In the distant void, the pirate ship erupted into blinding flames. Nothing could survive such an explosion.
Inside Hoshigaki Sora's ship, everyone had gathered around the windows, watching the spectacle outside.
Their initial panic at encountering galactic pirates had completely vanished.
All that remained now was amazement and admiration for those swiftly maneuvering through space.
"I really thought Sora-san went outside to negotiate... I didn't expect that..."
Someone had assumed Sora went out to negotiate with the pirates.
But who could've guessed that such a scene would unfold before their eyes?
"What do you mean by that?" Someone immediately protested, "He definitely did negotiate—and he got a pretty good result, didn't he?"
This response plunged the group into a strange logical whirlpool.
But on second thought, it seemed true!
Sora had indeed gone out to negotiate with those galactic pirates. And indeed, the pirates had cleared the way.
Looking purely at the outcome, it was undeniably so.
Yet somehow, the context seemed disturbingly incorrect.
"You guys don't get it—this is his unique negotiation strategy. We've already documented it in detail."
One of them proudly took out their terminal, which was filled with meticulously recorded entries.
Others leaned in curiously, immediately noticing numerous remarkable quotes:
["The more they support me, the more I know I'm right. The more they oppose me, the more I know I'm absolutely right!"]
["I can't be bothered reasoning with some people—they don't deserve it!"]
Everyone stared at these quotes, feeling somewhat skeptical. Such brazen statements didn't seem like something Sora would say.
But recalling his armored form when he departed just moments ago, they suddenly hesitated.
Perhaps... he really could have said these things…
"Wait, where did you get this stuff anyway?!" someone questioned skeptically, sensing that Sora's image was dangerously close to collapsing.
"You didn't know?" another person immediately responded, "These were all recorded by those girls surrounding him."
"Apparently, they're always around that guy who calls himself Kamen Rider, carefully documenting his legendary quotes."
As soon as this was said, everyone instantly fell silent.
They couldn't deny the fact—those girls truly spent all day surrounding Sora-san.
Thinking about it this way, these indeed seemed like words Sora could say…
When Sora returned, he immediately noticed strange looks directed toward him.
"What's going on here?" Sora asked, feeling vaguely puzzled by their unusual stares.
"No idea," Robin shrugged lightly. "Those kids insisted on looking for you earlier—I calmed them down a bit."
She paused briefly, her voice suddenly playful. "Oh, by the way, that 'Duanmu-onii-san' you mentioned sounds interesting. Care to tell me more sometime?"
"Hahaha..." Sora awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. Why couldn't those little brats keep their mouths shut?
Robin tilted her head, curious. "Is something wrong? Some kind of secret?"
"No, no, nothing at all." Sora quickly changed the topic, noticing the Iron Cavalry members steadily entering the ship.
"Sora, we've handled everything," Mitsutake reported succinctly.
"That's not the most important thing right now. Are you all unharmed?" Sora didn't care about the fate of those pirates; his only concern was for the people around him.
After his words, the Iron Cavalry briefly fell silent.
"W-we're fine," Mitsutake finally answered after a slight hesitation, her voice somehow oddly flustered.
"Good, as long as you're okay. Now go rest," Sora instructed gently.
It was now his turn to act again.
The ship's energy gauge was flashing urgently in red, signaling the near depletion of its energy reserves.
Normally, Sora should've immediately stopped for maintenance and refueling.
But previously, he had rejected any calls for repairs.
Now every second was precious. Any delay could endanger someone's life.
The reason why the ship continued its swift passage through the galaxy was solely due to Sora's efforts—more accurately, thanks to the Rider who entrusted him with this power.
By transforming into Roborider, Sora could forcibly power the ship through the Kingstone itself.
All he needed to do was briefly stop near a star from time to time to replenish his energy.
This was precisely how he had managed to quickly evacuate most of the patients stranded on Stratton III in such a short period.
Now, with the pirate incident resolved, he prepared once again to pilot the ship forward.
Standing firmly, he clenched his fists, beginning his stance:
"Hen—"
But before he could finish, his consciousness abruptly faded, and he toppled forward, collapsing gently.
Behind him, Robin's eyes glowed softly with a faint green luminescence.
The soothing power of Harmony gently eased his severely fatigued mind, causing him to instantly drift into deep slumber.
"You promised you'd rest properly after coming back—that's why I agreed to let you go out in the first place."
Robin slowly lowered her hand. When Sora insisted on going outside, he had promised to rest afterward.
Yet here he was, already attempting to pilot the ship again, disregarding his earlier promise.
Thus, she had no choice but to intervene.
Indeed, as Anna had warned, sometimes forceful methods were necessary—otherwise, this man simply wouldn't stop.
Robin sighed quietly. "Do you never feel tired at all?"
Looking at Sora's peacefully sleeping figure resting in Hotaru's arms, she finally murmured softly, "Take him to the back to rest."
"Let's pause here briefly amidst the galaxy, just for a while."
Let the hero regain his strength. Let that certain someone finally rest properly.
At least for this brief period, let the ship that always haunted his thoughts rest as well.
"No need!" Contrary to Robin's intentions, the Iron Cavalry members flashed bright smiles. "It's precisely at this time that we should take action."
"Sora's worries—let us take care of them for once."
"Hehe, we've actually wanted to do this for a while now!"
"It's just under one light-year—watch us push it there ourselves!"
Robin stared at them in disbelief. "Even you all have become like this?"
Physically pushing a spaceship through space—even the galaxy's biggest fools would never dream up something like this.
A single mistake, and they could become hopelessly lost in the vastness of space.
This was a cardinal rule drilled into anyone embarking on space voyages.
Yet, here these Iron Cavalry members casually proposed such a reckless approach.
Watching these figures once again don their glowing Firefly armor, Robin inexplicably felt as if someone else's presence hovered behind them.
Behind them, the vague image of a certain man appeared, grinning widely, proudly giving a thumbs-up.
"Hehe, surprised? Even if I faint, someone will inherit my will!"
Robin seemed to hear Sora's proud declaration echo in her ears.
Yes, that unmistakable feeling...
"You've all... been infected by Sora, haven't you?"
Robin finally started to believe the authenticity of those legendary quotes circulating aboard the ship.
After all, spending too much time around someone like him would inevitably lead to a certain kind of contagion.
"Hmm, who knows?" Unkyo shrugged with a sly grin. "Sometimes, it's really nice to set aside logic and help people wholeheartedly."
As they exchanged glances, the Iron Cavalry reached a silent consensus.
One by one, they exited through the hatch, positioning themselves carefully as Shunji precisely calculated their formation. They unleashed their full strength in unison:
"HAAAAAAH!!!"
BOOM!!!
Blazing white flames enveloped their forms, erupting magnificently from behind the spaceship.
Bearing new hopes, they physically propelled the entire spaceship forward.
Gradually picking up speed, the ship turned into a silver-white meteor streaking across the galaxy.
This wasn't a feat driven by one individual's determination—but a collective resolve.
Carrying these new aspirations, the spaceship itself gained a new name:
["The Silver Ray of Hope has successfully evacuated patients from the Zieltworth disaster—a genuine galactic miracle."]
["Thanks to this ship, most of the patients have received timely and appropriate medical treatment."]
["Once again, our gratitude to the ship's owner and all crew members."]
["Simultaneously, we protest IPC's aid division—why is it that a civilian vessel achieved this miracle while your approvals are still stuck in processing?!"]
"If they saw what everyone onboard was actually like right now, wouldn't that miracle quickly lose its shine?"
Sora closed the news screen, glancing at the chaotic buffet hall around him.
The entire buffet had been reserved by them; a fierce battle to fill hungry stomachs raged among the nearly identical-looking girls present.
"Ahh, why can't you all be calm and refined, like me?"
Sora leaned back in his chair, striking a dignified pose. What's the rush in eating, anyway?
"Aren't you hungry yourself?" Robin teased curiously.
"I'm different from them. I have class and restraint—"
"Fresh grilled Cosmic Battle Beefsteak now available! Please pick up your servings at the counter!"
Before Robin could even blink, the refined and restrained gentleman had already appeared at the very front of the serving counter.
"Heh, men."
Robin's lips curled into an amused smirk.