After the snow, a thick fog.
Fifty-one cadets and fifteen instructors formed a long-distance training expedition team, trekking along the mountain path overgrown with wild grass. The snow fog was like a dense veil, white and vast, with no visibility at all.
Instructor Shirata claimed it was to toughen the cadets, allowing them to trek out of the Great Snow Mountain with ample food and water—but the final exam results would only be announced after statistical calculations were completed.
The cold wind seeped in through the collar, making Hideo shiver like a quail as he followed at the back of the team. He overheard cadets discussing Instructor Shirota, and couldn't help complaining to his teammate, "I mean, don't you guys think Instructor Shirata is going too far?"
"It's not so bad."
