123: Spaceship Race

"Then, today we're heading to watch the spaceship race."

"That's sudden... Just to confirm, have you contacted that person at 'Vanilla Press'?"

"I've reached out, but haven't received permission. However, since it's normally not necessary for Miss Vee to obtain permission, there shouldn't be any issue."

"I see."

The next day.

After finishing breakfast, Vee suddenly announced their destination for the day.

Yeah, that's a bit too sudden, so let me check a few things.

"The space race we're going to see?"

"The Nelianipotts Asteroid Belt Cup, a 16-hour endurance race for fighter jets."

"Asteroid... Ah, I see. Flying fighter jets through the asteroid belt for 16 hours straight, and the team that travels the farthest wins... Another grueling one, huh..."

Watching it feels like observing a endurance race using spacecraft.

Let's take a closer look at the conditions.

There are 32 teams, with approximately 24 participants per team, and all start from the same location.

The course is restricted within the asteroid belt, requiring pilots to skillfully avoid asteroids while moving forward.

The spacecraft used are classified as fighters among spaceships, stripped down to the absolute minimum for living accommodations and optimized entirely for maneuverability—ultra-small spaceships.

However, as the race duration suggests, occasional breaks or pit stops are required. At these times, the ships approach the very edge of the asteroid belt, docking with the maintenance vessels each team possesses to swap pilots and perform emergency repairs.

All in all, this race will be extremely grueling, demanding not only the pilots' skills but also the proficiency of those supporting them.

"That's right. But it's precisely because of the difficulty that it's so entertaining... There's a lot going on behind the scenes."

"I see. So something significant is going to happen during this race."

"Yes, exactly."

Moreover, since the Nieriani Potts system is considered a sacred ground for sports, this race is regarded as the top-tier event among similar endurance races—or, more precisely, the one offering the highest prize money.

And since it's attracting so much attention, it's likely that illegal gambling and sabotage operations are actively underway behind the scenes.

Probably, Vilegiani Nila sensed something among those activities.

So, even if it meant putting pressure on the people at 'Vanilla Press,' they chose to go ahead with their plan.

"Just to ask—where will we be watching from? The race colony, which is also the starting point, or in outer space?"

"Of course, outer space. It's already too late to reach the race colony now, and besides, tickets required to watch the event at the venue are extremely rare—impossible to obtain."

There are mainly two ways to watch such a race.

One is watching the race on monitors at a venue located within the race colony, which is also the starting point.

The other is traveling to a location somewhat distant from the asteroid belt in one's own spaceship and watching the race using some method from there.

It's possible to do this because the asteroid belt is part of the public roadway.

Naturally, Virijanira chooses the option of watching from space.

Hmm, it seems like either there's an intruder hiding within the asteroid belt, or something's being done to target the support ships flying along the outer edge of the asteroid belt for each team.

As for the former, that's something best left to local authorities. If I can do anything, it would only be part of the latter issue.

There might be another surprise waiting in that big hole, though.

Also, needless to say, during the entire duration of the race—from start to finish—entry into the asteroid belt section designated as part of the race course is strictly prohibited for anyone other than authorized personnel.

Therefore, on-site viewing will have to be from a relatively distant location.

"Then, Miss Vee. I'll begin the mission."

"Yes, be careful."

"Hm? Ah, so you mean it's more convenient to watch from space?"

"That's exactly what I meant."

And there, Mekoshi sat down on the chair, seemingly stopping all movement as if entering sleep mode.

But it wasn't just sleep mode.

Likely, the core had completely withdrawn.

Though I had always thought Mekoshi was a machine intelligence capable of such subtle remarks... transferring consciousness between bodies should involve quite a complicated procedure, shouldn't it...?

Well, since power is only being used for results, I’ll leave deeper questions aside.

And while watching the spaceship endurance race from space, it’ll seem as though we’re spending the whole day cooped up inside 'Sexy MiAzuma'—so if Mekoshi is the only one stepping outside, well, I suppose they’ll be poking around the more awkward, exposed areas.

"Launch permission granted. 'Sexy MiAzuma,' preparing for departure."

"Please."

Having confirmed that Meikoshi's consciousness had left the ship,

Joharis initiated the launch of the 'Sexy MiAzuma' and began moving toward the destination.

"Oh, Satu. Since that's the case, could you please arrange for today's lunch and dinner to be served on board?"

Got it. Oh, if there's a good time to go outside, let me know. I can whip something up on my own, but I figure using the teleportation to grab popcorn or something like that isn't a bad idea either.

...Yeah, that works. I'll have that. And please bring soda too.

'Fried chicken, pizza, fries—those are definitely solid choices!'

Anyway, that's the gist of it.

The race will take 16 hours—plus the award ceremony and all the other stuff afterward, making it more than a full day.

Let's stay relaxed but keep our guard up.

12/12 Corrected typo