25 Marriage is

Mio tilts her head. "What is marriage?"

Sharon stands motionless, vacant.

Useless. No support will come from these two. Jin is forced to handle this sudden remark alone.

"Why bring this up all of a sudden?"

"I've been thinking. Mio wants to eat my meals. But she doesn't want to leave me. Wouldn't this be a perfect compromise?"

"That's a compromise between you and Mio. My will isn't included at all. In fact—"

He glares.

"Did you hear what that person just said?"

Only minutes ago, Jin had declared that he still loved Chi, the deceased sister of the one who had spoken.

Now, this talk of marriage—completely incomprehensible.

"I heard. And if I'm loved more than her sister, that should be enough, right?"

"Damn. That's how you take it."

The sheer lack of awareness. Too much.

"Besides, what matters is the will of the parties involved."

"Strange. The party should be me, right?"

Why is the conversation about marriage progressing only between those who eat and those who cook?

"Frankly, from a purely practical standpoint, it's not a bad arrangement."

"Still, I don't want to marry for practicality alone..."

Jin reluctantly concedes.

He doesn’t intend to marry himself, but hypothetically, Chi isn’t a poor match.

Just overly stubborn, with a tendency toward passion—fighting her would mean certain defeat, her cybernetic strength overwhelming any resistance.

Altogether, rather imposing for the average person.

"She’s not unattractive, reminds me of her sister. I’m confident in my cooking. And though she appears reserved, she’s devoted. Most importantly, she’s young."

Sharon had taken heavy damage at the end. A phrase that probably resonated with someone in their late twenties, unmarried.

"The second-to-last one was a lie, wasn’t it?"

"Hey, what basis do you have for saying that?"

"Then what basis do you have for claiming you're the type to give yourself completely...?"

"Admittedly, I’m stubborn. Once I commit, I’ll be utterly devoted."

Sharon murmured faintly beside him, "Yandere..." Jin didn’t understand the meaning, but he guessed it referred to Chi, most likely.

"Daddy, daddy. What’s marriage? Is it getting a lot of food?"

"That’s not quite the same thing... Marriage is when two people who like each other stay together forever."

"Forever?"

"Yes, forever."

"Ooh. Then Mio, I’m marrying daddy!"

A moment—no, Jin is quite pleased. To be cherished so deeply feels like validation after half a year of existence.

Nothing compares to Chi’s careless words.

But regretfully.

“Mio, family ties don’t count as marriage.”

“Oh, that’s a pity.”

That is the case.

“Damn it, making out right before my eyes… So what now? Shōgō Jin.”

“Actually, thinking there’s a chance is the strange part… It’s decided. It has to be refused.”

He doesn’t even understand what he’s thinking. Just like with Rei—only moments ago, he declared open hostility.

Not even pushing him away shows how soft he’s become, Jin realizes.

“Ah, that’s too bad.”

“That’s not the point! I—well, marriage? You can’t just say that so casually!”

Sharon rebooted.

“No, I was just thinking—getting married once might not be such a bad idea.”

“Marriage isn’t something you toss around casually! It’s a lifelong commitment! You have to think about it more seriously!”

“But then again, if I keep hesitating, I might miss the chance. If it doesn’t work out, then it doesn’t work out. We’ll deal with it when it comes.”

Shirley collapsed without a sound.

Unexpected. Jin watches his ex with a faint, uneasy expression—she really did care about her marriageable age…

This was no easy matter for Jin.

Yet Chi’s mindset was, as always, utterly fleeting. No thought for consequences.

As much as it pains me to say it, Jin thought Ling had been a notably conservative person.

Even though he’d spoken with Ling’s mother only a few times, she had struck him as a steady, practical woman.

Could a daughter raised by such parents truly live so impulsively?

A faint sense of dissonance.

A conviction felt from the earlier conversation. It did not align with Chi’s current words and actions.

“Sharon, you want to get married?”

“…Well, at least on par with others.”

“Mio has a great idea.”

Mio announced her grand revelation with her usual relaxed expression.

“I think Papa and Sharon should get married.”

She wore the look of someone who’d just said something brilliant.

“Marry the Lieutenant… not Sharon, but Château? Shaw…? No. Mio-chan, I’m sorry. The Lieutenant… Jin is a bit—”

Corrected after being glared at by Mio for calling her “Lieutenant.”

“Besides, I’m not qualified to judge human relationships…”

“Sharon-sama. Perhaps you should reflect on how inappropriate it is to expose your peculiarities in front of a child?”

“Peculiarities?”

“You’re the one who’s deeply unbalanced—perhaps you should realize that yourself!”

Mio was trying to memorize a strange phrase.

"Sharon, do you hate Father?"

"No, I don't hate him... I don't hate him, but..."

A look devoid of clarity reflected Sharon's inner turmoil. The relationship had become too complicated to be reduced to simple likes and dislikes.

"I can be Jin's lover, but I can't be his wife."

A line once spoken resurfaces in memory.

That was the essence of it. Jin and Sharon sought different things.

That was all.

"Mio. Marriage is actually quite complicated."

"Really?"

"Yeah. You don't understand until you grow up."

"Adults are tough..."

Mio's quiet, sincere tone was oddly amusing.

"Well then. What about you, Higashi Jin?"

"I'd like to see the face of someone who'd propose marriage right now."

Jin didn't even bother to point out how absurd that was.

"Too bad."

Saying it with no trace of regret, he began clearing the used dishes.

"Cleaning up! I can handle the dishes if you like!"

"Is that so? Then I’ll leave it to Sharon."

He handed the task to Shirley, who insisted with unusual urgency.

As they spoke, the time grew favorable.

Mio was cleaned by nanomachines and changed into nightwear.

"What is this nightwear! It’s see-through! Absolutely unacceptable! Rejected!"

"Why am I receiving a critique on nightwear from Sharon?"

Behind her, Shirley was sorting through the garments. Apparently, anything inappropriate was unacceptable.

"Lieutenant, please be careful. It might be a honey trap."

"Ah... I hadn’t considered that possibility until now."

In truth, he didn’t see himself as a target at all. A stranger might have a better chance.

"Damn, you've already gotten deep into the wiring."

"You're exhausted. You might have a fever."

"I'm perfectly healthy."

Sharon was unusually erratic today.

"But please, be careful."

"That's not what I meant by honey trap—"

"No, not that. I mean, don't let her break your bones while she's half-awake."

"Got it."

A cybernetic arm could snap a bone with ease. Normally the limiter is engaged, but waking moments might be dangerous.

...Thinking about it, she must have held back significantly during the slap.

"Keep your distance in the mornings."

"I recommend it. Or perhaps prepare restraints designed for cybernetics..."

"Those aren't exactly easy to get in the Third Fleet."

Apparently easy to buy in the Second Fleet—another reminder of the cultural divide.

"Then, Lieutenant. See you tomorrow. We should start planning the expedition drill soon."

"Right... We need to secure the Leopard's orbit package before long."

The expedition drill, a major event scheduled for late summer, was approaching.

Preparations could no longer be delayed.

"Then good night."

"Ah. Good night."

He would normally see her off, but he didn't want to leave Chi unattended now.

At the doorway, he watched her go, then returned to his room.

"Interesting. The Third Fleet holds its expedition drill at this time of year."

"Stop eavesdropping."

"I couldn't help it. You can close your eyes, but you can't block your ears."

Chi calmly stated the content of her conversation with Shirley, and replied without shame.

"Thinking back, it was quite an enjoyable event."

"True. It was demanding, but memorable."

Expedition training, as the name suggests. Training for expedition.

For the migrant fleet, expedition carries profound significance.

Exploring planets capable of resource extraction.

It is an indispensable lifeline for the continuation of the migrant fleet's journey.

Even with a fully closed-loop arcology, combat with ASID ensures material consumption cannot be avoided.

The sole method capable of reversing an inevitable demise.

If half the purpose of the Defense Force lies in protecting the migrant fleet, the other half is expedition.

Thus, at the training academy, such training occupies three years of rigorous instruction.

All cadets except first-years participate.

"Alright, I'll leave Mio-chan to you."

"I'd never rely on you—absolutely not."