Pendleton Revolution - Chapter 2

The reason for the sudden introduction of Maria Hellegen’s story was none other than Andie Julinas. She had happened upon an unexpected obstacle amidst her admission to the Academy and the start of the school life she dreamed of.

In reality, Andie missed Maria, her perfume-like fragrance and the nostalgia it brought.1 From a different perspective, it could be said that she shed grateful tears from the sudden realization that her patron truly was a good person. In any case, the problem occurred due to a combination of different factors.2

The street hooligans that came to taunt her every so often went down after one punch, so they weren’t much of an issue. The most important factor of school life was social relations.

First and foremost, the problem started after her first class at the Military Department. At first, it was okay. She’d hit it off well with the freckled commoner boy who sat next to her, and they came to a mutual understanding. When they ate lunch together, she was introduced to two upperclassmen, who were his hometown friends, and two well-built peers from a different class.

They even brought friends of their friends, and that was how the six of them explored the school together. It was the first school life in her life. The rose garden, the transparent and beautiful fountain, the delicious and filling food, and great classes, not to mention, she even made friends to eat lunch with on her very first day. Everything was perfect.

She kept up to the pace of the class well. Andrea Julinas was even called forth by the instructor during her first swordsmanship class and was specially complimented in front of everyone. Back at the orphanage she had the crude fighting skills of a head of some street gang, but the first time she’d wielded a sword, she was told that she had an unbelievably immense talent and potential. Not only that, though she found it difficult to wield a gun at first, soon enough she was able to hit targets accurately. Andrea Julinas, who had always been physically gifted, had discovered that shooting instinctively went well with her.

Just as their stamina training, in which she had participated enthusiastically by running around the practice field with her around the shoulders of her peers, began, did the crisis occur. It all happened as they were walking towards the showers after a toast with a sip of beer and Andie Julinas was providing them with the sister’s gossip about her mother and father.

In truth, it was a very minor, yet obvious problem.

“Huh?”

“What is it, Andie? It feels all sticky and sweaty, so let’s go wash up quickly. So do you mean, you’re not clear on the identity of your mother, who’s supposedly a boss of the shadows?”

“No, let’s talk about that later. A problem just came up. I don’t think I have anywhere to shower.”

As Andie spoke out sharply as if it was obvious, everyone, who had become friendly with her within a day through her incredible social skills, all made a confused expression. Then they calmly pointed at the showers.

“It’s right there.”

“That’s for males!”

“That’s right! Let’s go wash up?”

“Huh?”

“Huh?”

Indeed, it was so. There were no female showers at the Military School’s practice field. That was not the end of it. Everyone, be it Andie Julinas’ peers, who were naturally leading her to the male showers, or the instructor, exclaimed with wide eyes.

“You were female? Shit.”

“Just how did you come to the decision that this thin and beautiful bone structure was not female? And what kind of exclamation is ‘shit?’ I’ll count to three, so explain yourself before you get beaten up, Francesco.”

Though Andie Julinas had never possessed a thin and beautiful bone structure ever since she had been born, she ended up grabbing her peer’s lapels 30 hours after the entrance ceremony.

“I’ve never seen a girl who’d ever told me they’d count to three, so I should hurry up and explain myself if I don’t want to get beaten up…….”

“Who are you to generalize? As I said, I’ll give you three seconds to explain yourself till you get beaten up.”

“In the first place, what part of your bone structure is thin and beautiful?”

“Who are you to concern yourself with judging my bone structure? Since you haven’t justified yourself in the least, this time, I’ll give you two seconds.”

“I am wrong about everything.”

Though she had received her peer’s sincere apology, the problem had yet to be resolved. In any case, Andie Julinas revealed to both her instructors and peers that she was female, and she loudly criticized the fact that the Military School, which had yet to arrange a female washroom, was lagging behind the current generation. As for those boorish bastards who pettily chided and questioned why a female would enter the Military School, she proceeded to convict them on the spot.

Of course, even Andie Julinas had something called common sense. She did not have the slightest intention to violate the law. And the just and law-abiding Andie Julinas most certainly did not have any plans on homicide. Concerned that her actions would sully her anonymous patron’s dignity, she let them off lightly with a forehead flick each. Though, some fainted at a mere forehead flick.

All the same, her peers were rather bewildered at first, but with the exception of the select few uncultured, mean bastards, they collectively expressed their positive opinions towards Andie Julinas. In other words, they argued that if a student were to par with Andie Julinas, it was acceptable for them to enter the Military School. Of course, their unanimity came about after that particular student, who fainted at that forehead flick, proceeded to be smacked in the cheek repetitively by Andie Julinas till he woke up.

Regardless, that was how one problem was resolved, and the other problems were also resolved. Andie Julinas politely made a request to the baffled instructor, who belatedly stumbled to review the student information meticulously and confirmed that there, indeed, was a female student.

“Instructor, while I do believe it is a problem in and of itself that there had not been any other female students in the Military School, but now that there is a female student now, shouldn’t I receive the bare minimum of benefits from the infrastructure? These days, there are male lavatories even in a nunnery, so it makes little sense for there not to be a female washroom at a co-educational Academy, right?”

Normally, instructors were made up of graduates who had decided to immediately find a job after their graduation. Such individuals at such positions tended to be of common birth. As such, at the Military School, instructors had to tread carefully around those students of common birth with special scholarships who clearly received someone’s patronage to attend the Academy. So, he merely avoided her gaze. It was a just request from the beginning. After all, they had never thought to make such a facility. Clearly, there was a problem.

“That……. Out of consideration of females, there are already individual washrooms for every room at the girls’ dorms……. Since you have special treatment, to take advantage of it…….”

“It is not my concern whether this is special treatment or not. If it is as you say, does that not mean a female student should return to their dorm room in this state after training? Was there a rule that prevented females from attending the Military School? There is not, correct? And, in reality, did I not enter the school after an incredible performance of all ‘A’s or ‘S’s at the physical assessments? You allowed girls to enter the school, yet sweating female cadets are not considered?”

“Ahem, I’ll try to put forth a proposal……. There had been no past examples, so it seems we were neglectful…….”

“Don’t you think it would be best to make the proposal as soon as possible? I am a person whose actions follow their words.”

“W, what do you intend to do?”

“Haha, I wonder. What will I do?”

“I’ll propose it first thing tomorrow morning.”

“Thank you. I respect you greatly, instructor.”

“Ahem…….”

(T/N: LMAO) (E/N: Stan Andie!)

As mentioned previously, Andie Julinas’ life goals were first, virtuosity, second, discipline, and third, justice. Right now, her every action could defile the dignity of her patron, so she absolutely had no thoughts on clashing with the law. Coincidentally, she had been talking about her parents, so Andie Julinas decided to plow forth with that image of herself.

Even after receiving a satisfactory answer, she was on her way back to dorms while emitting the stench of sweat without getting the chance to wash up when the second problem arose. She ran straight into her roommates from the Humanities Department who arrived a day later than the Military Department.

At the Royal Academy of Erita, the girls’ dorm consisted of two beds per room, which barely fit both beds and individual closets. In return, very four rooms were connected to a larger, public living room and space for studying. The bedrooms were far too narrow to even change clothes, so the majority of students lived as though they were in a 8-person room, including the living room. And when Andie Julinas returned to her room, her roommates, who had just finished moving-in and introducing themselves to each other, were in the middle of changing clothes.

For a brief moment, silence filled the space. One of the girls, dressed only in her underclothes, lost grip of her skirt.

“Kyaaaaaaa!”

“It’s a misunderstanding! I’m a girl! Let me first let you touch my chest!”

It was unfortunate, but no matter who heard those words they sounded perverted.

Footnotes:

Original term: like a perfume bottle (향수병처럼). Several different interpretations. Perfume is an indicator of self in Korea and many people even have their own unique perfume that they regard as part of their identity. Maria is just like perfume to Andrea; a part of her identity. And from a more American perspective, perfume is a metaphor referring to just how much Andrea misses Maria. Just as fragrance lingers even after time, nostalgia and memories do as well. The connection between aroma and memories are often connected to each other because they resemble each other in how they linger for long periods of time before slowly dissipating.
As is the author’s style to resemble the stumbling and mumbling human process of thoughts, I did not change the text for more logical localization. Localization would have required me to add further lines in explanation and repartitioned paragraphs. But I agree that this particular paragraph is the most confusing in English. The paragraph is referring and listing in detail various elements that caused Andrea to feel homesick and run into an obstacle.
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