Replica of the Masterpiece
The mock city breakthrough class ended quite late. Whether it was because of club activities or cultural differences, the academy's specialty classes here usually finished around 4:30 PM while the sun was still high, even in winter. But starting from our group, everyone moved at a snail's pace, dragging the lesson out for hours. From the fourth group onward, the instructor finally imposed a time limit. In the end, only two groups reached the destination, and none of them destroyed more targets than ours.
"Today we covered the basic flow of urban breakthrough tactics. From next time, we'll begin proper training, so look forward to it."
"Yeees~."
When the exhausted cadets gave their drawn-out replies, the instructor grinned and declared the class over. It wasn't a friendly smile at all—it carried the clear message of "We'll see about that." This class wouldn't be easy either.
By the time we returned from the training ground a fair distance from the academy, evening had already passed. Nights at the academy nestled against the mountains fall quickly. Just as the sunlit campus began to embrace faint darkness, the soft glow of streetlights started weaving patterns along the paths. I found myself thinking, once again, how beautiful the academy grounds truly were. A vast expanse larger than most university campuses, where well-tended gardens harmonized with elegant, classically styled buildings. The night view was impressive enough that students often strolled through the campus in small groups after dinner.
It was that season when the spring breeze, warm during the day, released its hidden chill at night. I pulled my training uniform collar tighter and headed for the cafeteria.
After finishing dinner with the other first-year pilot cadets whose class had also run late, I returned to the dorm to find Neria already back—she'd finished her class early.
"Good work, Luna."
"Yeah. You too."
In the original story, Kirié always complained about how grueling the mechanic cadets' specialty classes were, but seeing Neria looking perfectly fine suggested they weren't pushing the new students too hard yet.
Neria hummed softly while sketching an Aindium. "Oh, right. You said you'd show me an amazing Aindium this morning. When can we see it?"
"I was just about to bring that up. Let's go together."
"Together? Where to?"
Neria happened to be wearing her training uniform instead of pajamas. I grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the building where the club rooms were located.
"L-Luna. This place…"
Once outside, Neria glanced around nervously, her anxiety obvious. I suppressed a smile at her frightened-squirrel expression and headed up to the second floor where the CT Club was.
I hadn't dragged Neria out just to tease her. I'd only exchanged greetings with the socially awkward Kirié yesterday, and suddenly asking her to build a replica of Carol's Aindium might seem strange. To convince Kirié, I figured having Neria—the one she knew—along would help, so I'd dangled the bait and half-forced her to come. I'd already heard enough about the CT Club from the seniors on the way back yesterday, so showing up unannounced shouldn't seem too odd. I knew far more about the club than they realized, but I couldn't let that show.
The CT Club, made up of top cadets, occupied the largest room on the second floor. Right next door was even a virtual training room equipped with VR-like devices. I'd always wanted to try that facility whenever I watched the anime—once I joined the CT Club, I'd be able to use it freely. Real combat was terrifying, but games were fun.
Dragging a weakly resisting Neria, I arrived at the CT Club door just as Rendell was about to enter.
"You're here."
"Yes. Looks like you just arrived too, senior."
I'd thought Rendell would come straight after class and dinner, but he was just as late as me for stopping by the dorm with Neria.
"We had to clean up afterward, so we were delayed. Who's this?"
Neria clung to my waist, hiding behind me with only her head peeking out. I stepped aside and gently pushed her forward by the shoulders.
"She's my friend. I brought her because she knows Senior Kirié."
"Ah, so you're the junior Kirié mentioned. Nice to meet you. I'm Rendell."
"Ah, hello. I'm Neria."
Neria finished her introduction in a barely audible voice before immediately hiding behind me again.
"Sorry. Neria's really shy around strangers."
"I understand. Kirié was like that when we first met too."
Since the anime started midway through the second semester—after Kirié had already adapted to the club—I hadn't known, but apparently she'd been quite shy at first as well. Still, fans often described Kirié as the type who spoke her mind, so her personality probably differed quite a bit from Neria's.
"Well then, let's go in. You said you had a favor to ask?"
"Yes."
When Rendell swung the door open, a strangely familiar yet new sight greeted me. The room, as spacious as a classroom, was decorated with various Aindium-related items. A large world map and a map of Alitus hung on the wall. A muted news broadcast played on a large screen nearby. The scent of floral tea drifted from the open doorway leading to the pantry, while warm air from the state-of-the-art heating system made the room cozy.
The members seated on the sofa around the central table, snacking, greeted Rendell before noticing Neria and me following behind. They looked startled and quickly stood up. The snacks on the table vanished in seconds, replaced by a strategic map and chess-like pieces neatly arranged. Once reseated, the seniors raised their hands as if they'd only just noticed us.
"Hey, Rendell. Rough day?"
Carson, with his diligent image, stepped forward to greet us awkwardly. Present in the club room were Carson, Kirié, and Muri. Ran was probably in the pantry. Seeing familiar faces from yesterday and the anime's main cast put me at ease. It would've been a bit uncomfortable if any third-years had been here.
Rendell let out a short sigh and gestured toward us. "You met them yesterday, right? Luna from the pilot class, and her friend."
"Hello. I'm Luna Adelt."
"Neria… here."
"Neria?"
Kirié, recognizing her close junior, shot up in surprise. Neria, still glued to my side, gave her a small wave.
"Who's here?"
Ran emerged from the pantry holding a teapot, having heard the voices.
"Hello, Senior Ran."
"Oh? Luna's here."
Ran greeted us with a bright smile. Being welcomed by my favorite character with a smile—my second heart-fluttering moment since falling into this world. The first had been witnessing an Aindium battle firsthand.
"Did you come to hear about our club?"
"I'm curious about that too, but I heard we can only join after midterms? I'll hear the introduction then."
"Fair enough. Have a seat."
Neria and I sat on one side of the sofa while the five seniors sat across from us. Sensing Neria's nervousness at the interview-like setup, I quickly got to the point.
"I came to ask the seniors for a favor."
"A favor?"
Question marks appeared on their faces. Having witnessed the principal visit me personally, the seniors had asked various questions on the way back yesterday and now saw me as a cadet with family-level ties to the principal. They probably thought that if I needed something or was in trouble, going to the principal would be faster.
"What I'm about to say requires secrecy. At the same time, it's something I'm sure will interest you all."
I paused briefly before continuing carefully. "If it's too burdensome, you don't have to listen."
"No, go ahead."
Thanks to Rendell's timely prompting, I could dive straight into the main topic.
"Yesterday, at the place I visited… Fairy's Hill, I discovered something. It gave me quite a bit of trouble, but I found something very interesting."
"What was it?"
Kirié seemed to have instinctively guessed something from the fact that I'd brought Neria along. I looked her straight in the eye and smiled.
"It's the laboratory of Dr. Carol, the first developer of Aindiums."
"What?"
As expected, Kirié jumped up in shock. Neria standing up too was unexpected, but I'd succeeded in capturing everyone's interest.
"That's not all. If I brought Neria the mechanic along and I'm asking you, Senior Kirié, you can probably guess what I'm about to say, right?"
"Don't tell me… one of Carol's masterpieces is sleeping there?"
Aindiums personally built by Dr. Carol were often called masterpieces. The protagonist's first unit, Aind Alpha, was one of them, though it was an early model and the protagonist was a secret agent for a special forces unit, so it wasn't publicly known.
"Yes. There was one Nimust-class Aindium."
At my words, both Kirié and Neria let out strangled gasps. Kirié rushed toward me as if to grab my collar, then caught herself and placed her hands on my shoulders instead.
"Luna, was it? Let's go right now. Neria, get ready."
"Yeah."
The suddenly serious tone in Neria's voice sent a chill down my spine. I'd clearly underestimated how much the mechanics loved Aindiums. Hearing it was Dr. Carol's Aindium had flipped a switch—they were ready to hike up the mountain path at night.
"It's too late today, so let's go tomorrow. Tomorrow's Saturday, so we'll have plenty of time."
Fortunately, the other CT Club members were sensible. Rendell, Ran, and Carson talked them down, barely managing to stop the nighttime mountain trek. Muri, ever on her own pace, sipped her tea leisurely before asking once the commotion died down.
"So, what's the favor?"
It was a sharp, Muri-like observation. After taking a sip of the tea Ran had poured, I smiled leisurely.
"I need a replica of the Nimust-class Aindium Dr. Carol built. And before that, I could use some help moving the immobilized Aindium back into place."
"A replica?"
"Hmm. Why would you need a replica?"
I'd have to explain the details gradually. Revealing everything right now would require exposing my identity, so I was buying time to prepare excuses. I might need to borrow the principal's influence for a while too.
After whispering with Neria, Kirié tilted her head. "Hold on. Immobilized?"
"Oh, well…"
I briefly explained what had happened when I found the Limpid Fairy. The seniors and Neria gaped when they heard about an Aindium flying through the sky without any equipment, then closed their mouths again upon learning that Limpid had fallen on the way down, forcing me to descend using a jetpack. After a few seconds of silence, Kirié stood before me once more.
"Who the hell just leaves something like that behind!"
In the end, Kirié grabbed me by the collar and shook me vigorously.