[1]: Chapter One
Special Advisor.
[News just in:]
[Yes, a mysterious object was identified some months ago in the clouds.]
[Could you believe it, Nanto—it's a huge, mysterious machine.]
[Any attempts to get closer to it have proven ineffective.]
[What do you think, Mr. Owada?]
[Hmm, according to the research, its appearance is that of a humanoid mecha.]
[Though it's only visible through the clouds, any attempts to reach it are futile.]
[Yes, yes, the whole world is wondering where such a huge thing suddenly came from.]
[The Yamato Empire especially has it tough, right?]
[Hahaha, after all, the machine is right above their colony. Anyone would be scared, right?]
[No, no, I believe the Yamato Empire is more capable than that, right?]
[After all, speaking of accomplishment, they—]
Bathed in sunlight, a male stared out the window.
Oceans spread almost endlessly as clouds and birds drifted past.
The sounds of a reciprocating engine and rotating propellers reached them.
『We will be arriving shortly』
A voice reached them from the front as both males nodded their heads.
Both turned to each other for a minute.
The first male gave a smile to the other, who reciprocated it wryly.
"How's the flight been?"
"I slept off halfway, I guess."
Both males had raven hair; however, the first male had his tied in a ponytail.
The other, however, had short hair.
"Well, I guess the man with the 100% compatibility score would have it lax."
He flinched.
The short-haired male jerked back with a nervous smile playing on his lips.
"No way…"
"Sure, sure, Mr. Kisaragi Hayato."
Upon calling his name, the male, Hayato, seemed to slump over.
Eventually, after sucking air,
"Please don't tease me, Kamika-san."
The male called Shion closed his eyes for a bit, turning his gaze to the window.
Outside, a small object was coming into view.
Nay, to call it a small object was an understatement; it was a vessel.
It was a massive aircraft carrier, but also rather a ship and a city.
Little Garden.
Originally, they had planned to arrive at Little Garden yesterday evening.
However, due to weather problems and other things, that was delayed.
Thanks to that, their arrival had been delayed until today.
"Fumu, I think there's a punishment."
Hayato's shoulders trembled when he heard Shion say those words.
Dryly, he turned towards the other male.
"Please don't say that—"
"But you're excited, right?"
Shion made a gesture with his hand, which the boy understood.
Dryly, a sigh left his lips, followed by a particularly thoughtful nod.
Coming to his own conclusion, Shion rested his back against the backrest of his chair.
Needless to say.
He said nothing more.
Instead, he focused on the excited voice breaking out news from the radio.
While doing that, he also cast his gaze to the massive aircraft carrier.
As he did—
The transport began to lower its altitude, circling the skies above Little Garden.
Shion brushed his hands against the strap on his neck with a smile.
[Identification]
• [Name: Kamika Shion]
• [Reg. No.: #BY183]
[Special attendee.]
[Role: Little Garden Special Advisor]
In no time, the transport vessel finally touched the runway, slowly coming to a stop.
Ctssshhh—
With a mechanical hiss, the door opened as both males stepped out.
The sun bore down.
Both males instinctively raised their hands to shield their eyes from the sun.
With a balanced gait, both walked down the steps, touching the runway grounds.
Looking towards the sky, Shion spotted a mirrored, glass-like film.
'Hou?'
In fact, if it weren't for the strong, salty smell of the ocean water brought by the wind,
He would have forgotten.
The university battleship.
Little Garden,
Boasting of a surface area of more than four square kilometers.
A town atop an aircraft carrier.
Simply by scale alone, one could scour the entire world and not find its equal.
In order to preserve its freedom, Little Garden never stopped sailing.
For something of this scale, this was undoubtedly a world's first.
Most importantly.
This ship wasn't attached to any nation.
"Guess it's as impressive as they boasted it to be, no?"
"Un."
After that, Shion turned to Hayato with a particular gesture.
The male, seeing this, bowed curtly, exiting the place after a word.
With him now left alone, he walked away.
Shion completely exited the hangar, outside the place it led to.
"Woah."
A city stretched out in front of him.
The grounds were neatly paved and the sidewalks were tightly bricked.
At short distances, he could see tall buildings, as well as greenery.
Most importantly, people going about however they liked.
Overall, the place gave off a unique scent.
"Eh…"
Just as he muttered that, footsteps approached him from the front.
There were two females.
Both wore uniforms that looked like school uniforms, and at the same time, military ones.
The one in front of him in particular.
A dark-skinned, voluptuous young woman, with green hair and light green eyes.
"Greetings, I'm Liddy Steinberg."
She saluted with an unchanging expression, but her gaze held something.
Reluctance?
He couldn't quite tell.
Behind her was another female.
It was a cute, bespectacled young woman with brown hair, dressed in a blue uniform.
"We have come to escort you to the Queen, Special Advisor Kamika."
"Thank you."
Shion simply smiled as they escorted him into the car.
Bam–!
With a slam, the door shut as the girls took their places in front.
Despite looking like they were in the same age range, they could drive?
He watched, blinking.
In the next moment, he shook his head.
Perhaps he remembered that other than being students, these females were soldiers.
As the car moved,
Occasionally, he could sense their gaze on him.
Just like him, they were probably surprised he was appointed as a special advisor.
Especially since it was from the older brother of their said Queen.
Though said person was the one who suggested him for the position.
But, he could tell.
'Yeah, this is going to be stressful.'
Slowly, in no time, the car began to pull over in front of a building.
Rather a building,
An academy.
But instead of a school, it was more like a research facility of sorts.
Maybe a hideout is a better word.
He was presented with a particularly grand scene.
It almost seemed to be a security checkpoint, with two guards keeping watch at the gate.
The nondescript design especially seemed to strengthen this impression.
"Come in."
Shion followed them with a nod.
They entered the building through the sliding doors, into the hallway.
"As expected,"
He could only mutter.
But eventually, he was led past all of that, bringing him before a door.
It was after entering an elevator to the highest floor that he appeared before this room.
Knock, knock–!
"Claire-sama, it's me."
"Liddy, huh? Come in."
"Please, excuse me."
Having said that, the door opened with a soft creak as she pushed it.
The inside came into view.
A warm, cozy room with a red rug, and a table in the middle surrounded by chairs.
Bookshelves lined the walls, except for the front and back.
Decorations like potted plants were placed sparingly.
Finally, at the end of the room was a desk.
Seated behind it was her, the ruler of this school and aircraft carrier.
A voluptuous woman.
Blonde hair with emerald eyes.
She wore a red uniform, her elbows resting on the desk, chin placed lightly on her hands.
Shion stepped forward.
"Y… you!"
The two girls moved as if to stop him like guards or knights.
However, before they could—
Claire raised her hand, stopping them.
"It's an honor to meet you, Queen Claire Harvey."
Shion greeted her with a smile.
Claire didn't return it.
There was no welcoming gaze, nor approval. Instead, he was met with quiet scrutiny.
She looked him over briefly, then let out a small breath.
"I see…"
Her voice was calm, but distant.
"So you're the one my brother spoke about."
There was a pause for a moment, after scanning him from head to toe.
"Not what I expected."
Little Garden had no need for a position like Special Advisor.
She had managed everything on her own until now.
"However, my brother isn't the type to make pointless decisions."
Perhaps, was it to monitor her?
Claire mused, however at the same time, it was highly unlikely.
If Judal wanted to, he'll do it in a more discreet manner.
If so…
"So there must be a reason. Though I can't say I see it yet"
Ending that, perhaps with those harsh words seemingly reflecting what she thought.
Claire narrowed her eyes.
"Seems like you're distrustful of me."
Shion said with a smile, crossing his arms.
He took out a small object, a PDA, from his pocket and switched it on.
Claire's eyes shifted to it, but she said nothing.
[Breaking News]
Headline~
[Yamato Victory,]
• [Reclaiming lost land to the Savage, without any casualties.]
"Wait, huh?"
Liddy was the first to react, her eyes widening.
However, with a stare from Claire, she immediately composed herself.
"Brother did mention you were a special case, but I fail to see it."
She tapped the desk, placing her elbow on it and resting her head on her hand.
"It's true that the princess is strong; however—"
The same cannot be said for others, right?
"Well, even if that were not the case, it seems like Little Garden lacks info."
"...excuse me?"
Claire's brows knitted even further, turning into a glare.
However, Shion didn't back down.
Instead,
"Do you know how much it would have cost to vanquish a horde of that size?"
At the very least,
It would have cost them several operations' time, and at least…
"Not to mention, the latest research shows something impressive."
Idling his fingers in the air, he twirled them for emphasis.
Not to mention,
"Under my suggestion, a new weapon capable of harming Savages has been developed."
The three in the room flinched.
It is widely known that modern warfare against these enemies is useless.
At the very least, that's what's believed.
Of course, these new weapons in question would not replace Slayers.
However, it would help.
"My role, more or less, is to cooperate with Little Garden's tech."
As though making an example.
Shion raised his right hand to represent himself.
Then, his left to represent Little Garden.
Gradually, he brought those two hands together to make a powerful clap.
It echoed across the room for a bit.
"Your brother believes if the two of us cooperate, we can achieve this."
"Of course, whether or not it actually can is up to Little Garden."
Claire didn't respond immediately, but after his words, her fingers stopped tapping.
The faint irritation in her expression didn't disappear, but it settled into something else.
"I see. So that's the value you believe you bring."
She straightened slightly, her gaze fixed on him almost coldly.
"And you're leaving the outcome to us. How convenient."
Naturally, those words ticked Claire Harvey off a little.
Actually, that wasn't it.
The whole conversation, his tone, the way he carried himself.
It all got under her skin.
Well, in a sense, it reminded her of her brother in a way she didn't entirely like.
"No thank you. If brother wants to make use of your talent, it's better to work with him."
"However, I will welcome you here as a student, if that's acceptable to you."
Uhh, what?
Shion tilted his head.
Naturally, he had a feeling.
'Judal… you son of a… if I didn't need that, I wouldn't even consider—'
Shion pouted slightly.
"May I ask why?"
"First off, showing up late on the day of the Entrance Ceremony is bold."
"Someone who can't even keep to a schedule… how am I supposed to trust them?"
Claire brushed her hair as her drilled hair flowed before settling back.
"It doesn't matter who you are. Little Garden is my domain. I make the rules."
Shion let out a heavy sigh, but there was no regret on his face.
"That might be a bit hard… and I can't exactly follow that."
"Suit yourself. But right now, you're a student, as well as a citizen."
Pushing her chair backwards.
It made a small screech as she elegantly straightened, turning towards her guard.
She adjusted her hair once more, walking towards the door.
"Make sure you don't arrive late, else–"
She left those words unfinished as she left, the door clicking behind her.
Left alone, Shion smiled.
Well, it wasn't that he didn't expect this.
But nevertheless, it doesn't affect anything yet, and if anything…
He found her attitude cute~