13 Right hand, handshake

"Don't bully my dad!"

"...Huh?"

In the cafeteria, air frozen in place, one figure moved.

Mio charged the woman who had slapped Jin's cheek.

The female officer, bewildered by the slight push from the girl, hesitated.

"Why, sister—"

"What are you doing, idiot!"

"Come here!"

A moment of paralysis.

Immediately, two Second Fleet soldiers behind her seized the officer who had slapped Jin and dragged her away.

In her place, one figure stepped forward.

"My subordinate caused an offense, Lieutenant Higashi."

Jin replied, slightly dazed.

"I would like to formally apologize, including for the previous incident..."

"No need. I appreciate your consideration, Major."

Rank insignia is uniform across the entire fleet.

Given that, the lieutenant colonel speaking before him now is the one offering apologies.

By inference, the active unit of the Second Fleet deployment force. Likely its commander.

Recalling the voice, Jin remembered hearing it during the cocoon incident long ago.

"But I am not in a position to accept this. Please direct your request to the proper place, to the proper party."

Implied, Jin politely but firmly tells the other: do not resolve this here.

The female officer, accompanied by other officers who had not brought her in, respond with ill will.

Jin thought, familiar.

Since becoming an instructor, such hostility had mostly ceased. But before, it had been common.

He offers a small smile at the edges of his mouth, deflecting it effortlessly.

"Understood... I acknowledge. I will certainly do so soon."

This incident, and the previous one.

Both sides bear responsibility—Second Fleet, as well as Third Fleet.

Whether that becomes a diplomatic asset is irrelevant to Jin.

His gaze, however, was drawn to the female officer behind him.

"Again, Lieutenant Paul Grayce, Second Fleet. I’ve come for the technical exchange coordination between Second Fleet and Third Fleet… no objection, I hope?"

A calm voice.

So flat it seemed impossible he had just caused a disturbance through his subordinate.

Jin felt unease at the tone.

He did not expect panic.

Yet something.

Excessively detached.

As if the events before him held no interest.

"Technical exchange…?"

Jin raised his voice, skeptical.

He had never heard of such a matter. Nor did he understand why it would occur at a training facility.

Grayce answered before he could ask further.

"Ah. The Third Fleet’s combat strength—significantly reduced by the recent humanoid assault. They’re being supported by the cadets who will soon be commissioned. The intention seems to be to give them intensive experience through close observation..."

"I see."

The logic holds.

It holds, yet an unease persists.

Why would the Second Fleet’s elite be dispatched specifically for this training? A doubt lingers.

Yet as an Instructor, it is undeniably advantageous.

Regardless of form, to witness the movements of the finest unit across the entire fleet—up close—is unparalleled experience.

"Trouble, Lieutenant! You can’t just move about freely from room to room!"

"Apologies, Second Lieutenant. I couldn’t help it—this training facility reminds me of home."

Seeing his fellow Instructor rushing in, Jin finally understood.

He wondered why such a person with no connection to this place was here, but apparently they had been wandering freely.

A gentlemanly demeanor, yet utterly unbothered by others.

"Until next time, Lieutenant Higashi."

Grace departed the mess hall.

In the mess hall, finally regaining sound, Jake brought a chilled hand towel.

Shirley took it and cooled Jin's cheek.

"Seriously... what was that about?"

"A misfortune, Lieutenant."

Neither of them acknowledged the female officer who had slapped Jin.

Their discretion was appreciated.

Yet some were incapable of such restraint.

"Ugh... what is that woman even supposed to be?"

Mio was furious.

Calling someone barely older than the trainees here "aunt" instead of "sister" showed how deeply offended she was.

"...She's my stepsister," Jin said.

More accurately—she was the one who was supposed to become that.

The last time they met was two years ago.

They had not seen each other since.

“So, you became a soldier…”

The words escaped Jin’s lips.

He hadn’t wanted her to.

But he’d always known she would.

If he were in her place, he’d do the same.

That was how much alike they were.

◆ ◆ ◆

“Joint simulation with the Second Fleet’s units—combat against ASID?”

“That’s right. The scenario follows the previous humanoid attack.”

The next day.

Jin and the others rushed to prepare for the large-scale simulation exercise after being informed of the revised lecture curriculum.

Their instructor read through the announced exercise content with quiet detachment.

"Participating units will include half of the Second Fleet's deployed forces, second- to fourth-year trainees, and multiple regular infantry units."

"Total participation will be nine hundred personnel. Quite a substantial number."

"The number of mechs will be adjusted accordingly."

With that many personnel, the training academy's simulators alone will be insufficient.

The exercise will likely be distributed across each ship's respective base.

"Good news: all these costs are being covered by the Second Fleet."

"Huh."

That's genuinely good news... but it's hard to admit it openly.

On the contrary, judging by the circumstances, one might even call it ruthless.

"Are they trying to show off, implying they could handle mechs just by being present?"

"Or perhaps using that as leverage for some kind of negotiation... Either way, it stinks of politics."

"Actually, I really hate that kind of smell."

"Oddly enough, I feel the same, Tōgō. Me too."

Armed conflict between convoys is prohibited by the Convoy Charter.

Yet beneath the surface, such posturing is commonplace.

Each immigrant convoy is an independent faction.

When they gather, such tedious exchanges are inevitable.

"Damn it... preying on someone weakened like that..."

"Perhaps precisely because they are weak,"

Either way, it's no good.

"Then, I have a message for you, Tōgō."

"A message?"

"Yes. I'm delivering it: 'This assumes the presence of the Cyber Squad, but also assumes you are there. Make sure you expose them.' That's what it says."

"Captain..."

Even if he had been present at that time, Jin himself believes he would have charged in first—then never returned.

Thanks to being held in reserve, Jin was able to respond immediately to the Black Knight's assault.

There is nothing to question about Lieutenant's judgment.

"Still, it does seem somewhat interesting... It'll serve as training when they return."

"True. We don't know why they came, so they might come again."

No signs of them now, but preparedness is essential.

"Still, it's sudden, isn't it?"

"Absolutely! Another curriculum change! There's a field exercise coming, and so much to do before then—it's quite the burden."

"Really... What are they thinking about one week from now?"

The pace is too fast.

(…Could this be related?)

The secret meeting with Shirley the other day.

Jake was asked to assist, but no substantial information was obtained.

Perhaps because of that, Jin kept suspecting connections, but he shook his head—this was likely overthinking.

If one suspects everything, everything starts to seem suspicious.

He might miss what truly matters if he lets suspicion cloud his judgment.

"So you're preparing the simulator right now?"

"Yeah. Probably the technicians are grumbling as they adjust things at this hour."

"Ah, that sounds about right..."

Sharon didn't seem likely to conduct any investigation for a while.

Instead, she pressed a hand to her still-painful cheek, thinking.

"Hey, Instructor."

"You're an Instructor yourself, aren't you...? What is it?"

"You interviewed candidates for the training academy, right?"

"Yeah. I didn't handle Tōgō, though."

"Yes. Someone else did. Do you remember what motivation was most common?"

She tilted her head, expression puzzled.

"Mostly, they said it was to protect the convoy. Whether they meant it or were just giving the expected answer... that's hard to say."

"Revenge... was that one of them?"

"Of course it was."

Her former teacher replied, as if it were nothing.

"About ten or twenty percent, maybe."

"Is that so..."

What Jin had wanted to ask with that question.

He himself could not clearly say.

Only that he was wondering—what his义妹, colored by that very motive, was thinking now as she continued as a soldier.

That was what occupied his mind.