25 Blockage, Refusal
"Wha— why is an ASID unit... inside the immigrant vessel?"
A presence never seen under normal circumstances now stands several blocks away in the urban sprawl.
Emissa's expression flickers— somewhere between a laugh and a sob, twisted with strain.
It's an obvious truth, in a way.
She knows, in theory, that the immigrant fleet is under constant assault by ASID units.
Emissa herself fled during the humanoid attack eight years prior, and knows firsthand what it means to be breached.
Yet even so.
There was always a sense that it was something unrelated to her own life.
She never truly registered that her neighbors were fighting just beyond a single wall.
Thus, the sudden intrusion of the extraordinary into the ordinary leaves her mind unprepared.
The same holds true for Jin.
He does not open his mouth, but internally, there is no difference.
Only panic— mind going blank— unable to act.
(That’s trouble.)
Panic is the antithesis of composure, by definition.
The actions of a person in that state are unpredictable.
May thinks she must calm down first—but cannot deny her own slight agitation.
Five years as an Instructor.
She has not, like some demon Instructor, ventured to the battlefield once a month.
She has been purely a rear-echelon specialist.
Even the scent of actual combat—blood and iron—has not reached her since eight years ago.
Still, as the eldest here, she begins to speak.
“Alright.”
Mio’s single word halts her.
Mio speaks with her usual tone, gripping Emissa’s and Ya’s hands.
“Sound’s far enough away—we can evacuate in time… right?”
“Are you asking me?”
Hoshino gave a faint smile, despite the uncertainty in his voice, and nodded.
"There's a shelter at the edge of this block. If we reach it, we'll be safe."
Speaking as he said this, Hoshino lifted Junpei and stepped forward alone.
"That's why we must evacuate calmly."
"Mio… you."
Emissa murmured, her voice edged with surprise.
"Always so confused—whether you're a fool or something greater. But you're the real thing, aren't you?"
"Emissa, that's harsh."
"Sorry, Mio-chan… I thought the same."
"Ya too!"
Seeing Mio's indignation, the two calmed slightly. The absurdity of the moment had given them a fragile sense of normalcy.
"Alright, East Valley. Guide us to the shelter."
"No need to tell me—I’d do it anyway… but I still don’t buy it."
Muttering under his breath, East Valley broke into a sprint toward the shelter.
Despite carrying a child, her stride remained steady.
The three girls glanced at one another, reassessing her—then followed in her wake.
"Come to think of it, my instructor said something similar... 'That one's either a prodigy or a complete fool.'"
A remark from the instructor during their training days, now fully understood by May.
Undoubtedly, a prodigy.
Remaining calm in such a battlefield was extraordinary.
Yet, upon reflection—
the events that had drawn Mio into this situation were denser than any military operation.
Given that, this level of strain might still be within tolerance.
"Hmm... future sister-in-law candidate is quite formidable."
Keeping pace with the rear of the teenage group, May broke into a run toward the shelter.
A brief glance over her shoulder.
Dust from the explosion was slowly, but steadily, approaching.
Not a good sign, May thought.
At this pace, reaching the shelter will be quicker than staying here...
"Perhaps we should hurry a little more."
Above all, no alarm has sounded despite this level of crisis.
Even if this were a simple accident, some kind of announcement should have come by now.
The situation must be this chaotic.
Or perhaps the information is being blocked somewhere.
...Maybe I'm overthinking it.
May mutters, then breaks into a run.
First, secure safety.
The crowd flows toward the shelter.
Shu parts through the mass, avoiding being swept along.
"Everyone alright?"
"Hand in hand—we're fine!"
Mio answers, gripping the other’s hand so tightly that marks remain.
Separation in this chaos would make reuniting difficult.
"Shu. No concern for your sister, the beauty?"
She can manage on her own just fine!
Cold-hearted… that’s what you are…
The shelter was drawing near, giving May the luxury to make such a remark.
Slowly, but surely, the entrance to the shelter came into view—
What?
The door’s lamp switched from green to red.
Is the shelter locked?
Two conditions trigger a shelter lock.
One: the shelter reaches full capacity.
Two: the shelter is destroyed.
Neither scenario seems likely.
The guards who initiated evacuation immediately after the disturbance arrived at the shelter at an early stage.
The city’s shelter can accommodate nearly ten thousand people.
It’s too soon to be full.
The other possibility—destruction of the alternate shelter—is even less plausible.
It’s not fragile enough to be destroyed in such a short time.
Then it must be a malfunction.
But the shelter is the last lifeline.
It should not be so easily prone to malfunction.
"…Let’s head to the shelter one block ahead."
May said.
If it’s going to move, now is the only chance.
Everyone is moving toward the nearest shelter.
But the flow has been blocked now. Soon they will be surrounded, trapped in a crowd.
Before that happens, break away from the mass and move toward the shelter in the adjacent block.
A brief glance over the shoulder.
The path of the dust remains unchanged.
And if someone notices—panic could erupt at any moment.
Once that happens, there will be no escape.
The chaotic flow of people will be no different from the disaster itself.
"Jin. Lead the way. Mio and the others follow closely."
"...Got it, sister."
May allowed herself to think, for now, that the absence of alarms was a blessing.
If they had sounded…
Even if non-duty personnel were summoned.
May would have to leave her son and her brothers-in-law behind.
That much was still preferable to the worst case.
As the six of them began moving in a line—then the flow of people resumed.
“Huh?”
“Sister. Looks like the lock has been released.”
The shelter had reopened, and the crowd began moving again.
Probably just a malfunction, she thought.
She stepped back into the flow, heading toward the shelter.
At roughly the same distance as before, it locked again.
“…No way.”
A single, unpleasant thought flickered through her mind.
She couldn’t explain why.
But this felt like—
(We’re being locked out when we get close?)
That couldn’t be possible.
She knew it couldn’t be.
But if it were…
May realized, with a cold certainty, that they themselves might be the obstacle preventing everyone else from evacuating.
“...We should head to the adjacent block, then.”
There is no time to narrow down who might be responsible.
They must leave this place first. If they vanish, evacuation should be possible before the ASID arrives.
Six of them move together, pushing against the flow of people toward the neighboring block.
They receive blatant looks of annoyance and muttered complaints, but Juu cuts through the crowd with one hand while holding Junpei in the other.
The people behind them find it easier to move.
May walks, checking each person’s position to stay aligned.
“Mio, are you alright?”
What caught her attention was Mio’s pallor.
Though she had been the most composed, May noticed her complexion growing increasingly pale.
“I’m fine… just a little dizzy from the crowd.”
“Understandable. I’ve never seen so many people packed so tightly either.”
Keep pushing, Mio. Almost through the crowd now.
Ya and Emisa encourage Mio, as if in return for her earlier support.
As Emisa had said, Shu had finally broken through the crowd.
The three of them leap out after, May following closely.
We could use a break, but let's move on.
The five others set off, leaving behind Junpei, who was carried.
Good thing I didn’t wear heels today…
"Running shoes would have been better."
Mio-chan, early... early, you are.
The shelter next to theirs appeared to have mostly completed evacuation.
Running toward the entrance of the desolate shelter—once again blocked by the red lamp.