Day two.

Jack left the house in the afternoon and headed for the Academy after buying a new gown.

The Super Warrior Serum had greatly enhanced his physical qualities; even his height had gone up a notch.

His original height of one-meter seventy-eight had soared directly to one meter eighty-five, and the clothes he used to wear didn't quite fit anymore.

Jack, here!

Just as he reached the school gates, Jack heard the call.

Carl, Rico, Carmen, and Dizzy, the four men who had made the appointment, were waiting for him.

Dizzy is also in the class and has always had a crush on Rico; she is outgoing and straightforward, plays with everyone, and Jack is on good terms with her.

You guys are early.

Jack waved his hand and stepped forward, giving a two-finger salute.

You're the one who's late! Carl rolled his eyes. The dance has been going on since noon, and I've reminded you four times, but you still missed lunch.

Perhaps you can explain to me why no one spoke when the call was answered, only an impatient grunt.

Is that right?

Maybe your cell phone is broken.

Jack said 'surprised,' then ignored Carl and Johnny and turned his head to Carmen and Dizzy and whispered:

You two ladies, you just keep getting more and more beautiful.

Forgive my rudeness, but your beauty is so radiant that I don't know how to describe it, so it's a good thing that the word beautiful barely deserves you.

I don't know if I'd have the honor of inviting you all to afternoon tea, but my attendants, Carl and Rico, will make all the arrangements.

Sure.

Carmen and Tiz laughed and held out their hands to Jack in unison, making him do the kissing hand salute.

Just wait; he's going to get beaten when he gets into the army.

Carl muttered in an uncharacteristic manner.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

You're right. Johnny had a smile on his face, not really caring about Jack's contact with Carmen.

One, because Jack was paying attention and didn't kiss Carmen's hand at all, and two, because the guys had been together for four years and got to know each other pretty well.

Wait ......

Jack, you seem to have grown a lot.

Looking on, Johnny suddenly realized something was wrong and asked curiously.

It's prom today.

Jack hemmed and hawed and pointed to his feet, then lifted his heels, signaling that there was something wrong with the shoes.

Good idea, but I don't need it.

Johnny nodded indistinctly, then struck what he thought was a cool pose.

He's the captain of the college's indoor rugby team, and he's a standard height and build, an absolute phenom.

Shift, can't you guys take care of my emotions?

You'll get your chance to be cool at night. Can you stop standing here in the Sun now?

Carl urged helplessly.

Compared to Jack and Johnny, he's really ordinary-looking, just a passerby among passersby.

After a little hobnobbing, the five joined forces and stepped onto campus.

... ... ...

Prom isn't really much fun.

At least for Jack.

He didn't have any crushes and was only attending the prom to receive his diploma and have a little drink on the side.

After the official start of the dance, the small groups of five quickly separated.

Carl was dragged to the dance by his female classmates, and Johnny and Carmen went onto the dance floor with Tiz, who was not far behind Johnny.

Jack, on the other hand, felt his way to the edge of the field and sipped a small drink over a pastry.

I thought young people liked prom.

In the midst of the clamor, a plaintive voice rang out from behind Jack.

Hello, Professor Zarak.

Jack turned to say hello; he had heard footsteps, and he just now realized who it was.

Jean Zarak!

A tough guy who lost his left arm in the war and moved on to become a history class instructor.

When the war between the humans and the Bugs breaks out for good, he'll be recalled by the Mobile Unit again to become a lieutenant in command of a special operations unit.

I saw your Google form.

You have telepathic powers; why don't you choose a strategic unit?

Zarak nodded expressionlessly and sat down next to Jack.

With more and more news about bug meteors lately, and with bug meteors attacking Earth almost every day, I have a feeling that war is probably coming.

Sitting in the back is not my quest, and I don't have that pattern; I just want to blast the bugs head-on or get torn apart by them.

Jack took a sip of his drink and met Zarak's eyes.

Bug meteors refer to asteroids.

Among the Arachnis bugs, there is a type of bug that can fire plasma cannons from its tail called the Giant Plasma Bug.

They fire plasma cannons so powerful that they can rush from the planet's surface into extra-terrestrial space and even attack the nearby asteroid belt.

An asteroid blasted by a plasma cannon is immediately blasted out of the planet's gravitational field, some of which is coincidentally oriented toward Earth.

Torn apart by bugs?

Zarak finally broke into a smile, touching his half-broken left arm and laughing:

I wouldn't recommend it; blasting bugs is fine; getting torn apart by them is even better because it really hurts too much.

Speaking of which.

Zarak muffled a glass of whiskey in one gulp and turned to leave with only two words.

Rookie, I hope your bones are as hard as your mouth.

Live as hard as you can. Only those who survive to the end can be called tough.

That's it?

Jack froze for a moment but didn't really care.

Zarak has always been like that, rarely interacting with students outside of class time, and being able to say a few words would be nice.