72. Breaking News

Our people have vanished without a trace, refusing to show their faces. Something wrong? Doesn’t seem like an emergency, but there’s a nagging feeling in the gut.

While idly picking at edamame and sipping beer, I hear hurried footsteps down the hallway in front of the room. Maria appears, still in her uniform. From the open shoji-style entrance, she calls my name. I excuse myself from the two others, step out into the corridor, re-enter an empty nearby room, and listen to what she has to say.

“Anything wrong?”

"Captain, I apologize— I wasn’t certain whether it was appropriate to share this with our guests. A most troubling report has just come in from the most distant probe currently deployed, the one furthest from the Sol system. The data, still being analyzed by the Survey Division, indicates the detection of a massive cluster of Zeno. Based on their trajectory, the likelihood of them reaching the Sol system is extremely high. Current estimates put that probability at over ninety-nine percent."

"Which means it's practically certain, doesn’t it? It’s alarming, to be sure—but since it’s coming from a probe stationed at the outermost edge, there should still be plenty of time before they arrive, correct?"

"Current projections suggest arrival between two hundred and twenty and two hundred and fifty years."

"Then we’ll just intercept them before they get here—right? We’ve got Agirakana to handle it by then."

"We're currently running interception simulations with the Aerospace Force, but given the scale of the Zeno collective, complete destruction seems impossible."

"What kind of scale are we talking about?"

"Observations continue to show increasing numbers, but as of now, it's approximately two billion. According to simulations, even if Agirakana maintains full-scale defense—assuming a fifty percent personnel attrition rate—for the next two hundred and twenty years, the probability of total Zeno eradication remains below ten percent."

This, one might suppose, is what it means to lose one's words.

"Got it. So everyone won't be able to make it here today."

"No, Zeno’s arrival in the solar system won’t happen for another two hundred and twenty years, and Agirakana itself can move anywhere via jump drive, so there’s no urgent need for action at this moment. That’s the preliminary conclusion we’ve reached, so we expect everyone to gather here shortly."

An astonishing fact, yet, as Maria had said, there seemed to be nothing at all that could be done right now.

"Ah well, Maria, why don’t you get in the bath and come through to the sitting room? I’ll hold things together until everyone arrives."

"Then, Captain, I leave it to you."

Returning to the sitting room, I apologized to the two of them for my brief absence.

"Everyone should be gathering soon. I expect she’ll show up after her bath, so go ahead and start on the meal. Well then, in that case—"

I poured beer for the two of them, and then Hōzōin-san poured for me.

"Cheers!"

Ichijō downed nearly half his glass in one go, then said,

"So, senior, was there something…?"

"Nothing serious, but right now there's nothing we can do about it. Don't worry about it—just enjoy your drink."

"Then there's nothing I can do about it, I suppose. It'd be a shame to pair such a delicious dish with only beer, so I'll switch to sake. Something about that bottle caught my eye."

"It's sake brewed last December by Agirakana. Light in mouthfeel, but slightly higher in alcohol content. Perfect for someone like me or the Agirakana crew, though it might come across as too sharp for Ichijō."

"Really? Sake made by Agirakana? You never once brought any to the Embassy, did you?"

He’s already half-drunk on beer. His eyes are starting to glaze over. Was it the beer, not eating? Wait—did the number of empty bottles increase while I was away?

While nibbling at the food, he occasionally poured sake into Ichijō’s cup. After a while, the corridor grew noisy—then quiet again, as if the guests had simply passed through. Everyone must have arrived and gone straight to the bathhouse.

“Ah, it’s still bright out—why don’t we take a look at the garden? The iris around the pond are especially lovely right now.”

He stood up, flung open the shoji screen facing the veranda, and revealed the Japanese garden stretching beyond. Just ahead lay a pond, its surface dotted with koi swimming lazily, occasionally turning in place like spinning tops. Around the pond, irises bloomed in full regalia, their broad petals unfurling in deep violet hues. Behind them, hydrangeas had been planted too—the buds were swelling, heavy with promise, though they hadn’t yet begun to open.

"Is this really just a hot spring inn? Do you actually sleep and wake up here every day?"

"Guess so."

"Jealous."

"Even so, you’ve got your own room at the Embassy—live like a king. There’s a sauna, a spa, a gym. What more could you want? And if the weather’s good, you can see Mount Fuji."

"Come to think of it, I suppose you’re right. No food costs, and if you ask, they’ll usually supply whatever you need."

"So it’s the same, isn’t it?"

"Wait—maybe not?"

Maria appeared in a yukata, as if responding to Ichijō’s foolishness. She was acquainted with both, so she took her seat without delay, raised her glass of beer in a light toast, and began drinking—no need for the three-drink rush, yet still a notably smooth performance. Watching her was almost pleasant. She simply let the beer flow from the glasses around her, drinking as it was poured. One wouldn’t expect such ease from an older man. The world, it seemed, was designed in favor of beautiful girls. Unfair? Well, that was just how things were.

By the time this had unfolded, our squadron officers had also emerged from the bath, now in yukata, joining the gathering. Introductions were exchanged, though whether Ichijō was actually listening remained unclear. In any case, Hōzōin had managed to respond appropriately to the social cues, so no doubt they’d exchange information later.

There were two people who were neither fully outsiders nor insiders, so Maria and the other officers had been hesitating to bring up the matter as usual—though, really, there was no need to worry about timing or scale, so I decided to bring it up myself.

“From what Maria says, it sounds quite complicated, but there’s no need to rush. Let’s spend the whole day showing them around, then figure out a response afterward.”