04. Immediate Funding

Report from the support vessel SII-001.

— Hyperlane Gate under construction. Five days until completion.

＜アギラカナ・コア＞

From this point forward, the S2145 system shall be referred to as the SOL system.

Activation sequence for the lightning squadron’s dormant state initiated.

—— Awakening of associated crew members.

——Awakening of auxiliary support personnel from hibernation.

— S2-class cruiser, one vessel, hibernation protocol terminated.

—P2-class destroyer, six units: wake-up sequence completed.

We descended from the disc and returned together to my room for a moment. Somehow, without noticing, Ain—though calling her Agirakana felt off—was carrying a slightly larger business suitcase in one hand. Probably left inside the disc.

We're sitting across from each other at our dining table, and I'm listening to Ain’s story.

"To formally assume command, you'll need to visit Agirakana once, undergo biometric registration with the Core. Think of the Core as an AI that aggregates Agirakana's central functions. Given your schedule, would a departure one week from now suit you?"

"Yes, that arrangement works fine. And how long does it take to reach Agirakana, one way?"

"The distance between Earth and Agirakana is approximately two light-years. A hyperlane gate connecting to Agirakana is currently under construction near Jupiter. It will be completed in five days, so traveling from Earth to the vicinity of the hyperlane gate will take about half a day aboard the shuttle we discussed earlier. There, you’ll transfer to an awaiting vessel bound for Agirakana. No time passes during hyperlane transit. From the Agirakana-side gate to Agirakana itself, the journey takes about three hours. As you approach Agirakana, you’ll get your first full view of the station. Upon arrival, proceed to the first spaceport within the vessel and dock at the first pier.

Thus, this journey will take roughly fifteen hours one way from Earth to Agirakana."

"Two light-years in half a day?" That’s closer than I thought.

"Yes. Then, I’ll come to fetch you seven days from now—at nine in the morning."

"Please, one more thing—when I go to Agirakana, is there anything I need to prepare or bring with me?"

"At Agirakana, we have scheduled various registrations and ceremonial events, including the captain’s swearing-in. Anything deemed necessary will be provided by us, so there’s no need for you, Mr. Yamada, to bring anything. Agirakana will provide an environment identical to Earth’s, so meals, showers, and toilets will be available, of course. Moreover, you’ll have real-time access to Earth’s internet as well.

There is one request before departure—"

"A request?"

"Given that we will be operating within Japan from now on, we believe Japanese currency will inevitably be necessary. Without户籍 or passports, we cannot open bank accounts, nor conduct transactions."

"So, the request is this: we’ve prepared gold bullion. We’d like you to sell it and convert it into cash."

As he spoke, Ain lifted the business bag resting on the floor with his left hand—lightly, almost absentmindedly—and pulled out a gold ingot with his right, tossing it onto the table with no particular care.

"This one is made to weigh exactly ten kilograms."

The table began to sag when the third one was placed down. Ain noticed the flex, apparently, and lifted the third ingot back up, setting it on the floor. The first two followed suit, relocated to the floor as well.

Ten gold ingots now formed a pyramid on the laminate floor. The floorboards visibly creaked under the weight. This won’t collapse, will it?

The gold pyramid before him—ten times ten kilograms—totalled one hundred kilograms. How much is gold worth these days? Around five thousand yen per gram, wasn’t it? Multiply that: ten kilograms is ten thousand grams. Times five thousand… fifty million yen. Ten of them? Five hundred million yen.

Hmm, maybe because I just circled Earth on that disc a moment ago, fifty million yen doesn’t really faze me anymore.

Even I, who used to be just a little plushie, have gotten pretty big now.

But how about you, Ain? What’s your strength like these days? You were carrying that bag like it was nothing earlier. That’s the real shocker—‘Bioandroid’ indeed.

“Understood. I’ll cash this in before departure and deposit it into a suitable account.”

“Thank you. For now, we’ll be fine with about one hundred million yen. Any amount beyond that is yours to do with as you please. And please keep this card.”

“A card?”

The silver card handed over was about the size of a credit card.

“This card is a direct-line communicator to me. If you need anything, just call out ‘Ain’ into the card. I’ll be returning to the shuttlecraft now to wait.”

“Wait—will that shuttlecraft be staying on the rooftop the whole time?”

“No, this rooftop is only being used for this occasion. Normally, it hovers in the stratosphere about forty kilometers above, in stealth mode. Access to the shuttle during its flight is managed via the shuttle’s short-range transfer unit. I’ll be taking my leave now.”

Ain was up in the sky, then.

Staring blankly at the credit-card-sized device in hand and the golden pyramid made of rolled bars.

It was still morning, according to the clock.

‘Sell this gold, maybe?’

He pulled out the backpack used for commuting and started to lift one of the bars to put it inside. Wait—this wasn’t light for gold, was it? Surely not gold-plated aluminum? He tested it on the bathroom scale just outside the shower. Exactly ten kilograms.

‘Huh? Am I going mad?’

The bar wasn’t a fake, but the feeling was unmistakably off.

Ain had said one hundred million was fine, so as long as it was within that range, it shouldn’t matter, I figured. I stuffed the gold ingots into the bag until four fit. When I lifted the bag, the handle snapped off. It was the same bag I’d used every day—had it really been that fragile? Fourty kilograms was about the same as lifting a petite woman. Fair enough.

I decided to carry the gold ingots, now removed from the ruined commuter bag, wrapped in a furoshiki, rolling it up like a scroll.

Two hundred million in furoshiki, if they weren’t counterfeit. Must handle with care. Still, surprisingly light.

I carried the remaining six ingots to the side of the bed and lined them up neatly, then draped the blanket I’d pulled from the bed over them.

Checking my smartphone, I see that besides a driver’s license, a My Number is required when selling gold. There seem to be several shops in the city that buy gold—there’s even one nearby.

Stuffed the necessary items into my pocket and called it ready. Phew.

First, head to the bank in front of the station and open a new account. Right! I’ll need a seal stamp too.

I parked my lightweight car in a nearby lot, wrapped the cloth bundle in a furoshiki, and entered the bank to begin the account-opening procedure.

After about thirty minutes, I received a new passbook. I’d been worried the bundle might look suspicious, but I held it carefully—after all, leaving two hundred million yen worth of gold bars in the car wasn’t exactly reassuring.

Next, the gold buyer.

〇〇 Precious Metals. I’d thought a major, specialized precious metals shop would be more reliable, so I chose this one, conveniently located nearby. I carried the furoshiki-wrapped bundle carefully into the store.

The clerk was visibly startled to see four ten-kilogram gold ingots brought in—four, no less—and was even more surprised when the appraisal confirmed they were pure gold. Still, the sale concluded without incident.

Back in the car, after waiting a while, I confirmed a transfer of approximately two hundred and eighty million yen. A small measure of relief. The shopkeeper reminded me yet again to file proper tax documentation, though—something that wouldn’t be due until next March, so I figured I’d manage somehow.

By the time I returned to the car, it was getting late. I drove a short distance to a highway-side drive-thru—〇ック—and picked up a burger set before heading home.

Final installment: *True. The Involved Summoning. Storage Officers Are the Strongest, Right!?*

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