A New Beginning

While Shinosuke was trying to rest and find something to do until Seira arrived, his plans quickly fell apart.

"I completely forgot! We have private rooms and beds, but no spare blankets or anything like that! Marks, didn't you notice this either?"

"Given that I don't use bedding myself, this is entirely Master's oversight."

"I know that already."

Shin nosuke realized that the reception preparations were far from ready, and thus found himself rushed to get everything in order.

Meanwhile, as he advanced preparations for Seira's reception, he also went to the guild to secure some work in advance.

Although Seira was scheduled to take on her first job as a guard, this time he had planned to take on a transportation task instead, but he couldn't find any requests for favorable jobs.

I considered asking Rina, but since she was attending to another freelance merchant, I couldn't approach her, so I decided to wait until she was free. I sat on a bench and opened the cap of the synthesized fruit tea when two men appeared in front of Shinnosuke.

The duo was Zanny and Dag.

"Hey, isn't that Shinnosuke? What's with the sour face? What are you doing here, anyway?"

Though this was their first face-to-face meeting, Zanny was already speaking casually.

"I came looking for a delivery job, but couldn't find anything suitable, so I was thinking of asking the front desk for advice."

"Shipping? Your ship can't carry that much payload, can it? Huh? Thirty tons? That's not even profitable. Are you kidding me? It's way more profitable to take on escort jobs like us and hunt pirates at the same time."

Zanny says some pretty rude things, yet strangely, they don't seem to bother me much.

"Zanny, you shouldn't interfere in other people's work. What jobs we free merchants choose to take on is our own freedom—entirely our own responsibility."

In contrast, Dag seems thoughtful.

Maybe, in the end, we make a well-balanced team.

"We ended up hiring an apprentice on short notice."

"I've heard about her—Seyla, right? The girl who was on that Galaxy Camel."

"Your information travels fast."

"Nothing special—she told me herself. That girl came all the way here just to thank us, and during that visit, I heard she's joining your ship. The union must've arranged it. You've really taken on a troublesome one, haven't you?"

Zany sits beside me without being asked, but since it's a public bench, I can't say a word.

"Well, I figured we'd eventually need to hire crew, so it's not particularly troublesome. But she's still young and inexperienced, so I thought we should start her off with a less dangerous job."

"Is that how it is? If it were me, I'd take her straight into her actual bodyguard duties from the start."

"Quite a tough approach, that."

Zany's words draw a wry smile from Shinnosuke, but then Dug, who had been silent until now, speaks up.

"I agree with Zany on this one."

"Really? You do?"

Shinnosuke tilts his head in surprise.

"Look, we're not just regular free traders—we're carrying a combat escort vessel. Most of what those specialized combat escorts do involves high-risk operations, don't they? I get your point about avoiding dangerous jobs, Shinnosuke, but isn't it better to face the harsh reality from the start?"

I had thought Zany was rough around the edges, but Zany's words did make sense.

"Indeed. I've only been thinking about keeping Sera safe, but if we're going aboard a护卫 ship, that's a path we can't avoid."

"Right? Shinosuke's military background makes him a bit slow to think things through. It's really just about whether you face reality sooner or later. She chose to board the escort ship herself, after all—she's already mentally prepared, isn't she? So just let reality catch up to her mindset. Oops, I went too far. Just got scolded by Dug, and now I'm saying this. Anyway, it's your call—you can do whatever you want."

You're right. I'll think about it again. Thank you for the advice.

Shinnosuke sincerely says thanks.

Still such a stiff one, huh. There's no need to thank me for anything. I just got involved on my own accord.

Zanny stood up laughing.

He started walking alongside Dag, but after taking a few steps, he suddenly turned back as if remembering something.

By the way, Shinosuke. Why are you drinking such awful tea?

Shinosuke tilted his head with a wry smile upon seeing the synthetic fruit tea in Zany's hand.

"Who knows? I can't even tell myself."

"What's that supposed to mean? Well, whatever, see you later."

While Zany was pestering him, it seemed Linna's reception desk had become free, so he decided to consult her as well.

"Next week's work schedule? Whether it's delivery or escort duty, I can recommend several available jobs."

With that, Shinosuke glanced over the request he had picked up.

As he was looking through them, he suddenly remembered something and began searching for a job that would allow him to take care of it together.

He found a suitable job among the ones Rinna had presented and successfully signed the contract.

The following week, as scheduled, Seira arrived at Shinosuke's dock.

She brought only a single small carry-on bag.

When Seira was led into the dock by Marks, she looked up at the Cerberus docked within the facility with wide eyes.

"This is the ship I'll be sailing on..."

Seira murmured softly, gazing at the Cerberus.

"XD-F00 Cerberus. A Corvette manufactured by Psycho Industries. 85 meters in length, 18 meters in hull width, and 25 meters in total width including the engine section. Originally built as a light destroyer, it's a heavily armed, high-mobility Corvette."

Markus explains the general overview of Cerberus.

"Such a beautiful ship..."

Seyla, who had been gazing at Cerberus, noticed Shinnosuke standing on the gangway above her.

"Ah, um, Mr. Kasimura, it's a pleasure to work with you from today. Hi, please take care of me."

Looking down at Seyla, who had bowed her head, Shinnosuke spoke with a straight posture.

"You can't turn back once you've climbed the ladder and stepped inside the ship. From the moment you set foot on this vessel, even as an apprentice, you'll be considered an official crew member of the Cerberus. Are you fully prepared for that?"

Looking up at Shinnosuke, Seyla compared her feet with the entrance hatch above, then mimicked Shinnosuke by standing straight before stepping forward.

Seyla climbed the ladder step by step, her face set with determination, until she stood directly facing Shinnosuke at the boarding hatch.

"Seira Star, I am boarding."

In response to Seyla's salute, Shinnosuke returned the gesture with a hand salute.

"Boarding is authorized."

Having received permission to board, Seyla now saluted Kerberos directly.

A ritual of a crew member toward a ship that shares danger.

Seyla finally stepped inside the ship and was guided by Shinnosuke and Marks toward the bridge.

"Now that Seyla is officially part of this ship's crew, I'll speak plainly from now on. Welcome aboard, Kerberos. I'm Shinnosuke Kashimura, and this is my partner, Marks. And this is where Seyla will work—the bridge of Kerberos."

Seyla looked around the bridge.

The main pilot's station,兼任 the captain's seat, features a co-pilot's station and three operator stations, with monitors of various sizes and numbers arranged in rows.

I've been on training vessels before, but this bridge is clearly that of a military ship—its equipment is completely different.

"Amazing... Um, Kashimura-san, Marks-san, I'll do my best, I promise."

"Yeah, do your best. We'll start work tomorrow, so for today just take care of settling in. You can use the shower room freely, and you're welcome to explore the ship as you like. Marks, show Serah to her quarters."

"Understood."

As Serah was about to leave the bridge, guided by Marks, Shinnosuke suddenly remembered something and called out to her.

"Also, you can just call me Shinnosuke instead of Kasimura—no problem at all, okay?"

"Eh?... Ah, yes. Understood, Shinnosuke-san."

Serah bowed her head and left the bridge.

The room prepared for Serah was one of the three private cabins aboard the Cerberus.

Inside the space of about four meters square, a bed, a desk, and a locker were placed.

"Such a nice room... Are you sure this is alright?"

Though not particularly spacious—standard size for an officer's compartment on a military vessel—it still feels like a luxury to Ceyla.

"Master has been using the captain's quarters, so the extra compartment has been vacant. Please feel free to use it."

"Doesn't Markes-san have a room of your own?"

"I don't require sleep or rest. My designated position is the main operations station on the bridge, and I have a small maintenance area tucked away in a corner of the storage hold—enough for my needs."

Markus returned to the bridge after guiding Seyla, leaving Seyla alone.

I decided to tidy up my belongings as Shinosuke had advised, but in the first place, Seira's things barely fit into a small carry-on suitcase.

Putting away the clothing in the locker and placing the data disc from the textbooks bought at the maritime school into the desk drawer marked the end of the tidying up, which took no more than thirty minutes.

And finally, place the photo frame on the desk.

The photo frame, secured so it wouldn’t fall even during combat maneuvers, showed Seira with her parents.

Captured during their last trip together as a family.

"Father, Mother... I’ll do my best, so please don’t worry..."

This is Seira’s new beginning in life.