When we finally managed to find the classroom, I realized with much dismay that we were the last ones.
The tables of the class were almost all already filled by other cadets of the Academy. A couple of them (the ones nearest to the door from where we had entered) gazed toward me with amazed look. However, there was no surprise on their faces, and looking at the class, I knew the reason why.
Tanya was already there. Sitting on one of the tables in the front row, she waited with ill-concealed impatience for the arrival of our instructor. We shared a knowing look.
My comrades started to sit in the remaining free positions; therefore, I looked for one myself.
I knew from personal experience at school that the position where you were sitting in a classroom was of fundamental importance for your purposes. My favorite position was among the first rows, to have a clear vision on the lesson and, at the same time, remain low to the professor's gaze. You will never believe it, but often those who run a class tend to question mainly those from the second row on, because they know that there, they will have more chances to "catch" someone who has not studied enough.
Suddenly, I realized the place to the right of Tanya's was still empty. In the front row and near to the only person that could understand me, I could not ask for something better. However, I realized that even Rommel was going to take that place, so I had to act quickly.
"Sorry" I said putting myself between Rommel and the place that we both wanted "But I think this place belongs to me"
Rommel backed quite stunned "Why are you…ooh…I understand" he said with a mischievous smirk.
Huh? I though, trying to understand what he understood.
I looked back, and that was when I realized that Tanya had looked up from her papers, and was now looking at me with a quite shocked expression.
Great, I though glancing back at Rommel, which was now sitting in a side second-row table, now as minimum he will think I have a crush on Tanya!
However, I did not have enough time to show him the truth or simply berate him. Therefore, sat in my hard-conquered position, trying not to look to the left.
"Frederick, you dumb idiot!" hissed a female voice I knew very well.
"Happy to be still with you, Tanya" I answered, careful to keep the tone of my voice down.
She did not reply, so we both waited in silence for the arrival of the instructor.
Our wait was not long. We heard the noise of heavy boots, and after a few seconds, a tall, heavy figure entered the classroom. He was not the captain from before. He was a dark-haired man, that by the insignia on his shoulder pads I understood to be some kind of major.
The major went to the table in front of us, opened his register and looked at it for a few second. Meanwhile, nobody in the class was making a noise.
Suddenly, the major straightened himself up and yelled
"OK maggots, listen to me. I am Major Vetter, your drill instructor. From this moment on, you will speak only when I will ask you to do speak, and the first and last word that will go out from your mouths will be "yes sir!" Do you understand me?"
"Yes sir!" the class erupted as a whole.
"What the hell! I cannot hear you!"
"YES SIR!" we screamed with all the breath we had in our bodies.
"It is my duty," continue the Major "to see to it that you become fit to lead the valiant soldiers of our glorious fatherland, and by God I shall do it!" he said looking at the class in search for someone to take.
I was watching silently as he kept talking to us about how his work was to turn us into something that could be worthy of the uniforms we were wearing. For some strange reason, I could not to think of the Sergeant Hartman of Full Metal Jacket, a movie I particularly liked in my old life.
Suddenly, I realized I was smiling. I fought with all my strength to repress the smile, hoping that the Major had not seen me.
"I see that you're all grown up men" the major said to the class "however, do not believe that..."
He stopped talking. Right in front of Tanya and me. I knew he had noticed us, because his eyes narrowed.
"You!" he said pointing to me "Who are you?"
"Cadet Frederick König, sir!" I said saluting him.
"Well, tell me, cadet: why are you here and not in the kindergarten?"
"To fight the enemies of our beloved Fatherland, sir!"
He kept looking at me for a few second, before switching his gaze to Tanya.
"And you little lady?"
"Cadet Tanya Degurechaff!" she said saluting as well "I'm here to serve too!"
The major kept looking at us for a few second. Then, he turned to the rest of the class.
"Well, looks like some of you are not even adult yet! Do not expect to me to act as your babysitter. Here you will not cry, you will not laugh. Here you will learn all of the basis of the war! Are you listening to me?"
"Yes sir!"
"Since apparently kids are now able to join," he said looking at us "I expect from both of you the same result as everyone else! I do not care about your young bodies, or if you are tired, or anything else! Do you understand?"
"Yes sir!"
The Major smirked. Then, he turned to the blackboard and started writing the first lesson of the day.
Three hours later, Tanya and I were in the cafeteria and we were talking about what we had learned so far. Each of us had a long pile of notes about the lessons that we were supposed to study and learn.
"I still do not understand you," I said looking in Tanya's direction "Why do we have to learn all these things?"
Tanya said nothing. She was too busy drinking her hot chocolate. I had a chocolate as well, but I was not enjoying it. Personally, I would have preferred any kind of beverage, but apparently, that was another disadvantage of our young bodies. The cafeteria staff practically laughed when I tried to ask for something different from chocolate, saying that I was 'too young' amongst other things. I wanted to protest, but Tanya's quick (and somehow inappropriate) intervention prompted me to accept the "advice" of others.
"Do you want to give a bad impression of yourself to the Major, Frederick?" Tanya said once she has finished her chocolate: Her smirk was fake and provocative, as if she was happy with that thought
"Well, no" I said, trying to explain myself "But I do not think we have to study so much either. I mean, who would study all these things by heart?"
She smirked. Again.
"Are you telling me you are giving up on my plan?" she said in an almost mocking tone, looking around to be sure nobody was listening to us "Because if that's the case, I will not say anything anymore"
I froze. She was not leaving me at my fate, right?
"What are you trying to say?" I asked in an alarmed tone.
"Think about it, you brainless doll: if the Major gave us things to study and learn, he will probably question us about them in the following day. Right?"
I thought about it. "Well, yes, just like in any other school or academy"
"And" she kept saying, "What do you think will happen to the ones that do not study?"
"They will be punished and give a bad impression to the Major."
I still could not understand. I certainly did not want to finish on the bad side of Major Vetter, but if I managed to study without straining myself, I still would have got scores good enough to not encourage him to notice me.
"OK. Conversely, what do you think will happen to the ones that will ones who stand out in lessons and exercises?""
I thought a little more.
"They will get on his good side and…"
I stopped, as I realized what she was saying.
"You realized it, you dumb idiot. If we focus our efforts on excelling in class and training, and we can give him constant proof of it, we could manage to impress him to the point of improve our chances of being promoted... Or better yet..."
"A decent drink at the cafeteria?" I joked
She hit me with her elbow "No, like a recommendation for a good place in the rear. We could be like training officers for recruits: we could spend the whole war without seeing the front. Without dying…"
I though at the idea. It certainly was not bad: we would have had hot meals, comforts and privileges much greater than the ones we could have found on the front. In addition, we would have get to play the "Sergeant Hartman" part for ourselves.
"I like your idea" I said looking at her.
"It's called signaling," she said with a smirk "It's an economic theory that I've learned in my previous life, to boost your chances of being noticed in a good way by your superiors and show your value as a resource. Its principle is very simple: you have to demonstrate your employer that you possess good qualities that for many others are difficult to obtain. If you manage to give the right impression…"
"…you can obtain a promotion in a much easier way" I concluded smiling "Very well!"
Tanya smiled in turn, before taking another sip of her chocolate.
I took a sip of mine too. I did not liked it, but it did not mattered more to me. I was too happy.
Later that day, Tanya and I were in the library of the Academy, both reading our notes with maximum concentration.
The library of the academy was a very beautiful place. Inside you could find thousands of volumes, all related to military history, strategies and the development of warfare over the centuries. Pages and pages of detailed studies in spasmodic research of new ways to fight and win wars.
To enter the library, no special permits were needed. However, it was forbidden to bring the books out of his rooms: they could be consulted only there. I remember a cadet who, not knowing this rule, had tried to take a very old and apparently precious book with him to his dormitory. The result? The volume had been destroyed, and the cadet in question had been heavily scolded and punished by his duty officer. To prevent such things from happening to us, both Tanya and I had written down all the rules of the Academy, and we often checked them out so that we know what we were allowed and what we were not allowed to do.
Once you entered the library, you would be faced with hundreds of shelves. All the shelves were on the right side, while on the left side (almost completely irradiated by the light of the windows) were large wooden writing desks on which the cadets could consult their books. Since both Tanya and I were both determined to study as efficiently and productively as possible, we had positioned ourselves at the desk in the middle, as far as possible from both the entrance and the spiral staircase to the upper floors of the library.
We thought that by doing so, we could work without risking of being interrupt. We were wrong. Very, very wrong.
I was just writing down some important things when I felt a pat on my shoulder.
"Yes?" I said looking up from my book "Who are y…"
My mind froze as I realized I was talking to a Major.
I immediately stopped talking and saluted. Tanya, which in turn had realized this, did the same.
"At rest, young soldiers" said the Major looking at us with a very gentle smile.
I looked at him carefully. The Major had black hair (a little lighter than mine) with a long strand of hair that set aside his face. He had a gentle, cool-headed looking face and wore bottom-rimmed eyeglasses. Seeing him reminded me of an old friend I had met before moving to Japan in my past life.
"You are… Cadet Tanya Degurechaff and Cadet Frederick König, right?" the major asked us.
"Yes sir!" we both exclaimed in unison.
The Major smiled at us again, "My name is Major Erich von Rerugen, and I'm Chief of Personnel Affairs here at the Academy. Since I have heard that two children have managed to volunteer despite their age, I wanted to verify their existence in person"
Mentally, I wondered what he wanted from us.
"What were you reading with so much interest?" Major von Rerugen asked us.
"We" I started to say unconsciously "We were studying the texts that Major Vetter ordered us to study!"
Major von Rerugen stepped forward and took a glance at the book I was reading before of his arrival.
"On War of Carl von Clausewitz?" he said taking the book in his hand and looking at it with evident attention, "Major Vetter is really a traditionalist!"
I did not say anything. A wrong comment, if it came to the right ears, could have made my life in the academy much more difficult.
"Tell me, Cadet Degurechaff: what's your opinion on Major Vetter?"
"I?" Tanya said "I… I think that the Major is an honest and responsible man, hard but with a heart of gold, sir. The workload he gives us is heavy, however, thanks to it, we will know how to survive on the battlefield!"
If I could, I would have given an amused look at Tanya. It was obvious, in my eyes, that she really did not think what she had said.
"And you, cadet König?" the Major turned his gaze on me, making me sweat cold "What do you think of the Academy?"
"I believe that the Academy is a perfect example of the perfection and efficiency of the Army, forge of new generations of officers destined to fight for the glory of the Fatherland, sir!
The Major looked at me. Had he not believed my words? If so, I could get in trouble.
"Your patriotic zeal is commendable. And, judging by your work" he said looking at our still-under process notes "your commitment to study is no less strong. I suppose they had good reasons to allow two children like you to enroll here, magical powers or not. Since you are new here, I will grant you the benefit of the doubt. I just hope you know what awaits you..."
And with these words, Major von Rerugen withdrew from our desk and walked away, followed by my gaze and Tanya's.
Only when he disappeared from sight I gave myself the luxury of a breath of relief.
I tried to concentrate on the study again, but before I could find the line where I had been interrupted, Tanya hissed:
"What do you think of him?"
I stopped, looking around us nervously. Tanya could have kept the tone of voice low, but the fear of being heard was high. Fortunately, none of the few other visitors of the library seemed to have noticed anything.
"W-what do you mean?" I replied, keeping my eyes on alert for possible listeners.
"I mean, what you think of Major von Rerugen?" she answered back.
"Well" I said, trying to make local mind on my first impressions of him "He seems a friendly officer to me, of the kind that is able to listen to the needs of his men. I could be wrong, however."
Tanya snorted, "Do not kid yourself"
"I won't" I replied as I focused again on my notes….