046 Idol Arc 22: Force Multiplier
"Ayame, nice to meet you again!"
I extend my right hand.
Ayame extends hers too, shaking it. Then she moves on, shaking hands with each member in turn.
President Kamizawa and Sayaka are already preparing the contract documents.
Ayame signs, sealing the agreement.
(Ayame, you might want to actually read the contract before signing next time. That one’s fine, but still…)
"Now that the contract’s settled, how about we decide your stage name before the official announcement?"
President Kamizawa rests a finger on his chin, pausing in thoughtful pose.
"Given how much attention her solo duels drew… isn’t her face and name already known to everyone from the livestreams?"
I voice my concern. President Kamizawa nods in agreement.
"Yeah. Streaming views are through the roof, and fans are already spreading the tale online like it’s some kind of legend. The reading ‘Ayame’ is fixed. It’s just a matter of which kanji we assign."
"Legend? Where the hell did that even come from…"
I’m still stewing over it when President Kamizawa’s smirking face fills my vision.
(You?! So the leak came from the boss himself!)
Everyone else seems to have reached the same conclusion—everyone except Ayame is glaring at the president.
"Her real name? Shirono Ayame?"
The president squints at the contract signature but can’t make it out.
"Shirono Ayahime—pronounced ‘Jōno Ayame.’"
"“““What kind of princess-name is that?!”””"
"Already settled then. If Ayame herself objects, that’s her problem."
"President’s authority. The surname’s rare enough to identify a person, but we’re only using the given name—so there could be a hundred Ayames out there. No issue."
"Settled then."
Ms. Naho agrees.
"Calling her 'Aya-ya' works, right?"
President Kamizawa says something utterly ridiculous.
"Please, no—just skip that nickname. How about 'Ayame'?"
"Yes. That works perfectly."
And so, Ayame’s official joining was spread across the SNS.
The fanbase went wild, whispering that the previous one-on-one duel was staged—such was the buzz sparked by this recruitment drama.
A lucky break, really. The injury turned into a full-blown promotional goldmine.
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With the reinforcement of the Blush Lipps Fleet, the forward unit (attacker) Ayame has officially joined.
Still, swapping out the RIO for an NPC-class vessel ended up reducing long-range offensive capability instead.
Specifications for Ayame-class ship:
『AYAME』
Ship Type: Assault Vessel
Hull: 200m long, Cruiser-type, two arms
Main Engine: Type C Thermonuclear Reactor, Type E High-Speed Propulsion Unit
Armament: Main Gun: 20cm Long Barrel Railgun, Single Mount, 1 Unit, 1 Barrel — Standard Ammo: 80 (Remaining) / 80 (Max)
Secondary Guns: 15cm Particle Beam Cannon, Twin Mount, 2 Units, 4 Barrels
Anti-Space Cannons: 10cm Laser, Single Mount, 4 Units, 4 Barrels
Missile Launcher Pod: None
Anti-Ship Blade: Type C, 1
Defense: Beam-Resistant Coating, Special Steel Armor Plating
Kinetic-Resistant Beam Shield, Type E, 1
Stasis Field (Barrier), Type E
Electronic Equipment: Anti-Ship Radar, Type E, Communications Unit, Type E
Empty Energy Slot 0
Status Good
Ayame's ship, the Ayame, has a high-performance reactor but is equipped with energy-hungry anti-ship blades—somehow configured for close combat.
When I asked Ayame about it, she said she’d originally been into swordsmanship and had incorporated that into her design.
Since the fleet lacks long-range firepower—especially missile capability—we’ve decided to boost individual combat effectiveness by leveraging fusion and other enhancements.
As our first step, President Kamizawa squeezed the idea fee for carrier aircraft out of the government.
We secured two brand-new carrier aircraft as a reward.
We decided to install these two aircraft aboard Miu’s ship, which had ample hangar space.
Now Miu’s ship has become a light carrier.
‘MIYU’
Ship Class: Light Carrier
Hull Length: 250m Transport Ship Type 2 Arms Extended Hangar (Carrier Aircraft: 'Attack Craft' ×2)
Main Engine: Type E Fusion Reactor High-Speed Propulsion Unit F Type
Armament Main Gun: None
Secondary Gun: None
Anti-Space Cannon: 10cm Laser Single Mount ×12 ×12
Missile Launcher Pod: Type F Anti-Aerial ×4 ×4 Max Ammo: 20 × 4 Missile Remaining: 80
Aircraft-Used Missile: Type D Standard ×2 ×2 Max Ammo: 4 × 2 × 2 Missile Remaining: 16
Defense Beam-Resistant Coating Special Steel Armor Plates
Kinetic & Beam Shield Type E ×2
Stasis Field (Barrier) Type D
Electronic Equipment Anti-Ship Radar Type E Communications Unit Type E
Empty Energy Slot: 2
Status: Operational
'Carrier Aircraft'
Type: Attack Craft
Aircraft Length: 20m
Main Reactor: Fusion Reactor Type H, High-Speed Propulsion Unit Type H
Armament: Anti-Space Cannon 10cm Laser Twin Mount 1 Unit, 2 Guns
Missiles: D-Type Standard, 2 Units Mountable
Defense: Beam-Resistant Coating, Special Steel Armor Plating
Electronic Equipment: Anti-Ship Radar Type G, Communications Unit Type G
Empty Energy Slot: 0
Status: Operational
Though the Miu-class battleship lacks a sub-computer (quantum computer) for controlling carrier aircraft.
The carrier aircraft’s AI is reportedly inferior to 'Fannell,' a modified autonomous missile captured from the enemy.
For reference, here are 'Fannell’s' specs:
'Fannell'
Type: Attack Craft (Stealth)
Length: 25m
Main Reactor: Fusion Reactor Type G, High-Speed Propulsion Unit Type G
Armament: Primary Cannon: 15cm Particle Beam Cannon Twin Mount 1 Unit, 2 Guns
Missile Type D: Standard, 2 units mountable
Defense: Beam-Resistant Coating, Special Steel Armor Plating
Shielding Field (Cloaking Device) Type E
Electronic Equipment: Anti-Ship Radar Type F, Communications Unit Type F
Empty Energy Slot: 0
Status: Good
At the station, they don’t seem to plan on using the expensive carrier aircraft as suicide bombs—never mind missiles.
So, instead of mounting them for direct attack, they’re designing them as missile carriers, calling them “attack craft” for lack of a better term.
The shielding field? Also skipped on production models—too costly.
Hence, the carrier aircraft are designed to link data via sub-computer and quantum communication, enabling far more advanced operations.
If we keep going like this, the carrier aircraft’s onboard neural core will end up operating autonomously—AI-only, no fine-tuned commands possible.
Guess I’ll have to take the enemy ship myself and secure the neural core.
I want to keep upgrading my gear through fusion, personally.
That’ll only work in real space, though.
Good thing Ayame’s eager to do real-space ops to pay off her debts—so now she’s teaming up with me, Akira, and the fleet as a unit.
Debt repayment comes first, but I’ll also be targeting gear for upgrades.
Priority upgrades: autonomous missile countermeasures and shield disruption systems.
I’ve assigned Ayame to guard me.
So the loot? Split down the middle.
I went to the Administrative Office to push for a settlement, and it turned out they’d taken over Ayame’s debt—payment in kind, not cash.
I’d been hoping to secure half the loot through priority sales, but the Administrative Office isn’t sloppy. Not even a little.
Honestly, I’d have liked them to wipe the debt clean as a reward for all our contributions.
“Wait—so does that mean the fighter jets are my reward? Two 20-meter-class craft should be worth more than a single 30-meter-class rental ship, right? Maybe I actually paid off the debt?”
“What are you talking about?! The neural interface’s performance is in a league of its own. The fighters aren’t that expensive. And I put money into fleet strength—yet all of it ended up in Akira’s gear, didn’t it?”
“Yeah… that’s true.”
Another one bites the dust—thanks, boss.
A gentle tug on my sleeve.
When I looked over, Miu was staring at me.
Thanks...
Well, it's for the fleet... and for myself, so I guess it's unavoidable.