Anticipating the Unexpected

 

The place where Flack had brought Kou was a gathering spot for the people of Planet Libya.

Currently, only a portion of the residents had relocated. The reason was that more people than expected were unwilling to leave the familiar ruins of the Fortress Area.

「I wish everyone would just come here.」

「Settling down means having an attachment to the land. It’s just that you and the others who belong to Underground Forces are used to moving around.」

「Is that really all there is to it? Hmm… but I guess if someone told me to move away from Silhouette Base, I’d hate it too.」

「Exactly. That place has become my home now. The people here have made the decision to fight—to protect Planet Libya, and ultimately, to protect their homeland.」

「Oh… I see.」

As the two continued their conversation, a Worker Silhouette approached. It was the only type of Silhouette that could still be produced on Planet Libya.

「That’s the one, Kou-niichan.」

「Let’s land and talk.」

The two descended from Unit 5, and the pilot of the Worker Silhouette disembarked as well.

「Nice to meet you, Outis. My name is Arima.」

「…Nice to meet you. But don’t call me Outis—just call me Kou.」

Kou gazed intently at the boy, as if something was on his mind.

「Understood, Kou. Is something wrong?」

Noticing Kou’s expression, the boy tilted his head slightly in curiosity. Kou extended his hand, and the boy responded with a handshake. There was something faintly familiar about the soft texture of his skin.

「No, you just reminded me of a friend. Especially your silver hair.」

Kou smiled gently.

The boy was undeniably beautiful—his well-defined features, striking silver hair, and tanned skin all stood out. His appearance strongly resembled Asia. In fact, his age seemed to be about the same as Asia’s when they had first met.

「I see. Silver hair is quite rare, isn’t it?」

「Yeah, it is.」

It was certainly an eye-catching color. Kou himself had been surprised when he first met Blue and her unusual blue hair after arriving in Asia.

「You two are amazing. You’re the heroes who destroyed that massive Teras.」

「We’re not heroes. It was mostly thanks to Arthur. And Seth wasn’t really destroyed either.」

「Huh? You didn’t destroy it? But… it’s a Teras!」

「There were circumstances. We heard it possessed an aspect of a heroic god, so we’re testing whether it can become a Kryptos instead.」

「Huh, I didn’t know that was possible.」

「Whether it’s possible or not… we’re about to find out.」

Kou still wasn’t free of concern. If they failed, the people gathered here would be in serious danger. That was the one outcome he absolutely had to avoid.

「Kou-niichan, Arima knows a lot about Silhouette mechanics!」

「Is that so?」

「I only know about Work Silhouettes. But I have to say, the Silhouettes from Planet Asia are truly incredible. Who was the one who designed the Type-0? Its concept is incredible!」

The three of them got absorbed in a discussion about Silhouettes, particularly about the maintenance of Transformable Silhouettes.

◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆

Kou often handled various tasks aboard Unit 5.

From maintaining communications with the Trireme Fleet to managing Arthur’s parts requisitions and coordinating with the human residential areas on Libya, his responsibilities were numerous.

Previously, Asia had been the one to facilitate communication with Polymetis, but now that role had shifted to Morgan and Astraea.

「Hmm. Who’s this from?」

Kou’s personal call alert rang. The caller ID displayed an unfamiliar personal code, but he decided to answer.

「This is Arima. Thank you for meeting me earlier today.」

「Oh, it’s you. Did you get my personal code from Flack?」

「Yes, I did.」

Kou let out a small chuckle.

「I see. So, what’s this about?」

「I have something I’d like to discuss. A long time ago, my mother told me about a secret ruin near here.」

「A ruin, huh?」

「I want you to take me there. That location is also designated most critical sealed zone. Only you, Outis, can infiltrate it.」

「I see… so that’s how it is.」

Kou understood the boy’s reasoning, though he couldn’t fully grasp his true intentions yet.

「There’s also a legend that an Another Level Silhouette is enshrined within that ruin.」

「Oh?」

Kou couldn’t help but be impressed. That was valuable information—If it was true, that is.

「This information has been passed down orally in my family for generations. Currently, one has become a Kryptos, and another has become an Eidolon. If there were a third, it wouldn’t be surprising if it became a Teras. I thought it best to secure it first.」

「An oral tradition, huh? That’s quite primitive… But securing it, yes, that makes sense.」

The boy’s reasoning was sound.

Kou considered asking more but decided against it. It was too soon to eliminate a potential key solution.

He also chose not to question how Arima knew that Arthur was an Another Level Silhouette and a Kryptos. If the boy claimed he had heard it from Flack, he wouldn’t be able to press him further.

「Arima, keep this between us. Don’t tell Flack. We’ll prepare and go together.」

「…Really?! You trust me?」

Rather than being happy, the boy seemed more surprised that Kou accepted his request without a hint of skepticism. He likely hadn’t expected anyone to believe such an outlandish tale, yet now he looked overjoyed.

「There’s no reason to doubt you, is there? I’ll inform Astraea and Morgan, though. If nothing comes of it, then it’s just a little ruin exploration on Planet Libya.」

Kou smiled gently. To him, this was no different from an invitation.

Keeping secrets from Astraea and Morgan was impossible anyway. Instead of stirring unnecessary suspicion, it was better to lay out his intentions clearly—it made taking action much easier.

「For this kind of information to surface now… It’s no coincidence. It must mean that it’s time to move on to the next stage.」

Though he didn’t voice it, Kou felt a deliberate shift was occurring. This wasn’t just a matter of the anthropic principle—he could sense a clear intent behind it.

The boy hesitated for a moment before asking,

「Just how far ahead are you looking?」

「I didn’t predict anything.」

「Yet you’re incredibly composed. Everyone says you’re remarkable, and I see why.」

「That’s an overestimation. I’m just a Development Engineer. I don’t have tactical or strategic insight.」

「You are underestimating yourself.」

Arima sounded exasperated. Realizing that Kou was completely serious, he let out a small sigh.

「Understood. Once I’m ready, I’ll contact you using this code.」

「Got it.」

The call ended.

Kou stood in thought for a moment before murmuring to himself,

「Planet Libya is full of the unexpected. Then again, that’s exactly what Kinukawa used to say about space exploration.」

If he were to borrow Kinukawa’s words, he had to move forward by anticipating the unexpected. That was the nature of space exploration.

Even in Earth’s history of space development, unexpected events had occurred one after another.

Now, they were heading toward a ruin from the Pioneer era. No matter how thorough their preparations were, unforeseen circumstances would arise. The key would be having a system flexible enough to adapt.

「An Another Level Silhouette might be involved, huh? I should tell Aimer about this. Should I secretly request assistance from Arges and Steropes? They mentioned that we have a few positron cannon rounds available… But if we’re relying solely on Unit 5’s combat strength…」

Kou decided to inform Aimer and then headed to Arges and Steropes’ workshop to consult with them.