A Certain Pilot's Promise, Vol. 2

A Certain Pilot's Promise, by Koroku Inumura

Illustrations by Haruyuki Morisawa

Main Characters

Sakagami Kiyoaki: Third-year student at Air Hunt Officer Academy.

Mio Syira: Third-year student at Air Hunt Officer Academy.

Illia Kreischmidt: Third-year student at Air Hunt Officer Academy.

Reiner Beck: Third-year student at Air Hunt Officer Academy.

Cecil Hauer: Second-year student at Air Hunt Officer Academy.

Kagura Murasaki: Fourth-year student at Air Hunt Officer Academy.

Balthazar Grim: Fourth-year student at Air Hunt Officer Academy.

Sakagami Masaharu: Flight Chief Master Sergeant. Father of Sakagami Kiyoaki. Former ace pilot of the Akitsu Federation.

Karsten Kreischmidt: Captain. Father of Illia. Lost his right arm in a duel with Sakagami Masaharu.

Akmed: Holy knight leading the airborne mercenary unit "Valkyrie."

Karnasion: Super ace airship pilot of Urano. Nose art features a black panther.

Zenon Kavaris: Deputy Minister of the Urano Foreign Affairs Ministry.

World State

Volume 3 Part 18 (Continued) (Part 1 of Volume 3): Air Hunt Officer Academy

Air Hunt Officer Academy (Continuation)

Looking up, the sky had turned into a thick, rocky mass. Just moments ago, it had been a clear October sky, but now, the rugged surface stretched as far as the eye could see, exerting a dull pressure on the blazing ground below.

A huge rudder, over five hundred meters long, sliced through the turbulent atmosphere. The sound of propulsion units set at its perimeter reverberated through the airspace. Amidst the roar that distorted the space, shards of shattered airship machinery fell like blue copper-coloured powdery snow onto the ground ablaze.

The flames would not die down. As they devoured the iron snow, their intensity increased, roasting the rocky ceiling from below.

The narrow space between the ground and the rocky ceiling was filled with flames, dust, mechanical debris, and the screams of fleeing people. Suddenly deprived of the sky, their city destroyed, people emerged from their burning homes, unsure of where to go, merely wandering in the hell of heat.

In the year 1338 of the Imperial Calendar, October, Karanakuta Island in the Duchy of Clefelde──.

Mio Flores knelt on the ground, her hands on her ears, her gaze returning from the sky to the pile of rubble before her.

She couldn’t comprehend the meaning of this scene.

The Flores family should have welcomed another peaceful morning today.

Surrounded by her father, who worked for a trading company, and her gentle mother, eight-year-old Mio was preparing to go to school. Having just turned eight this year, she was now in the lower grades. After downing a jam bread with hot milk and bidding her parents farewell, she stepped out of the house, only for the next moment to find her home blown to smithereens.

Then, a swarm of airships covered the sky.

Silver-gray and deep green airships tangled together, exchanging fierce gunfire, and soon only the silver-gray ones remained in the sky.

Bombs rained down like a storm, swiftly incinerating the airfield, anti-air facilities, and urban areas.

What should have been unchanged peace was, in just a few moments, painted over with death, flames, and destruction.

“Damn it, it's Kalkinos!” “Why is a flying fortress attacking such a remote area?!” “The Duke of Clefelde is finished; everyone run!”

The adults shouted in panic. Mio, unable to think, remained sitting in front of the rubble where her parents were buried.

Eventually, the world turned dark in broad daylight.

A massive flying island loomed overhead, dragging the sound of propulsion units with it.

The Ninth Air Fortress of Urano, "Kalkinos."

The words that the adults had shouted earlier barely brushed against Mio's mind.

Her familiar city was being engulfed in flames. The air fortress above did not move, sitting at an altitude of two thousand meters as if observing the fleeing people below.

Mio did not run away; she simply prayed to wake up from this nightmare as she stared at the mountain of rubble.

She had no memory of what followed.

She felt someone’s shouting voice nearby, and she was forcibly lifted by a soldier in an unfamiliar uniform and placed in the back of a truck with a tarp.

Without the ability to think, she was unloaded from the truck in an unknown wasteland, chased by soldiers with guns, and confined to a prefab building surrounded by a fence.

The air fortress had disappeared from the sky. In its place, soldiers of the Hydrabard Army landed and had nearly taken control of all major facilities on Karanakuta Island.

Most of the surviving adults were either coerced at gunpoint by the Hydrabard Army or confined in this isolated area filled with prefabs.

The Duke of Clefelde, who had governed Karanakuta Island on behalf of the Sylvania royal family, was captured and taken to the capital of the Hydrabard Union. The leader of the Olg Party, Dizzy Osborn, who ruled the Hydrabard Parliament, intended to seize all that belonged to the Sylvania royal family. The Duke of Clefelde's fate had already been sealed.

The adults in the camp spent their days discussing such matters. Mio, whether she wanted to or not, could only recognize that this was not a nightmare, but reality. She searched for her parents in the camp but found not a single person she recognized.

Unable to enter the bathroom, her hands and feet caked in mud, there were no friends her age, nor acquaintances in the camp. The area where Mio had lived had suffered extensive damage from the bombardment, making her survival nothing short of miraculous.

Hope was nowhere to be found. She wished to die.

──If I die, I can meet Papa and Mama.

When she resolved this way, the camp leader called for her.

A man expressed a desire to meet with Mio.

──It must be Papa.

With joy radiating through her body, she rushed into the leader's office, only to find a well-dressed, unfamiliar man in his fifties waiting for her.

“You’ve grown up, Mio. You’re already eight. Do you remember me?”

The man spoke in an overly friendly manner, but she had no recollection of him. Disappointment and anxiety made Mio shrink away as the man gently smiled at her.

“It’s no wonder. We met when you were just three years old. Your father and mother were kind and gentle people.”

The man introduced himself as Ethan Syira, a distant relative—specifically, the son of her grandfather’s brother. Since she had only met her grandfather once or twice and had little contact with her relatives, Mio had no way of verifying if what Ethan said was true.

“You don’t have to worry about what comes next. We have many siblings in similar circumstances to you. Don’t worry; you’ll get along with them right away. It’ll be a much better place than here.”

It seemed that Ethan was going to take Mio in. Judging by the leader's attitude toward him, he appeared to be a person of considerable standing. The normally overbearing leader nodded along with every word Ethan said and went out of his way to flatter him, even praising Mio to keep on his good side.

“Will you come with me, Mio?”

With kindness gathered in the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, Ethan asked her this.

Having lost her parents, knowing no one, and only wishing for death, Mio abandoned the very notion of choice. She didn’t even want to think. Staring into Ethan’s eyes, she stood there silently. She doubted whether this man was really a relative, fearing he might be a trafficker, yet at that moment, she had even lost interest in her own fate.

Mio left the camp and boarded an airship with Ethan to journey to the Harmonia Empire. Along the way, they encountered a large low-pressure system, but a highly skilled airman expertly navigated through the gaps in the clouds, and they arrived safely at their destination. Ethan worked as a diplomat for the St Vault Empire and was currently stationed in Harmonia. What awaited her there was a life that felt like a dream.

Wonderful older brothers and sisters, and adorable younger brothers and sisters awaited Mio. Although they shared no blood ties, they were all beautiful, intelligent, and had gentle, amiable personalities. The Syira couple had no biological children and had taken in children who had lost their families from all over the world.

“God brought you all to me,” Ethan often said with a smile. Mio’s adoptive mother, Greta, was a modest and gentle woman who treated her many adopted children as if they were her own.

Suddenly losing her parents, having her hometown burned, and preparing for death in a camp, Mio found herself surrounded by lively siblings in a wealthy household and felt constantly bewildered. Her siblings were all kind, inviting the shy Mio to play games together or go on picnics, actively trying to include her as part of the family. Thanks to the Syira siblings, she smoothly acclimated to her new gymnasium, where every day felt like a party, playing until she was completely exhausted by the time dinner was over.

As she spent those days, Mio realized that the sadness of losing her parents was gradually fading.

Feeling like a shallow person, she decided every night before sleeping to imagine her real parents' faces behind her eyelids. It felt too cruel to forget them. With that thought, Mio clung to her grief. This pain and sorrow were, in fact, the very memories of her parents that would fade with time. Even though she was taken in by a wealthy family and lived a glamorous life, her heart remained closed off.

Two years passed since Mio arrived at the Syira family, on a winter night.

Having crawled into bed but unable to sleep, she somewhat aimlessly went downstairs to the living room and saw Ethan sitting by the warm fireplace.

Suddenly, an inexplicable sadness surged within her. For no particular reason, she felt an overwhelming urge to cry. Mio approached Ethan and leaned against his knee.

“What’s wrong, Mio?”

Putting down the book he was reading, Ethan kindly asked her. Mio placed her hands on his thighs, buried her face there, and sobbed.

Ethan quietly rubbed her back. After her tears subsided, Mio, without raising her face, asked:

“Why did you pick me up?”

“I’ve told you many times. It’s God’s will. Saint Aldista responded to my faith.”

“That’s not what I mean. There are plenty of poor children in the world, right? Why me?”

“Oh? Is that what’s on your mind?”

“Yeah.”

Ethan gently patted Mio's head.

“You’re a smart girl. Even though you’re only ten. More than I expected.”

“Did you pick me because I’m smart?”

“I knew you were a good child. You did well in school, had a bright and honest personality, and were popular with everyone. Moreover, your parents were believers of the Unified Church of Aldista, which is significant. You love Saint Aldista, don’t you?”

“Yeah. Saint Aldista is always with us.”

"That’s why I brought you to our home, knowing all of these things. I couldn’t bear the thought of you dying in a detention camp. I believed that if I brought you into a proper environment, you would have even more potential to grow."

“You investigated me, didn’t you?”

“To put it simply, yes.”

“What about Pubrita, Yan, and Carmen?”

Mio named her close siblings and asked. Ethan smiled.

“Everyone, yes. I want to give many children with potential opportunities to soar into the world. Since my wife and I cannot have children, your growth into splendid adults will be proof of our lives.”

“Proof of life…”

Mio rolled the words around in her mouth. The proof of her real parents’ lives was herself, and at the same time, for Ethan and Greta, her existence was proof of their lives too.

──The proof of my parents lives is me.

She decided to accept that and live on. She believed that surely both her real parents and her new parents would be pleased. With determination, Mio finally voiced the question she had long wanted to ask.

“Hey.”

“Yeah?”

“If I call you "Papa," will you get angry?”

Ethan knelt beside her, wrapping his arms around her.

Love flowed from the big arms that encircled her.

“Papa.”

Mio called his name.

“Mio.”

“Papa.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

In Ethan’s embrace, Mio felt the sadness she had carried for two years melting away.

This man is my father, and this is my home.

Mio accepted that.

From the next day, Mio Syira began to act as a member of the Syira family alongside her siblings.

Bright, energetic, and intelligent Mio became even more popular with everyone.

The Syira family was quite wealthy, often attending garden parties and social gatherings weekly, hosting a party at home once a month. Visitors were always from the upper class, and while playing with their children, Mio naturally acquired manners and behaviour.

Mio’s hometown, Karanakuta Island, was under the rule of the Sylvania royal family, so she was familiar with the Sylvania way of speaking and etiquette, which was regarded with curiosity. Simply showcasing courtly manners that the children of Harmonia didn’t know made her popular, prompting Mio to secretly study about the Sylvania royal family in books and even act like Princess Elisabeth of Sylvania in front of everyone. The adults praised her, and Mio felt as if she had become a princess herself.

She was happy.

As time passed, her sadness healed, and the people of the Syira family became an irreplaceable family for Mio.

She became aware of her fortune, grateful to her parents, thankful for her siblings, and appreciative of this life. She strongly wished to become a person who could someday repay her parents.

──Just as Papa helped me, I want to be of help to him someday.

Her happy life in Harmonia ended in the summer when she turned twelve.

Ethan was transferred to the island of Odessa in the Akitsu Federation, and Mio was to leave the city to attend a new school on a remote island. Sad to part from her newly made friends, she sulked when she arrived in Odessa, where she would meet Sakagami Kiyoaki, a boy her age.

Time passed──.

“Papa, you keep getting transferred, don’t you?”

Arriving at an airport she had never visited before, seventeen-year-old Mio Syira sighed as she looked out at the landscape of Crossnodal, the largest island in the Northern Sea, holding her caged bird, Fio, in one hand.

In late December of the year 1347 of the Imperial Calendar, in the capital of Crossnodal, Rubra──.

Taking advantage of the winter break from the Air Hunt Officer Academy, Mio had come to this place to see her parents.

At the airport, among the locals with dark skin, many white-skinned St Vault people could also be seen. Though Crossnodal was a splendid independent country governed by the Crossnodal People’s Government, the entire island was effectively defended by the St Vault Army under the pretence of being an allied force. Soldiers of the Crossnodal Army, clad in distinctive yellow-green camouflage, were seen on the ground in small numbers, but their main duty was to maintain internal security rather than defence.

──Can we call ourselves an independent country with foreign troops stationed in our homeland?

As she gazed out at the scenery of Crossnodal from the carriage window drawn by two horses, Mio harboured such doubts. Surely, that could be said. For a poor country, it was easier not to have to bear defence costs and could allocate precious budgets to investments. In return, they had to comply with the demands of St Vault, but this was a better judgment than being incorporated into the Hydrabard Union under the rule of the Olg Party. The Hydrabard Union, governed by the blood of Urano, with Dizzy Osborn, the leader of the Olg Party, now coveted Crossnodal Island.

──It’s necessary for survival, huh…

In today’s world, strong nations trample on weak nations, robbing them of all they possess, and no one can judge them for it. The laments of the weak are disregarded, and it’s not uncommon for entire nations or peoples to perish simply because they were weak.

In this world, being weak is considered evil.

If one doesn’t want to perish, the only choice is to grow stronger. The Crossnodal’s state of throwing away pride seems to be a necessary wisdom for the weak to survive.

Soon, the carriage entered the foreigner residential area.

The old wooden streets disappeared, replaced by the familiar white architecture of St Vault. As a developing island, the influence of the St Vault currency “Pesos” was immense, with the splendid white mansions competing along the road. No matter how much the Crossnodal government tried to maintain its appearance, the island’s landscape was completely that of a colony of the St Vault Empire.

The carriage stopped before a magnificent mansion in the upscale district with a great view. After tipping the driver arranged by her family, Mio stared in amazement at the Syira family's new home, holding the birdcage in her hand.

Though she had lived in grand mansions in Harmonia and on Messus Island, this one was even more grandiose. It was a three-story building with wings on either side, as if it could belong to royalty.

Then, the beautifully carved gate opened, and her younger siblings, who had noticed the carriage, rushed out with broad smiles and hugged her.

“Sister!!”

“Whoa!”

Thirteen-year-old Bonita, ten-year-old Kazuki, and seven-year-old Dominic clung to Mio, not letting go.

“Hey, hey! Alright, alright, let go! It’s too tight, it hurts!”

Mio grimaced, but her younger siblings were too excited to see their beloved sister again after so long.

“Mio, welcome back! We missed you so much, Mio, don’t go again!”

Especially clingy Dominic buried his dark face into Mio’s chest and held on tightly. As she stroked his curly hair with one hand, Mio smiled wryly.

“Dominic, you’ve gotten stronger! You’re definitely a boy now! So let go a bit…”

“I want to be petted too!”

It seemed Kazuki, who was still clinging to Mio, wasn’t pleased to see Dominic getting all the attention and pushed his head toward her. While petting Kazuki with her remaining hand, Mio turned to Bonita.

“Bonita, how have you been? Kazuki hasn’t been bullying you, has he?”

Bonita, who had been holding her hands behind her back, raised her face with a smile.

“I’m fine! Mio, you look beautiful! Kiyoaki will be thrilled too, right?”

“Hey, what are you talking about? More importantly, can someone deal with this…”

Finally, managing to pry her younger siblings off her, she opened the birdcage and released Fio into the air.

“Fio’s doing great too!” “Let’s make him fight with my Sodom!”

Dominic named his pet bird “Sodom” and took care of it. It was a custom of the Syira family for each sibling to be given a pet bird. Mio grimaced.

“Stop it; Fio is tired too. Are Papa and Mama home?”

“Mom’s here. Dad suddenly got called away. He hasn’t been coming home until late recently.”

“Oh, I see. He’s as busy as ever, huh? I want to make something special for him since it’s been a while…”

“Mom’s making a lot of food! You don’t have to do anything, just play with me!”

With Dominic clinging to her right hand and Kazuki to her left, Mio smiled wryly as she entered the overwhelmingly splendid new home to greet her mother.

Ethan returned home around nine o'clock in the evening.

Though exhausted from keeping up with the rambunctious Kazuki and Dominic, Mio’s face lit up at the sight of her father after so long.

“Papa, I’m back. Thank you for your hard work. Would you like something to eat?”

“Welcome back, Mio. I’ve already eaten. Take it easy; it’s been a while since you came back.”

Ethan opened his arms to embrace Mio. She buried her face in his chest, inhaling the familiar scents of his cigar and pomade.

“You’ve changed so much. Is it thanks to the officer academy’s training? You’ve grown quite dignified.”

Ethan gently patted Mio’s head. His voice was as calm as always, but somehow he seemed less spirited than before.

──Papa, you’ve aged…

She thought this but didn’t say it out loud. After putting her younger siblings to bed, she prepared a glass of brandy for her father, who returned to the living room after taking a bath.

Finally, peace returned to the Syira household. The soft orange glow of the lampshade enveloped Mio and Ethan.

It had been a while since it was just the two of them. Enjoying the pleasant silence, Mio spoke up.

“Papa, are you tired? Are you okay?”

“Does it look that way?”

“Just a bit. You seem a little down. Is work busy?”

“...Yeah. It’s really busy. Especially during times like these.”

Ethan, in his gown, answered with an oddly melancholic tone while fiddling with his glass. The ice crunched as it broke into the amber liquid, producing a clear sound.

“...I can’t afford to rest. This is a job with significant responsibility. This island is the gateway for our St Vault Empire to land in the Southern Sea. It’s one of the most critical strategic points. The ambassador’s duties are far more extensive than others.”

This time, Ethan was in Crossnodal as the ambassador of St Vault. His role involved negotiating directly with the leaders of the Crossnodal government, military commanders, and others in the sphere of power, which was undoubtedly harsher than Mio could imagine. The crow's feet around her father’s eyes tightened her chest.

──I want to help Papa someday.

She felt this deeply.

The happiness she enjoyed now was all thanks to Ethan.

If she hadn’t met Ethan, she would have likely withered away and died in that camp.

She wanted to repay him for giving her this life.

──I want him to think, “I’m glad I picked up Mio.”

“I wish there was something I could help with,” she said somewhat hesitantly, and Ethan smiled weakly.

“Mio, you’re a good girl.”

“Well, I wouldn’t want Papa to die from overwork.”

Then, as if waiting for those words, Ethan straightened up on the sofa and turned a serious gaze toward Mio.

“...Actually, I have a favour to ask. There’s someone who wants to meet you.”

“...?”

“They’ll be coming to our house in three days. Is that okay with your schedule?”

“W-What? Who is it?”

“...A very important business partner.”

“Someone important?”

“...Yes. They’ve been waiting for this opportunity. They heard you were coming back home and made the trip from afar to see you.”

“W-What does that mean? They’re coming to see me? ...Is that, um, like a personal thing?”

“It’s not a matchmaking meeting. He’s a married man. It’s purely for business. Will you meet him?”

Ethan’s tone was unusually firm, leaving no room for argument. Although feeling somewhat pressured, Mio nodded uncertainly.

“...Papa, are you okay? You seem a bit different than usual.”

“...Is that so? ...It might be. ...In times like these, I sometimes have to rely on my daughter’s strength.”

“You want to... rely on me?”

“...It’s a bit shameful for a father to say this. But it’s a job only you can do. And... it’s definitely not a pleasant one.”

It seemed that the message carried by the envoy would be serious. She had never seen Ethan look so worn and sorrowful.

She didn’t know the details, but judging by her father’s demeanour, it was likely something complicated.

Although a sense of unease welled up within her...

──A job only I can do.

That was a heartwarming phrase. Mio smiled.

“So, I can be of help to Papa?”

“...”

“Ever since I was a child, I’ve always been the one receiving, right? So, I guess that means I’ve become someone who can do something for you.”

“Mio...”

She circled around the back of the sofa and hugged her beloved father from behind.

“It’s okay. I’ll do anything. Thanks to you, I am who I am today. I’m so happy because I got to meet Papa. Now I can finally repay you a little. I’m so glad.”

Ethan lovingly stroked Mio’s arms.

“...It’s a tough role.”

“Compared to what happened with the Eriadore, it’s nothing. I’ve been awarded Honors for this, after all. The daily tasks in Air Hunt are all tough, so I’m used to it. Thanks to you, I’ve grown strong.”

Jokingly, Mio leaned her cheek against her father’s hair and closed her eyes.

“Mio.”

“Yeah?”

“I’m always praying for your happiness.”

“I know. I’m praying that Papa stays healthy forever, too.”

The parent and child closed their eyes, feeling each other’s warmth.

Entrusting herself to the warmth rising from the depths of her heart, Mio prayed only for her gratitude toward her father and for the happiness of their family.

Three days later──.

Receiving the request to meet alone, Mio wore a trendy, puff-sleeved afternoon dress, draped a white shawl over her shoulders, and settled into a deck chair in the designated royal park, waiting for her visitor.

It was certainly an unusual guest. Perhaps he didn’t want to face his younger siblings. This was a park exclusively for the upper nobility, where garden parties for royal guests were held. Even when passing through the gate in a carriage, there were meticulous checks, and the pass handed to her father beforehand was scrutinized thoroughly to ensure it wasn’t forged. There was no one else in the park besides Mio, and the winter-bare tree-lined paths glimmered coldly.

Then, a horse-drawn carriage approached along the desolate path.

The sound of the wheels grew closer and stopped right in front of her.

A man in his mid-forties, dressed in an elegant gray suit, stepped down. As he recognized Mio, he approached with a cheerful smile.

Even from afar, his well-toned physique was evident above the suit, and his clean silver hair shone. Behind his rimless glasses, he wore a friendly, gentle smile.

At first glance, Mio felt a sense of relief.

Given her father's attitude yesterday and the suspicious nature of this meeting place, she had braced herself for a rather dubious character, but the man who appeared seemed genuinely amiable and harmless.

“You must be Mio Syira,” he said cheerfully, taking off his hat and bowing. When Mio extended the back of her right hand in greeting, he knelt and kissed it over his gloves.

“I am Zenon Kavaris, Assistant Minister of the Harmonian Foreign Ministry. I deeply apologize for the suddenness of this meeting; I hope I did not startle you.”

“No, not at all. I was feeling quite bored. So, you are from Harmonia? Your manner of speaking is nostalgic.”

Indeed, there was a distinct Harmonian accent in Zenon’s St Vault language. That fact somewhat eased her wariness.

“I’d like to talk while we take a stroll,” he suggested.

“Of course. The weather is lovely.”

Mio stood up, holding her parasol in one hand, and walked alongside Zenon down the afternoon tree-lined path.

Zenon had been a social acquaintance of Ethan since his assignment to Harmonia, often meeting at friendly card games or wine tastings. They had known each other for over ten years and sometimes exchanged information for the benefit of their nations.

“Ultimately, meeting people is my job, and after years of doing this, you gradually become attuned to a sort of wall between yourself and others. You might find me a bit too familiar, but please excuse it as a professional habit.”

With a cheerful smile, Zenon said this. He certainly seemed easy-going and approachable. Riding along on his gentle rhythm, Zenon’s ability to use a variety of expressions made listening to him rare and enjoyable.

“The job of a diplomat is fundamentally about building connections in your assigned location. One must always be punctual, remember the faces and names of all the dignitaries met at a party, understand the circumstances of each nation, and use that knowledge in conversation. Since we interact with people from various countries, we must never be rude; sometimes, we even investigate their family situations before meeting them.”

“It sounds demanding. My father works late every night, too.”

“Your father is an exceptionally skilled man. I am a diplomat from Harmonia, and while I shouldn’t be on friendly terms with Mr. Ethan, I respect him as a person. Even if our nations are at odds, communication between individuals is still possible.”

Zenon’s words delighted Mio. Despite the long history of conflict between Harmonia and St Vault, it was wonderful to think that diplomats from the two countries trusted each other.

“That’s wonderful. I wish the nations could develop that kind of trust and friendship.”

When she said this casually, Zenon smiled as well.

“Before peace can be established between nations, connections must first be forged between individuals. We should cooperate more. Don’t you think?”

Mio sensed this was a serious matter. Though she didn’t know the specifics, it must be a peaceful purpose since her father was involved.

“Absolutely. I hope there’s something I can do as well.”

“Just like the daughter of Mr. Ethan, I have a place I’d like you to see first. Let’s head up those stairs. It’s a bit of a climb.”

Following his lead, they ascended the steep slope at the western edge of the park, reaching a high point. After walking a short gravel path, they arrived at an observation deck.

The elevation was about a hundred meters. Mio looked down at the cityscape of Crossnodal, inhaling the pleasant breeze deeply.

“It’s a lovely spot.”

Beyond the red roofs of the foreigner district, there were clusters of tin-roofed wooden houses where locals lived, and beyond that was the sea. Many small sailboats, used by locals for fishing, floated on the sparkling white waves, among which were silhouettes of St Vault’s coastal defence ships and transport vessels. Without the warships, it was merely a shabby fishing port where the impoverished islanders lived simple, peaceful lives.

“Soon, war will reach this place as well,” Zenon said quietly. It was something Mio had also anticipated.

“Urano, right?”

“Yes. They are trying to seize control of the entire archipelago through the Olg party and the Hydrabard Alliance.”

“…That’s terrifying. If only they didn’t exist, the world would be at peace.”

“Do you truly believe that?”

“…?”

“Do you think the world would be at peace if Urano were to disappear?”

Mio stared intently at Zenon’s calm profile. The vision still lingered behind her eyelids—the rock layer that covered the sky, her real parents buried in their home, and the invasion of Messus Island. The enemies who killed her kind parents and sister, her friends, and set the beautiful Messus Island ablaze—the detestable Urano Sky Clan. There was no room for debate.

“…Isn’t it obvious? They continue to sow the seeds of war across the world, killing innocent people and plotting to control the earth from the sky. Aren’t they the cause of this world’s chaos?”

“There are regions in this world that do not recognize Urano. Are you aware of the names of the nations that exist beyond the Holy Spring?”

“……………………”

Mio swallowed her words. The true nature of this world had yet to be revealed. Countless fleets had set sail to uncover the world's truths, only to either return in fear midway or vanish without a trace. She had only heard of the Holy Spring in legends; its existence had not been confirmed. Zenon's tone suggested he recognized both the legendary spring and the existence of unknown continents.

“You know of them? The names of nations no one has ever seen?”

Zenon turned to Mio, smiling even more kindly.

“There are indeed many nations. Balesteros. Saino. Benares. Levamme. Amatsukami. Solbarosa. Kai Andros. Kōrai. …and many others, all of which have cultures comparable to yours.”

These were names she had never encountered in any document, nor had she ever even heard of them. Yet Zenon's words seemed too articulate for lies, as if he had repeated the same questions and answers to various third parties before.

“…I’ve never heard of those names, even when I was in Harmonia.”

“That’s only natural. No one in Harmonia is aware of this fact.”

Mio stared intently at Zenon's smile. A bottomless fear suddenly surged from the pit of her stomach.

—This man is not Harmonian.

“…Who are you?”

“I’m just a humble assistant in the Harmonian Foreign Ministry. I’m simply more enthusiastic about gathering information than the average bureaucrat. I possess some knowledge that the general public does not.”

That’s a lie. Her intuition whispered so.

"Let’s return to the topic. Beyond the Sacred Spring, there are people who do not know Urano, and they are fighting among themselves. Just like in the archipelago, or even more so, horrific battles are taking place. Whether or not Urano exists, people cannot cease their conflicts. Wouldn't you agree?"

"........................"

"The cause of war is not Urano, but the mass production of destructive weapons and the resulting chronic resource shortages. If we dig deeper, it is the immature consciousness of humans trying to enrich themselves by plundering others that triggers wars."

Zenon continued in a tone reminiscent of reading a thesis.

"The Holy Saint Aldista granted the grace of the great waterfall so that foolish humans would not encounter one another until they reached the necessary level of consciousness. However, advancements in air machinery have finally made it possible to traverse the great waterfall, allowing immature humans to meet. When they first recognized one another, what they did was not embrace. Instead, they turned their guns at unknown peoples with different skin colours and languages to intimidate them. Urano was not present there. It was entirely the actions of the peoples of the land."

What Zenon said was indeed true. Approximately sixty years ago, when St Vault first encountered the Akitsu Federation across the great waterfall, the more powerful St Vault’s initial action was to conclude an unequal treaty aimed at plundering Akitsu’s resources. This has left a lingering resentment in the archipelago that continues to this day, causing the blood of millions of young people to flow needlessly.

Urano was not involved.

It was only in the last ten or so years that Urano emerged and connected with the Hydrabard Coalition, starting to move toward domination of the archipelago. The reasoning that the world would be at peace if Urano were to disappear is indeed a simplistic notion that is hard to refute.

"The teachings of Holy Saint Aldista, "Love thy neighbour," have been forgotten. Neighbours cannot cease hurting one another. Therefore, someone must bleed to stop it. To end the pointless wars in our generation and pass on a future of peace and friendship to the next, an absolute existence that preserves the teachings of Holy Saint Aldista in their purest form must govern the world."

"...Is that Urano?"

"Who else can do it? Do St Vault, the Akitsu Federation, or Harmonia have grand ideals comparable to Urano? What can the lower classes do but leap for the bait dangling before them? They merely disguise their base desires to trample and push others aside to feast solely on themselves behind the mask of diplomacy. That is the limit of the land peoples, separated by borders."

"........................"

"Is there a border in the sky?"

"…No."

"The surface has become too soaked in blood. The day when the grudges and hatred accumulated over a long history of struggle will clear will never come. It is best to govern from the sky. Only Urano, residing in the boundless sky, can unify this planet under the teachings of Holy Saint Aldista, transcending races, languages, and borders."

Zenon maintained a calm smile as he spoke this, and what he said was also logical.

But.

"You speak just like someone from Urano."

Mio pierced Zenon with her emerald-green eyes.

Zenon’s smile did not falter. Mio, refusing to lose, responded while maintaining her own smile.

"As you say, the people of the land will continue to fight, whether Urano exists or not. And Urano, by lending air power to multiple nations, spreads and exacerbates the calamities of war. You call it an ideal, but it seems even more malignant than that of the land’s people."

Without mixing any emotion into her words, she said this in one breath, and Zenon let out a slight growl deep in his throat, making his eyes sparkle even more gently.

"Quite perceptive. A typical teenage girl would not be able to give such a reasonable rebuttal."

"Debates among students are actively encouraged at the Air Hunt Academy."

"Assertive logic is important. Depending on the situation, it can influence the fate of nations… That aside, to sweep away the wars of the land from the sky, we must start by managing them. Everything has its stages. Urano will lend air power only to those nations deemed capable of contributing to the new order of the future. We will not ally with the blood-soaked old nations. That too is an ideal."

"From what you've said, it appears the people of the sky are not so different from the people of the land."

"Mr. Ethan has certainly raised a strong-willed young lady. Shall we get to the main topic?"

"Yes. I have been waiting for this."

"Do you believe that the current state of the world is correct?"

"No."

"Do you not wish to end the pointless wars as soon as possible?"

"I do."

"Then, we share the same sentiments, you and I, Mio. We can become allies."

"What do you mean by "we"? It doesn’t seem to refer to Harmonia."

"As I said, we are beings not bound by the borders of the land."

"…"

Mio glared at Zenon’s unchanging smile. Zenon casually revealed his true identity as if it were a morning greeting.

"Urano needs you, Mio Syira. To prevent more unfortunate children from being born due to the horrors of war. To bring peace to the land as soon as possible. I wish for you to join the bloodline of the sky people."

A surge of anger made Mio's hair stand on end.

"You want me to become a spy for Urano?"

"Absolutely not. Spy is a bad word. I only ask that you agree with our ideals: to fight for the idea of the people of the land uniting beyond language, nation, and ethnicity, even if it means sacrificing oneself."

"What Urano is doing is merely trampling on the land from above!"

"What’s the difference from how the people of the land trample on each other? Machine guns, trenches, and concrete fortifications have only multiplied the number of dead. Did you not learn this at the officer academy? If you cannot breach the enemy’s defences, war will drag on. When offensive power exceeds defensive power, war will conclude swiftly. Only Urano has the power to destroy all the defensive weapons and facilities on the ground. To end this war as soon as possible, destruction from the sky by Urano is desirable."

"I am a cadet of St Vault! Are you telling me to betray my homeland and align with Urano? I will never become an agent of the ones who killed my parents, slaughtered my friends' families, and took away my homeland!"

"I thought you were quite bright, but that seems to be a matter of age. You are bound by past resentments and refuse to progress. Unless you trample on others as you were trampled, your emotional calculations do not add up… Such thoughts are what are turning the land into hell."

Mio was at a loss for words.

Not because she had been persuaded, but because her thoughts had burned out from sheer anger. Zenon continued, without interjecting any emotion, as if reading from a prepared script.

"The most sacred teaching of Holy Saint Aldista is ‘forgiveness.’ If the people of the land could ‘forgive’ one another for past grievances and strive together towards a bountiful future, war would disappear from the land in that moment. You say that Urano spread calamities to the land, but did the people of the land not throw stones at Urano? It is the people of the land who have fearfully bombarded us, merely because we do not have roots in the earth. Shall I introduce you to tens of thousands of Urano people whose families, friends, and lovers were killed due to unjust discrimination? What they desire is not revenge on the land, but to ensure that such sadness never arises again, to shed their own blood and dedicate themselves to lasting peace. Can you not do the same?"

Words borne of uncontrolled anger escaped from Mio.

"No matter how you twist your words, I will never betray my homeland! My family is in St Vault. I have comrades I met in this country. It is unthinkable that I, raised in St Vault, would turn my gun against my homeland under Urano!"

"As long as you are bound by the old nations, war will never cease on the land."

"Can you love the world without loving your own country!?"

Mio shouted. Words she had never even considered were bursting forth from within her.

"Just as I love my homeland, as I love my family and friends, I love my country. To abandon my country for the world is the same as abandoning my home for the community; isn’t that thought and action unnatural?"

Powerful words flowed from her mouth, surprising even herself. It was a thought that had been sleeping deep within her heart, a feeling she rarely consciously acknowledged. A strange, intense light shone in Zenon’s eyes.

"You are contradicting yourself. The borders are what create war. Unless we eliminate borders, wars will continue to occur. You understand that the state of this world is wrong, yet you do not attempt to correct that wrong. You refuse to let go of what has been given to you while continuing to ask for what you do not have, like a spoiled child."

"What you are doing is nothing but destruction! I will never align with you. Unfortunately, I will likely never see you again."

Mio turned on her heel, trying to leave Zenon. As she walked away, Zenon spoke calmly to her back.

"Even if your adoptive parents are people of Urano?"

Mio’s steps halted.

Zenon continued.

"Not just your parents. What if your brother-in-law, sister-in-law, and all four of them are already acting according to Urano's ideals?"

The coldness of the atmosphere at the high ground increased.

Mio slowly turned to look back at Zenon. Her eyes were wide with shock and disbelief.

A hint of sadistic pleasure was woven into the depths of Zenon’s smile.

Mio's legs began to tremble. Finally, words spilled from her pale lips.

"You're lying."

"Unfortunately, it's the truth."

"On what basis do you make such a claim?"

"Basis... you say? To present that would be to confront you with a cruel reality. Are you sure you want that?"

Gathering her courage, Mio glared directly at Zenon.

"At this point, I want to hear it."

"Very well, then. Forgive my presumption. Three years ago, during the summer, the Syira family was present on Messus Island during the invasion of Odessa, correct?"

"Yes."

There was no way she could forget. That summer, when Kiyoaki's parents and sister were brutally murdered. The beautiful Messus Island was turned to ash in just one day due to Urano's attack. As she looked at the charred remains of Messus Island from the high ground, Mio had vowed to Kiyoaki to bring down Urano.

"Were there any casualties in the Syira family at that time?"

There was no need to remember. The casualties were complete. The civilian residential area where Kiyoaki lived had been thoroughly bombed, with even children shot at for amusement, yet for some reason, not a single bullet had struck the area where Mio lived.

After the bombing ended, Mio hurried to Kiyoaki's house. Kiyoaki, covered in blood and mud, had just finished burying his parents and sister, while Mio's clothes were completely clean, and she remembered feeling an overwhelming sense of guilt.

"Why do you think only the high ground escaped the bombing?"

Zenon asked, looking quite pleased.

It was said to be miraculous that they had avoided the air raid, Ethan had said.

But—was that really a miracle?

A bad feeling surged up from the depths of Mio's stomach.

—Don't listen to the answer.

Her intuition whispered such. Instinctively, Mio tried to cover her ears with her hands.

But Zenon's words came out faster.

"It was because of the Syira family. We couldn't afford to lose valuable informants to bombardment."

Mio heard a cracking sound in the surrounding atmosphere.

"The invasion of Messus Island was orchestrated by Mr. Ethan. He had complete knowledge of the construction status of Odessa, military rest days, and the movements of the fleet, which is why the flawless surprise attack succeeded. The fact that only the corner where you lived remained unscathed amidst such destruction could be seen as the strongest basis."

She struggled to hold up her shaking knees.

"You're lying."

That was all she could manage to say. Her lips trembled, making it impossible to form a coherent argument.

As Zenon said, the Urano surprise attack at that time was too perfect. Simultaneously with the start of the battle, all anti-aircraft facilities on the island were destroyed. The Akitsu Federation's Special Intelligence Department, which later conducted investigations, almost unanimously agreed that there had been informants on the island. And the Urano fighter squadron, which shot at fleeing children for fun, somehow did not touch the high-end residential area. Despite having enough power to destroy ordinary homes out of boredom, they left the mansions intact.

—Because there was prior notification to exclude them from the attack targets.

—Because the Syira family had value for Urano.

Mio shook her head vigorously to dispel those thoughts.

"That can't be true."

Zenon maintained the same smile he had when they first met, showing no wave of emotion.

"It’s hard to accept, I understand that. I merely came to greet you today. We can discuss specifics another time."

"I won’t meet you. Not ever again."

"No, you will meet me. I’m confident that next time, you’ll give me a favourable response."

Zenon's demeanour was filled with an unwavering confidence, as if everything was going according to plan. Mio desperately wanted to escape this situation. She didn’t want to exchange another word with Zenon.

"Don't underestimate me. Who would cooperate with you?"

With a trembling voice, she spat out those words and began to walk away from the high ground. Once again, Zenon's words reached her back.

"Tonight, you should have a good talk with your father. Mr. Ethan is a remarkable man. He’s trying to save the world at the cost of his own life."

To avoid hearing any more of Zenon's words, Mio covered her ears with her hands and descended the long stairs alone. Zenon's breath felt like it was tainting her skin.

"Disgusting."

As she swayed in the carriage on the way back, she repeated that word over and over. The simple scenery of Crossnodar Island flowing outside the window did nothing to comfort her. She felt as if a heavy, sticky liquid had been poured into her lungs.

"How dare he mock me? Why, of all people, would I be an ally of Urano?"

Transforming her anxiety and fear into defiant words thrown out the window, Mio wanted nothing more than to reach home quickly. She wanted to tell Ethan about what had just happened and hear his usual calm voice denying it, saying, "It’s a mistake."

"There's a fact I haven't told you, Mio. Please calm down and listen rationally to what I'm about to say."

That night, alone in the living room with Mio, Ethan said this in a tone she had never heard before.

Despite sitting on the sofa, Mio's knees trembled. After hearing everything about her earlier encounter with Zenon, Ethan showed no signs of great surprise; instead, worry etched deep lines into his brow. He clasped his hands on his knees and let out a deep sigh before beginning to speak.

"My relationship with Zenon dates back to before I was dispatched as an ambassador to Harmonia. At that time, I was involved in importing foreign military supplies to St Vault. Zenon was a prominent figure in arms trading related to Harmonia. I have benefited from his convenience more than once or twice. Several years ago, when a minor conflict broke out between the two countries, stocks of St Vault-based weapon manufacturing companies were about to be seized by the Harmonia government. Had that happened, I would have been ruined, but Zenon transferred all the shares of that company to Urano-affiliated enterprises, helping me out. Thanks to him, tens of thousands of St Vault citizens were saved from unemployment. They are still earning wages manufacturing artillery for St Vault from Urano-affiliated companies. Without my connection to Zenon, I wouldn't be who I am now."

"...But it's Urano, right? They're St Vault's enemy, aren't they?"

"The label of 'enemy' for Urano is easy to understand, but it's also simplistic. The world of arms dealers is complex. The hidden relationships below the surface are often more significant and harder to discern than the visible ones. Which officials are connected to which businesses, siphoning off profits. Which financial conglomerates transport military supplies from Country A to both Country B and C. Which ambassador is trying to establish military trade with which country through which business office. The world is driven by invisible connections that can’t be neatly divided into friend or foe; depending on the time and situation, they can align with either side. Zenon and I have navigated and utilized such hidden connections, creating a small society with trusted influential figures. Before I knew it, I had also become entangled in the world of vested interests, where demons roam. It’s too late to extricate myself now."

"……"

"Nowadays, I have more transactions I can't report back to my home country than those I can. Just one finger of my society, 'Chrono Magos,' could cause hundreds of thousands of people to lose their jobs or gain new employment. Members of 'Chrono Magos' include elites from nations like Mitterland, Vestelant, Hydrabard, the Akitsu Federation, and Urano… and this society is thriving through arms trade."

Mio’s face paled, her words trembling.

"That means… Dad is involved in the war!"

Ethan pressed his forehead with one hand, shaking his head in pain.

"No, Mio, listen to me. What your father and Zenon are trying to do is the complete opposite. It is precisely because we are in our positions that we can end this foolish war."

Lifting his weary gaze, Ethan looked at Mio.

"We need to discuss matters intended for adults. But first, I want you to trust me, Mio."

"……"

"I apologize for having hidden the truth from you. However, there are times when the timing to reveal things is crucial. You’re already an adult. I believe you will make wise judgments… Or do you no longer believe what your father says?"

"…No… I still believe you… Dad."

"Thank you, Mio. I love you."

"…Yeah. I know."

Ethan affectionately stroked Mio's head before taking her hand in both of his.

"…As Mio knows, I am a diplomat serving the interests of the Kingdom of St Vault. There is no doubt about that. But at the same time… I am fulfilling a larger mission. A great task to eliminate war from this world."

Mio's heartbeat began to mark an ominous rhythm.

"To accomplish this task, I can only use the power of Chrono Magos. It may sound like a dream, but if all the members are truly committed, it is possible. However, for that, it is necessary to shed blood myself."

Feeling Ethan's warmth from the palm of his hand, Mio quietly listened to her father's words.

"It is impossible to bring about change without experiencing pain. And it is also impossible to change the world through the love of a saint. Love alone cannot save this corrupt world."

She was afraid to hear more. Yet, Mio could only trust Ethan.

"To completely eliminate war, we must rule from the sky to the ground. That is the conclusion of Chrono Magos. In that process, the destruction of the old order is unavoidable."

Confirming that her father echoed the same ideology as Zenon, tears welled in Mio's eyes. A sludge-like feeling gathered in her stomach.

"Do you think it's a foolish dream?"

Mio could only silently shake her head.

If she let her guard down, her vision seemed like it would go dark at that moment.

She wished she could abandon her thoughts entirely. Deep down, she truly felt that way.

"It is possible. My society has that power."

"Papa."

"Yes?"

Her mouth was parched. Mio took a breath and asked her question.

"Is this for St Vault?"

Ethan stared at Mio for a while, then, after a moment of contemplation, he answered.

"Not just for St Vault. It is for something much larger."

Mio held her breath and cautiously pressed on with her questions.

"Are you betraying St Vault?"

Ethan immediately shook his head.

"No. It is not betrayal. However, I can no longer devote myself peacefully to my original duties. While interacting with Mr. Zenon and other society members, I realized that, given my current position, I could contribute to a larger and better future."

"…Are you in contact with Urano?"

She pressed on with her questions. Ethan sighed deeply and spoke as if explaining to a child.

"As I said earlier, the concept of Urano is too vast. The royal capital Pleiades is filled with royalty, powerful nobility, military factions, and conglomerates, and is not a monolith. Mr. Zenon is a respectable person working to change the old Urano court. I share ideals with Mr. Zenon, but I am not in contact with Urano."

"Papa. Answer honestly."

Ethan tilted his head slightly.

"I intend to do so."

"I understand. But I've reached an age where I can tell lies and deceptions by your gestures and choice of words. So please, for the next question, don’t lie."

Ethan looked at Mio with curiosity and then smiled reassuringly.

"…Understood. I will answer sincerely."

It was a smile from the person who had given her this life. If she doubted it, she felt like she would deny her very existence here and now.

──No matter what happens, I believe in Papa.

After confirming this deep within herself, Mio summoned her courage to voice something that had been lodged in her throat.

"Were all of my siblings taken in to be spies?"

Ethan stared at Mio for a while. She could hear the ticking of the second hand. The deep light in his eyes was serene.

"No, that is not the case."

"…………"

"If my goal was to turn them into spies, I could have sent them to a training facility the moment I picked them up. There was no need to raise them in my home as my children."

There was no lie in the resonance of his voice.

She didn't want to doubt her father’s words.

Believing his answer, Mio asked one more question.

"Did you assist in the invasion of Messus Island by Urano?"

Ethan remained silent, gazing at Mio.

Then he poured whiskey into a glass and swallowed it without diluting it with ice.

All sound had vanished between them.

Silence transformed into fear.

"Are you, the insider?"

Mio's trembling voice asked the question.

Ethan put the glass back on the table and bit his lip. Then he directed his usual deep gaze towards Mio.

— Deny it.

He prayed.

"That's right."

There was no falsehood in the echo of that voice.

In that fleeting moment, Mio rose from the sofa.

And then, she ran away from the living room.

"Mio!"

Ethan shouted from behind.

"Don't come near me!!"

Mio screamed.

Tears began to flow.

She dashed toward the entrance, stepping outside without putting on her shoes.

"Wait, listen to me!"

Ethan was chasing after her.

Looking up at the starry sky, Mio screamed.

"Murderer!!"

From behind, Ethan's heavy footsteps were heard as he burst through the entrance.

Mio tried to escape with all her strength. But at that moment, a spasm gripped her stomach.

Mio curled up on the spot, knelt down, and vomited onto the ground.

Since she hadn’t eaten anything since meeting Zenon, all that came out was stomach acid.

It was painful, and tears streamed down her face. She couldn’t move. Holding her stomach with both hands, Mio continued to expel what was rising within her.

Soon her stomach was completely empty. Even though it was just air left, she expelled that air as well. It was the most painful way to vomit.

"Mio. Mio…"

Ethan caught up and rubbed her back.

Mio squeezed out a hoarse voice.

"Don't touch... me!!"

She pushed Ethan’s hands away with both hands.

"Murderer…!!"

"No, no, Mio, there’s a legitimate reason for that…"

Her knees buckled, and she couldn't stand. While on her knees, Mio tried to escape. Hearing the commotion, her family rushed out from inside the house.

Towards her younger brother Dominic, Kazuki, and her sister Bonita, Mio shouted.

"Don't come here! This place, this house…!"

With her burnt-out thoughts, Mio looked up at the starry sky.

— This house…?

The following words wouldn’t come.

"Mio, what’s wrong!?" "Mio, are you sick!?"

Dominic and Kazuki hugged her. The small hands that clung to her barely kept Mio's sanity intact.

Instinctively, Mio tightly pulled her two younger brothers close.

"We have to escape from here! We all need to get out…!"

Mio's cry faded into the night sky. Not understanding the significance of what was happening, her younger siblings exchanged frightened glances and clung to Mio.

"Calm down, this is our home, Mio…"

"Mio, look, Mom and Dad are here too. This is our home, our home…"

The voices of Dominic and Kazuki echoed in the stillness of Mio's mind.

— My home.

— My family.

Tears overflowed. They wouldn’t stop.

"Mio, listen, it’s all for the sake of the world. You mustn’t view what adults are trying to do with a shortsighted perspective."

Ethan's voice was close. But she didn’t want to think anymore.

"Don't come near me, don’t touch me…!"

With a hoarse voice, Mio continued to try to escape her father's hands. But her family clung to her, pleading for her to calm down.

Neither of them knew which one was sane, nor which was abnormal. All that remained was the desperate wish to save her younger siblings from this house.

Relaxing in the melodies of strings flowing from the sound system, Zenon Kavaris, Deputy Minister of the Urano Foreign Affairs Ministry, gazed out of the window in his office.

The grand and majestic symphony performed by the Pleiades Symphony Orchestra resonated down the corridor of the Harmonia Embassy's third floor. The embassy staff didn’t complain, allowing Zenon’s enjoyment of the late hour to go undisturbed. Everyone was well aware that Zenon was not Harmonian, but no one felt the need to stir up such matters now.

Zenon leaned closer to the pitch-black window. In the distance, the gas lamps of the residential area flickered faintly. Within that light, the Syira family resided.

— They must be in quite an uproar by now.

Zenon looked at his own reflection in the glass. Each time he thought of that family, expressions of pity and disdain arose.

— The Syira family.

Ethan Syira had travelled the world, gathering talented children to form this makeshift family.

The eight adopted children had not originally been gathered to become agents. Ethan simply collected information on promising orphans to compensate for his own inability to have children and raised the ones he liked as his own. It was born from pure goodwill, with no intention of turning them into spies.

It was Zenon who changed him.

Meeting him over a decade ago, Zenon recognized Ethan’s social status, connections, and character as top-notch. Using his authority as Deputy Minister, he had consistently arranged for political favours for Ethan without any cost. In that process, he had even harmed Urano’s national interests for the benefit of St Vault. Ethan eventually came to place complete trust in Zenon, considering both national interests and his relationship with Zenon. By cooperating, they unveiled connections like hidden plants in the weapons trade, eventually gaining influence over its seedlings.

Before long, Ethan and Zenon had formed a cross-border society, mastering information and interests regarding arms trading worldwide. While no one remembered who had named it, the arms dealer society became known as "Chrono Magos," eventually becoming a venue for the collusion of the powerful, influencing high-level appointments in various nations.

In that process, Ethan realized he had to consider not only the national interests of St Vault but also the benefits of Chrono Magos, leaving him bewildered. His fundamentally honest nature could hardly tolerate betraying his homeland. Zenon stood by him, using various means to reframe Ethan’s guilt as “for world peace.” By repeatedly doing this, the phrase "actions to eliminate war from the world" became ingrained in Ethan’s mind, leaving him unable to discern good from evil, ultimately becoming Zenon’s pawn.

Now, Ethan moved entirely at Zenon’s will.

Sending talented adopted children to powerful institutions in various nations to deliver information was also Zenon’s arrangement. Ethan could not oppose it. If he defied Zenon’s wishes, the treason he had committed against the state would be exposed, and the Syira family would crumble. Realizing he could never return to a life of innocence, Ethan could only apologize to the children while placing burdensome tasks upon them.

If even one of the children defied him, the entire family would collapse. That was Zenon's threat. The honest children raised with Ethan's love had no choice but to sacrifice themselves to protect their beloved adoptive parents and siblings. They were a family that Zenon found incredibly useful.

And soon, yet another new offering would belong to Zenon.

— Mio Syira.

Among the siblings, she was the one with the most potential for the future.

Not only could she use her wit adeptly.

She was intelligent, lovely, and strong-willed.

In four or five years, she would likely grow into an excellent female agent capable of captivating men. For a female spy, "beauty" was an absolute weapon that male spies could never acquire, no matter how much training they underwent. Some female spies have achieved results in battles equivalent to an entire division by leveraging their beauty to infiltrate targets. With her intelligence, Mio, who also possessed strength of character, was someone Zenon wished to keep close.

— Such raw material. If brainwashed and re-educated properly, she could become a capable slave.

— My exclusive slave.

For Zenon, it was a game. Rather than merely using her like the other siblings for information gathering, he wanted to cultivate her as an actual agent under his own guidance.

Having grown up comfortably in a wealthy family until her late teens was a completely different type compared to those trained from childhood in spy academies, producing an agent with both grace and beauty. It would be incredibly enjoyable to strip Mio of her critical thinking and dye her in new ideas, making her both physically and mentally serve Urano. The memories of that foreign female diplomat he met last year—beautiful, intelligent, and having cleverly outmanoeuvred Zenon in a short negotiation—came to mind. He wanted to cultivate Mio like her and use her with his own hands. Even in the midst of the grim secret missions, such playfulness could be allowed.

Zenon began to devise plans for the future. To strip one person of their fixed ideas and inject new values would require a series of stages.

— For starters, intimidation would be the quickest method.

He decided to contact Ethan in the morning to designate a meeting place for another encounter with Mio.

— Mio will definitely come.

— To hear from me about her father's true identity.

If that happened, she would be ours. Putting on a facade of a good person, he would boldly utter beautiful words and then proceed to threaten using Mio's family.

— Convince her that the lives of her young brother and sister are at stake, and she won’t be able to resist.

— To protect her siblings, she would offer herself.

— That’s where it begins.

Zenon quickly envisioned several negotiation patterns, ready to deflect any logical counterattacks Mio might throw his way, gently preparing to draw her into his web of thoughts. Having dealt with countless cunning spirits and negotiations, convincing a teenage girl, no matter how clever, was merely a playful distraction amidst his duties.

Of course, one couldn't expect to completely sway the other party in a single encounter. However, securing a subsequent meeting and repeatedly applying pressure through intimidation and persuasion would eventually destabilize the opponent's footing, allowing his ideology to seep in. With enough time and effort, she'd ultimately become a puppet dancing in his hands.

──Speaking of which, there was a Hachidori at the Air Hunt Officer Academy.

One of the S-class special agents Zenon had personally trained—Hachidori.

The son of a minister who was executed after losing a power struggle in the Urano court.

Coincidentally, he was also one of the "Seven of Eriadore," just like Mio. If he taught Mio the code words used among agents, the exceptional Hachidori would surely notice any oddities and make contact. The brevity of his training period could be compensated for by assigning Hachidori as his mentor on the ground.

Zenon amused himself by mentally rehearsing the process of turning Mio into his piece. The face of that foreign female diplomat floated in his mind, overlapping with Mio's.

The sensation of that slender back he had held during their playful dance still lingered. The words whispered in his ear were both shrewd and strategic. He remembered instinctively wishing to make that woman his someday. Whether that dream would come true was uncertain, but for now, he decided to enjoy himself with Mio as a substitute...

Part 19 (Part 2 of Volume 3)

Into the clear blue sky of March, hundreds of pure white caps were thrown up.

The cheers of the fourth-year students echoed loudly in front of the Air Hunt Officer Academy auditorium.

Embracing and laughing with the friends they had shared four years of hardship with, they exchanged smiles and shared the emotions of completing their training as officer candidates.

These four hundred and fifty students graduated from the Air Hunt Officer Academy today, being promoted to second lieutenant candidates in the St Vault Air Navy. Starting tomorrow, they would head to their assigned posts, undergo a year of training, and ultimately dedicate themselves as second lieutenants for their country.

The plaza was filled with the smiles of the graduates. Clad in brand new white naval uniforms, they formed circles here and there, bidding farewell to friends as they prepared to take off to their respective battlefields.

Soon, underclassmen also joined the fourth-year circle.

Amid laughter, tears mixed in here and there. It was a scene of graduation no different from an ordinary school, but the fact that all of them would soon undertake life-or-death missions on the battlefield made this moment irreplaceable. Some of these students would undoubtedly lose their lives in the tumultuous seas. The possibility of everyone gathering again without losing a single person was impossible.

Yet, even so, the fourth-year student, Kagura Murasaki, maintained her usual nonchalant demeanour.

"This isn’t a goodbye for this life. No need for a grand send-off."

With a refreshing smile, she cast her gaze around at the mix of joy and sentiment.

"I also got into the St Vault military. Once I'm on a mission, I’ll write you a letter, Kiyoaki."

Third-year student, Sakagami Kiyoaki, caught a glimpse of Kagura in his slightly misty eyes, barely managing to suppress his emotions and return her smile.

"…Yes. Thank you so much, Kagura. I look forward to your continued guidance."

Every time Kiyoaki looked at Kagura, he felt as if his lost sister were right in front of him. The smile he had thought he would never see again was now so close, wrapping him in a nostalgic warmth, pushing the grief of his loss to some distant corner.

But starting tomorrow, Kagura would embark on her journey. The loneliness was painful.

"Kagura, I’ll write to you too… I promise, absolutely…"

Next to Kiyoaki, second-year student Cecil Hauer's face was already soaked with tears as her voice trembled. Kagura smiled and opened her arms wide.

"Come here, Cecil."

Cecil let the tears flow freely from her eyes as she jumped into Kagura's embrace.

"Kagura. I love you. Kagura."

Soaking Kagura's pristine uniform with her tears, Cecil unreservedly rubbed her cheek against her. Kagura gently stroked Cecil's small back and spoke softly.

"You don’t have to cry. We’ll meet again. I’ll also work hard to become a great soldier, so you do your best too, Cecil."

"Y-yes… Yes…"

As Cecil sobbed, clinging to Kagura, she wouldn’t let go. Kagura, with a wry smile, turned to third-year student Illia Kreischmidt, who stood rigidly at attention before her.

"Thank you, Illia. I’m counting on you for the swordsmanship club. I’ll leave the teaching materials behind, so feel free to share your new swordsmanship in the Illia style."

"…Yes. I may be inexperienced, but I will do my best."

Illia received Kagura's words in a formal bow. From now on, Illia would inherit and develop the swordsmanship club Kagura had established.

"Kiyoaki also joined us. If you both hone your skills together, I believe you’ll reach even greater heights. I trust you."

"Yes. I will do my best."

Kiyoaki straightened his back and responded to Kagura's words. Due to the excessively rigorous training, the swordsmanship club was currently short-staffed, surviving only on the names of Kiyoaki, Cecil, Reiner, and Mio.

"Reiner too. Don’t skip out on practice. Moderate your weekend club activities."

Third-year student, Reiner Beck, with his usual carefree smile, directed a playful remark at Kagura.

"Man, I’m really gonna miss you, Kagura. Don’t forget to send me love letters!"

"Well, I won’t send you any love letters, but let’s meet again."

"Just so you know, I’m genuinely going to miss you. By the way, where’s Mio? Is she not coming? What a cold-hearted girl."

Reiner looked around lightly, but Kiyoaki and Kagura's expressions darkened.

"She’s not here…"

Kiyoaki cast his gaze into the crowd, but he couldn’t spot third-year student Mio Syira.

Since returning to the island of Crossnodal during winter break about two months ago, Mio's behaviour had dramatically changed. She had been overtly avoiding interactions with the Seven, always eating alone, and completely severing ties with her fellow students.

"There must be some significant reasons for it. I’ll try looking for her too; it would be lonely to graduate like this…"

Kagura also searched for Mio with concern, but she was nowhere to be found.

Instead, she discovered a different acquaintance.

"Balthazar… Why are you so easy to find…"

With an exasperated expression, she pointed at the fourth-year student, Balthazar Grim, who stood apart from the crowd, seemingly indifferent to the surrounding clamour.

While other fourth-year students were surrounded by friends and juniors, Balthazar stood alone with his hands stuffed in his pockets, gazing up at the sky as if to say, "Don’t make a fuss over graduation." His solitary stance was that of a genius fitting of the top of the fourth-year class, but the fact that he chose to stand in a spot where Kagura might notice revealed his true nature.

"If I leave him be, will he cry?"

At Kagura's teasing words, Kiyoaki chuckled wryly and rushed over to Balthazar.

"Captain, congratulations on your graduation. Thank you for everything."

Upon greeting, Balthazar feigned surprise, as if just realizing Kiyoaki was there.

"Oh, you were here. I didn’t notice."

"They’re all over there. Captain, let’s go too."

As Kiyoaki gestured toward Kagura and the others, Balthazar snorted in disinterest.

"They're still the same bunch who love to cozy up to each other. What’s the point of making a fuss over graduation? This is just a step in our journey as soldiers."

"Yeah, that might be true, but it’s going to be hard to spend time together anymore. I need to say goodbye to Kagura."

Kiyoaki urged Balthazar while giving him a push on the back. Despite his reluctance, Balthazar walked over to Kagura, his steps unsteady.

"Thanks for everything, Balta. It’s going to be lonely not seeing your smug face anymore."

Kagura, still holding onto Cecil, greeted him. Balthazar, arms crossed, glared at Kagura.

"Looks like this is the last time I’ll see your composed face, Murasaki. Not that you seem particularly emotional about it."

"Congratulations on your assignment to the St Vault Air Force Operations Headquarters. As expected. It’s starting to seem realistic that you’ll become the Chief of Staff one day."

"You've got a few years before that, rookie. You’re the one heading to the Voltec Air Squadron, right? Just make sure you don’t stray off the promotion path."

Balthazar, the top student of the fourth year, was assigned to the St Vault Air Force Operations Headquarters. It was the highest promotion route for officer candidates, and as Kagura said, it wasn’t far-fetched to dream of one day planning operations for the entire St Vault military. Meanwhile, Kagura was also assigned as a candidate officer to the strongest fighter squadron in the St Vault Air Force, the Voltec Air Squadron. If she excelled here, it wouldn’t be impossible for her to command the entire air force in the future.

Kagura looked directly at Balthazar, a smile on her face.

"I won’t forget our vow. For a lifetime."

Balthazar, caught off guard, looked sceptical before clicking his tongue and turning away.

"How foolish. This is child’s play."

Kiyoaki, Cecil, Illia, and Reiner all remembered the "vow" Kagura mentioned.

"Even if we become enemies, we will not hate each other."

"Friendship is eternal."

This was the vow made by the seven of them right after achieving a breakthrough against the enemy on the Eriadore airship.

Despite denying it with words, Balthazar’s profile hinted that the vow was still engraved in his heart.

Then, Reiner stretched up to gaze into the distance.

"Oh, I see Mio!"

Upon hearing this, Kiyoaki also looked in the same direction, but he didn’t see a figure that resembled Mio.

"I’ll go get her!"

Reiner hopped off into the crowd. Kiyoaki tried to follow, but Reiner held him back.

"No, you stay here. It might be someone else."

Stuck in place, Kiyoaki had no choice but to wait. Finally, Cecil pulled away from Kagura, her face a mess from crying, and looked up at Balthazar.

"Captain. I’m so sorry."

"Is there a problem?"

"Thank you for treating me like a tool all this time. I’ll never forget this treatment for the rest of my life."

"Ah, keep looking forward to it even after you join the military. I’ll prioritize sending you to every front where you’ll be in charge."

"I won’t forget this. I absolutely won’t forget what you just said. In a bad way."

As Cecil wiped her tears and vented her grievances, Balthazar, on the higher steps, fired back with insults. It seemed that even after all this time, they were still at each other’s throats. At first glance, they looked like they didn’t get along, but in a way, Cecil was the one who exchanged words most comfortably with Balthazar.

Kiyoaki scanned the surroundings. He couldn’t find Reiner or Mio anywhere. Worrying about it, he shared the remaining time with Kagura and Balthazar.

On the outskirts of the square, in the shade of the tree-lined path, Mio stood alone, watching the fourth-year students off in the distance.

Her eyes, colourless and dim, were fixed on the crowd. She placed one hand on the ginkgo tree trunk, staring intently.

To avoid being noticed, Reiner crept up from behind and spoke.

"I told you; you’re being way too suspicious. Why go out of your way to make people doubt you?"

Startled, Mio straightened her back and turned around.

Reiner, scratching the back of his head, continued as if teaching a wayward student.

"Just act normally. If you’re going to deceive someone, do it boldly. Don’t pretend to be a good kid now; that’s the most annoying thing of all."

Mio’s dark eyes concealed a flicker of anger as she responded in a low voice.

"I’m not pretending to be a good kid…"

"You don’t want to do this, but you’re doing it anyway, right? That’s the vibe you’re giving off. Are you stupid? If you’re going to do it, be serious about being a spy. If you keep it up, I’ll kill you."

Mio bit her lip, lowering her voice even further.

"What’s that supposed to mean? You act all high and mighty. Unlike you, I’m just an ordinary person. There’s no way I could do something like this with normal nerves."

Reiner let out a long, exaggerated sigh, lifting his face to remove the mask of his false persona, "Reiner Beck."

The undercover agent "Hachidori" stepped closer to Mio, roughly grabbing her collar and pulling her toward him, whispering in her ear.

"That’s not an appropriate attitude."

The voice was fundamentally different from Reiner Beck's. Fear flickered across Mio’s face. Hachidori continued in a low voice, audible only to her.

"Should I tell you what your father did? Do you think Sakagami would feel if he knew Ethan was the one who facilitated the invasion of Messus Island?"

"Stop…"

Mio was clearly trembling.

Along with her fear of the young siblings, Mio is also terrified of being hated by Kiyoaki.

If she were to be hated, it would be better to slowly disappear from Kiyoaki's sight. She wants to remain in his memory as a good memory. That was Mio's final wish.

If Kiyoaki learns the truth about the invasion of Messus Island, even that tiny wish will be impossible to fulfill.

Hachidori threatens Mio, having accurately read her inner turmoil.

"If you want this to stop, throw away your suspicious attitude. Don’t make me repeat myself. If what you’ve done is discovered, it will surely hurt Sakagami, Illia, Kagura, and Cecil. Do you want to make them sad?"

"…That’s not… possible…!"

"If you think so, deceive them with your life on the line. Act as if nothing has changed. You are already a tainted human being; whether you pretend to be virtuous or play the tragic heroine, you can never return to your former pure self."

At last, Hachidori released her grip. Mio collapsed, coughing. A few drops of water welled up in her eyes, but whether they were from suffering or sadness, only she could know.

Looking down at her proud yet elegant back, Hachidori threw a cold voice.

"Do you understand, useless women?"

Without retorting, Mio remained curled up, her back trembling slightly.

"Consider this your final warning. Balthazar is already keeping a wary eye on you. If you continue to act suspiciously, I will take your future from your siblings, reveal the truth of the invasion of Messus Island to Sakagami, and inform your comrades of your true identity."

Mio could only shake her head in silence.

"Get up. Steady yourself. As long as you follow my words, your siblings can live decent lives. Sakagami and your comrades will continue to remember you as a good memory, unaware of your true nature."

For a while, Mio remained curled up, breathing harshly. Occasionally, a sob escaped her, but gradually her breathing slowed.

Hachidori silently watched her back. He could sense what was happening inside Mio through her movements.

Mio wiped her eyes with her arm several times. Then, still hunched over, she asked.

"If I listen to you, Dominic, Kazuki, and Bonita won't have to go through this, right?"

"…Yeah."

"If those words are a lie, I’ll expose your true identity to everyone, and then I’ll die."

"…Fine."

"Report what I just said to Zenon. Then… I’ll listen to you."

Mio's final pride was encapsulated in her words. By becoming a part of Hachidori's fate, she could escape from the slight humiliation of being made subservient.

"I understand."

Once Hachidori agreed, Mio finally stood up and faced him again.

In her determined emerald eyes, a sad resolve was present.

"…You’re right. I pretended to be virtuous. I can’t go back to how I was before."

Despair towards life and a resignation that had thrown everything away were conveyed through her gaze. A person who has reached this point is easy to handle, but at the same time, also fragile.

Hachidori considered the possibility of Mio taking her own life.

—It wouldn’t bother me if this woman died. In fact, it would be a relief.

—But it would be troublesome if military personnel investigated the cause.

If the intelligence agency of St Vault found out, the secrets of the Syira family could be exposed. That would be a significant blow to the Urano special operations agency. Naturally, Zenon must be concerned about that possibility as well.

—If I protect Mio, it could score me some points…

If Hachidori could train Mio and complete her as a female spy without her committing suicide, the head of the multi-island division, Zenon, would surely appreciate it. If things went well, he could be freed from the dreary job of infiltration and step into a somewhat better position.

Rising through the ranks of the Urano special operations agency, ultimately aiming for a position like chief of operations, he wanted to cure his mother’s illness and gain influence in the Urano palace. If possible, he wanted to track down the person who had caused his father’s execution and take revenge with his own hands. Infiltrating the Air Hunt Academy was the first step, and he had to gain his superior's trust efficiently to break through the first barrier.

For that, he couldn’t let Mio die.

To prevent that, he needed to make her feel no guilt.

If Mio were to commit suicide, it would likely be when her comrades had been killed or injured because of her actions. He just needed to wipe away that anxiety.

"Don’t worry. There won’t be any missions for a while. The information you leaked has already been sent to my country. My goal was to see if you could convey reliable information or check it. Your actions won’t harm St Vault at all, nor will they affect your comrades."

"……………………"

"There’s no way a novice agent would be entrusted with an important mission. The orders you receive are just a game for the chief. If you think you can influence the situation, you’re too full of yourself."

"……………………"

"If you were ever entrusted with an important task as an operative, it would be years from now. Right now is just a training period; no matter how hard you try, you can’t drag your comrades into hell."

"…I know that…"

"The only thing I can ask of you now is about the movements of the Berner family. Your father should be useful for that."

What Hachidori was referring to was Simon Berner, the heir of the Berner family, which was currently visiting this island. It is said to secretly control the Mitterland continent, and he had been visiting the Air Hunt Academy recently to look around the facilities. According to the information Hachidori had gathered, Simon was still staying on the island and likely attended this graduation ceremony as well. Why was such a prominent figure visiting this remote island after Akmed from last year?

"…I’ll ask Dad. But if Dad knows, Zenon must know too, right?"

"It doesn’t matter if he knows. What matters is that I know. …Now, we shouldn’t stay together too long; otherwise, our relationship will be suspected. I will switch personalities to Reiner Beck, but remember that we share the same memories. No matter how different our personalities are, Reiner is part of me."

The moment he said that, the coldness in Hachidori's expression melted away.

In its place spread a relaxed, carefree smile across his face.

"So, that’s it. Hachidori’s lecture is over. Don’t make me put in too much effort; it’s a hassle for me to come and go."

His tone was light and casual, as if he had switched to a different voice.

Reiner Beck. A fabricated persona created by the fundamental personality Hachidori.

Mio looked up at Reiner’s carefree smile, feeling uneasy.

"…You’re the worst. …You’re scary."

Gathering her courage, she managed to complain. Reiner laughed even more cheerfully.

"You’re the same as me. You’re worse because you’re not even self-aware. Now, let’s get back. If we keep hiding here, Hachidori will come out again."

Prompted, Mio followed Reiner with heavy steps toward the plaza. The final interactions between the graduates and students continued.

"I’m the worst too, but… I have to greet them…"

Mio muttered to herself, reminding herself.

Meanwhile, Kiyoaki was desperately trying to hold Kagura back.

"Kagura! You can't draw your sword today; you graduated safely...!"

"Ah, I know, it's fine. I won't cut him in half. I just need to trim a little of his desires."

As Kagura seemed ready to draw her sword, Kiyoaki hugged her from behind and shouted.

"What are you planning to cut!? Run away, Obando! Kagura is serious; don't get too close...!"

Fourth-year student Obando Eizumo, as always, looked at Kagura's angry face with an expression reminiscent of a large primate, one that didn't need human language to convey its feelings.

"Why are you angry? He's your fiancé. Your junior is sewing a see-through wedding dress just for you. It’s sure to look good on you since it's completely see-through!"

With a bright expression, he pressed for a wedding. Kiyoaki couldn’t even imagine what kind of wedding dress that would be, but it was certainly something unimaginably vulgar.

Kagura's temples pulsed with veins. In the mock air battle finals of March, her Arrow team had lost to Obando's Lance team. Obando had been shot down by Kiyoaki almost immediately, so he hadn’t done much, but then Illia had pressured Kiyoaki into self-destruction, resulting in a victory for the formation. Since Obando had unilaterally demanded, "If I win, marry me," he had been proposing to Kagura at every opportunity since then.

"I don't remember making such a promise!"

Kagura was about to draw her sword for real, but it seemed Obando's brain wasn’t processing her rejection at all. He approached with a carefree smile; arms wide open.

"I'm going to marry you, Murasaki!"

"Why are you getting closer!?"

Kiyoaki's shout went unheard. Just as Obando was about to step into Kagura's range, his juniors clung to his massive frame to stop him.

"Senpai, you’re misunderstanding!" "It's way too unbalanced between you and Murasaki!" "Senpai, you should listen to the inconvenient truths!"

His admiring juniors continued to plead with tears, but Obando's advance didn’t stop. Despite being clung to by five of them, he charged toward Kagura.

It was in the midst of this chaos that Reiner and Mio arrived.

"Oh, what’s going on? Kagura, congratulations on your marriage!"

"Should I cut you too, Reiner?"

"Just kidding! Ah, yes, yes, you guys, I’ll help, so let’s wrap this up quickly."

Reiner teamed up with the juniors to surround Obando, clapping hands, stomping the ground, and whistling to create a distraction, waving a handkerchief that was red on one side and yellow on the other to draw his attention and lead him away from Kagura.

"Whoa, what’s that handkerchief? It looks red, but yellow at the same time!"

After seeing Obando chase after the handkerchief, Kagura let out a deep sigh and finally released her grip on the sword's hilt.

"You gorilla...!"

Throwing a straightforward insult at his disappearing back, Kagura finally noticed Mio and was surprised.

"Mio...! Thank goodness, I was looking for you."

Mio timidly raised her frightened eyes toward Kagura.

"...Kagura... Congratulations on your graduation... Thank you for everything..."

Bowing deeply in the Akitsu Federation style, Mio offered her farewell. Kagura placed a comforting hand on her back.

"I should be the one thanking you. You’ve taken care of everyone all this time. Please keep looking after us, Mio."

Tears immediately overflowed from Mio's eyes. She couldn’t hold them back. She bowed her head to hide her tears.

"If you ever have any trouble, please tell me anything. I’ll help as much as I can, whenever you feel like it..."

Kagura cradled Mio's head with both hands, resting her cheek against her hair as she spoke.

Kagura understood that Mio wouldn’t cry like this just because she was sad about the graduates leaving. Although she couldn’t know the root of Mio’s tears, it was clear that the difficulties she was carrying were extraordinary.

"Yes... Thank you, Kagura. Thank you..."

Mio could only manage those words, sniffling.

"Look, Balthazar too. We won’t see each other very often anymore..."

After embracing Mio as long as she wanted, Kagura urged Balthazar, who was pretending not to notice, to join them.

Balthazar, looking disinterestedly at the sky, glanced down at Mio’s tear-streaked face and coldly stated.

"I would like to inquire about the source of your tears... However, it's too troublesome. I hope it's for some personal, trivial reason."

"........................"

Mio, without replying, bowed deeply again to Balthazar.

"Captain... Thank you for everything. You saved my life... in the Eriadore..."

Unable to finish her sentence, she choked up again. During the attack on the enemy in the Eriadore airship, Captain Balthazar had ultimately agreed to a night landing to save Mio’s life, despite his objections. Though his words and demeanour were cold, he was someone who had risked his life for her.

"N-no, it wasn't for your sake. I had no choice because Murasaki and Sakagami were so noisy..."

Balthazar hurriedly denied it, his cheeks and ears slightly flushed.

Kiyoaki, Illia, and Cecil looked worriedly at the tearful Mio.

It had been the first time since the New Year that Mio had joined the group of seven.

Since returning home for winter break, she had cut off her interactions with the seven, running away whenever Kiyoaki tried to talk to her.

"Mio... Are you okay?"

Tentatively, he asked. But Mio pressed her palms against her eyes, looking down without responding.

Cecil tugged at Kiyoaki's sleeve and shook his head. If they pushed too hard for communication, Mio would likely run away again. Illia gently placed a hand on Mio's shoulder and whispered something comforting. While still hiding her expression with her hands, Mio nodded a few times to Illia’s words. It seemed like girls understood each other better.

"I chased away the gorilla! I threw the handkerchief into the canal, and he chased after it... but isn’t Mio crying too much? Her face is all distorted!"

Reiner returned, teasing the sobbing Mio. It had been a while since the "Seven of Eriadore," who had even received medals, had gathered like this.

And from now on, it would likely become even harder for the seven of them to meet face to face.

"I almost forgot; let’s take a picture together!"

Kagura handed her camera to a nearby student and forcibly pulled Balthazar’s hand. Mio was flanked by Illia and Cecil, with Kiyoaki and Reiner awkwardly fitting into the frame.

"Smile!"

At Kagura's command, everyone except Balthazar and Mio smiled for the photo.

"This will be a nice keepsake. I'll develop it later and send copies to everyone."

After thanking the student who took the photo, Kagura happily accepted the camera, capturing each expression on film as if savouring the moment.

Following the traditions of the Air Hunt Officer Academy, the graduates would gather at the pier and be seen off by their juniors before boarding ships corresponding to their assignments.

"Well, it’s about time to leave."

The graduates began to line up. An officer in the Navy Air Force uniform stood at the front, glaring sternly at those who would soon become his subordinates.

"Take care, everyone. Let’s meet again."

Kagura smiled as she bid her farewell. Balthazar, showing little interest, glanced at the juniors with one eye.

"Do your best to graduate. Once you're in the military, I’ll put you to work."

He tossed what could be interpreted as encouraging words in a dismissive manner.

"Thank you for everything. I hope to see you in the military someday."

Kiyoaki expressed his feelings in a brief farewell. As Kagura had mentioned, this wasn't a permanent goodbye. Their bonds would continue even after joining the military.

—Mio must be thinking the same.

Kiyoaki glanced at the tearful Mio.

The lively, courageous spirit she once had had completely vanished, replaced by a fragile, ephemeral expression that seemed ready to dissolve into the atmosphere.

Just her changed demeanour tore at his heart. It was painful, sorrowful, almost making him want to scream. If only he could understand the nature of her suffering, he could eliminate or destroy it, but communication itself was being rejected, making that impossible. If he tried to pry it out of her, she would probably retreat back into her shell. All he could do was watch over her quietly, like Kagura and Illia.

—I want to see the old Mio again...

Wishing for that, Kiyoaki walked alongside his classmates to the Air Hunt port to see off the graduates. Along the way, Illia and Cecil stayed close to Mio, casually chatting to help her relax.

Several military ships were anchored off the coast of Air Hunt port, waiting for the graduates.

A dozen small boats were docked at the pier, and the graduates confirmed their assignments, lining up on the boarding plank.

The brass band played a lively tune.

"Hat wave!"

At the command, the students on the pier waved their hats in unison.

As the engines of the small boats roared to life, white waves splashed up. The graduates waved their hats as they departed Air Hunt Island, where they had spent four years.

Watching the graduates drift away from the pier, an indescribable sentiment welled up within them. Every ship headed for a battlefield. Many of the graduates would likely never return to this place alive.

As the ships finished loading the graduates, a cacophony of whistles sounded. The students on the pier shouted their unsent words of farewell to the graduates.

"Kagura, captain... please come back safely... let’s meet again."

Kiyoaki prayed for the safety of the two. This wasn’t a final farewell; they would meet again somewhere, he reassured himself, waving his hat for a long time at the ship disappearing over the horizon.

"Next year, Aki and the others will be leaving like that too..."

After the ship vanished, Cecil murmured. When Kiyoaki, Reiner, Mio, and Illia graduated next year, Cecil would be left alone at the school.

"Yeah... But we still have a year left, and you never know what could happen..."

Kiyoaki consoled Cecil with those words. The war that began when St Vault joined the battle in Hydrabard was intensifying day by day. Air Hunt port was now a major rear base, with mobile fleets coming and going, cantered around airships. The battlefield was in the South Archipelago, but every time injured ships staggered back, bringing wounded soldiers wrapped in bandages to the pier, the strong scent of battle permeated the peaceful island.

"Here should be fine. The battlefield is far away, and we have radar, so we won’t be surprised. We can afford to relax for another year."

Reiner casually rested his hands on the back of his head, smiling contentedly.

"That may be true... But surprising the enemy is what ambushes are all about..."

"You worry too much. You’ll die early. Besides, if the enemy comes here, the students will just go into the air raid shelter. There’s not much to worry about."

"Yeah... that’s true..."

As they discussed this, Kiyoaki felt an ominous feeling deep in his chest. He had no basis for it, but something about the fourth-year life starting in April felt far from safe, a disturbing premonition lingering in his heart.

Beside him, Mio silently stared at the horizon. Her profile had a lifeless quality, as if she were resigning herself to the fate that awaited her beyond the sea. The lively brightness she once had was now completely absent.

Part 20 (Part 3 of Volume 3)

Against the vast blue sky, spring flowers of various colours were thrown up above as two Gray Foxes flew past, making explosive sounds.

Petals caught in the propeller wash danced into the May sky. The training aircraft, Gray Fox, climbed high, leaving trails like frolicking puppies.

At the airfield, all the students from the Air Hunt Academy’s aviation department were looking up at the two fighter planes with rapt attention. And they all understood that the skills of the two soaring through the sky had already far surpassed those of mere cadets.

Kiyoaki Sakagami and Illia Kreischmidt.

These two were destined to rise to the top of the multi-island archipelago.

Even the instructors observing the air combat felt a sense of awe, realizing that the two were reaching a realm far removed from the ordinary aviation students. As the raw talents of the two clashed head-on, they rapidly honed each other, radiating brilliance that was dazzling to behold. Rather than having them spar with regular students, it would make more sense for Kiyoaki and Illia to have exclusive matches for their progress. This decision by the instructors, made a month ago as they began a new mock air combat race in April, had now yielded astounding results visible in the blue sky.

And the ones feeling this progress the most were the two at the controls.

"Illia."

As if it were a habit, Kiyoaki looked up at Illia dancing in the windscreen, murmuring her name.

The green landscape of Air Hunt Island spread wide above him.

Descending at a speed of 530 kilometres per hour, Kiyoaki stared up intently, keeping his gaze fixed on Illia’s movements.

Although they fought one-on-one almost daily, he never grew tired of watching Illia's aerial ballet. Her refinement increased day by day, captivating not only those watching but also those pursuing her.

Noble and dignified, the knight of the skies danced.

—I want to embrace her.

He no longer denied or rejected the whispers of his instincts.

Transmitting the longing from the depths of his soul through the control stick and throttle, he poured all his strength into chasing after Illia, who danced like a fairy.

As he focused all his physical strength and senses on following Illia, he eventually entered a mysterious realm.

He could see even the wind being torn apart.

The sunlight bouncing off the wings scattered like droplets into the air. The wind, light, and colours felt as if they were seeping into a world different from the ground. Every cell in his body was cleansed, and his heart felt reborn, as his worries and frustrations from the ground faded away, forgotten.

If only he could keep flying like this.

—With Illia.

No thought was necessary. He just needed to communicate this longing to the Gray Fox. His beloved aircraft sensed the pilot’s heartbeat and reflected it in its aerial manoeuvres.

Like a child running through a flower field, Illia looked back at Kiyoaki, beckoning and escaping.

Kiyoaki followed her invitation. He knew a trap awaited ahead, but he was confident he could surpass it.

As the sunlight bounced off the top surface of the aircraft, Illia began a barrel roll. Perhaps unusually, she seemed to miscalculate her manoeuvre, the trajectory becoming slightly off.

—I've got this.

Kiyoaki was sure of his victory as he pursued.

But just before reaching the apex of her roll—Illia’s aircraft slid slightly.

"…?!"

It was an aerial manoeuvre he had never seen before.

As if time had stopped at that moment, Illia’s aircraft floated in the air.

Kiyoaki leaned forward.

Illia remained suspended in that one point, rotating gracefully—as if dancing in solitude—and then...

She stalled and entered a spin.

"What?"

Kiyoaki didn’t understand what was happening. The instructor’s voice came through the speakers.

“It’s a win for Sakagami, Illia! Recover!”

Illia’s plane spun around like a kite with a broken string, falling about a thousand meters. Then, she corrected her direction and regained control. Since it was just a mock air battle, she was fine, but in an actual combat situation, she would have been shot down before she could recover.

Having escaped the spin, Illia descended towards the airfield as if nothing had happened. Kiyoaki realized he had won and followed behind her.

With this, his record against Illia stood at seven wins, six losses, and four draws. For the first time, he had a winning record. While he felt satisfied, another kind of battle with Illia awaited him on the ground. Lately, he had been looking forward to that daily challenge just as much as the air battles.

The polished floor of the gym reflected the shadows of the two facing each other.

Both were clad in their uniforms, wearing men’s masks, and holding their shinai with focused eyes.

Outside the window, it was already dark. The silence after classes fell heavily upon the two.

Through their masks, they sharpened their senses to perceive everything about their opponent.

Gaze, tip of the sword, arms, footwork—everything provided clues to anticipate the next move.

Forgetting even to breathe, they concentrated solely on the opponent before them, as if they were immersed in a sweet intoxication, separated from the outside world into their own inner realm. A sense of happiness, felt only in that moment, arose from deep within the tension, and they unconsciously wished for time to stand still.

Suddenly, the surrounding atmosphere quivered.

In that instant, Kiyoaki made a big step forward.

The tip of his sword aimed for his opponent’s throat, but it was evaded. In the next moment, Illia’s sword came down from the side and struck Kiyoaki’s men.

A loud “thwack” echoed throughout the gym, breaking the silence.

The match was decided.

Kiyoaki, panting heavily, returned to the starting line and bowed.

Then he removed his mask and smiled at Illia.

“As expected, I still can’t match you with a sword.”

Illia also took off her mask. Her tied-up red hair suited her striking features very well.

“Are you saying you can beat me in the sky?”

She tightened her gaze and boldly challenged him.

At first, Kiyoaki was taken aback by her strong tone, but he had come to understand that it was Illia’s way of hiding her shyness.

The narrow gym was currently almost monopolized by the kendo club. Most students were exhausted from mandatory practices, so there weren’t many clubs still actively training after school. This kendo club was also in a position where it borrowed the names of Reiner, Cecil, and Mio just to maintain its existence, and only Kiyoaki and Illia trained diligently every day.

There was not a hint of loneliness. Kiyoaki found immense joy in spending his afternoons alone with Illia in the gym.

“That's not what I meant. But I did manage to win one against you in the sky.”

As he joked lightly, Illia became even more intense in her tone.

“Today’s loss was certainly my mistake. However, the losses before that were due to engine trouble. It wasn’t a difference in skill!”

Kiyoaki recently learned that Illia was quite competitive. And he was also figuring out how to handle her.

“That’s an excuse. It doesn’t hold up on the battlefield.”

“What are you talking about? On the battlefield, I have to look after my own aircraft! I can’t see it at school; I leave everything to the mechanics!”

When he teased her, her face turned bright red as she retorted, revealing a youthful innocence. Although Illia usually had a blank expression, she would change her gaze and become animated when the topic of the sky came up, which made Kiyoaki feel the emotional distance between them had greatly shortened.

After losing in the mock air battle, Illia would often come to Kiyoaki to ask detailed questions about her piloting. It seemed she wanted to know what kind of evasions were the most bothersome from the perspective of the one being chased. Kiyoaki was willing to engage with her, but he knew it would take a while.

“Let’s continue this in the officer’s room. I’m hungry.”

“…Got it. I’ll see you later. I have some questions I want to ask you about today’s air battle.”

Illia put on a serious face and quickly left the gym. Kiyoaki also took off his uniform, showered, and headed to the officer’s room reserved for “The Seven of Eriadore” in the student building.

A month and a half had passed since they became fourth-year students.

Kagura and Balthazar had graduated. Mio had improved a little compared to before, but she still tended to retreat into her shell. Now, only Kiyoaki, Cecil, Reiner, and Illia used the officer’s room. The days of the seven of them laughing and chatting late into the night had passed, and the officer’s room had become quite lonely.

“Good evening… Oh? Is it just you, Illia?”

When Kiyoaki entered the officer’s room in his loungewear, he found Illia sitting alone on the sofa, reading the air combat training manual.

“Yeah. Cecil was here until a moment ago, but she went back to her room because the daytime practice was tough.”

Illia replied curtly without looking up from her book.

She wore a comfortable outfit, just a T-shirt paired with sweatpants.

Recently, Kiyoaki had been seeing Illia in such casual attire more often. Apparently, she didn’t care much about clothing, so Cecil had forced her to go shopping and pick out outfits that suited her. In casual wear, her feminine figure was more apparent than it was in uniform, making Kiyoaki feel a bit flustered at times.

Oblivious to his feelings, Illia looked up from her book.

“Do you want some tea?”

“Oh, yeah, thanks.”

Illia went to the kitchen, poured tea from the pot into a cup, and roughly squeezed some lemon before placing it on the dining table.

“It’s delicious.”

Kiyoaki sat down on the sofa across from Illia, took a sip, and smiled.

“I just made it casually. I can’t compete with Mio.”

Illia blushed slightly and sat up straight on the sofa. She crossed her long legs, arms wrapped around her chest, trying to hide her overly feminine curves, and tightened her expression.

“Now, as for the reason I called you…”

Without any small talk, Illia began in a commanding tone.

“I want you to tell me how you perceived my movements just before I stalled in today’s air battle.”

Kiyoaki had suspected that question would come. What Illia had shown at that time was an unfathomable manoeuvre he had never seen before.

“I thought I had won up to the apex of your manoeuvre. Your wings were outside my sight. But then… you were suspended in mid-air for a moment.”

Illia nodded firmly.

“Yeah. I felt the same. It was as if lift and gravity had perfectly balanced out, and I was in a state of weightlessness. But even in that brief moment, I was able to control the aircraft.”

“It looked like you were spinning freely. I was leaning forward, and you seemed to be facing me while just hanging in mid-air…”

“Did it look that way? …That might be…”

Illia hesitated to speak her next words.

Kiyoaki understood the name of the manoeuvre Illia was about to mention. He also understood why she hesitated to say it.

“Karsten Turn.”

As Kiyoaki takes over the conversation, Illia shoots a piercing glance at him.

“I’ve never seen that technique either. It seems it was only possible for my father, but he would never teach it to me.”

The legendary manoeuvre that raised Illia's father, Karsten Kreischmidt, to the status of “King of the Sky.”

Its existence has been passed down orally in the St Vault Air Force, but no one has succeeded in mastering it, and it is often dismissed as a fantasy technique, much like Masaharu Sakagami’s “Snake Shot.”

Could it be that Illia’s aerial manoeuvre today was the legendary Karsten Turn?

“...The stories say that with the nose aimed at the enemy’s side, it delivers a fatal blow in one strike, but... it’s impossible. You lose your centre of gravity and can’t steer. Just like I did today, you can only stall.”

In Illia’s mind, her father Karsten is deified. The thought of grasping even a thread of his skill seems almost sacrilegious.

“If you hadn’t stalled there, I definitely would have lost.”

“Just before the stall, at that one moment when the controls shouldn’t work, there was a spot where I could steer perfectly. It felt like there was a hole in the sky where gravity was absent... If I had utilized that spot well, I could have maintained my speed while executing a minimal turn. That could allow me to circle around to the enemy’s side in one go...”

“But that’s a pretty dangerous spot, right? It’s where both stalling and disintegration could occur, right? If you had pitched up there, I think you would have disintegrated in mid-air.”

“Yeah. I could feel through the control stick that the aircraft was at its limits. But perhaps the greatest manoeuvres exist in the most dangerous places for an airman...”

Illia ponders this. Kiyoaki, too, is intrigued at the thought of mastering such a technique.

“Snake Shot” and “Karsten Turn.”

If he could master these two techniques, it would no longer be a dream to shoot down Karnasion, the super ace who killed his sister, right before Kiyoaki’s eyes.

After a long silence, Illia lifts her serious expression.

“...I want to try it. It’s worth it. I might get yelled at by the instructor, but... I want to ask for your cooperation.”

“Of course. So we just need to recreate today’s situation, right?”

“Yeah. I’ll be fleeing while you pursue me. After entering a diagonal loop, I want to try a few manoeuvres. I think the adjustment of the foot bar will be the key...”

“Sounds good. But I think while we’re doing that, you might end up losing more.”

“I don’t mind. The results of mock air combat don’t interest me. What matters more is experiencing a high-difficulty manoeuvre now. Plus, if I can master the Karsten Turn, I can catch up quickly.”

Illia states this a bit angrily. The determination on her face is cute, and Kiyoaki finds himself wanting to see more of her expressions, teasingly saying something mischievous.

“You’re asking me nicely, huh? I guess I’ll have to cooperate. But actually, I have a few things I want to try as well.”

“What’s that? Do you have complaints? I wouldn’t mind hearing your requests if you have any.”

“Really?”

“I’m saying I’d listen. Do you think I would lie? If you have something to ask, just say it, and I’ll help if I can.”

“Oh, really? Then what should I do...?”

Kiyoaki contemplates.

What does he want to ask Illia now?

──I want to see her smile.

He thinks of this immediately. Recently, Illia has been showing a variety of expressions, but he has yet to see her smile.

Even when they crossed cumulonimbus clouds in the Eriadore, or when she succeeded in a night landing, or after winning the mock air combat last year, Illia only slightly relaxed her expression but never showed a smile.

──I want to make Illia laugh.

However, just asking her to “smile” probably wouldn’t work. It wouldn’t mean anything to see a forced smile; he wants to see Illia’s true smile, one born from genuine happiness.

That’s right.

“I got my license in April and bought a used bike. I ride it when I go out, but I’ve never had anyone on the back before. I’d like to practice riding with someone on the back.”

“...Me? On the back of your bike? Just sit there?”

“Yeah. We’ll just ride around the island. Easy, right?”

Illia exhales lightly, relieved, apparently expecting a more demanding request.

“That's a cheap request. Is that all? I feel a bit guilty.”

“Oh, really? Then... come in casual clothes! I want you to wear casual clothes!”

Even on her day off, Illia walks around the island in military uniform, showing no hint of femininity for a girl her age. She must have some casual clothes that Cecil made her buy, but no one has seen her wear them.

“Casual clothes, huh... I have some, but I’ve never worn them. Cecil picked them out for me, and there’s never been an opportunity to wear them.”

“Then wear them! Casual clothes, this Sunday at ten o'clock at the parking lot, okay?”

As he urges her with enthusiasm, Illia looks slightly perplexed but nods awkwardly.

“...Alright. If that’s all it takes... I’ll go along with it.”

──A date with Illia!

Kiyoaki barely manages to restrain himself from jumping for joy, nodding back at her with a usual smile.

“Thanks! I’ll be careful not to fall. I’ve never had anyone on the back before.”

“A bike, huh... I’ve never ridden one before, but...”

Illia murmurs while looking up at the ceiling, appearing somewhat doubtful.

Two days later, on a sunny Sunday in May.

Kiyoaki waits for Illia in the parking lot, straddling his beloved bike and warming up the engine.

It’s a blue 250cc bike. He just bought it a month ago, and whenever he has free time on weekends, he rides it around the island for no particular reason.

Dressed in a long-sleeved shirt and jeans, he waits with a fluttering heart when, precisely at the promised time, Illia arrives.

“W-Wait, did I keep you waiting?”

She greets him, looking uncomfortable and turning her face away.

Surprisingly, Illia has done her makeup. Her eyelashes are standing tall, her eyes are accentuated with eyeliner, and her lips are lightly tinted with red.

Kiyoaki beams at her.

“You look great! It really suits you!”

“...Cecil did it. When I told her I was going out with you on the bike, she got all excited... and made me wear this outfit along with the makeup.”

Illia looks down with uncertainty, glancing at her appearance.

A thin white shirt that is slightly see-through. Black slim pants that cling to her legs, and short boots adorned with silver accessories. Both the shirt and pants fit Illia's body perfectly, exuding a refined elegance and a hint of allure.

“You look great! Way cooler than in military uniform!”

“...It's too constricting. The military uniform is much more comfortable.”

Though Illia seems reluctant, the way she is fully dressed up makes her look more like a fashion model than a cadet officer.

──She really is incredibly beautiful...

Kiyoaki knows this, but reaffirming the fact sends his heart racing.

Hiding his pounding heart, he hands Illia a silver half-helmet.

“Okay, please just sit on the back. It’s nice out today, so it’ll definitely feel good.”

Illia casually gathers her hair into a ponytail with a rubber band, puts on the helmet, fastens the chin strap, and mutters softly.

“I don’t know how to get on.”

Though Illia is invincible in the sky, her knowledge of life on the ground is less than that of an average person. In the back seat of the bike, she just needs to hold onto the tandem grips at both sides of the seat. But that would be such a waste of a rare opportunity.

“Tandem riding can be dangerous if we don’t move as one. If you move strangely, we might lose our balance and fall. So, while we’re riding, try to stick as close to me as possible.”

He requests this with utmost seriousness.

This isn’t a lie. There are ways to hold onto the grips, but he simply hasn’t explained them. Justifying to himself internally while looking at Illia, she awkwardly nods.

“Okay, so I just need to stick close to you.”

“Yeah. The faster we go, the closer you can stay, the better.”

There’s no real necessity for this, but at least it’s not a lie.

“Got it. I’ll do my best. I hardly ever ride anything other than airships...”

Illia always studies on her days off, so she rarely goes out to have fun. Like a student who humbly seeks guidance from a teacher, she accepts his straightforward request with a sincerity that feels almost pure.

“Ready?”

“Yeah.”

Illia straddles the back seat with her long legs, awkwardly grasping the hem of Kiyoaki’s shirt.

“Is this okay?”

“Yeah, that’s about right.”

By the way, this is his first time actually carrying someone on the back. He resolves to avoid any accidents as he steps on the gear pedal.

The engine’s roar is quite mild compared to an airship. Illia silently holds the hem of Kiyoaki’s shirt tightly.

They start off slowly, merging onto the public road. The roads on Air Hunt Island are remarkably quiet, with only occasional military vehicles passing by.

With each gear shift, the wind picks up. Illia grips the hem of his shirt even tighter.

Turning his head back, he asks, “The wind feels nice, right?”

“Yeah.”

In the cockpit of an airship, this wind cannot be felt.

“I’m going to speed up. Hold on tight!”

“Okay!”

As he kicks the pedal and shifts to fifth gear, Illia’s arms wrap around Kiyoaki’s waist.

Illia’s warmth and softness radiate against his back. Like a child obeying orders, Illia clings tightly to him.

His heart races. Looking back again, he asks, “Are you scared?”

“Nope.”

Though she puts on a brave face, her voice is a bit tense. The road signs whizzing by in an instant, the large vehicles that suddenly appear from around bends, the body tilting dramatically with each curve—everything is a unique experience of being on the ground.

As they ride, Illia grips him tighter. It feels like her heartbeat syncs with his through his back. He can even discern the differences between her firm and soft areas.

──Illia...

The faster he goes, the closer she feels. The warmth, softness, and breath he feels from her stir his emotions.

“Illia.”

That emotion becomes a call of her name.

“Yeah?”

Illia responds softly, still firmly attached to him.

“Are you scared?”

He throws out the same question like a child.

“I’m not scared.”

Despite her words, her hands around his waist tighten.

──Please let today not end...

Holding onto such a childish wish, he makes a full loop around the island and stops at the Jujiji Cape.

“Great job! Let’s take a break.”

As he smiles at her, Illia dismounts and removes her helmet. Her cheeks are slightly flushed as she says,

“I don’t really understand how to maintain balance.”

“You were completely fine. Thanks to you, I’ve gotten the hang of it.”

“Really? I’m glad to be of help then.”

Illia nods with a serious expression before hesitating, as if she’s gathering her courage.

“Isn’t it a bit improper to ride like that? I mean, being so close…”

“No, not at all! That’s the safest way!”

Kiyoaki is surprised by how much strength he puts into his words.

“...Is that so? Well, if it doesn’t bother you, then I don’t mind…”

Illia trails off, her gaze turning to the ocean.

This is one of the tourist spots on Air Hunt Island. From the edge of the cape, which rises about thirty meters above the sea, they can look down at the vast ocean and the distant Air Hunt Port. Below, the rocks form a diamond shape, with the seawater that seeps into the narrow gaps creating a cross shape, giving the Jujiji Cape its name.

A dozen or so tourists are throwing something toward the cross. Illia watches their figures with a suspicious look. Kiyoaki smiles and says,

“They say if you throw a pesos coin from here and it lands in the cross, your wish will come true.”

“Is that so?”

"Last year, Reiner threw something in there. He was praying for something. He was vague about what he wished for, though."

"…Reiner, huh. I see."

Illia nodded deeply for some reason and took a one-peso coin from her wallet. It seemed she was determined to give it a try.

"It's pretty difficult, you know."

"Yeah, I figured."

She aimed carefully and threw the coin.

The coin struck the rock surface.

"How many did Reiner throw?"

"He hit it on his second try. That guy is surprisingly skilful in strange ways."

Without changing her expression, Illia took out her second coin, aimed, threw, and missed again.

Biting her lip in frustration, she threw the third and fourth coins, but they also missed.

"It's tough, right? I won’t do it since it's a waste of money."

After missing the fifth coin, Illia peeked into her wallet. There were no more coins left. With a disappointed expression, she pulled out a ten-peso bill.

"Change it for me."

"You said it's a waste. Let’s just give up."

"…It’s frustrating. If Reiner can do it, why can’t I? I can’t accept that."

She seemed quite competitive even outside of airships. To calm Illia, who looked like she might stomp her feet in frustration, I gazed out over the sea and stretched my arms overhead.

"It feels nice. Sometimes this kind of thing is good, right? Studying is important, but you also need a change of pace."

Illia looked in the same direction as me, closed her eyes, and breathed in the salty sea breeze.

"Yeah. The wind feels nice. It makes me feel relaxed..."

As she spoke, her tone and expression were softer than usual. Her red hair, swaying in the wind, vividly contrasted with the colours of the sky and sea.

Suddenly, Illia squinted at a corner of the sky. Her tone turned serious again.

"A Flag Ship… It’s a ship type I’ve never seen before."

In the distance, to the southeast, there were silhouettes of an airship fleet. Two large airships formed the centre of a spherical formation, cruising offshore from Air Hunt Port. Judging by the shape of the upper deck, they appeared to be aircraft carriers rather than battleships.

"Last time, there was a new type of battleship here too. This place has completely turned into a fleet relay base."

"Yeah. It seems the navy has been preparing for the southern archipelago conquest for a while now. A lot of new ships with landing gear equipment have arrived..."

Illia was fascinated, unable to take her eyes off the air carrier. In the distant sky, she stared intently at the movements of the carrier-based aircraft taking off from the upper deck.

"I want to see them land. I hope they land soon..."

Although the atmosphere had been pleasant, Illia’s focus was completely consumed by the airships. They stood there for about an hour, witnessing everything from the launching to the landing of the carrier’s aircraft, and Illia nodded in satisfaction.

"I learned a lot. This is a view you can’t see if you don’t leave the school."

"We’ll be doing offshore landing training in the summer too, right? Even just watching was a good preview."

"Yeah. It’s a training that can result in casualties. I wanted to gather as much information as possible beforehand."

In three months, in August, the fourth-year students would embark on a long ocean voyage for carrier landing training. The most challenging aspect of piloting airships is landing on an aircraft carrier. To land on the narrow and short deck while other colleagues wait in the air requires considerable skill.

But right now, I wanted to forget about those tense discussions.

More than anything, I wanted to see Illia as a teenage girl.

"Shall we head back soon? I want to try climbing the mountain path next."

"Hm? Oh, right. We were training for two people."

"There’s a diner at the top of the mountain. Let’s grab something to eat."

"Dining out, huh? That sounds nice for a change."

“Since it's a mountain road, hold on tight so you don’t get thrown off.”

“Got it. I’ll do my best.”

Illia readjusted her helmet and straddled the back seat again.

Kiyoaki emerged onto a rural public road. Until now, he had been traveling along well-maintained coastal highways circling Air Hunt Island, but now he entered a mountain road in the island's central region. The path was narrow and winding, with the surface bare earth and uneven.

The mountains were filled with greenery and sunlight.

The breath of the trees dyed both sides of the road in vibrant green, and the branches overhead intertwined as if traveling through an emerald tunnel. Sunlight filtered through the green canopy, sparkling like powdery snow as it poured down onto Kiyoaki and Illia.

As they dashed through the pale green layers, the scent of earth and fresh foliage filled their chests to the brim. It felt as if the mountain were smiling down at them, a landscape only seen from the ground, not from the sky.

“It feels great!”

“Yeah.”

Illia's response was livelier than usual.

With the light-dappled road ahead, Kiyoaki pressed the accelerator.

The poor road condition caused violent vibrations. At times, the vehicle even lifted off the ground. Each time, Illia's slender hands gripped tightly. The traffic was nearly non-existent, with no oncoming cars, as if they were swimming alone in a sea of green.

Suddenly, the left mountainside dropped away, revealing a view of the sea. Before they knew it, they had exceeded an altitude of one thousand meters, and the vast ocean sparkled below them, reflecting the sunlight.

“Wow, it’s beautiful.”

Illia exclaimed in awe. Although she should be used to views from this height, the scenery while rushing along the ground felt different.

“Yahhooo!”

When Kiyoaki shouted toward the sea, Illia didn’t shout along but leaned her cheek against his back. She gazed at the ocean like a child hugging her favourite pillow and engrossed in a picture book.

Illia trusted Kiyoaki's driving, surrendering her body to him. Just that filled Kiyoaki with happiness, saturating his entire being with new energy.

──Illia, how cute... Why is she so adorable?

He reflected on this deeply. Though she seemed tough and quiet, beneath that mask lay an innocent, almost naive girl.

──If only we could keep driving like this forever...

As another childish desire arose, his stomach growled. It was already past one in the afternoon. Ahead, he spotted a diner he often visited, and he reluctantly began to slow down.

“Here. The cheeseburgers are delicious.”

“Really?”

The large store, resembling a log cabin, had no customers inside, making it just for the two of them. He ordered two cheeseburgers, two sodas, and a potato salad from the familiar female owner and settled into a window-side seat.

The view from the window opened up to the sight of the mountains leading to the sea. Under the May sunlight, the fluffy clouds, ocean, and mountains created a vibrant contrast of white, blue, and green that lifted his spirits.

“It’s calming. What a nice view.”

Illia, sitting across the wooden table, gazed softly out the window. He sensed that she might smile with just a little more encouragement, but that smile didn’t seem likely to come easily. Searching for a topic that would please her, all he could think of were aircraft stories.

After talking about the aviation department for a while, the owner placed a basket on the table. Illia looked puzzled.

“It’s pretty big. I don’t think I can finish it.”

The cheeseburger, as rumoured, came wrapped in partially opened paper. It was stuffed with lettuce, onion, rich cheese, and a thick hamburger patty, standing nearly fifteen centimetres tall—definitely too large for a girl to bite into all at once.

“You squeeze it with the wrapper to make it smaller and eat it. Don’t worry about manners; just open wide and eat.”

To demonstrate, Kiyoaki took the hamburger with both hands, pressed it down with the wrapper to make it more manageable, opened his mouth wide, and took a big bite of the top bun and ingredients.

He chewed; cheeks puffed out like a squirrel. The juice from the freshly cooked hamburger mixed with the gooey cheese, and the crispness of the lettuce and the refreshing onion added to the experience, making a smile involuntarily rise on his face. The contrast of flavours from all the ingredients, including the bun, was nothing short of an artwork.

Watching this, Illia awkwardly lifted her own hamburger. She stared at it with an expression of curiosity, like observing a rare creature, and then squeezed it from both sides. Looking up at Kiyoaki with uncertainty, she opened her mouth and attacked the upper bun.

“Brrt.”

With a strange noise, lettuce, onion, and rich cheese spilled out from the bun. A half-hearted opening caused this mishap.

“Mmm.”

Issuing another odd groan, Illia's eyes darted around as she pulled her face away from the burger. She chewed awkwardly, with cheese stuck to the tip of her nose. Kiyoaki struggled to hold back laughter while observing her. After she finally managed to swallow, her eyes widened.

“It’s delicious!”

She exclaimed in surprise, gazing at the nearly crumbled burger.

“It’s hard to eat, but it’s really good.”

“Glad to hear it. How you eat it doesn’t matter, as long as it tastes good to you.”

“Really? It’s difficult. The filling keeps spilling out.”

Perhaps she was just very hungry; with cheese still on her nose, Illia continued to approach the burger while mumbling. Relieved that she seemed to enjoy it, Kiyoaki also dove back into his meal.

“I finished it all!”

Holding up the empty wrapping, Illia looked astonished at her own feat. Cheese still clung to the tip of her nose.

“Good. I thought you wouldn’t eat something like this.”

“This is my first cheeseburger. But it’s really good. I think I can eat it a bit better next time.”

“Yeah. Let’s come again. And here.”

He handed her a tissue, but Illia looked puzzled. When Kiyoaki laughed and poked his own nose with his finger, she squinted at him before applying the tissue.

“Oh…”

She stared at the cheese stuck to the tissue, bewildered. Then, with a hint of embarrassment, she furrowed her brows.

“…Was it there the whole time?”

“It seems to have gotten there on the first bite.”

“…How mean. You should have told me right away.”

After wiping around her mouth with another tissue, Illia shot him a light glare.

“Were you watching and laughing?”

“I wasn’t laughing. I thought it would be fine to wait until you finished eating.”

“That’s a lie. You were definitely laughing.”

“I really wasn’t.”

He laughed as he denied it, but Illia, feeling a bit embarrassed, wiped her nose with the tissue again.

“You’re a liar. You look harmless like a rabbit at first glance, but you’re actually mean. A black rabbit.”

Saying that, she broke into a shy smile.

──She smiled…!

Though it wasn’t a full-blown grin, it was a face he had never seen before. While mentally doing a victory pose, Kiyoaki served up some potato salad.

“A black rabbit? Is that my nickname? I like it. It’s cute.”

“It sounds like a villain from a fairy tale. It suits you perfectly.”

“Hehe. Since you gave me that nickname, I’ll cherish it. So, can you still eat?”

“Yeah. I can eat slowly.”

Illia gazed down at the served potato salad with sparkling eyes, like a child. Perhaps because she had only eaten in the student cafeteria at the Air Hunt Academy since enrollment, this meal felt new to her.

As she washed down the salad with soda, Kiyoaki relaxed and talked about trivial things.

“Riding a bike is nice sometimes, right? The scenery flows by, and the wind feels good. It’s a different kind of enjoyment from flying.”

Illia poked at the potatoes with her fork.

“Yeah. Since there are objects on the ground, the sensation of speed feels faster than in an aircraft. The bumps and curves in the road are also things you don’t find in the air, and you probably need to maintain focus while cruising.”

Kiyoaki decided to test the waters.

“Do you want to try drive one for yourself?”

A new light shone in Illia’s eyes.

“Just a little.”

Hearing the roar of the internal combustion engine must have made her want to try riding. Kiyoaki sensed a certain anticipation in her demeanour, as if she had been waiting for him to say that.

“I practiced with Reiner at first. I was able to ride in about an hour. You can practice in the parking lot over there, do you want to give it a try?”

“…Is that okay?”

“Of course. It’s fine. Hey, Miss, can we practice riding bikes in the parking lot?”

When Kiyoaki asked, the kind owner smiled brightly.

“Use it as you like. There’s no one here, so it’s fine. I’d be honoured if a future ace pilot used it.”

Since last year’s mock air battle, Kiyoaki and Illia had become celebrities on Air Hunt Island. The owner seemed to recognize Illia from a newspaper or something.

“Thank you! Come on, Illia, we can use it!”

Illia glanced at Kiyoaki and relaxed her cheek tension just a bit.

“Well then, just a little.”

“Yeah, yeah! If it’s Illia, you’ll be able to ride it in no time. It’s easy compared to an airship!”

“We won’t be going on public roads. Just a bit of practice in that parking lot over there.”

Saying this, Illia quickly finished the remaining salad and gulped down her soda.

“Thanks for the meal! Now, let me use it for a bit.”

“Sure! Come back again!”

After splitting the lunch bill and thanking the owner, they headed to the diner’s parking lot. The spacious lot could accommodate thirty cars, but only the owner’s vehicle was parked there.

“Alright, get on. We’ll start from turning on the engine.”

“Okay.”

Illia obediently got on and learned how to operate the bike from Kiyoaki, starting the engine.

“The gear is the pedal, and the throttle is on the right grip, right?”

“Wait, you know that?”

“I was watching you ride. I wasn’t just admiring the scenery.”

“Impressive. Do you understand the clutch?”

“It’s either the right or left lever... it’s the left. The right one is the brake.”

“Maybe you won’t need much practice. Stepping on the pedal puts it in first gear, and lifting your toe changes the gear up.”

“Got it. I want to get a feel for the engine output first.”

With a firm voice, Illia removed the centre stand, engaged the clutch, and started moving in first gear.

“Whoa, whoa!”

She let out a cheerful voice as she wobbled and started moving. It was only natural she couldn’t ride smoothly right away, and she seemed a bit unsteady.

“Go for it, Illia!”

I waved my hand encouragingly from behind her.

“Don’t mock me!”

Without even looking back, Illia shot back while unsteadily navigating. It seemed she was embarrassed to have her lack of skill on display. However, since she was used to piloting an airship, her riding gradually became smoother.

“Gear change!”

I announced loudly, and Illia shifted to second gear. Suddenly, the bike jolted, but she adjusted the throttle and stabilized it.

“Great, great!”

As Kiyoaki clapped, Illia zoomed around the parking lot, shouting, “Gear change!” as if communicating with a mechanic. I wasn’t sure, but it might have been a way to hide her embarrassment. This time, she accelerated without jolting and began to execute beautiful circular manoeuvres proudly.

“How about that!”

Like a cowboy who just tamed a wild horse, Illia looked at Kiyoaki with a vibrant expression.

“You're amazing, Illia! So cool!”

When I praised her, her face brightened. It wasn’t a full smile, but it was the happiest I had ever seen her.

“I’ve got the hang of it! I understand the basics now!”

After going around the lot about five times, she slowed down and stopped next to Kiyoaki, her eyes sparkling with joy. Once she grasped the changes in engine output with gear shifts, it wouldn’t be too hard for Illia.

“Yeah, at this rate, if you ride for another hour, you’ll have it completely down. You really are incredible; you might get your license in no time.”

“A bike license, huh... I’m starting to want one. Can I ride a bit more?”

“Of course! Ride as much as you want until you’re satisfied.”

“Thank you! It’s fun once you get the hang of it. I’m getting greedy.”

Her eyes sparkled as she looked out at the scenery. Kiyoaki had a hunch about what Illia would do an hour later.

“Let’s speed up!”

An hour later, while speeding down the public road at eighty kilometres per hour, Illia shouted to Kiyoaki in the back seat.

“Um, maybe it’s better to follow the speed limit...”

“Hold on tight! I’m getting the hang of cornering!”

Trembling, Kiyoaki wrapped his arms around Illia’s waist. He felt happy being so close to her, but at the same time, there was fear.

The gear shifted up. The engine roared. The trees blurred into lines and soon became a green curtain.

Ahead, a large curve approached.

The bike tilted significantly. A strong centrifugal force pressed him against the opposite side.

Illia scraped her left knee against the ground as she navigated through the curve.

“Haha! How about that? Not bad, right?!”

She laughed triumphantly. Kiyoaki resigned himself to fate, clinging tightly so as not to hinder Illia’s driving.

Normally, being this close would confuse or anger Illia, but it didn’t seem to bother her now. It appeared that like Kiyoaki, she transformed when gripping the handlebars.

She skilfully maneuverer through the difficult series of hairpin turns, smoothly accelerating down the slope.

Soon...

“The sea!”

Illia exclaimed with joy. They had reached the coastal road after descending the narrow mountain path.

Suddenly, the horizon opened up in a brilliant blue, the lanes widened, and the sun poured down in a straight line. The sense of liberation pushed her to open the throttle even more.

At double the legal speed, Illia sped along the coastal road. If they were caught, it could mean expulsion. However, Kiyoaki remained silent, content to be a passenger.

“Let’s go around again!”

“Go ahead.”

After completing one lap around Air Hunt Island, Illia was still not satisfied. She made a second lap, a third lap, riding her steel steed like a knight of old, never tiring.

Eventually, they reached an observation deck near the mountain summit. The crimson sun was already painting the sea a deep red.

“Ah, that was fun! Riding on the ground is interesting too; the wind feels great!”

Illia said with satisfaction, stretching her arms up while gazing down at the sprawling Air Hunt Island. The thin shirt she wore clung to her sweat-drenched body. Kiyoaki’s hands, which had been wrapped around her waist the whole time, were also damp.

“Good job! You’re amazing; you might even be better than me now.”

“That’s not true. There are still things I haven’t completely grasped. But yeah, once I get a little more used to it, I want to race and see who’s faster.”

Turning to Kiyoaki, Illia said this.

“I don’t want to race. I’d rather ride slowly together.”

When Kiyoaki proposed this, Illia momentarily wore a distant expression.

“Is that so? That sounds like you. Racing would be more exciting.”

Then she smiled.

“But that could be nice too. A leisurely ride together on a day off. That doesn’t sound bad.”

It was the first time Kiyoaki saw Illia smile.

The innocent girl’s smile had been hidden beneath the iron mask she wore every day.

If he took three steps forward, extended his arms, and hugged Illia as he had done from the back seat of the bike, how would she react?

Such thoughts surged strongly, breaking free from reason.

“Hmm? What’s wrong?”

Illia smiled, tilting her head slightly.

“N-No, it’s nothing.”

Coming back to himself, Kiyoaki hurriedly denied it. Illia laughed mischievously.

“You had a funny face. You make interesting expressions.”

“R-Really? I didn’t notice.”

“If there was a mirror, I’d show you. You had a spaced-out look.”

Illia turned away again, holding her hair against the wind as she looked down at the fading Air Hunt Island.

He called out to her back.

“Hey, Illia.”

“Yeah?”

"Can I invite you again?"

Illia looked back at me once more, her expression a bit stiff.

But…

"Sure."

She smiled innocently.

"I want to eat a cheeseburger again. And I want to run on the beach. In the summer, the wind will feel even better. I'm looking forward to it."

Against the backdrop of the sunset, Illia's smile pierced deep into Kiyoaki's heart, more precisely than ever before, like an arrow that could never be pulled out again.

From the centre that was pierced, ripples spread out, coursing through Kiyoaki's insides. Everything that had been submerged until now was washed away, as something new began to fill the surface of his heart.

—I want to make Illia mine.

—Mine alone.

His heart whispered that against its will. Unless that desire was fulfilled, the heart that had been pierced would continue to bleed. While watching the fading sunset and Illia, Kiyoaki felt that instinctively.

When they returned to the parking lot of the Air Hunt Officer Academy, the sun had already set, and the gas lamps on the campus were lit. He turned off the engine and removed his helmet.

"Thank you for today; I really had fun."

"Me too. It was such a nice distraction. I haven't had this much fun in a while."

Illia, looking soft and gentle, seemed like a different person from before. It felt a bit wasteful to part ways like this, so Kiyoaki searched for words, glancing into the empty space, when he suddenly felt something was off.

"Huh…?"

He thought he saw someone beyond the parking lot's fence, in the trees, looking this way. But straining his eyes into the dark, he saw no one.

"What’s wrong?"

"Oh, it's nothing…"

He brushed it off and turned back to Illia, smiling. It was probably just his imagination.

"…Well then… goodnight. Let's go again next time."

"Yeah. Goodnight. I broke a good sweat; I think I’ll sleep well tonight."

They waved lightly to each other before parting ways.

As Illia walked alone towards the girls' dorm, she savoured the events of the day, slowly chewing over them.

Embarrassment, happiness, warmth, and shyness swirled inside her, and for some reason, it transformed into warmth, making her steps light. This was her first experience like this. Her heart's workings, which didn't go as she wished, were frustrating yet oddly pleasant.

She could still feel Kiyoaki's hands on her stomach and back.

Under normal circumstances, she would have felt repulsion at being that close to a man, but today, she didn’t feel even the slightest bit of that. Rather, a part of her even wished for it to happen more strongly. It was a shameful and indecent thought, yet she was also surprised at herself for feeling this way.

"Sakagami."

Walking, she whispered his name to herself.

"Kiyoaki."

Calling his first name, she indulged in the pleasure of it. If someone saw her, they might think she was suspicious, but the campus was dark and empty.

"Black Rabbit."

She murmured the nickname she had just given him. It seemed harmless and meek, yet sometimes a bit wicked—a fitting nickname for Kiyoaki. Just as she was pleased with that thought, a lightning bolt flashed through her mind.

"?!"

Startled, she stopped walking.

—Black Rabbit.

Somewhere, she felt she had seen that before. Someone had that kind of nose art.

"…Ah."

She remembered. During the single enemy air raid on the Eriadore airship, she had seen a strangely realistic dream while on Cameron Island.

Illia was flying in a future fighter jet above a burning city. At that moment, the nose art of the enemy plane she shot down while crying was a black rabbit.

Could that black rabbit be…?

"…Ridiculous…"

She shook off the thought, snapping back to reality. It was just an event in a dream. Although it had left a strong impression due to its strange realism, dreams could not become reality.

Kiyoaki was her friend. The Akitsu Federation and the St Vault Empire had formed a military alliance and were cooperating to launch an attack on Hydrabard. There was no longer any benefit to fighting each other.

"It’s impossible, silly…"

Muttering to herself, Illia resumed walking. While she felt happy, there was also a vague sense of foreboding simmering within her.

In the shadows of the trees near the parking lot, Mio crouched down.

The parking lot was now empty, with only Kiyoaki's bike parked there.

Night was coming soon. She needed to return to the girls' dorm. But for now, she couldn't seem to move from here. She needed to calm the storm of emotions swirling within her before going back.

Earlier, when she happened to pass by, she saw a two-person bike enter the parking lot. The moment she realized it was Kiyoaki and Illia, she reflexively hid in the shadows of the trees.

It was pathetic, but she couldn’t help but secretly peek at the two of them from behind the tree trunk.

Even from a distance, it was clear they looked intimate.

She could tell that Illia had opened her heart to Kiyoaki from her expression.

Seeing the two of them illuminated by the gas lamp's light, Mio's heart shattered.

She instinctively crouched down, unable to take her eyes off them.

The two of them exchanged words happily and waved goodbye before parting ways.

Illia walked away in casual clothes she would never normally wear, looking happy, with a light and bouncy step.

They must have gone on a date on the bike. It was obvious from their intimate demeanour that they had a great time.

Kiyoaki and Illia.

Both had fathers who were shot down in battle, tied together by fate. They had been featured countless times in the media, both possessing exceptional talent as airship pilots, and they honed their skills every day through duels.

Because they bore the same burdens, they surely understood each other better than anyone else. As time passed, they would grow closer.

Inside her stomach, chest, and head, a dark, hot, heavy sensation filled her. It felt painfully burning as if every cell in her body was going to be scorched.

She understood that the source of the pain was jealousy.

She knew she had no right to be jealous anymore.

Mio, still crouching, tried to convince herself.

—Illia deserves Kiyoaki far more than I do.

—Much more than the traitor that I am.

—Illia is much more suited for Kiyoaki.

She tried to reason with herself, but countless painful arrows continued to ricochet inside her body. She genuinely worried that a pool of blood might form at her feet. The pain was that intense.

Her heart was beyond her control.

"Ugh…"

She couldn’t hold back and groaned. Even after the two figures disappeared from the parking lot, Mio remained crouched, enduring the pain.

Tears rolled down her cheeks.

She couldn’t stop them. She wiped the tears away with her arm while still crouched.

It was only natural that she had avoided Kiyoaki for nearly half a year. And yet, crying out of jealousy for Illia's relationship felt pathetic.

But…

—It’s fine. No one is watching.

—Just for now, it’s okay to cry like this.

She vowed she would never cry like this again, yet at this moment, she wanted to allow herself that weakness. It was a pitiful, embarrassing way to cry, and if anyone saw her, they would surely laugh. But unless she turned that pain into tears, it felt like she would die from the hurt.

"Ugh… ugh…"

Like a child, Mio sobbed. Water poured from her face. The handkerchief she used to wipe her face became so wet that it dripped when she squeezed it.

This was the last time, she firmly vowed in her heart that she wouldn’t cry again, as she tried to wash away all her overwhelming emotions with tears.

Suddenly, the scene of the canola flower field on Messus Island resurfaced in her memory.

"I’m Kiyoaki’s bride!"

Wearing a tiara made of canola flowers, she had declared it in the summer, feeling like a princess.

"Yeah, I’ll become a pilot and marry Mio."

Forced words from Kiyoaki.

“Don’t cheat on me! We promised we’d get married!”

There was nothing to fear during that summer when I was twelve. I believed without a doubt that I would someday marry Kiyoaki, unaware of what awaited me ahead.

── I can’t go back now.

I chose family over comrades, weighing them in a balance, and I don’t think I made the wrong choice.

I had no choice but to pick one, and I chose that one.

I couldn’t abandon my stepfather, ensnared in interests, nor could I leave behind my brothers and sisters who became spies to protect each other. I didn’t want to see Dominic, Kazuki, and Bonita suffer like this.

So surely, this is for the best.

Even with a stepfather like that, if he hadn’t taken me in, I would have died in a detention camp. He is the one who gave me a life.

── This is the natural consequence.

From now on, Kiyoaki and Illia will walk the path toward glory as the future kings of aerial combat.

A bright and hopeful, radiant future awaits.

In contrast, the path I walk is one of betrayal, mired in deception and trickery.

If that’s the case, at least.

── I don’t want to be hated by Kiyoaki.

── So I’ll just disappear like this…

I want to remain, if only as a faint memory in the corner of Kiyoaki’s heart. To do that, I have to slowly fade away from before him.

Not in an unnatural way, but gradually, letting time take its course.

Eventually, I’ll be downgraded from being a comrade to a classmate, then to an acquaintance, and eventually become like a stranger passing by… Until I’m buried among the many people Kiyoaki will meet in the future, so that he won’t even remember me unless he consciously tries.

── That’s how I will disappear.

Telling myself that, Mio curled up and continued to cry. She thought it would be nice if her body, heart, and all past memories could dissolve into tears and be absorbed by the ground.

Part 21 (Part 4 of Volume 3)

The blue of the open sea seemed to be something with mass, painted onto the world.

Amidst the overwhelming blue of sky and sea, a fleet of four escort ships cantered around two aircraft carriers glided along, leaving behind white wake trails. Training aircraft, waiting overhead, began landing one after another on the aircraft carrier racing toward the wind. On the flight deck, maintenance crews and pilots bustled about, and signalmen struggled against the gusting wind to send "landing confirmed" flags to the circling training aircraft.

The training aircraft waiting for its turn, with visible tension, aligned with the approach line. Fully deployed flaps slowed its descent as it approached the narrow flight deck of the carrier, snagging its tailhook on the arrestor wire stretched across the deck. Once it confirmed a complete stop, the pilot leaped off the aircraft, while maintenance crew rushed over to set up barricades, detach the hook, and take the aircraft to the elevator leading down to the hangar, preparing for the next training aircraft to land. This was a scene of training for continuous landings on the aircraft carrier, where fatalities were not uncommon.

In the year 1348 of the Imperial Calendar, August, fifty nautical miles off the coast of Chandler Island, Mauregan──.

As Kiyoaki gazed at the approaching scene of the flight deck of the escort aircraft carrier "Merdireik," he focused all his concentration on the very edge of the deck.

The carrier was racing toward the wind. Kiyoaki was pursuing it from behind as he prepared to land. The flaps had been fully deployed since the third turn, and while the aircraft was slowing down, all that remained was to land.

── I will land the best.

Kiyoaki aimed for the rear edge of the deck. Landing at the very back was considered the most difficult and the best for pilots.

Four arrestor wires were stretched across the deck from front to back, numbered one through four. Hooking onto the first wire was the easiest, while hooking onto the fourth was considered the most skilled. Of course, Kiyoaki aimed for the fourth wire. However, this area was also the most dangerous. Misreading even slightly the wind speed, the carrier's speed, or his own aircraft's speed could result in crashing into the back edge of the deck, plunging both the aircraft and pilot into the white wake.

Taking on the risk of losing his life, Kiyoaki maintained his aircraft's level solely by manipulating the ailerons, concentrating intently on his aircraft, the carrier, and the wind speed, forgetting even to blink. It was a highly challenging manoeuvre; however, compared to the nighttime water landing he attempted last summer on the aerial vessel, he could see both the carrier and the sea with his own eyes. The conditions were remarkably favourable.

Successfully snagging the tailhook on the fourth arrestor wire, Kiyoaki confirmed the aircraft's stop and hurriedly disembarked from his seat. The students of the Aerial Science Department, lined up below the bridge, applauded with expressions of both admiration and frustration. Proudly joining their ranks, Kiyoaki watched Illia’s landing next.

Illia, of course, was also aiming for the best landing. By the angle of her descent line, it was clear she wasn't looking for a safe landing. Kiyoaki prayed for her safety with bated breath.

Illia gracefully descended, but her hook snagged on the third arrestor wire. It wasn't the best, but it was a solid landing that avoided unnecessary danger. As the students of the Aerial Science Department erupted into cheers, Illia leaped off her aircraft and strode over to Kiyoaki.

“Where did you hook?”

She raised her eyebrows challengingly. With a victorious expression, Kiyoaki replied, “Fourth. You got third, huh?”

Deliberately taunting her, Illia bit her lip and glared.

“I wasn’t aiming for that. I aimed for third from the start. If I aimed for such a place and failed, it would trouble my comrades behind me!”

“That's a lie! You were aiming for fourth but ended up with third because you failed, right? Thats definitely the case!”

“No! I was aiming for third from the beginning, I swear!”

Illia raised her voice, nearly on the verge of tears. Kiyoaki found her adorable like this and couldn’t help being a bit mean.

“Uh-huh, if you don’t know how to do it, just ask me. I’ll teach you everything.”

“What’s that supposed to mean!? Who do you think you are, talking down to me!? You think you’re better than me!?”

“Because I succeeded, but you failed.”

Frustration and anger distorted Illia’s face into a cuteness he’d never seen before.

“You, get on a fighter plane right now! I’ll shoot you down and turn you into seaweed in a minute!”

“Eh? But I totally have better scores than you in combat!”

“That’s because I’m practicing a new technique!! You’re saying that on purpose, aren’t you!? I’m mad now; let’s have a mock air battle right here, no practice, I’ll show you my real skills, now get on, get on with all your strength!!”

Finally, Illia grabbed Kiyoaki by the collar with both hands and began to choke him, prompting the Aerial Science instructor to hurriedly intervene. Kiyoaki, coughing, thought it was utterly adorable how Illia was starting to show expressions more like a girl her age. The commotion settled down with everyone mediating, and Illia stormed off the deck with her shoulders stiff.

As Kiyoaki resolved to apologize later while watching the next landing, he suddenly caught sight of Mio in the distance.

── Mio.

His heart throbbed.

The training for open-sea landings aboard the aircraft carrier, which had started two weeks ago, had fortunately progressed smoothly without any casualties. All fourth-year students in the Aerial Science Department, including Kiyoaki, Illia, Reiner, and Mio, were participating in this training. Students specializing in navigation, including Mio, were undergoing training in the rear seat of twin-seat reconnaissance aircraft, and because their schedules differed from those of the piloting specialists like Kiyoaki and Illia, they hardly crossed paths.

It had been nearly eight months since Mio transformed, and they hadn’t had a proper conversation since then.

Recently, it had started to feel normal, the sharp pain of the past fading, and now, when he saw her, his heart would only flutter slightly.

Unless he eliminated the cause of what had changed Mio, the current situation would continue.

He needed to find out what caused it, but with daily training and coursework pressing down on him, only time slipped by.

Mio, who was drifting further away without understanding why. Not just Kiyoaki, but she hardly interacted with her classmates in the Aerial Science Department either.

However, there was one exception.

── Again.

A feeling of jealousy stirred deep in Kiyoaki’s chest.

Nearby, Reiner had sidled up to Mio, speaking to her about something.

Mio looked up and responded to Reiner.

Their conversation went on for a long time. Although they weren’t exchanging smiles, while Kiyoaki had only received evasive replies or seen her runaway after trying to talk to her over these eight months, Mio stayed and engaged in conversation with Reiner.

── Why can’t she open up to me like that with Reiner?

He knew it was a childish and pathetic thought, but the frustration continued to build day by day.

Reiner was pursuing both piloting and navigation, so they probably had overlapping subjects to discuss. They were likely talking seriously about studies without smiles, but still, wasn’t their conversation just a bit too much?

── She won’t even talk to me, yet she can chat for so long with Reiner.

Childish anger surged within him. Though he felt petty, he couldn’t help it.

Watching them, he saw Mio nodding in response to Reiner’s words, then, as if prompted, she entered the circle of Aerial Science students. Reiner must have invited her. Mio, who wouldn’t respond to Kiyoaki no matter how much he tried, was now following Reiner’s lead without hesitation.

── What’s that about? She listens to Reiner?

His anger boiled over. Driven by passion, Kiyoaki walked about thirty meters across the deck toward Mio and called out to her.

“Hey, Mio. You seem to be in a good mood today.”

Not noticing Kiyoaki approaching, Mio jolted and opened her eyes wide.

“Ah, you.”

That was all she said before awkwardly averting her gaze.

“What’s wrong? It’s none of your business. Leave me alone.”

With her cold words, Kiyoaki felt his head throb.

“It’s none of my business, huh?”

“……………………”

“Respond, will you?”

“...You’re noisy. I’m busy. What do you want?”

"Is it forbidden to talk if you don't have anything to say?"

"We're in class, you know? I don't have time for idle chatter."

"Oh, really? You seem to be chatting just fine with Reiner."

Saying this, Mio looked up at Kiyoaki with surprise.

In her eyes, there was an emotion that swayed differently from confusion, but Kiyoaki couldn't understand what it was.

"…It’s not like that."

Mio hesitated, speaking with uncertainty.

"Because it seems like you're having fun talking to Reiner."

Feeling a surge of jealousy, she glared at Kiyoaki.

"Having fun? You think that looks fun?"

"It might not be, but you haven't said a word to me."

"Shut up. Just stop it already. I'm only talking about studies with Reiner."

"Oh, is this a lovers' quarrel? You two are close."

Out of nowhere, Reiner joined in the conversation with a grin. Mio turned to him with a tense face.

"Stay away!"

Her voice was a pained shriek like nothing Kiyoaki had ever heard before. However, Reiner responded casually, as if used to it.

"Come on, no need to yell. I’m just a bit jealous since you two are so close. You never show me that face, do you, Mio?"

Ignoring Kiyoaki's feelings, Reiner said this to Mio.

"What’s that supposed to mean…? I don’t get it, and it’s none of your business!"

Mio threw a much colder insult at Reiner than before, then ran off into the hangar, leaving Kiyoaki and Reiner staring at each other.

"…Seriously, what’s her deal? I don’t get why she’s acting like that."

Reiner chuckled as he complained. Mio's attitude towards Reiner was colder than Kiyoaki had expected. However, Kiyoaki's anger still lingered, leading to a direct question.

"What do you always talk about with Mio?"

Reiner raised one eyebrow slightly at Kiyoaki's almost inquisitive tone, then shrugged and replied.

"It's mostly about class stuff. Mio and I are in the same course. I figured she’d respond to that kind of topic. I’m concerned, you know? If Mio doesn't come to the officer's room, I can’t eat good food."

His words had a somewhat defensive or evasive tone. A feeling began to rise in Kiyoaki’s mind that they might have been talking about something else.

"Are you perhaps jealous or something?"

Reiner changed his grin into a smirk and nudged Kiyoaki with his elbow. Kiyoaki's heart skipped a beat at the clear accusation. He turned red and stammered,

"N-No, it’s not like that… it’s just something I thought."

To reassure him, Reiner softened his tone.

"You saw Mio’s attitude just now; I’m pretty sure she doesn’t like me."

"That’s not true… But, I guess Mio reacts the most to you…"

"I’m good at teasing girls, but it just gets me hated more."

Reiner laughed in his usual carefree manner. Considering it now, it was true that Mio had shown something akin to hostility towards Reiner earlier. When he calmed down, it seemed likely that he had been making a fuss for no reason.

"Well, I don’t want things to stay like this with Mio, so I’ll cooperate. Even if I’m hated and told awful things, I’ll just keep at it."

It seemed that Reiner was indeed concerned about Mio's attitude and was just trying to force himself to talk to her. Though he always acted nonchalant, Reiner probably wanted to maintain the bond of the seven. Feeling embarrassed about his own anger, Kiyoaki could only apologize to Reiner. Reiner chuckled dismissively at the apology and stretched his arms behind his head.

"Did you know? The day after tomorrow, during the offshore reconnaissance training, the operational and navigation students are supposed to ride the same reconnaissance aircraft. I hope you get to be with Mio. If you ask the instructor ahead of time, he might accommodate you. After all, we're the Seven of Eriadore."

"Oh… is that so?"

Kiyoaki had heard they would be flying reconnaissance missions but had never heard about riding together with the navigation students. As Reiner said, it was possible to request preferred pairs from the instructor in advance. It was likely that the airship instructor would pair up the top-performing Kiyoaki and Mio, encouraging the others to improve. Unable to contain his excitement, Kiyoaki hurriedly made his way to the instructor.

As Kiyoaki walked away, Reiner’s eyes sparkled with a strange light. But no one noticed that eerie glow.

"…Seriously, what a hassle…"

With a click of his tongue, Reiner entered the trainees' living quarters beneath the hangar.

Two days later.

The morning of the offshore reconnaissance training was unfortunately cloudy.

The engines of the twin-seat carrier bomber "Red Goat" roared to life on the deck of the escort aircraft carrier Merdireik, sending the propellers roaring into the clouds above.

The training scenario involved using the bomber "Red Goat" as a reconnaissance aircraft to locate enemy mobile fleets operating in the surrounding waters.

Receiving signals from the signalman, Kiyoaki, gripping the control stick of the lead aircraft, slowly positioned his aircraft at the starting line. As he awaited the launch signal, the instructor's voice came over the speakers.

"We’ve seen Urano activity in the North Multi-Islands Sea lately. If you come into contact, there may be real enemies present, so please don’t take unnecessary risks. If you do encounter the enemy, report immediately and retreat."

"Understood."

The North Multi-Islands Sea, which should have been safe, had completely transformed into a frontline over the past month.

Last month, in July, Urano began a fierce attack on Crossnodal Island, a major stronghold in the North Multi-Islands Sea, landing in the southern Bengal Bay and establishing a base, quickly clearing forests to set up an airfield. They were currently bringing in supplies to take control of all of Crossnodal Island, engaging in fierce battles with the St Vault Navy in an effort to cut off supply lines. Reports indicated that enemy mobile fleets had also advanced into the North Multi-Islands Sea beyond the Great Falls, making today’s reconnaissance mission a tense one, despite being training.

A hand signal was given. Kiyoaki saluted the bridge and boosted the engines.

The propellers roared, the wheels screeched against the deck, and the aircraft accelerated rapidly.

Kiyoaki lifted the aircraft into the wind. The lift tore against gravity, and the leading edge of the aircraft carrier vanished far behind.

Piercing through the clouds, the Red Goat ascended. The power of ascent was unlike anything Kiyoaki had experienced with the training aircraft Gray Fox; this was the true might of a combat aircraft. In no time, they reached an altitude of 2,000 meters, leveling the nose and flying along the predetermined reconnaissance line.

Today’s route involved moving 300 kilometres northwest from the carrier, then making a right turn and proceeding for 30 kilometres before turning right again to return to the carrier. Since the carrier would also be moving during the reconnaissance, the rear seat reconnaissance officer had to keep accurate navigation; otherwise, they wouldn’t know where the carrier was upon returning, and in the worst-case scenario, they might run out of fuel and crash into the sea.

Kiyoaki picked up the voice pipe and spoke to the rear seat for the first time that day.

"Navigation, please. I trust you, Mio."

"…Understood."

Mio’s voice, devoid of affection, came through the voice pipe. She recorded the departure position and time, the aircraft's heading, speed, wind direction, and wind speed on the board, calculating where they were flying and how to return to the carrier. Mio’s accurate navigation was largely responsible for the success of the counterattack in the enemy territory last summer with the Eriadore airship.

Mio was now busy with a heavy responsibility, so she couldn't afford any idle talk, but this was also their opportunity to finally be alone together.

"We might encounter enemies, so keep an eye out."

"……………………"

"I don’t think it’s a good idea to train in such dangerous areas. It seems like they want useless officer candidates to get out of the way quickly, so they might as well send them into battle now."

What Kiyoaki had just said was a rumour circulating within the school. In the southern archipelago battlefront, there were frequent cases where incompetent officers led many capable non-commissioned officers and soldiers to their deaths. Judging a candidate's qualities as an officer isn’t easy based solely on school performance; observing their actions on the battlefield is the best method. It could be argued that the upper echelons wanted to expose officer candidates to actual combat, allowing the incompetent ones to perish there, leaving only the capable to lead the troops. While this was likely unfounded, the fact that officer candidates were flying near actual battle zones indicated that the military leadership might have such thinking. At the very least, it was undeniable that the outcome of today’s reconnaissance mission would influence their futures as officers.

"If we do discover an enemy fleet, what should we do? The instructor said to retreat, but that sounds boring. If we make contact and succeed, maybe we’d get more honours."

"Contact" means to stick to the discovered enemy fleet, report their current location, course, and speed back to the carrier, and guide the attack squadron. It’s important but very dangerous, a task unsuitable for students.

Mio's response was cold.

"Altitude's dropping. We need to maintain speed to return to the carrier."

Upon hearing this, Kiyoaki looked at the instrument panel and indeed saw that the altitude had dropped by about a hundred meters, and the airspeed had decreased by around thirty kilometres per hour. For the reconnaissance officer who needed to calculate their position, this was certainly a nuisance.

"I'm sorry. I'll correct it."

"Stop with the small talk. Focus on flying seriously."

Her tone was entirely reminiscent of Illia at one point. Though Illia had warmed up to him, now it seemed Mio was pulling away.

As Mio wished, Kiyoaki dedicated himself to serious piloting for a while. Mio remained silent, concentrating on navigation. Last summer, when they had boarded the Eriadore airship together, Kiyoaki had felt reassured by having childhood friend Mio by his side amidst the strangers like Balthazar. Yet, a year later, he never imagined they would be so distant.

"Right turn, eighty-seven degrees."

As they quickly completed their three-hundred-kilometre advance, Mio's voice came through the voice pipe in a businesslike manner.

"Understood. Right turn eighty-seven degrees."

He repeated her instruction and turned as specified. This angle of turn had been calculated based on wind speed, airspeed, the carrier's navigation speed, and their own position. If it were incorrect, returning to the carrier would become difficult.

Kiyoaki scanned the surrounding area. They were in a zone where they might encounter enemy fleets. Without onboard radar, they had to rely on their eyes, but a thin layer of clouds made it hard to spot anything.

—I hope there are enemy ships out here.

—If there are, I could talk to Mio more.

As he thought this uncharacteristically reckless thought, he sent his gaze across the vast sky and sea. Below them, islands of various sizes dotted the waters, allowing him to determine their position even if their estimated navigation was incorrect. Given that maritime navigation was easier here, they were training in this area, accepting some risk.

Then—

"What's that...?"

He spotted something resembling ink stains in the northwest sky.

"Left one hundred sixty degrees. There's something there."

It seemed Mio had spotted the same thing. Her voice through the voice pipe was tense.

Kiyoaki squinted harder. There it was—something that seemed like a gift from the capricious gods. It didn’t appear to be an airship.

"Looks like an aircraft... Could it be friendly?"

"If it’s friendly around here, it would only be the aircraft from the Crossnodal base. But they shouldn't be able to reach this sea."

"Is it an enemy carrier aircraft?"

That black dot might be a carrier aircraft launched from an enemy mobile fleet active in these waters.

"…That’s a possibility."

Mio began tapping on the radio key for the tone-two system. Since a radio frequency control was in place, they couldn't receive any replies from the carrier. If the carrier replied, it could be reverse-triangulated, putting the entire fleet in danger. In this lonely environment, where they could only send signals but not receive them, they were forced to make a decision.

"What should we do? Should we run away?"

In response to Kiyoaki's question, Mio replied curtly.

"…Aren't we being told to do that?"

"But it might be friendly."

"If we determine if it’s friend or foe and then run away, it’ll be too late. If that’s a fighter, we won’t be able to escape."

What Mio said made sense. They were in a twin-seat bomber, armed only with a single twelve-millimetre rear-mounted machine gun. They certainly weren't equipped to engage a single-seat fighter in combat.

But—

"With so many clouds, if we hide well, we could escape. Plus, if there’s an enemy fleet, spotting it would be a huge achievement. Can't we hold on a bit longer?"

As he made this suggestion, Mio's voice hardened even more.

"Stop joking. If it comes to that, it’s no longer training; it’s real combat! We're not skilled enough for that yet."

"It's not our first time in real combat. Compared to Eriadore, the Red Goat is faster and more agile. Plus, I've been improving since last year."

His instincts as a pilot rejected the idea of running away without doing anything. As he looked further ahead, the tiny dot was gradually growing larger. He felt that if he observed a little more, he would be able to judge whether it was friend or foe.

"…Wait. Are you thinking something strange? Stop it."

It seemed Mio could read his thoughts, urging him to stop. Since they had been together since childhood, she likely understood his mind well.

However, Kiyoaki couldn't help but smile. It was certainly a critical situation, but her familiar voice was a comforting sound.

Suddenly, memories of the summer he first met Mio came flooding back. He had forced the city-raised Mio to sit in the back seat of an aircraft, taking off despite her screams. At that time, she had hurled insults at him, but eventually, she had grown accustomed to it and even commanded him to keep flying.

Nostalgia burned in his chest. When he thought about it, it had been since that time that they had flown together alone. If things went well, perhaps the old Mio would return to him—the kind Mio who had always been by his side, even after he lost his entire family on Messus Island.

"I'll determine the type of aircraft."

"Stop."

"Just a little, with all these clouds. Once I identify it, I'll escape immediately."

"Don't do anything reckless. Do you want to die here?"

"If that’s an enemy, our allies might be attacked soon. I can’t just stand by and do nothing."

"We're still students. There’s no need for us to do that, and we haven’t been asked to."

"But we also—"

Just as he was about to argue, he felt something strange above them.

"Whoa!!"

At the same time, Mio screamed.

He looked up.

Against the backdrop of the sun, there was one black dot.

In an instant, he flipped the aircraft and slid down into the airspace, looking up at the ocean below.

“Type 3 Idra, one aircraft!!”

Mio shouted. As they were in a reverse dive, the sea surface lay in front of Kiyoaki and above him. The sun was out of sight. However, Mio, sitting back-to-back, could see the zenith that Kiyoaki could not.

The Type 3 Idra had overwhelmed the Beowulf squadron of combat aircraft in front of Kiyoaki while he piloted the Eriadore last summer. The Red Goat carrier bomber had no choice but to dive sharply to escape the Idra's pursuit.

Kiyoaki twisted the aircraft further, nearly executing an inverted descent.

As Kiyoaki glided downwards at an angle, the enemy's tracer rounds followed his trajectory. A stream of fiery lines sliced through the air, barely missing the windscreen.

The sea surface rushed towards him at an alarming rate. He was already below a thousand meters in altitude.

Despite having a hydraulic assist, the control stick felt as heavy as if it were buried deep in the ground.

Even with the airbrakes deployed, the immense G-forces caused the wings to bend.

He dropped below five hundred meters. Kiyoaki gritted his teeth, pulling the control stick with all his strength.

The Red Goat lifted its head, skidding across the surface of the sea.

Torrents of machine gun fire rained down onto the splashing water.

A dry sound echoed from the aircraft. He had taken a few hits. But there was no time to check the situation.

As long as it was still flying, that was all that mattered.

Like a fox licking its lips, the Idra continued its pursuit.

There was no chance of victory in level flight. It would soon catch up and shoot him down.

To counter the enemy aircraft eager to claim its prey:

“Mio…!!”

“I told you so…!!”

In a moment of reckless abandon, Mio fired the rear-mounted twelve-millimetre machine gun.

A stream of Armor-piercing rounds was unleashed at the pursuing Idra. But there were no direct hits. It was known that rear gunfire seldom struck, but it was enough to deter the enemy.

“This is bad; I didn’t think we’d be detected.”

While making excuses, Kiyoaki desperately scanned the surrounding airspace. It was a sudden turn of events; he had broken through the clouds where they were supposed to hide. He searched for a place to conceal themselves.

“Left one hundred fifty degrees, there’s an island…!!”

Mio shouted while firing the turret-mounted machine gun.

Kiyoaki glanced left and back.

As Mio said, he spotted a faint indigo island in the distance.

He steered the aircraft. Sliding left and right, he dodged incoming rounds as he headed towards the nameless island.

At a horizontal distance of twenty thousand meters, he could make out the shape of the island.

It wasn’t a coral reef or a sandy isle. It was a volcanic island rising from the sea. Judging by the island's width, it was probably larger than Air Hunt Island. A mountain range, nearly two thousand meters high, loomed like soldiers raising their swords to the sky.

—Only one enemy. It’s not a formation. We can escape.

He headed straight for the island.

Below him, the sea gave way to a lush green jungle. Ahead lay a rugged chain of volcanoes, their ancient forms overlapping, with smoke billowing from their peaks.

“Come on…!!”

Turning back, he spat in defiance.

He was now painfully aware of the responsibility he had for putting Mio in danger due to his own foolishness.

“Find a river! We need to enter the canyon!!”

While firing the turret-mounted machine gun wildly, Mio shouted above the noise of gunfire.

Kiyoaki recalled his meteorology lessons. The presence of mountains meant that the air cooled at high altitudes, creating clouds and bringing rain. Therefore, there must be a river on this island. If they could find the river, there would surely be a canyon further upstream.

To shake off the numerically superior enemy, they had to seek refuge in the narrow terrain.

—Use the terrain to their advantage. A test of skill.

Kiyoaki steeled himself.

“Got it, thanks, Mio!!”

Even though it was a one-on-one duel, they were a student piloting a bomber while the enemy was a professional in a fighter.

It was a reckless challenge, but he had flown aircraft since childhood and had engaged in air battles with Illia every day now. This wasn’t his first experience in real combat; he had fought in the Eriadore.

Just above the treetops, Kiyoaki fled.

The Idra was in pursuit. The machine gun rounds fired at him vanished into the treetops below, startling countless birds into flight.

The profound silence of the nameless isle was now violently pierced by the thumping of two piston engines and the sounds of gunfire.

“Right one hundred thirty degrees, a river…!!”

Mio's strained voice reached through the intercom. Kiyoaki focused on the direction she indicated. While he couldn’t see the river, he could tell the dense jungle was gouged.

There was no escape except forward. Kiyoaki turned the wings without hesitation.

The Idra wouldn’t give up. It would be a disgrace for a fighter pilot to let a bomber escape without any escort. It was a matter of pride, and they would not let up in their pursuit.

—The battle would continue until one of them fell.

—One of them would end their life here today…!

The weight of the competition presses down on the control stick. My hands tremble, but I suppress that shake with the strength of my resolve.

— I will save Mio, no matter what.

— Even if it costs me my life.

With an unspoken vow etched into my heart, I approach the great river.

At an altitude of fifty meters, I glide just above the water’s surface, like a water strider.

In front of the windscreen, a range of tall mountains looms. The Idra is closing in, fully aware of my intentions, yet charging forward without hesitation, the sound of explosions echoing behind it.

The Idra is faster. It steadily closes the distance. Kiyoaki gauges the timing of the enemy’s shots.

“Left!!”

The moment Mio screams, I kick the left foot bar.

The aircraft skims across the river's surface. A bright red tracer bullet rushes by, nearly colliding.

To the left, the forest looms large. If we make contact, it’s game over.

In an instant, I kick the right foot bar.

The aircraft slides in the opposite direction, right into the waiting grasp of the Idra.

“Mio!!”

The moment I yell, the twelve-millimetre machine gun bursts to life, aiming at the Idra.

The Idra twists to evade. As a professional fighter pilot, it follows closely without hesitation. I understand the difference; this isn’t a match against mere students. This is no easy foe.

— Give it everything.

Encouraging myself, I focus on the towering peaks rising ahead.

— Put everything I've built up to this point on the line.

I kick up a spray of water as I head towards the mountainous terrain.

— Protect Mio at all costs.

The foothills are thick with trees, but as altitude increases, they give way to shrubs, and eventually the rocky surface of the mountains becomes exposed.

I glance back. With growing intensity, the Idra is right on my tail, almost as if enjoying this duel. It’s a typical aggressive move from a Urano pilot.

The higher I fly, the more treacherous the mountains become. The altitude rises, and the valleys narrow, becoming the ravine Mio described.

But what surprised me was—

“It’s twisting…!”

The river, shaped by thousands of years, created a labyrinth canyon where two hundred meters ahead is not visible.

If I make even the slightest mistake with the control stick, I’ll crash into the towering rock face. But if I slow down, the Idra will shoot me down.

I must navigate this maze at the very edge of my speed while avoiding getting caught by the Idra.

“Stay calm; they have the same conditions…”

Mio’s encouragement comes through the voice tube.

Gripping the sweating control stick, I regain my composure. As Mio said, it won’t be easy for the enemy to shoot down someone escaping through this narrow terrain. I must keep my eyes on the aiming sight while also being vigilant of the river below and the rocky walls on either side. If I accelerate recklessly and close the distance, I risk crashing into the next rock face.

— That person is scared too.

I force myself to stay positive, take a deep breath, and concentrate all my focus on the rocky walls flanking me.

— I won’t give in.

The only path is through there.

Control stick, throttle, foot bar. I handle each operation with utmost care, concentrating my nerves on the canyon ahead.

If I let my guard down for even a moment, I’ll crash into the rock face. Maintaining focus is exhausting. There’s no need to fly here; if I gain altitude, there’s open sky to spread my wings freely.

— No, I can’t go there; I’ll get shot down.

If I engage in aerial combat in open space, I can’t hope to win against a fighter plane. I can only overcome these difficulties by navigating this steep-walled labyrinth.

Encouraging myself not to be swallowed by anxiety, I muster the courage from deep within.

“The speed’s increasing; they’re coming…!”

Mio’s tense voice reaches me. When I glance back, the Idra seems to have steeled itself, accelerating to close the gap. It doesn’t look like it plans to take its time.

“Mio, if the enemy fires, tell me the direction to dodge.”

“Leave it to me.”

“I trust you.”

“Ever since we were kids, hanging out with you has led to nothing good.”

Mio’s familiar banter is a relief. It’s been a while since we’ve exchanged light-hearted jabs like this.

— I’m not alone. We’re in this together.

As I climb the river, the canyon narrows, increasing the difficulty of flying.

Ahead, a towering cliff approaches.

Behind, the enemy craft draws near. Mio shouts.

“Left!!”

Kiyoaki kicks the left foot bar, pulling back on the control stick to finally lift the nose.

The tracer bullets surge past below the aircraft. With utmost caution and determination, I gain altitude along the edge of the rocky surface.

The Idra frantically lifts its nose as well. Mio’s rear machine gun spits out bright red fire.

The turning point of fate lies right there.

“…!!”

Smoke erupts from the base of the Idra’s left wing. Simultaneously, the aircraft sways violently.

“Direct hit, direct hit!”

Mio screams. I look back to see the Idra rising dangerously close to the rock face, desperately climbing.

However, it seems its left aileron is damaged, causing the nose to veer off course. It can’t chase me like that.

Kiyoaki escapes the canyon and climbs to an altitude of five hundred meters to observe Idra.

“It’s retreating; we’re saved…”

Idra can no longer engage in aerial combat. It wobbles and shrinks into the distance. Just as I start to breathe a sigh of relief—

“We’ve been hit too!!”

Mio’s anguished scream strikes my ears.

Looking forward again, flames erupt from the front engine.

“W-What!!”

The damage is catastrophic. I don’t need to imagine what would happen if the fuel tank filled with petrol catches fire.

“Mio, jump! Bail out!!”

Kiyoaki hastily opens the windscreen. Fortunately, we both have parachutes, but we’re only at five hundred meters. It’s a dangerous altitude for a parachute drop.

“Why is this happening…!!”

Mio, on the verge of tears, opens the rear windscreen. Kiyoaki unbuckles his seatbelt and prepares to jump, glancing back.

“I’m jumping; open your chute the moment you exit!”

“Got it!”

Together, we leap from the windscreen into the sky.

At the same time, the fuel tank of the Red Goat explodes.

A tremendous light and shockwave rush toward us. The disintegrating aircraft reflects the sunlight like a shining star. Kiyoaki and Mio are hurled like paper scraps, barely managing to deploy their parachutes. A strong weight pulls on their shoulders. Gravity decreases, but the descent speed is still rapid. Below, the rocky walls of the canyon loom closer by the second.

I scan the surroundings to make sure I don’t lose sight of Mio.

I confirm her chute opening above me. At this rate, it looks like she can avoid crashing into the rock face. With a relieved heart, I prepare to choose my landing spot when I suddenly notice the towering rock face right in front of me.

“Eh?”

While worrying about Mio, a crisis was approaching me at a tremendous speed.

“Kiyoaki!!”

I thought I heard Mio’s distant scream. Before I could curse my own foolishness, an overwhelming impact hit my head, and my vision turned dark.

“Why… are you… so stupid…?”

While spilling out her foolishness, Mio desperately swam, holding Kiyoaki, and untied the parachute from her body.

“Kiyoaki! Kiyoaki…!”

She surrendered herself to the flow of the stream, just keeping her face above the surface, calling out to Kiyoaki nearby. However, there was no sign of him opening his eyes, unconscious and unresponsive. His limp arms and legs swayed in the water.

Mio quickly unfastened her parachute and jumped into the stream after Kiyoaki, who had fallen after colliding with a rock wall. She swam hard to catch up to him, managed to grab him, and slapped his cheek, calling his name, but there was no reaction.

The blood flowing from Kiyoaki’s head turned the river red. Dark gray clouds loomed overhead, threatening to rain. She had to get him to the shore somehow.

“Seriously… you’re always… always like this…!”

Fortunately, the river was deep but slow. With one hand under his armpit, she lifted Kiyoaki’s face above the surface and swam desperately to the bank.

“You’re so stupid…! Really, so stupid…!”

Curses slipped out uncontrollably; it was a habit since childhood.

“Unbelievable…! You really are the worst…!”

Drenched like a wet rat, Mio dragged Kiyoaki’s shoulder and scraped her shoe soles against the sandy riverbank. She checked the bleeding on his head, bit into her military uniform sleeve, tore it off, and made a makeshift bandage.

From the sky, the rain began to fall, relentlessly. Looking into the distance, she saw black smoke rising from a part of the forest. The Red Goat must have crashed. Mio memorized her current position, the direction of the smoke, and the outline of the distant ridge as she carried Kiyoaki on her back into the jungle.

The wind and sound of rain grew stronger. This could be a precursor to a storm. Anxiety increased, but for now, she had to find shelter from the rain.

Grinding her teeth, she pressed on through the muddy forest of tropical trees. To remember her route, she marked the tree trunks with her pocketknife as she walked tirelessly.

Above her, large raindrops smashed through the leafy canopy. Summoning all her willpower, she trudged on, soaked to the bone.

“Ugh!”

She stumbled over a root sticking out of the ground and fell, face-first into the mud, while still carrying Kiyoaki. Sitting down in the mud, she groaned in frustration.

“The worst…! Just the worst…!”

Cursing, she wiped her muddy face with her arm, then hoisted Kiyoaki back up and continued walking. It was a tough march, but during her air hunt training, she had once hiked for two days carrying a twenty-kilogram backpack through the woods. She believed she had the strength to overcome this hardship and kept moving through the torrential rain.

After walking for about an hour, occasionally taking breaks, a glimmer of hope smiled upon her.

“I did it…!”

In the steep cliffside, a cave gaped open.

It was a small cave, about two meters high and two and a half meters deep, but at least it could provide shelter from the rain. With a sigh of relief, Mio stepped into the cave and laid Kiyoaki down on the cold stone floor.

A tremendous flash of lightning etched their shadows onto the cave walls.

The roar of the storm shook Mio's stomach. It felt like a mythical beast was howling, as if the island itself might be blown away.

“Crashed, injured, and now a storm… this is just the worst…”

Leaning against the rock wall, Mio trembled.

Because of the weather and altitude, it was cold despite being summer. In this storm, she couldn’t gather enough branches to start a fire, and the coldness of her wet clothes was unbearable.

Mio placed her hand on Kiyoaki’s forehead and cheek. He was cold. Though the bleeding had stopped, his body temperature was bound to drop further in this cold.

──I need to warm him up, or Kiyoaki will die.

She realized this.

However, how to warm him?

Just as one way came to mind, Mio’s cheeks flushed red.

“No way. This is indecent. No way.”

She shook her head to dismiss the thought. But in this situation, without being able to make a fire, she had no other means of warming him.

“This is shameful. Impossible. No way.”

She voiced her refusal to herself, but Kiyoaki was shivering to the point of chattering his teeth. When she shone her emergency flashlight from her chest pocket on his face, his lips were blue, like a corpse. It was clear he wouldn’t last until morning if things continued like this.

“Why…! Why is this happening…!”

As she raised her voice in resentment, she understood that despite her embarrassment, it was essential to remove Kiyoaki’s wet military uniform.

With trembling hands, she began to unbutton his shirt. Having spent her formative years in the Akitsu Federation, Mio had no experience with the male body. Just seeing his collarbone turned her face beet red, and merely looking at the thin shirt clinging to his skin made her shut her eyes.

“It’s not for any weird reason! I-I’m just doing this because you look cold…!”

As she made excuses to the unconscious Kiyoaki, she gripped the hem of his wet shirt and, with her eyes closed, forcibly pulled it off.

She wiped Kiyoaki's exposed torso with the wrung-out shirt, blushing furiously. Though he seemed slender, his daily training had developed firm, toned muscles covering his chest and arms.

Mio’s heart began to play an unfamiliar tune.

It was a strange heartbeat; one she couldn't control. Despite the cold, her face burned.

“You’re so stupid… Really… stupid!”

Remembering herself, she hesitated about removing his pants but decided that leaving him cold wouldn’t help, so she ultimately took them off.

Now Kiyoaki lay there in just his cotton underwear, his cold body exposed.

Mio wrung out her shirt repeatedly, wiping off the droplets from Kiyoaki's entire body. It was better than him staying in wet clothes, but when she placed her hand on his forehead again, he still felt cold.

The chill of the outside air was still an issue.

Checking her pocket watch, she saw it was past seven in the evening. Though she couldn’t see it, the sun had likely already set. With nightfall approaching, it would get even colder. At this rate, hypothermia was unavoidable, and Kiyoaki wouldn’t last until morning. He would die here.

──Am I going to die here?

──Am I just going to silently watch Kiyoaki die?

She questioned herself. She knew the solution. Yet, the idea of such reckless behaviour frightened her.

At that moment, Kiyoaki’s pale blue lips parted.

“…O…”

Finally, he showed a reaction. He might wake up. Mio, slapping her cheeks with one hand, called out to him.

“Kiyoaki! Wake up, Kiyoaki!”

Kiyoaki’s expression twisted, and words began to take shape.

“…Mio… I’m… sorry… Mio…”

Even in a state of unconsciousness, Kiyoaki was worried about her.

“Kiyoaki!!”

Mio desperately called his name, but Kiyoaki's eyes remained shut. Only his right hand slowly lifted.

“…Mio…”

Without hesitation, Mio grabbed Kiyoaki's cold hand. It was extremely cold. Could it be that Kiyoaki was trying to apologize with his last bit of strength?

“Just stop! You don’t need to apologize! So wake up! Don’t die!!”

Mio’s voice trembled, almost in tears. Even on the brink of death, Kiyoaki was still concerned for her.

──Even with someone like me.

──Someone who betrayed you.

During the attack in the Eriadore airship, when Mio was gravely injured, Kiyoaki had taken the lives of all his comrades upon his own piloting skills, attempting a challenging nighttime landing and succeeding brilliantly.

──No matter how much I repay you, it’s not enough.

──What I did was betray you and side with Urano.

A sharp sense of guilt surged within her.

As Mio gazed at the burnt remnants of Messusu Island, the day she vowed with Kiyoaki to defeat Urano resurfaced in her mind.

“To end the war. I will crush the Sky Clan, Urano.”

Determined not to let more sad sacrifices like her parents and sister be born, Kiyoaki had directed his focused gaze toward the distant sky.

“I want to share the same dream as you, Kiyoaki.”

Mio had asked that of him, holding hands with Kiyoaki, embracing their endless dream.

That was why they both attended the Air Hunt Officer Academy, having sworn to pursue the same goal together.

Yet here she was.

What she was doing now was choosing family over comrades, betraying them by leaking confidential information to Urano.

Moreover, her stepfather, Ethan, had been behind the invasion of Messusu Island. Even though Ethan had taken Kiyoaki’s homeland and family, she couldn’t abandon him. No matter how despicable a traitor he might be, he was the one who had given her this life. Even if he was the one who killed Kiyoaki’s family, he was still her father, so she couldn’t discard him.

──The lowest and worst of all is me.

A sharp sense of self-reproach deeply cut into her heart.

“...Mio... Mio...”

Kiyoaki continued to call her name in his dreams. Even on the brink of death, he was still worried about her.

Mio bit her lip hard, kneeling on the ground, lifting Kiyoaki’s head and placing it on her thigh.

She stroked Kiyoaki’s forehead with her hand.

“Kiyoaki. I’m okay.”

The coldness of his forehead transmitted through her palm. The chill creeping in from outside was seeping into Kiyoaki’s life. As time passed, it would become increasingly difficult to regain the lost body heat.

“I… am the worst. I’m a terrible person. I’m betraying you all and leaking information to the enemy.”

She cupped his pale cheeks with both hands, rubbing them. But Kiyoaki didn’t wake up.

“You saved my life. Yet instead of repaying you, I’m betraying you.”

A sniffle escaped Mio. She couldn’t contain the emotions bubbling up inside her.

“It was my dad who took your family and homeland. He deceived everyone, aided Urano, and is now trying to do the same thing in Crossnodal Island.”

Currently, the information from Crossnodal Island, a fiercely contested battlefield, was flowing through Ethan to Urano. Despite knowing this, Mio remained silent.

“I don’t even deserve to live; I’m a piece of trash.”

She held back tears, thinking she had no right to cry.

“But... because of that... at least…”

She forced out her feelings into words.

“I want to save at least you.”

Mio lifted Kiyoaki’s head and kissed his cold forehead.

“Even though I’m the woman trying to drag everyone into hell…”

She rubbed her cheek against Kiyoaki’s motionless face.

“I can’t bear for you to die.”

After laying Kiyoaki’s body gently on the ground, Mio stood up and took off her soaked military uniform.

──This is disgraceful. This is crude. Like an animal.

──But if it saves Kiyoaki, being like an animal is fine.

──I don’t care how low I fall.

A flash of lightning illuminated the cave momentarily, casting a pale glow on Mio's body.

A tremor shook the cave, and rainwater streamed into it, carrying a biting cold.

“I’m sorry.”

Mio, in only her underwear, lay beside Kiyoaki, wrapping her arms around his back. Their bare skin touched, sharing warmth.

“I don’t think I can be forgiven. But I’m sorry.”

Mio clung to Kiyoaki. Their innocent bodies softly and warmly resonated with each other.

Kiyoaki’s heartbeat resonated directly in Mio's chest.

She felt a mix of embarrassment, yet she could sense Kiyoaki’s will to survive.

“It’s okay. I won’t let you die. I won’t let you die.”

She rubbed Kiyoaki’s cold arms and back, wrapping her hands around his neck tightly. His body, which had been growing colder, gradually felt softer and warmer.

──It’s working.

──If I continue like this, Kiyoaki will be saved.

Mio encouraged herself, suppressing her shame with all her might, dedicating herself to warming Kiyoaki’s body.

Kiyoaki was in a dream.

A dream of being in a dark, lightless place, trembling from an indescribable cold.

His extremities were frozen, unable to move, while his consciousness awakened, only able to watch as he slowly froze.

It was a terrible nightmare, painful, lonely, and suffocating, yet he couldn’t even cry.

“Someone help me. I don’t want to die like this.” He wanted to scream, but he couldn’t make a sound, trapped in an eternal frozen hell.

He couldn’t understand why he found himself in such a state.

“Mio.”

He called out the name of the person who was always closest to him.

Was Mio safe? Was she suffering like this? If his reckless actions had caused her to tremble alone in the cold, he had to warm her up.

“Mio.”

That name was the only thing he could say. But there was only darkness around him, and he could see nothing. The core of his body froze.

“I’m sorry. Don’t die. Mio.”

At that moment, all he could do was apologize.

A faint crack appeared in the heavy darkness.

Warm, soft light began to seep in. The surface of his cold, stiff body touched the light and slowly began to thaw.

“Oh,” he involuntarily exclaimed.

The light was indescribably warm, soft, and had a supple resilience.

Something smooth, resembling high-quality silk, pressed against his forehead and cheek, spreading warmth from there. A comforting elasticity enveloped his chest, arms, and back, dispelling the cold of the darkness.

A mass of light surrounded Kiyoaki's entire body.

The light, with substance, embraced Kiyoaki’s entire body.

The coldness of death that he had braced for melted away in the pure light.

“Kiyoaki.”

That warm, soft light called his name.

“Don’t die. Kiyoaki.”

The light whispered as it seeped into Kiyoaki’s heart.

The once-frozen heartbeat regained its strength.

──This is a dream. It’s not real.

Kiyoaki’s reason whispered that to him.

──But it’s fine if it’s a dream.

The expression and form of the voice’s owner were hidden within the curtain of light, obscured from view. Kiyoaki stretched out his hand, trying to touch whoever was on the other side.

The arms of the light wrapped around Kiyoaki’s back.

Kiyoaki also embraced that substantial light in his arms.

The warmth enveloping him from within the light transmitted its elasticity throughout Kiyoaki’s entire being.

The coldness of death faded, and the warmth of life spread through him.

He felt indescribably happy.

Kiyoaki prayed that this dream would never end.

“I won’t let you die.”

The light whispered in Kiyoaki’s ear. A single tear fell from his eye.

In that instant──.

A primal surge of life suddenly surged within Kiyoaki.

Was it a fundamental desire to survive this frozen hell, or was it an instinctive desire inherent to males? Perhaps it was both.

A burning, intense will moved Kiyoaki’s arms. Even with the power of reason trying to control it, it was a compulsion unlike anything he had experienced before.

──I want to be one.

──One with this light.

Driven by that impulse, Kiyoaki forcefully pushed his arms into the inner sanctum of the light.

He grasped whatever obscured the light and stripped it away without a single thought intervening.

“Ah...!?”

From beyond the light, a voice echoed. Yet Kiyoaki’s consciousness was unclear, unable to discern whether this was a dream or reality.

He had lost control over reason, thought, and action. Only the natural instinct of a living being drove Kiyoaki’s body.

──This light is mine.

It was an instinctive action to preserve and continue his own life. Kiyoaki’s body simply obeyed that fundamental will.

“I won’t let go.”

Kiyoaki whispered to the light.

The light was crying.

He didn’t understand why it was crying.

He thought it didn’t matter. Whether this was a dream or reality was irrelevant. All he wanted was to eliminate all thought and become one with this light.

Kindness and warmth seeped into every cell of his being. A tenderness that accompanied pain ignited a blaze in Kiyoaki’s chest. With a dim consciousness, he simply sought the light, wanting to merge with it.

Kiyoaki continued to embrace the light, resonating their heartbeats together. The two heartbeats harmonized, weaving a melody of life that flowed through the inner sanctum of the light like a stream.

He awoke to blinding brightness.

With a groan, he opened his eyes. A pristine morning sun had penetrated deep into the cave.

He could hear birds singing. The rich scent of wet summer grass filled his nostrils. A pale, greenish morning mist flowed outside the cave.

Kiyoaki propped himself up, realizing he was only wearing underwear.

“Ah...”

Several broken branches had been propped against the cave wall, with Kiyoaki’s damp clothes spread out at the ends.

A throbbing pain in his head made itself known. Grimacing, he placed a hand over the injury and realized that a makeshift bandage was wrapped around it with his military uniform’s sleeve.

“Where... is this...?”

Perhaps due to the injury, there were gaps in his memory. He couldn’t recall the details of yesterday’s events.

Certainly, he had gone out for an enemy reconnaissance flight, encountered enemy aircraft midway, was pursued, escaped to an island, and had parachuted down with someone from the rear seat...

“Mio!”

Kiyoaki shouted and looked around.

Mio was nowhere to be found. In a panic, he put on his damp military uniform and rushed out of the cave.

The light filled the world, and he instinctively shaded his eyes with his hand. The storm had passed, and a refreshing morning, cleansed of impurities, had arrived.

The densely clustered branches and leaves of the trees were laden with droplets of water, sparkling as they reflected the morning sun. The vivid green was almost painful to look at. Stepping on the wet, rotten leaves while calling Mio's name, Kiyoaki stepped into the forest.

Between the narrow trunks of the trees, he spotted a blue stream. He stumbled forward, reaching the sandy riverbank.

A bundle of rough branches, seemingly gathered by someone, lay lined up on the riverbank. And in the flowing water...

“Ah...”

A girl in a military uniform stood alone with her back turned, using a sextant to measure the sun’s altitude.

“Mio...”

When he called her name, Mio turned to him, casting a glance of slight disdain.

“You’re late. How long are you going to sleep?”

With a curt remark, she turned her back on Kiyoaki and continued her measurements.

Her slender back painfully reminded him of last night’s memories.

“...!!”

A sharp pain shot through his temple.

The vivid sensation of Mio in Kiyoaki's arms resurfaced in his mind.

That softness, warmth, resilience, and the newfound comfort he had never known before...

He had thought it was a dream, but it was probably not.

──I took something precious from Mio.

The image of the bare Mio, enveloped in light, came back to him.

And he remembered what he had done to her.

──Like an animal, driven by instinct.

His lips trembled as he called out.

“Mio, I...”

The words after that wouldn’t come. Mio looked back at Kiyoaki with a hint of suspicion.

“Hmm?”

“T-That... um, something irreversible...”

Her expression seemed to say, "Huh?" as her mouth opened.

Kiyoaki knelt down and placed his palms on the ground. It was a traditional way of apologizing in the Akitsu Federation.

“I-I’ll take responsibility...!! I promise, I will... for the rest of my life...!?”

His words were drowned out by a sudden blow to his head.

When he looked up, he saw Mio holding a sextant in her right hand, puffing up her cheeks.

“I told you to stop, didn’t I? You always do something reckless. There’s no way a bomber can win against a fighter. But well, it’s fine now. The situation is terrible, but at least we’re both safe.”

With a dramatic sigh, Mio resumed her measurements. Kiyoaki, momentarily stunned, quickly tightened his expression.

“Uh, no, that’s not it! It’s about what happened after that...”

Mio tilted her head, looking puzzled.

“After that? Oh, you mean carrying you here? It was super hard work. When we get back, you owe me a cake. Every day for three months.”

“N-No, that’s not it! I mean, that’s bad too, but... not that. It’s about what happened after...”

“Yeah. You were cold and shivering, so I took off your clothes. I saw everything. Thanks to you, I’ve become an adult.”

She laughed, placing her hand on her cheek, clearly enjoying herself. Mio’s attitude was surprisingly cheerful.

“Um, yeah. So, about that after...”

“After? You were sleeping with a silly face. You looked happy. Were you having a fun dream? I’m not interested, but do you want to tell me the content?”

Mio asked nonchalantly.

Watching her, Kiyoaki began to lose confidence in his memories of last night.

──Could it be that it was all a dream?

──Otherwise, Mio wouldn’t be acting like this...

If that had been real, her current demeanour wouldn’t fit at all. A girl raised with the strong values of the Akitsu Federation would surely be shocked and confront Kiyoaki about his actions last night. Even without that, it would be odd if she didn’t retain some semblance of the aftereffects of those actions.

Yet Mio seemed completely unfazed, joking with him in a carefree manner.

Kiyoaki, feeling awkward, decided to test the waters.

“I-I had a strange dream... so maybe that was reality...”

“Oh? What kind of dream?”

“It felt so real that it seemed like reality, but seeing you now, I’m starting to think it was just a dream...”

“Me? I was involved? What kind of dream was that?”

“T-That’s...”

Kiyoaki swallowed hard, raising his face, flushed, to look directly at Mio.

“I don’t want you to get mad when I tell you this...”

“Okay, I won’t get mad.”

“If it was really a dream, you’d probably get mad...”

“Like I said, I won’t get mad. Just hurry up and tell me.”

“W-Well, that dream was...!”

Kiyoaki stood rigidly, responding to the morning call, puffing out his chest and looking up to the sky.

“...I’m sorry! It’s nothing!!”

As he shouted, Mio fell over in surprise.

“What’s that supposed to mean? Now I’m even more curious. Just say it!”

“I’m sorry, I think it was just my imagination. I mean, a head injury can make you think of things you normally wouldn’t. I’m sorry, forget it.”

As he rejected her, Mio leaned forward, eager to hear more.

“What’s that? There’s no way I’d be fooled by that. Oh, I get it, it was a lewd dream!”

At her question, Kiyoaki instinctively swallowed hard. It was indeed a lewd dream.

“Is that your face saying it’s true?”

Mio continued to probe; her interest piqued. Kiyoaki nodded silently.

Suddenly, Mio’s expression soured, hands on her hips, as she turned away.

“Unbelievable. The worst. I carry you through the rain and walk all this way, and you’re having a lewd dream and smiling? How nice for you.”

“U-Um, I’m sorry... I really am...”

As Kiyoaki deeply bowed in apology, Mio sighed dramatically again, but her expression softened as she looked up at the bright sun.

“I had a bad feeling when I heard we were a pair, and it turned out to be true. Well, now that it’s happened, there’s no helping it. Anyway, today you’re going to work. First, we need to recover the communication device. Then we’ll contact the flagship for a rescue. Everyone is probably worried by now.”

She stated firmly. Kiyoaki looked up and nodded.

“...Yeah, you’re right. I’m really sorry about yesterday. I’ll make up for it today.”

“Okay. I’m counting on you. I’ve already figured out about where we crashed, so once you’re ready, we’ll head out.”

Mio clapped her hands to focus, pointing toward the direction they would walk today in the dense forest.

──Was it really a dream? Maybe after all...

── There’s no reason for me to hide the truth from Mio...

Kiyoaki convinced himself of this as he began preparing to depart with Mio. As she said, they needed to think about calling for help as quickly as possible.

They had breakfast with the canned bread and then entered the forest together.

Mio was staring at her compass, pointing southeast. "If we walk this way for about an hour, there’s a bigger river. That’s the river you fell into. I marked the trees with my knife on the way here, so let’s follow those marks. Once we reach the river, we should be able to see the crash site."

Just as Mio said, there were small marks carved into the trees at regular intervals. It was impressive how meticulous she was, given that she specialized in navigation.

"You marked them while carrying me?"

"Yep. I complained about you the whole time. You didn’t wake up at all, though."

"...I'm sorry. Should I carry you today?"

"No, it's fine. You’re the injured one. I can walk by myself."

Mio firmly declined and walked on her own.

Her straightforward attitude made Kiyoaki remember the Mio from last night's dream.

── Was that really a dream?

Doubt began to creep in. Yet if that had been reality, he couldn’t understand why Mio would act like this.

There was no need for her to pretend it didn’t happen. That had to be the case.

If it was reality, Kiyoaki was prepared to take responsibility.

He didn't want to be the kind of man who would take away something precious from Mio and then act as if nothing happened. Although he was still in his teens, according to the laws of the Akitsu Federation, he could get engaged. Besides, they had made a promise when they were children.

── If that was reality, I would propose to Mio.

── To take responsibility for my actions, that’s the only way.

Kiyoaki reaffirmed this to himself.

However, Mio was acting as if nothing had happened, behaving just like usual. No, considering her attitude now, it was closer to the cheerful, spirited Mio that Kiyoaki had known since childhood.

If that had been reality, Mio wouldn’t be acting like this. There would be no reason for her to silently endure having something precious taken from her.

"What are you spacing out for? Does your head hurt?"

Suddenly being asked brought him back to reality. Mio was glaring at him with a pout.

"Could it be that you were thinking something lewd again? That’s the lowest. Stop dreaming and take this seriously."

In an exaggerated tone like that of a noblewoman, Mio threw the insult at him. Kiyoaki shook his head seriously.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I’ll take it seriously. I promise..."

He trailed off, checking the marks on the tree as they walked through the forest. As he debated whether to bring up last night’s dream again, they emerged from the trees and came upon a river.

"Uh... it should be over there."

Mio observed the mountain range in the distance, checking her compass, and pointed northeast toward the base of the mountain. The gray peaks lined up against the blue sky, with a vast forest of deep green spread out at their feet.

"There’s no smoke coming from there now, but yesterday there was black smoke rising from that area."

"Impressive, you were really watching closely. Let’s go check it out."

"Yeah. I hope the communication device isn’t broken..."

Walking side by side with a worried Mio, they crossed a shallow section of the river, water up to their knees, and stepped into the forest on the other side.

"What would happen if the communication device is broken?"

"We wouldn’t be able to call for help. We’d just have to wait for someone to come."

"Even if they did come, would they be able to find us? There are so many islands..."

"It might be impossible. If that’s the case, we’d have to build a raft and set out to sea together. Or we could just live on this island together forever."

Mio’s words settled heavily in Kiyoaki’s stomach.

That didn’t seem like such a bad future.

Mio walked in silence. Perhaps she, too, was contemplating the meaning of her own words.

── To be here on this island, just the two of us, forever.

The temptation whispered in the back of his mind.

"You have a goal, so you absolutely have to escape."

As if she had seen through his thoughts, Mio said this resolutely.

Dodging through the narrow gaps between trees, stepping into the tricky, decaying underbrush, she continued, her eyes focused on the crash site.

"You’re going to take down Urano, right? To put an end to this war."

It was the vow they had made on Messus Island. Kiyoaki had never forgotten that promise.

"Yeah... I don’t want to experience anything that sad ever again."

"We're escaping. No matter what it takes. Everyone is worried, and living together on this island is the worst."

"I know... I was feeling a bit weak. But I understand. We will escape."

Mio nodded while keeping her gaze fixed ahead and stepped forward again. After struggling through the forest for two hours, they finally came upon the remains of the Red Goat, its fuselage split in two.

"Yes! There it is!"

With a cheer, Kiyoaki rushed to check the back seat. Peering through the windshield, he saw that while the damage was severe, the communication equipment was intact.

"Thank you, God...!"

Mio offered a prayer and climbed into the back seat, pulling out a map of the Multi-Islands from beneath the seat. Kiyoaki slid into the front seat and powered on the communication device. He confirmed that the red light had turned green, and as Mio glared at the map, she took a piece of paper from her pocket. It contained the results of this morning’s celestial observation.

"Based on the enemy airspace, this morning’s observations, and the island’s geography, we are here on Rembrandt Island. It’s alright; there’s a communication outpost over the mountain. Help should arrive soon."

Mio began tapping on the wireless telegraph key to report their situation to the flagship. Once the flagship received the message, they would relay it to their allies for rescue.

"Yeah, the signal flares are intact. It looks like we’re going to be okay."

"Oh man, the instructor is going to be mad. This might affect my grades. I’m never pairing up with you again."

"I’m really sorry, Mio. It’s thanks to you that we survived. If you hadn’t been here, I would have definitely died..."

"Guess we’re even now."

That "even" referred to when Kiyoaki saved Mio’s life during a night landing. She had felt guilty about that for a long time. Kiyoaki laughed.

"You just paid me back. I can never look you in the eye again."

At this, Mio snorted in annoyance.

"Thanks can wait until after we’re safe. First, we need to detach the communication device and battery."

"Oh, right. I’ll carry it; you rest..."

Kiyoaki quickly got to work, panting as he removed the necessary equipment and power source from the aircraft, using straps to carry it on his back. It weighed about twenty kilograms altogether.

"It’s heavy...!"

"Do you want me to carry the battery?"

"I’m fine; I can handle it. Alright, let’s go! I hope we can get picked up today..."

Struggling, Kiyoaki pushed himself to step back into the forest once more.

After panting and taking breaks, it took them about three and a half hours to return to the large riverbank. From here, launching a signal flare should make it easier for the rescue team to find them.

"We're back...!"

"Light the flare! They might already be on their way..."

At her prompt, Kiyoaki leaned the flare against the sandy riverbank and ignited it. Dark purple smoke began to rise towards the summer sky.

"Please find us..."

As Kiyoaki heard Mio's prayer with one ear, he couldn't suppress the ungracious thoughts in his mind.

—Just a little longer... I want to be with her...

But the cruel gods would trample such wishes mercilessly.

"I did it! They're coming!"

Before an hour had passed, Mio pointed excitedly at the sky.

There, in the northern sky, was the silhouette of a bell-shaped airship. The faint sound of its lift device could be heard. It seemed to be a small airship dispatched from the communication outpost. Kiyoaki muttered a faint wish.

"It might be the enemy."

"It’s our allies. You can tell by the silhouette; it’s a Rack Otis. A transport vessel with lift devices."

As Mio said, it was the latest small transport vessel of the St Vault military. It was capable of landing on the southern sea beyond large waterfalls and was an excellent airship used in airborne operations due to its mobility and personnel-carrying capacity.

"Over here, over here—"

Mio shouted loudly with a smile, waving her arms to call the Rack Otis, making Kiyoaki want to stop her. He felt regret that their time on this island was coming to an end.

But Mio turned to Kiyoaki, still standing there with a blank expression.

"What are you doing? You should be calling too!"

"Uh, right."

Reluctantly, he waved his hands half-heartedly, and the skilled airship crew quickly spotted them, beginning to circle above.

Landing seemed difficult, as the small transport vessel hovered about fifteen meters high and dropped two ropes with hooks. It seemed they would be lifted for recovery.

Struggling against the wind pressure from the lift device, Kiyoaki and Mio hurriedly hooked the hooks onto their belts and gave a thumbs-up to the crew. The airship crew confirmed with a nod and began retracting the ropes.

"Are you okay? It’s good to see you safe. Everyone has been worried."

Once they were safely pulled aboard, Kiyoaki stepped down inside the transport vessel with the help of the soldiers, and a kind-looking non-commissioned officer greeted them.

"Thank you very much. You really saved us."

Kiyoaki and Mio both expressed their gratitude. The non-commissioned officer smiled and casually handed them some rations and a blanket.

"You must be tired. Eat this and get some rest. I bet the instructor will chew you out when you get back to the flagship, so you’d better regain your strength while you can."

Joking, he winked at Mio before returning to the communication station. He seemed to have sent a report to the flagship, the Merdireik, confirming the safe recovery of the cadets.

Mio quickly wrapped herself in the blanket and sat against the wall of the transport vessel.

"Ugh... I’m exhausted... This was a terrible ordeal because of you."

Kiyoaki also wrapped himself in a blanket and sat down next to her.

"I'm sorry, Mio. I regret it. Thank you so much."

"I'm going to sleep now. Don’t talk to me. I’m really fed up. I feel awful."

With a cold remark, Mio pulled the blanket over her head, turning away and curling up. There was no way to reach her. Kiyoaki sighed, threw out another apology to her back, and closed his eyes as well.

With the blanket pulled over her head, Mio let out a deep, heavy sigh in the darkness.

Today had been unbearable. She realized how exhausting it was to keep up the facade of acting.

Hachidori... Reiner is amazing. Living every day behind such a mask takes nerves of steel. Hiding her heartbeat, controlling her emotions to prevent her inner turmoil from showing was so painful and difficult.

—Will I have to keep living this lie forever?

A bleak feeling filled her lungs, making her dizzy. It felt so overwhelming that she doubted she could keep it up until graduation.

But she had no choice. It would be more pitiful for Dominic, Kazuki, and Bonita to go through this. She didn’t want to trouble her brother-in-law and sister-in-law, who were already enduring the same ordeal.

—Don’t think about yourself. If you do, you’ll be able to endure it...

Encouraging herself, Mio tightly shut her eyes.

The events of last night were still vividly burned into her mind.

Pain, throbbing, and shame.

The memories of last night were etched fiercely into her chest, lower abdomen, and thighs, raw and fresh.

—I was intimate with Kiyoaki.

Her face flushed with embarrassment. She must not let anyone see this expression. Curling up under the blanket like a fetus, she hid her entire body.

—Like an animal.

Listening to the sound of the storm, they had become one, confirming each other’s existence.

She knew Kiyoaki was in a dreamy state. From the thin line between reality and illusion, he had called her name.

Mio let him do as he wished without resistance. She could have run away but chose not to. She surrendered everything, accepting it all as it was.

—This is my only way to atone.

Throughout that time, she kept telling herself that.

—I don’t expect to be forgiven, but if this is what you want right now...

At that moment, Mio cried. Enduring the pain of breaking, she shed tears. Whether it was joy, sadness, or self-pity, she didn’t even know the reason for her tears.

After the act, in Kiyoaki's arms as he fell asleep, she watched the heavy rain and lightning, pressing one ear against his bare chest to hear his heartbeat.

As she did so, the heat from her body faded away, and her mind regained its calm.

—Tomorrow morning, Kiyoaki will surely try to take responsibility.

In the Akitsu Federation, that was common sense. A man who had been intimate with someone had to take responsibility by marrying her. With Kiyoaki’s character, he would certainly want that.

However.

—I must not involve Kiyoaki in my life.

—Kiyoaki is going to become a great figure in the Multi-Island Sea Alliance.

—He’s someone who walks the path to glory. He cannot be with a traitor.

Confirming this, Mio looked up at Kiyoaki.

In her natural state, with nothing on, she quietly rose from his arms and kissed him.

Lightning illuminated Kiyoaki's sleeping face. She knew that due to the head injury, his consciousness had been unclear throughout their intimacy.

Mio made a decision.

—Let’s pretend it never happened.

—Let’s say it was a dream Kiyoaki had.

—As long as I don’t acknowledge it, he won’t have to take responsibility.

She believed that was the only way.

It would be a lie to say it didn’t hurt. After all, Mio had sacrificed something irreplaceable. She was filled with the desire for Kiyoaki to know the reality.

But if Mio admitted it, Kiyoaki would have to abandon his path to glory and dedicate his one life to a traitor. If that happened, no one would be sadder than Mio herself.

—I must not obstruct Kiyoaki's future.

—I absolutely must not let him find out about tonight.

—Even if Kiyoaki asks about tonight repeatedly.

—Lie. Joke about it. Deceive him. Avoid the subject.

—Expend everything of myself.

—Let’s pretend it never happened.

As she gazed out at the storm raging outside the cave, Mio made that resolution.

Pressing herself against the wall of the rack, wrapped in a blanket like a fetus, she confirmed once more to herself.

—This is for the best.

—It’s fine because it’s Kiyoaki.

—If it were anyone else, I would hate it. But it’s Kiyoaki.

So she comforted herself, curled up tightly.

—From now on, I’ll throw my own happiness into the trash.

—So that my family can live happily and healthily.

—So that my younger brother and sister can lead normal lives.

—I will betray my comrades.

As she told herself that, Mio closed her eyes, waiting for the arrival of sleep to momentarily save her from this painful world.

Part 22 (Part 5 of Volume 3) The sea spray was lifted high into the sky, obscuring the sunlight and hiding even the rainbow. Like a divine millstone, the thunderclouds draped themselves over the rice fields.

Twisting and swirling like a spiral, the immense millstone moved slowly towards the southeast, rotating the clouds as if they were a melody. The true nature of the swirling clouds, described as the "Dragon's Nest," was an extraordinarily large typhoon with a diameter of over 1,600 kilometres and maximum wind speeds exceeding 50 meters per second.

In September, typhoons frequently occur in the North-South Multi-Island Sea.

This was the fourth typhoon of the year, but its scale was exceptionally large. On the islands in the typhoon's path, preparations for the safety of crops and buildings were likely in full swing. Like a divine beast moving over the sea, the typhoon swallowed everything in its path and advanced southward.

In the year 1348 of the Empire's Chronicle, September, two hundred nautical miles north of Crossnodar Island in the North Multi-Island Sea──.

There were two flying islands, trailing at a horizontal distance of 20,000 meters from the super gigantic typhoon.

Both were enormous floating islands nearly fifteen kilometres long and five kilometres wide. Below them were long, powerful rudder mechanisms, and on the surface, there were airfields and countless anti-aircraft gun emplacements and anti-ship batteries glaring at the sky like hedgehogs.

Uranos Fortress No. 9 "Kalkinos," Fortress No. 11 "Balsinos."

Of the four flying fortresses dispatched to the Multi-Island Sea area, two were now moving south, close to the super gigantic typhoon.

At the tip of the island, there was the Uranos Fortress command centre, protected by concrete armour and thick bulletproof glass. Surrounded by several staff officers, a middle-aged soldier wearing a shoulder insignia indicating a minor rank observed the typhoon through binoculars.

──Operation Judeka.

Muttering the name of this operation to himself, Commander Lysander Kepla of Kalkinos lowered his binoculars to visually confirm the state of the super gigantic typhoon named "Judeka."

"It's an unprecedented operation."

His tone held no sarcasm; rather, it was filled with anticipation for the adventure ahead. Although Lysander had been critical of the integrated operations headquarters' methods, he was unusually enthusiastic about this "Judeka Operation."

"Interesting. If it goes well, it will surely be etched into the annals of world warfare."

While gazing at the Judeka, which painted the sky and sea in dark gray, he spoke to the navigation officer beside him. The navigation officer did not hide his grim expression.

"I hope you also understand the struggles of those on the front lines."

"Compared to aerial assaults and naval bombardments, typhoons are trivial. The wind and rain cannot destroy concrete armour."

"Staying hidden in the typhoon for nearly a week while concealing radio communications is concerning for troop morale, and won’t the underground storage become waterlogged?"

"If we start counting negatives, we’ll never finish. As a surprise attack, it makes perfect sense. Who would expect two flying fortresses to approach amidst a typhoon? In this age of omnipotent radar, attempting a surprise attack with cumbersome flying fortresses is truly an amusing plan."

Lysander laughed heartily. The navigation officer returned a serious expression, turning his attention back to the multi-island sea map on the operations table. On it, the predicted path of the typhoon led to Air Hunt Island.

"If the typhoon veers away from Air hunt Island, that would be troublesome."

"In that case, we can turn back and retreat. The odds are fifty-fifty, but it’s worth taking the risk. If all goes as planned, our swords will be thrust deep into the enemy's throat. The course of the war will change. …Well then. Shall we proceed? Are we ready?"

Receiving confirmation from the air and communication officers, Lysander issued the order.

"Steering apparatus, reduce speed to 12 knots. Entering Judeka. For a while, we won’t see the sun, so engrave its image into your minds."

The navigation officer held the microphone to his mouth and relayed the current order throughout the island. Soldiers on the ground, bidding farewell to the sun, moved towards the underground living quarters. All aircraft had already been stored in the underground hangars, and only concrete buildings fortified against wind and water remained on the surface.

Kalkinos and Balsinos, the two flying fortresses, stealthily approached the super gigantic typhoon "Judeka."

On the surface of Kalkinos, there was one person──.

In contrast to the stream of personnel flowing into the underground, someone remained at the last corner of the airfield, gazing at the typhoon.

Amidst the well-groomed soldiers, there was a man with a peculiar appearance.

Clad in a wrinkled, tattered military uniform, he leaned on a cane with his right hand.

His right foot was barefoot. What protruded from the hem of his trousers was not an ankle but a wooden stick. Firmly planted on the ground, the man, with a shabby prosthetic leg, stood still, staring intently at the typhoon.

His face was wrapped in bandages.

A small opening was made for his eyes, nose, and mouth, ensuring he could see and breathe. The exposed skin peeking through the small gap was covered in keloids, suggesting he had suffered severe burns across his face in the past. Without a military cap, the man had bandages wrapped around his head and stood there without moving.

Someone could have called out to him to take him underground, but no one approached him. He seemed to exist on a different plane than ordinary people.

After observing the typhoon until he grew tired, the man turned and began to walk unsteadily. With a hunched back and an unstable gait that made it look like he might fall at any moment, he barely managed to keep his balance, resembling an old man as he stepped onto the stairs leading down to the underground facility.

The man walked alone through the narrow underground passage.

Two lieutenants, laughing as they approached from the other side, noticed him, gasped in alarm, their expressions stiffening, and both pressed themselves against the wall, looking up at him in respect as he passed. The man walked by slowly, tapping the floor with his cane, without returning their nod. The lieutenants remained motionless against the wall until he disappeared down the corridor.

At every place the man went, the Uranos personnel reacted the same way.

They merely feared and made way. Mechanics, pilots, officers, engine personnel, and supply personnel all knew his face, yet no one spoke to him. They merely stiffened their expressions, suppressing screams, and made way for him.

Eventually, the bandaged man reached the underground hangar for the flying machines.

Afterward, he began to wander through the hangar as if searching for a lost treasure.

Noticing him, a mechanic cautiously approached the bandaged man and pointed to a single seat fighter aircraft.

Without expressing thanks, the bandaged man walked unsteadily toward the indicated aircraft.

He stuck a staff at his waist and clung to the wings, desperately trying to climb up. His movements were awkward, like a caterpillar crawling up a tree branch. A mechanic, unable to watch any longer, rushed over to help, but the bandaged man turned around, clinging to the wings, and glared with his keloid-covered eyes.

"Gi...!"

A strange growl reverberated from beneath the bandages. The intimidated mechanic let out a short scream and stayed put. The bandaged man twisted his body and climbed up onto the wings, then rolled into the cockpit with the same motion.

This was where he slept.

Although a special room was prepared in the living quarters, the bandaged man never approached it, always sleeping alone in the cramped cockpit.

The mechanic gazed at the cockpit with a look of disbelief before turning his gaze to the nose of the aircraft.

It was decorated with a black panther's nose art.

In the same league as Akmed from Valkyrie, there was the emblem of the "King of the Skies."

──Karnasion.

The King of the Skies was now curled up like a caterpillar in the cockpit, waiting for the day he would soar into battle.

Though Karnasion found it difficult to walk on the ground, in the sky he maneuverer fighter planes freely, transforming into a black panther that hunted down any prey. With an ugly appearance and a lost right leg, his throat covered in keloids, he could barely speak, making the ground feel like hell to him. The only place he could behave freely was in the cockpit of a fighter plane. The aircraft now responded to his desires more than his own body, projecting the aerial manoeuvres he imagined into the sky.

To Karnasion, his beloved machine was his own flesh and blood.

In this miserable state, crawling on the ground, he was merely a husk. A husk needed no family, friends, or lovers—only his beloved machine.

Inside the cockpit, he closed his eyes, feeling comforted as the aircraft gently cradled his ugly self. Karnasion and the Type 3 Idra had completely merged, becoming one being.

Karnasion, who loved the sky more than anyone, also wanted to be loved by the sky more than anyone. He could not accept that anything else could be more loved than him by the sky. If such a presence existed, he would have to shoot it down for the sake of his pride.

Even in the next battlefield, he wanted to be the one most loved by the sky. He must make the skies above Air Hunt Island his own.

Offering that prayer, Karnasion fell asleep.

The sounds of wind and rain from afar grew more intense. The airship was entering the typhoon as planned──.

Though I wondered how it would turn out, it wasn't all bad.

Previously, just receiving a command was a hassle that required going through a cumbersome messenger. But now, I had the best communication method, Fio, at my disposal. There were times I regretted getting in touch with Mio out of curiosity, but communication with the secret intelligence division was immensely convenient now.

"Thanks to that, this kind of job is now possible."

In the moonlit midnight, standing in a wetsuit on the rocky shore near Sanjiru Bay, southwest of Air Hunt Island, Reiner smiled at his partner.

"…Where did you get that?"

Mio asked coldly, her gaze fixed on Reiner, who was carrying an oxygen tank.

"If you sneak into the naval storage, there’s plenty to go around."

Checking the small light attached to his head, Reiner carelessly replied as he tucked a small knife into his waist pocket. It sounded simple, but sneaking into a military supply depot closely monitored by soldiers and stealing this diving gear was no small feat.

"Then keep an eye out. If anyone comes, either scare them off or move to another spot. I’m counting on you."

Saying this, Reiner put on a full-face mask. A covert operative for underwater infiltration had to excel in all kinds of skills, but Reiner surprised me with his abilities in both theft and diving techniques.

"See you."

Mio sighed and waved to Reiner. In the moonlight, Reiner smiled behind the mask, gave a thumbs up, and plunged into the sea.

The waves soon settled as if nothing had happened. Mio sat on a flat rock, gazing wistfully at the full moon reflected on the water’s surface.

──What am I doing…?

Lately, I had begun to abandon my thoughts. Losing interest in my own future made everything seem inconsequential. Like a mechanical puppet, I received messages through Fio, passed the content to Reiner without reading it, tied Reiner's replies to Fio’s legs, and occasionally accompanied Reiner in his suspicious activities. I didn’t want to know what he was doing, nor had I ever asked. I was afraid of understanding the meaning behind his actions.

In Sanjiru Bay, red and orange lights sparkled everywhere. It looked like a seaside city, but a fleet was anchored in two columns. The shimmering artificial lights under the starlight appeared fantastical, like something from a fairy tale. Yet, when battle commenced, a single battleship could unleash firepower equivalent to five divisions—a deadly weapon of slaughter.

After waiting for a little over an hour, Reiner surfaced.

Dripping seawater, he climbed onto the rocks, discarded his full-face mask, and grinned playfully at Mio.

"Success. Big score."

"…………"

"Want to know what I did?"

"I don't want to know."

"You're so cold. Even though you're an accomplice."

"…It’s over, right? I’m going home."

"I'll take you close to school. Just wait a bit."

Reiner quickly changed into his uniform, tossed the oxygen tank and fins into the sea, and stuffed the remaining diving gear into his backpack.

"Alright. Mission accomplished. Get on."

Mio silently accepted the helmet from Reiner and sat on the back of the bike.

"You can cling to me, you know?"

"I decline."

Rejecting him outright, she grasped the tandem grips on either side of the rear seat. Reiner laughed merrily and kicked the starter.

It was 2 AM. They rode along a deserted, pitch-black public road.

Mio remained silent, gazing at the passing night scenery.

──Where am I going…?

Suddenly, a wave of anxiety surged within me. I barely managed to suppress the urge to scream.

"Let’s stop here. If we go back together, it’ll look suspicious."

About twenty minutes on foot from school, Reiner planted one foot on the ground. Mio got off the back seat and returned the helmet to Reiner.

"Recently, your attitude seems to have improved a bit."

"…What do you mean by that?"

“It’s not as bad as it used to be. Honestly, I wish you would smile a bit more, but I guess that’s asking for too much.”

What Reiner was talking about was Mio’s everyday life. Since being told about what Ethan was doing, Mio had cut off all communication, but since the summer break, she had gradually started exchanging words with those around her.

“Maybe you’re just getting used to it. I hope you can soon trick everyone while laughing like me.”

“...There’s no way I can do that.”

“Even if you can’t reach my level, just try to act normally. If you get caught, your parents and siblings will get caught too. Don’t forget that.”

“...I understand. I’ll act normally.”

“Well then.”

“Hey.”

“Hmm?”

“...Don’t you feel anything about this?”

“Huh?”

“...Deceiving everyone every day... Working behind the scenes for Urano like this... Are you okay with it?”

When Reiner realized the intent behind her question, he scoffed mockingly, making a sound in his throat.

“I’m fine. I don’t feel anything. I’m a soldier of Urano, after all. It’s only natural to work for Urano.”

“...”

“It’s worse for those being deceived. In this day and age, weaklings and fools are the real evil. Even Kiyoaki, pretending to be a good person, is just practicing murder, you know? He’s studying how to efficiently massacre a lot of Urano people. What’s wrong with working to kill St Vault people?”

Mio remained silent and couldn’t answer. She had lost track of what was good and what was evil.

“You need to wake up quickly. If you keep moping around, you’ll never go back to how things were.”

Reiner tossed that out in his usual light tone, opened the throttle, and the engine roared as he disappeared into the night.

Staring into the darkness, Mio sighed and walked alone along the night sidewalk.

The summer constellations sparkled like a treasure box from the gods. The night breeze in mid-September carried a hint of autumn.

Almost a month had passed since that night in the cave with Kiyoaki.

The scene from that time was still preserved at the centre of Mio’s consciousness.

The events of that stormy night, where she entrusted everything to Kiyoaki and accepted him as he was.

Just recalling it brought warmth to her body. Feeling shy and unsure of where to put that heat, Mio lifted her right middle finger to her eyes.

A silver ring was fitted there.

The warmth turned into a pang of sadness.

In the summer when she was twelve, she made a promise with Kiyoaki in a field of canola flowers.

“Don’t cheat, okay? We promised we’d get married!”

After forcing Kiyoaki to accept a canola tiara, Mio taught him how to perform the rituals of the Sylvanian royal family.

“After that, I’ll give you a silver ring! That’ll complete the ritual, and our love will be eternal!”

Because they were children, they were fearless. Since then, the invasion of Messus Island had happened, and they had both grown up without ever bringing up that promise again. But Mio had always kept the ring on her finger, thinking that one day she might give it to Kiyoaki.

──But that day would never come.

Mio stopped walking and took the ring off her finger.

Then, holding it tightly, she raised it above her head—thought better of it, and lowered her arm.

“How foolish.”

She composed herself, then told herself:

“I don’t wish for my own happiness anymore. So it’s okay to throw this away.”

She tightened her cheeks and wound up once more—this time, Mio threw the silver ring into the bushes by the roadside.

At the peak of its arc, the ring sparkled in the starlight before disappearing into the underbrush.

“This is it. It’s over.”

Clapping her hands together, she said this to herself and walked toward school.

With each step, the pain in her chest grew stronger.

Kiyoaki’s expressions floated up among the summer constellations.

She had been with him since they were children. She believed she would become his bride.

She had loved him dearly.

And she still loved him.

Even if I try to ignore the voice in my heart, it only grows louder and echoes within me.

Mio turned around, stepped off the path, and ventured into the underbrush.

Shining her penlight into the thicket, she desperately searched for the ring.

"What am I doing?"

She felt like crying but held it back. If she cried now, she would be far too miserable.

"I'm such an idiot."

She plunged her hands into the dark thicket, continuing her search for the lost ring. The light of the moon and stars twinkled brightly, as if trying to help her.

Since the attack on Crossnodar Island by the Urano Air Force, the only gateway for the St Vault Empire's military to land in the South Archipelago Sea had become here, at the Chandler Base on Mauregan Island. Now, this island could be called the headquarters of the St Vault Air Force, with the main ships of the Archipelago Fleet lined up at the military port, and the warehouse district, city, and markets overflowing with soldiers, all buzzing with the excitement of war.

A short distance away from that noise, halfway up a hill overlooking the military port, stood a small two-story building.

The exposed concrete surface gave off a grim atmosphere. The iron-barred entrance was unwelcoming and heavily secured, with several armed soldiers on guard at the entrance.

There was no sign, but inside was the Operations Headquarters of the St Vault Air Force's Archipelago Division. Lieutenant Balthazar Grim, a candidate officer from the intelligence section, was looking out from a second-floor window of that dreary building.

The rows of palm trees basking in the September sunlight swayed ominously in the sea breeze.

The wind was gradually picking up. Typhoon No. 4 was approaching. According to the forecast, the typhoon would skim the north of Mauregan Island tomorrow and move southeast, with expectations to directly hit Air Hunt Island four days later.

Gazing at the deep blue sea in the distance, he took a deep breath to rest his tired eyes from paperwork and faced the mountain of communication records stacked on his desk. These records contained signals sent from enemy forces deployed near Crossnodar Island.

What Balthazar was currently doing was an intelligence mission known as communications intelligence.

By statistically analysing the time a signal was transmitted, the location that was attacked that day, the transmission points of signals sent from enemy aircraft, vessels, and submarines, as well as differences in signal volume during dates when attacks were carried out and not carried out, he could predict to some extent the enemy's attack locations, times, and scale. This required piling up all the intercepted signals and meticulously checking day and night for anything unusual hidden within the data.

He was the lowest ranked in the workplace. Every day, he was chased by miscellaneous tasks unrelated to statistical work, but he endured without complaining. He knew that in order to achieve his grand goals, it was essential to quietly handle these tasks and gain trust within the division first.

It had already been nearly six months since he graduated from Air Hunt Officer Academy.

His classmates had various assignments: some went on training cruises, others were assigned to fleet duties, and some had already been deployed to base air squadrons. He had never been particularly close to anyone in school, so there was no communication, and he didn’t mind at all.

Really. Not at all.

──He didn't mind.

Balthazar told himself this, turning his gaze away from the mountain of documents to look out at the dazzling blue sky.

──There’s no way he could be concerned.

He checked with himself once more.

──It’s not that he’s concerned, but I wonder how Kagura is doing.

He suddenly thought this. Although he didn’t quite understand it himself, several times a day, he found himself wondering about it.

Why was that?

He questioned himself and arrived at an answer.

──It’s because Kagura is assigned to the Voltec Air Force.

Kagura had been assigned to the strongest fighter squadron in the St Vault Air Force. She was probably gripping the controls of a fighter plane right now, soaring freely through the skies.

──That’s what makes him envious.

While he was stuck with mundane work like sifting through a mountain of dirt to find a single grain of gold, Kagura was on the front lines, deployed with a top-tier fighter squadron. From the outside, it was clear that Kagura was an elite officer assigned to a much more glamorous mission.

──That’s why he cares. That’s the conclusion. How ridiculous.

Laughing at his own thoughts, Balthazar faced the mountain of tedious paperwork once again. Most of the content was just a string of incomprehensible call signs. Hundreds of sheets densely filled with this writing were piled on his desk.

──If you want to get promoted quickly, decipher this mass of numbers.

He told himself, meticulously and patiently staring at a group of numerical sequences, recording their patterns, irregularities, and statistically unclear points in a separate notebook.

While continuing this large and concentration-demanding task, there was something that had been bothering him for the past couple of days.

──I wonder how Kagura is doing.

──No, that’s not it. The numbers that have appeared are decidedly different from the usual trends.

Balthazar flipped through the dozens of personal notebooks he had amassed and compared the current communication records with those from the past week, deducing and sniffing out some unclear trends.

──The communication records from the Vestelant continent are unnatural.

Four days ago, suddenly, signals differing from the usual patterns were intercepted from the waters north of Crossnodar Island, closer to the Vestelant continent. Although he couldn’t understand the content, it likely came from an unknown Urano fleet. Then, three days ago, these signals abruptly stopped. Since then, there had been no signals from the relevant waters, nor any large-scale attacks on Crossnodar Island.

──The fleet has vanished.

That’s how it could be interpreted. But they couldn’t just disappear. The enemy fleet was likely enforcing radio communication silence and heading somewhere. Whether it was to dock at the Urano base or to launch an attack on the St Vault base was unclear.

Yesterday, Balthazar reported this matter to the head of the information section. It seemed that similar reports had already come in from other staff, and the head nodded and reported it to the director as a point of concern. Presumably, other capable personnel were involved in the analysis. They should still be in the process of analysing it, but──could they afford to take their time?

Balthazar’s intuition whispered of a crisis.

The job of an information section officer was to statistically analyze vast amounts of data and uncover the enemy’s schemes from it.

From a mere mass of numbers, they had to predict the timing, scale, and location of enemy operations, which required a craftsman’s skill. After thoroughly studying and analysing the data mathematically, they would use their craft instincts to discern the truth──that was the job of a communications intelligence officer.

──Read the truth from the numbers.

Balthazar pored over the mountain of paperwork late into the night, highlighting concerning sections, jotting down notes in his personal notebook, cross-referencing them with past records, and arrived at a certain hypothesis.

──This massive amount of signal transmissions does not come from a fleet. It comes from an air fortress, a floating island.

By comparing the past signal records from the Urano fleet with those intercepted from an Urano air fortress a year and a half ago, he noticed subtle differences in the waves of numbers, leading him to this hypothesis.

──Perhaps two air fortresses have been moving south along the Vestelant continent.

──And three days ago, they sealed off their radio communications.

──What happened on that day?

Balthazar reviewed the combat records from Crossnodar Island and the weather forecast for that day, furthering his line of reasoning.

──There was no battle. Instead, a typhoon passed through the nearby waters.

──As the air fortress approached the typhoon, it shifted to radio communication control.

──What occurred in the relevant waters at that time?

Balthazar glanced out at the darkening window.

Stars twinkled like falling sparks. He could hear the sounds of autumn insects.

A hypothesis flashed in his mind.

──Two air fortresses hid within the typhoon.

For what purpose?

──To mask their radar and neutralize enemy detection, advancing deep into the North Daito Sea.

He had never heard of such a case. It was an unprecedented operation in the history of world warfare. However, having analysed the data, he could conclude nothing else.

Balthazar picked up a newspaper to check the projected path of the typhoon.

The typhoon was expected to hit Air Hunt Island in four days. Currently, two new type air battleships and four new type air carriers, as well as a newly organized assault fleet, were stationed at Air Hunt Island. If the two air fortresses launched a surprise attack, the newly formed assault fleet, a symbol of hope for St Vault, would be utterly annihilated.

──But could there really be a strategy to approach hidden within a typhoon?

His reasoning seemed far-fetched, and Balthazar felt confused. If he reported this to his superiors, it would likely be dismissed as childish fantasy.

──But a surprise attack is called so precisely because it catches the enemy off guard.

Caught between his reasoning and intuition, Balthazar wavered.

Should he report this matter to his superiors tomorrow or not?

If a mere rookie like him presented such a hypothesis and was laughed at, while nothing came of it, his abilities would be questioned. There was a risk of being seen as a fool bringing childish fantasies to the battlefield. Everyone in the workplace was a veteran with more experience than Balthazar. Raising concerns where others saw none would carry more disadvantages.

──I’m still new. It would be wiser to keep quiet.

Reason whispered that to him.

But, still.

──If it’s true, Air Hunt Island will be destroyed.

If two air fortresses launched a surprise attack, it was certain that the entire island would be engulfed in flames. The military port and airfield, as well as the Air Hunt Officer Academy, would not escape the inferno.

──Am I really going to silently overlook the signs of a surprise attack? For my own safety?

He envisioned the faces of those attending the Air Hunt Officer Academy under the night sky outside his window.

Mio, Illia, Cecil.

And delayed, Kiyoaki and Reiner.

Reiner disappeared quickly, but the others lingered in his thoughts.

──What happens to them is none of my concern. Pathetic.

Balthazar sneered inwardly, deep in his throat. He had grand ambitions. He wasn’t interested in the childish friendships of his peers. Right now, his priority was to earn trust in this workplace. To do that, he had to be prudent, reliably carry out what his superiors instructed, and make sure they liked him.

There was no value in taking strange risks.

And yet.

──Is it really okay to just overlook it?

That voice echoed within him.

──I alone can see through this operation.

──If this is true, it could be a fast track to promotion.

──It’s worth taking the risk. Isn’t it?

──Not for the sake of my peers. But for my own advancement.

Balthazar told himself that. He didn’t want to work for the sake of his comrades, but he could work for his own promotion. That was something he could accept.

──I’ll do it. For my ambitions.

He sharpened his focus and reviewed the mountain of data once more to check for any holes in his hypothesis. After much thought, he reached a conclusion, despite the noisy chirping of insects outside the window.

──Two Urano air fortresses are approaching Air Hunt Island, hidden within the typhoon.

He could say it with conviction. Whether he was a rookie or a low-ranking trainee, he could confidently declare this as his conclusion.

──Tomorrow, I’ll report to the section chief. Laugh if you want.

──In four days, my correctness will be proven.

Resolute, he immediately began preparing materials to persuade the section chief. He extracted past radio transmission records as the basis for his argument, analysed the differences in call signs between the air fortresses and the fleet, and examined changes in communication volume in relation to the ongoing situation around Crossnodar. He calculated the fluctuations in communication volume as the typhoon moved, providing the strongest mathematical evidence available to support his theory. By the time he finished his work, the sky had already brightened, and the office staff were arriving for work.

Listening to the birds chirping, Balthazar approached the desk of Andy Bott, the section chief of the Multi-Island Sea Information Division, and after exchanging morning greetings, submitted six reports.

"…………?"

Captain Andy glanced over his glasses, casting a thoughtful look.

"There are suspicious movements in the northern sea area of Crossnodar Island. I’ve summarized them in this report."

"Hmm."

The captain began to read through the reports. He had expected to laugh off a trainee’s report, but surprisingly, he responded with genuine attention.

As he flipped through the pages, seriousness began to shine in his intelligent eyes. He meticulously followed the presented numbers, occasionally falling silent in contemplation.

"…Did you do this all by yourself?"

After finishing the reports, Captain Andy asked in a calm voice.

"Yes."

"…Two air fortresses entered the typhoon and plan to launch a surprise attack on Air Hunt Island, huh? That’s quite a bold assertion."

"I agree. However, when cross-referencing the numbers with the surrounding situation, that possibility…”

Balthazar replied calmly. Captain Andy fell silent again, leaning back in his chair, observing Balthazar's expression through his glasses. Balthazar met his gaze without flinching.

After a moment of consideration, the captain broke the silence, causing the springs of his chair to creak.

"…I’ll forward this report to the director. Whether the content will be seriously considered is up to the operational parties. Based on my experience, it’s unlikely that headquarters will take action… but this is certainly worth raising."

A shiver ran down Balthazar’s spine. He had thought he wouldn’t be taken seriously, but it was unexpected for his report to be escalated.

Captain Andy quietly continued to weave his words while reviewing the contents of the report.

"From a statistical perspective, I cannot deny the arguments you presented. It’s astounding that a trainee with only six months of service could produce this. It seems that graduating at the top of the Air Hunt Academy was no fluke."

"I’m honoured."

"Indeed. You’ve worked through the night. I’ll grant you permission to use the rest area, so take a short break. I still need you to contribute a lot more."

The way Captain Andy looked at Balthazar had clearly changed. It was evident that his attitude had shifted from that of a mere trainee to treating him as a "valuable subordinate."

"…Yes, sir!"

Balthazar straightened up, feeling the praise. The rest area was usually off-limits to trainees, so receiving permission was unprecedented. This meant he had been recognized to that extent.

He understood that it would be difficult to move the operations headquarters itself. Information and operations were separate, and operational parties required decisions made after considering all angles of the situation. The "Commander’s Decision" was not something that could be made lightly from a report created by a trainee overnight. It required weighing information from intelligence agencies scattered across the Multi-Island Sea, current battle conditions, comparisons of the strengths of both the allied and enemy forces, and the status of logistical support—all crucial information had to be considered.

If information division personnel could influence the operations headquarters, it would only be when Balthazar had earned sufficient accomplishments and trust such that the Commander of Operations recognized, "If it’s Balthazar’s report, it must be correct." Only then would he have an impact on the entire St Vault military.

──This time, that report likely won’t bear fruit.

──But the section chief recognized my efforts.

──He acknowledged my existence and abilities. That’s enough for now.

Comforted by this fact, Balthazar lay down on the simple bed in the rest area. As he began to drift into sleep, the faces of his juniors living at Air Hunt Island flashed through his mind once more.

The roar of the atmosphere was beginning to transform into that of a ferocious beast.

From afar and near, a high-pitched sound, like metal being sliced, echoed as the wind's scythe twisted in reverse.

Since around sunset, the street trees had started to rustle. The current time was 9:30 PM. The violent storm front seemed to be approaching, and the wind was growing increasingly fierce.

Listening to the sounds of the typhoon beyond the curtains, in the Air Hunt Officer Academy's student dormitory, four students—Kiyoaki, Reiner, Cecil, and Illia—were lounging as usual in their specially assigned officer's room, "The Seven of Eriadore."

"Typhoons are so boring. We can't go outside. Cecil, make us something to eat."

Reiner, sprawled lazily on the sofa, ordered Cecil, who was sitting across from him.

"I don’t want to. I’m busy right now."

Without looking up from her fashion magazine, Cecil replied coldly.

"You’re not busy! What’s with that magazine? It’s stupid and pointless. Stop worrying about those mindless drivel and make us food."

"Shut up! Just make it yourself! You can make salt pasta, salt bread, or salt rice balls, right? You know how to cook those!"

"I can, but that’s just sprinkling salt. I want something proper, so if you can't do it, Illia, can you make something?"

Next to Cecil, Illia was cleaning her swordsmanship equipment with a cloth.

"No."

Without even considering it, she dismissed the request. Reiner sighed dramatically and turned to Kiyoaki, who was beside him.

"Kiyoaki~. You're my last hope."

Kiyoaki smiled with a troubled expression.

"What do you want to eat?"

"A katsudon from Mio."

"You’ll need to call Mio then."

"She probably won’t come anyway."

"If you call her, she might."

When Kiyoaki said this, Reiner made a strange face.

"What’s that supposed to mean? You should be the one to call her."

"…It’s not possible. You seem to be able to communicate better with Mio than I do right now."

Kiyoaki said this with a self-deprecating smile.

Reiner looked at Kiyoaki suspiciously, then sighed again.

"Fine. You wait here. I’ll go call Mio. I’m hungry."

Reluctantly getting up from the sofa, Reiner left the officer's room.

Left behind, Illia, Cecil, and Kiyoaki exchanged glances.

"He went to call her, but… Mio probably won’t come, right?"

"That’s unlikely… It’s been almost six months since she’s been here."

"…It’s unusual for Reiner to go out of his way to call Mio. Especially in this weather."

At Illia's words, both Kiyoaki and Cecil nodded. Reiner, who usually lounged on the sofa and talked nonsense, was taking initiative for once. It was a rare occurrence.

"Is it because of the typhoon that he’s acting differently?"

"He’s not a timid person… But I hope Mio comes…"

Kiyoaki murmured, looking toward the curtains. The roar of the wind was growing stronger.

Reiner exited the student dormitory, donning a raincoat, and headed for the library. He knew that Mio, who had nowhere to go in the girls’ dorm or the officer's room, often spent her time there alone.

Battling the rain and wind, he finally reached the library. Upon entering and shedding his raincoat, he found Mio sitting alone at a six-person table, studying.

At this hour and in this weather, Mio was the only student in the library. She appeared to be submerged beneath the sound of the rain. Reiner approached her confidently and sat across from her.

"…What is it? Another lecture?"

Without looking at Reiner, Mio was drawing red lines in her navigation manual.

Reiner exhaled through his nose and began to lecture her.

"Engage with others. Just normally."

"I can’t."

"Shut up. Just do it. It’s not just for you, but for your family too."

"It has nothing to do with you."

"It does. If you keep acting suspiciously and end up getting caught, I’ll get dragged down with you. If you were interrogated, you’d spill everything in an instant, right? It’s a hassle for me."

"I won’t talk."

"You will. Don’t underestimate torture. You wouldn’t last five minutes. For you, not being suspected is the most important thing. And yet, you’re always acting suspiciously without a care for how I feel…"

"……………………"

Mio maintained a stoic expression, ignoring Reiner's lecture. Naturally, Reiner felt irritated.

“Listen. I’m saying this for your sake. Be grateful.”

“……………………”

Mio’s attitude remained unchanged. Reiner added a serious tone to his voice.

“This is a special service. I’m going to teach you something incredibly important. You can ignore it, but you’ll regret it.”

“……………………”

“Tomorrow, when the typhoon clears, the situation will change.”

“…?”

Mio lifted her gaze from her manual, looking at Reiner with suspicion.

“I can’t say more. You wouldn’t want to know anyway. But think of today as your last normal student life. You will never return to your everyday life again.”

“…What do you mean? …What does that mean?”

“You don’t need to know. But it won’t hurt to listen. Spend tonight with the others. Got it?”

It was Reiner Beck's words, not Hachidori's.

“…What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I’m asking if you got it.”

It seemed questions were prohibited. Mio felt a bit pressured and looked at Reiner’s expression, waiting for it to soften, but there was no sign of that happening.

She felt defeated.

“…If you’re going to insist… I guess I can go.”

Her intuition told her to follow Reiner.

“Great. Just make something to eat and come back. That’s all.”

Maintaining his serious expression, Reiner nodded, and the two of them left the library together.

The roar of the wind and rain was intense. If they let their guard down, they might be thrown to the ground. The streetlight’s glow faintly illuminated Reiner’s back.

Mio threw another question at him.

“Hey, what’s going to happen tomorrow?”

Reiner turned slightly, raising his voice.

“Listen carefully. At the right moment, I’m going to make a proposal to everyone in the officer's room. You’ll need to support it. Promise me.”

Mio looked at Reiner, puzzled. He still had a serious expression.

“Trust me. Nothing bad will come of it. You need to agree with my opinion.”

Mio didn’t understand what he was saying, but she nodded in response. For some reason, it felt right to follow Reiner’s lead now.

As soon as Mio entered the officer's room, Kiyoaki, Illia, and Cecil jumped up from the sofa as if propelled by springs.

“Mio!” “Mio…!” “Mio!”

Their voices coincidentally echoed together. Mio timidly stepped into the room.

“…It’s been a while… since I came to the officer's room.”

From behind her, Reiner popped his head in.

“Heh heh. Success! I told her there was chocolate, and she followed.”

“N-No, that’s not—”

Mio tried to deny it, but when her gaze met Reiner’s, she slumped her shoulders.

“…I guess… that’s true.”

She reluctantly agreed. Kiyoaki, anxious, said,

“Y-Yeah, whatever, just come in. I’m so glad, Mio. It’s really lonely in this room without you.”

“Oh… is that so?”

She replied curtly while awkwardly glancing around the room. Cecil and Illia cleared the centre of the sofa.

“Mio, here, come here! We don’t have chocolate, but I can buy some from the shop!”

“N-No, you don’t have to buy anything. It’s a typhoon outside. U-Um… excuse me.”

Mio awkwardly sat down on the sofa, squeezed between the two.

“Why don’t you come to the swordsmanship club too? It’s a great stress reliever.”

Illia unusually initiated a conversation.

“Ah… Yeah. I’m just officially enrolled in the swordsmanship club, though.”

“If you’re going, I want to go too! The last time I went, Kagura and Illia bullied me.”

“I didn’t bully you. I just made sure your motives weren’t impure. If it’s you, Mio, I’ll teach you more gently.”

“Um… thank you, Illia… Maybe, possibly… I hope I can go someday.”

Mio trailed off, and Reiner flashed a grin.

“Whatever, just make us food. I want to eat katsudon for the first time in a while.”

“…We don’t have the ingredients.”

In the past, Mio used to receive ingredients from her family in the Akitsu Federation, but she hadn’t received any this year. There were still some rice and miso left, but it seemed impossible to make katsudon all of a sudden.

“Oh, right. Then anything’s fine. Just make something filling!”

“...But what do you mean by ‘something’?”

“Kiyoaki, what do you want to eat? You know Mio’s cooking best.”

“Ah, no, I’m fine… Just having Mio here is good enough for me.”

At those words, Mio looked down awkwardly. Everyone was being overly considerate, which only made the atmosphere feel strange.

Reiner chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. “What’s with the stiff attitude? Kiyoaki, you’re tossing and turning in bed at night, calling out ‘Mio, Mio.’ If you were that lonely, should I leave you two alone?”

Kiyoaki’s face turned crimson in an instant.

“W-What are you saying!? I don’t talk like that in my sleep!”

“You do! Every single night, from the bottom bunk, it’s ‘Mio, Mio,’ it’s super loud. If you’re that worried, why don’t you just sleep together?”

“W-What!? No way!”

Kiyoaki and Reiner shared a dorm room, sleeping in the same bunk bed, but Kiyoaki had never heard anything like that come from Reiner’s mouth before.

Across from them, Mio was blushing furiously, looking down and hiding her face with her hair.

“No, that’s a lie! Don’t believe him, Mio! I definitely don’t talk like that in my sleep!”

“You say it every night! ‘Mio~. Mio~. Why is this happening, Mio~?’”

Reiner pouted his lips and made an exaggeratedly foolish expression to mimic Kiyoaki’s sleep talking.

Unable to hold back, Kiyoaki grabbed Reiner by the neck with both hands and started to choke him.

“That’s a lie! Don’t insult me! If you don’t stop, I’ll really choke you!”

“Ugh, hey, I’m not…! Wait, this is bad, it’s too much…!!”

“Take that back! Don’t make up stories!”

Kiyoaki’s anger was quickly diffused by Illia and Cecil, who hurriedly pulled him away from Reiner. Reiner was panting heavily, but he still had a smirk on his face.

“Wow, you went for that right away… Not bad…”

“Of course it’s not bad! You started it with that weird talk!”

“It’s just a joke, everyone knows that! I was just trying to liven things up.”

“That’s too much! Mio’s already having a hard time!”

Mio still couldn’t lift her head. Being teased like this was something neither she nor Kiyoaki could handle. Their clumsy options were either to get furious or freeze up—one of the two.

At that moment, Kiyoaki suddenly felt a piercing gaze and turned to look across the table.

He caught Illia sitting up straight, staring directly at him. As soon as their eyes met, she hurriedly shifted her gaze to Cecil.

A strange sense of discomfort brushed against Kiyoaki’s temples, but he couldn’t grasp what it was.

“Sorry, it’s my fault. I didn’t say that in my sleep, okay? Just calm down. As an apology, I’ll make you some salt pasta.”

“I don’t want that, it’s disgusting! You just sprinkled salt on pasta!”

As Kiyoaki’s frustration peaked, Mio, still with her head down, timidly raised her hand.

“Uh… I could make something? Pasta is quick to prepare.”

“Eh…?”

“...If you don’t want it, that’s fine.”

Kiyoaki stared at Mio for a moment, dazed, then hurriedly nodded.

“Y-Yeah, if Mio is going to cook, I’ll eat anything. Right, Reiner?”

“I’m good, thanks.”

“Why would you refuse now!? You were just saying you wanted katsudon, you idiot! Mio is offering to cook, so just eat it in silence!”

“Okay, okay, I was just joking, don’t get mad. And who are you?”

“Aki, you change personality when Mio’s around…”

“Ah… Okay. I’ll make a late-night snack. Illia and Cecil, what about you?”

“I’ll have a little. It’s been a while since I had Mio’s cooking.”

“Oh, then I’ll have some too! Mio’s pasta is delicious!”

Mio nodded and got up from the sofa, moving to the kitchen, familiar after a long time. She opened the lower cabinets to check that all the cooking tools were there and peeked into the refrigerator.

“Uh… I can make meat sauce quickly, though.”

Kiyoaki rushed into the kitchen.

“That’s fine! I’ll help! I’ll boil the water!”

“Ah… No, that’s okay. I can do it by myself… Just sit down.”

“Oh, really!? Uh, okay, I got it. I’ll leave it to you…”

Kiyoaki returned to the sofa, looking strangely sombre, but still glancing anxiously at Mio in the kitchen.

"Why are you acting so awkward? Just be normal. If you're too concerned, Mio will feel awkward too."

Reiner whispered to Kiyoaki, but he couldn’t calm down. It seemed like Mio was finally returning to normal, and he worried about her retreating back into her shell if something went wrong again.

Cecil also moved closer to Kiyoaki, his worried expression evident.

"Aki, just act normal. Let’s welcome her back like we always do."

“Y-Yeah…”

Kiyoaki nodded awkwardly. Some calmness returned, and he realized that Reiner had been teasing them on purpose to lighten the mood.

—That’s right. I need to be normal. Just normal. Normal…

He repeated to himself, nodding along with Reiner’s silly talk while waiting for the late-night snack. In the kitchen behind him, Mio was quietly sautéing ground meat. A delicious aroma filled the officer's room, naturally making their stomachs growl.

“Thanks for waiting… It might not be great since it’s been a while.”

Mio, with a lack of confidence, brought a large plate of pasta to the dining table.

“I don’t know how much everyone will eat, so help yourselves.”

She efficiently set out plates and forks in front of everyone.

“Okay, okay! Wow, it looks delicious!”

“Thanks, Mio! Let’s eat!”

Kiyoaki and Reiner dug in, taking big helpings from the large plate and stuffing their mouths.

“Ugh—”

“It’s delicious!”

Their faces broke into huge smiles. The rich, meaty sauce clung to the steaming pasta, filling their noses with savory aromas. As they ate, they grew hungrier, and before long, they were fighting over the pasta on the plate.

“Hey, Reiner, you’re taking too much! That’s for us too…”

Cecil complained while serving herself and Illia, twirling the pasta onto his fork and chewing happily.

“Wow, this is amazing!”

“Yeah. Mio’s cooking really stands out.”

Illia nodded as she eagerly moved on to her second helping.

"There's none left!"

Cecil gazed regretfully at the large plate, now only containing remnants of sauce. Mio hesitantly spoke up, "Um... We still have some ingredients left."

"I'll eat!" "Me too!"

Reiner and Kiyoaki reacted reflexively, and Mio silently stood up from the sofa and headed to the kitchen. A little later, she returned with another large plate, which quickly disappeared into everyone's stomachs.

"Thank you for the meal, Mio! It was really delicious!" "Thank you!" "Mio, thanks for the meal. Leave the cleanup to me."

After everyone helped clean up, they relaxed in the dining room with Mio for the first time in a while. The sound of wind and rain from outside was gradually getting stronger.

Reiner casually said while looking out the window, "They say the typhoon will pass by tomorrow morning. Did you know? After a typhoon, the debris in the air gets stirred up, and the sky looks strange."

"Ah, I've heard something like that. I haven't seen it, though."

"I think the typhoon will be gone by sunrise. If that's the case, we should probably see an amazing dawn. How about we all go to the observatory to check it out?"

With a grin, he made the suggestion. Kiyoaki, holding a cup of tea, replied, "A dawn sounds nice. I hope it actually happens. And we can't be sure the typhoon will have passed as predicted."

"It's worth seeing. If Kiyoaki, Illia, and I take our bikes, we can take Cecil and Mio along on the back. Let’s enjoy the dawn together!"

"Hmm. Sounds fun. I'm okay with it, but... what about Mio?"

Kiyoaki and Reiner glanced at Mio. She looked back at the two boys with a somewhat uncertain expression.

For a moment, Reiner's gaze towards Mio held a serious tone.

Mio remembered Reiner's words from earlier when they were caught in the rain.

"Okay... but it’s not a big deal."

She nodded awkwardly. Kiyoaki leaned forward from the sofa, surprised.

"Really!? Mio is coming!?"

"Y-yeah... If it's not a bother."

"It wouldn’t be a bother at all! Awesome! Let’s go to the observatory to see the sunrise tomorrow morning, okay? Cecil and Illia, you're in too, right?!"

"If Mio is going, I want to go too!" "I'm fine with it. I can take my bike."

Kiyoaki literally bounced with excitement.

"Wow, I can't wait! So, where do we gather after the typhoon passes!?"

"It’s a bit early to decide, but how about we meet at the parking lot at five? It’ll take about thirty minutes to reach the observatory. It’s going to be romantic for sure! I’m getting excited!"

Reiner quickly made the arrangements and confirmed with everyone. Grateful to Reiner in his heart, Kiyoaki looked forward to tomorrow’s outing without a doubt.

"Mio, let’s make lunch together!"

Cecil's cheerful suggestion made Mio nod shyly. Outside, the howling wind was intensifying, overpowering the cozy atmosphere inside.

The next morning, at five a.m.

Kiyoaki, Reiner, Illia, Cecil, and Mio gathered at the parking lot.

"There’s still a little wind, but the typhoon has passed. We should be able to see the dawn."

As Illia said, it was a quiet darkness. The sunrise was around five thirty-five, so they had plenty of time to get there.

With excitement, Reiner said, "Let’s go! Cecil, ride behind me!"

"No way! I want to ride with Illia!"

"I see! Then Mio, ride with me..."

"Mio, ride behind me."

Kiyoaki interrupted Reiner's invitation, and Mio nodded hesitantly.

"Ah... okay... Please take care of me..."

Three bikes were parked in the parking lot, each belonging to Kiyoaki, Reiner, and Illia.

Illia had also gotten her license in August and quickly bought a second-hand 400cc full-cowl bike. It was a red model that perfectly suited Illia’s competitive personality.

"Illia, you look cool..."

Mio complimented Illia as she mounted her bike. Illia nodded awkwardly for some reason and said, "I really like it. It’s fun in its own way."

"Yeah... You look great. It’s really wonderful..."

"Okay, let’s not waste time and go! I hope we get to see the moment of sunrise!"

Cecil urged, and Mio took a seat behind Kiyoaki on his bike.

"Alright, let’s go!"

After confirming that Cecil had gotten on Illia's bike, Kiyoaki kicked the starter.

Once they hit the public road, the rain had stopped, but the sky remained dark. The air was thick with moisture, and the clouds were flowing swiftly overhead. As Reiner said, the weather after the typhoon was distinctly different.

Mio's small hand rested on Kiyoaki’s side. The sensation brought back memories of that island from a month ago.

— That surely wasn’t a dream.

Kiyoaki thought.

— But Mio denies it. He couldn’t understand why.

He wanted to ask her again about that night’s events, but it felt wrong to do so, creating an itch of confusion. With that frustration, they entered the mountain road.

There were no streetlights on the desolate road. Kiyoaki relied only on the headlights as he followed Reiner. The darkness and strong wind were familiar, and he had travelled this path enough times that he felt at ease. When they passed through bumps and small curves, Mio’s body occasionally pressed against his, a feeling that was indescribably pleasant.

— I want to ride with Mio like this many more times.

— If the original Mio returned, it would feel normal.

While he was lost in thought, they reached the observatory near the mountain’s peak. It was the same spot where he had gone touring with Illia in early spring, finally meeting her smiling face.

Suddenly, those feelings from that time resurfaced.

The strong urge that had driven him to seek out Illia.

That impulse intertwined with the emotions transmitted from Mio, who was sitting behind him.

— Mio and Illia.

The two he had never once compared in his mind were now clearly overlapping.

— If someone asked me to choose between them, who would I choose?

Such doubts suddenly rose, and Kiyoaki hesitated. It was a proposition he had never considered before.

— It’s not like they're objects. I can’t choose.

Kiyoaki watched Illia park the bike in the observatory’s parking lot.

As if sensing his gaze, Illia suddenly turned to look at Kiyoaki.

Their eyes met.

Illia’s expression stiffened for a moment before she quickly averted her face and helped Cecil dismount from the back.

For some reason, a more intense emotion seemed to come from Illia than usual.

Perhaps the source of that tension was the Mio in the back seat.

— That can’t be true...

Kiyoaki thought as he turned off the engine, lowered the centre stand, and looked back at Mio.

This time, Mio's gaze met Kiyoaki's. His heart skipped a beat. Mio also awkwardly looked away and got out of the back seat.

── Somehow, everything feels so clumsy...

Feeling a confusion he had never experienced before, Kiyoaki turned his eyes to the eastern sky.

"Oh, nice! The sunrise is about to happen!"

Reiner got off his bike with a grin.

"We made it! Yes, it's before dawn! I think we can expect something amazing!"

Cecil, excited, jumped off Illia's bike and ran to the edge of the observation deck. She leaned her arms against the wooden railing meant to prevent falls and bounced up and down.

Kiyoaki, Mio, and Reiner walked over to join Cecil, resting their hands on the railing.

A warm breeze carrying the scent of the sea flowed through. The entire island was hidden in the night. Thick clouds layered in the eastern sky were drifting, and through the gaps, a hint of crimson could be seen. The typhoon had moved southeast, so the sunrise should illuminate the area just cleared by the storm.

"Those clouds are amazing! I think we'll see a breathtaking view!"

Cecil eagerly focused her gaze on the eastern sky.

Light began to spread its arms across the bottom of the sky.

The cloud ring that had been boiling on the horizon began to shine with silver light. The lights outlining the clouds started to swell. The colours of the sky visible through the gaps between the clouds deepened into a rich crimson.

"The sunrise...!"

Cecil smiled and stretched both hands toward the eastern sky.

Into her arms, a brilliant red light that had sliced through the clouds poured in.

"Wow..."

Mio let out a small voice.

"Oh, this is great!"

Reiner exaggerated his delight.

Radiating outward into the sky, multiple red beams of light exploded. The overlapped clouds took on shadows, creating a complex tapestry of colours on their surfaces. The fine dust kicked up by the typhoon refracted the morning light, draping the flowing clouds in shades of purple, red, and deep blue.

"Wow, it's beautiful...!"

Illia couldn't help but exclaim in wonder.

The colours of the eastern sky reflected on the sea. The colours wove into the waves, creating a brocade of seven colours across the surface of the ocean.

"I've never seen a sky like this..."

Kiyoaki murmured. Though he was used to the scenery from flying every day during training, he had never encountered such a display hidden in the sky.

"Wow, this is amazing!"

Cecil jumped up, her smile radiant. The view from the observation deck was usually stunning, but this was a sight that would surely penetrate to the depths of their souls—a spectacle they would never forget.

"I'm so glad we came! For Reiner's suggestion, this is quite the achievement..."

"What’s that supposed to mean? My suggestions are always spot on!"

As the brightness of the light increased, the clouds were sliced apart by the wind, and the sunrise became visible above the horizon. Kiyoaki spotted a particularly dense and large cloud among the dispersing peaks.

"That cloud looks incredible..."

Cecil turned to look at the cloud Kiyoaki pointed out.

"Is that really a cloud...? Do clouds look like that?"

Indeed, it was an unusual cloud.

It was quite flat and spread out horizontally. Yet, the density of its colour was too high for it to be a layer of clouds, and while other clouds were moving rapidly, this one remained completely still. It seemed to stand out like a blemish in the sky.

From its colour, one could sense its mass. Rather than a water vapor mass, it seemed to be a substance floating in the air.

Just as such doubts erupted...

"Look, there’s one over there too..."

Cecil pointed to the northeastern sky. Kiyoaki turned his head left about ninety degrees from the cloud he had been watching and saw another suspicious layer of cloud exactly like the first.

"No, that’s not a cloud...!!"

Illia raised her voice firmly, her expression showing clear tension.

"That’s... bad."

Reiner murmured.

Kiyoaki strained his eyes. As the sun rose, the full form of the cloud became clear.

Just as Illia said, it wasn’t a cloud. There were what appeared to be artificial structures reflecting sunlight on the flat upper surfaces, rising up in clusters.

They were unmistakably man-made structures. There was only one thing in this world that could be floating in the air like that.

"…A floating island…!!"

"Urano airborne fortress!!"

As Illia shouted, countless specks of debris were released from the surface of the flying island.

Like columns of mosquitoes, hundreds of tiny shadows gathered.

In the distance, at an altitude of about three thousand meters, numerous formations assembled, altogether becoming eight groups as they approached Air Hunt Island.

Cecil's lips trembled.

"That, that, that can’t be...!!"

"Fighters... Type 3 Idra!!"

"There are also bombers...!"

Nearly three hundred flying machines launched from the two airborne fortresses approached Air Hunt Island at an incredible speed.

The allied fighter planes standing by for interception were nowhere to be seen. Despair turned into words.

"No one has noticed!!"

"The airborne fortress was hiding in the typhoon! Radar wouldn’t detect it!"

Illia looked down at the naval port. Below her, the newly organized fleet moored in Sanjiru Bay was visible in the dawn light.

"The new ship is still anchored; it's a target!!"

Finally, distant sirens began to echo through the island. But the response was clearly too slow. The enemy aircraft were already upon them.

In the distance, a sound like distant drums shook the air. Smoke was rising from the coastal anti-aircraft gun positions. A bouquet of anti-aircraft shells was launched toward the approaching Idra formations.

The magnificent sight of the morning light was about to instantly transform into that of a battlefield. Watching the black blossoms bloom in mid-air, Cecil urged in a panic,

"The fight is about to start, but if we stay here...!!"

Reiner unusually spoke seriously.

"No, it’s better to stay here. We won't be targeted here."

Upon hearing this, Illia agreed.

"…It was a stroke of luck that we came here at this time. If we had been at school, we might have been attacked from the air. At least for us, there’s no immediate danger to our lives. We should be grateful to Reiner, even if it was by coincidence."

She said this to reassure Cecil. For the time being, the enemy's attack targets were military facilities and fuel depots. After they destroyed those, they could aim for the water supply and residential areas, along with other public facilities. However, the enemy would not waste bombs on an empty mountain observation deck. As Illia said, thanks to Reiner's suggestion to enjoy the sunrise, the five of them could safely wait here and avoid the aerial assault.

"Hey, Mio, stay put here too..."

Just as he was about to say this and turned his gaze to Mio beside him, Kiyoaki was once again shocked.

Mio had turned pale and was crouched on the ground. It seemed her legs had given out and she couldn’t stand. Sitting on the ground, her eyes were wide open, her lips drained of colour, and they trembled.

"Mio...! Are you okay? It's not scary..."

Kiyoaki thought she was trembling in fear of the Urano assault. He hurriedly crouched down to get a closer look at her. Mio was shaking all over as if facing the Grim Reaper.

From her lips, a faint voice slipped out.

"Reiner, is this what you meant...?"

"…Huh?"

"…You said our everyday lives wouldn’t return... is this what you meant?"

"Mio...?"

Mio lifted her face. Her gaze passed right by Kiyoaki and locked onto Reiner's profile a bit further away. Her voice was so small that it didn’t even reach Reiner.

"…What have I done…?"

It was clearly strange. Kiyoaki couldn't understand why Reiner was involved here. Just when it seemed like Mio was finally returning to her original self, she was about to fall back into an unusual state again.

"Mio!"

When he called out strongly, her jade-coloured eyes trembled as they looked up at Kiyoaki.

"...I didn't mean to..."

"What are you saying!? Just hang in there! If you stay here, you’ll be fine, so don’t move from this spot...!"

Encouraging Mio, Kiyoaki bent down to look up at Illia.

Illia was staring intently at the approaching squadron. Under the canopy of fighter planes, the bomber formation had moved in, clearly heading towards the new fleet that was about to dock in Sanjiru Bay.

"The enemy's targets are the new battleship and the new aircraft carrier. At this rate, we will be overwhelmed by their air power...!"

Saying this, Illia turned her gaze to Kiyoaki.

Kiyoaki could painfully feel what Illia was hoping for. And he too was becoming aware of his instincts as an airship pilot stirring within him.

—Staying here and doing nothing is out of the question.

—I will fight. For everyone living on this island.

It had been nearly a year since he transferred to the Air Hunt Officer Academy. He couldn’t just sit back and watch his friends and the kind people of the island be caught in the flames of war. He had the knowledge and skills to fight.

"Let’s go to the airfield, Illia. If we equip Gray Fox with live ammunition, we can fight."

Illia hesitated for a moment at Kiyoaki's words, but then nodded.

"Alright. Let’s go. The other three should stay here. Until the air raid is over, you must not move."

Reiner exchanged glances with Cecil before shrugging.

"Hey, are you serious? What’s a student going to do by going out there? Just stay here."

Kiyoaki leaned forward, rejecting this.

"Illia and I have the skills to operate fighter planes. We have to fight for this island."

"Are you stupid? You can’t do anything! This isn't practice; it's the real deal. And the enemy is a large military force. It’s like going to your death."

"That doesn’t mean I’m going to just watch this island get destroyed. Reiner, you protect Mio and Cecil here. We’re going."

Hearing Illia's words, Reiner scratched the back of his head with an exasperated expression.

"I'm just trying to be nice here. Well, if you want to throw your life away that badly, I won’t stop you. But if you regret it later, it’ll be too late."

His words were cold, a stark contrast to his usual self. Cecil also agreed with Reiner.

"Illia, stop. I have a bad feeling about this. This is nothing like the battles before..."

"You won't die. We’ll make it back alive. So, Cecil, you stay here...!?"

Illia's words trailed off abruptly.

Suddenly—

A massive four-wheel drive vehicle pulled up to the observation deck and screeched to a halt.

The doors swung open, and four military police officers leaped out.

"There they are, seize them!!"

"Don't move! Raise your hands! Behave yourselves!!"

Shouting, they drew their guns and pointed them at Kiyoaki and the others.

Kiyoaki couldn't comprehend what was happening before his eyes.

There were too many sudden developments for his mind to handle. Just as two airships appeared from the storm, military police burst onto the mountain observation deck, pointing their guns at them without provocation.

"W-wait, what are you doing all of a sudden...?!"

"Don't move!!"

The officers were serious. Pressured by their intensity, Kiyoaki, Reiner, Illia, and Cecil raised their hands.

Only Mio remained slumped on the ground, staring vacantly at the military police officers.

"That blonde girl, be careful! Don’t let your guard down just because she’s a girl!!"

Like they were dealing with a criminal, the officers cautiously approached Mio, their guns still aimed at her.

"Hey! That girl hasn’t done anything!!"

Kiyoaki shouted, not understanding what was happening. Mio, still with a vacant expression, looked at the surrounding officers with indifference.

"You are Mio, daughter of Ethan Syira, correct?"

".................."

"I have some questions for you. You will come with us to the police station."

Without allowing any objections, the large officers seized Mio from both sides.

Mio showed no signs of resistance. She simply bowed her head, forced to stand up.

Kiyoaki’s eyes widened in disbelief.

"W-what are you doing!?"

The officer who seemed to be the leader fixed his gaze on Kiyoaki.

"Are you a friend of Mio Syira? What were you doing here?"

"What do you mean, we just came to enjoy the view...?"

"The island is about to become a battlefield. If you all stay here, you’ll be safe. Stay put until the fighting is over, got it?"

The officer gave a short command and directed them to put Mio into the back seat of the vehicle. Kiyoaki was furious.

"Why! Mio hasn’t done anything to get captured!!"

The officer, appearing anxious, confirmed that Mio had gotten into the vehicle before addressing Kiyoaki.

"Her father was captured in Crossnodal. He was leaking information to Urano. Currently, the entire family is being detained."

"W-what...? What is that...!?"

The officer explained the situation as if trying to convince Kiyoaki.

"The Syira family is a family of spies. There are suspicions regarding Mio Syira’s involvement as well. There’s a high possibility she has been leaking information to Urano."

Kiyoaki’s mouth hung open in shock.

He couldn't comprehend the current situation with any logic. Illia and Cecil, just like Kiyoaki, could only stand there with their hands raised, unable to grasp what was unfolding before them.

"N-no, this must be a mistake...!"

"That’s impossible!!"

After confirming that Mio was secured, the officer looked up at the sky and addressed Kiyoaki and the others.

"There’s a possibility that this girl could help Urano with their landing. To prepare for the worst, we are detaining her. I understand you’re worried about your friend, but please refrain from unnecessary actions and stay here until the air raid is over. Understood?"

It seemed that the officer knew that Kiyoaki and the others, including Mio, were among the "Seven of Eriadore." He likely believed that stirring trouble with famous individuals from Air Hunt Island would disrupt operations later on, as his words included warnings and attempts to calm them.

"Once the questioning is over, we will release Mio Syira immediately. To avoid any suspicions afterward, we just need her to stay with us during the air raid. This is for her own safety as well. Understand? If you meddle further, the situation will become even more complicated. I know this doesn’t sit well with you, but until the fighting is over, please don’t stir up any trouble regarding this matter."

As soon as the officer finished speaking, a heavy rumble ran through the island.

The sound of explosions echoed against the mountain face. Looking down, they saw the bombardment of the military port had begun.

"It’s starting! Hurry up and get moving, if you dawdle, you’ll be targeted by enemy planes!"

The officer got into the passenger seat of the vehicle and urged the driver to hurry. Kiyoaki could no longer comprehend anything. He merely stared, wide-eyed, as the burning military port, the fighter planes finally taking off above the airfield, and the vehicle carrying Mio sped away from the observation deck.

His thoughts were frozen.

He didn’t understand what was happening.

"What... is this...?"

He could barely manage to mutter.

From below, the shockwaves of the bombardment rushed through. He felt a faint wave of heat in the undulating atmosphere. In Sanjiru Bay, the anti-aircraft guns were spitting flames desperately, and threading through that narrow space, the Urano bomber "Actaeon" unleashed a five-hundred-kilogram bomb upon the new battleship. The island had already transformed into a battlefield.

"W-what is going on!? How did things come to this...!?"

Cecil, unable to keep up with the situation, was at a loss and started to cry.

Even Illia, usually so composed, looked flustered and questioned Kiyoaki.

"Why was Mio captured...? What does it mean to be from a family of spies!?"

Kiyoaki could only shake his head.

"I-I don’t know... But I know this must be a mistake...! Right, Reiner? You think so too!?"

Desperately, he cast a glance at Reiner beside him.

Reiner was staring ahead down the road where the military police had vanished, his expression more severe than ever before. While everyone else was surprised and flustered, Reiner remained silent, deep in thought. After calling to him several times, Kiyoaki finally brought him back to his usual carefree self.

“Uh… Sorry. I was surprised. Um… What’s going on? Alright… let’s do this. Cecil and I will go to the police station. Illia and Kiyoaki will head to the airfield. How does that sound?”

“Eh!? Uh, um…”

“It’s a mistake. There’s no way Mio would do anything bad. Cecil and I will handle this; you guys just go to the airfield. Okay?”

“But if that’s the case, we should go to the police station too…!!”

“No, you guys have something to do. You’re going to fight to protect this island, right? If you’re going that far, I won’t stop you. Go ahead and do it. Leave Mio to us.”

Despite initially trying to stop him, Reiner suddenly began recommending that they go into combat. After a few exchanges, it was ultimately Kiyoaki who was persuaded.

“…Got it. Yeah. Illia and I can fight in the air, so… Cecil, please take care of Mio.”

“Y-Yes! I’ll testify to Mio’s innocence!”

“We’re heading to the airfield, Illia. We have to do what we can.”

“Yeah, let’s go. Cecil, wait for us. We’ll definitely come back…”

“…You two, be safe. Don’t die on me. I really don’t want that.”

“We won’t die. We’ll definitely return.”

Illia smiled reassuringly and mounted her beloved vehicle.

Ahead, the Urano air squadron was now distinguishable by type even with the naked eye. While friendly aircraft were taking off to engage, they were clearly outnumbered. In no time, flames began to erupt from various locations across the island.

The dawn’s glow was scorched by the flames of the land. Air Hunt Island, which Kiyoaki considered a second home, was now on the verge of being burned to the ground by Urano.

“I won’t let it happen…!”

Kiyoaki murmured and kicked the starter. Memories of the invasion of Messus Island four years ago surged back to him. Back then, he was powerless, watching his beloved sister get killed right in front of him. He could only weep at the sight of his burning homeland and the brutal remains of his parents.

He couldn’t bear to feel that way again. He wouldn’t let his homeland be burned twice. Now, he had the strength to fight.

──Mio’s situation is a mistake. Reiner will prove that.

──Right now, I just don’t want to lose this island, this school, and the people I care about.

──I will fight against Urano.

Carrying that single thought, Kiyoaki and Illia cut through the wind toward the airfield.

Part 23 (Part 6 of Volume 3)

Air Hunt Island was completely covered by a swarm of Idra.

Like a mantis, the sinister limbs formed a battle formation, rampaging through the skies over the island as if it were their own territory, obscuring the remnants of the morning glow.

From several spots on the surface, flames began to rise. The fire, scorching the edges of the dawn, gradually expanded its area, intertwining with one another, eventually becoming a raging inferno on the ground.

The Urano Air Force, which suddenly attacked Air Hunt Island, consisted of a massive formation of two hundred sixty aircraft. Fighters, bombers, attack aircraft, and over thirty large bombers that had taken off from an airfield formed one squadron, with eight squadrons attacking the newly formed fleet and defensive facilities on the island—such as the airfield and anti-aircraft gun positions—according to their operational plans. Thanks to information provided by the infiltrator Hachidori, the positions of the island's defences were completely known to Urano, allowing the attackers to meticulously arrange their operations before reaching the combat area.

The third squadron responsible for attacking the new fleet included torpedo bombers capable of submerged navigation in shallow waters and large bombers equipped with timed explosives for the airfield assault. Another squadron, tasked with destroying bridges, communication lines, radar, and other facilities, comprised precision bombing dive bombers. Following an orderly process like an assembly line, the Urano Air Force methodically incapacitated Air Hunt Island.

On the other hand, the defensive force, the St Vault Army, was unable to recover from the chaos and was subjected to one-sided attacks for an hour after the combat began.

While one might expect such a situation at the front lines of islands like Crossnodal or Mauregan, no one ever dreamed that two flying fortresses would approach the relay base of Air Hunt Island. Even if the enemy air force were to mount a sudden attack, it was believed that inflicting damage on the newly stationed fleet in Sanjiru Bay, with its shallow waters, would be impossible.

Not just the depth of the water. The newly stationed air battleships and air carriers were protected by underwater defence nets. Even if the enemy used new torpedoes, they were supposed to get tangled in the specially laid underwater nets and couldn't possibly hit the hull—so it was thought.

However, the oxygen torpedoes launched by the Urano attack squadron pierced through without encountering any obstacles, embedding themselves into the sides of the new air battleships. The two super-dreadnought battleships, symbols of hope for the citizens of the St Vault Empire and considered trump cards in the Hydrabard campaign, were unexpectedly struck by over twenty oxygen torpedoes each, turning them into mere debris without ever participating in a naval battle.

The defence nets had been pre-emptively compromised by something that had submerged underwater. The nets that were supposed to envelop the torpedoes had been torn apart, resulting in a one-sided torpedo assault. By the time the commander of the Air Hunt Island garrison considered the existence of infiltrators, not a single warship remained afloat in Sanjiru Bay.

It wasn't just the naval base. The airfield and anti-aircraft gun positions were also unilaterally destroyed. The eight squadrons of Urano unleashed all their bombs and torpedoes onto Air Hunt Island without facing any counterattacks, returning leisurely to their flying fortresses to prepare for a second assault.

The next attack targets were public facilities such as fuel depots, military supply depots, waterworks, and residential areas. If these were destroyed, Air Hunt Island would be left virtually defenceless. If an invasion occurred, the entire population would likely be slaughtered without any means of resistance.

To retaliate, the air force had to be able to launch fighter planes from the airfield. The St Vault Army’s engineering team worked desperately to repair the runways, which had been set ablaze and torn apart by the initial bombing, using bulldozers to fill the gaps as the Urano Air Force prepared for their second attack.

The day before had been a typhoon, so the military had been on leave; however, upon receiving a sudden attack, soldiers returned one by one to their posts. Yet, due to the destruction of roads and bridges, many soldiers were unable to return. The commander of the airfield’s air unit hurriedly assigned aircraft to the returning pilots, launching them in order as they became ready. However, the number of available planes was insufficient. Hoping that as many pilots as possible would arrive at the airfield as soon as possible, the commander anxiously gazed at the sky. Soon, the Urano second attack squadron would arrive, targeting civilian facilities. If they couldn't retaliate here, many civilians would become casualties. They had to somehow strike back and prevent further damage...

As the commander prayed like this, two officer candidates arrived on motorcycles. They were the pilots from the "Seven of Eriadore," well-known to the commander. They had overcome hardships to come and fight, even as students.

The commander hesitated. They were still students. He couldn't believe they could be of any use in actual combat.

However, these two were descendants of the two legendary "Kings of the Skies." If they worked together, perhaps they could down at least one enemy aircraft. If that happened, there would at least be a record of them having "bravely attempted a counterattack." It wouldn't be a mere observation; they too fought with all their might. That would be an excuse to present to the media and the public. Even if both of them died, they could be honoured as heroes who fought bravely, stirring the public's anger and desire for revenge. Even a death in a reckless battle could serve the nation if framed correctly.

"I understand your feelings well. I hereby assign you a mission to head directly to the airfield. Go."

After this thought process, the air unit commander gave the two officer candidates permission to board the fighter planes with a stern expression.

"Yes…!" "Thank you very much!"

The two of them brightened up with enthusiasm, sprinting towards their assigned fighters with all their might.

Ideally, they would shoot down some enemies.

But if they died, they would be honoured as heroes.

Watching their backs, the commander whispered in his heart.

"It was surprisingly easy to get permission…!"

As they ran towards the line beside the runway, Kiyoaki called out to Illia, who was beside him.

"Yeah. They probably don't have enough pilots. The roads and bridges have been destroyed, and the soldiers on leave can't return."

Illia replied, looking straight ahead while confirming the mechanics pulling the fighter planes out from underground shelters. All the aircraft parked in the surface hangars had been destroyed in the initial attack, but the planes stored underground had survived. Kiyoaki and Illia were entrusted with these precious surviving fighters.

The maintenance chief, having received a call from the command centre, brought out the polished Beowulf fighter right before them.

"Get out immediately! If they return, you won’t be able to take off!"

Kiyoaki expressed his gratitude to the frantic maintenance chief and jumped onto the wing. In the St Vault Air Force, take-offs under aerial attack are strictly forbidden. During take-off, aircraft are slow, unable to evade bullets or shells, and are left exposed with their upper surfaces vulnerable. They wanted to get as many fighters airborne as possible before the take-off ban. The anxiety in the faces of the maintenance chief and all the mechanics, smeared with oil, conveyed that prayer. They, too, had families on this island and could not bear to witness further destruction.

"Yes. I will do my utmost. I will fly at the risk of my life."

Having made that promise, Kiyoaki exchanged glances with Illia.

Illia tightened her expression and nodded.

"Let’s go. It’s time to demonstrate the skills we’ve honed until today."

At that moment, Illia appeared to waver slightly, as if obscured. A sense of foreboding stirred deep within his chest.

"Yeah. But Illia, don’t be reckless."

"You be careful too."

"…Yeah. Let’s come back alive."

Kiyoaki smiled. He felt anxious if he didn’t. Illia slightly relaxed her cheeks, showing a calm expression she had recently begun to wear occasionally.

"When it's over, let’s meet on the ground again."

"…Yeah. We’ll meet again on the ground, Illia."

Since they would return and meet on the ground, there was no need for overly grand farewells. Shaking off the bad premonitions, he jumped onto the wing and climbed into the cockpit. He confirmed Illia boarding the aircraft behind him. After receiving the frequency from the maintenance chief, he checked the communication with Illia.

"Illia, can you hear me?"

As he called into the microphone, a voice responded from the speaker on the instrument panel.

"I hear you. Sensitivity is good."

"Okay. After take-off, we will immediately take cover at four thousand five hundred meters above the airfield."

"Understood. Four thousand five hundred."

After a brief discussion, Kiyoaki connected the aircraft's control surfaces directly to the engine axis and began to spin the propeller.

The sturdy beating of the Beowulf reverberated through his body. It was on another level compared to the training aircraft, Gray Fox. Although he felt anxious about heading into battle with a plane he hadn’t fully mastered, there was no time for luxury.

──I fight for Air Hunt Island.

──Even if it costs me my life.

With that vow deeply etched in his heart, he received the signal from the ground crew and began his take-off run.

This was a real fighter plane. The acceleration was different. He quickly reached take-off speed, pulling back on the control stick.

The propeller roared violently, sending a fierce wind over the runway.

Kiyoaki could not suppress the tremors of a warrior. This strength was a world apart from that of a training aircraft. He was now about to engage in a real aerial battle in a genuine fighter plane.

──Don’t get carried away. Your life is at stake. The fate of this island is at stake too.

──Fight, shoot down the enemy, and return alive.

──That is the mission of one entrusted with a fighter plane.

As Kiyoaki reminded himself, he fixed his gaze on the distant enemy airships floating aloof in the sky.

──I will shoot down those enemies.

In a moment, like hornets emerging from their nest, a tremendous number of bright spots were unleashed from the upper surfaces of the flying fortress.

To deliver a finishing blow to Air Hunt Island, the second attack squadron was aiming its devilish beak directly at them. Leading the charge was a group of three Type 3 Idra fighters.

Dozens of friendly Beowulf fighters, which had taken off before Kiyoaki, were circling at an altitude of five thousand meters above the airfield to defend it, but they were clearly outmatched.

The enemy was nearly ten times greater. The fleet in Sanjiru Bay had been completely wiped out, and the anti-aircraft positions had been neutralized. The defeat in the air was all but assured even before the battle began.

But he would do his best. And return alive. For that, he must cast aside personal pride.

Noticing Illia rising from below and beginning to circle at the same altitude as Kiyoaki, he picked up the radio microphone.

“Illia, let’s team up. You lead, and I’ll follow.”

A response came immediately from the speaker.

“If that’s what you want, I welcome it.”

“Yeah. I think you’re better suited to take down the enemy.”

“You’re being quite straightforward.”

“I want to live and go back. My pride doesn’t matter.”

“...Understood. Then let’s do it that way.”

With Illia’s agreement, Kiyoaki positioned himself at her right diagonal rear. While Illia aimed at enemy aircraft, it would be Kiyoaki’s role to protect her from other enemy planes. It was a modest task, but by doing this, they could more easily achieve results.

“...This is my first real battle with a fighter plane. Don’t take unnecessary risks. If you feel danger, choose to descend immediately.”

Illia, unusually, threw out such advice. Kiyoaki replied in kind.

“You too, Illia. Let’s protect our lives over pride. The opponent is a professional, and we are students.”

Though it echoed Cecil's earlier words, Kiyoaki felt an unsettling premonition. He couldn’t predict how Illia, with her strong sense of justice, would react when fighting in a real battlefield.

“...I know. Let’s both be careful not to get too heated.”

Once again, Illia accepted Kiyoaki's advice unusually well.

She was surely anxious as well. Last summer, she had experienced actual combat aboard the Eriadore airship, but this time it was a genuine dogfight between fighter planes. The ammunition loaded into the machine guns wasn’t non-lethal special rounds but real armour-piercing, incendiary, tracer, and explosive rounds—bullets designed to destroy both aircraft and human bodies. It was terrifying, but if she hesitated when pulling the trigger, it would mean her own death. Kiyoaki firmly reminded himself of this as he glared at the horizon beyond the windscreen.

The Urano forces charged towards them, seemingly ecstatic. They were evidently thrilled that the St Vault fighters had finally taken off. The pilots’ exhilaration was palpable from the silhouette of their aircraft, typical of the Urano.

“Stay calm. Take them out one by one.”

“Yeah. Keep an eye on our surroundings. If it looks dangerous, we’ll escape.”

Exchanging their plans over the speaker, Kiyoaki and Illia waited tensely for the enemy’s approach.

The key was to protect the airspace above the airfield.

As long as they controlled this airspace, their allies’ aircraft could take off. If they regained air superiority, the enemy would likely give up on further destruction.

The distance to the enemy fighter group closed to under six thousand meters. The three Type 3 Idra’s wings loomed closer and closer. Having gained altitude first, they would be able to attack from a higher position than the enemy.

Sweat began to gather on Kiyoaki’s palms gripping the control stick. Honestly, it would be a lie to say he wasn’t scared. Yet, swallowing his anxiety and fear, he thought of the people he had to protect.

The enemy formation reached the combat airspace. The cockpit reflected sunlight, revealing the shape of the upper surface of the aircraft.

A clear and resolute voice from Illia echoed into the cockpit.

“Let’s go!”

With her command, Illia dove towards the enemy aircraft like a hawk.

“Yeah, let’s go!”

Kiyoaki guarded her rear.

──Live and return.

──With Illia.

Kiyoaki and Illia united their hearts and began their descent towards the group of Idra.

“Cecil, stay here.”

On the way to the police station, Reiner stopped the bike and said this while looking back at the passenger seat.

Still straddling the seat, Cecil looked at Reiner with a puzzled expression. They were in a desolate suburb, about two kilometres from the city centre. A distant fire could be seen, but since they were in an empty area, it seemed unlikely that there would be any bombardment.

“What?”

“It’s a shelter. You just need to stay here.”

Reiner gestured toward the side of the road with his chin, indicating the entrance of an underground bunker, partially overgrown with grass. It was an emergency shelter for local residents.

“But I’m going to pick up Mio.”

“I’ll bring her back. If you’re with me, I won’t be able to take Mio home. Just stay here for a while.”

“Eh... But…”

Cecil puffed up her cheeks in dissatisfaction, but Reiner wouldn’t budge.

“I can’t carry three people. You understand, right? I’ll be back with Mio soon. The air raid is starting any minute, so just stay put.”

“But at least to the police station…”

“You won’t be able to do anything even if you go. It’ll just complicate the return trip. Just stay here.”

After some back-and-forth, Cecil reluctantly got off the bike and followed Reiner’s instructions.

“Come back soon, okay? I’m worried about Mio.”

“I know. So stay put until the air raid is over.”

Waving dismissively, Reiner left Cecil behind and revved up the bike towards the police station.

Above them, the Idra fighters of the air superiority squad were engaged in combat with the Beowulf interceptors. The Urano second attack unit would be arriving shortly after the air superiority squad. The attack on public facilities would begin soon.

“Now, what to do? Reiner asked Hachidori.”

While driving, Reiner consulted his inner self.

──Change.

A response came immediately.

“Got it.”

Reiner Beck closed his eyes as he sped down the road.

Opening his eyes, Hachidori spat out.

“Foolish man.”

Gripping the throttle, the engine roared to life, and Hachidori sped down the public road at nearly four times the legal speed.

“It’s absurd to turn an amateur into an operative.”

This was a grievance directed at Chief Zenon. However, if he didn’t resolve this troublesome situation, his own life would be in danger. If Mio was captured, she wouldn’t withstand interrogation at all. After an hour of torture, she would undoubtedly spill the beans about Reiner Beck’s true identity.

“Having to clean up after the Chief’s little games...!”

Muttering curses, Hachidori quickly arrived in front of the military police station.

It wasn’t a particularly grand facility. It stood as a modest two-story mixed-use building. Hachidori parked the bike haphazardly in front of the police station and boldly entered through the front.

The military police had rushed out to handle the air raid, leaving the station quiet. Ignoring the reception, Hachidori headed for the stairs.

“Hey, who are you...?”

One of the military police, noticing the uninvited visitor, approached.

Hachidori grabbed the soldier’s shoulder, pushed him down, and delivered a palm strike to his chin, breaking his neck.

Drawing the soldier's pistol from his fallen body, Hachidori descended the stairs.

The sound of a thunderous explosion resonated from outside. It seemed the bombing of the city had begun. This chaos was fortunate; the sounds of explosions outside would help cover up some noise.

Hachidori walked down the hallway as if he were familiar with the garden. He had already researched the layout of the station in case other operatives were captured. Just then, new military police appeared from below.

"Hey, you can’t go past here...!?"

Before the words could finish, Hachidori aimed at the officer’s forehead and pulled the trigger.

The gunshot echoed in the hallway. Without hesitation, Hachidori stepped over the military police officer's corpse and descended to the second underground level. Ahead in the narrow corridor, three surprised police officers were standing, their expressions one of shock.

"Wha- an enemy...!?"

"It’s Urano, they've come to retrieve their comrade!!"

The police officers were the same ones who had captured Mio at the observation tower. They quickly drew their pistols, aiming at Hachidori.

Hachidori’s expression didn’t change. He maintained a calm gaze on the police officers, moving silently down the corridor and closing the distance to his targets.

"No matter how hard you try, I don’t think it will do any good."

The captain of the military police looked down at Mio, who was bound to a chair.

"Your identity is already exposed. Our country’s special forces aren’t fools. Did you not realize that your family has been kept under surveillance?"

In the small interrogation room, it was just the captain and Mio. Her arms were restrained behind her back, shackled to the pipe chair. The captain, in his late forties, leaned in closer to Mio with an amused expression.

Mio kept her head down, not looking up.

"This island has fallen into chaos. It’s all thanks to you. Outside, because of you, many soldiers have died."

The captain reached toward Mio’s chin, lifting her face as if raising a wine glass.

"You’re quite a girl. You’ve betrayed your dear friends and leaked information about this island to Urano. Now, you’re leading many people to their deaths. I’m impressed that you can remain so calm with such a cute face."

Mio’s eyes were lifeless. The captain’s thumb traced her lips, but there was no sign of her expression changing. Even when faced with degrading words, she neither showed anger nor resistance—she was like a doll.

The captain plunged his fingers into Mio’s hair, roughly grabbing it and forcing her to look up.

He brought his face close, almost touching her lips, and threatened her.

"Are you trying to play indifferent? There are countless ways to make you speak. If you continue to be so uncooperative, it won’t end well for you."

The captain’s face clearly showed a hint of sadism, but Mio remained unmoving in response. Stripped of her vitality, she was now presented before a beast.

The captain took a deep breath through his nose and suddenly tore at Mio’s clothing.

"……!?"

Finally, a slight tremor returned to Mio’s eyes.

Without a word, the captain revealed more of Mio’s skin with his coarse hands.

"Stop...!!"

Instinctively, Mio tried to escape from his grasp. However, her arms were restrained behind her back, shackled to the chair, leaving her unable to flee.

The foul breath was blown close to her face. Those filthy hands began to impose humiliation upon her.

Mio screamed. Struggling and cursing, she begged him to stop, finally calling out the name of her beloved in a tearful voice.

"Kiyoaki…!!"

The moment she spoke that name, the captain was violently thrown sideways, crashing against the wall and collapsing helplessly. Crimson liquid dripped from his mouth, spreading out beneath him.

"……!?"

Unbeknownst to them, a boy had entered the room and was looking at the captain’s lifeless body with disinterest.

Hachidori carelessly pulled the keys from the captain's pocket and inserted one into the handcuff’s lock, freeing Mio.

"You were lucky it didn’t end worse, you fool."

The cold words were directed not at the captain, but at Mio.

Mio tumbled off the chair, bracing herself with one hand on the floor as she adjusted her dishevelled clothing.

"Ugh… ugh…"

A sob escaped her lips. She wiped her tears with her fingers, glared at the captain's corpse, then put her hand to her mouth to suppress her nausea.

Hachidori grabbed her collar roughly, forcing her to stand.

"We're leaving. Your place is no longer in this country. We’re escaping this island."

He began to drag her out of the interrogation room. Mio managed to brace her legs, looking up at Hachidori.

"What about Dad and Mum… my siblings? What happened to them?"

"How would I know? Go check for yourself. If you believe their words, they’re probably captured."

"That can’t be… this is…"

"Such things happen. Consider the trouble you’ve caused me. Come on, walk quickly before the military police return. If you get caught again, it will be even worse."

Threatened, Mio hurriedly followed Hachidori out into the corridor. Her mind was frozen, but she could no longer tolerate the treatment she had just received. For now, it seemed best to obey Hachidori. He was a terrible person, but at least he wouldn’t do what the captain had just done.

The corridor was in a horrifying state.

"Hah…"

Three police officers lay piled on top of each other. Hachidori must have done this during his infiltration. One body lay on the stairs, and another was sprawled at the entrance of the police station.

"Did you… do this?"

"Thanks to you, I have extra work to do. Just disappear. Get off this island."

Hachidori spat this out as he stepped outside, tossing a helmet at Mio and gesturing for her to sit on the back of the bike.

"Where… are we going?"

Following his instructions, Mio sat down behind Hachidori and gripped the tandem handlebars.

Hachidori started the bike without answering. It smoothly accelerated, weaving through the damaged road from the bombings.

In the sky, a battle was unfolding. The Idra and Beowulf were engaged in fierce combat, the propellers roaring. Occasionally, aircraft would fall with long black trails behind them, and distant explosions echoed. Hachidori cut through the road, undeterred by the thick clouds of smoke and dust rising from the burning ground.

"Is everyone safe? What about Kiyoaki? Illia and Cecil?"

"Be quiet. You have no right to worry about them. Right now, we need to head to the extraction point as fast as possible."

"…Huh?"

"You are escaping this island. Go to Pleiades. Your new role awaits you there."

"…Huh?"

Mio couldn’t comprehend what Hachidori was saying.

—The floating city of Pleiades.

It was the name of the capital of Urano. According to the mythology of Urano, it was said to be a giant city in the sky that would someday rule this world.

"Am I going to Pleiades?"

"That's right. There’s no choice."

With an unyielding tone, Hachidori declared this and opened the throttle.

Cutting through the thick, blue-gray haze, Hachidori raced toward the communication point with the Urano invasion force. In preparation for emergencies, he had previously marked points on the map where they could contact the invading troops. If they could get there, Mio would be handed over to the main force of Urano.

── Those who know my true identity will no longer be on this island.

Finally, he could rid himself of this nuisance. Hachidori concealed a slight sense of relief deep within his chest as he navigated the damaged road, skilfully avoiding bumps and obstacles, aiming for the Jujiji Cape.

"Does that mean… I won't see everyone again?"

Mio asked from the backseat.

Of course. Hachidori thought, but he ignored her.

"Does that mean this is goodbye to everyone?"

Mio asked again in a sorrowful tone. Hachidori remained silent.

── Such naivety.

He mentally spat this out, accelerating to shake off Mio's wishes──.

Flames danced through the air like writhing dragons.

What had once been a dawn that could be mistaken for the heavens had now transformed into a hellish scene of blood, smoke, and explosions.

The chaotic machines of Urano and St Vault continued to spit out streams of gunfire like a murky river. The discordant sounds of propellers and lift devices intertwined, creating a symphonic cacophony of aerial warfare, pregnant with thousands of fragments.

The large Urano bomber "Gorgona," which aimed to incinerate the city of Air Hunt Island, was met by a Beowulf fighter that dove in, showering it with concentrated gunfire while slipping through a ferocious curtain of anti-aircraft fire. But the Gorgona did not fall. It dispersed rounds of armour-piercing shells from its top and bottom like a porcupine, pushing the Beowulf away instead. The injured St Vault pilot, determined to protect the city, made a suicidal charge toward the Gorgona, and the two aircraft collided in a fiery explosion as they plummeted to the ground.

The surviving anti-aircraft batteries fired at the Gorgona as it approached from high altitude with all their might. Anti-aircraft fire, adjusted for a height of six thousand meters, erupted as if a protective flame curtain were being drawn over all of Air Hunt Island. The two Gorgonas bombers that had entered were hit, and the bombs they carried exploded within the aircraft, creating a horrific bloom of flames that added new colours to the cruel sky.

The Idra rushed into the island’s depths to protect Gorgona, raining machine gun fire on the anti-aircraft gunners. However, the gunners continued to aim at the high-flying Gorgona, determined to defend their island, even as they were shot at by the Idra. Despite their comrades being shattered beside them, the soldiers gritted their teeth and focused solely on targeting the enemy bombers.

We must protect this island.

That was the collective sentiment of all St Vault soldiers.

Just this morning, they had enjoyed a peaceful daily life with their families and friends. They could not stand by and watch as their homeland was burned and trampled. Each soldier stood their ground against the mighty forces of Urano, risking their lives.

The counterattack against the second wave of Urano forces was brutal beyond measure. The airfields and anti-aircraft batteries that were supposed to have been neutralized in the first assault were quickly restored by Urano. The fighters taking off from there, along with the surviving anti-aircraft guns, confronted the overwhelming enemy with all their might.

Meanwhile, the St Vault naval fleet, which had been stationed at a nearby island, rushed to the combat zone. United in their training, the newly formed fleet navigated at maximum speed, seeking revenge for their fallen comrades.

They had suffered catastrophic damage. But they could still fight.

Kiyoaki and Illia, battling in the sky, shared the same prayer as every St Vault soldier.

"I'll shoot you down...!!"

The power of the Beowulf was incomparable to the training aircraft Gray Fox. If Gray Fox was a donkey, Beowulf was a wild horse. Undeterred by the G-forces pressing down on him, Kiyoaki concentrated fully, fixing his bloodshot eyes on the target.

Smoke, sparks, and debris from the aircraft hit the windscreen like hail, streaming past behind. It felt like navigating a rapid river filled with floating debris, pursuing through the air.

Visibility was poor. The colour of the sky was obscured. Relying solely on the barely visible wings of the Type 3 Idra, Kiyoaki kept his pursuit steady.

"Illia, I've got your back...!!"

"Do it...!!"

Their voices, exchanged over the speaker, were already parched. Ahead of Kiyoaki's target was Illia. And beyond her was another enemy aircraft. The four aircraft—two enemies and two allies—formed a line, engaged in a fierce survival race.

Illia, trying to take down the lead enemy aircraft, was left vulnerable. Kiyoaki aimed at the enemy aircraft that was poised to take advantage of her opening from behind. If Kiyoaki missed his shot, it would mean Illia’s death.

However, the enemy was also weary. After two assaults today, Kiyoaki and Illia had the advantage in stamina. As time passed, the distance between them shrank, and the enemy aircraft grew larger in Kiyoaki's sights.

Kiyoaki placed his finger on the trigger. The horizontal distance was less than a hundred meters. Eighty, seventy, sixty. Closing in to a critical distance.

At that moment, despite all his self-discipline.

──If I pull the trigger, that person will die.

Such thoughts exploded in Kiyoaki’s mind.

This wasn’t a mock battle. It was real air combat. He had never killed anyone.

──Is it right for me to kill?

──That person has a family. They might have a lover, friends, or children.

──Is it okay for me to kill that person?

His finger trembled. His teeth chattered.

But.

──I must shoot.

──For the sake of my loved ones.

The enemy aircraft, framed in his sights, was covered with the irreplaceable smiles of two people.

This was a smile that must be protected, even at the cost of his own life.

──Mio and Illia.

Their smiles supported Kiyoaki from behind.

For a moment, he was bewildered by his own thoughts, but then Kiyoaki pulled the trigger.

There was no hesitation. Even as debris from the exploded enemy aircraft struck the windscreen, Kiyoaki continued to squeeze the trigger.

"I shot it down!!"

Illia's voice came through the speaker.

She too had apparently taken down her target.

Together, they broke through the debris of the enemy aircraft, ascending. Almost simultaneously, they had both downed their targets. It was a remarkable achievement for their first battle.

Like a pair of birds aiming for the heights of the sky, Kiyoaki and Illia danced side by side.

"I also took down one enemy aircraft!!"

Kiyoaki could hardly contain his excitement.

He was simply happy. He felt no guilt for taking a life; only the joy of having protected his loved ones remained.

"Don't get too excited, there are still enemies out there...!!"

"I know, stay calm, don’t rush...!"

But they quickly regained their composure, reminding each other. Their words were more for the other’s sake than for their own survival.

For the first time in battle, Kiyoaki realized that his bond with Illia was stronger than he had thought. She was someone he could not afford to lose.

──I will protect Illia.

Strengthening that resolve, Kiyoaki scanned the surrounding airspace. He had learned from Akmed that to survive in the battlefield, the first priority was to spot the enemy before they spotted you.

Current altitude: five thousand five hundred meters.

Below, Air Hunt Island was in flames. At the naval port, a new battleship was broken in two, and a new aircraft carrier was grounded, belching black smoke. The bombardment of the city seemed to have begun as well, and fires were erupting in familiar streets, despite the desperate defence. He recognized the area near the movie theatre where he had gone on his first date with Mio. A place filled with memories was being destroyed helplessly...

"…Damn it!! Damn it…!!"

All he could do was curse. An overwhelming hatred for Urano surged within him.

"Enemy fighter formation to the lower right!! Aim for the lead aircraft!!"

Illia's calm voice reached him through the speaker. Looking in the direction indicated, he saw a formation of seven Idra fighters advancing at an altitude of about four thousand five hundred meters. From behind, a new squadron of Gorgona bombers was coming in. Illia was targeting the leader of the air superiority fighter squad.

"Got it, be careful...!"

"I’ll go for a hit-and-run, don’t fall behind!!"

"Understood, let’s go!"

Illia turned sharply like a hawk and dove straight down. Kiyoaki followed closely. The top surface of the enemy leader's aircraft came into view──.

The commander of the Urano air superiority fighter squadron, Karnasion, sensed a slight discomfort above him. It was the murderous intent of an enemy pilot, detectable only by those favoured by the sky.

Instinctively, he turned his gaze toward the eastern sky, right next to the sun. Without focusing directly on the sun, he consciously shifted his point of focus away from it to recognize the approaching enemy aircraft.

There was nothing there.

Next, he looked straight up. Two Beowulf fighters were descending at a forty-two-degree angle. They didn’t seem to be the cunning enemies who would hide behind the sun.

──Newbies.

Karnasion’s heart swelled with joy.

He longed to torment inexperienced foes, rob them of their flying capabilities, and witness their expressions of despair as they faced death.

"Uheh...!!"

Letting out a pleased sound, Karnasion pushed down on the control stick.

He would feign escape. The enemy should get cocky and chase after him.

──I will send them to hell.

Behind the bandages wrapped around his face, the scorched smile of the "King of the Skies" spread wide.

Suddenly, the lead aircraft spun around. It seemed to have noticed Karnasion’s aggressive approach. It hastily turned to flee toward the sea, but it was clear from its erratic movements that it was taken by surprise. He could not let this opportunity slip away. Kiyoaki shouted into the mic.

"I can take it, Illia...!!"

"I know, cover me from behind...!!"

Kiyoaki shifted his focus to the enemy aircraft behind. They seemed to have noticed Illia and were trying to swarm her. Without hesitation, he opened fire with his machine gun. Three friendly fighters, realizing the danger posed by the Idra, charged in at high speed from the side. Chaos erupted as dozens of friend and foe became entangled in the melee.

"Ugh...!!"

Kiyoaki was experiencing aerial combat for the first time, surrounded by a chaotic mix of allies and enemies.

He couldn't tell which aircraft was Illia's.

If she had her nose art on, he would have recognized her, but students were not allowed such privileges.

"Illia, I can't see you!!"

He called out over the mic. The noise from the speaker grew intense. The communication lines were all mixed up with both friendly and enemy transmissions. The barely audible response came through:

"…Kar…sion!!"

The interference was terrible, making it hard to make out what was being said. It seemed she was shouting something, but he couldn’t grasp it at all.

Kiyoaki panicked, searching the surroundings for Illia. All he saw were the Idra, lurking and waiting for an opening.

As he focused on searching, one enemy aircraft suddenly positioned itself directly behind him from the upper right.

"Dammit…!!"

By the time he realized his mistake, it was too late. Kiyoaki had found himself on the receiving end of the chase.

──If this continues, I will be shot down.

"Illia, I'm sorry, I’ll definitely find you…!!"

He threw out an apology into the speaker, but there was no response.

Bullets spewed from the enemy aircraft, whizzing past the windscreen. The aircraft rattled loudly, indicating that it had taken hits.

──I can't die here.

Kiyoaki steeled himself, prepared to confront this enemy.

One of them would end their life here today, leaving sorrow and despair for those who remained.

"I'm coming for you, Urano…!!"

Gathering all his courage, Kiyoaki executed a half-roll, flipping the world upside down and diving toward the ground──.

At that moment, the fleeing enemy aircraft twisted to dive further, and the nose art painted on its front became etched in Illia’s mind.

──A black panther.

In that instant, every hair on Illia’s body stood on end.

"Karnasion!!"

The King of the Skies was now fleeing with all its might right before her eyes.

Words her father had instilled in her since childhood burned into Illia's brain.

"I fly to become the King of the Skies."

Illia had been pursuing this distant goal, sacrificing any decent treatment as a girl and any true happiness as a human since the moment she was born.

Now, that goal stood right in front of her.

She was in a fighter plane, soaring through the same sky.

──Everything is for this moment.

Illia's eyes transformed into those of a fierce predator. A year ago, when she met Karnasion, she was piloting a large airship. The conditions had not allowed for aerial combat then. But this time, she was gripping the controls of a fighter plane. In this sky, she could fight under the same conditions.

"Don't run away, fight!!"

She shouted as she chased after him at full speed.

Her calmness had completely vanished. She was only filled with excitement.

If a pilot lost their composure in aerial combat, it meant death.

Her father, Karsten, had drilled this into her. It was common knowledge among pilots worldwide.

Yet, the figure of Karnasion fleeing beyond the obstruction and windscreen burned through Illia’s thoughts.

──If I shoot down that enemy, I will become the King of the Skies.

──Father will recognize me.

──He will praise me.

"Fight, Karnasion!!"

She roared.

Karnasion, fleeing at full speed, had almost forcibly pulled his nose up.

However, perhaps due to his panic, he made a mistake in his manoeuvre, executing a strange roll at an awkward angle.

If she continued this chase, she would catch up.

──I can shoot down Karnasion.

Illia followed that roll without hesitation.

Karnasion was about to reach the top of the roll, but it was clear that her positioning was advantageous.

Illia peered through the sights.

Karnasion’s silhouette was already extending beyond the crosshairs.

It was a distance that even a novice could hit without missing.

──I’ve won...!

As she felt goosebumps all over her body and prepared to pull the trigger in that moment──.

"I thought I had won until the top of the roll. Your wings were sticking out of my sights."

Kiyoaki’s voice echoed in the back of her mind.

"But after that... you froze in mid-air. Just for a moment."

His words shifted to an incomprehensible murmur.

──It’s a trap.

In that instant, Illia kicked the footbar with all her might.

Her aircraft was flung away from the trajectory of the roll.

A tremendous force pressed down on her body.

Clenching her teeth, she sent her right eye outside the windscreen.

Karnasion was suspended in mid-air.

Then, like a solo performer, he rotated his aircraft, directing the nose back toward the previous roll's trajectory.

If he had continued to pursue, Illia’s side would have been ripped apart by Karnasion.

“Karsten Turn.”

That name echoed once more in the back of his mind, in Kiyoaki's voice.

The technique that only her father, Karsten, could perform was now being executed right before Illia’s eyes.

“Guh...”

In that moment of frustration──.

Illia's aircraft shattered into pieces.

It had suffered a structural failure due to excessive load.

Illia was thrown from the cockpit, head down, plummeting toward Air Hunt Island──.

“Gih...!?”

Karnasion opened his right eye, barely able to due to the burns.

He had just completed the Karsten Turn and should have been aiming his guns at the foolish rookie’s side──but there was nothing in his sights.

──Had I been read?

He quickly glanced behind his aircraft.

The pursuing enemy craft had been shattered to pieces.

Before he entered the turn, they must have realized the trap and kicked the footbar. Their reckless manoeuvre had pushed their aircraft beyond its limits, resulting in a self-destruction.

There was no thrill of victory. Only frustration remained.

──Does this enemy know this technique?

No one should know that Karnasion could perform the Karsten Turn. Because he had shot down every enemy aircraft that had pursued him using this technique. Seeing the Karsten Turn meant death for that enemy.

And yet, he had been sensed.

“...Gii...”

Inexpressible frustration transformed into a sound deep in his throat.

Looking down, he saw the parachute of the enemy pilot that had been ejected from the cockpit opening slowly, beginning its descent. Karnasion tilted the control stick and slowly circled around the pilot.

──It’s a girl. Still young.

To his surprise, the pilot was a girl with long red hair. She executed a textbook parachute descent, extending her long legs forward. She seemed aware, fixing her sharp gaze on Karnasion with her slanted eyes.

She was a beautiful girl.

She possessed an external beauty that Karnasion lacked, along with remarkable qualities as a pilot.

Somewhere, he recognized her. Yes, she was one of the young officers referred to as "The Seven of Eriadore," featured in a publication of the Urano Air Force.

──Karsten Kreischmidt's only daughter.

There was no doubt about it. The vibrant red-haired girl from the article matched the appearance of the girl now parachuting down.

──Should I kill her?

If he caught her parachute with his wings or fired a bullet, this girl would die.

For Karnasion, having a beautiful girl’s life in his hands was satisfying.

He persistently circled around the helpless girl, slowly observing her miserable descent.

She seemed to understand that her life was being toyed with. Drifting helplessly in mid-air, the girl glared at Karnasion with a determined gaze.

──This woman will pursue me, be defeated in return, and become mine.

He suddenly thought of this.

It was a pleasurable game. To carve the humiliation of defeat into the talented, beautiful girl, making her pursue him and, after she grew stronger, to deliver another defeat. Watching the tear-stained face of this girl, twisted in frustration as her efforts crumbled, he wanted to revel in his own greatness.

Karnasion opened the windscreen, exposing his grotesque appearance to the girl.

He spread a burned, scarred grin beneath the bandages.

The girl’s expression twisted in clear anguish. For a girl raised under the elite education of "The King of the Skies," Karsten Kreischmidt, this must have been unbearable humiliation.

──Chase me. With all your heart and soul.

──Fill your thoughts with me.

──Devote your life to pursuing me, only to be defeated in the end.

──Become a wretched loser, having your dreams and hopes snatched away, and become mine.

As he showered these unspoken words upon the girl, Karnasion flapped his wings. After mocking her with several wingbeats, he returned to the combat zone in search of his next prey──.

At the hill before Jujiji Cape, Hachidori stopped the bike and turned back to Mio.

“...I’ll distract the military police. You need to go on alone from here.”

“...Huh?”

“Fire this signal flare at the rocky area below Jujiji Cape. A flying vessel should land to recover the stranded personnel. Get on it and escape.”

Mio remained frozen in the back seat. Hachidori, looking ahead down the road, spoke coldly and matter-of-factly.

“They must already know that you’ve escaped. Police officers all over the island are searching for you. If I’m seen with you, I’ll be suspected. I need to stay at the officer academy and continue my mission.”

After delivering this in one breath, he gestured with his chin toward Mio, who still wouldn’t move.

“Get off.”

Mio silently dismounted from the bike and gazed out over the island’s landscape from the hilltop.

In the sky, fierce aerial combat continued. Enemy and allied aircraft fell, spewing smoke and turning into flames upon hitting the ground. The burning city, the military port, the anti-aircraft gun positions were all vividly drawn into Mio’s eyes.

“...Did we help with this?”

“Yeah. Based on the information I leaked, plans were made to neutralize the island's military forces. You supported me. We share the guilt.”

“...I see. ...That’s how it is.”

Mio stood quietly, being blown by the wind at the hilltop.

Then she closed her eyes, as if contemplating something, and turned to Hachidori.

“Hey.”

In her jade-coloured eyes, there was a glint of a dead soul.

“Kill me.”

The wind swept through, tousling Mio's golden hair.

“You don’t mind killing someone, do you? You said I was a burden. So, go ahead and kill me.”

Hachidori snorted.

“Do you really want me to kill you?”

“Yes.”

“If you thought I would stop, you were mistaken.”

Hachidori drew his pistol, aiming it between Mio’s eyebrows.

“There will be no pain. It’ll be over in an instant.”

“Yeah.”

Before death, Mio’s eyes did not waver.

It was clear from her gaze that she was completely despairing of life.

──I’ll kill her.

So Hachidori thought.

──It would be easier for her this way.

Hachidori understood Mio’s pain. Every choice offered led to despair, and as long as she lived, there would be no light of hope. There was no reason to live in such anguish. He thought that killing her without inflicting pain would be the least he could do to show compassion.

──Hey, Hachidori.

Just as he was about to pull the trigger, he heard Reiner Beck’s voice from within.

──Could you do it for me? I won't do anything bad.

Hachidori tried to ignore it. Reiner, who acted as if he were alive, was merely a created being. It was impossible for him to possess independent will and speak.

But.

──If you kill Mio, you’ll anger General Zenon, you know?

──Mio is the general's favourite. It’d be better to keep her alive; it’ll earn you points.

That was a plausible argument.

“Can you keep her alive?”

He asked Reiner.

──I don’t know. But I’ll try my best.

──Just so you know, this isn’t for Mio. It’s for your advancement.

Hachidori pondered briefly and then relinquished his consciousness to Reiner.

A carefree smile spread across Reiner’s face as he raised the gun.

“Jumping off a cliff for a dramatic suicide? What a tragic heroine. So lame.”

Reiner lowered the gun and smiled at Mio.

“I’m not going to shoot. Run away. The Urano recovery team is excellent. They won’t leave a comrade behind in enemy territory. Go down to the cliff and fire the signal flare. You’ll be saved.”

Reiner forcibly placed the flare gun into Mio’s hands.

Mio’s powerless eyes turned to Reiner. She seemed to quickly realize that his persona had switched.

“...Why? I don’t want to escape. ...I’m fine here. ...I don’t want to live anymore.”

Tears flowed from Mio’s eyes, unable to be held back, spilling over.

“You betrayed your comrades. You plunged everyone who helped you into this hell. You drove the kind people of the town to their deaths. There’s no way I can continue living like this!”

Mio threw down the signal flare and attempted to snatch the pistol from Reiner’s hands.

Reiner moved the pistol behind his back, refusing to give it up.

Still wearing a frivolous smile, he poured strength into his words.

“Stop whining, you idiot. If you die, who will they hate?”

Though he continued to chuckle, his eyes were devoid of any laughter.

“If you want to atone for your sins, don’t die.”

Mio turned her gaze away from Reiner.

“Live. That is your atonement.”

Holding onto Mio’s wrist tightly, Reiner spoke firmly.

“You’re the lowest of the low. You betrayed the comrades who saved your life, leaked information to the enemy, and ended up turning this island into what it is now. You can’t escape from this. You’re a perfect, utterly despicable traitor, just like me.”

Mio squeezed her eyes shut, tears continuing to flow from beneath her closed lids.

“But if you die here, the ones who have been trampled will have no one to hate. They won’t be able to throw stones or spit at you, or curse and beat you until death. You have a duty to let those who were trampled throw stones and spit at you, to bear their curses.”

Reiner grabbed Mio’s chin and forced her face toward him.

“Don’t run away. Look at me.”

“...Let go...”

“Open your eyes. Look at me.”

“...Just... let it be...”

“Mio!!”

When he shouted, Mio opened her eyes slightly, frightened.

Reiner was no longer smiling.

It was the first time she saw Reiner’s serious expression.

“Live, even if you’re hated by your comrades. That is your atonement.”

“...”

“If they are important to you, if you truly care for Kiyoaki, then...”

The earnest words woven by Reiner were carried to Mio by the howling wind.

“Even if you crawl, even if it’s unglamorous, live. Keep living and survive. That is the only way you can atone for your sins right now.”

Then he let go of Mio’s wrist.

Mio crumpled to the ground, powerless.

Having said what he needed to, Reiner put on his helmet and mounted his beloved bike.

“I’ll leave the rest to you. You can choose to die here or to live. I have things to do, so this is goodbye.”

He revved the bike’s engine and looked down at Mio.

“It was fun, Mio. I believe we’ll meet again somewhere. I want to eat your katsudon until I’m full again.”

Then, looking up at the sky with a carefree smile, Reiner shouted loudly.

“Even if we become enemies, we will not hate each other!!”

With arms wide open like a theatre actor, he called out to the sky.

“Friendship is eternal!!”

He proclaimed the vow made among the seven, jokingly but with all his might.

The sky seemed to embrace that vow.

Though the ground was hell, the heavens were ironically clear.

Mio couldn’t understand why they had to revisit such a promise at this moment.

After saying that much, Reiner opened the throttle and dashed away like the wind.

Mio sat on the ground, powerless, staring at the objects lying on the road.

The signal flare and the pistol.

Tools for living and tools for dying.

The cruel god had presented her with a choice laid out before her.

Mio stared blankly at the two tools with her colourless eyes.

“Live, even if you are hated by your comrades. That is your atonement.”

Reiner's words echoed in the back of her mind.

“Even if we are divided into enemies and allies, we will not hate each other.”

“Friendship is eternal.”

For some reason, the vow they exchanged rose from the depths of her heart.

Was she going to die here to end this unbearable life?

Or was she going to live, to atone for her betrayal to her comrades?

No matter which choice she made, both paths led to hell. Mio had to choose one from these sad options.

Rushing through the flames, bloodshot eyes quickly scanned the surroundings, finding a brief opening in the thick smoke to soar towards the sky.

Only when he broke through the pitch-black haze did he realize his aircraft had reversed direction.

Looking up at the ground, he saw the sky below. Correcting his line of sight with the control stick, Kiyoaki confirmed that he had shaken off the enemy aircraft that had been pursuing him. He had learned that by skilfully utilizing clouds and explosions, he could recover even when being attacked from behind.

Quickly surveying the area, he searched for more enemy aircraft.

The combat zone was a chaotic mix of allies and foes.

The Urano patrol ship, equipped with a lifting device, was fiercely firing on the attacking enemy fighters amidst a torrential downpour of explosions. In response, the St Vault's attack fleet, which had rushed to the scene, was unleashing a tremendous barrage of anti-aircraft fire, creating a chaotic scene between the sky and the sea filled with gunpowder smoke, where countless aircraft burst into flames and plummeted down.

With the roar of a thousand cannonballs echoing, the impact shook the entire aircraft like a hammer. Gripping the control stick with all his might, Kiyoaki soared through the explosion-laden battlefield. No matter how far he flew, fire, smoke, or shattered steel armour lay before his eyes.

He had experienced air battles before in Eriadore and Red Goat, but this was on a completely different scale. It was a major showdown between the massive air forces of Urano and St Vault. He was spread-eagle in the heart of it all. He was still alive and able to fight.

But.

──Don’t get too heated. Know your limits.

He continued to remind himself as if telling Illia. If he got caught up in the frenzy of the battlefield and became a mere pawn, he would die. He repeated that caution to himself every time he spotted enemy aircraft at the corner of his vision, resolving not to pursue recklessly.

At that moment, the shape of the Jujiji Point of Air Hunt Island came into view.

An ominous feeling swept over him. A sense that had saved Kiyoaki's life several times before knocked on his temple.

His gaze caught sight of the source of his instinct.

"……!?"

At the base of the cape, a girl was approaching the rocky shore where white waves crashed.

A cluster of four diamond-shaped rocks marked a spot where seawater formed a cross. That girl inexplicably stepped down to a dangerous place where one could be swept away by the waves.

He recognized the golden hair and her way of walking.

No, even with the difference in altitude and distance, he couldn't mistake her.

"Mio!!"

A scream burst forth. Kiyoaki's current altitude was two hundred meters. His voice couldn’t reach her.

He couldn’t understand what Mio was doing. However, he could tell it wasn’t something ordinary, even if she looked like a mere speck from afar. Why was Mio not at the police station, and why was she alone in such a place?

Then──Mio's small hand was raised to the sky, and a flying object with a green tail was launched towards the air.

It was a flare. Following the green one, blue, yellow, and white flares were successively drawn in the sky, each with a long tail of various colours.

It seemed to be some sort of distress signal, but it was clearly not from the St Vault air and naval forces.

An ominous premonition burned in Kiyoaki's mind.

"……Mio……!!"

He shouted briefly and focused his gaze around. He spotted a small stretch of white beach near the rocky area. If he landed there, it seemed possible.

There was no need for thought. Kiyoaki dove straight towards the white beach, successfully touching down on the sandy shore.

He opened the cockpit.

Mio stood at the rocky point, staring intently at the sky above.

From here, the horizontal distance was about seven hundred meters.

"Mio!!"

He called out shortly, straining his eyes to scan the surroundings. He spotted a small white beach near the rocky area. That looked like a spot where he could land.

There was no need to think. Kiyoaki immediately aimed for the white beach and descended, kicking up sand as he successfully touched down at the water’s edge.

He opened the canopy.

"Mio!!"

Kiyoaki shouted at the top of his lungs, leaping out of the plane and setting foot on the sandy beach. He began running toward Mio.

Mio stood at the edge of the rocky outcrop, her gaze fixed intensely on the sky. The horizontal distance between them was about 700 meters.

The wind above scattered the colourful smoke. She couldn’t be sure if help was truly coming or not.

However.

──Whether it comes or not, it doesn’t matter.

She had lost interest in her own fate. She didn’t care what happened to her. Even if a bomb hit and she was blown apart right here, she wouldn’t feel a shred of sadness.

What was left for her now was just a single determination.

──To live, to be hated by everyone.

Dying was easy. It would all end, and she could return to zero. For her, it would be quite comfortable, and if possible, she would want to do just that.

However, as Reiner said, choosing that would be too cruel to her comrades.

──Why did I commit suicide without knowing about my betrayal, leaving them tormented?

She thought that was incredibly irresponsible. She wanted to avoid causing any more suffering to her innocent comrades.

──If the anger of the comrades with nowhere to go could be released by hating her.

──If it would allow them to find a target to take aim at without anguish.

──Even if it was shameful. Even if it meant crawling.

──She had to live.

Mio raised her face.

She looked back at the island and gazed at the blazing Air Hunt Island.

Deeply imprinting this sight into the depths of her soul, into the very core of her being.

──To live, bearing this sin.

She had made that resolve. She didn’t care how or where she would die from here on. She would live and live until her fate ran out, believing that this would atone for her sins. She hoped that the hearts of the comrades she had hurt would be saved, even just a little.

At that moment, the roar of a lifting device echoed down from the sky.

Looking up, she saw an unfamiliar airship about twenty meters long descending towards the Jujiji Point. It was a small flying ship from Urano, equipped with four lifting devices on its hull, without any wings. It seemed to have already spotted Mio, as it came to a halt fifty meters above the ground and dropped a recovery rope.

Mio focused on the rope hanging before her. A hook for personnel recovery was attached to its end, and the crew of the airship leaned out from the hull, urgently signalling her to hook onto it with one hand.

──I’m going to ride this ship and go to Pleiades.

Mio silently grasped the hook.

Then she looked back once more at the sight of Air Hunt Island.

It had been a place that had allowed her to spend a rich year. She had made many good memories.

She had met comrades she believed she would be with for a lifetime.

But now, she felt she had no right to say goodbye to them.

──It’s okay to hate me.

──It’s okay to want to kill me.

Flowing unspoken farewell words deep within her heart, Mio looked up at the sky and was about to signal the airship's crew that she was ready.

At that moment──.

"Mio!!"

A familiar voice reached her.

Startled, she turned her gaze back to the rocks.

On one of the split rocks, separated by a strip of seawater, stood Kiyoaki.

Kiyoaki looked up and shouted at the airship's crew.

"Stop…!! Let Mio go!!"

It seemed he mistakenly thought Mio was being taken away. If that continued, she would be shot from above. She was too exposed in front of the enemy ship.

Mio shouted back.

"Don’t come!! I called for this myself!!"

Kiyoaki returned his gaze to Mio, still unable to comprehend the situation.

"Let’s go back, Mio…!!"

The seawater gap separating them was only about one and a half meters wide. Kiyoaki looked as if he would leap over to her rock any moment now.

──He must not come.

──He would be shot.

Mio shouted with all her might.

"Don’t come here!!"

Kiyoaki flinched, startled by Mio's angry voice for the first time.

He was within reach if she stretched out her hand.

But she couldn’t reach out. The distance between them was now a barrier that would never close.

──She had to say goodbye to Kiyoaki here.

Mio steeled herself. She raised her palm to the airship above, signalling them not to shoot.

──I must tell the truth.

──So that Kiyoaki can forget about me from now on.

──So that her comrades can truly hate her.

Grateful to the cruel god for this opportunity, Mio put as much disdain as she could into her expression as she looked at the one she loved most.

"Maybe you still haven’t realized? What that cop said was true."

"……Huh?"

Mio put on an even more disdainful expression and looked coldly at Kiyoaki.

"I’m a traitor. A spy for Urano. I entered the officer academy to deceive everyone."

Kiyoaki heard her words, but there was no reaction. He stared at Mio with his mouth agape like a mechanical doll.

Mio shrugged and continued with even colder words.

"I’d appreciate it if you could understand quickly. But it seems impossible for you. After all, my performance was too perfect."

Kiyoaki's expression gradually began to show signs of shock. He was starting to comprehend Mio's words.

Waves crashed onto the rocky shore. The summer sky was painted with thousands of silver sprays, and a heavy roar covered Mio’s voice.

Against the backdrop of silver glimmer, Mio wore a cruelly pale expression that Kiyoaki had never seen before, with the Urano airship hovering above.

But deep within Mio's heart, pain screamed in anguish. Her words and feelings were separated, more painful than any hurt she had ever experienced.

Yet she couldn't let tears fall. Mio summoned all her willpower and began to weave together the disjointed words from her heart and mouth.

"Hey, Kiyoaki, do you know?"

"I'll say it again since once probably isn’t enough. I’m a traitor."

"When I first met you, I thought you were my destined one."

"I leaked all the information about this island to Urano. Thanks to that, this happened. What a great achievement. I’ll be praised by my superiors when I return."

"It was my dream to become your bride."

"By the way, the operation on Messus Island was also my dad's doing. He leaked all the island's information to Urano, making it easy to conquer Odessa Fortress. The reason the area was safe back then was because my dad was there."

"I believed we would always be together."

"Deceiving everyone was the most fun. You’re all so gullible. I’m a member of Urano, yet you all trusted me so easily."

"I thought I would spend my life by your side, laughing together."

"Making promises like not hating each other even if we became enemies—how foolish."

"Goodbye, the first person I fell in love with."

"Everything I’ve said to you until now was a lie."

"Goodbye, my beloved hero."

"Maybe you don’t believe me? The things I said in the canola field? I only said them because it was funny to see you suffer, so it would help if you just forgot."

"Thank you for all the memories."

"This concludes my mission. I’m heading back to Pleiades. Ah, it was fun. Well then, bye forever."

"I will never forget you."

"……Huh……?"

Despite the harsh words hurled at him, Kiyoaki continued to stare only at Mio.

Mio looked up to the sky and shouted.

"What are you hesitating for? The job is done, so hurry up and retreat!! I don’t want to stay on this island for even a second longer!!"

The crew, flustered, made the lifting device roar to life.

The airship began to ascend. The rope tightened, lifting Mio's body, her shoes leaving the rocky ground. The howling wind tangled Mio's hair, and below, Kiyoaki grew distant. Tears that she had held back threatened to spill.

──Not yet, don’t cry.

──Absolutely, don’t let the tears fall.

Mio maintained her cruelly pale expression as she looked down at Kiyoaki.

As they ascended beyond a hundred meters, and their expressions became indistinguishable, Mio finally twisted her face and let go of her reason.

"Ugh… ugh…"

She knew she had done something unforgivable.

But this was the only way to reveal the truth. If she didn’t do this, Kiyoaki and the others would have no one to hate.

"Sniff… hic…"

With tears streaming down her face, Mio was taken aboard the airship. The ship quickly departed the combat zone, heading toward the distant air fortress "Balsinos."

Outside the window, the blazing Air Hunt Island receded into the distance.

Leaving the island where her comrades were still fighting desperately, Mio was being taken alone to the air fortress she had never visited and to the unseen aerial city of Pleiades──.

"Mio…?"

Left behind on the rocks, Kiyoaki gazed up at the small airship disappearing into the distance, dazed.

At first, he couldn’t understand the meaning of Mio’s words, but gradually they began to sink in, confronting him with an undeniable reality.

"Mio is… a traitor?"

Since the winter break, Mio had suddenly begun to distance herself from everyone. She had started to treat Kiyoaki like a stranger, as if he were someone else.

The reason was.

"Because she’s a spy for Urano?"

He didn’t want to accept it. But various events aligned with what Mio had said.

"It was… fun deceiving everyone?"

Mio’s disdainful expression and her terrible words echoed in his mind.

"What does that even mean? What is this…?"

Kiyoaki looked up at the sky. The battle continued as fiercely as ever, with enemy and allied aircraft clashing violently, but the airship with Mio had already vanished beyond his sight.

"Is this… goodbye?"

Mio was gone.

That fact was the only thing he understood.

"Is this how we’re parting?"

If he believed Mio’s words, then it meant that she was the one responsible for destroying Air Hunt Island like this. Not just this island, but the invasion of Messus Island too, as Ethan had claimed she was involved.

Mio's true identity was that of a covert operative.

The weight of that truth pierced Kiyoaki’s heart.

"…What… is this?"

That was all he could murmur.

Floating in the airspace where Mio had disappeared was the Urano air fortress "Balsinos." It continued to unleash its aerial strike teams from above, showing no signs of relenting in its attack on Air Hunt Island. Despite knowing the situation was anything but peaceful, Kiyoaki continued to seek Mio's form within the demonic shadow of the fortress.

After approximately fifteen hours had passed since the attack began, and as the sun set, the two air fortresses vanished beyond the horizon, having destroyed every military facility, residential area, and the Air Hunt Officer Academy on the surface. Although they could have occupied the island at any time, they apparently judged that maintaining control would be difficult due to logistical reasons, and no landing was made. After the monstrous destruction had departed, only the wreckage of the new fleet and the scorched remains of Air Hunt Island were left behind.

Amidst the rubble, Kiyoaki and his comrades waited for Mio’s return.

But she never came back.

In the days that followed, the operation headquarters investigation committee examined the incident of the Air Hunt Island attack and publicly announced the fact that a covert operative had leaked all the island’s information to Urano.

The investigation report released to the entire St Vault Empire concluded that a single officer candidate was responsible for the outflow of critical information, including the locations of military facilities, underground fuel depots, fleet moorings, and vacation dates, as well as sabotage of defence nets and anti-submarine nets.

The name of the infiltrating operative was Mio Syira.

That name would forever be imprinted in the St Vault Empire as a synonym for "traitor"──.

END VOLUME 3

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