28 Successor 2

Drifting.

Unable to leave the migrant fleet.

Unable to return.

Mio was, quite literally, lost.

Where should she go? No one answers her silent question.

Above all, Mio does not know what she herself desires.

Her wish remains unchanged.

Yet she knows, with painful clarity, that it can no longer be fulfilled.

If Mio returns to the fleet now, accompanied by Mio, she will be surrounded by the first division within moments.

She has become such a presence… realizing that fact, she can no longer fulfill that wish.

Destroy Mio utterly, and bury herself as if nothing had happened.

Even that, Mio understands clearly, is impossible.

As a consciousness, the subject remains with Mio.

But as a lifeform, Mio is still the primary body.

If Mio’s physical form vanishes, the consciousness known as Mio will cease to exist.

For Mio, it is equivalent to death.

Conversely, it is Mio’s presence that maintains Mio’s physical form.

The nanomachines held by ASID.

The simulated human body constructed from them.

The movement at the cellular level is sustained by the robust computation inherent to the original body.

Thus, if Mio is lost, Mio cannot survive beyond three days.

The失控 nanomachines will cease to promote normal cell division, and the body will disintegrate.

……Wait?

Mio suddenly realized.

Even if aboard the same convoy, separation by several light-years would inevitably render Mio’s body uncontrollable.

Yet, when she accidentally joined the long-range training expedition eight years ago—

why had nothing happened then?

Not even a memory of physical deterioration, let alone illness.

Then perhaps her current intuition is mistaken.

Or perhaps—

“Were you carried by someone else?”

It was strange to speak to oneself in this body, yet Mio said it to Mio.

At the time, this body was in stasis—unable to perceive its surroundings—so she did not expect an answer.

Then who had carried her? For what purpose?

A sensation like being moved to an unknown place while asleep—no, that was precisely what had happened—and Mio shuddered.

The faint, girlish sense of danger she felt confirmed she was, even now, slightly off-kilter.

Mio’s question came swiftly from the answer.

“…Ship.”

It was invisible.

Yet her sensors confirmed its presence.

An unseen warship stood there.

Mio hesitated.

It must have come to destroy her.

Flee.

But where?

As long as she remained within this fleet’s vicinity, the enemy would never lose her.

Fight.

The power is here. She managed to fight before, driven by instinct alone.

She could do it again.

But Mio understood this also meant taking a life.

She did not want to kill. That was her thought.

Thus, in the end, Mio could not decide.

Could she live as a human? Or as something not human?

While Mio hesitated, the opponent moved.

Mio sensed a disturbance—something unseen, stirring.

No sound reached her through the vacuum. Only a surge in radio transmissions.

For precise, error-free communication, etheric transmission dominated. But for short distances—within the same fleet, within a vessel—radio waves were simpler.

Therefore, the unseen battleship was actively exchanging signals.

Amid Mio’s unease, one assault frame emerged slowly.

"Not your father's..."

The only units Mio had ever seen were Jin's Raven and the Leopard. This, then, was an unfamiliar machine—the Gryphon.

No visible armaments appeared to be mounted.

"Definitely dangerous... "

Mio recalled a story she once heard from Shirley, her body trembling.

A machine piloted by members of the Second Fleet's cybernetic combat unit—individuals who had改造ed their own bodies to pursue strength above all else.

The description carried a sense of human malice, yet it aligned closely enough in substance to be accurate.

She considered fleeing again.

She had fought earlier to protect the others, but now, alone, escape would be the better choice.

How fast she could move remained uncertain, but one thing was certain—she could outrun the machine before her.

She felt the furnace deep within her abdomen.

As she attempted to channel that rising energy into force, she noticed something floating toward her—light and drifting.

What if it’s a bomb…

But upon closer inspection, it was something familiar—her mobile phone.

She instinctively caught it, then gently brought it to Mio’s hand.

Mio stared, stunned. It was truly a mobile phone.

A foolish thought surfaced—was this within range?

She lifted it, examining it closely. It was still just a mobile phone, no matter how many times she looked. Yet how had it ended up here? Something not meant to drift in space.

Could it be?

She glanced briefly at the griffin. It was gesturing—fingers mimicking the motion of manipulating a phone.

Probably meant to use it, she thought. She powered it on. A chat app notification flashed.

‘Is this Mio? This is Chi.’

Mio’s breath hitches at the name displayed.

Before she can respond, the chat app flashes another notification.

‘We understand Mio’s current state. Come aboard our vessel. We will not harm you.’

Understanding her current state. Still, an invitation to come aboard.

That—was utterly irresistible to Mio right now.

Just when she had believed no place remained where she could return.

Too sweet an offer to resist.

‘Yes.’

Short. But a clear affirmation.

The approaching griffin gently takes Mio’s hand and leads her forward.

That alone was unbearably precious to Mio.

Docked, Mio lies down in the assault frame hangar as guided.

With Mio still on her shoulder, the griffin floats freely in zero gravity, leaping to the catwalk.

‘Mio-chan.’

‘Chi… san…’

She was neither particularly fond of nor averse to him, but meeting under these circumstances was, nonetheless, a relief.

Mio quietly resolves to be gentler.

"Are you alright?"

The concern in the words stirs something within her.

She sniffs, tries to appear strong.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Then she suddenly feels uncertain.

He said he understood the situation, but just how much did he really comprehend?

No—why was this ship even here in the first place?

Her unease must be showing. Chi nods once.

"That's something you should ask our leader—more precisely, our instructor... Anyway, it'd be best to hear it from him."

" Him?"

"Harold Byron. He's the one who conceived the Laitera Project."

The name rings a bell. Yes—she recalls now. That was in elementary school, first grade. She remembers hearing a lecture at her school.

Not only that—she must have spoken to him directly.

"Over here. Come along."

Following Chi’s lead, Mio kept pace without delay.

The ship reminded her of a cruiser she’d boarded once before. She recalled asking Chi about the vessel’s class once—though she couldn’t remember clearly.

Probably asleep at the time, she concluded.

"Captain Byron. Lieutenant Kusunoki reporting. I’ve brought Lieutenant Tōgō Mio."

"Ah. Thank you. Come in."

Stepping inside, Mio confirmed without doubt that she’d met this man before. That pink hair was unmistakable.

Older than eight years prior, but the face matched what her memory would look like if aged by eight years.

And the sentiment seemed mutual.

"Haruka Mio... so, it was you. I see now why I thought it logical to ask such a thing."

"Did you know her?"

"Not enough to call it acquaintance. When was it... I gave a lecture with the Third Fleet. About eight years ago."

"Yes, that's right."

Nods awkwardly. Can't be overly friendly to an adult they've barely met.

Back then, when younger, they might have approached more freely.

Besides, Mio had reason to be wary of Harold.

"The topic that day was essentially the theory that sparked the Laitera Project. She asked a question during the final Q&A."

"...Can humans and ASID coexist?"

"Yes, that was it. I thought she was unique. That's why I remember."

"You said then: 'Regrettable, but it's impossible.'"

Steps back a pace.

Chi said, understanding the situation.

If that’s the case.

This group, where Harold holds the top position—

might regard ASID as an intruder and exclude it.

Still, in terms of danger, this level does not qualify as significant.

After all, if necessary, Mio could be unleashed. A breakout route could be forced open by force.

That thought eased his mind slightly.

"There was one phrase you should have added. At this stage, that is."

Mio recalled that was indeed true.

"Finally, we meet. Vessel of the sovereign soul. Successor to the queen."