A Heroic Coward and the Hope in Despair.

My name is Fumikage Ryuusui. The 5th son of Fumikage Ryuujin, a medical biology professor and the captain of the newly commissioned IJN Ashigara. Today, I am leading the 5th sortie of our navy along the coast of Mizuki island, a patrol sortie to lock our enemy's navy in their own turf.

"Captain! The signal from Shimura-dono has been received. Operation Revolver must now commence!"

"Copy that. Inform the five other ships! We will now proceed to destroy the three shipyards at the north of the island."

"Aye, captain!"

I heaved a sigh of relief after hearing that Nobisuke and the three old men were safe and they gave the final invasion order. With that, our victory is assured and what we are left to do is to simply finish up things in the north where the rest of the enemy's ships are anchored due to our presence.

"I'll be off the bridge for a while. Call me on my radio if something urgent comes up."

"Out to take a breather, captain?"

"Yeah. Since we keep on patrolling the sea these past few days, I haven't got any decent sleep. Can I leave everything to you, Vice captain?"

"Haha! Sure, captain. Leave the rest to us!"

I stood up from my seat and left my coat there to lighten up the load on my already slumped and burdened shoulders. When I turned towards the door to exit from the bridge, I noticed from the faint reflection of the bridge room's window that I had a very terrible appearance as there were dark circles under my eyes and my skin looked pale.

"…I need to rest… I need to rest."

I repeated these words as I trudged into my quarters where I used the small shower stall to have a short warm bath before changing to comfortable clothes and tucking myself in my bed after almost a week without any decent rest.

"…I wanna go home."

I… am a very bad liar.

If I was made to speak about war and how willing I am to fight in it, as a child of the Fumikage clan, I would say that I am willing to die in it if it will bring us to victory.

However, as I said before, I am a very bad liar. Sooner or later, I would retract what I said and show how much of a coward I actually am.

All of this can be proved once I narrate where I was and what I have done during the pirate attack in Naka harbor a year ago. It was a month after that when I invited Shimura Nobisuke, my cousin and the general of the army, to a drink and confessed my cowardice to him.

"I was in the downtown… buying some supplies in the market so I can lock myself inside my laboratory again… Then the explosions came and I…"

"Please tell me that-"

"I'm sorry, Nobi-kun-"

*Gyak-!*

"Ack-!"

"You spineless bastard!!!"

Even though I was safe, even though I had the knowledge to help the injured, even though I had all the strength and capability to help… I was too scared and too untrusting of myself that I just sat there with my head between my knees, watching as our citizens ran in all kinds of directions.

Some died from the explosions. Some died from the collapsing buildings. Some can't do anything but wail beside their loved ones who has died near them.

"You… How dare you show your face in front of me, you coward bastard!"

"Ick-! Gah-!"

This was the reason why I needed to make Nobisuke drunk before I confessed this. I wanted to be hurt. I wanted to be made aware of how my lack of action and response caused so much pain and suffering to our people. I wanted to be punished for my cowardice.

I wanted to know what the value of life really means to me.

After that night, I gained the resolve to join the military as well.

"Father. I request your recommendation."

"…Well then. Do your best and climb up the ladder through your own strength. If you have really decided to overcome your cowardice, prepare yourself for everything!"

"Yes, father!"

I joined the military and entered service after 6 months of training. My peers said that one year was actually needed to be a full-fledged soldier, but given my recommendation, the next half of the year would be spent in Sagiri Naval Harbor where I would receive dedicated training as a seaman.

"One, two, breathe!"

"We are sailors! Warriors of the sea!"

"Sailing through storms and riding tsunamis!"

"One, two, breathe!"

The training in the navy is never easy. Unlike the cadet training in the military training camp, specialized training in a certain branch is leaps-and-bounds harder because it gives your skills that you didn't have before.

"Seaman Fumikage! Get in the fuckin' line!"

"A-aye sir!"

Even though I received training from my father, I wasn't that good and I am willing to bet that my younger sister Rie is better than me in this.

"Come on, Fumikage! Come on, boy!"

"Pull that boat to the water! Come on, Ryuusui!"

"RAAAAAAAHHHH!!!"

Still, with the help of the friends that I made along the way and the effort that I put in the way, I ended up graduating with flying colors and assigned to Hibiki as its Captain. It was the ship I trained on before being assigned to Ashigara.

"…Do you have anymore confessions to make since you brought me here today?"

"Master, two shots of apple brandy please."

"As you wish."

I asked the bartender to mix some liquor for us. I chose apple brandy. The alcohol that I knew Nobisuke likes for relaxation.

"…Is this your way of thanking me?"

"Yes… Thank you for giving me some spine, General."

"Hehe… You're welcome, Captain."

*clink!*

With the clinking of our glasses and our synchronized drinking, we ended our feud and thanked each other's work and efforts.

"Captain! Captain!!!"

After a few more glasses, Nobisuke told me about how Iwasawa-sama once almost lost his mind in the first battle that he led in Yukonami. He said that the weight of carrying the deaths of both his own men and those of the enemy hurt him more, as by trade, he is a doctor that is supposed to preserve life, but now that he is a Daimyo, someone who will inevitable be twined in war, it hurt him greater than normal.

When I was tasked to lead my ship to battle, I was still distanced from all of the bloodshed and terror that I will allow to happen. It was only these past few days of seeing the burned down or desolate places where our men fought the enemy and the few rivers from the island that has its waters dyed with blood as they carry the bodies of the dead that I kind of understood that same weight…

War is terrible. It brings nothing but horror and loss… but that is exactly why we must fight. Because unlike us who is already aware of this fact, there are those who still finds glory in it and willingly throws their lives in it.

I am Fumikage Ryuusui. Captain of IJN Ashigara. And today will be the day when my name will be etched in history where the battle that I led signaled the new age that will come for this world.

"Captain!"

"I'm up. Brief me!"

After changing to my uniform, I opened my door to talk to the young sailor who was calling for me.

"Aye, sir! We are heading on bearing 225, east, north-east, when all of the surface radars in the ships detected a large radar signature about 4 kilometers away from us."

"Hm. I see. Let's head for the bridge!"

We ran to the control bridge where as soon as I opened the door, the frantic yet orderly movements of my officers were obvious.

"Vice-captain, report to me!"

"Aye, sir! All six ships have reported the same things. They have detected a large reflective signature two o'clock of our position and four kilometers away from us."

"This place… Is this the misty part of the sea filled with reefs and shallow water?"

"Yes sir! Our maps say the same, so I took initiative by ordering sailors to watch our depth from the sea floor. They are skilled and experienced, so I believe they will save our ships from being stuck in the-"

Before my vice-captain can finish his words, the entire ship rocked as an explosion from our portside reverberated and took us by surprise.

"Ack! Damage report! Damage report!"

"Naval mine! We hit a neval mine!"

"Sector C, E and F are damaged! We are taking in water!"

"Order waterproofing action, stat! Check the other ships!"

I gave orders through the audio pipes to the sailors below the deck to shut the damaged sectors close to avoid our ship from taking in more water. I then told the radio operators to check the other ships they must've also sailed into the minefield.

"Cruiser Kuma has hit two mines and have sustained medium damage. Cruiser Tenryuu has took evasive measures but got itself stuck on a low sandbar. The Destroyers are unscathed and are currently using their hydrophones to reach us while avoiding the mines!"

"Dang it… How did they- Argh! Those damn traitors!"

I was baffled how the pirates got the idea and technology to use naval mines, and after I remembered what happened just a week before, I can only curse while knowing that those traitors must've given our enemies those things.

"Primary investigation is out, sir! These naval mines are primitive in comparison to ours! But the schematic is the same! These are explosive barrels with contact fuses!"

"I knew it… Activate our hydrophones! We can't be stuck in this sea of fog!"

"Negative, captain! Sector F had our hydrophone antenna! It is now filled with water!"

"…"

"Another problem sir! The lookout in our crow's nest has visual on the mysterious radar signature earlier! It's the Pirate's armada fleet!"

"Tsk!"

I gnashed my teeth in anger, but I didn't let it dull my judgements.

"Radioman. Connect me to all the ships."

"Aye, sir!"

I took the microphone that is connected to all the other ships in our now crippled fleet.

"This is a direct order to all allied ships from me, Captain Fumikage Ryuusui of IJN Ashigara."

"""…"""

"Cruisers, hold your positions while the Destroyers are clearing a path through the minefield. You are to open fire on all hostiles! I repeat, you are to open fire on all hostiles!"

"C-Captain…"

"If you don't want to die, kill everyone in sight!"

My order was direct and without dulling of words. I meant what I said and everyone in there was aware of it.

"General Quarters! General Quarters! All hands, man your battle stations!"

"Man the secondary cannons! Everyone to their place!"

"Get the fifty!"

Across all of the ships, may it be the Destroyers or Cruisers, every sailor went to their battle areas and prepared themselves for battle.

"All ships! Deploy flares! Illuminate our surroundings!"

"""Roger!!!"""

Red flares shot out from our ships that cleared the mist surrounding our location. The Destroyers swerved around us, detonating the mines ahead with their cannons as the bigger ships armed themselves to the teeth for the coming battle.

"…Here they come."

As the fog was cleared and the radars on our ships showed a mass of dots sailing nearer and nearer to us, they appeared.

"Hold it!"

My order across the radio was kept as all around us, the pirate ships that at first, only numbered in the tens became hundreds.

"…They don't have visual on us yet… Don't blow away our cover until they notice us from the horizon."

Since they are using wooden ships that are less high, their horizon is lower than ours. I used this as I estimated their numbers and how best to confront them.

"C-Captain…"

"What?"

"That massive radar signature… It's not just an armada."

I looked at the radar officer's monitor and using my telescope, looked at the direction it is coming from.

"Oh, heavens above…"

"So that's the reason why they've been guarding those three shipyards…"

"Darn it…"

From the mist emerged three great ships, larger than all the others. From my estimation, they are about 700 meters long, 50 meters wide, and on their decks are four large masts that catches enough winds to push their massive weights forward.

"Captain… I think those things are loaded with cannons from above the waterline to the upper deck. Those are monsters…"

"Heh! Why do you sound so nervous, Vice-captain?"

"S-Sir?"

"If there are any monsters in this sea… it is not them."

I raised my hands to signal the fire control officer to give the loading order and firing coordinates to the gunnery crew.

"Are you forgetting that you belong to a fleet whose destructiveness is enough to level an entire city flat in a day?"

"1st Main cannons, primed for fire!"

"2nd Main cannons, primed for fire!"

"3rd Main cannons, primed for fire!"

"4th Main cannons, primed for fire!"

"5th Main cannons, primed for fire!"

With my order, I hardened my heart and cemented in my mind that this is what is expected of me as the leader of this force.

"FIRE!"

From that point, the largest naval battle in the history of this country commenced. 6 ships from Kiko's navy and about 1,1103 ships from the Arakami pirates brawled for three days straight in that corner of the sea.

"Sustaining fire!"

"15 seconds until the next salvo, boys! Keep the enemy at bay!"

"Reload the cannons! The machine guns are overheating!"

The fog was filled with the trails of tracer rounds that allowed the machine gunners to see if they hit the boarding raider ships and its crews.

"Reloaded!"

"Fire!"

Shells that whose diameters are as large as a human head exited the barrels of the secondary cannons that went through and massively damaged the smaller ships who just entered an acceptable firing range with their cannons.

"All turrets are primed, captain!"

"Fire!"

The main cannons of the ships are still tirelessly firing away at the motherships. Although due to the rocking of the waves and the distance that the shells travel, the few hits that do cause major damage also only hits the mark rarely.

"Any news from the air force?"

"They are en route, sir! And per your instructions, they are carrying the Bunker Buster bombs."

"Good. Has Kuma sufficiently repaired itself?"

"Positive, sir! The ship has been patched and has been drained."

"How about the-"

"Tenryuu's crew have detonated the sandbar that they hit. They are unscathed and their engines are operational now!"

"About damn time! Tell them to wait for the air force to hit the motherships before we make our tactical retreat!"

"Aye, captain!"

After three days, we are finally getting out of here. Everyone from the crew to the highest officers are beyond tired now. Even though none of us have exchanged fire with the pirates yet, just fending them off has took a lot of our energy.

"…Air radar has detected the air force! Estimated time of arrival will be thirty minutes!"

"Good. Tell the engine room to start the engines! We are anchors aweigh!"

"Engine room! Anchors aweigh!"

"Anchors aweigh!"

The synchronized roaring of the diesel-electric engines of our ships echoed even amidst the firefight, sending our morale up as it meant a final push for our weary sailors. As the motors pulled our anchor from the water, we finally felt the wild waves rocking us up and down.

"Darn! Are the gyroscopes activated?!"

"Yes, captain! Don't worry too much about our accuracy! We need your orders at the exact time so we can get the hell out of here!"

"I know!"

I looked around us again through my telescope, and with hundreds of their ships now lying at the bottom of the sea, the three gigantic motherships began pulling their anchors up to face us themselves.

"This is a direct order to all allied ships from me, Captain Fumikage Ryuusui of IJN Ashigara."

"""…"""

"The air force is nearly here! I want you to follow the Destroyers out of this fog. Protect each other's rears as you make your retreat."

"You heard the Captain. Helmsman, give us three-fourth power to a clean left rudder-"

My vice-captain was about to give an order when I held out my hand to stop him.

"…There's a problem in our ship's rotor. We will be late, so we'll take the rearguard position."

["…Positive, Captain Fumikage."]

["Thank you, Captain. Please take care of our rear."]

Through the radios, the voices of the other ships' captains made it apparent. They knew what I was planning and with respect to my unspoken wish, heeded it as they moved their ships forward through the fog.

"Captain… why?"

"…This is the enemy's last naval fighting force."

"-!"

"I won't let what happened in Kiko a year ago happen again."

Unknown to me, the radio microphone and pipe phones were open which made my words heard across the ship where every sailor understood my point.

"If we join the others in their retreat, our enemies will not pursue us given that they already lost hundreds of ships and thousands of men right here. They will hide somewhere and in due time attack Kiko again. But if we remain and become the goal of these pirates… they will stay as they can still see some hope of victory."

"…"

"If you wish to join the retreat, I am giving you the freedom to mutiny right now and do it. I will not hold you responsible in front of a court martial once we arrive in Kiko."

"Captain!"

"…"

Everyone in the bridge stood up and raised a salute to me.

"For a noble cause and the safety of our loved ones… We will honor your decision."

"We will follow your order, Captain!"

"Give us your instructions!"

Hearing their acceptance to my decision, I wore my cap and gave my order.

"Alright! Let's rain some lead on these bastards!"

What followed after was the most frantic thirty minutes of our lives as every ammunition closet and gunpowder storage room was opened to sustain the entire firepower of my ship.

"Don't let up your fire!"

"Bring more fifty caliber ammo here!"

"Launch the flares! We're losing visual here!"

Machineguns whirred as bullets flew out. Cannons roared with flame and fury as shells were launched to keep our enemies away. The engines brought out all of its power to move us around the place to evade the mines and enemy ships.

"Three minutes!"

"Visual on the air force! They're nearly here!"

As five air balloons appeared in the sky, all of us saw the end of this fight.

"Hard right rudder!"

"Shut the engines!"

"What the-?!"

However, we didn't expect that instead of firing cannon balls, two of the humongous motherships fired harpoons that sunk their hooks in our ship and pulled it nearer to them as the other one turned in front of us, attempting to ram us on the rear.

"Fire! Fire! Fire!"

Our cannons fired at the two ships that are constricting our movement. The wooden hull of the ships were pierced and the high-explosive shells spread fire inside them, but their harpoons are still stuck, keeping us on the spot.

"Double time! We need to get the hell away from here!"

"Roger!"

A call from the radiophone came and as I picked it up, I recognized the voice of the caller.

["Captain Fumikage! I am cancelling the bombardment. You are danger close. I repeat, danger close!"]

"…No. Fire away."

["HUH?!?!?!"]

"You heard me. I said fire away."

The others heard my words, but they have already decided this earlier. They are ready to die here if it meant victory.

["…It's been an honor. Captain Ryuusui."]

"Yes. I say the same to you too."

["…Bombs away! I repeat! Bombs away!"]

The whistling of the bombs as the air balloons overhead loosened them off was the last thing we heard before we all closed our eyes and prepared ourselves for the end.

"For Kiko."

"For the ones we pledged to protect."

"For the glory of the great Kirin Lord."

Through five large bombs that are enough to liquify an island, the battle of Mizuki sea was finished.

A day after the battle, IJN Sagiri and Fubuki was mobilized to look for survivors. They found the remains of Ashigara, the flagship of Kiko's navy, mangled in all kinds of directions and still burning along with the three giant ships of the Arakami pirates in the low seabed where the battle raged for three days.

Further investigations showed that even after the bombardment, the remaining crew of both Kiko's navy and Arakami pirates fought a bloody firefight with rifles, muskets, swords, daggers, and even random wooden stakes between each other's shipwrecks.

Of the 538 men in IJN Ashigara, 182 would be deemed too injured to remain in service and would be given an early retirement pension and an honorable discharge. 83 men, who lived through both the bombardment and firefight, was given mental rehabilitation treatment before returning to the navy with heightened ranks and awards that proved their veteran level.

The remaining 273 men though, would return to Kiko after the war and awarded with the Crest of Susano'o, the highest award given to naval servicemen along with a lifelong financial support for their bereaved families. They were buried with full military honors and was later seen as the benchmark of all military aspirants when it comes to service to the nation.

As for the fate of Captain Fumikage Ryuusui, the answers greatly varied.

Some said that he died with his ship, receiving an honorable death as a true hero.

Some would say that his face was injured in the battle, and he received surgery that changed his appearance and made him assume a new identity to avoid public attention.

But one thing that was sure is that the Fumikage family didn't grieve or set up a funeral procession for their missing family member. Something that proved that he is still alive.

Perhaps, somewhere out there, the heroic naval captain… the legend who selflessly threw his life to save his comrades… the coward who would later gain courage and use it to the fullest… is still alive and serving his nation away from everyone's eyes.

Thus, the title that the people gave him on the statue that they erected both as his grave and memorial is…

"The Ghost of the Northern Sea."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

After I lost my consciousness, my mind entered that dream again where I conversed with the machine that keeps the young woman in an unending sleep. There, it asked me some questions while my consciousness drifted in the darkness.

["Before you enter her world, I must first ask you…"]

"…"

["Who are you to dare and desire to free her?"]

"I am Shimura Nobisuke. The first son of the Shimura clan and the General of Kiko's Armed Forces."

["Why do you desire to free her?"]

"I do not know."

["?"]

"I do not have a reason in mind to do such things… yet I know that this state of hers. This appearance and situation that she has and are in… I know that she cannot stay like this."

["Why?"]

"She is alive… but may I ask, is she really alive?"

["I fail to understand."]

"This girl who must've already slept for thousands of days just to survive in the emptiness of the heavens… is she really alive in the dream that she is in… or does she deserve to wake up at last and be alive?"

["…I see. Then if you are truly willing to free her. Convince her that you are worthy to save her."]

In an instant, everything became white, and I found myself opening my eyes right under that ever-familiar shady tree.

"Who… are you?"

"A friend… I guess?"

After a long time, I finally met the real person in this place. Unlike before when that machine was using her identity to avoid us from interacting with her, I am now finally talking to the real deal.

"You are… the first person I met after a long while."

"How long would that be?"

"10 years… I think?"

"…A long while indeed."

I sat up as she leaned her back on the tree while holding that metal panel near her chest.

"Can I know your name?"

"Nobisuke. My name is Shimura Nobisuke. How about you?"

"I am… Rin. My name is just Rin."

I sat beside her like we were old friends. Without any awkwardness, I stared off into the plains with her.

"Do you mind watching something that I made in my time here, Shimura-san?"

"Do show. It would be a pleasure to see it."

"Hehe… Thank you."

She took the metal panel and swiped on it gently with her fingers as the plains in front of us morphed in all kinds of directions until it formed something that looks like a futuristic settlement. However, what was inside of that settlement are people who do not look quite kind.

"Did you know, Shimura-san? That this machine and I came from a different world?"

"I kind of recognized it after seeing the machine. It looked too advanced in terms of technology."

The settlement was dim and from the outlines that can be seen from the windows and dark alleys of the place, it showed that it was some kind of land that aren't reached or follows law. Everything was in there, thieves, prostitutes, addicts and even sexual deviants.

"The world where I came from is a world that my father said isn't a good place to raise me properly. There, people are so engulfed in the idea of doing as they wish without any care for others that one day, it awakened a being that brought judgement and order… in a way that none of them wanted to receive."

Suddenly, a person appeared in the midst of that neighborhood and in just an instant, flattened the entire place. Sparing no one in his wake as buildings collapsed over the people's heads and the earth opened up to swallow them into the depths.

"Who is that…?"

"Law."

"Law?"

"My father just called that being as such. He said that once that being arrives at a place that it deems irredeemable or has no more chance to live, it will judge that place and its inhabitants accordingly."

The scenery changed again into a room where a pine tree covered with shiny orbs and has a star on the top is placed at one corner. There are balloons on the ceiling that has numbers on their strings starting from 6. There was a man there who are lighting candles on a cake while a young version of Rin is running around wearing a kimono.

"This is how me and my father spent the last few days of peace in our home before Law's judgement came into enactment. This is how we celebrated all of our Christmases, birthdays, new years and…"

"And?"

"…farewells."

Suddenly, a large orb formed in the sky while that man and young Rin looked at it calmly. It was like a planet is about to collide with the earth.

"Is that Law's judgement?"

"Yes. As the world combined all of its strength to fight that being of order, the world didn't even think of sacrificing its people's lives. But for us, who was deemed by that being as unworthy of its judgement, the only thing we had in mind is how to live past the world's destruction."

"So, this machine that you are in is…"

"My father's way of saving me… even if he himself must die."

"…"

The scenery changed into a room where the man who was Rin's father softly kissed her on the forehead and with a tearful farewell, sent his machine and his daughter into the sky as he looked at the planet and wore a gentle smile.

"So, the ten years you said was…"

"That was how long it took the machine to find a planet suitable for life where I can start anew. I am… the sole survivor of my ruined world. I do not exactly know how things happened. Is there a habitable planet nearby? Did I really only travel for 10 years? Am I still alive?"

"…"

"I do not know. But I… I wish to know."

Hearing that, I stood up and faced her properly.

"Hm? Is something wrong? I don't remember commanding you to move in my tab…let…"

"Did you think that I was just another one of your creations?"

"H-How… I am… It can't be that-"

I took the metal panel that she calls a tablet from her which caused her to look at me with a dumbfounded expression.

"…Did you lose hope after all this time?"

"I… I am…"

"In this world that only you own… where nothing changes if you don't wish it to be… did you lose hope that you will ever be able to leave this world?"

"…No. This is a dream… this is just another dream… I can't… I can not possibly be-"

As she raised her face, I took her by the arm and locked her in a gentle embrace.

"I know how it feels… I know how painful it is to hope for something when even you don't believe in it any longer."

"-!"

"For a long, long time… I carried a sense of pain, hatred and hopelessness in my heart. I can never be at peace. I can't do things without doubting myself first…"

"You…"

"But I don't want it to always be like that… I am aware that if I do nothing but carry that burden, I will only sink deeper and deeper into hopelessness and despair. So… I guess that's the reason why I wanted to free you from this dream."

I let her go and gave her back the metal tablet.

"I can only save those who wish to save their self. So, I ask you, Rin…"

"…"

"Will you save yourself so I can save you too?"

That question came before her eyes let go of their tears and she held the tablet tightly by her chest.

"I…"

"…"

"Machine. This is an order…"

The tablet lit up and responded with a robotic noise.

[Awaiting instructions.]

"I want to wake up from this dream."

[Affirmative. SHELTER protocol. Ceasing functions.]

As soon as she said those words and the machine responded, my vision deemed as my consciousness returned to my body.

"Urgh… Is it finally over?"

["I have a question, Shimura."]

As it prepared the young woman inside of it for her awakening, the machine spoke to me.

"What is it?"

["My creator once told me that I was made to save Rin-ojou from a world that has forgotten how to love and live in order. As you have seen from what Rin-ojou showed earlier, the world where we came from was destroyed due to its evil and chaotic quality. Thus, I ask…"]

"?"

["Do you think this world will not fall under that same fate?"]

"…"

The machine asked me that question without any sense of hostility or ulterior motive. It sounded like a genuine question from one who wishes to be enlightened.

"I cannot guarantee it. I apologize, for I am nothing more but a follower of someone."

["…"]

"But…"

["But?"]

"I follow someone whom I think is destined for greatness. And I believe that such a person is aware of this "evil and chaos" that both of you spoke about."

["Is that so?"]

"The best that I can promise is that I will do everything in my power to bring that person into the path that will allow him to save this world of ours from that evil and chaos. Because I don't want to bring her into this world, only to let the things that she hated to haunt her again."

For a moment, the machine was silent as it opened the glass panel that keeps Rin safe inside of it.

["Shimura."]

"Yes?"

["After years upon years of protecting her, I can finally say these words with the "heart" that my creator once asked me to develop during journey together with his child."]

"…"

["Please take care of her. Today and forevermore."]

With its dying words given to me, I placed my hand over the glass panel and gently spoke to the now deactivated machine.

"Thank you for protecting her all this time. Now, I will honor your last wish."

I opened the glass panel and carefully draped a blanket over the naked body of the young woman who is starting to wake up from her long, long sleep.

"Nobisuke. Our army is victorious. Admiral Kuwahabara will soon-"

"Nobisuke-kun… who is that…?"

I lifted the half-asleep girl out of the machine as my uncles looked at me with dumbfounded expressions.

"I didn't expect this…"

"So, she is actually real…"

The ones who followed after and spoke after seeing me with Rin was Daigo Reika and Daigo Aiko. It seems like they finally arrived and immediately came here to talk to me.

"Shi…mura?"

"It's me."

"T-thank you…"

Rin drifted back to sleep after giving me some word of thanks. After confirming that she is alright, I decided to finish first what must be my priority.

"Bring me a radio! I must declare this war as over!"