Malevolent Pirate Shinosuke 1

"He's here! He's here! How many attacks has this been now?!"

"Who cares how many it is! Just drive him off quickly!"

"U-um, enemy ship, high-speed missile craft, circling around from the starboard side, targeting A884!"

"Got it! We'll engage with fire and cut in before they reach it!"

On the second day since the second scenario began, Andy and the others were already on the brink of chaos and exhaustion.

The objective of the second scenario is to pass through several checkpoints and reach the designated airspace, which typically takes three to four days under normal navigation.

Additionally, this scenario does not end due to mission failure.

Even if a sinking judgment is made, the scenario continues without interruption—there is no end until the destination is reached.

On the first day of the scenario, Andy successfully passed through seven attacks, and so far has not received a sinking judgment.

Feeling a bit overconfident, he thought to himself,

"I guess I'm starting to get the hang of this."

But he quickly realized just how wrong he was.

The attacks aren't particularly fierce, but they keep coming—advancing, retreating, then attacking again, like a relentless wave that never ends, leaving no time to catch one's breath.

Just when you think you're being relentlessly assaulted, it stops abruptly. If you try to rest even slightly during the brief pause, the attacks resume immediately.

It's nothing but harassment.

"Opening fire with laser machine guns toward the enemy ship!"

Andy pulls the trigger on the steering handle.

It doesn't matter if it hits—its purpose is to keep the enemy at bay.

"The enemy ship is retreating. It's leaving radar detection range."

"Good, we've driven them off..."

"Don't let your guard down—attack could come again at any moment."

As Eren said, just because we've repelled the assault doesn't mean we can relax.

We can't afford to lower our guard when we have no idea when the next attack might come.

Trapped in such a situation, the three of them had not rested at all since the mission began.

If this continues, they’ll likely become incapacitated not from a pirate attack, but from physical and mental exhaustion.

“While vigilance is important, we must rest a little. Ellen and Seira, take turns resting for three—no, four hours each. I’ll set the autopilot and rest until the next waypoint, as long as there’s no attack.”

Andy made his decision.

Even though Seira is here, once we go into combat, it'll just be the two of us—Ellen and me. I need to learn how to rest efficiently for the sake of the future.

Right now, I absolutely must rest, no matter the cost.

After repelling the eighth attack and moving away from the Beetle, the Pirate Killer approaches the mothership, the Shield Ship.

"Dag, I'm returning for resupply. Please receive me."

"Understood. You can come anytime."

The rear hatch of the Shield Ship opens, and Zany's Pirate Killer docks securely.

"Even though we're holding back, those guys seem to be getting a bit more used to it, don't they?"

Zany's words upon returning to the Shield Ship's bridge draw nods from Shinosuke and Dag.

"True, they're remembering their experience as escort ship crew. Their response to attacks has become smoother. But the real test is still ahead."

"Next is Shinosuke's turn, but should we send him out right away?"

"No, they're nearing their limit too. We can't afford accidents during training, so let's wait a few hours before the next attack. But I'm not just going to let them rest idly. Dag, keep the shield ship at a position 260 units behind their starboard rear."

"Understood... You're really ruthless, aren't you?"

The shield ship began tracking just at the edge of Beetle's detection range.

"Really, those three... they're such a pain, aren't they? I swear, they're not just virtual—they're actual space pirates."

On the bridge of A884, Ira sighed while sipping her tea.

"What do you mean?"

Lina tilted her head, also sipping her tea.

"Hahaha, that means your decision to cast them as pirates was spot on."

Darcis chuckled, having overheard Ira and Lina's conversation.

"What do you mean?"

Lina tilts her head even more.

In other words, those three are just as genuine as real space pirates—actually, they're even worse than ordinary space pirates.

Aira explains to Rina that the strategy currently being used by Shinosuke and the others is a common tactic employed by space pirates.

Launch repeated small attacks, wait for the prey to grow weary, then strike decisively when it is utterly exhausted.

At first glance, it seems like a dull and tedious strategy, but that's precisely what makes it so characteristic of space pirates.

Space pirates are fundamentally not brave sailors.

While they're willing to attack prey, they recognize that attacking a ship carries risks for the aggressor. In reality, they'd rather avoid combat altogether if it means potentially being destroyed in return.

That's why they attack ships with multiple pirate vessels—not out of loyalty to allies, but simply to minimize their own risk of being hit.

Thus, they won't help a comrade under attack, and will calmly abandon them to escape.

Most space pirates are selfish individuals like that.

That's precisely why they often resort to the safer, slower tactics that Shinnosuke and his group are currently using, despite the time it takes.

"Moreover, even after we stop the attack, they stay right at the edge of our detection range, lingering just out of sight while continuing to track us—clearly not intending to let us rest easily. To casually, smoothly pull off such annoying tactics... honestly, could they really be space pirates? I must admit, your choice of casting them as pirates was extremely fitting."

Aira is utterly stunned.

But even though Darasis and Aira said such things, Rina herself hadn't anticipated that level of reaction.

She had indeed taken into account the three crew members' skills, but casting them as pirates had been purely based on how Shinnosuke, Zany, and Dug looked.

At that moment, on the shield ship, Shinnosuke and the others were preparing their next scheme.

"Come now, this is the last chance to rest. The real terror is just beginning."

I'll really take my time torturing you!

Indeed, she's the very essence of a space pirate.

And not just in appearance—her actions are utterly terrifying.