24 Autumn of the Third Fleet

September arrived.

The summer of countless events had passed, and once again, the usual calm returned.

Yes, calm.

As if the past had been a lie, peaceful days flowed by.

Just as Jin’s concerns had been nothing more than concerns.

On a certain weekend that week.

Jin finally fulfilled one of his promises to Mio.

"Marine park!"

"Wait, don’t run, Mio."

"I know!"

She said it, but without Jin holding her left hand, she’d have dashed off in an instant.

He’d known they’d resumed contact not long ago, but had kept missing the chance to come here.

It had taken half a year.

Jin himself hadn’t been here in a long time.

Together with Mio, side by side, enjoying it.

A large-scale facility using half of the ship’s resources.

They said it would take three days to see everything.

Without predefining the route, they’ll just wander and end up nowhere.

“Sharon could’ve come too….”

“She’s busy in her own way.”

After all, the training school’s Leopard units had just returned from full overhaul.

They’re said to be swamped with maintenance.

Her face, exhausted, nearly broke into tears as she declined Mio’s invitation.

She wanted to help—but Jin was no expert in this matter.

“Papa, look! Tuna! So big!”

“Really big…”

It’s astonishing to think such creatures existed in the mother planet’s seas.

What surprised Jin most was learning that tuna were edible.

He tilted his head, wondering how one would eat it.

“Whales are big, huh…”

“Even bigger than tuna.”

Honestly, more terrifying than a poorly functioning ASID.

That’s what Jin thought.

Though mammalian in nature, the scale difference was so extreme it evoked fear.

"Pyaa……"

"Daiou Ika… If you get caught in its tentacles, it's over."

"Don't say something scary."

Ten legs. To Jin, that was more terrifying than a malfunctioning ASID.

He even felt that these creatures should just be used in combat against ASIDs.

Mio was thoroughly frightened by the creature's grotesque form and sheer size.

"Mio, you can't be friends with a Daiou Ika…"

"It's fine. I'm sure I won't be able to either."

Mio had been deeply traumatized by this.

Now, Jin decided to take her somewhere a little cuter—straight to the main attraction.

"Penguin! Aaaah!"

"Mio, be quiet."

Jin chuckled, holding back Mio’s overexcited energy.

Honestly, he’d expected this outcome.

The penguin enclosure, nearly two hundred strong.

Mio, who adored penguins, couldn’t possibly stay calm.

Watching Mio's exhilaration, Jin felt relief.

She’d seemed a little off lately—worried about it.

Timing-wise, it was after the expedition training… after Shu got seriously injured.

After she nearly died shielding Mio.

At first, Jin thought she might be troubled by that, but it didn’t seem to be the case.

She’d just say nothing at all, and that silence only deepened her sense of helplessness.

It might just be Jin’s own imagination—perhaps nothing was wrong at all—but still, he couldn’t shake it.

So he brought her here to cheer her up.

But this flock of penguins.

Upon closer look, there was clearly a leader.

A larger penguin walked among the others, guiding them.

“Hmph. That one’s acting high and mighty.”

“Must be the boss.”

“Ooh. The king.”

Yes, Jin called out to Mio, who was intently watching the penguin.

“Mio, look this way.”

“What is it?”

He cut off her field of view the moment she turned.

“What did you do?”

"Viewscreen screenshot"

The Third Fleet injected nanomachines into the body to enable simulated displays and other visual effects.

Conversely, it was also possible to directly record the scene currently visible in the field of view.

A feature not typically used, but Jin had been doing this frequently since recently deciding to preserve photographs.

It was the first time Mio had noticed.

"I'll show you all the photos I've taken so far later."

"Oh? I want to see!"

Seeing Mio’s pleased expression, Jin thought again that coming here had been worth it.

At lunchtime, they went to the restaurant attached to the aquarium... apparently, some of the creatures seen aboard this vessel could actually be eaten.

While Jin ordered a tuna bowl, Mio nibbled on grilled squid.

"Octopus, delicious."

"Guess I never really got used to friends eating like this."

"There are probably lots of places to eat here. All of them look tasty."

Jin was impressed by Mio, clinging to the mysterious creature with such determination.

Indeed, this one seemed significant—Jin could not help but think.

They continued to observe various lifeforms.

Some had been captured from distant planets, with creatures possessing more than ten limbs, reminding them of the vastness of space.

Walking through the exhibits, they realized it had grown evening.

"Jin, we should head back soon."

"Mmm... just a little longer."

"No. You're clearly tired."

Mio's eyes were heavy, her face slack with fatigue.

She had been walking since morning.

"Mmm..."

"Come back anytime. We'll see what you missed next time."

"Uh-huh..."

Jin took Mio's hand, gently guiding her toward the exit.

There, the final gate stood imposingly before them.

They reached the souvenir section.

"Look, Mio. Let's get something to remember today by?"

"Okay?"

"Yeah. Fine."

Saying that, Mio’s eyes regained their luster as she began inspecting the items.

Numerous stuffed animals she favored lined the shelves. Jin expected her to head that way—but—

"Otōsan, what’s this?"

"This? Ah. A keychain."

"What’s that?"

A row of keychains stood in neat排列.

Jin thought it was true—these were unlikely to be seen in daily life.

"Hmm. Yeah. Something you attach to a key... though Third Fleet probably doesn’t use them much."

Biometric authentication was standard. Home locks were activated via palm scan—rarely needed otherwise.

Second Fleet still used physical keys, so there was demand—but Third Fleet seemed to find them unpopular.

Many remained unsold.

"Like house keys?"

"Yeah."

"This one’s good."

Mio picked up the penguin-shaped keychain.

"Are you sure? There are plenty of stuffed animals over there."

"No. This one’s good. I’ll attach it to my house key."

Even so, Jin’s home used biometric authentication.

There was, technically, a physical key as well—though it wasn’t necessary.

Still, Jin thought, it didn’t matter.

There was no reason to stop Mio from getting what she wanted.

"Then I’ll take this one."

"Yeah! Don’t forget to attach it when you get home."

"Got it. Be careful not to lose it?"

"I won’t lose it—ever!"

Jin considered adding a string so she could hang it around her neck.

That way, she’d never lose it so easily.

Holding the penguin keychain, Mio smiled faintly.

Seeing her so happy made Jin happy too.

—Jin didn’t realize.

How much joy this small gift brought to Mio.

Walking home, hand in hand.

"Did you have fun?"

"Yeah…"

Still speaking, Mio rubbed her heavy eyelids.

Jin lifted her into his arms.

"You can sleep until we get home. I'll carry you."

"Uh... I'll do that..."

With her face pressed against him, Mio fell asleep, her expression calm and at ease.

Jin compared her weight to six months ago—slightly heavier.

She had grown taller.

Her weight had increased accordingly.

Mio was six, nearing seven in a few months.

"Seemed to pass in an instant... yet it didn't."

At least, that was how it felt for Jin himself—full of trouble, more than once.

Even without the troubles, it had been a year of constant change.

And at the center of it all, without question, was Mio.

"...Where did you come from, anyway?"

Jin felt a flicker of fear.

Mio had appeared suddenly, out of nowhere.

So, conversely—

might she disappear just as suddenly?

He tightened his grip around her.

If Mio vanished all at once.

He would search with every means available.

But if, even then, she could not be found—

What would become of him?

Hypothetical.

Still, the thought lingers.

So deeply does Mio’s presence etch into Jin, that the very idea provokes fear.

“Alone, aren’t you? Mio?”

Knowing she sleeps, Jin speaks.

“Are you alright now? Not feeling alone?”

Something about the atmosphere lately reminded him of when they first met.

“I’m here.”

Mio is not alone.

Jin shows this through action.

Holding her as if cradling a treasure.

Just slightly, to make the feeling reach her.

To keep her from vanishing somewhere else.