Chapter 84 - Volunteering for the Earthen Army
"Another failure to meet quotas… again…"
With these words, the supervisor deliberately let out a loud sigh so that his colleagues around him could hear.
"You are the
only
one who failed to meet the quota this month.
Aren't you ashamed?
Aren't you sorry for your peers?
…Why is that!?"
The superior's glossy black hair ruffled, as he shouted at me, who was standing dazedly.
I took a deep breath, sipped some water, and sat down in my office chair.
(…Here we go…)
(I don't know if this is a sermon or a stress relieving "speech"…)
This is a recruiting station for the Earth Army here on Earth.
The Earthen Military prides itself on operating without resorting to barbaric conscription.
Under this nonsensical premise, all Earthen soldiers supposedly consist of volunteers.
…However, in reality, these "volunteers" aren't much different from conscripts…
No… Truthfully, conscription might actually be more civilized…
If I were to briefly describe the truth of the Earthen army, it is "an army made up of volunteers under duress."
This is probably the best way to describe it.
Yes, the Earthen military is supported by "forced volunteers."
There are many inequalities that Earthlings living on this planet must endure.
These consist of not only economic barriers, but also racial barriers, ethnic barriers, and barriers on place of origin.
Particularly tragic are those with white hair who are economically impoverished.
Nowadays, the darker someone's hair color, the more privileged they are.
Conversely, the whiter their hair, the more subject they are to discrimination.
The law supposedly bars discrimination by hair color, but this is only on paper.
Dark haired folk are given preferential treatment in every aspect, including, but not limited to, education, medical care, employment, and government services.
On the other hand, white-haired people constantly suffer from discriminatory practices.
This is the unspoken truth of global society.
This is something I constantly been reminded of ever since I was born.
Nineteen years ago.
I was born to white-haired parents who were in extreme poverty.
They could not afford to have me in the hospital, so they had no choice but to ask a nurse they knew to deliver me at home.
When I was born, I heard that my parents were happy, but inwardly they must have been extremely anxious.
My father worked at a nearby military factory, but his salary was barely above minimum wage.
My mother also worked part time to support our family, but a white-hair salary is very limited.
When I was born, our family was unable to even pay the food bills.
Understanding the reality of my family's situation, I began working as soon as I entered elementary school.
I didn't earn much, but I still remember how my parents, who's bodies and faces were thin, lit up in delight when I showed them the first pennies I earned.
As I grew older in junior high and high school, I began working part-time in earnest.
After school, I rushed to work at a fast-food restaurant, changing into my greasy uniform in the shabby locker room, and continued working until the sun came up.
Occasionally, my black-haired bosses and other part-timers would pat me on the buttocks for fun, but I had to put up with it.
Unfortunately, I just had to put up with it because it was the highest-paying part-time job available to white hairs.
But no matter how hard I worked, I was never paid half as much as the black-hairs who loafed…
Of course, there are many homunculi in the store, and I was put in charge of some.
Despite having black hair, all of them followed my orders.
Not only in the store, but even the homunculi working in the kitchen had beautiful black hair.
The reason, of course, is to look good.
Naturally, white-haired homunculi existed, but they aren't popular.
At best, white hairs buy them, with colored hairs and black hairs rarely buying them.
Even Homunculi are subject to hair discrimination.
Despite my harsh life, I was able to persevere and continue because of my friends.
At school and at my part-time job, there were many children in a similar situation to me.
We encouraged each other and overcame difficulties together.
But one challenge still awaited upon high school graduation.
It was job hunting.
According to the law, no one could discriminate on hair color, but that's only on paper; dark hairs are given preferential treatment, while white hairs receive discrimination.
Few options were left to us.
For white-haired boys, hard labor in military factories awaited them.
For white-haired girls, miserable days as prostitutes awaited them.
As a result, the best option for white hairs was often the Earthen Army.
One day, a soldier came to our high school.
She was a young woman with white hair.
She came up to me with a smile on her face, cheerfully greeting me.
"Hello!"
She was an Earthen Army recruiter.
She and I moved to a private room in the high school's employment counseling office, where we were alone.
At first, she made idle chit-chat, but little by little, we eventually got to the heart of the matter.
She spread out colorful pamphlets on her desk and proceeded to urge me to join the Earthen Army.
"I'm a white hair just like you, so I understand what you're going through," she said.
"You heard what your teachers said, right? It's difficult to get a decent job after graduation…
It's frustrating… but this is our lot… the reality of being white haired…
…Yet! There's still hope!
And that's this!"
She held out a pamphlet to me.
There was a picture of a smiling Earth soldier accompanied by the words "If you have a love for the universe, then come on! Let's fight together!"
"I understand that the military has a bad reputation," she said.
"But you know what? In reality, it's not so bad, you know?
Training is basically just running and stuff.
Rather, you get to eat a diet rich in nutrition, allowing for a much healthier life than your current one, you know?
Besides, you know what? Some people make a big deal about the Earthen Army's imperial ambitions, but that's hogwash.
Basically, Earthen Army is the peacekeepers of the universe… sort of like the universe's space police, if you will.
The Earthen Army, being noble souls they are, would never do anything barbaric such as unnecessarily pillaging other civilizations.
Rather, we respect other civilizations and seeks ways to coexist and prosper together… that is the true nature of the Earth's military."
Having said that, she took a booklet out of her bag.
"Look here! There are many perks to joining the Earthen Army.
For example, here! If you meet certain conditions, the military will pay for your college after retirement.
After all, it's much more convenient to get a job with a college degree than a high school diploma.
See here? These are testimonials from ex-servicemen who have attended college! Read a little."
She flipped through the booklet and pointed to the page with the testimonial she wanted and held out the booklet to me.
There, with a wonderful smile, a young white-haired man interviewed by the military.
The testimonials showed a variety of bright futures.
He said, "Life in the military has had its share of hardships, but it helped me grow so much as a person.
During my time in the military, the Earthen Army really thought about my future, and after my discharge, I am now attending a fine university.
I will graduate from college in a year, and I already have several offers from big companies.
If you are reading this… There's no need to hesitate! You should enlist in the Earth Army with honor right now!"
Of course, I understood.
That her explanation, and the various texts here, were all lies.
But I had no choice…
If I refused, I would have only one choice left…
And I definitely didn't want to do
that
…
After I quietly finished reading her testimonial, she smiled at me with a wonderful, smiling face.
"How's it going? Do you now understand how wonderful the Earthen Army is?"
I answer her question with a beaming smile.
"Yes," I replied with a beaming smile. "The Earthen Army is truly a wonderful organization.
By all means, I want to join the Earthen Army after I graduate from high school."
The moment she hears that answer, her smile changes.
The wonderful, smiling smile she had before changed drastically to a grim, sticky smile.
Then, she replied loudly, as if in dire need.
"Yes, I know! Yes, I know! That's how I feel! I know what you mean!
I checked your grades beforehand! You have a really good GPA!
If you're truly such an honor student… then, you'll be a force to be reckoned with in the Earthen Army in no time!"
With that, she pulled out a thick document from her bag.
"It's going to take a while, but could you sign these documents for me?
If you do, you can become an honorary member of the global military upon graduation from high school!
Yes, sir! Here, use this pen!"
I use the pen she hands me and begin signing the thick document.
As I sign one document after another, she asks me, "What do you want me to do?
The contract is really just a formality, so you don't need to worry about what's on it."
She writes off the fine print as nothing while continuing to urge me to sign the documents.
For a while after I began to signing the contracts, the only sound in the room was the sound of the pen moving.
During this time, she stared at the tip of the pen in my hand and did not move an inch.
Then I heard a small voice.
She probably said it unconsciously.
But her voice certainly reached my ears.
I heard her voice murmur, "I did it… I did it… I did it! Now I don't have to go to the front lines! I did it…"
…That must have been her real intention…
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