Space Pirate Shinosuke 2

The first simulation of Andy's training ended in mission failure.

Before moving on to the second simulation, a review of the first was conducted.

"I thought I was used to fighting pirates, but when it came to acting based on my own judgment, I completely failed. I never even considered that pirates might set traps—something that's actually quite common. While my lack of skill contributed, I believe the main reason was that I was too tense and lacked composure."

Andy reflecting on the reasons for his failure.

Overall, Andy's self-assessment is largely accurate.

"That's right, you've had experience as a crew member on a destroyer, so you should have encountered attacks like this before. In fact, you should have anticipated it and thought through countermeasures beforehand."

Ira shares the same opinion.

"You're right about that. This time it was just our three ships, but in reality, pirate fleets of five or six, or even more, often show up together. You should think ahead about what to do in such situations. The key mistake to avoid isn't figuring out how to defeat the pirates, but rather how to protect the convoy. While fending off the pirates, you need to keep maneuvering to escape. In that case, there are plenty of ways your ships can handle it. Basically, pirate ships don't spare escort vessels, but they don't sink the escorted targets either—there's no profit in sinking them. Looking at it that way, pirates are actually doing a pretty tricky job, and that's where you can find an opening. The point isn't to win, but to survive."

As always, his words are harsh, but Zanny's advice is surprisingly profound.

It seems this old man isn't just crude after all.

"I agree with Ira and the others, but there's one more thing that concerns me—your ship's insufficient firepower. It was good that you laid down a barrage during the first attack to keep pirate ships from approaching the escorted vessel, but the barrage was simply too thin. With such a weak defense, the target could easily be boarded. I understand it's difficult for your newly independent group to significantly upgrade your armament, but couldn't you at least add one or two more anti-aircraft guns? As Zanny said, to hinder the enemy rather than sink them, even a few anti-aircraft guns should be enough."

Shinnosuke also offered specific advice.

While ship operations generally involve a lot of personal responsibility, not just for escort vessel crew members, he did it for the sake of his new comrades who had recently become escort vessel crew.

It was natural that Andy and the others taking training were serious, but Shinnosuke and his team accepting the training were serious too.

"Understood. We'll take your advice to heart and try to handle Scenario Two a bit more skillfully!"

Andy and Ellen renewed their determination as they prepared for Scenario Two.

Just before entering Scenario Two, Shinnosuke suddenly had an idea.

"May I make a suggestion? Could Seira be transferred to that escort vessel?"

"Me? Really?"

"Wait, I don't mind, but... is there a specific reason for this?"

Seira was surprised by Shinnosuke's sudden proposal, and Andy looked equally puzzled.

"Seira may be considered a crew member of my escort vessel, but she's still an apprentice. This time, she's accompanying us under the guise of observation, so I'd like her to experience everything from every possible perspective. Moreover, the next scenario will stretch over several days—quite a lengthy ordeal. I believe it would be difficult for just the two of you to manage it alone. That's why I'm suggesting we include Seira as part of your team. While she can't handle ship navigation, she's highly skilled in communications and radar operation. Yes, she lacks experience, but she does have real combat exposure, so she'll undoubtedly be helpful."

In truth, Shinosuke had originally planned to have Seira ride along with Dag's shield ship under the second contingency plan, allowing her to observe from the attacker's perspective.

However, after reviewing the previous scenario, he concluded that Andy and Ellen likely couldn't handle a multi-day operational mission at this point.

Since both Andy and Ellen had previously been part of larger crews on ships, he reasoned that maintaining a balanced tension during small-scale operations would be difficult. Therefore, he decided to include Seira in the operation.

She could train alongside Andy's team, lighten their load, and focus more on practice. Even though all three of them were inexperienced, their combined experience might amount to the equivalent of half a skilled operator.

A strategy that achieves multiple goals at once.

『I want to do it! Please let me!』

Seira perked up at Shinosuke's words.

"Please let us join too," the others added.

"That's right, it would help a lot if you could assist."

Andy and Ellen agreed, and the second plan was revised to include Seira alongside Andy and Ellen in the training.

Seira gained Shinosuke's approval and would benefit from the experience.

Andy and the others felt less burdened and could focus more on the training.

Three people, each driven by their own intentions, accepted Shinosuke's proposal.

At that moment, the three of them still didn't know.

That Shinosuke's proposal was a devil's whisper leading the three straight to hell...