36 A New Battle

Why had it come to this, Koji asked himself.

The aftermath of the first civil war in the era of cosmic migration—Harold’s uprising—was beginning to subside.

The battle against the colossal species Stalt, then the conflict with the Second Fleet, and finally the confrontation with Harold’s fleet.

The string of consecutive uprisings had decimated the Third Fleet Defense Force’s combat strength.

To fill the resulting gap in the defense perimeter, the Terminas people had dispatched military assets—its commander, chosen at the request of the opposing side, was Julia—and inter-species exchanges had begun.

Was it to accelerate this trend?

Or had the time simply come?

They had learned that Mio had returned to the Third Fleet.

At the very least, we should welcome her, Koji thought. He called out to Emisa and Ya.

And so they awaited the day of her arrival.

A figure in an unfamiliar, unusually revealing outfit—Mio, flanked by Edelweiss and Jin—descended from the relay vessel.

“Ah, I hate relay ships…”

“Hmph. Not being able to operate them oneself is problematic in an emergency.”

“Yeah. Totally get that.”

“Try trusting them a little more…”

Sharon followed shortly after. Several others came behind her. Personnel from Terminus’s home planet had arrived in rotation.

It was widely rumored that in the coming days, those heading toward the home planet would no longer be military personnel alone, but also technicians skilled in surveying and related fields.

Whether migration would be feasible. The planning for that project had already begun beneath the surface.

“Mio!”

“Emisa, Ya.”

Hajime thought her complexion looked better than it had just moments earlier.

Her hair was neat, and by appearance alone, she was once again the familiar Mio.

Edelweiss tenses as the two approach. Others, several more, have hands inside their coats.

Thought to be unrelated passengers—only Mio notices among the three. That they are all her guards.

Jin raises one hand, calming the suddenly tense atmosphere.

Edelweiss whispers in his ear.

“Who are you?”

“Friend of Mio’s.”

“Ah.”

“Hey, Edelweiss. You’re too close. Too close.”

Sharon struggles to pull Edelweiss away, nearly touching.

Edelweiss’s body is not composed of organic matter like Mio’s.

Appears human, surface mimicking flesh—but in truth, made of mercury.

Heavier than he looks, capable of movements beyond even cybernetic limits.

Capable of reshaping its form, spreading the mercury into a shield—reliable from a protective standpoint.

At the mention of this, Jin and Sharon thought, There was someone like that in an old film…

At the time, they had been on the assassin’s side.

Breaking from the protective circle, Mio lunged at the two, weeping, apologizing again and again.

Emissa, also.

She had declared she would scold Mio upon meeting her, yet now held her tightly, tears streaming.

Obeying Mio’s quiet wish to walk a short distance with the two, the guards quietly dispersed to the surrounding area.

Edelweiss followed the three at a discreet distance.

Shu had intended to follow after.

“Ah. Mr. Higata, come this way.”

“Huh?”

“I need to talk.”

Jin had stopped him.

Sitting side by side on a bench.

Having stopped him, Jin did not speak.

Why had he been stopped?

He pretended calm, but cold sweat ran down his spine.

He wasn’t unaware.

There were too many possibilities to narrow down.

“…Tōtani-kun.”

“Yes!”

“Thank you for saving Mio.”

“Yes! Wait—?”

Guard had not expected to be thanked. His response came unnatural.

“When Mio was involved in the Laitera Project, thank you for standing by her. Without you, Mio might not have returned.”

Showing Mio a future.

That was something Jin could never have done.

He could protect, but not show the way ahead.

Therefore, Guard felt such gratitude could not be expressed in mere words.

“And about the time you fought ‘It’…”

“‘It’?”

“Yes. That one.”

The entity that appeared after the battle with Harold.

For Jin, that was a product of human civilization.

Perhaps something built during the time when Acid Frames were dominant—before the mother planet, when he still resided there.

Type 0. Not a machine of any known record, only a legend. But if it truly existed—

it would surely have felt like that.

Yet that raises questions about the connection to the Terminus people.

It cannot be entirely unrelated—yet the nature of that link remains unclear.

He needs to speak with Seven sooner rather than later, but such an opportunity has not yet arisen.

The truth is uncertain, but revealing an entity capable of destroying the cosmos is not an option.

Those who fought there and witnessed it are under strict silence.

That is why neither of them could speak of it in any other way.

"Thanks for the support. Without that, we would have been just a step behind."

Had it not been for that, the situation would have been slightly more unfavorable.

The precision of his actions during that engagement, given he was still a trainee, surprised even Jin.

In his days as an Instructor, he would have marked him without hesitation.

"Besides, thank you for letting Mio out afterward. Had it not been for your actions, the situation with Mio might have deteriorated further."

Had Mio remained isolated as she was then, that alone would have complicated matters significantly.

Even then, Jin had thought it might have been warranted to award him a medal.

"Thank you truly for saving my family."

Since returning, there had been no time—no chance to properly express gratitude.

That was why Jin had intended to convey his thanks the moment he saw him.

Being bowed to deeply by someone as mature as Jin’s own parent, Shu flinched and waved his hands in haste.

No, I didn’t do anything significant at all! I was shot down almost immediately by that guy and spent most of the time just lying there. I couldn’t have saved Colonel Tōgō’s father without his help—please don’t worry about it!

Even as Jin felt a faint fondness for the anxious Makoto, he simply nodded, saying, “Is that so.”

Nodding.

—Anyway, the topic shifts now—

The air wrapped around the words had changed.

The cheerful demeanor from moments ago vanishes. A peculiar heaviness begins to settle in the air.

Behind the two, Sharon let out a deep sigh.

In the culture of the Terminans, surrendering control of one's own body—entrusting it to a marital partner—is said to be a sacred act.

Hah...?

Shu gave an empty reply, the conversation making no sense to him.

Hey, Higata-kun

At that moment.

Even unskilled, moving across the battlefield, the awakening instinct of defense warns.

"Back then—how did you handle Mio’s body?"

A wrong answer would mean separation of head and torso here.

"No, uh... I think Higata didn’t care at all about that... or even know about it."

"Ah. Naturally."

Jin smiles gently, nodding.

"If you had understood, you wouldn’t be here now."

A killing intent, one not felt even on the battlefield from the current top ace.

Shu no longer wants to run.

"I’m grateful. But that’s separate from this. Do you remember what I said earlier, Higata? You need a man stronger than me to entrust Mio to."

"Still, I’d say your mental strength wins, Higata."

Sharon murmured in a voice meant only for Jin, but Jin ignored it.

"Mio will undoubtedly be drawn into trouble from now on."

The title of the next queen of Terminus. That designation could not be erased, no matter what.

Jin intended to continue shielding Mio from all tangible and intangible threats.

"Therefore, I cannot entrust Mio to someone who cannot protect her at that moment."

Unspoken, Jin was questioning Sho.

Whether he was ready for that resolve.

Sho clenched his stomach with resolve.

He could not retreat here.

The obstacle before him now was the wall he had to overcome.

"I will become stronger than my father—absolutely."

Walking beside Mio, Sho had already decided.

If necessary, he would become the strongest in the universe. He met Jin’s gaze directly.

For Sho, a new—likely the greatest—battle had begun today.