The steel deck of the Hagane lay shrouded in a pall of sorrow. They had just bid farewell to Daitetsu Minase—the man who, more than anyone, had guided them this far. Nearly every soul aboard the refitted Hiryu Custom stood in silent prayer.
When the moment passed, Gilliam spoke.
"Now that the battle's over and we've had no time to breathe… mind filling in the details?"
His gaze settled on the three figures who had surrendered to the Hiryu Custom during Operation Plantagenet: Ouka, Zeola, and Cuervo.
At his words, Cuervo Cello stepped forward.
"I'll do the talking. There are things Ouka and Zeola would find… difficult to say."
"Cuervo…"
Rada's voice slipped out before she could stop it.
"Rada—good to see you again. You look well. We'll catch up properly later."
Cuervo gave her a small nod, then turned to Gilliam. Gilliam returned it and continued.
"First—why are you here? No… before that. Why are their brainwashes broken?"
"Simple. Captain Axel killed Dr. Setme and ordered me to release them."
"Axel, huh…"
Gilliam murmured, eyes distant.
Axel Almer. To the Hagane and Hiryu Custom, that name carried more weight than even Vindel Mouser, commander of the Shadow-Mirror.
"What the hell is that guy thinking!?"
Katina's frustrated shout rang across the deck.
"Captain Axel promised he'd do something if Ouka was ever slated for the Game System. When Dr. Setme gave me the order, I consulted him. The result: the doctor died, and their conditioning was undone."
"The Game System again," Gilliam sighed. "Some cursed karma."
He shook his head, then pressed on.
"But even free of brainwashing, they're former School pilots—worth far more than your average ace. Why let them go at all?"
"I don't know. But the care he took to keep Vindel from noticing… it was likely Axel's unilateral decision."
"Unilateral? Then this could be a trap—"
"No!"
Ouka's voice cut through, sharp as a blade. She had been listening beside Zeola, Latuni, and Arado.
"O-Ouka-neesan…?"
Arado gaped. Latuni froze beside him.
No wonder. To them, Ouka Nagisa had always been the eldest sister of the School—their guardian in all but name. Hearing her bare her emotions like this was unthinkable.
"Dr. Cuervo… she…"
"Yes. She adores the captain who saved her."
Cuervo's voice softened with sorrow. No matter how deeply Ouka felt, the odds of her love being returned were vanishingly small. Yet to Cuervo, Ouka was like a daughter he had watched over for years. Who could bring themselves to crush a girl's first love?
"I see…"
Gilliam exhaled, shifting gears.
"Axel Almer may belong to Shadow-Mirror, but he's been acting on his own—hiding it even from Colonel Vindel. At this point… could his goals actually differ from Vindel's?" He turned to Lamia, who had been listening in silence. "Lamia—what do you think?"
Of everyone here, she knew Axel best—years in the same unit, sometimes serving as his second.
"The Captain, Vindel-sama, and Lemon-sama founded Shadow-Mirror together. Back in our world, they trusted each other completely. I can't imagine the Captain betraying Vindel-sama. However…"
She paused, glancing at Ouka.
"However?"
"I've heard the Captain and Lemon-sama are… deeply involved. If something happened between them…" Lamia lowered her voice so Ouka wouldn't hear. "Emotions like that are beyond me. I can't judge… gowasu—I mean, I can't say."
Gilliam rubbed his temples.
"The more I learn about Axel Almer, the less I understand him. What do we even do with the man?"
He shook his head and let out another weary sigh.
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