At first, when Momonga talked about classes, Ortolan subconsciously assumed there would be dozens of people. But once all the students had arrived and Admiral Zephyr stood at the podium, Ortolan finally realized that the "class" he had imagined was completely different from the "class" Momonga and the others meant.
Their so-called "class" only had around ten people!
And basically, Ortolan recognized every one of them!
There was no need to mention their trio. The students who arrived afterward included Onigumo, Doberman, Dalmatian, Stolobey, Stainless, and Kaisa. All of them were members of Marine Headquarters.
Right after them came someone who was not from Marine Headquarters. Nobody else knew him, but Ortolan did. The guy looked rather sleazy—not just because of his face, but mainly because he liked to hunch his shoulders and lower his head. Even his whole bearing felt sleazy. His name was Tokikake.
Among all these Headquarters flag officers and commissioned officers, Tokikake, a Marine Colonel from a branch base, was indeed inconspicuous. But Ortolan knew that, among everyone here, Tokikake would eventually become the most outstanding. Not only would he become a Headquarters Vice Admiral, he would also become an Admiral Candidate!
When Ortolan had first heard the name "Captain Kaisa," he had thought Kaisa was a girl and had even felt a little anticipation. In the end, Kaisa turned out to be a man—and unexpectedly, a handsome blond man at that. He was the only man in the class capable of threatening Ortolan's looks.
For now, the entire class was made up of men. Not a single girl in sight!
At the podium, Admiral Zephyr smiled as he removed his sunglasses and looked at the people seated below. "Is everyone here?"
After sweeping his gaze around the room, Zephyr raised a brow. "One person's still missing."
The moment he said that, the Marine officers in the class were all surprised. Someone was still missing? Who was so bold as to be late for this?
Even Ortolan was surprised. Being late at a moment like this was usually protagonist behavior in a story. But wasn't I supposed to be the protagonist?
Someone was actually putting on more of an act than me? I'd been careless—I came too early!
Just then, as if timing it perfectly, the classroom door was pulled open. A female Marine in a pink women's suit appeared, showing off a pair of long legs and a dangerously voluptuous figure. Holding the doorframe and breathing heavily, she made absolute justice bounce as she said, "Sorry, sorry, Admiral Zephyr. I had urgent intelligence to report just now, so I'm a little late!"
The moment the female Marine finished speaking, before Admiral Zephyr could say anything, Tokikake, seated in the back row, sprang to his feet as if he had taken the wrong medicine. He bowed, extended a hand toward her, and said, "Nice to meet you. My name is Tokikake, a Colonel from G-6 Marine Base. I don't know your name yet, so this may be presumptuous, but please go out with me!!!"
Ortolan recognized her at a glance. This female Marine was the future Admiral Candidate, Momousagi Gion!
But he still had not expected Tokikake to be such a fearless madman. Did he not even care about the occasion when confessing?
After Tokikake finished speaking, the Marine officers in class seemed to snap out of it. One after another, they looked at him with admiration and disbelief. Some even had envy in their eyes... yes, that included Momonga.
"Damn it, I was here first!" Momonga gritted his teeth.
"What are you talking about?" Ortolan asked quietly.
"A month ago, I obtained important intelligence in the outer seas, so I was fortunate enough to visit the Intelligence Staff Department in person. That's where I got acquainted with the beautiful Gion and got her Den Den Mushi..." Momonga said through clenched teeth.
Hoshigaki beside him promptly exposed him. "It was the shared Den Den Mushi of Intelligence Section Two."
"What difference does that make? Gion still answers that Den Den Mushi!" Momonga shot Hoshigaki a glare, then continued to Ortolan, "I was thinking that once I got the chance, I'd ask her out to dinner or something. I never expected... someone would confess before me!"
"You waited for a whole month and you're blaming someone else for beating you to it?" Ortolan could not help mocking him.
"Ahem..." Momonga said, slightly embarrassed. "I was under a lot of psychological pressure, okay? Only a clueless outsider who isn't from Headquarters would dare be so direct."
"So Gion is really popular?" Ortolan asked.
"She's known as the flower of Marine Headquarters. What do you think? The people who want to pursue her could line up from Marineford to Mary Geoise. Unfortunately, no one has succeeded so far," Momonga said without hesitation.
Just then, Gion seemed to recover from her shock. Looking toward Tokikake, she politely shook her head. "Sorry, but you're not my type~"
The moment Gion rejected him, the male Marines in the class all brightened up. Someone even clapped twice. Ortolan followed the sound and found that it was Onigumo!
Who would have thought? The guy had worn a cold, arrogant deadpan expression ever since entering the room, but he was actually such a closet pervert?
Tokikake seemed very experienced at being rejected. After hearing Gion's answer, he straightened up with a regretful expression and withdrew his hand. Looking at Gion, he said, "Although you've rejected me now, it must be because we aren't familiar with each other yet. Once you truly get to know me, you'll understand what an outstanding man I am. I believe that when the time comes, you definitely won't reject me again. That's right, I won't give up. Whether it takes one time or a hundred, I'll keep confessing!!!"
With a Marine Admiral still standing at the podium, Ortolan could not help wanting to give Tokikake a thumbs-up for saying something like that!
"When it comes to making confessions awkward, I, Bane Ortolan, acknowledge you as the strongest, Brother Tokikake!"
On the podium, Zephyr thought, I've been an Admiral for so many years. What kind of scene haven't I seen? Yet right now, he truly had the urge to say, I really haven't seen anything like this before!
Just as Gion did not know how to respond to Tokikake, Admiral Zephyr spoke at the right moment. "All right, all right, enough fooling around. Since you had a reason, I'll forgive your lateness this time. Go find a seat and sit down!"
"Yes, Teacher Zephyr!" Gion immediately called him Teacher as well, then looked over the seats in the classroom.
Tokikake started causing trouble again. He stood up like a perfect gentleman, moved aside from the empty seat next to him, and gestured for Gion to take it.
That was right. Since Tokikake was an outsider and unfamiliar with everyone here, he sat in the last row. As a result, the only empty seat in the room was beside him, meaning Gion could sit directly next to him!
Momonga, Ortolan's deskmate, was nearly driven mad with envy. He pressed both hands against the desk, looking as though he wanted to take Tokikake's place!
If Tokikake had not suddenly made that awkward confession earlier, Gion would not have done anything discourteous, given her character. But now, she truly did not want to sit beside Tokikake and become his deskmate, lest it affect her studies. So she swept her gaze across the classroom, seemingly spotting something, and quickly headed toward Ortolan's trio.
The moment Momonga saw his goddess coming over, his face lit up with joy. Could good fortune finally be coming my way?
He even glanced at Ortolan and gently nudged his deskmate with an elbow. "If Gion wants to sit here and be my deskmate later, you'll have to move to the back row for me, brother!"
Ortolan rolled his eyes at the heartless bastard. "Then you owe me five drinks!"
"No problem. Even fifty drinks would be no problem!" Momonga agreed immediately.
Just then, Gion walked over to Momonga with a smile and greeted him. "Commodore Momonga, long time no see~"
Momonga's heart jolted. See that!? Gion remembers me!!!
Momonga put on a very friendly smile. "Commodore Gion, long time no see. Is there anything you need help with?"
For example, helping you chase away my deskmate. I know you're too embarrassed to ask, but that's fine. I'd be happy to help!
Seeing how agreeable Momonga was, Gion nodded with delight. "Yes. I'd like you to switch seats with me. My eyesight isn't very good, and I really don't want to sit in the back row. Is that okay?"
Is that okay???
Momonga's face twitched slightly. It really wasn't okay!
But looking at Gion's expectant expression, Momonga ultimately could not bring himself to refuse. He forced a smile. "Of course, no problem. My eyesight is especially good. I can see the blackboard clearly from anywhere!"
After saying that, Momonga stood up sadly. Hoshigaki, seated on his other side, could not hold it in anymore. Covering his mouth, he pounded the desk wildly, laughing so hard he nearly lost his breath!
Even Ortolan nearly burst out laughing. I thought Tokikake was the only big shot in this class. Who knew there was another master like you!
Before you continue