Chapter 1 - The Rebellious Captive
“Be true to yourself.”
The words, once heard, echo strongly from the depths of my memory.
A dream. This is a recurring dream.
Perhaps to remind me. This is why it calls to me from time to time.
What does it mean to be true to myself?
What is being true to myself?
Born into an unusual family, I’ve lost so much because of it.
It’s still so difficult for me, young and inexperienced, to come to terms with my losses.
Am I being true to myself?
Still, there are things I understand, even in my own way.
That I’m incredibly competitive.
That I’m incredibly greedy and trendy.
That I seek great power.
Is that okay?
Is pushing through without hesitation what it means to be true to myself?
If it is, I’ll stake my life to push through.
I’ll gain everything I desire and live a life true to myself.
Zizizizizizi!
“Wake up! Wake up time! Latecomers will miss breakfast!”
The alarm is so loud it’s almost malicious, and the high-pitched shout of the female guard.
As usual, I wake up to an unpleasant start. Thanks to them, the faint fragments of my dream have vanished.
It’s unpleasant every morning. The alarm is so loud it gives me a headache.
“Hmmm… Good morning. Let’s head to breakfast without dawdling, shall we?”
The woman in the same room. Her cheerful greeting after a yawn, though it doesn’t completely dispel the unpleasantness of the noisy alarm and shouting, does ease it somewhat.
I respond with a nod and get out of bed, feeling the sturdy bed beneath me.
This is the Girls' Re-education Camp, located in the eastern part of the Romariel Mountains in the Kingdom of Brenark.
Sitting at a high altitude in the mountain range, the air is thin, and in winter, the snow piles up high. It’s a harsh natural environment.
Naturally, the cold is severe, and the facility is far from comfortable. However, summers are pleasantly cool.
It’s a remote location, and getting to the nearest settlement takes several hours on foot. Why is the camp in such an inconvenient place?
If you can endure the harsh winters, the environment here at the Girls' Re-education Camp is surprisingly livable, considering it’s clean.
However, the stone buildings lack wallpaper and decor, making it stark and barren. Even though it’s not a prison, it could use a bit more decoration.
When we move from the room to the dining hall, the usual stale bread, soup made from leftover vegetables, and fruits are served.
The menu changes with the seasons, but it’s always the same: stale bread, leftover vegetables, and fruits.
I once heard that in Japanese prisons, meals are the highlight of the day, but this place is worse than any prison I could imagine. It’s a dull form of torture. You’d go insane without numbing your mind. Truly, there’s no variety at all!
However, I’ve grown used to the coarse food.
I’ve been here for about two thousand days. Repeating the same routine every day, you can’t help but get used to it.
A year in this world lasts about twelve hundred days. My re-education period is three years. I still have a long way to go before I’m released.
Once the bland breakfast is over, it’s time for boring lectures.
“Womanhood 101,” as archaic and dull as it is, holds no real interest for me. I’m not the only one; for most of the inmates, the lectures are irrelevant. While the professors are serious, the lack of enthusiasm from the other staff is a bit concerning.
I’m not one to talk, but is this really okay?
The lectures might be somewhat useful as general knowledge, so I attend them seriously. I have plenty of free time, so there’s no harm in learning, even if I never put it into practice.
Life in the camp is somewhat similar to a school boarding house.
There are set times for meals and lectures, with the rest being free time.
The only unique feature is the short daily camp work before lights out.
The facility is called a “camp,” but free time is surprisingly relaxed. It’s a surprisingly laid-back place.
Some play card games, others engage in sports, reading, napping, or chatting. People have different ways of spending their time.
If you’re willing, you can even take on low-paying jobs, though they’re cheap.
As long as you follow the set schedule, you’re basically free to do as you please. Independent learning and physical activities are encouraged, but how you spend your free time isn’t enforced.
It’s not a prison, so a certain degree of freedom is allowed.
Still, you can’t leave, so we’re just birds in a cage.
“Off to the library again?”
“Yeah, you coming?”
The speaker is my roommate, Frederica. She’s an intellectual beauty with long blonde hair and square glasses. We often spend time together due to our room arrangement.
Despite her serious appearance, she’s a friendly gambler. She’s a bit of a problem child, despite being easy-going.
“Not today. I’m kinda tired and might take another nap.”
“Catch a cold? Take care, okay?”
After lunch, I usually study in the library.
At first, I learned to read and absorb knowledge about this world. I’ve always enjoyed reading, so I never get bored.
There’s so much to learn: language, geography, society, culture, politics, economics, biology, and so on.
But what most captures my interest is magic. It’s incredibly fascinating.
There’s so much to learn, and the more I investigate, the more there is to discover.
Time is abundant, so I’ve managed to gain a broad, shallow understanding, but my thirst for knowledge is far from quenched.
As a re-education facility, the library here is surprisingly well-stocked.
A stern female staff member is always on duty, ready to expel anyone causing trouble or making noise. It’s a great environment for focusing.
My roommate, Frederica, is also a bookworm, so we often spend time together in the library.
Frederica is knowledgeable and intelligent, but she’s also a bit of a fool for running an aggressive business. She got carried away and ended up here.
Despite her gambling habit, she’s an unfortunate woman.
However, Frederica hasn’t broken any laws. It was all legal. So, why was she sent to a re-education camp? Simply put:
“The girl has attitude.”
This world is a strong patriarchy.
Women asserting themselves is generally taboo, with a few exceptions.
Girls who can’t behave are sent to places like this.
So, once again, I devote myself to absorbing knowledge in the quiet library, studying diligently through the afternoon.
Indeed, I, Shinogami Yukari, ended up in another world.