“Mika…!”
As soon as I stepped onto the bridge, someone suddenly threw themselves at me from my blind spot. In shock, I turned to see an incredibly curvy figure hugging me tightly.
Despite that, I didn’t take even half a step back, and upon looking at those fox ears filling my view, I couldn’t help but smile. It was undeniably a familiar and welcome sight.
“Luckily, it seems that you’re safe, Mika. That puts my heart at ease just a little. Everyone else is worried sick, but it turns out I was the only one able to join this party…”
“Uh-huh. Well, if I’m safe, then I guess I am… Sorry for worrying you, my dear husband. Still, right now… it feels like I’ve gained an army of heavenly beings, you know?”
“Oh, Wakamo… I’m rather embarrassed that I can only give Mika a mere army of heavenly beings. I only wish I could be a symbol of the promised victory…”
Wakamo, who was looking into my eyes, lowered her gaze. Her perky ears drooped as well, and I could only imagine her tail was in the same state.
“Um… Sorry? I just happened to think of heavenly beings, so I said that. But, at the very least, don’t you think Wakamo is more than worthy of being my goddess of victory~?”
“…Uhu. Uhuhuhuh. As the goddess of victory… I will surely meet and exceed your expectations… So just leave everything to me!”
I patted Wakamo’s back, who had a resolute look in her eyes. I wondered if it was a bit odd to caress her as a gesture of trust. Yeah.
“How about stopping this cozy time for two and focusing on the outside a bit…?”
Just then, a tag team interrupted us, and I turned to see Himari. Her expression carried a hidden irritation within a tranquil demeanor, which made me nod in understanding, but then pause.
“Wait a second. Himari, I don’t think Wakamo was in the team lineup we were discussing earlier?”
“Oh, that’s a part I intentionally left out. As you just saw, Wakamo apparently wanted to surprise Mika. However, aside from that, Wakamo is also included in the infiltration team.”
Wow. With this many names alone, it already feels incredibly reassuring. It’d be perfect if I could include my beloved kids from the Arius Squad too.
Unfortunately, the kids who couldn’t board Utnapishtim’s ship on time seem to have decided to assist the Millennium Autonomous District’s defense instead.
It felt like there was no end to the offensives spreading from military factories all over Kivotos, centered around the Ark. Even though elite forces were gathered, maintaining a defense line for eternity just wasn’t possible.
As the front lines were pushed back, the Millennium Autonomous District would eventually fall, and flames would spread elsewhere, right?
Yet, compared to the overwhelming disaster of destruction, the situation felt to be progressing rather slowly. It felt as if our opponent was attacking us barehanded, having tossed aside any usable weapons.
I could easily guess that the cause of this stagnation lay with Aris. It wouldn’t make sense otherwise.
If Kei had the initiative over the body while Aris was resisting from the inside, it made sense that the current indecisive offense was understandable.
It was clear that transferring the Nameless Guardians from the military factories across Kivotos to build an army would require a significant amount of resources.
However, considering that Utnapishtim’s ship was designed as a weapon against the Ark, it was only natural that the Ark would have an enormous amount of available resources.
So, it was best to put aside any hopes that the offensive would cease anytime soon. Prolonging the time would only expand and push the front line further.
Moreover, once Aris’s resistance became futile and Kei started to move seriously, it was evident that everything would quickly spiral into a quagmire.
As I spoke about this, Himari responded, “Indeed, calling the current offensive a destruction seems a bit excessive,” while the Teacher exclaimed in admiration.
“I feel like Mika has quite a sharp mind.”
“…Huh? Me? What a joke☆”
“I’m serious…”
“Mika has a tendency to downplay herself in this regard, Teacher. In my eyes, she’s someone who stands tall compared to anyone else.”
“Really… It’s not good to raise someone so much, Wakamo-chan. Seriously.”
I believe I have a good sense of my position. If I were to list those around me whom I could outsmart, there would be quite a few who I’d fail against, right?
It could be interpreted as there being so many smart kids around me, but generally, people are more accustomed to self-assessment based on comparing themselves to others.
“Even so, Rion and I hold Mika in high regard. Her academic intelligence is just her strongly rejecting that direction. In other aspects, Mika is almost a perfect girl, combining both martial arts and literature, according to my highly objective evaluation as Akeboshi Himari, a genius born of Kivotos.”
“Wow…”
“Leader, it really seems like you’re harboring a lot of personal feelings here.”
“Not at all, Amy. I’m just stating facts.”
Since Himari went to such lengths, could it be possible that I really…?
No, that’s not important right now. Yeah.
While it’s certainly good that Aris is holding us off, we still need to act quickly to resolve the situation.
“So, when do you plan to depart?”
“I think we’ll be leaving as soon as the RABBIT Squad finishes their gear check. With what they’ve brought for this operation, we shouldn’t have any issues supporting the Defense Team, right?”
Himari added that they decided to stay and defend the ship at the Abydos Countermeasure Committee since the ship must not fall into enemy hands.
…By the way, when is Rion planning to join us?
I didn’t know exactly what they were discussing at the Game Development Club, but I felt a little bad for not being there. Given how emotionally troubled Rion must have been, I wasn’t too fond of the interrogation the Game Development Club was carrying on.
Ah, but I’m not trying to defend Rion at all. From their perspective, Rion would be the same as the Demon King, and they have more than enough right to interrogate her.
It’s just that I’m overly sentimental. I can’t simply watch the kid who cares for me struggle emotionally.
It’s sort of an uncontrollable force.
Not an excuse, but truly.
*
Rion joined the bridge only after the signal from the RABBIT Squad indicated it was okay to depart.
As Utnapishtim’s ship began to ascend into the sky, the kids from Veritas and the Engineering Department gathered and moved busily around.
When we began to rise hundreds of meters above and advance toward the Ark, Rion stepped onto the bridge, looking relieved for some reason.
“…”
In silence, Rion scanned the bridge and approached Himari and me with her usual clacking footsteps.
“How did the discussion go? Did it go well?”
“…Well, let’s just say it went decently.”
“That’s unexpected. I thought you might have misspoken again and caused a misunderstanding.”
“I’ve learned a thing or two. But more importantly, I have something I want to try out.”
“Now I’m a little curious. What do you want to attempt?”
“I want to test whether Aabi Eshuh, the weapon I prepared to contend with the nameless gods’ princess, can draw resources from this ship.”
…Come to think of it, Aabi Eshuh was a weapon wielding cheat-like power using the power and resources of Eridu. Upon hearing Rion’s words, I gently patted Himari’s shoulder and nodded slightly.
It was a sign that we could trust her.
“…Hmm. If we’re talking about Aabi Eshuh, then that’s the one that girl Toki was wearing, right? Based on Mika’s reaction, it seems that Aabi Eshuh would indeed be a significant asset in terms of power, but is it really necessary in this situation?”
“Are you cautious about weakening the resources available for hacking the Ark? I heard on the way here that this ship is something close to a quantum computer in its own right.”
“That’s correct. Ultimately, the core of our plan hinges on the success of hacking the Ark and Aris. I am skeptical about whether we need to allocate more resources at the cost of reducing our chance of success.”
“It certainly appears that way, but you know it’s not a loss to prepare for contingencies. Besides, the computing power of a quantum computer is far superior in efficiency compared to Eridu; therefore, it doesn’t require a large investment. In case of emergencies, we can temporarily disconnect the suit.”
“Hmm…”
After weighing the pros and cons for a moment, Himari nodded.
“I’ll allow it. With this, we have a majority agreement, so there’s no need to ask the Teacher for their opinion.”
“…Himari, how did that happen?”
“Because, naturally, the primary decision-making authority in this place falls to the Teacher, myself, and Mika. I don’t think the trinity system we adopted at the T-party is perfect, but if two of the three people here agree, then it’s likely a very reasonable opinion.”
“But I could oppose it.”
“Oh, are you perhaps thinking of opposing it?”
Himari raised her eyebrows, surprised, and threw me a question.
“…Not really, but.”
“Then that’s settled. Of course, that was just a joke, Teacher. Ignoring the opinions of the minority isn’t the way of a sociable girl who knows how to get along like me. Rion might be an exception.”
“…”
“Oh right. If it’s Rion, she would probably ignore the opinions of the majority, so maybe that’s not her way either?”
Seeing Himari get cheeky about Rion, I couldn’t help but shake my head.
Still, I believe that when the real operation begins, everyone will cooperate well, but it was indeed a subtle sight from the sidelines.
“We’ll be entering the influence zone of the Ark of Atrahasis in 5 minutes.”
And thus, the total offensive of the Ark of Atrahasis is about to commence.
