Encounter on a Stormy Night
Senior Ivetisia's mech was an underwater Aindium distinguished by its dark blue sea-camouflage paint scheme. Waterproofing was a given, and screws were mounted on the shoulders, waist, and heels to allow rapid movement even underwater. Its primary weapon was a harpoon gun. Although Senior Ivetisia's machine had only appeared briefly as a supporting mech in the animation, it drew considerable attention. It was the first true underwater unit to appear in a series that had previously featured only land and space Aindiums.
Underwater combat had existed in the original work, but it had never gone beyond slapping crude anti-flooding spells onto land-based machines and having them flail around in a lake for close-quarters brawls. This was the first time anyone had seen Aindiums operating in the open sea, so the reaction on the boards was explosive.
The reaction to Senior Ivetisia’s long-awaited return was just as heated. She had left a strong impression in the original Wing of Union as well, so I remembered her clearly. During the year-end no-limits survival event that served as Rendel’s final activity as a first-year, she had caught a huge number of students from other grades who wandered near the lake. Rendel, the first-year leader, had lured her out and taken her down together with his classmates. Even on land, Senior Ivetisia had shown terrifying skill.
But the story had diverged quite a bit from the original by now, so that event never happened. Instead, it seemed Senior Ivetisia had run even wilder.
We crossed the now-safe sea and returned to the secret base right around sunrise. Beneath a gloomy, rain-soaked sky, I met Senior Ivetisia for the first time.
“Mmm~! It was only a short operation, so I didn’t really get to warm up.”
Senior Ivetisia was a tall, model-like beauty. After climbing down from her Aindium she stretched her arms wide, then spotted us and came running over with a wave.
“Nice to see you again! You’re Miss Luna, right?”
“Yes. Luna Adelt, first-year of the CT Club.”
“I’ve heard plenty about you from Miss Rane. The ace of the first-years and their de facto leader.”
“Aha ha. It’s not that big a deal.”
I was grateful that Senior Rane spoke so highly of me, but hearing it directly still made my face burn.
“From what I’ve seen, the rumors don’t seem exaggerated at all. Is this your first real combat?”
“No, ma’am. I’ve seen real combat several times already.”
At my answer, Senior Ivetisia’s eyes widened slightly before she glanced at Rendel.
“Hasn’t Miss Luna only had her machine for a few months?”
“That’s right. In those few months Luna has fought off invaders at Alov and hunted monsters as well.”
“Oho.”
Senior Ivetisia studied me with open curiosity, looking me up and down. The stare grew uncomfortable, so I subtly averted my eyes. Her voice reached me, laced with laughter.
“Meeting such a cool and adorable junior only to end things with a plain greeting feels like a waste. So—!”
“Huh? Wait—”
Wondering what she meant, I turned my head. She was already approaching with a radiant smile, arms spread wide. Before I could react, Senior Ivetisia pulled me into a tight hug.
Unlike the amused reactions flooding the board, I was a little flustered. I already knew Senior Yvette was energetic and didn’t know the meaning of personal space, but still—hugging a junior she had just met? Of course, it wasn’t unpleasant. Her embrace was soft and warm, like being held by a mother. Through the combined memories of both Luna and Ruwina, such a feeling had been rare, and it brought back memories from years ago.
Hm. Ruwina’s mother really had been a kind woman.
“Senior, you startled me, doing that so suddenly.”
“Hup.”
Rendel’s voice brought me back to my senses. When I shifted slightly, Senior Yvette released me with a playful smile.
“Rendel, are you jealous by any chance?”
“No, ma’am.”
“Then it’s your turn, Rendel!”
She spun around and hugged him exactly as she had hugged me. Wow. So this senior just loves hugging people regardless of gender.
“S-Senior?”
“Hm? Rendel, have you been working out lately?”
“Pardon?”
“Your body feels even better than before.”
Senior Yvette began pressing and poking at his frame. Rendel simply flailed his hands in the air, looking troubled. It was rare to see him flustered, so it was amusing, but… why did my chest suddenly feel tight and hot?
When I came back to myself, I realized I had unconsciously grabbed Senior Yvette’s arm.
“Oh my?”
“Ah, s-sorry!”
Senior Yvette stepped away from Rendel and looked back and forth between us, narrowing her eyes. Then she murmured under her breath.
“Aha. So it’s not only Rendel who’s jealous.”
“What?”
“Nothing! It’s nothing at all!”
Wearing the expression of a mischievous child who had discovered something fun, Senior Yvette linked arms with both of us and walked toward the building.
“Well, that’s enough with the greetings. Shall we get some rest? You must all be tired.”
“Yes.”
Rendel and I followed her instructions without complaint.
The only Alitus cadets operating inside Karmanu under the banner of the Peacekeeping Force were the three of us. Although our activities were officially sanctioned, almost no one was willing to shoulder the risk of crossing borders to intervene in another country’s civil war. Anyone who did would either have a clear objective or possess a rather unique worldview. Rendel and I fell into the first category. Senior Yvette clearly belonged to the second.
“I’m here to show the world how amazing Alitus’s underwater Aindium unit is! If I’m going to shine, shouldn’t it be on the international stage?”
After breakfast, when Rendel asked why she had come all the way here, she brandished her fork and answered with boundless energy. The boards treated her as a funny character and were friendly toward her, but actually talking to her was quite exhausting. And who was it that wrote that Luna’s position as the gag character was in danger? When exactly did I become a gag character?
I closed the chaotic board with an inward grumble and continued the conversation with Senior Yvette. She really was an interesting person—the type who could become friends with anyone.
“Did you know that the underwater Aindium unit exists only in Alitus?”
She had been working as an apprentice in the underwater unit when she heard about the peacekeeping dispatch and came running. The Kingdom of Alitus had gathered cadets with water-attribute magic power, trained them as specialized underwater Aindium pilots, and formed a dedicated unit—one that neither the Empire nor the Republic possessed. The Republic, the Empire’s main rival, was a landlocked nation, and after losing the orbital elevator known as the Sky Staircase, the Empire no longer had the luxury of maintaining a separate naval Aindium formation. That was why Senior Yvette’s pride soared into the sky. It was a special unit that existed in neither the Republic—the birthplace of Aindium technology—nor the Empire with its greatest military power.
“Oh, right. Why did White Fang turn into Black Fang?”
“Rendel’s machine is too well-known, and black doesn’t stand out at night.”
“That makes sense. Did you change the official name? If not, you could repaint it deep navy and call it Navy Fang.”
“Senior. White Fang is not a machine that changes its name according to its color. We’ll repaint it white once we return.”
“Really? That’s a little disappointing.”
We let ourselves be swept along by Senior Yvette while we waited for the others to return. We checked the direction of the fortress from time to time and confirmed the condition of the wounded soldiers. By afternoon, a group of exhausted-looking people approached the encampment.
“It’s the commander.”
The pilot of the Alpha Po who had been waiting anxiously stepped outside to greet his comrades. The commander was slightly surprised to see Senior Yvette with us, but after the explanation he gave a nod.
“I’m sorry, but could you step outside for a moment?”
“Understood.”
Senior Yvette gave a crisp salute and left the room with Rendel. The moment the seniors were gone, the commander dropped to one knee and bowed his head.
“Your Highness. I am sorry.”
……
We had confirmed the hangar explosion, so the objective had been achieved. I was momentarily flustered by the unexpected reaction, but after thinking it over I understood why he was acting this way.
“I don’t see a few faces.”
“Yes. One of my subordinate pilots and two soldiers split off to distract the pursuit team and were captured.”
“Haa…”
I had not been the commander of this operation. Still, I carried the position of princess, and as the pilot of the masterpiece that had played a decisive role in convincing Queen Line to approve the mission, I shared responsibility for what had happened.
“How do you think the Rubens faction will respond?”
Since I knew little about war, I asked the soldiers who had been fighting the civil war for months. The commander thought for a moment before answering.
“They probably won’t go as far as summary execution.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. This morning, Her Majesty Line entered Jebel. We still need exact confirmation, but it appears she successfully exposed Regent Ainel’s corruption and gained the support of the capital nobles and military units. Since we also neutralized their base here, from the Rubens faction’s perspective it would be better to keep at least one card in hand, wouldn’t it?”
“I see.”
So the prisoners could be used as potential bargaining chips.
“Then we still need to go rescue them, right?”
“There is no need for Your Highness to go personally. The Rubens faction has already lost the initiative in the capital; they will pour all their effort into restoring this fortress. The prisoners can be rescued later.”
“They might suffer unpleasant things in the meantime.”
Such as torture to extract information, for example.
“They all understood the risks. However, a person’s mental fortitude has its limits, so we will relocate the base.”
“Yes. We should move quickly.”
That afternoon we headed to a secret encampment a little farther from the fortress.
The next day we received important information from the spy who had infiltrated the fortress.
“Tonight, our captured personnel are scheduled to be imprisoned in a jail on a nearby archipelago.”
From Ruwina’s memories, the archipelago prison evoked images of foreign prison islands. It was a place for the most heinous criminals, nearly impossible to escape from, and thoroughly prepared against terrorist attacks by Aindiums.
“Once they’re inside, rescuing them will become extremely difficult.”
“Correct. Her Majesty Line will likely seize the throne before long, but we cannot know what might happen to our people in the meantime.”
“Sister… Communication with Her Majesty Line will be difficult, won’t it?”
“Immediate contact seems unlikely. Her Majesty is extremely busy right now.”
I thought for a moment, then made my decision.
“We’ll go rescue them.”
“As Your Highness wishes.”
At first I had thought of it as simply rescuing prisoners, but destroying the transport ship the Rubens faction was operating or tracing its location could also deal a blow to our true enemy. The transport would surely have heavy escorts, but with Senior Yvette joining us it should be manageable.
“Oh, right. This base is well equipped with maintenance facilities. We also have maintenance personnel, so if you need anything, we will provide support to the best of our ability.”
“Thank you.”
It was perfect timing. I had been worried that Rendel’s role as the protagonist might feel lacking once we headed out to sea. I might get an earful from Kirié later, but I decided to modify White Fang just a little more.