jake called out as he was standing by three soldiers dressed in casual clothes since they had seemingly just come out of the shower judging by their damp hair. 

"Still trying to seduce girls, I see. Don't you know that relationships are prohibited between colleagues?" Haru joked around as he approached Jake and the three women he was standing with. 

"Yeah, I know. I was just asking about tomorrow's morning exercise, that's all. I have a girlfriend, so why would I do such a thing?" Jake asked with a smile. Haru forgot all about it, but he had introduced him to Reina while still back in China. 

He hadn't spoken to Reina since he had left for Shanghai, so, therefore, he forgot about the fact that she and Jake were a thing.

"Are you still with Reina?" Haru asked, unsure of himself since he hadn't heard anything about either of their lives since he had been caught up with his one life. 

"Yep, She's actually living nearby. After I graduated and joined the army, we decided that we would rent a small house wherever they decided to station me. Luckily, they made me come here, though. It's a lot warmer than it is in Tokyo and Reina hates the cold, so I couldn't drag her to the north with me." Jake laughed at the thought of guarding the northernmost parts of Japan that were famous for snow even in the summer. 

"I'm happy for the two of you." Haru smiled as he felt proud of himself for introducing them to each other. He felt as though they would have a lot in common, but he didn't actually expect them to date each other.

Jake looked at Haru for a moment before choking back his words. He was about to ask about his love life but remembered that Suyin had died in the car accident that had left Haru hospitalised and didn't want to bring back bad memories. 

"How about I show you around the base?" Jake asked with a smile as he quickly wrapped his arm around Haru's shoulder and tried to pull him closer, but he wasn't strong enough to even budge him. 

"Sure, but first, I have to take a letter to Captain Liegan. Do you know where I will find her?" Haru asked, but as soon as he did, the other soldiers who were present pulled a face as though they didn't want anything to do with the conversation any more. 

"Well, It was nice talking to you, Ainsworth, But I think we had better go get dried off before we catch a cold." One of the women said before they all walked away. 

"Did I do something wrong?" Haru asked, feeling as though they had gone away due to something he said. 

"Well, not you. It's just not many people like Captain Liegan. She is brutal with her combat training and is a stickler for the rules. That's why I was surprised with the fact that she stuck up for us both when earlier. I thought she was going to demand that I'm punished because I disobeyed the bloody sergeant." Jake said with a slightly nervous laugh. 

"The bloody sergeant? What's that?" Haru asked, confused by what Jake had just said. 

"Well, I will tell you about it later. We should probably go and deliver that letter first. We have a lot to catch up on. Like the fact that you are now a body enhancing mage? When did that become a thing? I saw you do really amazing spells before, and none of them was related to enhancing your body." Jake added as he remembered all of the spells that Haru had taught them, like the most incredible healing spell that could fix most fatal wounds or diseases.

"About that. I kind of used it so I could cover up the fact that I'm a cultivator. The new recruitment criteria make everyone pass a hand to hand combat test while in a dark room. The people who fall to the ground fail, and those who remain standing pass. 

But they wanted to know how I knew where to look after capturing one of the soldiers before he could attack me, and I made up a lie saying that I enhanced my ears to find them." Haru also laughed nervously as he finished explaining the situation to Jake. 

"Then what are you going to do about it? What if they find out that you were lying?" Jake asked, becoming concerned about the fact that Haru had lied to them. 

"So what if they do? They can't really do anything about it. But it's fine. I know some body enhancing spells in the first place. I can just use those to mask the fact that I'm a cultivator." Haru smiled. Being the great mage had the perks of being able to read all the books on magic theory and spells, so he made sure to become as knowledgeable in magic as he possibly could during his previous life since it helped with fighting other mages.

"Well, I'm glad you have it all figured out, but you should still be wary of Captain Liegan. She uses her magic to enhance her eyes and ears to figure out if you are trying to hide things from her. She can read people very well, so make sure that you don't let your guard down. 

The last thing I want is to see my best pal turned into a test subject or a dog for the government to demand you to do things for them. And before you claim they can't do anything to you. You've got to remember that you still have a family." Jake said, reminding Haru that his actions affected not only him but also the people that loved him. 

"That would be a grave mistake. But sure. I will be careful." Haru reassured Jake that he would avoid getting into trouble as they walked down a corridor with only one door at the end of it. 

"Then I can rest easy knowing that you won't destroy the base over someone taking your seat in the mess hall then." Jake laughed before stopping at the door.

"This is it. Remember what I said about keeping your guard up." Jake warned before knocking on the door.