Previously
Kalinin visits Henrietta in the infirmary under the guise of discussing tabloid rumors about her disappearance and her family's lack of knowledge regarding her whereabouts. Henrietta reveals her family has effectively abandoned her, describing them as 'soy milk' rather than a cohesive unit.
Normally, if an army served soy milk for late-night rations, the soldiers would probably contemplate teabagging their superiors.
For the members of the 24th Infantry Squad, however, there was an enemy far greater than soy milk.
“They say the trainee eats special meals every day, sleeps to her heart’s content, and is getting healthy real fast. Word is she’ll be returning soon.”
Private First Class Miller reported the results of his reconnaissance on the infirmary. Corporal Dudery nodded solemnly.
“We! We must avenge our sweets! This is a noble cause and true justice! Any objections?”
“None, Corporal!”
“There is only one way.”
The eyes of Privates Miller and Ahn shone brightly.
“What would that be?”
“Discharge. We get that trainee discharged.”
In short, he was proposing they bully her until she left on her own two feet. The expressions of the two privates turned skeptical.
“Will that really work? Watching her run around the parade ground, she seemed unusually tough.”
“He’s right. I honestly never thought she’d finish all those laps. Even we barely made it out alive.”
Corporal Dudery, however, remained brimming with confidence.
“Tough or not, she’s still a noble. She only pulled it off because everyone was watching and she couldn’t bear to lose her aristocratic pride. Break that pride, and it’s only a matter of time before she walks out herself.”
“Is that so…?”
Despite the utter lack of real persuasion, the two privates were sold immediately. Rarely had ears been so impressionable.
“Still, will that be all right? If she takes it to the Division Commander and submits a formal complaint, won't we be in deep trouble?”
“We just have to be smart about it. We haze her, but keep it strictly within the regulations. We apply psychological pressure.”
“Psychological pressure…!”
Miller and Ahn looked at each other and exchanged glances. This would work. This was definitely going to work. The phrase itself just sounded so cool. Psychological pressure! Brilliant!
“We put all our trust in you, Corporal!”
“Damn right, you rascals. Who else are you gonna trust if not me? Now, cheers!”
Thoroughly satisfied, the three clinked their bowls of soy milk together with great gusto.
***
Henrietta had never been a social butterfly, even in high society. It was not merely due to a lack of social grace. If one was unloved at home, contempt followed everywhere outside; once she became a trophy wife, the looks directed her way verged on outright mockery.
And Henrietta had never bothered trying to curry favor with them.
Such gatherings yielded far too little return for the effort required, and being ostracized did not particularly trouble her.
However, military ostracism was quite different from the highborn variety. When noble ladies took turns delivering elegant barbs and sneering smiles, one could simply pretend not to hear, or feign ignorance and laugh along.
Being shunned in the army, on the other hand, was inconvenient. Inconvenient in the extreme.
Having spent over half her life as an outcast, Henrietta showed no visible signs of damage.
She was not putting on a front, either; internally, she was truly fine. She had long grown accustomed to taking such treatment as a given.
Physically, though, it was an exhausting nuisance. In the military, seniors were supposed to instruct and assist their juniors, but as a mere trainee, Henrietta lacked an assigned squad, let alone a friendly senior or a peer.
With everyone ignoring her like a ghost and offering zero assistance, her lack of basic military common sense quickly turned into a matter of survival.
So, whenever a problem arose, Henrietta went straight to Billy.
“Captain Temperk. I have a question.”
“…What now?”
“The communal bath is out of shampoo. Where do I requisition more?”
Every time she showed up with inquiries like this, Billy was too flabbergasted to even muster anger.
“I need to wash my bedding, but there is no soap at the washhouse.”
“I would like to drink tea. Does keeping tea leaves violate the regulations?”
“When is our day off?”
“I require a needle and thread.”
These were the matters Trainee Macsy had brought before Billy with an utterly deadpan face over the past few days.
Exasperated to his limits, Billy decided to try getting angry.
“A mere trainee barging in on a captain to ask that sort of trivial crap? Since when has our military become such a cutting-edge, enlightened barracks?”
“It is quite bothersome for me to walk all this way each time as well, but I have no one else to ask.”
“You could grab literally anyone wandering around and get the answers to those questions!”
“I tried, but no answers were forthcoming.”
“Why the hell not?!”
“Because I am being ostracized.”
Henrietta blinked, answering boldly without a shred of shame. Billy was rendered speechless.
“…”
“Did you not know?”
“I had a feeling, but you looked like you were doing fine, so I figured I was wrong, and now it turns out I was right all along. Are you… all right?”
“Yes. I am fine. Seeing as you always answer so thoroughly, Captain.”
“No, I mean, isn’t it hard to endure being singled out like that? Mentally, I mean.”
“If we speak of mental distress, the shunning done by noble ladies was far more taxing. Parrying their veiled insults demanded constant vigilance. One had to keep one's nerves sharp and mind turning at all times. Here, however, the difficulty stems purely from my ignorance. Once I grow accustomed to barracks life, I will manage without needing to come all the way here.”
“If that's the case, wouldn’t it be better to ask everything you don't know all at once?”
“Since I do not know what it is I do not know, I intend to come ask as things arise for the time being.”
Nursing a throbbing headache, Billy handed her a requisition slip.
“Go think it over carefully, write down everything you need here, and submit it in one go. Not that everything will be approved, mind you.”
“That sounds like a sensible method.”
“And also…”
Billy hesitated, debating whether to say it or not.
“Is there something else you wish to say?”
“Have you tried apologizing to the soldiers?”
“What sort of apology do you mean?”
“You know, ‘I’m sorry for causing a disturbance,’ ‘I didn’t know any better,’ ‘please teach me well from now on’—that kind of thing. Huh?”
Billy arched an eyebrow, offering the suggestion.
“The one who caused the disturbance was not me. The disturbance was caused by those who illicitly smuggled private food into the barracks. They are the ones who ought to be sorry.”
“I’m not trying to figure out who’s right or wrong here. I’m just saying you should bow your head once so things can go smoothly and peacefully from here on out… Haah… Right. That’d be tough for you, wouldn’t it?”
A proud noblewoman would find it impossible to swallow her pride and bow unjustly before commoners.
—Or so Billy assumed, but he was mistaken.
Having lived as a family pariah for so long, Henrietta Macsy’s pride was virtually nonexistent.
“Apologizing is no trouble at all. Getting along peacefully would certainly be nice. However, a single apology will not suffice.”
“Huh?”
“Can you not tell by looking? I have already been marked. They likely want me to pack up and leave on my own.”
“Our boys aren’t that wicked. If you apologize, they’ll understand.”
“Such common sense does not apply to collective bullying. For they believe they are delivering justice. They view the very existence of the ostracized target as the problem.”
“W-what, how could you possibly know so much to sound so sure? Who do you think you are?”
“I am quite qualified. I am a professional outcast who spent over half her life being shunned.”
“I-is that so?”
Taken aback by her expert insight, Billy stammered.
Henrietta clicked her tongue as if dismayed by his ignorance.
“The ostracism common among noble ladies’ social circles is no different. ‘Please do not show your face here,’ ‘do not ruin our lovely atmosphere.’ Apologize and act meek, and they will only sneer and torment you further, looking down on you with the conviction that you can do nothing about it no matter how you are treated.”
“Such ruthless things happen at social gatherings? Among highborn ladies obsessed with propriety? Wouldn't everyone notice?”
“They never do it out in the open. But that is precisely why the victim is trapped even further. They humiliate you subtly without ever giving you an excuse to get angry.”
Before he knew it, Billy was completely drawn into her explanation.
“I can’t picture it at all. Like what, for instance?”
“An example? Hmm…”
Henrietta began recounting what had been done to her over the years, dredging up the memories one by one.
Even after hearing the tales, however, Billy could not fathom which parts were supposed to be underhanded insults and required further explanation. And so, their conversation stretched on for quite a while.