08 The Night Before the Final Battle 1
Jin's report on Harold's target coordinates—information indicating that Harold was aiming for the home planet—had indeed sparked various opinions.
Yet it remained a fact that Harold's fleet—the fleet linked to Harold, dubbed the Harold Fleet for lack of a better name to distinguish it from the Second Fleet—was not heading toward the Second Fleet.
Likely, it had split off from a unit unaware of the Laitera Project and begun operating independently.
At the end of its final course—there was, indeed, a home planet.
Simultaneously, the Second Fleet issued a series of statements asserting that the sequence of events stemmed solely from Harold Byron's unilateral decisions, a partial malfunction.
"This is all about pinning everything on Harold's brother, isn't it?"
Sharon said, after reading the statement and viewing the press release from BW Corporation, her family's company.
The location was the officer's quarters assigned to Jin within the 'Gay Bolk'.
Sergeant Sharon, occupying a shared room, was unsuitable for private conversation.
A break spent brewing coffee from supplies delivered recently.
The two had displayed the latest press release on their individual virtual displays, compiling the publicly disclosed information.
"If it fails, shift all blame to Harold Byron. If it succeeds, rewrite the past and make it never have happened."
"Either way, your brother likely knew failure meant no second chance. He might have even said he'd take full responsibility."
Harold Byron had conspired in rebellion.
That was all the public information revealed.
No rumors circulated about temporal leaps.
Only the involved parties and a select few in the Defense Force were aware.
"Look at our stock prices. First time seeing such a drop."
"Ugh... brutal descent."
"If this continues, we'll burn up upon atmospheric re-entry."
Shutting down all information displayed on the virtual screen with a joke only pilots and mechanics would understand.
"Chi was transported to Hospital One. He regained consciousness briefly... but is now unconscious again, in critical condition."
"I see. I wanted to speak with the pilot... regrettable."
Shirley had intended to consult the pilot's opinion while modifying the transport model Griffin into the standard model, using parts salvaged from Chi's Griffin.
Naturally, that meant relying on Chi himself—but with his consciousness uncertain, that was not an option.
"...Hey, Shirley."
"What is it?"
"Suppose, just suppose, that you and I got married."
"Finally showing interest?"
"No, not yet. Just suppose. Suppose."
She punched him in the body without a word.
It hurt quite a bit.
"So... suppose... we... get married. What then?"
“Ugh… what if you died just before that?”
“What kind of ill omen is that!?”
“Hypothetically! I said hypothetically!”
Jin thought, honestly, no one was better suited than Shirley to hear this, yet no one less suited either.
Still, there was no choice. No one else could offer a proper response to such a ‘what if.’
“What would you wish for then?”
“Huh? Well… I suppose I’d wish to survive, and get married safely…”
“Yeah… that’s what I thought.”
Not just Chi, but Jin believed that too.
But Chi was different.
Then what was the wish left behind by Rei?
No—more fundamentally—
“No… this question forces the responder to know they will die in the future.”
“What are you talking about?”
Should he say it?
He hesitated, but still, no one else could answer properly.
Waiting for Chi’s consciousness to recover is an option, but delaying the departure with that answer would have a detrimental effect—best avoided.
“Actually…”
He recounts the recent conversation with Chi to Sharon.
Sharon rests a finger against her jaw, deep in thought.
“Assuming, for a moment, that everything Chi said was coherent…”
“From there?”
“From there. The possibility of delirium still exists.”
As an outsider who wasn’t present, Sharon offers a detached analysis.
“‘Saw two futures’—that’s what they said initially.”
“…No, that’s exactly delirium.”
“Exactly—assume it. If this were true, then Rei saw a different future.”
“True.”
“Then what kind?”
“Could it be… that Rei’s wish was for a future other than one where we survive together?”
“Pure speculation—but if I were to wish for anything other than that… it would be a future I couldn’t see.”
Jin stiffened at Shirley’s words.
"Me… or the Command. Only one of us could survive…?"
"One future with Jin, one with only myself. If I had to choose between those futures… I might pick Jin, if I were in your place."
"So the final wish that Chi was trying to convey through the Command…"
"Wasn’t it simply… that she wanted Jin to live?"
Jin’s face flickered—joy and pain intermingled.
Shirley’s expression twisted in response.
She had vowed to tilt Jin’s heart within ten years—but his feelings, as clear as they were, remained unchanged.
His heart still leaned heavily toward the Command, as much as it did toward Mio. She was, at best, a distant third.
"…Jin."
Shirley opened her mouth, unable to hold back.
Something she’d wanted to ask ever since the true purpose of the Laitera Project became clear—something she’d longed to hear, but never dared to ask.
"Jin, between Rei-san and Mio-chan— which one do you choose?"
"What?"
Jin's expression is blank, as if he does not understand what has been said.
"You said it yourself, didn't you? That you never thought of Mio-chan as Rei-san's substitute."
"Of course."
Yes. That was obvious to Jin.
Thus he had said it to Mio.
That Mio and Rei were separate entities.
"So now, in front of you, there is a chance to save Rei-san. Sacrifice Mio-chan, and you can. What do you intend to do?"
He stopped Mio.
By voicing the risk that Mio might cease to exist, he tried to make her hesitate.
He did not say, not even in thought, that he preferred Mio over Rei.
He knew that would be the only way to convince Mio.
He knew, precisely because he knew.
Rei and Mio were both important.
When those two were placed on a scale—certainly balanced, to the point of equilibrium.
“Jin doesn’t want to lose Mio. But he truly wants to save Rei too, doesn’t he?”
“But there’s no convenient way to do that.”
If Mio and Rei were entirely unrelated.
A future like that might have been possible.
But circumstantial evidence indicates Mio is rooted in something akin to Rei’s soul.
Such a future is impossible.
“So Jin must choose. Which one to save—the decision not Mio’s will, but Jin’s own.”
Jin froze, stunned by Sharon’s words.
Reason says Mio.
Of course.
He is her father.
Even if she rejects him, he remains her father.
That does not change.
But emotion interferes.
Love urging him to save Mio.
And love urging him to save Rei.
Both are correct.
Both are vital.
The ambiguity, now, finally made Jin realize what had compelled Mio to decide.
That demeanor. Jin, who always acted decisively, avoided answering. Mio likely understood the meaning.
"What do you wish to do, Jin? You must solidify your intent. Otherwise, you’ll be paralyzed at the critical moment."
Only gratitude remains for Sharon.
If she had discovered this internal contradiction on the battlefield—
she would have been shot down.
Only gratitude remains for her, who forced it upon him first.
But for Jin, this was the ultimate choice. He would have preferred to look away for a lifetime.
"...I don’t think I can make a rational judgment on this matter. Decide for yourself, Captain."
A light tap on the shoulder.
Sharon exits the officers' quarters.
Left alone, Jin buries his head in his knees.
A vile part within him speaks.
Isn’t it better to let Mio decide for herself?
How one uses their own life is their own freedom.
You've done the same, haven't you?
The daughter is striving to reclaim the one she loves most.
Be grateful for that, and simply take the happiness that should have been yours.
The thought of oneself makes bile rise in the throat.
Why these two?
Jin struggles, wishing one side of the scale were himself.
Then there would be no hesitation in sacrificing oneself.
But in reality, it is different.
Jin is swallowed by a question that never yields an answer.