Chapter 9: Attack

In a dimly lit room, an assembly of people spoke in hushed voices. They were cloaked in distinctive white robes, and their gathering was reminiscent of the secret societies that had been fashionable in Europe more than 200 years ago.

“Well then, what of the demon child?” one of them asked.

“The child is conducting research at the International Science and Technology Academy in Japan.”

All those present glared disapprovingly at a photograph of Kouki Arakawa that lay on a desk lit by candlelight.

Someone who appeared to be an elder member of the group asked in a coarse voice, “How is Operation Demon Abduction progressing?”

Several people responded with the words, “All is well.”

The coarse-voiced master nodded deeply, and then loudly declared: “The time has come! We shall place the blood of the demon on the altar as an offering to our god!!”

The room filled with light as if illuminated by his voice. Hundreds of powered suits became visible. All were powered on and waiting.

**

Kouki Arakawa’s Point of View

Today there was going to be a practical training session using powered suits, but as usual, I wasn’t attending.

After I’d destroyed the new model of powered suit, we’d gone to the trouble of remaking it, and I was eager to try it out. Sadly, I was going to be left behind with Kon.

The principal had told me, “There’s no need for you to participate, Arakawa. I’d much prefer it if you stayed in your research complex.”

What did I do wrong? I wondered. Now I’m going to miss out on a good chance to show off in front of the girls in the class...

My brooding was interrupted by Alice, my girlfriend who I was now officially dating.

“Kouki, I was doing maintenance on my suit, and I found some of the parts are in bad condition,” she said, sounding troubled. “Would you mind if I borrowed your personal suit?”

I didn’t mind, but first I had to ask Shingo whether it’d been completely put back together after we’d dissembled it.

“Hey, Shingo. You know how we were analyzing my personal suit while making the new model?” I asked. “Did you fix it afterward?”

“Buh hee? The Quartet Corp suit? I fixed it and left it in the storage room.”

If it’s fixed, then it’s not a problem, I decided.

I told Alice, “Go ahead and take it,” and she happily bounded off to the storage room. Shingo looked like he was about to head off to the training session, too, so I helped my friend put on his powered suit.

Shingo’s suit is so heavy-duty. What was this thing designed to do? I wondered. I questioned him about that while fixing a thick plate of auxiliary armor to the back of it.

“It’s a second-generation military-use suit. They’re quite old, so I bought one that’d been sold off to civilians. This model was originally made for handling unexploded bombs.”

That makes sense. It’s a suit for doing dangerous work. It didn’t look like it had much mobility, but it certainly looked robust.

Once it was fully set up, we checked each part, and found no defects.

“You should be able to see the training ground from this research complex,” Shingo said to me through an external speaker as he was turning to leave. “Why not head to the roof and watch us?”

After making his suggestion—which had been delivered incredibly loudly because he’d forgotten to adjust the volume—he headed off, his feet heavily crashing to the floor with each step.

I picked up Kon, who’d been knocked off his feet by the loud noise, and began climbing the stairs to the rooftop.

After reaching the rooftop, I looked out at my surroundings. I soon spotted a gathering of powered suits. I could see my own suit in within the group, which was no doubt being used by Alice.

I see Alice and Shingo, but which one is Aikawa? I wondered.

I tried looking through the binoculars I’d brought, but Aikawa wasn’t wearing any of the suits that left the face visible.

Ah. There’s someone kicking Shingo’s suit from behind, I noticed finally.

His mobility was so poor that by the time he’d turned around, they’d moved behind him again. Even from here, I could tell that Shingo was getting agitated. Alice was nearby, but she was doing nothing to help. The other classmates hadn’t told Ms. Roberta, either.

I guess the purple suit tormenting Shingo must be Aikawa.

As I watched, Shingo finally managed to grab Aikawa and lift her off the ground. He then passed her to Alice. As if she’d just had an idea, Alice then passed Aikawa to the suit next to her, which then passed Aikawa on to the next suit... Basically, Aikawa was being passed around like a baton for some reason.

“That looks like fun! Damn them!!” I yelled without thinking.

I turned to look at Kon and found him biting me in irritation.

I wish I’d gone along... I lamented.

Just then, I heard a far-off noise that sounded like an explosion. I picked up the binoculars, and looked in the direction of the sound. There, I saw powered suits jumping through the streets.

I’m pretty sure that jumping like that in the middle of town is forbidden. And why are there so many? There were over 300, and those were just the ones I could see! I soon heard more explosions just like the first one.

“What?!” I cried in confusion. “Is that gunfire? Is this some sort of battle?”

I’d visited self-defense force facilities with my mom, so I recognized the sporadic sounds I was hearing as gunshots. The Japan of this world was similar to the Japan I’d lived in before being reincarnated: Possession of personal firearms was essentially forbidden.

If there are gunshots, does that mean there’s some major crime like a bank robbery going on? I took a look at one of the closer powered suits while feeling like an excited spectator. My excitement faded quickly.

“There’s a Japanese flag painted on the shoulder. Isn’t that a self-defense force suit?”

If the self-defense forces were prepared to open fire in the city area around so many civilians, this had to be either a terrorist attack or the outbreak of war. I couldn’t believe that another country would so suddenly wage war on us when we’d been so peaceful up till now. A terrorist attack seemed the most likely option.

Do they even realize how close to the academy this battle is? I took a look over at where my friends were, and saw they were being evacuated by the academy’s security personnel.

That’s a relief... I went back to watching the happenings outside, and I saw a self-defense force suit being shot down. They’re really getting close to the academy now.

That made me think that I should take refuge in the basement, but just as I climbed to my feet, a powered suit jumped onto the roof.

I spotted a “UN” emblem on its shoulder, and I blurted out, “The United Nations Army? What are you guys doing here?”

As I stood frozen in shock, a female voice came from its external speakers: “Kouki, we’ve got to get you away from here. Forgive me for being heavy-handed.”

Without waiting for me to respond, the suit in front of me grabbed me, and it began heading away from the battle while carrying me.

The suit had grabbed hold of my body directly, so I was being shaken around and was close to wetting myself in fear as I looked over to where my friends were. A portion of the academy wall had already been knocked down, and armed troops were flooding into the training ground.

Why would they be targeting the academy? I wondered. I saw Shingo holding Aikawa to protect her, but I didn’t know where Alice was. I could have asked the wearer of the powered suit carrying me to go back so we could find her, but I doubt she would have listened. And I can’t believe we just abandoned Kon on the roof.

More powered suits that seemed to be with the United Nations joined us.

These guys aren’t messing around... I quietly watched while being shaken around, and saw the powered suits around us suddenly begin firing their rifles into the air. I looked up at the sky to see what they were shooting at.

“A personnel transporter V/STOL?!”

There was no mistaking it. It was a new model of transport aircraft that my mom had developed.

If they’re bringing out that thing, that makes me really worried.

The suit carrying me began speaking once again. “We’re going to jump over the academy wall in a single bound. Clench your teeth so you don’t bite your tongue.”

I clenched my teeth like I’d been told, and braced for the impact. There was a great crash, and I was shaken violently. We’d crossed over the wall.

At that moment, I saw my powered suit being pushed into the aircraft...

**

Shuuichi Arakawa’s Point of View

“What’s the situation?” I asked my adjutant, Louis.

He explained, “Today at 0930, an aircraft approaching from the Japan Sea incurred into Japanese airspace over mainland Japan. The craft followed a bombing course that stretched from the Noto Peninsula to Nagoya, via Toyama. At 0950, the Air Self-Defense Force scrambled to shoot down the invading aircraft. At the same time, a submarine surfaced offshore in Tokyo Bay, and began an attack on the capital.”

How could they have allowed Tokyo to be attacked? I had no outlet for my anger, so I had to suppress my feelings while drinking my coffee.

“At 1010, the Japanese government affirmed that this was a large-scale terrorist attack, and declared a national state of emergency on the basis of the civilian protection program. At 1015, a warning order was issued to all branches of the self-defense forces, and permission was granted for the immediate use of force. The self-defense forces are currently combat-ready.

“At 1030, the submarine that surfaced in Tokyo Bay was sunk. However, at 1045, three similar submarines, carrying armed soldiers, surfaced off the coast of the academy town. An attack was then initiated against the International Science and Technology Academy. The town’s defense forces were alerted, and they attempted to stop the invading forces. However, the town’s defense forces were completely annihilated. At 1130, the invading forces were allowed to enter the academy.

“As for your son, just as the attacking forces entered the academy, he was successfully extracted by a unit led by Clare, who was handling his defense today. They then evacuated to the nearest self-defense force base. Clare also decided to assign a portion of the unit to protecting the academy. Some time ago it was reported that we had regained control of the academy.”

At least I can be relived about that... There had of course been a human cost, but as a father, I naturally considered my son to be the most important thing. Clare had done well.

Louis informed me that there had been no causalities in the academy.

Was this terrorist group targeting Kouki? I wondered, and asked what we knew so far.

“At the current time, it’s believed that these attacks by the terrorist group were acts of sabotage to prevent the Japanese government from fighting back after they’d abducted your son. Some consider this highly likely because they abducted a student named Alice Alford who had been wearing your son’s powered suit for some reason.”

What does he mean, “some consider”? It’s like he’s holding something back. This isn’t like Louis.

“It’s just my personal view, but I don’t think this is correct,” Louis added.

So everything about the situation suggested that the target was Kouki, but Louis disagreed. This is worth hearing...

“What makes you think so?” I asked.

“Has any organization with this much military strength and organizational power ever accidentally targeted the wrong person? It may be true that Miss Alford was wearing your son’s personal suit. However, your son recently developed the eighth-generation suit. He also used that suit to perform a rescue after a major accident. His actions were reported by news organizations around the world.”

That’s right. Kouki immediately rushed out to rescue survivors when that passenger ship collided with a tanker. As his father, his courage gives me nothing but pride.

“In that case, wouldn’t they expect him to be wearing the eighth-generation suit? There’s one more thing. There’s much that we don’t know about Miss Alford. Clare and Elise have been investigating her more carefully now that she’s your son’s girlfriend.”

I never asked them to do that, I thought indignantly. I’ve no problem with them admiring Kouki, but I won’t have them misusing our authority and resources like this! They’d better be ready for a grilling when this is over...

“I received information this morning regarding the ongoing investigation,” Louis continued. “It was found that no one named Alice Alford exists.”

Today would probably be the day I received the most shocking report I would ever receive in my life.

June 30, 2102: Japan Experienced an Unprecedented Terrorist Attack.

Although the circumstances suggested that the target of the abduction was Kouki Arakawa, the terrorists failed in their objective, and mistakenly abducted Alice Alford before withdrawing their forces from Japan.

**

“I received information this morning regarding the ongoing investigation. It was found that no one named Alice Alford exists.”

Today would probably be the day I received the most shocking report I would ever receive in my life. The report has to be wrong, I thought insistently. All of Kouki’s friendships were investigated. If there was a nonexistent person, I would have been informed during the initial stages...

Louis calmly shot down my objections: “No, there’s no doubt that she appeared suddenly. Alice Alford is a Canadian who was recommended to the academy by the Canadian government in recognition of her exceptional specialist knowledge in medicine. After passing the entrance exam, she was then admitted to the academy. She recently successfully developed a treatment effective against the European tragedy. It’s fair to say that she’s gifted with both intelligence and beauty, but there are absolutely no records of her before the age of 10. Clare went so far as to hack the main terminal of the Canadian government, but found no relevant information. All she was able to learn was the girl’s place of birth...”

Louis looked at me as if he was finding this hard to say. I doubt he found the look on my face very encouraging. I nodded to urge him to continue.

“Her birthplace was the ‘Genetic Research Institute,’ which was owned by the Canadian government. That research institute has since been shut down and the compound sealed off, following a fire. The time when the fire occurred is the same time that public records of Miss Alford first appeared. What’s more, records of an investigation regarding the Genetic Research Institute were found among old records from the Intelligence Department and Security Department of the United Nations. The records are sparse on details, but they mention a research project named the ‘Alice Project.’”

I understood why Louis had checked the look on my face. If what I was imagining was right, that would mean that research had been forbidden for ethical reasons.

I don’t know what to make of this. This could just be some mistake, but I can’t reject the idea completely.

I instructed him, “Louis, make a formal request to the Canadian government for more information. If you’re reluctant, I don’t mind you using my name. I’ve been given authority from up high to act at my discretion regarding matters related to Kouki. However, this is an incredibly delicate problem. I won’t allow anyone to upset my son or injure my potential future daughter. Deal with this as discreetly as possible.”

I folded my arms and collected my thoughts. If Alice is mixed up in this, that really causes problems. Perhaps we need to make changes to our original rescue plan?

“Commander, we’ve discovered the identity of the terrorist group,” Louis added, after having received a communication from another department. “It’s the same religious cult we dealt with before.”

Hmm, they were the ones behind the ballistic missile. If this large-scale terror operation is considered, there’s no longer any doubt that they’re backed by a nation state. They’ve got more money, personnel, and equipment than any religious organization could get a hold of.

As I was putting together a full picture in my mind, Louis told me his opinion: “I think there’s a high probability that this incident is related to Miss Alford, though there is a chance that my theory is completely wrong. Miss Alford might not have been the target. Your son’s friends also include Saito Shingo, who saved the world from the asteroid with his artificially intelligent robots, and Megumi Aikawa, whose name is well-known in space technology circles. We can’t rule out the possibility that his friends were being targeted for some reason. Personally, I think we should protect those two until we have more information or the situation changes.”

I can’t argue with that, I decided. As long as we can’t rule out any possibilities, we just have to make the best of our current situation.

I issued an order to Louis and my subordinates to protect Saito and Megumi as a matter of urgency, and then I resumed thinking.

**

Intelligence Officer Clare’s Point of View

I felt numb every moment I spent carrying Kouki from the academy to the self-defense force base. My specialty had only ever been intelligence analysis; it had never been part of my duties to equip a powered suit and engage in battle.

Why did this have to happen today of all days?!

Baldy was handling what normally would have been my duty by helping to defend the academy, so he couldn’t accompany me.

That bald idiot’s duty is supposed to be protecting Kouki!! He should be the one delivering Kouki to the base while we handle the defense. As I grumbled to myself, the self-defense force base came into view.

I saw that there was a fair number of powered suits in operation, and tanks had been deployed in the area, probably because a state of emergency had been announced.

I received a transmission from the operator of the base: “This is the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force. Clearly state your affiliation. If you approach without authorization, you will be shot down.”

I couldn’t stop myself from yelling at the sender of that stupid transmission: “We’re with the United Nations! Haven’t you already been informed by your government?! We have our identification signals turned on, so if you so much as lock on to us, we’ll return fire immediately. If you’ve got that, then please open the gate. I intend to run right through without stopping.”

After making my declaration, I ran at the gate without slowing down, and they hastily began opening it. We slipped through the small gap in the gate, and ran into the base. Deep within the base, I gently placed Kouki on the ground in a heavily guarded store room.

I thought there would be no way he could walk straight after being shaken around at that speed for so long, but to my surprise, he walked with steady feet. I removed my powered suit and ran over to him. His face was pale, but he seemed to recognize me.

“Oh. You’re the lady who wanted the rocket. I recognized your voice,” he said weakly.

“That’s right,” I told him. “Do you have motion sickness? I’ll give you some medicine for it, so please rest in the officers’ quarters.”

He shook his head, and with determination in his eyes, he refused my offer. “I’m worried about Alice,” he said. “Could you lend me a communications device or put me in touch with my mom?”

I felt bad for Kouki, but I didn’t have permission to do that. I appeased him by telling him I’d raise it with my superiors, and urged him to rest in the officers’ quarters. He seemed to think it over for a moment, and then he promised to take the medicine and get some rest.

After shutting him in the room, I remembered the report I’d received that morning.

If Kouki knew that Alice Alford—the girl he loved—was an artificially created human, would he be able to go on loving her?

**

Several hours later, I was engaged in a video call in the communications room using a private line set up by the self-defense forces. The commander was visible on a screen. To the side of that screen were screens displaying the senior personnel from the United Nations, leaders of each member state, and Miki Arakawa.

I felt my heart race as I stood before the true leaders of the world.

The commander began asking the questions. “What’s the situation there?”

At first, I was lost for words, but then I collected myself and replied. “We have completed our primary objective by ensuring Kouki’s absolute security,” I said. “His friends Shingo Saito and Megumi Aikawa also arrived approximately two hours ago. Those two are also under heavy security.”

My report was met with a satisfied nod and a response of, “Good work.”

Deputy Commander Louis, who had been quiet by the commander’s side, took over to give his explanation.

“At the United Nations Special Operations Unit, we’ve determined that this series of terror attacks was part of a plan to abduct Alice Alford under the guise of an attempt to abduct Kouki Arakawa. For more details, please read the reports that you’ve all been given. The abduction of Miss Alford was most likely their primary objective. We believe that Kouki’s abduction and assassination was a secondary objective. We suspect that the organization pulling the strings behind this cult has some connection to the Genetic Research Institute, but we have no conclusive evidence at this point. Following this incident, the Canadian government has agreed to inspect the sealed-off research institute, and has promised to provide us with more information.”

I should have known that girl had something to do with this, I thought. In that case, the suspicions I’ve had since arriving here must be correct.

However, Louis wasn’t finished.

“In order to bring all the facts to light, we’re attempting to resolve this incident as quickly as possible. At present, a rescue team has been formed primarily of the United Nations Standing Army, but because this terror organization is so big, the rescue team is more like a rescue army. We’ve confirmed that the terror organization has fully withdrawn from Japan, and all of their troops are now situated on an uninhabited island in South East Asia. The island is surrounded by sea and visibility is high, so approaching the island is incredibly difficult. We’re currently searching for a solution to this problem.”

After hearing this explanation, the prediction I’d made felt like more of a certainty. The commander seemed to have noticed a change in my expression, and he urged me to share what I was thinking.

I put into words the ideas I’d formed by analyzing the information in my own way as an intelligence analysis officer.

“First, allow me to share my initial conclusion. We’re in possession of a powered suit capable of approaching the island with no trouble, but there’s only one such unit in the world. I’m sure that none of you have forgotten it. The unit is capable of solo flight over a distance of 3,200 kilometers while breaking the sound barrier. It’s also capable of re-entering Earth’s atmosphere from space, and is equipped with optical camouflage. I am of course referring to the eighth-generation suit, which appears to have been designed for this very situation.”

At this, there was a commotion from the video screen: “He predicted everything, and produced a solution in advance.”

Events like this went some way to explaining why Kouki was known as the “demon child.”

“Why did he hurry to the scene in a prototype during the accident at sea despite the danger?” I continued. “I believe his primary intention was to save human lives, but this may also have been a practical test of the prototype. It’s true that he put the thrusters to use at full power. Following this, he developed optical camouflage supposedly for the sake of merely peeping on girls. I believe that he needed to expedite the development, and this was an extreme measure for the sake of giving an excuse to those around him. In truth, the technology was applied to his powered suit after completion, and never used for such foolish purposes after that point. What’s more, after the prototype was thrown into the sea, an identical suit was produced, which I think is proof of my theory.”

When I’d had my say, those displayed on the screen raised various objections: “That’s absurd.” “Then he truly is a demon child.” “Exactly how far ahead can this boy see?”

There was just one person who remained silent, but after a time, Miki Arakawa had her say.

“Are you saying that even after my son predicted this entire situation, you’re still willing to abandon him?”

What? That’s not even close to what I was saying!! Please don’t look at me like I’m some kind of insect. I frantically tried to put the misunderstanding right while cold sweat dripped from my brow.

“That’s not what I’m suggesting. It may well be that Kouki intends to resolve this entire situation himself. His girlfriend, Miss Alford, is deeply involved in everything we’ve been discussing. This is entirely baseless conjecture on my part, but... I believe that Kouki had already learned the secret of Miss Alford’s origin from his own sources. Although we’ve been studying logs of Kouki’s communications, it’s unclear whether we’ve had access to everything. When he learned the secret about his girlfriend, he chose to protect the girl rather than reject her. He planned to settle everything secretly, to protect the person he loved from harm.

“When I first saw the information about Miss Alford, I thought, ‘If Kouki knew that she was an artificially created human, would he be able to go on loving her?’ However, when this explanation for Kouki’s actions is considered, my initial thought seems vulgar to me. I don’t think Kouki is the sort of person to care about something like that.

“He acted for the sole purpose of protecting his girlfriend without discussing it with anyone. What he didn’t anticipate was that this terrorist organization is much larger than anyone imagined.”

My reasoning had left everyone speechless. Then the President of the United States softly spoke.

“We’re sitting here wasting time in this meeting while the boy is ready to fight them by himself.”

That caused the meeting to continue on at an increased pace.

The first thing we decided was that we’d ask Kouki to cooperate as a decoy in the rescue operation. This was made possible by the fact that only he could pilot the eighth-generation suit. It pained us greatly to be forced to rely on a child in such a situation, but we saw no alternative.

Next, we decided that 20% of the United Nations’s military power would be used in the operation. It was also decided that nations larger than Japan, which was still in disarray, would supply further military power as support.

The core of our plan was a strategy suggested by Miki Arakawa. A strategy that no normal person would ever have conceived of.

**

Kouki Arakawa’s Point of View

After taking some medicine and sleeping in a room for a while, I was able to calmly think things over in my head.

When Alice had been taken, I’d been so distressed that I hadn’t been able to process what was happening; but that was no longer the case.

Alice had been wearing my powered suit. It was the made-to-order suit that my mom had bought from Luin Corp. I knew it was no ordinary suit, but when I’d read the specifications while building our new model of suit, I’d been surprised to read, “The powered suit that you’ve purchased is an improved version of our highest-level VIP protection model.”

To summarize, that powered suit couldn’t be opened without inputting a 30-character password, and if it was placed in emergency mode, the wearer could remain inside for up to two days.

There was also food and water stored beneath the user’s seat, so there was nothing to worry about. Alice knew these things; she’d laughed with me about it when we’d read those specifications. Right now, she’d probably sealed herself inside the suit with emergency mode activated.

Even if they tried to force the suit open without the password, the suit was capable of withstanding even a shot from a main battle tank, so opening it wouldn’t be so easy. What was more, the suit had been fiendishly designed to release tear gas into its surroundings if anyone tried to force it open. I was sure Alice would be afraid, but all she had to do was sleep inside the suit. The rescue team would no doubt prioritize finding her.

“Now that I’ve stopped worrying, I’m suddenly hungry...”

I was about to leave the room and go looking for food, but then the lady who’d carried me to the base entered the room with perfect timing.

“Kouki, we’re going to head to the Japan Space Exploration Division’s megafloat. And I guess you must be hungry? I prepared sandwiches so we can eat on the way there.”

This lady was as considerate as she was beautiful. It was hard to believe that she was wasted as one of Macho Man’s subordinates.

I really wish she’d quit that job and come work for my mom... I thought while being put into a helicopter ready to travel.

Once inside the helicopter, a question came to mind, and I asked it with my mouth full of sandwich. “Why was I the only one taken from the academy? Was it because of who my mother is?”

I don’t want special treatment just because of that. How will I be able to look everyone in the eye if I’m the only one running from the danger? And if Alice was abducted while wearing my powered suit, that must mean they were after me. I wanted more information about everything.

The lady answered as if she was scolding me. “First of all, we might be giving you special treatment, but we have also protected your friends Saito and Aikawa. You’re the ones who made the only treatment effective against the European tragedy. Every nation in the world has a responsibility to give you special treatment. Try to understand how important a contribution you’ve made to this world.

“We’re giving Aikawa special treatment because she’s a good friend of yours. We decided she needed protecting because there was a risk of her being targeted in the attack. We’re not sure why Miss Alford was abducted... They may have been targeting you, or she may have been the target from the start. In either case, that’s for the investigation team to look into after this is over, and it’s not something I should concern myself with.”

We remained silent after she’d told me the details. I needed time to think about what she told me, and she was constantly busy using her terminal.

After an hour passed, the megafloat came into view through the window.

It wasn’t until we finally arrived that a basic question occurred to me. Why have they brought me all the way out here? Before I could ask, the lady asked me to climb out of the helicopter.

“I’d like you to go immediately to the central control room. Your mother is waiting for you there. Let her tell you what our plans are.”

Um, okay. Seems like everything is going according to some sort of plan. I can barely keep up with it all.

**

The control room had been alive with voices, but there was a sudden silence when I entered. I headed over to Mom, feeling a little out of place.

Mom noticed me approaching, and she looked over at me before beginning to speak. “Kouki, there’s not much time, so I’ll spare you the details. I’d like you to help with our plan to rescue Alice.”

What?! Why me? If there’s something I can do, then of course I’d do it, but I’m just a high schooler.

I told her my doubts, but Mom just smiled and said, “This is something only you can do, Kou.”

That can only mean one thing... I just know they’re going to make me do something crazy.

“Listen carefully,” Mom said. “Make sure you remember everything I’m saying, and save all of your questions for the end. Like I’ve said, we don’t have much time, so I need you to concentrate.” An image appeared on a large screen behind her as she spoke. “We’ve learned that Alice has been taken to an uninhabited island in southeast Asia. This is the main base of the terrorist organization. At present, the United Nations’s army and armies of major nations are cooperating in a recovery operation. However, there’s one problem... The island is surrounded by sea, and visibility is high. We’ll be spotted the moment we try to approach the island. This makes attack from the sea impossible, and a similar problem applies to the sky above because the airspace is monitored by a radar network.

“To make matters worse, a low-pressure front is approaching that area of the sea. There’s a forecast for a large storm nine hours from now, and the storm is expected to last for approximately three days. Basically, the powered suit that Alice is wearing isn’t going to be able to protect her. Do you understand so far?”

After I fully digested what Mom had told me, I realized, Oh man, that means we’ve only got nine hours to rescue Alice... I nodded my head and urged her to go on.

“We have only one solution to this problem. That’s to have the new powered suit that you developed infiltrate the island alone, and then use smoke bombs and electronic jamming bombs to block the radar across the entire island. That will give the rescue team an opening to descend on the island, and they’ll quickly withdraw after rescuing Alice.”

They’re asking me because I’m the only one who can pilot that thing... This all makes sense now.

“Well then, allow me to explain the procedure,” Mom said. “We’d like to put you in a specially prepared space in a warhead fitted to a ballistic missile scheduled to launch one hour and thirty minutes from now. Once you reach orbit, you’ll separate from the warhead, and re-enter the atmosphere 30 kilometers from the target island while slowly orbiting the Earth.

“I’ll make the necessary calculations here on the ground, so there’s no need for you to worry about that. You mustn’t forget to activate the optical camouflage once you’re 10,000 meters above the target. When you reach 2,000 meters, you should begin to fly using the suit’s thrusters, and approach the island flying at a height of 15 meters so as to avoid the radar network. When you arrive on the island, immediately ascend to 40 meters, and then randomly scatter the missiles you’ll have with you. When you’re finished, quickly withdraw. We’ll prepare a ship to meet you at the other side, so please board that ship. Have you any questions?”

Questions? There’re a million things I’d like to say. Will this even work? What happens if I fail? What if the storm arrives earlier than forecast? My list of doubts was endless, but after being told I was the only one who could do this, there was only one response I could give. This was to save Alice.

I gave Mom my response: “None.”

“Good answer. This is why I’m proud that you’re my son. You’ll need to prepare, so go get suited up, and you’ll be given more precise instructions about boarding the warhead.”

Once I’d received those precise instructions, I immediately equipped my powered suit and was loaded into the missile.

I waited nervously, listening to the launch countdown.

“Launching in 50 seconds... 49... 48... 47...”

I was genuinely scared. My legs were shaking at the thought that I might be about to die.

“30... 29... 28... 27...”

But unless I did this, there was no way to save Alice. I couldn’t tolerate the idea of never seeing her smile again.

“5 seconds... 4... 3... 2... 1. We have ignition.”

“All right!! I’m coming for you, Alice! I’ll save you, no matter what!!” I yelled as I flew towards space.

**

I was at an altitude of 20,000 km. I couldn’t see anything because I’d been jammed inside the warhead, but I was sure I was in space. Until a few moments ago, I’d been able to feel the warhead vibrating, but now all I felt were the slight mechanical sounds and vibrations coming from my powered suit. If everything I’d been told was accurate, the warhead was now heading straight for the target.

Is this really going to work out?

Just as concerns were growing in my mind, I received a transmission from my mom: “Kouki, can you hear me? The signal is transmitting normally, so everything should be okay.”

That’s right. I’d forgotten... The suit was nothing but a prototype, so it had no means for sending transmissions back to Earth from orbit. As long as I was here, this was going to be a one-sided conversation.

“You’ll need to separate from the warhead in a moment. Make sure your suit is airtight and isn’t leaking oxygen.”

There were some small vibrations and white clouds filled my vision. That was probably the remaining oxygen inside the warhead escaping out in space. Airtightness wasn’t a problem. That wasn’t a problem, but...

“Why do I have to be spinning?!”

I couldn’t be blamed for shouting in anger. This was the sort of situation where you’d normally gaze at Earth while in awe at how beautiful it was!! Although it was a slow rotation, I couldn’t just relax and watch the Earth because I was spinning as I traveled.

“You might be wondering why you’re rotating,” Mom said. “It’s unavoidable because you’re not being drawn in by gravity. That makes it hard to fly straight. If you’d like to admire the Earth, you’ll have to wait until next time.”

As expected of Mom, she’d known exactly what I was thinking. I gave up on admiring the Earth, but since I’d gone to the trouble of bringing a tube of juice, I took it from my pocket so I could drink it while floating in space. My excitement grew as I watched the juice floating in front of me.

Just then I received another transmission: “10 minutes remaining until re-entry. I know you’re probably playing with your juice right now, but you need to brace yourself. Focus on your suit’s orientation control until you reach an altitude of 15,000 meters, two minutes from now.”

Does this thing have surveillance cameras? I drank up all of the floating juice, and forced myself to deal with the reality before me. The smallest mistake here could mean death...

My heart began racing, but I took some deep breaths and told myself to stay calm.

A picture taken with my friends was displayed on the screen in the center of the operation panel. I looked at Alice, who was at the edge of the photograph, doing her best to stay far away from Chabane. Then I fastened my seat belt.

“Beginning re-entry. I won’t be able to contact you after you enter the atmosphere. If anything unexpected happens, do whatever you think is best.” Mom ended the communication.

The Earth gradually became larger.

Come to think of it, I’ve never heard of anyone re-entering atmosphere wearing just a powered suit, I realized. Is this really a good idea?

It was the suit that we’d all made. The suit Shingo had fine-tuned. The suit Mom had made finishing touches to. I wanted to have faith that it wouldn’t break so easily.

“Hngh.” I clenched my teeth while trying to endure vibrations and G forces strong enough to pin my body in place.

Then the vibrations suddenly stopped.

When I opened my eyes, the altitude meter said I was at 11,000 meters. I reached out and flicked the switch for the optical camouflage. An indicator light lit up, but I wasn’t confident that the camouflage was truly functioning.

When I get back, I need to ask Shingo to think of some way to confirm that it’s working. Could optical camouflage that we made for peeping actually be fit for military purposes? I wondered.

Beep beep beep! Beep beep beep!

As I continued to fall, an alarm sounded to warn me that I’d reached an altitude of 2,000 meters. I activated my thrusters to slow my descent, and focused on flying at an altitude of 15 meters or less like Mom had said.

If I don’t send out a friend-or-foe identification signal soon, won’t I be attacked by the troops surrounding the island? They might not be able to see me, but I can be detected by infrared, and I could be easily targeted using heat-seeking missiles. I’ll just have to hope that they won’t be able to hit me if they don’t know which direction to aim in.

The instant I sent out my identification signal, mysterious radio waves came flying at me.

“Huh? What’s this?” I murmured.

Don’t tell me I’ve been spotted? I broke out into a cold sweat, but that didn’t seem to be it.

I analyzed the radio wave using equipment that had been added to the suit on the megafloat while the suit had been refitted for this operation.

It turned out that the radio wave was a communication signal used by the United Nations. It looks like some kind of position information, but I can’t make sense of it. It’s a signal from an ally, so I’d better permit it, anyway... After making my decision, I hit a switch to accept the transmission.

The moment I hit the switch, the radio wave stopped for a moment, but the sender seemed to realize that I’d permitted the transmission. An incredible amount of data was then sent to me. Unfortunately, I didn’t know how to make use of any of it. If Shingo had been here, he’d have understood the transmission, but all I could do was let it wash over me.

Still, amidst the data, I found one piece of information that seemed useful.

“This must be a navigation signal,” I told myself. “It seems there’s a submarine transmitting it.”

A fleet of submarines deployed around the island was showing me a relatively safe route forward. For that, I was truly grateful. I transmitted, “Thank you,” on the same frequency, and continued to approach the island while following the navigation signal.

I reached the sky above the island, and began to randomly scatter my stockpile of missiles as planned... However, the installations on the ground were returning fire with such intensity that it was a real problem. They might not have been able to see me, but they could definitely hear me, and surface-to-air attacks were being fired into every piece of sky that they suspected might contain me.

“Not good! Not good! Not good!”

I was frantically firing smokescreens and jamming bombs while running away, but the situation was hopeless.

I’m going to die! This is no job for a high schooler!! There goes another tracer round, flying right by me. I’ve had enough... I want to withdraw already.

I was half crying and planning my escape when I suddenly received a transmission.

“This is the paratrooper unit. We’ve confirmed that jamming is in effect over the entire island. We’re commencing the recovery operation using all of our forces!” cried a brave voice.

I watched as several large transport aircraft came flying in. The transmission seemed to have been sent out on all frequencies.

All right, I’m out of here!! I fully opened my thrusters, and began to withdraw from the island. I dropped my altitude by as much as I could, and passed through a jungle to where I could see the sea. That was when I received a new transmission addressed to me.

“Kouki, good work! Feel free to withdraw. I’ve sent you the location of a ship that’s waiting for you, so head straight for it.”

I feel bad, but I’m already heading away from the island over the sea! The paratrooper unit had just sent me that transmission, but I was already out at sea. I hope they won’t realize that I withdrew early, I thought. I looked over at the recovery point that I’d been told of, and almost crashed.

“I’m on the wrong side of the island!”

The recovery point was shown on the side of the island furthest away from where I’d been heading.

That’s a problem... I’d ended up at the wrong side of the island after losing track of where I was while dodging enemy fire. Now I’d have to sneak around the outside of the island to reach the ship.

Having made my decision, I lowered my altitude as far as I could.

Flying three meters above sea level, I saw the paratrooper unit fighting as I looked toward the island. I could see that, despite their best efforts, they were being pushed back. Unlike me, they didn’t have optical camouflage, and many of them were being shot down.

“...”

Can I really just withdraw in this situation? While everyone else had been trying to save Alice, I’d turned my back on the island. But even if I went back, there was nothing I could do. I couldn’t even fire a rifle, and I wasn’t carrying any weapons. At best, I could act as a decoy.

I remembered what Mom had told me before ending her transmission: “If anything unexpected happens, do whatever you think is best.”

What would be best in this situation would be the safe descent of the paratrooper unit. I decided on a course of action. I sent a transmission to the submarine that had sent me the navigation signal earlier.

“This is Arakawa. Can you hear me?”

I was unsure whether they’d understand my Japanese, so I was surprised when they responded in kind.

“This is the operator of the United Nations submarine Tolstoy. We hear you loud and clear.”

“I’m heading back to the island to act as a decoy. If it’s not too much trouble, could you inform the paratrooper unit?”

I had to wait for some time after I’d sent my transmission before I got a response from Tolstoy. I let my suit hover in position as I waited for the response. As I was waiting, I saw the scale of the battle increasing. Time had been slowly slipping away, but the response I received wasn’t what I’d hoped for.

“I contacted my superior, but they couldn’t give authorization. Please withdraw.”

No, no, no!! What’s with this bureaucratic approach? Those are your comrades fighting out there! Give them the message. I was about to start yelling at them, but my transmission was interrupted.

“Unfortunately, your position and the plan you suggested have been transmitted to the paratrooper unit in ‘error.’ We attempted to rectify this mistake, but we had already received acknowledgment from the paratrooper unit.”

These seemed like people I could rely on.

Well, if you’ve made a mistake, we have to make the most of it... I thought with a grin.

I responded while suppressing my laughter: “Roger that. It’s unfortunate, but I’ll have to withdraw. However, my GPS was damaged when I was being fired at earlier. I might take a course that causes me to enter the island ‘in error,’ so please take care not to shoot me down.” Then I flew back to the island with my thrusters fully open.

Once I’d arrived on the island, I reactivated my optical camouflage and moved slowly with my thruster output reduced so the noise wouldn’t give me away. I slowly made my way into an anti-aircraft installation that was continuously firing into the sky.

“Hey!”

I deactivated my camouflage right in the middle of the installation, and yelled through my speakers while waving my arms. They were so shocked to see me suddenly appear that their anti-aircraft fire completely stopped.

The soldiers began frantically firing their rifles, but they soon realized that that was ineffective, and they turned the anti-aircraft gun towards me instead.

All right! Just as I’d hoped, they were focusing all of their attention on me. I immediately reactivated my camouflage, and ran off at full speed. After I’d run off while swerving left and right, they once again began firing into the sky, so this time I entered from the opposite direction.

“Yo!”

I made myself visible while waving my arms, as if I was just there to mock them. Through my cameras, I could see soldiers becoming red in the face.

They began shooting at me again, so I headed off to disrupt another installation. I looked back over my shoulder, and I was pleased to see that the soldiers from the first installation weren’t firing into the sky anymore because they were still looking for me.

After I’d played the same trick in various places, I could see that the paratrooper unit would be able to descend safely.

“They should be fine now. The anti-aircraft guns are all looking out for me, so this is the perfect opportunity.”

This time I began heading toward the extraction point for real, but then I spotted my powered suit being loaded onto a truck.

**

Alice Alford’s Point of View

Soon after being loaded onto a transport plane by people with guns, I activated the powered suit’s emergency mode to barricade myself inside. This was the suit that Kouki’s mom had bought, and it was no exaggeration to call it a fortress that used extreme measures to protect her son.

I should be safe in here until the battery runs out.

After several hours of traveling on the plane, I could tell from the sounds outside that I was being loaded onto a truck. For just a moment, I switched back to the ordinary mode so I could look out at my surroundings.

“This looks like a jungle...” I murmured. “The outside temperature is 38°C. I must be somewhere in the tropics.”

I switched back to emergency mode, and sat hugging my knees.

How will anyone save me when they don’t know where I am? When I felt like I was about to cry, I remembered what my dad had told me: “Alice, you’re special. There may come a day when you find yourself in danger. When the time comes, stay calm and wait to be rescued. Your dad or someone else who cares a lot about you will definitely come to save you, so don’t be afraid.”

Back then I’d never imagined that anything like this could happen, and now that I was in this situation, I felt overwhelmed by fear and anxiety. The terminal on my left arm caught my eye, and I touched the screen absentmindedly. A photograph that I’d taken with my friends appeared on the desktop.

It was a photograph of Kouki, Saito, and Megumin with Chabane. I was right at the edge of the photograph because I wasn’t comfortable around Chabane. Even in those final moments, I’d never touched Chabane, and now I regretted having treated Chabane so unfairly. Kouki and Saito were smiling and grabbing Chabane’s antennae in the photograph, while Megumin was holding Saito’s sleeve and smiling.

“Will I ever see my friends again?” I asked myself in the quietest voice.

Just then, I heard what sounded like someone trying to break apart the suit’s exterior from the outside! They were repeatedly pounding on the suit, but then there was the sound of gas being released, and everything went quiet.

I suspected that the anti-intruder tear gas had been released, but I began crying in fear. “Oh... I’m scared... Kouki.”

By the time I came to my senses, I checked my terminal and found that almost two hours had passed. It seemed I’d cried myself to sleep.

Did something wake me up? I worried. I listened and heard sounds coming from far away.

Those are explosions just like what I heard at the academy. I’m sure of it. Has someone come to save me? I held my breath, and listened carefully. I could hear the sound of something flying around at high speed while explosions continued to go off.

“Should I activate the suit?” I asked myself.

I was about to press the activation button, when I suddenly had second thoughts. If I wasn’t about to be rescued, I’d just be wasting the battery.

It’d be better to wait patiently, I decided. I stayed waiting while listening to the explosions, and then I heard the truck begin to move.

I can’t just sit here and do nothing!

I was sure the noise outside was part of an attempt to rescue me. I panicked and decided to move.

I hit the button to activate the powered suit, and tried to stand up as soon as it returned to normal operating mode. But I was fixed in place and couldn’t move. Suddenly, all of my power systems failed...

“The battery must have run out.”

I must have used up the last of the battery power while kicking my legs in an attempt to break free. I went back to cowering with my arms wrapped around my knees.

The powered suit wouldn’t be able to protect me anymore. All they needed was some heavy machinery, and they’d be able to force the suit open without any problems. My captors seemed to have realized this, and I heard a new heavy clanging sound as something impacted the suit’s armor.

“I wish I could see Kouki one last time...” I whispered, before preparing myself for whatever was to come.

That was when I heard a voice from outside: “Alice, I saw you move a moment ago, so I guess you’re still in there? Come on out.”

I must be imagining things, I thought. I really thought I heard Kouki’s voice just now. But even if I am rescued, there’s no way Kouki himself would be here. It’s just a delusion caused by how much I want to see him again.

However, I was still hearing the voice. “Aliiiiiiiice! Hey! I’m actually going to get killed at this rate! Please, climb out and get into my suit.”

I deactivated my suit and opened the hatch, and there was Kouki reaching out his hand to me.

“Quick! The truck driver was scared and ran off, but he might be back. Get into my suit, so we can escape.”

I was still shaking as I approached Kouki. The hand of his suit grabbed me and pushed me into the cockpit. Kouki put me on his lap and stroked my hair.

“Good work, Alice. You must be tired. Let’s head home,” he said with a smile. Then he began transmitting a message to somewhere. “Tolstoy, can you hear me? I’ve rescued Alice. I’d head to the extraction point now, but I don’t have enough fuel to use the thrusters now that I’m carrying another person. Will you be able to extract us instead?”

“This is Tolstoy. Roger that. Please wait for us to surface.”

Kouki looked so cool as he sent a transmission with a confident look on his face. He looked a little uncomfortable when I suddenly started hugging him, but I’d had to go through a lot by myself. I thought it was fair that I should have this reward.

While holding him tight, I asked Kouki something I’d been wondering about. “How did you even get here?”

He gave me an incredible explanation as if it was no big deal. “You remember the megafloat, right? The place where we saw off Chabane. I was launched into space on a rocket from there, and then I re-entered Earth’s atmosphere, and flew to the island.”

Space? I know he used a rocket, but still, Kouki’s saying that he flew tens of thousands of kilometers just to rescue me? He looks as though he thinks it’s no big deal. Isn’t he aware of how amazing this is?

“I don’t think he realizes at all...” I whispered.

“Did you say something?” Kouki asked.

I smiled and shook my head. No matter what incredible thing the boy I loved did, he never bragged about it, or even realized what he’d done.

Behind his back, people would say that he was “just trying to act cool” or “just an idiot,” but I believed that Kouki genuinely considered it all to be “small stuff that isn’t worth thinking about.” For Kouki to consider something “incredible,” I was sure it would have to be something so amazing that it would be a new frontier for humankind. I knew that someday the time would come when he did achieve something that amazing.

Will I be standing beside Kouki when it happens? I wondered. Of course I will. I’m going to make sure I’m at his side!

I made that promise to myself as I watched a submarine surface and come into view. We were flying straight for it, so it had to be Tolstoy. We gently touched down on its surface.

Someone who appeared to be the captain came out on the deck, and bowed deeply before addressing us. “Welcome to Tolstoy! It’s an honor to welcome such a hero aboard.”

“Thanks, but I’m hardly a hero,” Kouki replied with a wry smile.

The look on Kouki’s face made me laugh. He really doesn’t realize...

**

Miki Arakawa’s Point of View

I was in a video call with Shuuichi. It had been half a day since the rescue had been completed successfully, and I was still waiting at home for Kouki to return. I suppose he’s been quite busy throughout all of this. It was clear from Shuuichi’s tired face that recent events had taken a toll on him. But I still needed him to tell me how it could have happened.

Shuuichi’s voice was sullen. “Sorry, Miki, we didn’t see it coming.”

What’s going on here? The entire island should be controlled by United Nations forces. They just need to search it for evidence. I know they’ll find something. I sternly pressed Shuuichi for more answers.

“First, an archbishop of that same religious group was the one who plotted this incident,” he said. “Unfortunately, he escaped. Somehow, he broke through, even though we had the island carefully surrounded.”

“That’s impossible! We had over a hundred ships and satellites monitoring the island. How could he have possibly escaped?”

“You’re right. It’s impossible. And yet, he really did escape. I’m certain that one of the countries participating in the operation was leaking information to them. The same goes for the installations they’d set up. Those weren’t something that a religious organization would be able to put together. And can you believe this? They even had nuclear weapons that were in violation of international treaties.”

What’s going on? Was Kouki their target? Or was it Alice they were targeting?

“We questioned the survivors, and it seems they believed Kouki was inside the suit they’d captured. There’s no doubt that some of those insane fanatics wanted to assassinate Kouki. However, when we searched the archbishop’s room, we found some documents that had been left behind.”

Shuuichi paused, and his face became the face of a professional military officer.

“The documents contained a photograph of Kouki and Alice. I’m not sure, but I think they would have been satisfied regardless of whether it was Kouki or Alice inside that suit. They would have been pleased to have erased either one of the two... That’s the conclusion I’ve reached.”

If a nation state was involved, that was going to make any investigation difficult. Even more so if it happened to be a large nation. I asked Shuuichi for his thoughts.

“For now, we’re focusing on capturing the archbishop,” he said. “If we can capture him, everything will become clear. Determining which country is leaking out information is secondary, but after entrusting the task to Clare, she managed to find some leads. Though Alice could be a bigger problem.”

“I know... If Kouki is happy, then this isn’t a problem that we should be involved in,” I agreed. And I’d never want to exacerbate the situation if that might harm the girl that could be his wife someday.”

“That’s good enough for me,” he said. “Our investigation into the Alice Project is ongoing, and I only know about her from photographs and reports. What type of girl is she? She looks like a good match for Kouki... Though she’s not quite as beautiful as you. By the way, does Kouki still laugh about me and call me ‘Macho Man’?”

Shuuichi certainly did have more muscles than brains, so I couldn’t exactly say that “Macho Man” wasn’t fitting for him. On the other hand, the real reason Kouki made fun of him was probably because we couldn’t let Kouki know that Shuuichi was assigned to the United Nations Special Forces.

“You know...” he said aloud, “someday Kouki is going to see the special forces on TV or in a movie, and he’ll say, ‘Wow, they’re so cool.’ I think I’ll start my reply with, ‘Well, the truth is, your dad is...’ Then I’ll tell him all about how I’m assigned to the United Nations Spe—”

I’d heard everything I needed to hear, and “Macho Moron” was getting a little overexcited, so I ended the call.

We’ll have to increase Kouki’s security. From now on, we’ll handle security for Alice, too. That just leaves...

As I was making preparations for Kouki’s return home, I suddenly remembered something: Oh. I completely forgot about Kon.