18—A New Horizon
Dedication:
Dreams beget hope. Hope begets strength.
For everything I hold dear, my spirit shall never waver.
Inazuma, AR3 Fleet Secretary
IC: S178-4366-0226-1210
Section 18, Pathfinding Task Force "Cardinal Wanderers"
Unilateral Maritime Peacekeepers, Auspice Branch
Gazing into the sea at night had always been a dreamy experience for Inazuma. The twinkling stars in the sky, the chilly breeze brushing her face, the soothing sound of the ocean waves—it was just a perfect moment to let go all of her worries and find her inner peace under the soft moonlight.
Since she had spent most of her time in the office for the last two weeks, this change of scenery seemed like a well-deserved reward for her efforts. Unfortunately though, their mission wasn't exactly an appropriate time to commune with nature, especially one as important as this one.
After weeks of monitoring the outskirts of Caffelatte's miasma cluster chain, their hard work had finally paid off as they were able to break the codes of the Dusk Arbiters and determine their next weapons test within the region. This particular group they were hunting was a very elusive one, always slipping into the clusters at the first sign of danger. And while small in numbers, their security detail was strong enough to fend off multiple units at once.
They would've to catch them off guard if they want to apprehend the group, so they did just that by setting up an entrapment operation at an island mostly consumed by miasma.
It was about thirty-two hours since they set up camp on the island, but it didn't feel like they waited that long at all. Even though they weren't supposed to have fun, they couldn't help but enjoy the island's serene beauty as if they were just camping out.
Perhaps it was for the best since all the anticipation would just stress them out, especially when their target was falling behind their own schedule for a couple of hours already.
She could only guess that the group probably ran into Abyssal ships under the overseer's command.
"Manager, what would make for a good pet in our rooms?"
Beside her, Fumizuki had her binoculars pressed over her eyes, scanning the horizon.
Inazuma rested her cheek against her arms, facing Fumizuki. "I don't really know. I'd like to have a cat though."
Fumizuki set down her binoculars, but her lookout crew perched on her head and shoulders kept watch of their surroundings. "Oh, you're a cat person?"
"My friend's café has a couple of cats that the customers can interact with. They kinda grew on me."
"What about dogs?"
She pursed her lips. "I like them too, but some breeds look a bit scary though."
"I'm thinking we should keep glowworms instead. What do you think?"
"Glowworms?"
"I've heard that they're all the rage in the northern territories. Maintenance is super easy, so we shouldn't have any trouble with keeping a few in our rooms."
"I don't really know anything about them, but just from their name alone… do they actually glow?"
"Yep! There's this certain species of glowworm that produces lots of cool colors!"
"Really? I'd imagine they would be nice to see at night. Maybe we can get some in the office too."
"Ah, if you want to make a light show out of them, we can try ordering custom terrariums with reflective panels. Some even substitute them as night lamps."
"Night lamps, huh?"
"Ehh… you don't sound impressed…"
"N-No, it's just that I never even knew glowworms were real…"
"Uh… where do you think she got her name?"
"W-Well… I thought it meant something else. Also, don't you think it's a weird name for a ship to have?"
"You know, if she heard that from you, she'd probably be heartbroken."
"I-I didn't mean to offend! What I mean is, compared to fish names, worms are definitely strange."
"But glowworms aren't worms…"
"Huh?"
"Huh?"
Inazuma blinked. "They aren't worms?"
"Yeah, they're actually insects."
"Th-Then why are they named like that?"
"Cuz a lot of them look like worms."
"U-Um… are you teasing me right now?"
"Huh, what are you—" One of her fairy lookout crew suddenly yanked her hair upwards. "W-Wait, did you find something?"
Fumizuki scanned the horizon with her binoculars.
"Contacts spotted! Zero four three—closing in at 35 knots!"
Inazuma closed her eyes, concentrating. "Murakumo, they're here. Please get ready."
"Roger. We're gonna bag them this time for sure." Inazuma then heard a couple of sighs and groans in the background. "What? Anyway, just sit tight over there and enjoy the show."
"Be careful—they have an Umibozu with them this time."
"We've been hunting automatons left and right for months. It won't be a problem."
"Just be careful, okay?"
As she ended their telepathic link, Inazuma rolled on her back and gazed at the stars. "I hope this operation goes well."
"I wouldn't worry too much," Fumizuki replied. "When push comes to shove, those guys will just try to escape like they always do."
They watched the flotilla approach the shore on their far left and begin unloading expensive-looking equipment from one of the ships. Once the armored personnel finished setting up camp, the Umibozu maneuvered around the anchored ships and made its way towards them.
Inazuma had always wondered whether the Umibozu could walk on land, so seeing one form stubby legs to do just that was both amusing and fascinating to her.
As the automaton settled in the middle of the camp, it exposed its mineral-like core while everyone scrambled to attach various tubes and cables all over its protective frame. The pod-like generators hummed to life and the rocky core started to glow a murky blue glow, throbbing as if it was a beating heart.
Based on their intel, the group's agenda this time was to test automaton performance without a fleet girl acting as its main power source. They had great success with small abussionite batteries to power infantry equipment and firearms, which Inazuma had personally witnessed in Operation Shallow Shores, but powering automatons seemed too big of a leap to make.
Then again, considering how much progress mag-ion technology had been made just from the last decade alone, such a project already at the experimental stage wouldn't shock anyone either.
As Inazuma would often hear, it's always a matter of when.
"Murakumo, those mag-ion generators have fleet girls in them."
"Copy. I'll have Yayoi's team extract them first. Speaking of which… why are you so quiet, Yayoi?"
"This form of communication still bothers me a bit," Yayoi said.
"Inazuma and I tried—it isn't possible to eavesdrop on someone else's thoughts with this link. And besides, aren't we friends? If you accidentally broadcast something embarrassing, we won't tell another soul about it."
"Th-That's not the point." She sighed. "I suppose the only way around this is to keep practicing until it becomes second nature…"
Inazuma continued to sweep the area until she saw two figures at the deck of the biggest ship. She adjusted her binoculars, zooming in on the individuals.
Her eyes widened. "That girl in the body suit. Isn't that Koharu?"
"Where?" Fumizuki asked, looking through her binoculars.
"The ship in the middle, aft deck."
"Ah, you're right. Is she the one in charge?"
"I'm not sure. Cross modernization is her specialty, remember?"
"So she's just helping them out, huh? But who's the girl with the helmet? One of her bodyguards?"
"Probably." She examined the other person closely. "Their body suits are similar to the ones worn by Technicals, but Koharu is the only one equipped with a VOKS unit."
"Hmm… this is gonna be tough if there are more of them inside that ship."
Once she was done talking to someone over her terminal, Koharu approached the side of the ship and leaned on the deck's guardrail. Inazuma homed in on her for a few seconds before breaking out in a cold sweat.
"U-Um, Fumizuki… ?"
"Yeah?"
"Is it just me… or is she looking directly at us?"
"She's probably just sightseeing. Maybe staring into space."
"But she's looking right at us!"
"Oh, you're just imagining it. There's no way she'd be able to see us up here from that distance."
And then, Koharu smiled.
"Does it feel cozy up there?"
Inazuma winced as she was struck with a sudden headache. "Murakumo! We've been compro—!"
A string of explosions erupted near the Arbiters' camp, breaking her concentration. She hastily opened her radio on her forearm terminal. "Perch to Silver Reef, they found us! Please send backup!"
"Copy," Yurie replied. "We're sending all of our units via launch pods. They should be there in about—"
"Wait! A technical among their group is listening to us! Don't send them all!"
"What? We just started using this frequency, they can't possibly—"
"N-No, she forced a psionic link into my head!"
"Can you shake it off?"
"I… I can't!" Inazuma lifted up the camouflage netting covering her body. "H-Her presence is just too powerful to completely block out! Please relay your orders through Fumizuki instead!"
"What if that Technical jumped into Fumizuki's mind?"
Inazuma and Fumizuki exchanged looks. "Th-That shouldn't be possible, right?"
"But we can't risk it, Inazuma. For all we know, she could actually read minds."
"Um," Koharu uttered. "Actually, I can't."
Inazuma looked at the direction of the ships. "Eh?"
"My abilities only allow me to create, probe, and intercept psionic links within a certain range. With some help of a third-party medium, at least."
"I-If that's the case, how come I can't terminate our link?"
"You're still inexperienced. Give it some time—you'll eventually figure out the intricacies of this power."
"I… I see. Thank y—" She gasped. "W-Wait, what makes you think I'll believe everything you said just now?"
"W-Well, you already did…"
Inazuma went crimson. "I… I did not!"
Koharu laughed softly. "You aren't really good at this, are you? I suppose I should count my blessings. Your commander would definitely rake me over the coals if he was around."
She noticed Fumizuki looking at her with an index finger over her mouth. She immediately understood the gesture and hopped off from their vantage point, creating a huge splash upon landing.
She then summoned her core structure and turned her attention to the ongoing skirmish in the camp. "You're a friend of Commander's, right? Why are you doing this?"
"I already told you before. We're doing this for the greater good."
"But involving humans and fleet girls in your experiments is just wrong!"
"It is, but we had to make this decision. Underestimating this looming threat will cost humanity greatly, even more than everything we've lost since the last two decades."
"The Awakening?"
"There just isn't enough time to prepare since the last one, so we had to settle on a compromise."
"But did it really have to be cross modernization?"
"You fleet girls have always been the greatest guardians of the high seas, and a lot of my peers within the Arbiters share the same sentiment. No amount of second-class weaponry and automatons will be able to replace your merits."
"You say that, but what about the likes of you and Commander? Weren't Technicals supposed to replace us fleet girls?"
"Yeah, we were."
Inazuma took a deep breath as the ships had finished retrieving their anchors for their escape. "Miss Koharu, you're going with us. Right now."
"I'm afraid I can't do that. To abandon this project means that I'll have to abandon my precious friends as well." Inazuma winced as her ears started ringing. "They mean the world to me, so you'd be mistaken that I'll just hand myself over to you."
A series of water spouts erupted near the flotilla, signalling the arrival of Yurie's reinforcements. The ships, on the other hand, began sailing eastward as their escorts headed off to intercept the newcomers.
"Then I'll have to take you in by force!"
Inazuma launched herself towards the flotilla, kicking a massive splash in her wake. In mere seconds, she was able to close in on the fleeing ships. But just before she could attempt to board Koharu's ship, she felt an energy spike rushing from her left. She deployed her shield's mag-ion field just in time to intercept a shimmering blade aimed squarely at her neck, but the blow still knocked her off balance, causing to veer off course and skid against the waves.
As she got her bearings back, her invisible assailant had already closed the distance between them with a single leap. Inazuma brought her shield up, and the ensuing clash brought about an outward burst of mag-ions that disabled the enemy's camouflage module.
She's the one with Miss Koharu on the deck earlier…!
Maintaining her stance, Inazuma summoned her mace in her free hand and swung at her opponent, but the girl in the suit intercepted the blow using a shorter sword. The two struggled for control until Inazuma managed to yank the short sword out of her grasp and knock her away with a heavy swing of her mace.
The girl tumbled once before landing on all fours. She slowly stood up, clutching her waist. "N-Not bad. You really are his right-hand gal for a reason."
Inazuma glanced at the ships. "You're a fleet girl, aren't you? Please stand down—we can't let them get away."
She twirled her sword before taking a stance. "Well, you'll have to get through me first."
"Why are you protecting them? Aren't you also a victim of their horrible experiments?"
"Because I owe those guys a lot, especially Koharu."
"By turning you into an Irregular?"
"Yeah, pretty much. I'd be suffering a fate much much worse if it weren't for them."
The girl's casual tone made Inazuma uneasy. "In that case, you'll have to come with us as well."
"Oh, I like your confidence." She twirled her sword again as her eyes behind her helmet's visor started glowing. "Do you think guts alone would be enough to win your battles?"
Just as she was about to voice her answer, immense pain shot through her waist and stomach. Slowly, she looked down to see a bloody blade sticking out of her midriff. Unable to process what just happened, Inazuma fell down to her knees.
"Th-This is…! H-How?" A pair of ethereal arms embraced her from behind, keeping her from collapsing completely. The otherworldly chill spreading in her body made her body shudder. A Funa Yurei…?
The girl in the suit sheathed her blade. "There's still time, Inazuma. You and your friends should make the most of it."
"Wh-What are you talking about?"
"The Awakening, of course. The Arbiters, the Navy, the Conglomerate—everyone's working so hard to prepare for it."
"Yuu told me stories about how terrible of an event it was," Inazuma clenched her teeth, struggling to get back to her feet, "but that doesn't make what you're doing any less repulsive! You're just repeating the same mistakes they've made in the past!"
"Those eyes." She chuckled. "I guess we didn't need to set up this meeting after all."
"S-Set up? What are you—"
As the Irregular held up an index finger over her face, Inazuma was struck with another headache. "Pay us a visit in Cassia if you want more answers. We'll be waiting."
She gritted her teeth. "You're going to tell me everything you know, here and now!"
A bright gold aura flared from Inazuma's frame as she activated Overdrive, but it disappeared just as quick when the automaton yanked the sword out of her body. The intense shock left her in a stupor, allowing the Irregular to land a clean hit with her portable turret. She instantly fell into the water following the blast and began sinking into the depths.
Wavering in and out of consciousness, Inazuma started to hear voices echoing in her head:
I'm sorry! Jeez, can't you take a joke?
You're just being insensitive! Why do you keep pulling pranks on Inazuma anyway?
B-Because she's an easy target…?
Ugh, I can't believe this! Yuu, please tell her off too!
Y-Yeah, you heard her. You went too far this time…
What?! Are you seriously—? It was your idea too!
No doubt about it—you two are definitely hanging out too much!
Much like the voices she had heard several months ago, she found the exchange very nostalgic. She didn't quite understand why she would feel that way over memories that weren't even hers to begin with, but it was still comforting all the same.
As she felt the warmth in her body fading, she slowly closed her eyes and made a contented smile.
And at that moment, she felt a swell of energy in her chest. It grew and grew until it could no longer contain itself, surging throughout her body like electricity. And with the final jolt, her eyes shot open.
N-Not yet!
She activated her emergency floater and soon found herself back on the surface. She reached out for an express repair serum, but she let out a groan as her fingers fumbled with the broken syringes in her leg pouch.
As she chastised herself for not leaving the serums to Fumizuki, she heard a panicked cry not far from her. "Sendai, I found Inazuma!" Hatsuyuki came to her side, checking her injuries. "Her condition's really bad. I'll have to take her back for now."
"N-No," she uttered, "I'll be fine. Y-You and the others should go after—"
"Don't be ridiculous."
Her voice was crisp and firm, but Inazuma could see the anxiety in her eyes. "S-Sorry."
Hatsuyuki nodded as she pulled out the floater's towing cable and secured it on her core structure. "What's gotten into you anyway? You should've waited for us."
"I… I guess I got a bit carried away with myself…"
She smiled, standing up. "Just like that one time, right?"
Inazuma averted her eyes. "Oh… please don't tell them about this…"
"I won't," she replied after a short pause and started sailing back to the island. "Maybe."
"H-Hatsuyuki!"
She looked over her shoulder, winking. "Just kidding."
The operation came to a close just after daybreak. According to Murakumo, they could've finished much sooner if the Arbiters didn't flee inland along with a fleet girl as a hostage. It also didn't help that the Abyssal escorts forced a bloody last stand to buy time for their allies to escape. Unfortunately for them though, they were only delaying the inevitable as they had nowhere else to go without their ships.
Once the runaway group was brought back to the beach camp, Inazuma and Yayoi's unit immediately boarded the UNV Iron Bass to have their wounds treated in the submarine's medical bay. They spent the next hour lounging on the available bunk beds until Commander Yurie, Yayoi, and Murakumo entered the ward.
"Hey, how are you girls doing?" Murakumo asked.
"Not so bad," Sendai replied from the bed above Inazuma's. "I just wanna sleep all day after this."
"I'm more impressed you haven't fallen asleep yet," Fumizuki said, shifting her head on Fusou's lap. "Since the marines and intel division guys are the ones doing clean up, we're pretty much done here anyway."
"I dunno. I feel restless for some reason…"
"You could've told us sooner," Fusou said. "Would you like some tea to help you relax?"
Zuihou stood up from beside Hatsuyuki, flexing her arm. "If you want, I can also whip up a snack to cheer you up."
"Nah, I'm good."
She plopped back to her seat. "O-Okay…"
As the new arrivals took a seat next to the staff counter, Inazuma propped a pillow against the headboard and rested on it. "So, um, did you find anything useful?"
Murakumo sighed. "Did you really have to ask after all that destruction? We're already lucky enough that we were able to save those fleet girls!"
"What about those guys we captured?" Hatsuyuki asked, eyes focused on her phone.
"They're mostly clueless about their overall operations. Makes sense when you think about it."
"So we're back to square one again."
"Annoying, huh?" Murakumo crossed her legs, glancing at the cabinets behind the counter. "How are we supposed to capture them with that VOKS user intercepting our comms?"
"W-Well," Inazuma said, "she told me that she could only intercept psionic links…"
She narrowed her eyes as she looked at her. "And you believe her?"
"She seemed sincere about it at least…"
"Really? I mean, just because she's a friend of your commander doesn't mean that you should take her words at face value."
Inazuma clenched a hand over her chest. "But I feel like she might be telling the truth. In fact, she might be the reason why we were able to get the drop on them in the first place."
Murakumo cocked her head. "H-Huh? Care to explain?"
"One of her Irregulars mentioned that she set this whole thing up. It would explain why she didn't warn her friends about us."
"That doesn't make any sense. She was the one who threw a wrench in our plans earlier."
"Then why did they continue setting up a camp if they already knew about the entrapment operation? Miss Koharu could've told her friends to bombard the island the second she caught wind of our presence."
Murakumo paused. "So are you saying she intentionally withheld that info from her allies? What was even the point of that?"
"I… don't know."
She just shrugged. "You're too trusting, Inazuma."
"But that Irregular also mentioned that they'll be waiting for us at a place called Cassia."
As she said that, Commander Yurie's eyes widened. Yayoi turned to look at her. "Isn't that your home country?" she asked.
"Y-Yeah," Yurie replied, casting a downward gaze, "but why there, of all places?"
Inazuma rubbed her chin. "I don't really know. She was very vague about it, but the Arbiters might have a base over there as well."
She brought out her terminal. "A base, huh? Seems like a perfect place for them to set up shop."
"Are you seriously considering going there?" Murakumo asked. "It could either be a trap or diversion for all we know."
"Um," Fusou uttered as she raised her hand, "if I recall, there's an offshore Navy base to the north of Cassia's capital. We could enlist their help to make our investigation easier."
Yayoi folded her arms and leaned against the wall. "Well, getting them to cooperate is an entirely different matter though. We'll need Commodore Minako's influence on this one."
"Of course," Murakumo replied. "Given that some Navy officials are on the Arbiters' payroll, we have to choose who to trust in there."
"Fusou," Yurie said, tapping on her terminal's screen, "you said that it was a full-fledged base, right? Not just an outpost?"
"Yes," the battleship replied, glancing up to the ceiling, "complete with an airstrip and dry dock. I used to escort supply fleets headed to that same naval base last year. They probably built the base because of the high Abyssal activity within that region."
"I see. That base wasn't there when I left my hometown…"
"What's wrong?" Yayoi asked.
She shook her head, grimacing. "That place just can't catch a break," she muttered.
"So, what now?" Murakumo asked. "Are we going to take the bait?"
"I suggest we feel the situation out for a bit before making a decision. In the meantime, we'll have to start making adjustments over our patrol and communication procedures if we want to put an end to this wild-goose chase."
"Yeah," Yayoi said, "an engagement with a Technical was something that we didn't prepare for, so the situation could've gotten worse if they had decided to stand their ground and fight."
"I'll consult Mica about potential workarounds against those powers once we get back to Auspice. But for now, you girls earned your rest. These past few days of nonstop patrol and recon work weren't certainly a pushover."
"I dunno about you," Murakumo stretched her arms up, "but it feels like we've been out in the sea since forever. Good thing we're finally getting a breather after this op."
"Ah," Inazuma uttered, "didn't you mention yesterday that Mister Einrost will return from Cornille in the next few days?"
"Yeah, it's about time actually. His older sister sure is a demanding sourpuss."
"So she's the same as you then?"
As Yayoi said that, laughter erupted within the ward. "D-Don't compare me to that woman." Murakumo huffed. "Right now, I'm just hoping she doesn't interrupt our plans this week…"
"Ah, I see. You're annoyed that she's keeping him all to herself."
"What are you talking about? They're not even together most of the time."
"At least he's still able to visit us every now and again," Inazuma said. "I'm a bit envious, to be honest."
Murakumo and Yayoi exchanged looks. "About that. Aren't those two supposed to return early next month? That's only a few winks away from now."
She sighed. "Yeah, but Miss Kyrie found something wrong with Commander's body again. It might take her at least two weeks to correct."
"With all the maintenance work involved, turning yourself into a Technical seems like a huge pain in the butt. Not worth the trouble at all if you ask me."
"It really isn't," she whispered.
As the conversation shifted to hypothetical scenarios involving superpowers, Inazuma noticed that the notification LED of her data terminal was blinking. Curious, she woke the tablet up from sleep mode and opened the e-mail she received from Lieutenant Harline:
Good news! Your leave application got approved just now!
"YES! FINALLY!"
Everyone in the room gave her startled stares as she sheepishly read the rest of the message:
Since Yurie told me you girls will be returning today, how does the day after tomorrow sound to you? The sooner we leave, the better.
With a goofy smile on her face, she forced her shaky thumbs to type her response:
Of course! Thank you so much, Miss Harline!
I'll see you later!
As she sent her reply, some of her friends gathered to her bedside. "Ooh?" Murakumo sat next to her feet. "Someone's very excited."
Fumizuki scooted beside her, peeking at the terminal's screen. "What was that, Manager?"
"Lemme guess," Hatsuyuki said, "your leave request finally got approved."
Inazuma set the tablet down on her lap and gave her a quick nod. "I've been waiting for this for months! It's like a dream come true!" She clasped her hands together. "Ah, all this excitement is making me feel lightheaded…"
"Oh, good for you then," Murakumo said. "You might want to leave as soon as you can though. After winning your court case against the Navy, those jerks will keep doing their damnedest to restrict your movements across territories."
"Yes, that's the plan. With Miss Harline accompanying me, I don't think we'll encounter anything serious throughout the trip."
Sendai suddenly spoke, leaning on the railing. "But just in case, you should let Hatsuyuki accompany you."
"M-Me?" Hatsuyuki put down her phone. "I'm okay with that… but what about the desk work?"
"We'll take care of it!" Zuihou said.
Fusou nodded. "Please leave everything to us."
"Right." Sendai gave Inazuma a thumbs up. "Just focus on the things you have to do while you're there. You might not get another chance like this in a long while."
"Just bring us lots of souvenirs on the way back, okay?" Fumizuki said. "I wanna try the rice cakes they have over there!"
"Thank you, everyone!" Inazuma said, bowing. "We'll definitely make the most of this trip!"
Upon their return to Auspice, they were dragged into a series of meetings across different departments. The second one was personally headed by Chief Officer Amagi himself as they went over everything that had transpired within the month. It was a tense and stifling session for Inazuma, particularly during their unit's debriefing. The Joint Committee representatives were very thorough with their questions, exposing the mistakes she and her friends had made during the operation.
While the Navy-affiliated representatives were not too pleased about the results, the Committee still congratulated them for a job well done. After all, they were wise enough to prioritize the safety of the fleet girls brought by the Arbiters, sparing them from the skirmish. And if they had taken a more aggressive approach to capture the group, the operation could've ended in a disaster on both sides. The risk was just too great with a Technical on the Arbiters' side, especially if Koharu could command a power similar to or even stronger than Yuu's repertoire. Even worse, there could be more of them on standby during that sortie, only making their move when the situation's dire.
Since Inazuma was expecting that they would get chewed out after being outplayed by the Arbiters, it was a pleasant surprise that it all turned out fine in the end. She just hoped they would quickly forget that she wasted a unit's worth of repair serum without even accomplishing anything of worth during the operation.
And so, Inazuma went on with the next set of meetings that lasted until nightfall. Once they exhausted all of their appointments for the day, she and her friends decided to eat out at the e-district. She was craving for some noodle soup and roasted meat, so she was glad that the family restaurant they went into had a good variety of soup dishes to choose from.
Amidst the lively mood of their dinner table, Inazuma couldn't get her mind off the Irregular she had fought earlier. There was this nagging sensation in the back of her head telling her that she should've recognized that fleet girl by now, but she wasn't even sure if she had personally met one of her herself before to compare. After all, there were so many fleet girls out there and she had only acquainted herself with a small fraction of them so far.
Then again, it was also possible that her heart was projecting its memories into her own, producing a false positive.
To put an end to this guessing game, she brought out her phone and texted Hatsuyuki who was sitting across her. Hatsuyuki looked up from her phone's screen and smiled.
That's easy. Leave it to me.
After returning to headquarters, Inazuma and her unit went to the underground hangar and rented a private hot tub for themselves. As they made themselves comfortable in the bath, Hatsuyuki set up one of her turret drones to project a holographic screen in front of them.
"Ooh," Fumizuki said, "what are we watching?"
"We're just gonna do some… detective work for Inazuma," Hatsuyuki replied, fiddling with her phone.
"Ah, so you're letting her play that detective game?" Zuihou said. "That was a lot of fun!"
The screen displayed an internet browser with a video streaming website as its homepage. "No video games. It's related to the operation earlier."
"You got my interest," Sendai gestured at Maricelle, "but what is she doing here?"
Sitting across them, Maricelle scoffed. "Ugh, just pretend I'm not here."
"Your hat's in the way! Take it off at least!"
"Shut your whiny trap!" She looked over her shoulder. "Raise that thing a bit higher, will you?!"
Hatsuyuki tapped the underside of the turret drone upwards, looking at Inazuma. "So, who do we search first?"
Inazuma gulped. "L-Let's see…"
One by one, they searched for videos featuring the six remaining fleet girls that Yuu had yet to find all these years, but…
"None of them matched," she whispered.
"What, did you already forget what that Irregular sounded like?" Maricelle said.
"I didn't! Her voice was loud and clear when she spoke to me telepathically!"
"If you don't mind us telling," Fusou said, "what made you so sure that she was a friend of Commander Yuu from a decade ago?"
"A new memory has awakened within me," she breathed out. "I also felt an overwhelming sense of familiarity and yearning in my heart shortly after that encounter, so I figured that she must be the same one he met in the past."
"Sounds like the effects of the Soul Resonance system," Sendai said. "But doesn't that require a direct link for it to work? Like the rings you and Commander are wearing?"
She nodded, staring at her ring. "It might be different for Irregulars. We can communicate with each other through telepathy after all."
Maricelle yawned, stretching her arms. "Wait, you're basing this whole thing purely on gut instinct? You can certainly hit the rock-bottom of stupidity if you want to."
"No, my heart is certain on this one!"
"And how is that supposed to be different?"
"I know it's hard to believe, but I just know it's true!"
She gave Inazuma an exasperated look before shrugging. "Whatever. Not my problem anyway."
"Her usual bitchy attitude aside," Sendai said, "she has a point. You can never be so sure when they have Technicals like Koharu."
"Maybe Miss Murakumo was right," Zuihou said, staring at the screen. "Maybe it was part of their plan to make their trap more convincing."
She lowered her head, clutching her bath robe. "B-But I don't think she did anything like that to me. Plus, the memory I heard felt as real as the other ones I've had…!"
Maricelle groaned. "You still don't get it, do you? Nobody cares about your stupid feelings and hallucinations. Unless you can find actual evidence that she's the real deal, you're just wasting your breath and everyone's time."
Inazuma suddenly stood up and climbed out of the hot tub, almost slipping in the process. Hatsuyuki came to her side to assist her. "Where are you going?" she asked.
She gently pushed her aside. "I just… need to check something…"
"Check what?"
The two of them went back to the lockers by the entrance. "I can't give up yet," Inazuma said, retrieving her phone from her locker. "These memories aren't mine, but I know for a fact they're real. I just know that that fleet girl met Commander before the Awakening happened!"
Hatsuyuki put a hand under her chin. "If that's the case… maybe it's possible that she wasn't part of their mobile unit in the first place? Like from a visiting unit, maybe? Or she could be just a vagrant like Ryuujou and the others…"
With her mouth agape, Inazuma slowly averted her eyes. "H-Huh, I never thought about that…"
"It's also possible that he met two instances of the same fleet girl. Somehow… Commander didn't know one of them survived the Awakening."
As her cheeks turned bright red, she reached out for Hatsuyuki's shoulders. "P-Please don't make this any more complicated."
Hatsuyuki held back her laughter. "If you really want to know who she is… you'll have to explore every possibility out there. Leave no stone unturned… as they say."
Her arms went limp as she cast her gaze at her feet. "I refuse to believe he gave me an incomplete or misleading picture." She shook her head, grimacing. "After all of that, I don't believe it in the slightest! There must be something else we're missing here!"
"I want to have faith in Commander too… so I'm with you all the way." As their eyes met, Hatsuyuki smiled. "And I'm sure the others feel the same way too."
Before Inazuma could give her thanks, Fumizuki spoke from the doorway. "Manager, are you okay? Don't force yourself to bathe with us if you're still not feeling well."
Inazuma turned around. "I'm okay. I just had to check something on my phone."
"Come on then!" She tiptoed back to the hot tub. "The others are getting worried about you!"
As she let out a sigh, she spent a minute examining Yuu's photos. "Any ideas?" Hatsuyuki asked.
"I think you're right. If I want to clear all of my doubts, I need to start here." She nodded, facing Hatsuyuki. "Let's go."
This time, they checked the rest of the fleet girls in the unit. She was confident that she would finally be able to put her uncertainties to bed, but all of her hopes went out of the window when one of them matched the Irregular's voice.
The Mutsuki-class destroyer Satsuki.
"B-But… according to Commander's notes, she passed away during the Awakening's invasion phase…"
"Th-Then," Zuihou uttered, "maybe he misremembered somehow?"
"No, that's impossible! This unit means a lot to Commander, so there's no way he would get the details wrong!"
"I dunno." All eyes went to Fumizuki. "Maybe he just didn't know Satsuki was alive all this time."
She paused, staring at her phone's screen. "If she were, she would've contacted Commander as soon as she was able to. It's been a whole decade…"
"I-I'm sure she has her reasons," Fusou said. "Um, perhaps you should try asking Commander Yuu later if you want to know what really happened to her."
Maricelle rolled her eyes. "Finally. Someone with common sense."
Sendai launched a glare at the abyssal destroyer. "If you got nothing good to say, could you just not—" A notification popped up from the top part of the screen. "Oh, would you look at that. Akatsuki's online."
"Let's see what they're up to," Hatsuyuki said, sending a video call invitation to Akatsuki.
Once the request was accepted, Akatsuki's face took up the entirety of the screen. They could also hear the downpour in the background.
"Hatsuyuki, is the feed alright on your end?"
Her echoing voice indicated that she was in the bathroom.
"Yup… it's crystal. Good evening."
"Good eve—" Her eyes widened as she pulled the camera away from her. "O-Oh, everyone's here. Ahem, good evening!"
"Hi, Akatsuki!" Fumizuki said. "Wait, you're totally soaked and scuffed up all over!"
"Just finished training?" Sendai said.
Akatsuki took off her cap. "It's been raining nonstop recently, so I've been visiting some of our training partners back at the lake." She set down her phone on the countertop and started tying her hair in a ponytail. "By the way, I want to congratulate everyone on that last operation. Inazuma was disappointed that some of them got away again, but their capture will never be worth anyone's sacrifice. So, good job!"
"U-Um," Inazuma uttered, "you didn't have to bring that up…"
She reached out for a bathrobe before moving out of frame. "And oh, Inazuma?"
"Y-Yes?"
Sparkles of purple mag-ions entered the frame, causing the camera to momentarily lose focus. "I heard that you got ahead of yourself again earlier…"
She gasped as she looked at Hatsuyuki in disbelief. "Wh-Why?!"
Hatsuyuki, on the other hand, averted her eyes. "I-I'm sorry… it was a slip of the tongue…"
"I-Is that really what happened?!"
Akatsuki stepped into the frame again with her bathrobe on, securing its sash. "I know you've improved a lot in the last couple of months, but you shouldn't just start charging straight into the enemy like that."
"B-But Akatsuki, I—"
She leaned towards the camera and furrowed her eyebrows. "Ah, ah! No talkbacks! Remember the last time you did something similarly reckless?"
She pouted, hesitant to answer. "I… almost died…"
"And remember when you tried to save me during that escort operation?"
She lowered her head, lips quivering. "It was kinda your fault too, you know…"
"Yes, I'm aware. That's why I would never forgive myself if something bad happens to you again." She shook her head with a bitter smile. "As long as I'm around, I won't let you repeat the same mistakes I did back then. It's my responsibility as your big sister after all."
Inazuma felt her cheeks rapidly heating up as she brought her hands over her chest. "Y-You could've at least held off the scolding until it's just the two of us…"
Akatsuki took a step back and averted her eyes. "I… I suppose so," she said, placing both hands on her hips. "But I figured doing it this way will stick to you better."
"P-Please don't make it a habit."
"We'll see."
"Heh, cut her some slack," Sendai said. "Can't you just be happy that she got out of it in one piece?"
She squinted through the camera. "Look who's talking. Be like Fusou and start acting like a lead ship for our unit. Seriously, have you already forgotten that one time where you—"
"O-Okay, we didn't call you for a scolding session. We actually mean business this time!"
"Business?" Akatsuki paused, turning towards the doorway. "Hmm! What a wonderful aroma! Yu—Commander and Jervis should be almost done with our dinner."
"What are you having tonight?" Zuihou asked.
"Hmm, it's probably better if I just let you guys see it for yourselves."
As Akatsuki entered the kitchen, they saw the pair huddled next to the brick stove. Jervis took notice of Akatsuki and slowly stood up, tugging at her overalls. "Oh, give the porridge a few more minutes." She gestured at the table. "The fried tofu's done though. Give it a taste!"
Yuu glanced over his shoulder while stirring the pot's contents. "Did she call again?"
"Everyone's with her this time." She crouched beside Yuu, holding out her phone to her left. "They want to know what's on the menu for tonight."
Akatsuki gave them a better view of the yellowish porridge in the pot. Generous amounts of herbs and chicken meat could be seen as the commander continued stirring the dish. "I remember that one," Inazuma said. "You're having arroz caldo again?"
"Why not?" Yuu replied. "The weather here's perfect for a dish like this."
Jervis poked her head from the left side of the frame. "And besides, we were short on garnishes the last time we made this on a whim. With Lady Mizuho's donations, we've brought out its full potential!"
Inazuma put her hands over her stomach. "Oh… I just had some laksa earlier, but I'm suddenly craving for another soup dish…"
Yuu set the ladle aside and got up from his chair, placing the pot beside the stove. "It's done. Wish we could give you some over there too."
"With a pot that size," Sendai said, "I'd be disappointed if you didn't."
"Sorry, but half of it goes to our demanding landlord and her subjects."
Jervis laughed as she started filling up a bowl with the porridge. "Don't let her catch you saying that though. Akatsuki worked so hard to build all that goodwill."
"Before I forget," Akatsuki said, looking at the camera, "what did you mean by business, Sendai?"
"Inazuma here needs to clarify something with Commander."
Yuu took a seat again, looking into the camera. "Well, what is it? I'm guessing it's about the trip to my hometown?"
Just before Inazuma could explain her case, they suddenly heard a loud crash. "H-Huh? What was that?"
He looked over his shoulder. "I was about to ask the same thing…"
Akatsuki stood up. "That came from downstairs!" She gasped. "D-Don't tell me they actually found us...!"
"Impossible," Yuu said. "Unless they have a Technical with them, they wouldn't be able to trace our jump points."
"But can you think of anyone else who'd be desperate enough to cross through the flood just to get to us?"
Jervis set the second bowl of arroz caldo aside. "Wait, I can hear something growling." Her eyes widened as she turned to face Akatsuki. "U-Um, were you feeding those alligators every time you visit them?"
She blinked. "A-Ah, yeah. Is that a bad thing? They've taken a liking to your eggpla—"
"O-Oh, not again…!"
Jervis bolted to the flooded greenhouse downstairs while Akatsuki and Yuu followed suit. Upon opening the lights, Jervis let out a shriek. "M-My precious eggplant patches!"
"I can't believe they followed me all the way here!" Akatsuki cried. "Are they like cats or something?!"
"Akatsuki, what happened?!" Inazuma asked amidst all the splashing and growling.
"A-Ah! Sorry!"
As Akatsuki switched to her phone's rear camera, they saw several alligators climbing up the platform of eggplants to snack on their fruits.
"Whoa!" Fumizuki crawled closer to the screen. "Those are Great Garnyzan alligators! So cute!"
"Wh-What's so cute about them?" Sendai asked.
Jervis burst out from the storage area with a large rubber paddle and started swinging at the hissing alligators. "Get your bloody mittens off my eggplants, you overgrown lizards!" She looked over her shoulder. "Help me out, Akatsuki! We have to scare them back to the lake!"
"Just when we were about to eat," Yuu said, stepping forward. "Jervis, lure them outside. I'll take care of—"
Akatsuki snatched his arm and yanked him back. "Oh no you don't! Let us handle this!"
He faced Akatsuki, eyes glowing deep purple. "But the food's gonna get—!"
"Why are you getting angry all of a sudden?!" She switched her phone's camera again. "Sorry, Inazuma! I guess I'll just call you again later…!"
And with a final battle cry from Jervis, the video call was cut off.
"A-Are they going to be okay?" Fusou asked.
Zuihou clasped her hands. "That was stressful. Just imagine those alligators crashing into your house in the middle of the night…!"
"If they raid my fridge," Sendai said, shaking her fist. "I'm gonna turn them into meat kebabs!"
"You can eat those?" Maricelle asked.
"Yeah!" Fumizuki said. "I dunno how they taste like though."
"Hmm," Zuihou said, "maybe we should give it a try? I think the shopping center at the e-district carry some alligator meat."
"Seriously?" Sendai uttered. "Then we definitely need to grab some later. You know, an experiment!"
While the others were engrossed in their newfound curiosity to exotic foodstuffs, Hatsuyuki patted Inazuma's shoulder. "Looks like you'd have to wait for a bit."
Inazuma sighed before mustering a smile. "Yeah, I hope those alligators won't cause them too much trouble."
Once they were done bathing, they returned to their rooms and went on to their own businesses. Inazuma didn't have anything else to do, so she just watched Hatsuyuki and Maricelle play some video games until she started nodding off. Almost an hour had passed since then and she still had yet to receive an update from Akatsuki.
With a big yawn, she plopped back on her bed and stripped down to her undergarments. The familiar softness of the mattress and sensation of the fabrics against her skin felt sublime, but she was almost certain that the nagging sensation in her head would keep her from fully enjoying a good night's rest.
As she was about to tune in to her favorite radio station, she received a message from the commander:
Still awake?
And moments after her reply, she answered the incoming call with her earphones.
"Sorry we took so long. Those gators made a mess out of the greenhouse."
She slipped into the covers of her bed. "No, I don't really mind." She paused for a moment, hearing the rain in the background. "It's still raining? Are you guys gonna be okay?"
He sniffled. "Yeah, the farmhouse's built for this kind of punishment. We're fine as long as we can feed ourselves."
She set her phone aside and yawned. "What about Miss Kyrie and the others?"
"The flood hasn't reached her house yet, but I wouldn't worry about them."
"But isn't Miss Kyrie's lab in the basement?"
"No, it's in a bomb shelter connected to the basement." He sniffled again. "You worry too much, you know?"
"It's only because you and Akatsuki keep hiding your problems from us! I wouldn't even know about the incident with that Mainosan princess if Jervis didn't happen to blurt it out that one time!"
He excused himself as he blew his nose. "Urgh... I've had enough scolding for today."
She narrowed her eyes, turning to the wall on her left. "Let me guess: you still helped them anyway and ended up getting soaked in the rain."
He grumbled. "If there's any doubt that you two aren't sisters, this right here's the clinching argument."
She snickered as she hugged the bolster pillow next to her. "Well, stop being so stubborn then."
"So what is it that you want to talk about earlier?"
"Changing the subject I see."
"Clam it up, Shortcake."
"Okay, okay…" She took a deep breath as she rested on her back again, brushing a sidelock off her face. "Um, we met Miss Koharu in the operation earlier."
"Really? With Emery gone, the Arbiters must be keeping her busy with their projects."
She adjusted the straps of her camisole. "Huh? I imagined you'd be more surprised. She's your friend after all…"
"I've come to terms with her decision to help the Arbiters. I'll just have to trust her on that."
"It sounds like the two of you went through a lot…"
"The time we spent together was short, but we helped each other to get where we stand right now."
"I-I see…"
They fell silent for a moment. "What about her then?"
"No, not her. I want to know who her bodyguard really is."
"Bodyguard?"
"Yeah, an Irregular fleet girl wearing a full body suit. Based on her physique and power, I'm convinced that she's a destroyer like me."
"Then how can I help you out with this? You'll have to be more specific."
"O-Okay, I'll go straight to the point. Um, I want to know what exactly happened to the Satsuki you've met a decade ago."
"What does she have to do with this?"
"I think she might be the Irregular I fought earlier."
There was a short pause on his end. "Some people think I'm delusional for holding out hope for this long, but even I'm aware that you're suggesting the impossible here."
"Then what really happened to her? Maybe the official reports were wrong and she was able to survive somehow."
"I saw her get torn apart and devoured with my own eyes. As much as I want to believe you right now… I just can't. I can never run away from that reality."
Inazuma was left breathless for a moment, mustering the strength to utter another word. "Y-Yuu… I-I'm sorry…"
"It's fine."
"Y-You're not mad, are you?"
"No… not at all."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. Like I said, you worry too much."
"O-Okay, if you say so…"
"Is that all you want to ask?"
She grimaced, curling up. "Yeah…"
"If you need anything else, don't hesitate to let me know." He let out a shaky breath. "I think I'll rest early today before this cold gets worse. Good night, Inazuma."
"Good night. Sleep well."
As the call ended, Inazuma took off her earphones and buried her face in the pillow.
Inazuma, you idiot…