124: A Crowd of Mobile Spectators

"Looks like we've spotted them. That must be the mobile spectator group."

"Is that really it? They're definitely quite numerous."

"Yes, but they're well guarded, and they synchronize their ship's movement, so blending in with them would be an easy way to spectate."

After moving for a while.

Near a colony known for hosting frequent race-based competitions, we discovered a cluster of dozens of spacecraft gathered together.

After the race began, they moved across the asteroid belt in sync with the race's progress, serving as spectator vessels.

As a result, most of the ships appear to be specially designed for watching this kind of race—clearly visible through their entire front surface, which is made of transparent windows, with dozens to hundreds of seats arranged in front of them.

However, some seem to be personal spacecraft, similar to the Vilijanira, arriving as ordinary vessels.

Incidentally, for safety reasons, it is mandatory to synchronize movement when traveling alongside them.

So if anything happens... we'll have to handle it somehow, whether it's their escort or me.

"Anyway, it's okay if it's not a fixed point?"

"Unfortunately, if it's a fixed point, it just becomes preventive measures and won't lead to any clues."

"I see... that makes sense..."

The Vilijanira says this with a sorrowful expression.

That's certainly regrettable... Calling it prevention sounds good, but in essence, it's just postponing the issue to the next opportunity, and by then, the danger will already be visible to Vilijaniira's eyes.

It's not going to feel good, knowing you saw something wrong and chose to ignore it.

"Sync completed. Now, until something happens during the race, we're free to do as we please. However, due to the structure of 'Sexy Miwazuma,' viewing the race can only be done from the cockpit, so please be careful not to spill any food."

"I understand, it's fine."

"Got it."

With that, the rendezvous was complete.

"Then, I'll transfer over to the race colony for a bit and pick up what we need for viewing."

"Satā, please be careful not to be seen by others."

"Of course."

"Will keep an eye on the cameras too."

"It's fine. Before we knew it, the safe transfer location map—exclusive to Memokushi, Race Colony edition—had already been added to our info terminal."

With that, I moved to the Race Colony first through the main body, confirmed no one was around at the designated spot, then transferred the mannequin.

Purchasing necessities such as popcorn, pizza, other snacks, carbonated drinks faintly glowing in rainbow hues due to SW's influence, and dinner, one item at a time from shops within the colony.

Having safely made the purchase, I check once again that no one is watching, just as I did on the way there, and then return inside the 'Sexy Azuma' ship.

Now that I think about it, Satā's teleportation really comes in handy during times like these.

"That's right. Within the same star system, you don't have to worry too much about lag or restrictions."

"It's really convenient, being able to move around freely like this. That said, you do have to be careful—using it too much can get you in trouble with the authorities."

"Have you actually gotten in trouble before?"

"Back when I was active in the Hiraltra Tsubame system, I had a bit of an incident."

I handed part of what I’d bought to Viridianiola and stored the rest in the ship’s built-in refrigerator.

That should cover everything for today—just racing and preparing for whatever might happen during the race.

"Hey, a sec?"

If I'm going to go into detail... there was a day when I shifted multiple times throughout the day, and unfortunately, several incidents occurred at the destinations I ended up at. You were here, yet somehow also there—physically, that doesn't make sense, right? There's no record of me entering, nor any record of me leaving. That's suspicious, don't you think? That's basically what the police kept pressing me on.

"That's... definitely solvable. Honestly. It'll completely change the foundation of the investigation, though."

"In the end, someone important from Seiryō Corporation came over and helped resolve the situation... Yeah, I did cause a bit of trouble. So today, no more transfers to public places. If it happened a second or third time, people would definitely start suspecting something."

"That's right. I think it'll be fine like this."

"Exactly. That's why we have to be careful, especially since it's so convenient."

"That's right."

As for the details of the commotion I caused as a result of my transfer abilities... well, it's probably best to leave that unsaid.

It was an incident where members of the same organization attempted to simultaneously attack and destroy members of an opposing organization, and I just happened to get caught up in the investigation.

In the end, a few people found out my true identity, but everything wrapped up smoothly, so there's no issue.

Come to think of it, I wonder what that officer is doing now… No, he was from the local area, so he’s probably just continuing his usual work in the Hira Tora Tsugumi System.

"Anyway, let's leave my old misdeeds at that for now. It’s about time, isn’t it?"

"Yes, that’s right."

"Right now, each team is finishing their final checks and moving to the starting point."

We moved to the cockpit.

Joharis took the pilot's seat for precaution, Viridiana took the co-pilot's seat, and I sat in a randomly available seat nearby.

Through the front window, the Race Colony stood proudly amid the asteroid belt, while the monitors beside the window displayed the preparations of each team at the custom launch site, accompanied by the familiar voices of commentary and analysis.

"Then, the race will soon begin!"

And so, the race started without a hitch.

Also, it appears that, typically, each spectator ship carries several dozen spectators.