17—Our Promise

The next morning, Inazuma visited the armory compound for their unit's preventive maintenance and stress debriefing. Commodore Minako was the one who suggested they should undergo the checkup as soon as they get back to Auspice, but she didn't expect that Lieutenant Harline had already arranged their schedules beforehand.

Usual reports and documents aside, it was supposed to be the only thing she had to take care of that day, so she definitely appreciated the helping hand.

Fleet girl maintenance would usually last for about three hours, involving different active and passive tests to ensure accurate readings for the task. To Inazuma though, the whole process was like a series of fun and interesting experiments that made it more engaging than your typical physical examinations.

For instance, the most demanding stress test would ask the fleet girl to stay inside a fairy-engineered simulation room called the Weather Chamber. Inside the room, the fleet girl's natural mag-ion field would be then tested against all kinds of extreme environmental conditions and hazards, ranging from blizzards to firestorms to radiation pockets. The findings in this particular test were invaluable not just to identify the flaws in the matrix of her natural mag-ion field, but also to inform the fleet girl of her own limits when attempting to expose herself to such elements.

And since fleet girls could somewhat increase their body's natural resistance with continued exposure to these elements, they always looked forward to undergo this test again, especially after returning from long deployments in the arctic and miasma-infested regions across the world.

One of the simpler tests, on the other hand, would require a fleet girl to power a huge generator to assess her core engine's mag-ion production rate. Since the core engine, the spiritual source of a fleet girl's power, was directly linked to her heart, the numbers could vary depending on the amount of physical training that a fleet girl would go through in the course of her active duty.

Experts and veterans alike had agreed that the numerical growth seen in these tests was negligible in real world scenarios, but it didn't stop fleet girls in keeping track of their progress.

In any case, Inazuma went through the usual proceedings and finished just about an hour before noon, but Bosie, one of the medical bay's fairy engineers, made a request to extend the maintenance session until lunchtime. Apparently, they had found something within her body that they needed to examine among their peers from the factory, causing Inazuma to get a bit anxious. They didn't specify what the issue was exactly, so she could only guess that her abuse of Overdrive had finally caught up on her.

As the fairies had decided, she was asked to lie down inside the imaging machine again for the next thirty minutes, receiving instructions to increase her mag-ion output at certain thresholds. When they were done with the exercise, she waited for another half an hour in the consultation room together with Katori until Bosie and the other fairies brought back their findings to them.

"Long time no see, Inazuma!" Charm said, hovering onto the front desk together with Fermi.

"Ah," Inazuma straightened her jacket and leaned forward on the sofa, "so you were the one Miss Bosie called in?"

She nodded. "Yep! There's no way I'd let anyone else lay a finger on my precious test subje—I mean, learning buddy except me!"

"But what about Miss Bosie?" Katori asked.

"She's my proxy, so she's fine!"

Bosie looked like she was about to say something but shrugged instead and handed Charm a tiny remote. "Isn't about time we start? We're running on overtime here."

"Fine, fine." Charm pointed the remote at the wall, activating the drop-down projector screen. "By the way, do you still have those yummy assorted biscuits, Katori?"

"Oh, should I get some out for everyone?"

"Please do. Explaining everything to my cute buddy here miiight take a while…"

Inazuma's heart raced as the two exchanged concerned looks. "U-Um, is the problem actually worse than you've anticipated?" Not receiving any kind of response, she directed her gaze at her own fairy engineers, but they pretended that they didn't hear anything as well. O-Okay, now I'm really worried.

As everyone finished their preparations, Fermi turned off the lights while Charm turned on the projector. "How about we start with the results of your maintenance first?" the latter said.

"Well, for starters," Bosie said, facing Inazuma, "you've passed the maintenance with flying colors. Performance-wise, you're just as seaworthy as any of our fresh constructs."

"E-Eh? R-Really?"

"If you're wondering about that last exercise, we didn't do it because we found faults in your body." Bosie gestured at the projector screen. "I guess it'll be much easier if we just let these scans speak for themselves."

Two rendered images of Inazuma's circulatory system were shown on the screen—one was a whole body scan while the other was a detailed view of her heart.

Inazuma stared at the screen, breaking out in a cold sweat. "Th-This must be some kind of mistake, right?"

"What are you talking about?" Charm asked. "Those scans are yours."

She forced out a chuckle. "I-I get it now, Miss Charm! You got me! Please, I want to see the real scans now…"

"Nope. No pranks this time. Bosie wouldn't let me even if I tried."

"B-But… those images can't be right!" She slapped her chest harder than she had wanted to. "Just look at me! There's just no way would I look like this if my body was already in that horrible state!"

"So you're already discounting the evidences in front of you without providing one of your own. I'm curious how you came up with the conclusion that we're making this up for our own amusement."

Inazuma was dumbfounded, taken aback from the fairy's sudden tone change. "Th-That's…!"

Charm sighed, wearing a disappointed look on her face. "Oh dear, I expected better from you." She walked in front of her, placing both hands on her hips. "Look, I understand what you're feeling right now, but we're not gonna make any progress here if you keep being in denial like that. We barely even started, you know?"

She lowered her head, fists trembling on her lap. "I-I'm sorry…"

"And this is why you should've properly briefed her first about our agenda," Bosie said, gesturing at the tea set beside them. "Let's give her a minute to relax, alright?"

Charm just shrugged as Inazuma received a steaming cup of milk tea from Katori. "Oh, so now it's my fault?"

"I'm aware that the two of you are friends," Katori said, pouring another cup for herself, "but that was quite reckless of you, Miss Charm."

She turned around to face Fermi, who was nibbling on a biscuit as large as herself. "Just… wow. They're ganging up on me."

"I thought you're used to it," Fermi replied. "And didn't you always say 'My hubris will only make me stronger!' or something along those lines?"

"You're making me sound like a smug know-it-all who constantly takes advantage of other people for their own selfish cause or something!"

Katori snickered. "But isn't that your trademark MO?"

"Okay, you listen here—!"

Katori and the fairies continued their nonsensical back-and-forth for the next two minutes, giving Inazuma enough time to enjoy her milk tea. As she finished the creamy blend, Inazuma coughed once to cut off the arguments.

"U-Um, I'm ready now…"

Charm released Fermi from a headlock, assuming a more dignified posture. "Goodie, so how about we start at a pace you're comfortable with?"

"I-In that case, how did my body turn out like that?"

"Straight to the point, just like your sister. But shouldn't you already know the answer to that? Come on, get that brain juice flowing!"

Inazuma pursed her lips, recalling what had transpired during their escort op to Orion. "I remember… having my core engine severely damaged when I was stabbed by that Irregular." She shuddered, gripping her arms. "I thought I was done for… but I found myself perfectly fine after two days…"

"I-Incredible," Katori breathed out, setting down her empty teacup on the table. "How did you survive?"

"One of Commander's Abyssal friends rescued me. They probably did something to my body so that I could live through that injury." Katori and the fairies all exchanged looks, causing Inazuma to break into a cold sweat. "J-Just as I thought. They turned me into an Irregular to repair my core engine."

"A sound theory," Charm said, "but it doesn't work that way. You can't remodel or transmute an already busted core engine."

"Th-Then what did they do to my body… ?"

Charm blinked. "Nothing."

"N-Nothing?"

She nodded. "They didn't do any kind of tampering to your system. That much's a guarantee after all the tests we've made earlier."

"B-But that doesn't make any sense! It's almost like you're saying that my body has always been like that from the beginning!" Despite her outburst, Charm's expression didn't change. Inazuma's eyes widened at the realization. "D-Don't tell me…"

Charm sighed, tilting her head. "See? Was that so hard?"

Inazuma was at a loss for words as she continued staring at the scans. It was only after Katori squeezing her shoulder that she was able to snap out of her stupor, spending the next minute to organize her thoughts.

"So everyone has been keeping this a secret?" Inazuma looked at her fairy crew next to the plate of biscuits, narrowing her eyes. "Which reminds me, not a single one of you informed me about my body. I want an explanation."

Her chief engineer and executive officer exchanged looks. "Cuz we had no idea what a normal core engine was supposed to look like," the former said.

"S-Seriously?"

"It's true," the fairy officer said. "The fairies we've worked with your maintenance didn't tell us anything about this… special condition of yours either. We were just as clueless as you were."

"H-How could you not distinguish a normal human heart from," Inazuma pointed at the scans, "that?! Medical facilities have anatomical models and posters scattered around and you're telling me that you didn't know?"

She flinched, putting up her hands. "L-Look, we're sorry, okay? It's not like your life's in danger or anything!"

"Right?" the fairy engineer said. "We don't even care how ugly your core engine is anyway."

Inazuma turned pinked, snatching the engineer with both hands. "D-Don't call my heart ugly!"

"But you should be thankful though! That ugly core engine of yours is the reason why you're still kickin'!"

"Wh-What do you mean?"

"It's a damn amazing engine that could regenerate damaged tissues on its own! We didn't even know it could do that until it happened!"

"Her heart can regenerate?" Katori said. "I've heard that ability is quite a rarity even among Abyssal ships."

"Unfortunately, it's not as great as you might think," the fairy officer said, reaching out for a square-shaped biscuit. "We found out that the engine's regeneration protocol will only trigger once you feed it with Type L mag-ions, which isn't even practical to begin with."

"P-Pure Abyssal mag-ions? I was expecting Type C, just like the other Irregulars."

"She's just a gift that keeps on giving, huh?" Charm said, winking at Bosie. She then noticed Inazuma's troubled expression. "I can almost hear the gears in your head turning, you know?"

"Why didn't anyone here tell me about it?" Inazuma asked, returning the fairy engineer on the table.

"Because we don't see the need in telling you just yet. As far as we're concerned, you're perfectly fine as it is."

She grimaced. "But that's not for you to decide. It's my body."

"Fair point, but that's just how this arrangement was made."

"Arrangement?" She paused for a bit. "Come to think of it, my maintenance records were also clean throughout my service in the Navy. This is definitely more than just a coincidence, right?"

"With your unique core engine, I'm sure you'd be immediately strapped against a dissecting table once they found out about it. And I'm not just talking about the Navy here."

"So whose idea was it?"

Charm grinned. "Not gonna tell ya."

"E-Eh? Why?!"

She shrugged. "Shouldn't you already know by now?"

Inazuma paused. "C-Could it be… Commander?"

"Nuh-uh. He had nothing to do with this situation of yours."

"W-Well… that leaves us with Commodore Mina—" She let out a short gasp, astounded from her newfound knowledge. "S-She knew me all this time?! Wait, did she plan this whole thing from the very beginning?"

Katori had an eager look on her face. "Yes, she specifically asked us to look after your maintenance sessions."

"No, I mean… us being commissioned together in the same unit…" She looked down. "Commander and I…"

"I'm sure she also had a good reason for that." She raised an index finger, leaning forward. "Say, do the two of you go way back?"

Inazuma's heart raced a little as the events in her dreams flashed before her eyes. "N-No… not really…"

Katori didn't look convinced, but she smiled nonetheless. "I see. I always had this impression that you two were already long time friends."

"Y-You think so?"

"His repeated visits here clued me in on a pattern." She gestured at Inazuma. "Call this a stretch, but I think he just looks more at peace whenever you're next to him."

Inazuma made a small smile. "I guess he didn't find me annoying after all…"

"Satisfied now?" Charm said, spinning the tiny remote in her hand. "We still have yet to talk about what these scans actually entail. The finer details, so to speak."

Inazuma slowly nodded and sat back on the sofa. "Please, go ahead."

"Whoops, gotta give you some context first." With a single press on the remote, Charm presented a new set of scans. "These were taken from your last maintenance."

Compared to the first batch of images, Inazuma's body looked more bluish than purple. The outlines of her circulatory network were noticeably less pronounced as well.

In the corner of her eye, she saw Charm studying her baffled expression with utmost curiosity. "U-Um, so is that what my body's supposed to look like?" she finally asked.

"Yep!" She moved on to the next slides, comparing the two sets of scans. "There's no need to be alarmed though—your condition right now is natural for anyone with a multi-ion core engine. As long as you don't further stress yourself out, your body should automatically revert back to its default configuration in a week or two."

"Th-That's a relief…"

"The subject of concern here is your body's very slow transition, which can lead to crippling complications down the road if you don't watch yourself. Like those headaches you're having every now and again."

"What's causing it then?"

"Plenty of factors come into mind—your inexperience with your engine's temporal conditioning protocol, the sedatives they constantly fed into your system when you were detained..." She pointed at the screen. "But the biggest contributing element should be the Abyssal mag-ions you used to recover from your fatal injury. Their energy density is so great that your body still have leftovers of those mag-ions as we speak."

"H-Huh? Even after everything I've been through, I wasn't able to exhaust those mag-ions?"

"To be fair," the fairy officer said, "most of those mag-ions were kept in your reserves, so you only use them when you really need the extra horsepower."

"But still, it's really amazing. I was pushing Overdrive to its limits too."

Charm nodded. "Well, it's just what you'd expect when your donor is a princess-class Abyssal ship." She closed her eyes, raising her forefinger. "The surprising thing is, your engine can somehow process those mag-ions in the first place without any apparent issues."

"If her engine's regulator mechanism works just fine," Fermi said, "there shouldn't be any problems, right?"

She faced her friend, shaking her head. "But for an artificial one, it's just so thermally efficient for some reason. Ordinary fleet girls would probably combust when they go Overdrive!"

"A-Artificial?" Inazuma uttered. "What do you mean by that?"

Charm looked at her. "You've probably figured this out already, but your heart isn't the same one you were born with."

"By artificial," Katori said, "you mean, a synthetic heart?"

"No, her case is just your classic engine switcheroo. Her heart is still organic, albeit heavily mutated."

Inazuma clutched her chest. "A-Are you saying that someone took out my heart and replaced it with a different one? But why would they even do such a thing?"

"From what I heard from Minako," she pointed at her, "you were actually one of the many subjects for the Navy's cross modernization research many years ago."

"M-Me? A test subject…?"

She made an aside glance. "Yeah, you were considered a rarity too. So much so that a mercenary group even raided the laboratory you were in just so they could auction you off in the black market."

I… I see…

Inazuma rested against the sofa's backrest, her strength seem to be fading away from her body.

Deep down, she had always known that was the case. Why else would she find herself in an observation tank one day without any prior memories?

But despite that, she had kept convincing herself otherwise.

She couldn't bring herself to doubt the people who had taken care of her throughout her stay in the Navy—the same people who had been feeding her lies to cover up their own misdeeds.

At the end of the day, she only had herself to blame for her indecisiveness. For taking the easy way out.

Letting out a shaky sigh, Inazuma mustered up the courage to look at the scans in front of her. "U-Um, does this condition of mine have anything to do with the dreams and hallucinations I've been having recently?"

"Yep," Charm replied, "it's a well-documented phenomenon among Irregulars like you—one of the bases of the Soul Resonance system."

She stared at her ring. "So they're the memories of my heart's owner?"

"Pretty much. And honestly, I'm curious what you've been seeing. Katori here told me that you were intentionally being vague about the details during your debriefing."

"We just want to help you," Katori said, scooting closer to her. "If those memories have been bothering you, we can—"

Inazuma forced a smile. "N-No, it's nothing like that," she replied. "I do have to ask though: do you know whose heart is in me?"

"Compatibility-wise," Charm said, "it's probably from one of your sister ships. We can't really tell though from the number of deformities it went through over the course of a decade."

"A decade?" she whispered. "She definitely knew…"

Charm squinted at Inazuma, rubbing her chin. "Okay… now I really wanna know who this fleet girl is. Come on, share the story. We'll have our lunch delivered here."

She grimaced. "B-But… I can't be too sure just yet…"

"All the more reason for you to tell us what you know, right?"

She shook her head. "I-I'm sorry… I really can't…"

"Come on, it's not like you personally had anything to do with those memories."

"You're right, but I have my reasons why I can't share it to anyone right now." She took a deep breath before flashing another smile. "Besides, don't you think it's only fair that I get to keep some secrets of my own too?"

"Aww, don't pull a Minako on me! Those memories are connected with your commander, aren't they? You already admitted that earlier!"

"Miss Charm?" Katori said, raising her palm up. "Please let her be. She'll be less inclined to disclose anything if you keep this up."

"Ugh… fine…"

Fermi burst out laughing. "Serves you right."

"Why did I drag you in here again?"

Seeing the genuine disappointment on Charm's face made Inazuma a bit guilty. "I-It's not like I plan to keep this to myself forever!" she said. "I just have to confirm a few things on my end… and hopefully…"

"And hopefully what?"

"I'll be able to acquire the information I need to fulfill my promise."

Charm glanced at Inazuma's left hand. "Heh, you're one of my learning buddies all right." She shoved her hands into her lab coat's pockets. "If you don't have any more questions, how about we wrap this up for today?"

As Inazuma stepped out of the consultation room, she saw Hatsuyuki at the nearby waiting seats. "Ah, it's almost your turn, huh?"

Hatsuyuki looked up from the handheld console's screen and gave her a small smile. "Your maintenance took way too long." She returned her attention to the game she was playing. "What happened?"

Sighing, she plopped down next to her. "A-Actually, it's related to the things I wanted to discuss with you."

"Oh, I was looking forward to it…" She suspended her game and set the console down on her lap. "I have this feeling you might know something about Commander's past after all..."

"A-Am I really that easy to read?"

"Probably."

She narrowed her eyes, pursing her lips for a moment. "Y-You're not teasing me again, are you?"

Hatsuyuki shook her head. "But you must be starving already. I'll hear your story out later... if it's okay…"

Her stomach grumbled in response. "Y-Yeah, I was thinking if Sendai's around to keep me company for a bit. She didn't tell me where she's hanging out when she texted me an hour ago."

"Well… I bumped into her just recently. She went off to see someone…"

She frowned. "I-Is that so..."

"And isn't it a bit cruel to invite her to lunch anyway? She's supposed to be fasting for her maintenance later…"

She clasped her hands together, averting her eyes. "Y-You're right…"

"Have you asked Fumizuki and Fusou? They're still in the e-district, right?"

She fished out her phone and presented a couple of images sent to her by Fumizuki. "They just finished their lunch though. Look how much food Chikuma and Tanikaze ordered!"

"They ate in that barbecue house, huh? Ugh… now I'm hungry…"

"O-Oh, sorry!" she said, pulling her phone away.

"But you know… it'd be nice if we could eat out together soon. Together with Akatsuki and Commander."

"The last time we went out, it was just the four of us in the unit." She slipped her phone back to her skirt pocket. "And when things got busier with the abductions going on, we resorted to takeouts and deliveries."

"Akatsuki can be really annoying and bossy… but it doesn't feel the same without her around…"

Inazuma put on a sly grin. "Do you really mean that though?"

"C-Come on, you had your fair share of scolding too…" The two of them shared a hearty laugh, earning the attention of the other fleet girls around them. "You should go on ahead. It's almost my turn soon, you know?"

"Okay, I'll see you later."

Inazuma left the armory compound in a more cheerful mood and made her way back to their quarters. Walking through the central lounge, she was a bit surprised that there were still plenty of leftovers from yesterday's dinner party. Fleet girls and personnel alike took advantage of yet another feast, waiting in line with their respective lunchboxes in hand.

But as she went to take a closer look, the dishes were actually fresh. Some of them were even completely different from last night's menu. According to Shirayuki, Einrost had ordered too many buffet orders but couldn't be bothered to cancel them, so the caterer had brought the remaining orders to the headquarters just before lunch.

No wonder the tables never looked empty throughout the party!

In any case, Inazuma figured that she should grab a couple of takeouts for herself as well. And so, she hurried back to her room and brought out two lacquer containers in their storage cabinet. She also rummaged the freshly-stocked mini fridge for the last mango tart that she had put aside yesterday and an assortment of bottled drinks.

But as she was about to close the fridge, she noticed a sticky note attached on one of the door compartments:

Can I have this one? It's been here since forever!

—Fumi

She peeled off the sticky note, revealing a chocolate bar behind it.

Inazuma's eyes widened. It wasn't just any chocolate bar—it was the same chocolate bar that the commander had given to her after meeting him for the first time.

Every time she opened the fridge, she always told herself that she would snack on it one of these days, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it. She would either forget or feel bad at the thought of eating it, so this cycle persisted as long as it did.

Now that she had to make her choice again, she found herself being railroaded onto that same tired path like always.

I guess that's just a part of what makes me, me. But at least for this case…

Ridding herself of any hesitation, Inazuma grabbed the chocolate bar and closed the fridge's door. She peeled off a piece from the pad of sticky notes on the side of the fridge and scribbled a reply for Fumizuki:

Sorry, Fumizuki! I'll buy you one later!

—Inazuma

Today would definitely be the day she would be eating the darn thing. Food is supposed to be eaten, not kept as some kind of trophy in the fridge!

Once she had everything she needed inside her tote bag, she returned to the central lounge and began her deliberation over the tantalizing dishes still available for the picking. She wanted to try all of the new dishes, but she was also craving for more of her favorites from last night. Eventually, she settled on a split between the two, stuffing them separately in each container.

"Oh, going out on a picnic somewhere?"

Startled, Inazuma almost knocked a container off the table as she turned around. The yukata-clad Akatsuki was standing behind her, peering over her shoulder. She could only let out a sigh as she supported herself against the table with both hands.

"P-Please don't do that…"

Akatsuki's smile turned upside down. "A-Ah, sorry…"

"N-No, it's okay…" She stacked the containers together and placed them inside the tote bag. "Your voice just…. surprised me…"

Akatsuki placed a basket full of green and yellow mangoes on the table. "So, um, here's our gift for your unit. Harvest season is going to be over soon, so we're making the most of it."

Inazuma gasped, admiring the flower-like arrangement of the basket. "Thank you very much!" She pointed at the glass bottle in the middle of the mangoes. "Oh, what's this?"

"Fermented fish paste. Apparently, it goes well with green mangoes."

"I'll try it with the others later." She eyed the stack of fliers inside the basket that Akatsuki was carrying. "By the way, do you have any business here today?"

Akatsuki rubbed the back of her neck with her free hand, glancing at the crowded buffets. "Miss Musashi sent me here to get some takeouts." She gestured at the blue-haired woman eating at the table across them. "And Miss Ranger Lady over there wanted to see all the fuss here for herself, so I took her with me."

She looked at the woman and the two exchanged smiles. "Ah, Miss Musashi really enjoyed the pork roast last night, didn't she?"

"Yeah, too bad there isn't any today," she handed one of the fliers to Inazuma, "Anyway, I also have to pass these around."

Inazuma took the flier, scanning its contents. "An outdoor training camp?"

"It was Miss Musashi's idea. The funds gathered from the program will go to the restoration project of the shrine near our place."

"Hmm… camping out seems nice…"

"Since your unit won't be doing any missions for a while, maybe you and your friends should consider joining. It will be a great opportunity to brush up and refine your skills until your unit's Akatsuki gets back."

She took her eyes off the flier, placing it inside the tote bag. "Are you going to join too?"

"Certainly not!" Akatsuki grumbled, placing her free hand over her hip. "I have plenty of chores to do as it is, and it will only get worse once her friends get here! Ugh, she can be so inconsiderate even when she's a lady herself!"

She blinked, smiling. "H-Hang in there."

As if sensing Inazuma's amusement, Akatsuki huffed. "But anyway, think about it. Miss Musashi and her former unit excel at close-quarters scenarios, so it's a guarantee that it'll be worth your time."

"I think there's no doubt about that. We'll definitely consider it."

She glanced at the buffet again as more fleet girls started entering the lounge. "O-Oh no, it's the rest of the morning shift… !" She made a quick bow. "I'll see you later, Inazuma! Congratulations again on your promotion!"

Before Inazuma could respond, Akatsuki ran off into the crowd surrounding the buffets.

"Hey, is there any seafood fettuccini left?! And oh—! Some stuffed pork belly, please!"

Inazuma let out a shaky breath and smiled.

I really miss her so much…

The cool ocean breeze greeted Inazuma upon entering her favorite lookout spot by the sea. She hadn't been there in her lonesome since the commander's arrival a couple of months ago, so she was very pleased that she would be able to unwind and spend some quality time on her own again.

To start things off, she unfurled her patchwork picnic blanket under the tree and secured the corners with steel pegs. She also took a couple of large rocks and lined them up around the blanket for good measure. Satisfied with her handiwork, she took off her shoes and dove onto the blanket. She stayed motionless for a while, immersing herself within the peace and comfort of her surroundings.

Her zen-like trance didn't last long though as she felt her phone's subtle vibration in her pocket. She rolled on her side and checked the text message from Sendai:

Where are you?

She quickly sent her reply:

Just outside headquarters, near the stairs leading down the convenience store. Do you need something?

Surprisingly, she got her response a few seconds later:

No, just wondering.

She was about to invite her over but decided against it after recalling her upcoming maintenance. While thinking of a response, she received another message:

Someone wants to talk to you.

She lay on her back, pursing her lips.

Who? If it's important, I'll head back to the office right now.

And moments later:

You don't have to. Just stay there.

She turned on her side again and closed her eyes for a bit.

She couldn't think of anyone who would suddenly want to meet her at that time of the day. Plus, she would be immediately notified through her terminal if something urgent did come up from her department.

Then again, she had made a lot of friends last night, so it could most likely be one of them.

Who is it though?

She waited for a minute. Then two.

She tried sending another message, but Sendai didn't seem interested in replying anymore.

She sighed and sat up again, scanning her surroundings. She thought she might as well start eating while she waited for this mystery person to arrive.

After applying hand sanitizer, she spread out her lunch in front of her and started eating. The food was already cold, but she didn't mind. It wasn't everyday that she would be able to eat restaurant-quality dishes, especially when presented with such a diverse menu to choose from.

Well, that wasn't to say that the offerings in the mess hall and stalls inside the headquarters were bland or anything.

As she was halfway done with her lunch, she suddenly felt a warm blast of wind from behind, prompting her to turn around. "Wh-What was that… ?" Her eyes wandered for a bit. "That was weird…"

Just as she turned her attention back to her meal, she noticed that one of her tuna sticks had vanished. She examined the lacquer boxes, making sure that she didn't drop or misplace it somewhere.

"H-Huh? Wh-Where did it go?"

Heart racing, she reached out for her orange juice to take a swig. But as she twisted the cap off the bottle, she felt no resistance at all.

She looked down at the bottle with wide eyes. "E-Eh…? B-But I haven't—!"

She hastily returned the cap and looked at her surroundings again.

O-Or maybe I already opened this earlier! I just… probably forgot! That has to be it, right? Right!

To help calm herself down, she fished out her earphones from her jacket's belly pocket and tuned in to her favorite radio station. She tried her best to focus on the drama program while eating, but the anxiety in her heart only continued to grow.

O-Oh Goddess...! A-Are the ghosts of my enemies finally haunting me?

Or… or maybe this spot is actually haunted? Th-That would probably explain why I don't see anyone hanging out around here!

And at that moment, one of her spring rolls slowly rose in the air.

"Hawa...! Hawawawa!"

Overwhelmed by fear, she started retreating from the possessed spring roll until her left arm bumped into something.

H-Huh?

As she turned her head, she saw a figure crouching next to her. The person was wearing a full body suit and tinted helmet, staring at her without moving an inch.

"Gyaaaahhhh!"

In a fit of panic, she summoned her shield MAU and fired a shell dart at the figure. As she reopened her eyes, her victim was already lying on the ground.

"E-Eh?! I-I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have—" She stared at the person's mechanical shoulder frame. "W-Wait… this frame looks familiar…"

She then heard the person in the suit stifling his laughter.

"Sorry… I just couldn't help myself…"

"C-Commander… ?"

The realization shook her to the core, instantly moving her to tears.

"It's been weeks since we last saw each other, and the first thing you do is to pull a stupid prank like this?! It wasn't funny, you know?"

The commander sat up and turned his head to the side. "You sure have the knack to exploit someone's heartstrings with that face of yours."

She sniffled, drying her tears. "H-Hmph. Blaming me even when you're the one at fault here…"

He lifted his head slightly, but she couldn't tell if he was looking at her. "I guess it's just one of those things I'll never get used to."

She narrowed her eyes as she recalled her shield unit. "Used to what?"

He sighed. "Nothing."

She heaved a sigh as well, crawling back to her food. "H-Have you eaten lunch already?"

"Yeah, had it with Sendai in a nearby diner."

"Ah, so you were the person she met with earlier." She faced the commander and patted the space next to her. "But knowing your appetite, I'm sure you still have plenty of room for dessert."

He settled beside her and crossed his legs. "No, I'm good."

"No need to be modest though. I even brought extra snacks since I was planning to stay here for a while." She fished out a tissue-covered fork from her tote bag and handed it to him. "Here!"

He stared at her for a few seconds before finally relenting. "Alright, fine."

"And can you please take your helmet off? It's a bit distracting to talk to you like this."

He paused, setting the fork aside. "You sure about that?"

"H-Huh?"

"I think you'd be more distracted without it though."

"What are you talking about? Please take it off already." As he removed his helmet in one swift motion, Inazuma let out a horrified gasp. "Wh-What happened to your—?!"

"It was only a matter of when, to be honest." He stared at his helmet's visor, caressing his deformed face. His right eye emitted a dim purple hue as he glared at his reflection. "I'm actually impressed that I was able to hold it off for this long."

She started sobbing. "A-Are you… going to be okay?"

He set the helmet aside. "Y-Yeah, but I'm afraid I'll have to undergo mandatory reconditioning on top of my usual maintenance from now on. Not the worst that could happen, but still…"

"I'm sorry…"

"Why are you apologizing?"

She shook her head. "I-If only I was stronger, you wouldn't have to rely on your powers too much. If I was stronger, I would be able to save Akatsuki…"

"Blaming yourself isn't going to change anything."

"B-But—!"

"Enough. You did everything you could."

"Y-You're just saying that."

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Didn't you always tell me that I shouldn't take on my burdens alone? That we're a team that should help each other out?" As she lifted up her head, their eyes met. His were brimming with unyielding conviction. "It's my turn to help you—to help ease the pain you're feeling right now. That's why I came to see you before we set off to Garnyza."

Unable to suppress her emotions any longer, Inazuma broke into tears. The commander slowly raised his hand to her face, only to pull it back before his fingers could graze her cheek.

As she finally calmed down a bit and dried her tears, she mustered up the courage to look at him in the eyes again. "Th-Thank you…"

He grumbled. "Don't thank the guy who brought all this misery upon you."

"B-But at least… you're trying to make up for it…" She sniffled. "And seeing you open up more… just makes me really happy."

His lips quivered. "I'm trying… but don't get your hopes up too much…"

"Th-That's good enough for me."

Not another word was uttered as they spent the next minute gazing at the scenery before them. But just as Inazuma was about to break the standstill, she saw the commander putting on his helmet again. Without thinking, she grabbed his wrist just before he could slip his head into it completely.

"What is it?" he asked.

"You don't have to."

"It isn't exactly a pleasant sight to look at, especially when you're eating and all…"

"I don't mind, so please leave it off. I want to see your face." He muttered something under his breath as he took off the helmet again. "What's the matter?"

"Stop making that face, will you? It's annoying."

She instinctively touched her cheek. "W-Why are you so bothered with my face anyway?" Instead of responding, he snatched one of her tuna sticks with his fork. "A-Ah…! I was saving those!"

He took a bite of the tuna stick, closing his eyes. "This is really good though. I love how the batter just melts in your mouth."

She sniffled, lamenting that she should've taken more. "I-I know…"

His expression soured as he wagged the tuna stick at her. "You were so willing to share your lunch not too long ago."

"And you were comforting me just a minute ago." She huffed, placing two mangoes in front of him. "You're always so quick to ruin the mood, you know that?"

He picked up one and started inspecting it with his free hand. "Aren't you quite the romantic?"

As the commander finished up his tuna stick, she handed out a knife, disposable plate, and hand sanitizer. "I just… prefer the gentle side of yours more…"

"Hearing that just makes me want to do the opposite."

"W-Well, it's not like you're any different…!"

"Explain."

Inazuma put on a more confident air as she cleared her throat. "Thinking back of the times we spent together, I truly regret I kept distancing myself from you. In truth, I've always enjoyed your company. So, thank you.

"Thank you for being a great secretary. Thank you for being such a good friend."

His eyes widened. "O-Oh… so you've read the letter I left with—"

"I've always admired you, that's why I hope you never lose sight of the things you believe in the most."

The commander turned crimson, mouth agape. "Th-That wasn't even in the—" He turned his head to the side to avoid eye contact. "Y-You actually found that draft…!"

Inazuma was trying her best not to laugh. "I just got lucky."

"Damnit Shortcake, you've crossed the line with this one! I spent a whole week thinking about that letter!"

She leaned closer to him, tilting her head with a smile. "Are you angry?"

"No, Inazuma." His mutated eye glowed brighter. "I feel totally calm and serene right now."

She suddenly felt a pang of guilt, but she kept up the act regardless. "Y-You started it though! And you called me Shortcake again!"

He crossed his arms and grumbled. "I swear, the first thing I'm gonna tell Akatsuki once she wakes up is that her sister is actually a cheeky little devil fueled by grudges and mangoes."

She narrowed her eyes. "Please don't bring her into this. She'll probably just scold us both if she sees us arguing like this."

The two exchanged looks and laughed. "I must say, it just doesn't feel right without her around."

"Hatsuyuki thought so too." She grabbed her utensils again and stared down at her food. "When do you think she'll be able to recover?"

"No idea. All we know right now is that the link connecting her body and spirit was severed."

She ate a spoonful of rice and barbecue rib eye. "Then so we just have to find a way to repair that link and everything will be okay, right?"

He pulled out an abussosium blade from his leg sheathe. "Well, that's the theory at least."

"What's wrong?"

A silver glow enveloped both the blade and the mango he was holding. As he unfurled his fingers, the items started to hover in front of him. "This is probably what Emery was talking about. It's amazing that Akatsuki was able to survive, but just what exactly did she do to her?"

Inazuma's eyes widened as the blade started slicing the mango into three horizontal parts. "A-As long as she turns out fine in the end, I don't really care about the details."

"You don't mind that she's an Irregular now?"

"Irregular or not, she's still my big sister." She took another spoonful, reaching out for her orange juice. "Besides, it's not like I should be ashamed of it either."

As the blade started slicing the mango cheeks into dices, he turned to look at her. "What do you mean?"

Inazuma glanced at him, hesitating. "W-Well, I just learned earlier that I'm actually an Irregular."

"So they finally told you, huh?"

She paused, taking a huge gulp of the drink. "I had a feeling you'd know. But Miss Charm told me that you aren't involved in it…"

"She's right. I only found out about that secret of yours by accident."

"Y-You mean… when I was nearly sunk during that escort operation?"

He took the freshly diced mango cheek and pushed the skin inwards, eating a couple of pieces. "Mari told me your core engine's self-repair function activated after she retrieved you that time. Seems like your core engine didn't even need to be fed directly by Type L mag-ions for that function to work. Well, as long as the ambient mag-ions near your body have enough energy density to initiate the repairs at least."

She shuddered, squeezing the juice bottle. "I could've died for real back there…"

"Minako was so confident that I wouldn't put you in harm's way. I, on other hand, underestimated your determination to save Akatsuki." He smiled, watching the knife dice the other part. "You really gave us both a good scare."

"Th-That reminds me…" She set down her orange juice and took a deep breath. "I haven't apologized for disobeying your orders. I'm really sorry about snapping at you like that."

"I'm over it."

She smiled. "That's a relief."

"I'm using you girls to get the things I want, so I can't be all uppity about it. What's more, this commander shtick doesn't really suit someone like me."

"Oh, you're doing just fine."

Once the other mango cheek was done, it placed itself beside the seed part on the plate. "Please, you and Akatsuki were the ones picking up my slack. You two also kept nagging me every day over the smallest of things."

"It's only because you were being so secretive!"

He paused, finishing his mango cheek. "But thinking about everything that has transpired, I'm both impressed and annoyed just how I made my life more difficult than it should be. And because of my stubbornness, Jintsuu had to die a pointless death."

"H-How could you say that?" She offered the commander a can of pineapple juice, but he opted for a bottled water instead. "You did everything you can…"

"Did I?" Grimacing, he set down the mango skin on the plate and took the bottle. "I could've saved Jintsuu, but fear took over my body. I couldn't bring myself to stop Tatsuki. Not with a decent chance that I might accidentally kill him in the process."

"A-Ah, so you do know him…"

He took a couple of gulps from the bottle. "He was one of our trainers in the VOKS program. Used to be a decent father figure to everyone."

"Why does he hold such a deep grudge against you?"

He sighed, staring at the floating blade. "The liner that his family was riding on got sunk by an Abyssal ship."

"I-Is he blaming you for that?"

"Yeah. I was the one who unleashed that Abyssal ship upon those poor souls after all."

Her eyes widened as she caught on. "Ch-Chambered Liberty… ?"

"His family was supposed to attend at his promotion ceremony later that week. He basically lost everything he cared about in a blink of an eye."

As she was left speechless from the revelation, the commander continued:

"He didn't know the truth at first since the Navy kept the whole thing under wraps. When he somehow found out about it later on, he was no longer the same man we knew.

"Since then… I sometimes wonder if it would've made a difference if I had told him the truth myself. He still wouldn't forgive me, but at least…" He lowered his head. "At least he wouldn't probably go as far as he did."

She took the last bite of her rib eye and moved on to finish her spiced fish fillet. "I'm just relieved that he wouldn't be able to bother us in the future."

"Hmph, I don't know about that."

"Are you still worried?"

"Never underestimate someone who already lost everything." He grimaced, snatching the blade. "In a way, we aren't really that different. We're acting on what we think is right. But in truth, we're just trying to fulfill our selfish desires at the expense of the people around us."

"Don't say that…"

"And the irony to that is we're simply pawns of the faceless bigwigs running the whole show."

She froze as she was about to take another bite. "Wh-What do you mean?"

He smiled, reaching over for the tissue box. "Why do you think the Navy lets me run free despite being openly antagonistic towards them?"

She took a moment to savor the food in her mouth. "It didn't really feel like they're being lenient to us. And some of them were even trying to assassinate you…"

He started cleaning the blade with a piece of tissue. "I mean, I may have a couple of tricks up my sleeve to cheat death, but they can easily crush me if they actually tried."

"Th-That's true. Miss Yahagi went easy on us when we were trying to escape."

"But as long as we play our cards right and don't let ourselves get cornered completely, I think we'll be able to manage just fine."

She looked at him, smiling. "I think we can all count on you when it comes to that."

It was only brief, but the commander had a sheepish look on his face before slipping into a cynical one. "Well, I'll just pray that you don't run off on your own and get yourself nearly killed again."

"Y-You can just tell that you're still bitter about what I did!"

Her indignant look quickly eroded just as the commander cracked a smile, and they shared another bout of laughter. As they settled down, Inazuma finished the last few servings of her lunch so that they could finally move on to dessert.

The sampler that she got from the buffet consisted of a slice of chocolate brownie, flan, and blueberry cheesecake. She was a bit disappointed that she couldn't bring ice cream along with her to complement the brownie, but the set was more than enough to satisfy her sweet tooth.

"Commander," she started, taking the diced mango cheek, "can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

She took a deep breath as if to clear her mind. "Do you have any idea why Miss Minako commissioned us both in the same unit?"

"Don't you already know the answer to that? Like those dreams you were having?"

Just as she swallowed a couple of mango cubes, Inazuma was sent into a coughing fit. She grabbed her water bottle so that she could wash away the scratchy sensation in her throat.

"H-How did you know about that? D-Don't tell me you're actually a psychic!"

He rubbed his chin, taking a piece of the mango tart. "Huh, so I was right."

"R-Right about what?"

He closed his eyes as he brought his spoon into his mouth. "I was actually having weird dreams and visions as of late, so I figured that it must be the same for you as well."

"Y-You too?" She paused, scooping as many mango cubes as possible with her spoon. "Then that must mean the rings Miss Charm gave us are having an effect on us. She did say that it was supposed to bridge the souls of two people."

He raised an eyebrow. "You don't look convinced though."

"Did you start experiencing those dreams some time after our escort op to Orion?"

He nodded. "That's… quite a specific timeframe."

"It was the same with me too. And if you don't mind me asking, what kind of dreams did you have so far?"

"A mixed bag, to be honest. The dreams were supposed to be centered around you, but the perspective keeps changing for the most part. What's more, you haven't even met most of the people I've seen in them."

"I see." She took another spoonful of mango cubes. "What about me? Did you learn anything about my past?"

He blinked. "I-I'm not really sure, to be honest. But if I had to guess, I'd say that one instance with a naked fleet girl stuck inside an observation tank."

Inazuma's face went crimson. "Y-You already knew, didn't you? I'm being serious here!"

"That dream was really vague. If it weren't for you giving me a hint about your past, I wouldn't have figured it out myself."

"I… gave you a hint?"

"The fact that you knew what an MCD is was a dead giveaway. And for an Irregular like you, it was pretty much a given that they would install one in your tank for safety measures."

"A-Ah, of course…"

"Feels like you're just humoring me here. You've figured out something, haven't you?"

"I think I understand what Miss Minako and the others have been trying to do with this set up."

The commander perked up. "Oh? Let's compare our homework then."

As she finished her mango cheek, she turned her attention to the brownie. "See, Miss Minako told us that she wanted to understand you better by looking into your past, so she had these rings made to get the information she needs."

"I already know that. It's just like how they used the Soul Resonance system during Sendai's construction—they were hoping that you'd spill the beans once you gleaned enough info from your dreams."

"Yes, but they are also trying to confirm my identity as well…"

"Y-Your identity?"

"By that, I mean the identity of my heart's owner."

"Your what?"

"My heart is a transplant. Miss Charm told me that I was a subject of cross modernization research some years ago."

He took a small chunk of the brownie. "That research, huh…"

"Is there something wrong?"

"It's one of Emery's obsessions. The documents we found in the memory card she gave us indicate that she has made a lot of progress recently." He sighed. "But forget about her. I think I'm starting to get a clearer picture here.

"Minako thought that your heart came from someone I knew from the past, so she had our rings made in an attempt to awaken its memories."

She pouted. "You figured it out so easily. Aren't you surprised that they were right all along?"

"Well, I already had my suspicions on you since day one. I thought there had to be a reason why Minako was so adamant on pairing you up with me."

"And about the timing of our dreams. Isn't it weird that we both started experiencing them shortly after that escort op?"

"We were wearing the rings for weeks, but we had never experienced those dreams before. Something must've acted as a trigger for the rings to function as intended." He pointed his spoon at her. "Maybe it was your near-death experience?"

"Yeah, I was thinking the same too, but I wasn't able to confirm it with Miss Charm. She also told me that the dreams I'm having are a side-effect of that as well, so I'm not sure if I even needed the ring for that matter."

"I'm sure Charm took that into account when making these. But if it bothers you that much, why didn't you ask her earlier?"

Her eyes widened, prodding her index fingers together. "P-Please cut me some slack. I was trying my best to keep up with all these revelations…"

A smile tugged the commander's lips. "You'll get used to it. Honestly, all I care about on my end is that I've been able to sleep more peacefully at night."

"Really? That's good to hear."

He popped remaining piece of the mango tart into his mouth. "What about you? Were you able to learn anything about me?"

She glanced to the side. "Not much, to be honest. But compared to what you've experienced, the perspective in my dreams seems to be consistent."

"By consistent, you mean you were only following the same person in your dreams?"

"Y-Yeah…"

"Who's that person then?"

"Inazuma."

"Y-You mean…"

She nodded. "Your friend from a decade ago."

He lowered his head, leering at his water bottle. "How convenient. Does that mean that the heart you have now is from that particular Inazuma?" His voice started to crack. "I suppose it's about time I stop deluding myself over the inevitable."

"U-Um, if you don't mind telling me… what happened to her after she was attacked by that Abyssal ship? In my last dream, Ikazuchi looked like she was about to..." She shook her head. "Th-There's obviously more to that story, right?"

He glanced at her, patting his shoulder. "Everyone who has been infected by those Virulents became a prime commodity in various questionable experiments at the time. Cross modernization was the top priority among the world's powers, so their race to get to the finish line first only made the lives of the victims a living hell.

"Ikazuchi and I did everything we could to protect her, but those bastards didn't stop at nothing just to get a leg up against the competition. I could only hope that she didn't suffer as much as the others did."

Realizing that she already ate half of the brownie, she went for the cheesecake instead. "You seem to care about her a lot…"

He made a small smile. "Well, it wasn't just me. She was like the mascot of the Navy outpost near our home."

"I've been wondering. How come she couldn't fight like a normal fleet girl? I've never heard of her condition before."

"I've read that there are very rare cases of fleet girls being born with a dormant core engine. Theoretically, it should be possible to activate hers, but why bother if you can just construct another fleet girl free from any defects?"

"It must've been hard for her…"

"Yeah, but that didn't stop her to help out in every way she can." He grimaced. "She was strong. Way stronger than I could ever hope to be."

"W-Was she actually the person you were looking for all this time?"

"No, not just her."

"H-Huh?"

He took a spoonful of the flan. "I'm actually looking for quite a few people throughout the past decade."

"Ah, really? Miss Minako and Sendai's accounts were consistent, so I thought you were only trying to find the other Inazuma…"

"I do think about her a lot, so that could probably be the reason why the Soul Resonance system made that connection to my past. As for Minako's, I just happened to blurt that detail out to my therapist when I was warming up to him."

"So it wasn't just her, huh?" And at that moment, an epiphany struck her so hard that she dropped the spoon she was holding. "Ah! Now I remember!"

"What's wrong?"

She hastily snatched her spoon off the blanket. "You mentioned something about chasing down ghosts that one time. You were referring to them, weren't you?"

He gave her a surprised look. "You... actually remembered that?"

She chuckled, taking another piece of the cheesecake. "It was really cryptic, so I thought it might be something important."

"No wonder Minako has taken a liking to you. But while we're on the topic, did you tell them everything you've learned about me so far?"

"No." She beamed. "Everyone's pestering me about it though."

"I… appreciate it. You keep personal secrets way better than my therapist."

"Ah, Miss Minako mentioned you had a falling out with him. Is that why you don't see your therapist anymore?"

"Yeah, I was really harsh on the old man too even though it wasn't completely his fault." He paused. "But thinking about it, maybe he was actually the one who planned this whole set up to begin with."

"Y-Your therapist?"

He nodded. "Minako told me that he genuinely regretted what he did and wanted to reconcile with me, but I never gave him a chance. Maybe this was his way of doing that since then."

"Aren't you going to forgive him? He was probably just trying to help you…"

"Hmph, he's being stubborn with that promise of his…"

"Promise?"

"He promised me that he'll always be there to give me a helping hand when needed. As much as it annoys me to say it, but he did end up doing that by pairing us together. Just as when I was already at my wits' end, he gave me hope through you."

"See? I understand why you're being cautious, but you shouldn't close everyone off from reaching you. That's why I prefer that you'll be the one to tell them about your secrets instead of me."

"Yeah." After a brief pause, the commander gave her a smile. "Thank you for putting up with my selfishness, Inazuma."

She shook her head. "It's only natural for friends to help each other out, right?"

"Honestly, I was thinking of handing your unit over to Minako, but that was just me finding an excuse to push you away again."

Their hands intersected as they finished the flan and cheesecake. "Even if you did that, I would never sign your resignation form."

"You really are as stubborn as her. Must be an inherent trait among you Inazumas."

"Well, I have a promise to keep after all."

"For peace? The path we're treading on is anything but that."

She nodded. "I realized that we'll have a better chance in fulfilling our promises if we work together, so how about we promise that to each other?"

"No way," he replied instantly. "Yours is just too ambitious to realize."

"You could've at least hesitated!"

He chuckled. "I need you girls more than you need me anyway."

She set down her spoon and extended her right hand towards him, raising her pinky. "Let's make it official then!"

He looked at her outstretched hand and readied his left hand. "Fine, fine."

As they locked their pinkies together, Inazuma placed her free hand against her cheek. "What was the start of that chant again?"

"We don't have anything like this back in my hometown, so don't ask me. It's the gesture that counts anyway, right?"

"It doesn't feel right if we don't do it properly…"

He sighed. "How about we just wing it instead? Here, I'll start us off." He cleared out his throat. "For peace—!"

Her eyes widened, scrambling for a follow up. "U-Um, and for everyone we hold dear—!"

"We will walk down this perilous path hand in hand—!"

"And let our tender promise be our guiding light!"

As she was about to express her satisfaction over their impromptu oath, the commander pulled his hand away and burst into laughter. "S-Sorry, that was cheesy as hell!"

"Uu… you just had to ruin the moment again!"

"How could I not when that last line sounds suspiciously close to Hyperbunny Moonshot Ranger's catchphrase?"

Inazuma turned crimson. "Y-You knew that show too?" She quickly shook her head. "A-Anyway, that wasn't intentional! You being dramatic during the whole thing didn't help too!"

"You don't have to sound so defensive. It was actually rather fitting."

"Wh-What's that supposed to mean?"

As she happened to look to her right, she saw a cluster of colors blooming in the sky. The commander looked at the distortion, then back to Inazuma. "You can see those?"

"Those distorted spots in the sky? Yeah…" She blinked twice. "W-Wait, you too?"

He narrowed his eyes, focusing on the distortions. "Seems like I can see those figments now without having to concentrate."

"What are those anyway?"

"Spatial fluxes—pockets of volatile mag-ions temporarily destabilizing the space around them."

"Th-That sounds dangerous."

"They're just as normal as any atmospheric phenomenon, but they're rare and last for a couple of seconds at most."

"I asked Akatsuki and the others about those fluxes, but they haven't seen anything like them before."

"You need a specialized optical equipment to see them. Aberrations like us can perceive spatial fluxes with our eyes just fine for some reason."

"Ah, they disappeared…" She noticed the commander's solemn expression. "What's the matter?"

He shook his head. "I just remembered something about them." He raised his index finger. "Apparently, the frequency of those fluxes is an indicator of our world's spatial integrity."

"Are they related to the miasma clusters we're studying?"

"I don't think so. Miasma clusters only distort space within this world, producing pocket dimensions. Spatial fluxes are brought about by unknown elements from dimensions outside of our own."

"From the outside, huh?" She paused, reaching for the can of pineapple juice. "I wonder if it has something to do with how fleet girls and the Abyssals came into this world in the first place…"

He nodded. "I've always been curious what sorts of things are lying in wait beyond those figments. Establishing a link to your point of origin might just be the key to get some answers about the existence of fleet girls and Abyssal ships."

"Maybe it will also help us to understand the Abyssals better. There must be a reason why they're acting the way they are."

"Yeah, I hope so."

As silence befell the pair, Inazuma opened her can and started chugging on the juice. At that moment, a familiar voice rang inside her head:

Hey, Inazuma!

She spat out her drink and suffered through another coughing fit. The commander leaned closer to her, rubbing her back.

"You alright?"

She dabbed her mouth and chin with a couple of tissues. "Y-Yeah, Miss Maricelle just surprised me…"

"He's still with you? Oh, for the love of… how long is he going to make me wait? Hey, tell him to fetch me here!"

"F-Fetch you?" She watched the commander picking up the last piece of the brownie. "Where?"

"He already knows! Just tell him to hurry up! The place is getting more crowded, and all the chatter around me's getting on my nerves!"

"U-Um, Commander?"

He swallowed his mouthful of brownie. "I left her in a cafe near the East Point Terminal."

"Wh-What? H-How did she get past through harbor security?"

He paused again, emptying his water bottle in a single chug. "She has her disguise on, so no worries there."

"D-Disguise?" She took the empty bottle and shoved it back into the tote bag. "But still… bringing her along is very risky!"

"I go wherever I want, so shut up and tell him to go back already!"

She made an annoyed expression. "She wants you to go back."

"Guess it's for the best. If I take too long, she might blow her cover." As he stood up, Inazuma's mood soured even more. "What's with that face?"

"I wish you could stay a little longer. We still have so much to talk about…"

His helmet hovered to his side. "Well, we have all the time in the world to do that now."

She looked up. "So… you'll keep in touch?"

"Yeah."

She smiled and got on her feet as well. "You better."

"Take care of the others, alright?"

"Commander, please take care as well." He didn't respond as he looked at her with tender eyes. "Commander?"

He shook his head. "Just call me Yuu."

She breathed in deeply and smiled. "Take care, Yuu."

Their stares lingered for a moment before he returned the smile. "Thanks," he said, wearing his helmet. "Well, I'm off."

She watched him take a couple of steps until he stopped and brought out a phone. He stood there for a minute, tapping at its screen. Once he was done, he faced towards her.

As she was about to ask if he forgot something, she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She quickly checked the message from an unregistered number:

I'll keep in touch using this number.

The smile on her face became wider as she opened the attached images.

"Th-This is…!"

The first one was a scanned group photo of fleet girls and marines. Standing on the right was a teenage boy, who looked a bit uncomfortable as the fleet girls around him were making silly poses. Inazuma was at the forefront, holding a rectangular wooden board with the following inscribed:

31st Mobile Patrol Unit

Port Mangifera, Supply and Logistics Outpost

4th Serenoir Reserve Fleet, Naval Domain

"Yuu, this photo—!" As she looked up from the screen, the commander had already disappeared. "Maybe I should ask him stories about them later…"

She then scrolled to the second picture, which was the same photo but with digital scribbles in it. Upon closer inspection, the scribbles detailed the fates of the people in the photo.

Half of them had passed during the Awakening. Some of them were found in different places over the decade. The remaining few, all of them fleet girls, were still missing to this day.

As she stared at the Inazuma in the picture, she couldn't help but wonder what was swirling in Yuu's mind earlier upon learning that she was carrying the heart of a long-lost friend. He seemed that he was already expecting it, but disappointment and regret was evident on his face regardless.

To wander from one place to the next, only for his hopes to be crushed again and again, she couldn't even begin to process how much pain and sorrow he had been carrying over his shoulders throughout the course of the decade.

One thing was certain to her though:

Despite the subjecting himself in this cruel cycle, he clung to his promise more than anything else. No matter how hopeless the situation got, he wouldn't let his weaknesses deter him from the truth. And even if the truth meant that the road ahead of him would only bring further misery, he would still march on for the sake of his friends.

She wanted to take a part of his courage for herself. After all, she would need all the help she could get to weather through the upcoming storm of political machinations.

I might have an idea what to do next…

As she was about to send her thanks to him, she received another message:

Just bought a couple of snacks before taking a cab. You know how Mari likes her chocolate bars.

Her eyes widened as her gaze slowly turned towards her tote bag. She sat back down and brought out her chocolate bar, immediately taking a bite for good measure.

A promise is a promise, after all!

Beyond the Curious Figments [1/4]

END