Honestly, I might have been a bit dismissive of this not-really-a-spaceship spaceship.
About 30 minutes after hearing Himari’s report that we were ready to set off, Utnapishtim’s Ship appeared above our heads.
For that massive beast to land without a hitch, we had to move to an open area in a nearby park, but still, its speed was surprisingly impressive.
Finally stepping onto Utnapishtim’s Ship, I tightly held Rion’s hand as she buried her face in embarrassment upon seeing some familiar faces waiting inside.
“…”
For some reason, I could see Himari frowning, probably expressing her displeasure with Rion. Even if they were supposed to be rivals, it was true that Rion had crossed a significant line this time.
“…Thanks, Mika.”
“Is it really necessary to say thank you? Rion-chan, I have no regrets about what you’ve done this time. Yep, so… we’re still friends, right?”
Friends are there to support each other. As I communicated this with my gaze, Rion returned a strange look.
“Friends… right, that’s how it was.”
“…?”
While Rion pondered my words and their meaning, she let go of my hand and stepped forward.
Her gaze landed on the Saiba Sisters, who were staring at her intensely, and Yuzu, who radiated an unusually strong presence for her.
Tap-tap.
With a rather nervous-sounding footstep, Rion approached them. This time, even Himari opted to quietly watch the situation instead of butting in.
“Saiba Momo, Midori. And Hanao Yuzu.”
Clearly stating the names of the Game Development Club members, Rion bowed her head deeply.
“I’m sorry. You probably already have some idea, but I did something terrible to Aris. The fact that Aris has become a threatening presence to us now is entirely my fault.”
“I can’t understand. How could Aris suddenly become the doomsday final boss? That makes no sense!”
“Your sister has a point. Teacher and Himari-senpai said that if we don’t stop Aris-chan, the world will be destroyed, but I still don’t get it. Aris-chan would never do something like that…”
With a flustered expression after the sisters’ inquiries, Rion squeezed her eyes shut. Then, step by step, she began to explain Aris’ identity, what she had done, and the events that had unfolded in Eridu in front of everyone.
“So what you’re saying is that this situation is a result of Aris accepting the president’s proposal…?”
“Exactly. Aris accepted that proposal for all of you.”
While Rion excluded herself from “you,” I could bet that if it were Aris, she would have embraced Rion until the very end.
If not, Rion wouldn’t have crumbled to that extent. Yep.
“But we can’t completely say it was voluntary. Ultimately, the person who made Aris choose to sacrifice herself was me. Even if she doesn’t agree, knowing I won’t give up has led her to…”
“Wait, are you saying that even if Aris rejected the president’s proposal… he still forced Aris?”
“…Exactly. It’s true. The value of a single person cannot compare to the entire world. I know that what I did was wrong, but back then, to the best of my knowledge, it seemed like the most rational course of action.”
As Rion reacted strongly to the crucial part of my speech, I nodded at her steadfast reply.
That part about what she knew at that time means her perspective has changed slightly now.
As I took one last glance at Rion being grilled by the Game Development Club, I turned my gaze away.
After all, isn’t this entirely something she has to bear? It’s painful, but it’s not a matter I should interfere with.
“Teacher. Himari-chan.”
After leaving Rion behind to grow stronger through the clutches of the Game Development Club, I approached Himari, who would play a pivotal role in the success of this operation. The teacher welcomed me with a warm smile, and I smiled back.
Hmph. Who would have thought I’d be manipulated?
While I knew the teacher didn’t mean it that way, there was an instinctive sense of rejection every time I saw her. It’s tough to deal with feelings of jealousy.
“I’m glad you’re safe, Mika-chan. But what are these wounds? No matter how you look at it, Rion wouldn’t have treated you that severely…”
Continuing to close the distance to the teacher, who seemed to know Rion’s heart, I brushed off the topic of my minor scrapes. It was all such an overreaction.
“How would that even be possible?”
I moved straight to the point to divert attention from my trivial injuries. Despite the many unsaid implications, it seemed that Himari understood right away.
“This isn’t a situation to assess possibilities, Mika-chan. We must create a scenario where it becomes possible.”
“I’m not really familiar with the subject, but hearing your explanation made me think it could definitely be feasible.”
Hmm…
After hearing the teacher’s additional comment, I nodded. Certainly, if even an outsider could understand it that well, the chances of success…
No, wait. That’s a different matter; what am I even saying?
Hence, as we moved to the bridge, I decided to listen to Himari’s explanation.
“…Sorry, just get to the point, okay?”
In my oblivion of being an amateur and a long way from a genius, I had gotten a bit hurt.
Huhu, you’re adorable. I’ve been twisting my words just to see that side of you.
“…Himari-chan, that’s just bad taste.”
“Well, it happens sometimes when you’re a genius; there are times when you want to be a bit mischievous. To summarize, the core of this plan is to hack the Ark of Atrahasis using my hacking tool, Mirror, and the enormous processing power of Utnapishtim’s Ship. For the first step.”
“Is that possible?”
“That’s why we formed a strike team, Mika-chan. To penetrate the ark’s control systems, the strike team needs to maintain a connection with their network. That’s how our plan will work.”
“…Got it. It’s a different scale, but it’s somewhat similar to when we raided Kaiser Corporation. However, we need to consider the fact that that ark is disrupting communications.”
“Thanks for the good info, Mika-chan. If you think of anything else, it’d be nice to hear as well. As for that problem… I’ll find a way to deal with it.”
With a resolute nod, Himari continued.
“Anyway. Compared to the operation last year, the difference in timing and the opponent’s strength, and this time, it’s not a sneak attack but a straightforward showdown.”
While I felt like the conditions were worse than last time, the fact that we had the trump card of Utnapishtim’s Ship made me think the situation might not be so bad after all.
“Technically, everyone boarding this ship will infiltrate the ark, so calling it a strike team is a bit odd… but we’ll need some people to protect this ship, which will act as a forward base from enemy attacks.”
So, the plan was this: the Millennium seminar would coordinate the overall situation and fend off the attacks of the Nameless Guardians.
Meanwhile, those on Utnapishtim’s Ship would split into infiltration, defense, and support teams to attack the ark.
The goal of the infiltration team is to gain access rights to the ark’s network, allowing Himari from the support team to hack the ark.
The defense team is tasked with safely defending the ship, which would be treated as a foreign object inside…
“Wait a minute. We don’t know anything about the internal structure of that ark, right?”
“Exactly?”
“…Woah—oh.”
“Don’t worry. This ultimate genius girl hacker believes in the skills of the infiltration team. You can take pride in being the one and only guarantee in this world.”
I glanced at Himari’s eyes. They didn’t exude the confidence her words suggested.
Rather than doubting her success, it felt more like she wanted me to reassure her.
A silent plea for me to affirm that her statement was right. It was something I couldn’t refuse.
“Don’t worry, Himari-chan. I’ll make sure we succeed. Yep.”
After hearing my words, Himari finally relaxed and opened her mouth again.
“Once we successfully hack the ark’s system, we’ll move on to the real target. Rion and I plan to hack Aris-chan directly through the ark.”
“…Huh?”
To be precise, Aris is a robot. And the one likely controlling her right now is the auxiliary AI, Key.
If we could neutralize Key through hacking or transfer control back to Aris…
Then all of this chaos could potentially end right there.
“As the teacher said, this plan seems quite feasible, huh? Yep. That’s definitely the Himari-chan I know.”
Huhu. You may worship and admire my genius and beauty a little more, Mika-chan.
“Ah, uh… You’re the best…?”
Seeing Himari’s nose lift high in the air after receiving my lifeless compliment, I shook my head inwardly. Truly, Himari stays consistent.
Thus, the composition of each team that Himari led me to on the bridge was as follows:
Support Team – Veritas, Engineering Club, Himari, Rion
Defense Team – Teacher, Amy, RABBIT Squad, Abydos Countermeasures Committee
Infiltration Team – Game Development Club, C&C, Mika
…Looking at this line-up, it felt like half an all-star team, didn’t it?
Though they’re all oddballs, there’s no doubt about the Engineering Club’s prowess. If Veritas, Himari, and Rion teamed up to handle this massive quantum computer, the number of possible successful outcomes would be far greater than the impossible ones.
As for the defense team, it boasts the formidable RABBIT Squad, an elite unit from the committee that ranks among the top in Kivotos, under the command of the teacher.
And the infiltration team? Well, was there even a need to say anything?
The Game Development Club felt like a bit of fluff, but even with just C&C’s finest, it could seem a bit lacking. Still, with Neru and me, the infiltration team was already an extraordinary force.
At least for this time, it was just that we ended up slightly injured due to facing the Aabi Eshuh-ridden Toki, and we could still consider ourselves victorious.
If we faced her 1v2 in a full state, I could confidently say that even Toki aboard Aabi Eshuh wouldn’t stand a chance against us.
…Now, it really seems doable, doesn’t it?
