A Calm Dinner

Though Shinnosuke was terribly nervous about dining with Emilia, much to his surprise, the meal turned out remarkably peaceful and harmonious.

The hotel where Emilia is staying—part of the Psykouji Company group—is a refined establishment that welcomes guests from all walks of life, from the general public to the wealthy. Even in the restaurant’s VIP room, which served as the venue, there was no strict dress code. Yet, with her background as a fashion designer, Emilia had playfully prepared everyone’s attire. The women, including Madelia, were given elegant dresses, while the men, including Marks, received splendid tuxedos.

Shin nosuke, who dislikes any attire other than his uniform, stubbornly refused the tuxedo and is wearing his uniform instead—but for some reason, Marks is enthusiastically wearing a tuxedo.

At the dinner, Emilia shares memories of Shin nosuke from childhood, while Milina and Seira talk about recent events involving Shin nosuke.

The only topic they had in common was Shin nosuke, so naturally, the evening turned into an occasion where Shin nosuke was the sole target of ridicule.

Shin nosuke had no say in the matter, and to make things worse, Marks himself was cheerfully joining in the conversation, almost gleefully so.

Amid the relaxed atmosphere, once they'd gathered enough embarrassing anecdotes about Shin nosuke, the conversation unexpectedly turned to the incident where he had fallen into the super-space.

"I had planned to check in on Shin nosuke during my inspection of Sirius, just to see how he was doing after such a long time, but of course I ran into that accident. I was thoroughly annoyed by how poorly timed it was. To make matters worse, after he managed to get out on his own and returned, he suddenly tried to run away upon seeing Aquarius..."

Emilia casually discussing her younger brother's mishap as if it were trivial.

"But didn't you worry when you heard Shin nosuke had been in an accident?"

She blinked in surprise at Milina's question, then immediately burst into giggles.

"Fufu, there's no need to worry. The Fujin, developed and built by Psychoj, isn't some fragile vessel that would be easily destroyed just by falling into hyperspace. And if Shinnosuke's at the helm, no matter what methods are used, he'll find a way to escape on his own. Besides, Shinnosuke's now a recognized independent merchant, nothing more than a trading partner to Psychoj. Even if Shinnosuke were to vanish into cosmic dust, it would simply mean one less among the countless trading partners scattered across the stars. And as an older sister and family member, I think it's pointless to worry constantly about Shinnosuke, who's free to roam the universe however he pleases."

Though it may sound harsh, it's clear that this is Emilia's true heart, words born from trust.

Shinnosuke understands this best, and precisely because he understands, he has no rebuttal.

Just as the calm dinner was nearing its close, Emilia straightened her expression and spoke.

"Shin nosuke, the global economy is about to undergo a major shift. As a former soldier who's traversed the cosmos, you must already understand this changing tide. So don't get swept up in the chaos—seize the opportunity without hesitation, and ride the wave with clarity."

Emilia looked directly at Shin nosuke and the others.

Her words were clearly advice grounded in the current state of the world.

"I understand."

Shin nosuke nodded.

The next day, after seeing off the Aquarius before its departure and submitting a report to the Space Environment Bureau about the space whale, Shin nosuke began interviewing the newly scheduled recruits.

"My name is Ash. I was part of a team with Metis and Zion, but we made a bit of a mess—sank an important escort vessel. I was thinking it'd be a waste of money to get a new ship when I stumbled upon this job opening."

The trio that appeared before Shin nosuke was quite distinctive.

First was Ash.

A male team leader with ship captain qualifications.

Slim-built with a refined face, he was a very handsome man, though his mental disposition remained completely unclear.

Next was a woman named Medis, a Zalid.

She served as a communications and navigation officer, but unlike humans like Shinnosuke's group, the Zalid had evolved separately from reptilian ancestors, making it impossible for Shinnosuke's group to distinguish between male and female based solely on appearance.

"Metis, you're surprised that Ash is reacting like this? But don't worry—Ash may look like this, but she does like girls too. Sorry for the confusion."

Even if she looks like this, or no matter how she looks, Shinno-suke doesn't understand what exactly is supposed to be reassuring, and Metis explaining it only makes things more complicated.

Even Milena, sitting beside Shinno-suke, has a question mark floating above her head.

And the third person is the Pit-human, Sion.

Nice to meet you, I'm Shion. Don't let the appearance fool you—I'm a perfectly proper adult.

Sion appears to be a 15- or 16-year-old boy, but the Pits people stop aging physically after reaching a certain stage of growth, making them a race whose appearance greatly differs from their actual age.

Shion had assumed, based on her appearance, that she was a young boy, but it turned out she was actually a 28-year-old adult woman with both crew and pilot certifications.

What a complicated trio they turned out to be.