34 Sometime

Why did this happen.

Even though Jin hadn’t closed his eyes, the conversation had unfolded—like a rollercoaster—too quickly to grasp.

There had been other topics to discuss with Edelweiss, but leaving the fully nude Edelweiss unattended was not an option.

Besides, Jin wasn’t that thick-skinned, not in this situation.

“…This flimsy garment is restrictive. May I make an opening here?”

“Ah! No slit in the skirt!”

“But if I can’t move in an emergency, what’s the point of being a guard?”

“No is no!”

The location was Mio’s room.

There, she was engaged in a battle of sorts—against an opponent of unusual difficulty.

“Isn’t clothing unnecessary, really?”

“Essential to human society!”

“Jin. This full-body suit—this is preferable.”

“There is no such thing.”

Edelweiss—the human form—had been the source of Mio’s distress, teasing her about her own attire since earlier.

Wearing Mio’s clothes for now, she still tries to shed them whenever possible—regardless of audience.

One might almost accept the claim that Terminas’ people are all effectively naked.

Jin thinks, idly, that a species composed entirely of naked women would delight certain enthusiasts.

He has the luxury of contemplating such trivialities at the moment.

“This body is temporary anyway. It doesn’t matter if it’s seen…”

“Not allowed! Exposing oneself is absolutely forbidden in human society—only married couples!”

At those words, Edelweiss speaks as if recalling something.

“Ah yes, Mio-sama. You gave that boy full control over your form. Indecent, when he’s not even your guardian.”

“I don’t want to be called indecent for simply being bare…”

Mio, who inherently possesses stronger human senses, felt that surprise—yet she could not react beyond a faint, "Huh…?"

Even if told it was something only shown in private, her response remained merely awkward.

That was far less deviant than being completely naked.

"Right. I need to speak with Tōtani."

The words brought it back.

She had missed the chance earlier, caught up in the chaos. Yet she remembered clearly—the time she had controlled Mio’s true body and entered the battlefield.

She needed to confront him directly.

Thinking this, Jin began to rise toward the communications room. Mio desperately tried to stop him.

"Please, Dad. Stay here. I can’t stop myself alone."

She truly would wander out, completely bare, the moment she let her guard down.

In a crisis, Mio alone could not restrain her.

"...No, you shouldn’t rely on me."

As Edelweiss had said, this body was only temporary.

Mio’s physiology does not replicate human biology with much fidelity.

Rather, Edelweiss’s specifications suggest complete replication of human biology is impractical.

Thus, many details are omitted—yet her appearance remains that of a naked woman.

And despite this, she possesses considerable strength, making restraint difficult.

Ideally, one would avoid her entirely and flee.

At minimum, a companion to share the burden.

Yet at a time like this, those who might serve as companions—Kō, Shu’s brother, or Jake—are absent.

Jin stands isolated, without support.

“Just brought a list of crew members on board who might lend civilian clothes. If you find someone suitable among them, that would be ideal.”

“Sharon, help me!”

With a plaintive tone, Mio rushes toward Shirley. She truly is in distress.

She looks away, flustered, her gaze avoiding the naked Edelweiss—more so than Jin himself.

"Ah... the silhouette around the hips matches the frame perfectly."

"...Are you okay?"

He had seen the people of Therminus drooling over the Edelweiss, but he was mildly surprised that it was the same with a biological body.

She’d probably be ecstatic to apply sun oil.

"...No full-body suit at all?"

Edelweiss said, disappointment clear.

Having acquired a human form, her expressions became more legible.

More so than before.

"Where did you acquire that knowledge?"

Regardless, where did that peculiar fixation on the full-body suit come from?

"From your memories during resonance."

"Jin... that's..."

"Dad..."

"No, wait. Why are you looking at me like that? I didn't wear it!"

He suspected she’d seen someone wear it during a unit entertainment, or perhaps from some visual media.

They seemed to think it was Jin’s. A gaze like one seeing something warm and alive.

“Hmm, this one. This is good.”

“This…? Wow, it’s almost like a swimsuit.”

“It looks cold…”

Edelweiss selected a combination of hot pants and a tube top.

As Shirley said, it was almost entirely a swimsuit. It would certainly allow for ease of movement… but…

“Ugh. At least wear this over it.”

Mio handed her own jacket.

Truthfully, the exposure level wasn’t much different from a swimsuit—unacceptable outside the beach.

Wearing the jacket made it barely tolerable for public streets.

Odd, considering they were on a warship.

“Alright. Then I shall serve as your guard, Mio-sama.”

“…Ah, right. That’s what we were talking about.”

The impact of the clothing exchange had nearly erased Jin’s memory of the original purpose—but yes, that was indeed the matter at hand.

Ending with the destruction of the Harold Fleet—merely a tidy conclusion—felt bitterly unfair.

"Then let us proceed, Mio-sama. First, we must assess the terrain."

"Is there a shipboard map?"

"Still, direct visual confirmation is necessary."

Though Jin thought it odd for her—normally reliant on camera eyes—to say such a thing, he restrained himself.

After all, Edelweiss’s word choices, her sensibilities, were shaped by his influence.

To criticize her was to criticize himself.

The two departed noisily. The guards waiting in standby followed soon after.

A ripple of commotion spread from the room, stirred by Edelweiss’s unfamiliar appearance.

Just as Jin considered joining them, he felt Shirley’s gaze upon him.

Since returning, Jin and Shirley have been overwhelmed by various duties—this is the first time they’ve met since their arrival.

"Everything’s concluded, then."

"Yeah. That’s right."

The series of events that began eight years ago has now ended.

The Laitera Project, orchestrated by Harold, will be classified as a case of the mastermind’s disappearance.

"Don’t worry about Harold’s brother."

Shirley sighs.

"Death sentence is inevitable, regardless."

"...That’s true."

Regardless of circumstances, this was a legitimate rebellion.

Even at its most lenient assessment, capital punishment is unavoidable.

Wasting human resources is an absolute taboo in this era of interstellar colonization.

People still lack the luxury of such excess.

"Perhaps, for him, ending abruptly was better than being locked away—useless, unable to do anything at all."

That may be so, but Sharon’s expression was not light.

No surprise, really.

Even if she were a criminal in the eyes of society, she was still family.

And the relationship had not been particularly bad under normal circumstances.

Cutting ties entirely was not easy.

"We’ve ended things, but there are still unresolved issues. We need to decide what to do about Mio."

"Yes... Actually, thinking about it, Mio is the heir to the Queen’s throne... a princess?"

"...That’s how it ends up."

Her appearance would suit it perfectly, but her inner nature was far from that of a princess.

Rather, she was more of a mischievous spirit.

Not someone who stayed still in one place.

"Which is why. She’ll be moving."

"Still, just a regular apartment... there."

"It’ll be more secure, probably. Renting out an entire floor of a building... something like that."

“Huh… but is it really okay? That room there…”

“Yeah.”

Sharon had noticed, even before Jin began living with Mio.

She understood the implication.

So Jin nodded.

“It’s fine now.”

The one who should have been marked—there is no longer anyone.

With Mio, the one marking the present, location is irrelevant.

So it’s fine.

There’s no need to cling to that room.

“So we’re choosing a new place.”

“Looks like it’ll be busy for a while.”

It can’t be decided casually—so in a way, the options narrow.

Even so, it can’t be decided solely by paperwork.

And considering confidentiality, the move itself will be complicated.

It’ll likely be handled through military channels.

“Yeah. That’s why… can you help pick it out with me?”