Prologue

I opened my eyes to a sight of dazzling radiance.

Countless torrents of light streamed past my vision. They flew towards me

from the front and disappeared behind me, forming a pale, bluish-white

corridor of light. The 'corridor' of light enveloped me from all sides. And

what lay before me, towards the furthest distance, was a single point of

twinkling light. It was the glow of a star with the same color as the light

streams flowing past.

"Hey, don't tell me you fell asleep?"

A voice tinged with annoyance came from my left. Now then, just whose

voice was it, I wonder? In the first place, just where the heck am I?

I moved my confused gaze toward a holographic display in front of me. It

resembled a control panel with lots of buttons. There were also several

virtual gauges. Were the streams of light in front of me actually part of an…

HD display or something? They looked quite realistic for some special

effects.

"Hiro-sama?"

I heard someone call out in a worried voice. Hiro-sama? I am… My name is

Takahiro Satou. I'm not some 'Hiro-sama'. But this voice seems kind of

familiar…

I felt the presence of someone approaching me.

"Ouch!?"

I felt an impact hit my forehead. It was quite painful.

"You've got a lot of guts dozing around in the cockpit, buster…"

"E- Elma-san, don't be too violent…"

I turned around while holding my aching forehead and finally saw the

figures of the one who knocked her fist on top of my head and the one who

sounded worried about me.

"Ah... Now I remember."

"Remembered what?"

The name of the woman who was looking at me with an angry gaze was

Elma. She had long, pointy ears and moderate 'assets' out front. Her fine,

delicate hair strands were pale silver in color. Her skin was milky smooth.

She also had a lithe figure. No matter how you looked at her, she was

unmistakably an honest-to-goodness elf.

But her clothes were that of a typical mercenary, without a lot of skin

exposure. It was a peculiar combination of cyberpunk and fantasy elements.

She even had a boorish laser gun strapped on her hip via holster. She was

someone who didn't really seem like an elf if you took away those pointy

ears of hers; how truly disappointing.

She was a veteran merc boasting a five-year-long career. But she was now

working as one of my ship's crew members.

The reason why she ended up boarding my ship was… well, let's just say it

was due to a truly unfortunate accident. The ship she piloted ran out of

control while in the middle of a large-scale pirate subjugation operation and

crashed right into a military warship.

As a result, she owed the military a massive amount of monetary penalties.

However, even after selling all her assets (including her starship), she

couldn't fully cover the imposed amount and was nearly sent to a harsh

prison colony. And it was at this point that I ended up bailing her out by

paying her debt.

Afterward, she became a member of my ship's crew. She was working in

order to repay her debt to me and obtain enough funds to purchase a new

starship.

Incidentally, I managed to find out in the end that the huge amount of

penalties they slapped her with was actually unreasonably high compared to

the gravity of her offense. I investigated it, and it reeked of suspiciousness.

In the first place, there was actually nothing in the official military database

that stipulated she was to be fined monetary penalties.

That being the case, a penalty amount and deadline was still issued due to a

mistake in the processing of her case. The guy who made the mistake was

apparently reassigned to a frontier-based penal unit which had atrociously

high mortality rates. It was really scary that one mistake cost the guy a oneway ticket to a penal unit. It really was the best decision to stay the heck

away from the imperial military.

"Oh, just some stuff about the two of you, among other things."

"Did you actually forget about the two of us...?"

A young girl sporting a sorrowful expression peeked out from behind Elma.

"Nah, I was just half-asleep."

The name of the young girl peeking from behind Elma was Mimi.

She was a really cute girl with light-brown hair and pupils. They were

hidden behind Elma right now, but her ample frontal 'assets' were

'battleship' tier. However, her overall build was just in the 'destroyer' tier.

She was also my crewmember just like Elma. She also ended up boarding

my ship due to a massive debt issue… But, unlike Elma, she really couldn't

be blamed for her previous plight.

Her parents died in an accident that caused a lot of damage to the colony

they were living in. The ensuing indemnities all fell onto her juvenile

shoulders.

She really shouldn't have been punished for it, but due to the whims and

schemes of adults who should have known better, she ended up burdened by

it anyway. And no one offered her a helping hand.

But she luckily met me, who happened to have enough financial capability

to rescue her from the situation she was in. I ended up actually saving her

and she became one of my crewmembers as a result. In fairytales, this would

have been a 'happily-ever-after' ending already, but this was unfortunately

reality. Even after being freed from her debt, it didn't change the fact that

she already lost her home.

So, as part of my responsibility as the one who saved her, I ended up looking

after her as well. I welcomed her as a crewmember and assigned her a

supporting role as my ship's operator.

She's now currently learning the ropes of being an operator from the ground

up. She was learning from a training AI and Elma's lectures and was in the

middle of gaining valuable first-hand experience as a qualified starship

operator.

"You're still quite the cold-hearted guy even if you were just spacing out as

you said. You've already done all sorts of 'stuff' to both of us after all."

"Oh c'mon… Don't make it sound like I'm the bad guy here. Cut me some

slack."

"But I'm just saying the truth, right?"

"I guess I can't deny that huh."

Yeah. I'm in 'that' kind of relationship with both of them.

This world had an entirely different set of customs and culture compared to

Japan. There was a lot of incomprehensible stuff they considered as common

sense here. I've not managed to learn all of them, but one particular custom

was [a woman who gets on-board a man's private starship was to be

considered as the man's lover] or something like that.

It was utterly absurd, right? I also find it ridiculous. But that's just how it is.

I still don't have a full grasp of this world's history, but I'm sure lots of

factors contributed to this particular custom becoming part of universal

common sense. Even so, I had no choice but to accept such a custom

anyway.

The two of them got on-board my ship fully prepared for such a thing. Well,

the two of them didn't have much of a choice anyway, so I guess you could

say they had to accept such an outcome due to the circumstances.

On the other hand, I invited them to get on my ship without thinking things

through all that much. I just simply wanted them as part of my crew, apart

from taking pity on them, and invited them on-board. But the two of them

misunderstood my intentions and thought I was raring to get into 'that' sort

of relationship with them after inviting them.

Due to me and my careless remarks, I ended up taking responsibility and got

into 'that' sort of relationship with the two of them even if it wasn't my

intention in the first place. It was considered as common sense after all.

I had to bite the bullet and accept the consequences. Besides, they were

already cornered by their debts, and there was virtually no way out for them

except for going with my suggestion.

Mimi didn't have any relatives left, and without a way to protect herself, she

would have just ended up getting caught by low-lives in the slums, toyed

around with, and thrown aside like garbage once they got tired of her.

Elma, on the other hand, would have been imprisoned in a prison colony

filled with former pirates as convicts if she failed to pay her dues. There was

no telling what they would have done to her once they found out she was a

former mercenary. It seems that they didn't separate male and female

convicts in this world after all. What would have awaited her was a lifetime

of violence and abuse.

I ended up saving them from those cruel fates, and they both boarded my

ship as a result. Thus, I couldn't really refuse them when they told me they

wanted to get into 'that' sort of relationship with me. Mimi was even afraid I

would abandon her if she didn't offer herself to me. In Elma's case, I think

she would have gotten along just fine if she wasn't fined that ridiculous

amount of debt.

Well, whatever the case, I already ended up in a serious relationship with the

two of them. Objectively speaking, I was a goddamn bastard who took

advantage of their debts to lay my grubby hands on two breath-taking

beauties. I really can't offer any excuse for myself.

But please think of it this way. A big-breasted loli and an elf with a flawless

appearance both offered themselves up to me willingly without any sort of

resistance. Is there any honest-to-goodness guy alive who can resist such

delightful temptations?

Well, maybe there were. Yeah, maybe there are some guys who can do that.

But I'm not one of them goddammit! I confess folks! I'm the kind of guy

who's weak to those kinds of stuff and thinks with his lower half when

subjected to them, okay!

I'm certainly no damn saint who wouldn't do anything in those kinds of

situations. Want me to say it plainly for you? I'm the guy who'd

unhesitatingly pick the option that would lead to ero developments in games

if they were available. Sorry folks.

"But if both of you don't like it- "

"It's not like I'm saying I don't like that sort of stuff you idiot."

"I don't hate doing it with you either."

They both indignantly told me off. Elma's face blushed bright red as she

turned away. Mimi, on the other hand, had a serious expression on as she

stared at me unblinkingly with an air of conviction.

"Yeah, I got it. I love you girls."

"Yes!"

"I- Is that so?"

Mimi smiled blissfully after I expressed my feelings. Elma shyly lowered

her head in embarrassment. Yep. My girls are the cutest.

* * *

Well then, time for some proper self-introductions.

The name's Takahiro Satou. Right now, I'm going by alias 'Captain Hiro'.

The small-sized combat starship we're riding on right now is called the

ASX-08 Krishna . It's likely a unique, one-of-a-kind ship in this world,

and I simply call it 'Krishna'.

We're currently in hyperspace – around the vicinity of the Ghanam star

system – heading for the Alein star system. Let's leave the pseudo-science

mumbo-jumbo about hyperlanes and hyperspace for later. Let me brief you

about this world first.

I don't know the exact name of the world – this galaxy – I'm currently in

right now. It seems nobody actually named the galaxy in the first place.

Anyway, interstellar navigation technology has greatly developed in this

galaxy. The people here had already broken away from the hold of gravity

on each of their native planets, and have spread out to the great ocean of

stars. I suddenly found myself stranded in this galaxy one day; along with

this ship – the Krishna.

The only thing that I was familiar with from my former world was this

Krishna. Uh, it's not like we had futuristic starships like this in my former

world, okay. As far as I know, we've only managed to develop things like

orbital space research stations where astronauts carry out a number of

experiments in the zero-G environment of outer space. We haven't even

come close to developing space colonies where people can live normally.

People were living on Earth, like usual. What I meant when I said I was

familiar with this ship is that this was a unit I had in a video game I was

playing.

I was really into an MMO called Stella Online before I found myself in this

unfamiliar galaxy. It was a game where you could do stuff like exploring a

massive online galaxy, going on adventures, participating in battles,

engaging in trade and making money and the like.

I got Krishna as a prize from a game event. It was a unique unit I was using

in the game. I think some of the sharper ones out there have already gotten

an idea about my circumstances. I actually got transported to a world highly

resembling Stella Online.

There was a lot of stuff on the ship I was familiar with from my time playing

Stella Online. There are also things like space pirates who liked to attack

civilian ships and crystal creatures that indiscriminately attacked all other

living organisms in the galaxy. These are also just like the ones I've

encountered in Stella Online.

But it's not like everything's the same. There a lot of ship models and parts

in the market that didn't exist in Stella Online, and the name of the star

systems weren't the ones I was familiar with back in the game. I also haven't

heard of any of the galactic empires ruling said star systems before as well.

I wasn't sure if this was really a different galaxy or if I was just thrown to an

unexplored corner of it. That's because we still haven't managed to explore

the entire virtual galaxy back when I was still playing Stella Online.

Stella Online has already reached more than four years in service, but the

players haven't managed to explore every corner of the galaxy just yet.

Yeah. It's still like that even after four years. 'Just how big is this

overworld?' the players often asked.

In other words, if this place was the side of the galaxy we've yet to explore,

it goes without saying that I wouldn't be familiar with the local star systems.

No one's reached this place in the game yet after all. So I wouldn't be

familiar with it as well.

I tried searching for the Solar system as well and didn't find it. We also

haven't found an equivalent of the Solar system in Stella Online, so we

weren't sure if it really wasn't included in the game or just wasn't

discovered yet.

Anyway, I found myself in the middle of such an incomprehensible situation

and am now stuck here. Fortunately, I found myself able to pilot Krishna

without any major problems and proceeded to make a living as a mercenary

just like in the game. I had funds due to the stuff I found inside Krishna

when I first got here, but they would have been used up sooner or later.

I don't know how I got here, but the fact is I found myself in a world similar

to the game I was playing. I might as well enjoy it instead of brooding over

my situation.

And so, I became a mercenary, met Elma and Mimi, hunted down pirates,

and teamed up with my fellow mercs to render meritorious service to the

imperial military.

But it looks like I stood out way too much. I got eyed by a beautiful but

dangerous-looking female Imperial officer and pestered daily into joining

the army. I got annoyed by it, so I decided to escape from the clutches of the

scary imperial military and ran away. What I sought for was freedom.

Mercenaries like us ought to be free after all. We're free to move to another

sector if we feel that it would make us more profit by doing so. It may not be

so bad to join the imperial military, but I'd still be able to make a decent

living as a mercenary even without involving myself with the military.

There's absolutely no problem.

By the way, the three of us on this ship each have our own goals.

My goal is to buy a detached house with a nice garden on a residential planet

somewhere in this galaxy. Oh, and I want to drink lots and lots of carbonated

drinks as well.

This galaxy didn't have carbonated drinks available for some reason. I tried

to investigate, but couldn't find out why this was the case. I couldn't find

any clues regarding carbonated drinks no matter what media I used. I really

don't understand.

But I have heard before that it was hard to drink carbonated drinks in a zeroG environment or something. I don't know just how it turned out this way,

but it really looks like carbonation has become a form of lost technology out

here in space.

So I decided to revive and spread the wonderfulness of drinking carbonated

drinks to terrestrial planets in this galaxy instead. And afterward, I'll get to

drink to my heart's content.

Anyway, that's why my goal is to buy a house with a garden on a residential

planet. It seems like in order to do that within the empire, I'd have to get

first-class citizenship and fork out several hundreds of millions of Enels. It

was crazily expensive.

Mimi's goal was to tour the galaxy and taste all the gourmet food it has to

offer. There should be a lot of mysterious, tasty treats we've yet to eat out

there in this wide galaxy after all. She wanted to eat all of them. That's

Mimi's ultimate goal. It's a simple yet grand-sounding goal! I'm tagging

along for the ride as well, by the way. I'm also secretly aiming to have Mimi

drink carbonated beverages as part of our gourmet adventure as well.

Lastly, there's Elma. In addition to fully paying me back for her debt, she

wanted to earn enough money to be able to restart as an independent

mercenary again someday.

She currently owes me about 3,000,000 Enels. One Enel is equivalent to one

hundred Japanese Yen, so when converted, she owes me three hundred

million Yen. That's a lot of money. That said, Elma's actually earned more

than 260,000 Enels during our pirate hunting gig and run-in with the

Federation in the Termaine star system. I'm sure she'd be able to pay me

back within a year or two at this pace.

Well, she did have to buy herself a new ship if she wanted to get back to

being an independent mercenary again, so she'd still have to stay as my

crewmember even after paying back her debt.

These are our current circumstances.

We're now heading towards the place with the best medical technology in

the empire; the Alein star system.

The reason for this is me being unable to tell the girls honestly that I'm a guy

who wandered into this alternate galaxy from another world. Because I

wasn't familiar with things the locals consider as common knowledge, I

ended up giving the excuse that I was involved in an accident during

Hyperdrive and got selective amnesia.

Elma and Mimi got really worried after hearing that and suggested I get

myself a detailed check-up at a medical station. It would seem suspicious if I

refused such a suggestion, and I was also interested in having my body

checked out as well, so I agreed in the end. I got transferred from another

dimension after all. I want to make sure there wasn't anything funny going

on with my body. There's always the possibility of some disorders popping

up, so I wanted to make sure.

Anyway, that's why we're heading for the Alein star system. We were after

their cutting-edge medical facilities there. It's something important, so I had

to stress it twice.