Chapter 1: Moon Base

“Are you all sure you’ve got everything you’ll need?” Mom asked me and my usual group of friends.

Who cares about that? I’m dying here in these hot clothes, I wanted to gripe. Why couldn’t I stay behind with Kon?

“Okay,” she said. “Let’s head for the moon! Everyone, get on the shuttle.”

Mom sounded so casual about it. You’d think we were heading to a convenience store as she gestured toward the entrance of the moon exploration shuttle.

I took a good look at the shuttle as I tried to remember how I ended up having to put on this spacesuit and climb into a space shuttle.

**

Kouki Arakawa’s Point of View

Around the time the girls got out of the hot spring, I was preparing a barbecue in front of the entrance to the hot spring area. I was skewering vegetables and pieces of meat when Alice and Aikawa came walking out.

“Kouki, I’m hungry,” Alice said.

I smiled wryly and began roasting the meat that Shingo and I had split between us.

Aikawa wanted to ask us about our summer vacation plans. “What do Kouki and Shin want to do during our summer vacation?”

It’s my summer vacation... I don’t want to do anything. Can’t I just laze around at home?

When I tried suggesting this to Aikawa, she sighed and looked at me as if I was garbage.

But that’s the whole point! Summer vacation is supposed to be about going to sleep in the morning and waking up in the evening!

“I don’t think so, Kouki.” Shingo sighed as if he found me tiresome, too.

I was sure Alice would react the same way as everyone else, so I gave up on the idea. With no one on my side, I went back to roasting the meat as I held back my tears.

“I just remembered,” Shingo said. “They’re going to set up the International Survey Station on the moon this summer.”

“Isn’t Arakawa’s mom in charge of the construction and survey? She’s amazing,” Aikawa replied.

I had no idea. I guess I’ll ask her about it when I get home, I thought. Just then, I heard an email alert sound from the terminal on my arm.

“Kou, next week I’m going to the moon to work on the International Survey Station. I’m sure your friends would like to come along. Please ask them if they’re free next week.”

I was starting to seriously suspect that there were hidden microphones and surveillance cameras around me.

I showed the email to everyone, and they all loved the idea. It left me feeling that I was in for another troublesome experience.

**

We accepted my mom’s invitation and had hastily gotten prepared for the trip. And now here we were.

I took my seat on the shuttle, and adjusted the cooling device of my life-supporting spacesuit to lower the temperature inside the suit.

Memories of the unbearable vibrations I felt last time I’d gone into space on a rocket started to come back to me. Nervously, I asked Mom what it’d be like this time.

“The ballistic missile vibrated so much because it was never designed to carry a person,” she assured me. “This time we’re going to be taking off from a runway and slowly flying toward the stratosphere. Then we’ll escape the atmosphere using boosters. Once we’re in orbit, we’ll receive larger boosters and fuel from a service ship so we can further accelerate. We’ll be accelerating to 120,000 kilometers per hour as we head to the moon.”

Aikawa, who was a space specialist, asked in surprise, “We’re going to exceed the third cosmic velocity?!”

Somehow, I got the impression that we’d be going very fast. Since this was my mom talking, I was worried she might say something like, “We’re going to warp through space,” but I kept that to myself.

I’d just started to eat some cookies that Alice gave me when we heard an announcement: “We will be taking off shortly. For your safety, we ask all passengers to remain seated with your seat belt fastened.”

I fastened my seat belt like I was told, and sat quietly. Before being reincarnated, I’d heard rumors about there being a secret alien base on the far side of the moon. I decided to ask Mom about it.

“At the far side of the moon?” she said. “Yes, we did find a relic, but nothing living.”

“It seriously existed?! Doesn’t that make this top-secret information that shouldn’t be shared with civilians?!”

“Kou, as long as you’re here, you’re not exactly a ‘civilian.’”

“Didn’t you sign a confidentiality agreement before getting on the shuttle, Kouki?” Alice asked.

I don’t remember signing anything like that. I’ll bet Mom submitted all the paperwork without telling me.

The shuttle vibrated slightly, and I could tell we were about to take off. Shuttles that were designed to escape the atmosphere didn’t have any windows, so I couldn’t see what was going on outside.

“Kouki, I’m bored,” Shingo said. “Let’s play a game on our terminals.”

I accepted the invitation from Shingo to play a card game. The world had changed a lot, but playing card games to kill time was as common as ever. I felt a little sentimental as we began using our terminals.

“Wait, isn’t this one too many people?” I said, startled. In addition to Alice, Shingo, Aikawa, and me, a fifth person named “Mii” was being displayed. “Who is this ‘Mii’ person?”

“That’s me!” Mom said.

I started a vote to kick “Mii” from the lobby. The result of the vote was shown on the terminal screen: it was rejected with one vote in favor and three votes against.

Am I the only one who doesn’t want Mom to play with us?! She’s way too old to be playing games with kids!

The game we played was daifugō. Though it was a simple game, Mom was a devastatingly strong player.

Isn’t this game largely luck-based? How can she have won six out of six games?!

Aikawa sounded suspicious as she hesitantly asked my mom, “How did you get so good at this game, Mrs. Arakawa?”

“There’s no need to be so formal, Megumi. Feel free to call me Miki! All I do is remember which cards have been played. That way I know which cards everyone is holding, and I can play the most effective card from my hand based on the most probable outcomes.”

It’s just a game! I wanted to yell. You don’t have to put your superior mind to it! Save it for something more important. How can you expect anyone else to win a game?

We were all looking at my mom in despair as if we all had the same thought.

Fortunately, we were saved by a well-timed announcement: “Please be advised that we will dock with the service ship five minutes from now.”

I’m just glad I don’t have to play this one-sided game any longer... I thought as I took my seat and fastened my seat belt once again.

Twenty minutes after we docked with the service ship, an elderly man entered the passenger area.

“I’m pleased to meet you all. My name is Daniel Weir. I’m the captain of this shuttle. It’s an honor to be carrying you all to the moon today. I’d like to assure everyone that our safety protocols are flawless, and your trip through space today will be a safe one. However, we will be flying at ultrahigh speeds from this point on, so I must ask everyone to activate their life-support systems and put their helmets on.”

Yeah, all right. What you mean is, “I don’t know what might happen, so put on your spacesuits and sit quietly.” Looks like Mom is causing trouble for him, too. He must feel he has to greet us and explain everything because she’s on board.

I remained silent and listened to the rest of the captain’s explanation. I hoped the experience wouldn’t give him a stomach ulcer.

**

Moon Exploration Shuttle Captain, Daniel Weir’s Point of View

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary as I arrived at the conference room for today’s flight briefing. As I entered the room, however, I realized that the flight controller had been joined by a woman with the rank of major general. I stopped and saluted her.

Why would a major general be attending a flight briefing? I wondered.

“Lieutenant Colonel Weir, you may sit,” she directed.

I followed the major general’s request and took a seat on a folding chair.

As I waited to be given my flight briefing, the major general began to speak as an image appeared on a screen. “Lieutenant Colonel, the passengers that you’ll be transporting to the moon today are not ordinary people. Take a look at this.”

The image made my jaw drop to the floor. I could understand why Miki Arakawa was included in the passenger list; she was leading the construction of the main base and the moon survey. It was the remaining four names that grabbed my attention.

Shingo Saito... Several months earlier, he’d used autonomous AI robots to alter the orbit of an asteroid that was coming close to colliding with Earth, successfully preventing a collision. Even here in the United Nations Space Forces, he was regarded as a hero by many. Myself included.

Alice Alford... The girl who’d developed a drug effective against mankind’s greatest enemy, the European tragedy virus. There were many doctors who held extreme admiration for her. She was rumored to have turned down an invitation from the World Health Organization for a position as a lead researcher.

Megumi Aikawa... Although she hadn’t made any particularly notable achievements, she had numerous publications relating to space exploration, and her ideas received high praise for being ingenious yet practical. I’d read several of her publications myself, and my impression was that she was a genius who was likely to lead future space exploration efforts.

But what troubled me most was the last name on the list... Kouki Arakawa.

He’d successfully developed the eighth-generation powered suit by himself, rescued a passenger ship, and was even rumored to have brought down a ballistic missile by causing it to collide with a measurement drone.

Then last month, he’d flown into space, re-entered Earth’s atmosphere, and fiercely attacked an island held by enemy forces, all for the sake of rescuing his abducted girlfriend. He acted as a decoy and managed to hold out until a larger force reached the island.

He wasn’t even combat trained, and yet he supported a paratrooper unit that even the United Nations considered elite. By “supported,” I mean he single-handedly destroyed every last anti-aircraft installation on the island, saved his girlfriend without their help, and then withdrawn from the island. What’s more, the way the nations of the world were abnormally careful in their dealings with Kouki Arakawa made me suspect that there was something more to him—something I wasn’t authorized to know.

Is it too late to hand in a letter of resignation and return home safely? I wondered. Being entrusted to transport someone that the world’s leaders considered so important felt like too much pressure. Flying with these five VIP passengers won’t be so bad once we reach space, but how are they going to handle security while we’re still on Earth?

“There is no cause for concern,” the major general told me. “Fortunately, the shuttle has no windows, so once you’re in the air, the United Nations can use the full power of their air force to handle security. There will constantly be at least 40 aircraft forming a tight perimeter about the shuttle until you reach the stratosphere. They’ll shield the shuttle from any incoming attacks. The security force that ordinarily protects them on Earth will be standing down while another unit takes over.”

“If I recall correctly, the security team at the shuttle’s launch site is a special forces unit with specialist training. Is it safe to have them stand down?” I asked. I’ve got no use for a team of unspecialized rangers.

The major general seemed to guess what I was thinking. She grinned and told me, “Security will be handled by a unit belonging to the United Nations Special Operations Division. The name of the unit hasn’t been disclosed to me, nor am I authorized to access that information.”

I see. I understand why she’s grinning. There’s only one unit that not even a major general would be given information about. The “Ghost Unit” rumored to have brought down a nation state single-handedly.

“Lieutenant Colonel, your assignment for today is to escort these five VIPs safely and swiftly to the surface of the moon,” she informed me. “My superiors have also stated that special hospitality is to be given to Kouki Arakawa.”

“Special hospitality” in a military craft? We don’t have a beautiful cabin crew on board, and the in-flight meals are hardly extravagant. That doesn’t leave me many options... What does she expect me to do?!

“I’ll leave it to you to handle the ‘hospitality,’ Lieutenant Colonel,” she added. “I’ll be praying for your success.”

She brushed off my remaining questions before making a swift exit. It seemed she was going to leave all the problems for me to deal with.

I think I better call my wife before I leave...

**

Once we reached orbit and docked with the service ship to receive additional boosters, I went to greet the passengers instead of overseeing the operation. I’d been frantically trying to think of some form of hospitality after the major general’s departure, but in the end, all I was able to think of was to deliver my usual announcements in person. I stood before a wash basin while I smoothed the creases out of my uniform. Then I put my hat back on before opening the door to the passenger area.

“I’m pleased to meet you all. My name is Daniel Weir. I’m the captain of this shuttle.”

Everyone’s attention was focused on me as I greeted them.

Mrs. Arakawa... I wish you wouldn’t look at me as if you’re deciding my worth, I thought unsteadily. That uneasy feeling grew in my stomach as I glanced at the real concern—Kouki Arakawa. He was looking at me as if I had his approval. Great!

“It’s an honor to be carrying you all to the moon today. I’d like to assure everyone that our safety protocols are flawless, and your trip through space today will be a safe one. However, we will be flying at ultrahigh speeds from this point on, so I must ask everyone to activate their life-support systems and put on their helmets.”

If anyone managed to hit their head against the walls while we accelerated, my job would be on the line. At best I’d be demoted. More likely, I’d be reassigned to some remote region or perhaps even find myself court-martialed.

I need to stop thinking so negatively. This is really getting me down.

“Up till now, we’ve been using a gravity generator to reproduce the same gravity you’d feel on Earth here in the cabin,” I continued. “However, this generator will be shut off as we accelerate toward the moon. Please store any food or drinks in the special compartments in your seats. In the event of an emergency, the passenger module will detach, and passenger safety will be top priority. In such an event, a rescue ship from Earth will be launched immediately, and you can rest assured that you’ll be rescued within three hours.”

I kept sneaking glances at Kouki throughout my speech. He followed my instructions by fastening his seat belt, storing cookies and a drink in the appropriate places, and checking his life-support system.

I worried that this special hospitality might lead him to make selfish requests, but he appeared to be a decent and down-to-earth young man. He certainly didn’t look like the sort of person who’d take on an armed group single-handedly. I headed back to the cockpit feeling relieved.

The vice-captain, who held the rank of captain, thanked me before asking a strange question. “Thank you for your efforts, Lieutenant Colonel. What sort of person is Kouki?”

I described the impression I’d gotten as straightforwardly as possible, and the vice-captain listened with an uncomfortable expression. When I asked the vice-captain why he was looking at me like that, he went quiet and tried to avoid the question. I pressed him for an answer.

“I find this hard to believe, too, but...” he began, “one of my friends in the Navy has a friend in the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force. So I think this information comes from the self-defense forces. When Kouki was still a child, he made and launched his own cruise missile. Twice, in fact. The second one caused a lot of trouble because it wasn’t intercepted in time. It self-destructed in the end.”

I doubt that! I laughed it off as some overblown rumor, but I was shocked to hear what the vice-captain said next.

“I heard about a rocket that the space forces were tracking after it launched a few years ago. I heard they lost track of it. I wasn’t with the space forces back then, but you must know about it, Lieutenant Colonel?”

It had happened back when I was a major. That incident resulted in an urgent request for all divisions of the space forces to mobilize.

“Maybe. I’m not sure,” I told the vice-captain. I was sure he saw right through me because my hand was shaking.

“Inspection and fitting of additional boosters is complete,” the service ship informed us. “You are ready to launch.”

After receiving that confirmation message, we made an announcement to the passengers while we prepared for the acceleration.

Just as the vice-captain was about to press the ignition button for the boosters, I grabbed his arm to stop him. I decided there’d be a change of plans.

“Set the shuttle’s engine output to max first. We can fire the boosters after that. Let’s make our acceleration more gradual. Passenger safety is the priority, so I think we should avoid rapid acceleration.”

The vice-captain understood what I was thinking, and he quietly obeyed. The vice captain’s hand also began to shake, but I couldn’t laugh about it. We would no doubt be killed if we allowed our passengers to be harmed in any way.

But by whom?

I didn’t want to think about it. I fired the booster so the shuttle would accelerate gradually.

There were suddenly G-forces acting on my body, but the effect was small thanks to the operation of my spacesuit. We weren’t rapidly accelerating from zero like we normally would, so the load was less burdensome than usual.

After four hours of flying, we got into communication with the moon base.

“This is the moon base control tower. We have identified your craft. Please land while following the navigation signal. The current temperature is -170°C and there is a clear sky.”

The female controller joked about the temperature and weather, but we didn’t have time to joke around. Every last bit of my concentration was dedicated to carefully landing the shuttle.

I’m concentrating here! Don’t distract me!

“Vice-captain, lower the landing gear,” I ordered.

“Yes, sir.”

I brought the shuttle down for a much gentler landing than normal, then I shut off the engines. All that remained was to wait for the vehicle that was going to transport everyone to the moon base to dock with the shuttle entrance. Now that the job was finally finished, I breathed a sigh of relief.

“Lieutenant Colonel... it’ll be our duty to carry him back to Earth...” the vice-captain said with tears in his eyes.

I’ll write my resignation letter when I get to the base, I decided.

**

Kouki Arakawa’s Point of View

Once the shuttle landed, we boarded the transportation vehicle that carried us into the moon base. There, I saw a main hall so vast that I found it hard to believe the base was still under construction. I looked about me in amazement.

Mom clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention. “Okay, everyone, let me explain these cards I’m about to give you. These are the security cards you’ll use inside the base. If you lose your card, you won’t be able to go anywhere. Keep them around your neck even when you’re sleeping. The cards I’m giving the four of you will provide maximum clearance. That means you can go anywhere within the base. But don’t go anywhere dangerous without permission, and don’t go outside the base. Don’t go walking around on the moon’s surface, in other words. I’m giving you all this level of clearance because I trust you all. Don’t disappoint me.”

I’m really not that stupid, I thought. Neither are my friends.

“You’re going to be staying here for two weeks,” she added. “For security reasons, you’ll all be staying in rooms in the same section of the base. This shouldn’t cause too much inconvenience, but I’d like you all to conserve water as best you can while considering how much water has been brought here and how well our recirculating system works. The most important thing is that you always show up to roll call at 7 AM and 7 PM. I’d like everyone to be gathered in the dining hall before the roll call begins. And then there’s... well... just ask me what to do whenever you’re not sure.”

That last part sounded like a cop-out! Though I suppose there’s no need to answer every question right now.

Mom guided each of us to the rooms we’d been allocated.

I left my luggage in my room and headed to the dining hall. There, we planned out what we’d do next. Aikawa would probably go along with the moon survey team. Shingo would probably go to see the new machinery. I suspected that Alice would head to a separate research facility where they were researching bacteria and viruses in space.

“What about you, Kouki? Have you decided what you’re going to do?” Alice asked.

You shouldn’t have to ask... there’s only one place I’m going!! I thought. “I was thinking I’d go see the relic on the far side of the moon.”

Everyone was looking at me as if they were expecting me to say just that.

But isn’t it awesome?! I wanted to cry. I might not get another chance to see a relic left behind by an unknown life form!

“Buh hee. How about we all spend two or three days doing our own thing, starting tomorrow?” Shingo said finally.

With that, we dispersed for the day.

**

The next day, after the morning roll call, I talked to Mom about going to see the relic. I thought she’d be reluctant, but she gave me permission surprisingly easily.

“I was sure you’d want to see it,” she told me with a smile. “I’ve already made preparations.”

I should have known Mom would be two steps ahead and have everything prepared before I even mentioned it.

“The truth is, we haven’t quite finished studying the relic,” she added. “So far, all we know is that it’s not harmful to humankind. We haven’t even been able to access the interior. The place that looks like the entrance has markings on it that could be written language, but we haven’t been able to learn much. We’ve tried using explosives, but we couldn’t even put a scratch on the entrance. When you see it, let me know if it means anything to you.”

If my genius mom can’t make sense of it, I’ve got no chance. Though it would be nice if I could be useful somehow. “Leave it to me,” I told Mom.

**

I equipped a reinforced exoskeleton as I’d been instructed, and I waited in the lobby. My mom and a stern-faced, middle-aged guy, who looked as though he was in the military, appeared wearing the same type of exoskeletons.

“C’est agreable de vous rencontrer,” the middle-aged guy said to me when I looked at him.

I had no idea what he was saying. It sounded like French. He seemed to realize that I didn’t know how to respond, and he pressed the switch on his neck.

“Is my machine translator working? Do you understand me now?”

“Oh? Oooh!” With just a slight delay, I heard a synthetic voice every time the middle-aged guy spoke. It seemed as though a microphone installed in his exoskeleton was picking up his voice and automatically translating his words. “I hear you! I was a little surprised.”

“Haha. Everyone is shocked when they first see this device in action. Did you know that your mother developed it?”

Seriously?! Mom is amazing. I looked over at Mom, and she was smiling kindly as always as I met her eye. She looked away as if embarrassed.

“I’m told you want to go to the moon relic,” the middle-aged guy said, reaching out to shake my hand. “I’ll be your guide. Make sure you get a good look!”

I smiled wryly at this oddly enthusiastic man. My head was filled with thoughts of the unexplored relic.

**

Moon Base Security Unit Member Cedric’s Point of View

“First of all, could you put this on?”

I gave Kouki a powered suit designed for exploring the moon’s surface. He gave the equipment a look over before putting it on. Most likely, he wanted to be sure the suit his life would depend on was fit for purpose. I’d received detailed documents concerning Kouki from Mrs. Arakawa, so I had a rough idea of what to expect.

“My son won’t compromise on anything. It’s one of his good points, but it does cause some problems,” she’d told me. She gave me a serious look while handing over those documents.

At first, I’d thought it strange everyone was making such a big deal over a child; but when I looked at those documents, I’d been blown away. Many called Kouki a genius, and they were absolutely right.

This boy named Kouki had conceived of new theories, developed new technologies, and shown himself capable in a military capacity. There was nothing he couldn’t do. Over the course of ten years, the technology of this world advanced rapidly, and it was all due to this one boy standing before me.

“Is everything all right?” I asked Kouki after he finished putting on the suit.

At a glance, nothing seemed to be wrong, but I needed to make a final check that the suit was operating correctly.

“Kouki, there’s something similar to a terminal attached to your arm,” I added. “Use that to check whether your suit is operating normally. You can operate it using the hand of the suit or from the inside. I’d like you to take a look at it.”

“If it’s supposed to be green, then there’s no problem,” he said.

“Yes. Green is good. The smallest malfunction could cost your life out on the moon’s surface. If an indicator turns yellow, inform me immediately. If anything turns red, abandon your suit and just keep the exoskeleton.”

That seemed to be everything I needed to explain. There was no need to worry about his mother, so that just left the equipment we’d be taking. We needed to be armed while heading to the relic in case we needed to defend ourselves. I suspected that Kouki had experience using weapons. I briefly considered that letting him carry a weapon himself might be the safest option. On the other hand, giving a weapon to a beginner would be dangerous.

While I was still thinking it over, Mrs. Arakawa sent me a transmission using a secret communication channel: “Please leave all defense-related matters to me.”

How could she know what I’m thinking?! It scared me a little, so I had to force a smile before replying. “As for the survey equipment... I suppose basic equipment will do. Kouki, if there’s nothing in particular you need, are you good to go?”

“I’m ready! I’m looking forward to it.” His smile was what you’d expect from a boy of that age.

Seeing him smile like that was enough to make someone think even this assignment on the barren surface of the moon surface wasn’t so bad.

**

We rode on a transportation shuttle for an hour.

Kouki spent the entire time sitting quietly, but now he suddenly began operating his terminal. He didn’t seem to be able to find the information he wanted, so he sent me a transmission: “How can I see how much oxygen I have left?”

“There’s a time and percentage shown on the right arm of the exoskeleton. That tells you how long you can continue operating with your remaining oxygen and how much is left. It can last another 30 hours because it has a re-circulating device, but it’s a little difficult to estimate a precise time because of differences between individuals.”

I can’t believe I didn’t tell him about that until now. I’d forgotten to mention it because it normally would have been taught during basic training. Feeling guilty, I asked whether he had any other questions.

“Are there any reports describing the relic?” he asked.

I shook my head. All that was known was that prominent researchers from Earth had puzzled over the mysterious hieroglyphics. The relic was nothing but an entrance-like structure with those hieroglyphics written around it.

The pilot announced, “We will arrive shortly,” and we prepared to disembark.

We weren’t expecting any danger, but the security team had gone ahead, just in case. It had been decided that the shuttle would land after the surrounding area was confirmed to be safe. I watched as three members of my team descended to the surface through a hatch.

“Please limit all communications to this frequency,” I told Kouki. “Remember that personal communications are generally forbidden.”

“I understand.”

He seemed to have some trouble changing the frequency, but he managed to change it correctly. Several minutes later, the team that had descended contacted me to say there were no problems, and I landed the shuttle. The shuttle came to a complete stop, and everyone climbed out. We traveled with Kouki and Mrs. Arakawa surrounded by our team. Eventually, we arrived in front of the relic. One of my team members thought ahead and brought a handheld light source, which he shined on the writing on the relic.

Kouki stood silent while staring at the writing for some time.

“Stand at the end and push on this wall?” he said quietly to himself. “Wait, no. It says to knock.”

“Kou?! You can read it?!” Mrs. Arakawa looked as surprised as I felt.

It can’t be... This writing has been a mystery to humankind ever since the relic was discovered 150 years ago. Is he claiming to have deciphered it in such a short time?!

Kouki turned to look at us and asked, “What should I do? Should I open it?”

I could never have guessed that I’d be witnessing such a major event in mankind’s history.

**

Kouki Arakawa’s Point of View

After getting off the shuttle, the middle-aged guy and his team surrounded us while escorting us to the site of the relic.

Just as I was thinking, It’s so dark that I can’t even see anything! one of the people surrounding us lit a lamp, making the relic easy to see.

So these are the mysterious “hieroglyphics.” They were exactly what I expected I’d see, and it was hard not to laugh. I understood why academics and archaeologists would have trouble reading such writing.

These were pictures.

I thought of it in the shuttle when they told me about the “hieroglyphics.” Would a life form with technology advanced enough to be capable of interstellar travel and construction on other planets really use “writing” to announce their existence to lower forms of life, such as humans? I’d thought. It wouldn’t be my first choice.

Such an advanced society would use pictures to communicate so that they could be understood.

The real reason no one had been able to read it was down to the way the pictures were read. Ordinarily... ordinarily on Earth, at least... you’d read from left to right or right to left. Occasionally you’d read from top to bottom. But you’d never read anything the way the writing on this relic was read: diagonally starting from the top with a change in direction halfway down.

Academics from Earth talked about humankind as if it was a supreme life form, but we were nothing more than amoebas in the eyes of the life form that had built this relic. That closed-minded thinking was what made it difficult for them to think in new ways.

It definitely wasn’t my lack of common sense that allowed me to read it! That’s not what it was!

“Stand at the end and push on this wall?” I wondered. “Wait, no. It says to knock.”

“Kou?! You can read it?!” Mom said excitedly as I was deciphering the message.

Give me a minute. I’m still working it out. Let’s see... Stand at the end and knock, then press down on the lower right part... The reading direction changes here, so I need to figure out which is the next part. After some time, I came to understand how to open it.

I turned to everyone and asked, “What should I do? Should I open it?”

I wanted to open it and charge in right away. The relic had probably been left here to prove the existence of its creators; it seemed unlikely that it would harm other creatures. Rationally, an intelligent life form capable of creating a culture was unlikely to attack without a good reason. If they did attack another creature, it might have means of fighting back, so there’d be a possibility of a counterattack if the other creature was sufficiently advanced.

My heart was racing as I waited for them to respond.

“What do you think, Kou? Do you think it’s safe?” Mom asked, sounding concerned.

I shared the thoughts I just had. Mom agreed, but the middle-aged guy was uncertain.

“If you think there’s a possibility of danger, wouldn’t it be best to turn back right away?” he asked.

Mom turned to him and proposed a compromise. He agreed and told his team that we were going to open the door. His team drew their weapons so they’d be ready if there was trouble, and I began the operation for opening it.

Stand at the right end, tap on the right part three times, and then do the same thing while standing at the opposite side.

The pictures began to shine with a blue light, and the door opened by moving diagonally right and upward.

Now I see... The race that made this is fond of diagonal movement. I resisted the urge to laugh as I stepped inside.

The path in front of me headed downward. There were similar pictures drawn on the walls inside.

“Looks like we should go straight ahead. I’m not totally sure, but the writing seems to say, ‘We mean you no harm.’”

“Kouki, can you really understand the writing in such detail?” the middle-aged guy asked nervously.

The pictures near the entrance showed a life form opening the door and throwing away its weapons. There was also another life form inviting it in. I simply nodded and continued on.

After continuing for some time, we found another picture. This time, the life form that had been invited was holding a weapon, causing the other life form to stop.

“It says, ‘You’ll get a surprise when you open this door, but don’t carelessly use any weapons.’ Tell your team not to open fire carelessly.”

“U-Understood.”

Once I had his agreement, I opened the door. Inside, a blue-haired woman was sitting on a chair, smiling.

This really is a surprise! If it hadn’t been for the warning, I might have lost my nerve. In the corner of my eye, I saw someone from the middle-aged guy’s team attempting to draw his weapon, but he was stopped by a kick from my mom.

“Didn’t you hear what my son told you?” she told him, sounding a little frightened.

I was glad she stopped him from firing, but this was our first contact with an alien. Stop making Earth look bad!! I wanted to scream. I didn’t know what to do.

The woman spoke for the first time. “Nice to meet you, Earthlings.” She greeted us with a clear voice.

Huh? Wait a minute. That’s not a synthetic voice! Is she actually speaking Japanese?!

The woman laughed and continued speaking. “You’re the one who opened the door, Kouki Arakawa. That makes you the owner of this place. It’s only natural that we should converse in your language.”

I might have opened the door, but I didn’t ask to own the place, I thought, astonished. And how do you know my name?! And how can you speak Japanese?! During this kind of close encounter, you’d expect to communicate by gestures or something. That said, this is a lot more convenient, so I shouldn’t complain.

“I can speak Japanese because I’ve been collecting information regarding Earth,” she said. “If you wish, we could speak in the language of my race, but it would take you some time to learn to understand it.”

Hey... I didn’t even say anything. How did you guess what I was thinking? Can you read my mind?

“I can’t read something as unpredictable as a person’s mind in detail,” the woman said. “I’m only able to read your most surface-level thoughts.”

Okay. I get it, so please stop. Humans are a life form that communicate using sounds known as words. Humans can’t deal with this sort of behavior.

“Understood. In that case, let’s use our words. Before we begin any detailed discussion, why don’t you remove your suit? This place has an environment similar to Earth’s.”

I was about to remove my powered suit just as she’d suggested, but Mom stopped me.

She insisted it could be dangerous, but the woman promised to speak with humans using words. It seemed only natural that we should show respect in turn.

Mom thought about it for some time, and then said, “Let me remove mine first.”

But then the middle-aged guy with the security team said, “No, I should go first, to ensure your safety.”

This was starting to bother me, so I went ahead and removed my suit, my exoskeleton, and also my helmet. I breathed the air in deeply.

The woman looked shocked. “You actually removed it...” she said. “I was under the assumption that Earthlings were more scheming creatures.”

“Some of us are like that. But the majority aren’t,” I replied.

She smiled and nodded.

This woman reminded me of my mom somehow. Perhaps that was why I felt I could trust her.

After checking that everyone else followed my example and removed their suits, I thought about what question to ask.

I consulted with Mom, and she said, “Ask her what you want to ask.”

So I started by asking who she was.

That’s how we heard the sad story of how a race living in a particular galaxy set out on a long voyage with no destination.

**

What She Said

In the present year, 2102, the furthest away celestial body detected by humans is named “MACS0647-JD.”

It’s roughly 32.2 billion light years from Earth. Even with a space telescope, only the faintest glimpse of that celestial body can be seen.

Beyond even that, 128 billion light years from Earth, there’s a galaxy containing a planet resembling Earth, where intelligent life forms once lived. For convenience, we’ll call that planet “Adam.”

A life form that was carbon-based, similar to humans, lived on the planet for 8.2 billion years. These residents of Adam then began to explore outer space through a process of trial and error.

They found new substances and new celestial bodies. They battled against the threat of the unknown, and continued to search for an intelligent life form similar to themselves. Their goal was the preservation of their own kind, and the reinvigoration of their declining culture.

2,800 years had passed since the start of their search, and they discovered that the third planet from the sun in a star system 128 billion light years away from their own planet was capable of supporting intelligent life. When they visited that planet, intelligent life had yet to form there. However, they believed that such life would someday arise, and they decided to leave behind a structure on the far side of the planet’s moon that would prove their existence to those life forms.

They used pictures to communicate instructions for opening the structure. They did so rather than text because these would be easily understood when those life forms formed and were able to reach their moon by their own power.

“You are not alone. You have friends in a faraway galaxy.”

This is what the residents of Adam were trying to communicate.

They themselves had been completely alone. Since setting out, they spent 3,000 years unable to find high-level life.

Once the structure was completed, the residents of Adam came to a realization: “This star system was only recently formed. There are many asteroids here. If just one of them were to collide with the third planet from the sun...”

Feeling the need to protect these unknown children, they decided to alter the orbit of their moon. They moved the moon so it would act as a shield to the third planet, stabilized its orbit, and thickened the surface of its far side to be able to withstand meteorites.

To further protect against asteroids and meteorites flying toward the central star, they constructed a control base on the second-biggest satellite of the sixth planet, later named “Saturn.” They manipulated gravity such that meteors flying around the sixth planet formed rings.

Finally, an artificially created life form was left behind to act as overseer, and the people of Adam left the star system.

**

The woman speaking to us called herself “Eve.”

I realized that the moon really did have a convenient orbit about the Earth, and the moon had never shown its far side. Based on her story, I was certain that Eve was the overseer she’d mentioned. Would the people of Adam someday be back to interact with the people of Earth?

“No, that won’t happen,” Eve told me.

“But why not? They’ve done so much to create the right environment on Earth. Why won’t they visit it?”

Eve looked sad as she continued, “The people of Adam were wiped out approximately 600 million years ago.”

“Seriously? I can’t understand how a race capable of traveling for over 100 billion light years could be wiped out. What could have happened to them? Was there a great war?”

“I will explain,” she said. “But I’d like to ask two favors of you once my story is over.”

I promised that I’d grant her requests if I could, and urged her to continue.

The history of Adam that she recited to us was beyond our imagining.

“While returning home to Adam from Earth, the outer space exploration fleet received a transmission that had been sent from Adam several hundred years prior: ‘Our star is showing signs of going supernova. Fleets should cease returning to this star and instead meet with the migration fleet at a specific location.’ The exploration fleet therefore changed course for the specified location.”

Being able to produce a fleet capable of interstellar travel for the sake of migrating was an incredible scientific achievement. What’s more, it sounded as though the ships contained cities that could operate for thousands of years.

“The exploration fleet arrived at the location and searched for other ships. Though they expected to find tens of thousands of ships gathered there, there was only a single wrecked migration ship. Inside that ship, barely anyone was left alive. They found a ship log stating the star had gone supernova sooner than expected, and the people of Adam hadn’t escaped in time. Although there had been another migration ship that was fortunate enough to escape the explosion, that ship had been built in haste and used ‘alternate dimensional travel’—a type of short-range warp. The ship’s alternate dimensional travel system didn’t work correctly. They disappeared, and their whereabouts are now unknown.”

I wondered how the crew of the exploration fleet must have felt when they had nowhere to return to, and that they’d lost their people. They’d been struck by tragedy just when they had been ready to proudly announce the discovery of Earth. I couldn’t imagine.

“The exploration fleet took in the survivors from the migration fleet and decided to return to Earth. The 40,000 people of Adam that remained had chosen to make the star system of Earth their new home. So that they could coexist with any earthlings that might arise, they chose to build their base on Mars, where they’d be close to the Earth.

“Your people found evidence of water on Mars while investigating it with unmanned craft, didn’t they? Those were the remains of the water that the people of Adam carried there from Earth. They expected that their efforts to terraform Mars would be a great success, but tragedy once again struck the people of Adam.”

They could have just lived on Earth, I realized. They didn’t have to go to the trouble of terraforming Mars and living separately from humans. Protecting other races must have been very important to them.

“The people of Adam detected a higher-dimension corridor on the outskirts the solar system,” Eve said. “A higher-dimension corridor is something like a moving black hole. They had long been aware that such things existed, but the chances of actually encountering one were minuscule. To have one arise close to a planet capable of supporting life was something no one could have foreseen. The people of Adam desperately sought a solution.

“They hypothesized that if they allowed the power systems of their interstellar ship to overload in the vicinity of the corridor, there was a possibility that the corridor would dissipate. But then where could they go? The terraforming of Mars wasn’t finished, so they couldn’t settle there. Destroying the ecosystem of Earth and preventing life from developing wasn’t an option. They were left to choose between two extremes.”

After hearing this much, anyone could guess exactly how they’d been wiped out. There was visible tension on the face of everyone except Eve. I was sure I was making that same face.

“They had to choose between their own species, the people of Adam, who were low in number and whose culture was in continual decline, and a new species that hadn’t yet arisen but was highly likely to appear. When they weighed one against the other, they chose to protect the future of the new species. They left a message with me, the controller, to give to that life form when it finally found its way here. Then, they went to be with the rest of their kind.

“Please don’t look so down, everyone. The people of Adam did not intend to be seen as tragic heroes. They were proud that they could protect the Earth. Now that Earthlings have actually arrived here, there is meaning in their sacrifice.”

It’s all thanks to them that we can live our lives on Earth, I thought, moved. They must have been an incredible race.

I doubted that humankind would ever be able to choose the future of another species over itself.

I looked at Mom and the middle-aged guy; I wanted their approval before asking to hear the message. They both nodded.

For the first time since Eve had begun her tale, I spoke. “Would it be possible for us to hear that message?”

“Of course,” she said. “As a representative of the people of Adam, I am to give the message to a representative of the Earthlings. I will interpret as this video plays.”

Eve stood up from her chair, and appeared to operate something in the space near her hands. The image of a blue-haired man suddenly appeared in front of Eve, and a video began playing.

“Greetings. I’m sure Eve has told you about my people. If you’re watching this video, your culture has advanced to the point that you’re able to reach the moon by your own power. That brings me great joy.

“I don’t know how many thousands or millions of years will pass before you view this video, but I want you to remember... we once existed. And although we were never able to find them, I’m certain that other races exist in the vastness of space. You are not alone.

“It will take some time, but if you’re able, we’d like you to inherit our dream. Achieve a peaceful coexistence with the other races that are out there somewhere. This is the one countermeasure against your inevitable decline. We will give you the records of our voyage in hope that they will be of some use. There’s not much time remaining, but I’d like to say one final thing: Glory to our heirs who will continue our exploration of space.”

Incredible, I thought, astonished. Compared to humankind, they are on another level. The people of Adam are what you’d call a higher race.

Everyone was moved to tears, even the middle-aged guy. My eyes were welling up, too. I was ready to do everything I could to grant Eve’s requests.

“Could you tell us your requests, Eve?” I asked her.

Eve smiled in a way that reminded me of my mom, and shared her requests. “First, I’d like you to fulfill the wish of the people of Adam to the best of your ability. My second request is for the owner, Kouki Arakawa. I’d like you to revoke my authority as controller.”

I understand that first request, but why would I take away her authority? I thought, shocked. What good would that do? Being the overseer shouldn’t stop her coming back to Earth with us now that humankind has advanced somewhat.

“I want to go home,” she explained. “Back to the planet where my people once lived.”

But that planet is gone. Why go back now?

Mom said, “But Eve, your home is...”

“Yes, I understand that. I don’t even know whether my ship can take me that far. And I don’t know when I’ll arrive. But even so, I want to be close to my home.”

If the last remaining survivor of the people of Adam wanted to return home, who was I to stop her?

“I hereby revoke your authority,” I told her.

She thanked me, appearing to be overjoyed. No one could blame her for wanting freedom after protecting this place alone for over 600 million years. I was overcome with emotion as I watched Eve prepare to return.

“What’ll you do with this old place?” Eve asked me, twirling her hair. “It’s not like I’m gonna be using it.”

Huh?! A moment ago she was this beautiful woman with a tragic past. What just happened?! She’s standing there playing with her hair as she talks to me... She reminds me of a certain type of girl you’d find on Earth.

“I don’t need it, either,” I replied, not sure what to think.

“That figures. A place like this is a bit of a problem because it’s so hard to get to, right? You know, if they wanted to be generous, they could’ve easily left you an interstellar ship behind.”

I don’t know what to say. The atmosphere changed so suddenly. I looked over to the middle-aged guy for help, but he looked just as bewildered as me.

I looked over at Mom...

She’s gone! Huh? Where’d she run off to?

“Eve, what’s this?” Mom asked.

“Oh, that? It’s a scope for looking into other dimensions,” Eve said carelessly. “Kinda like those periscopes you’ve got on Earth. Actually, Miki, wasn’t it you who discovered that Arakawa particle thing? That was impressive.”

“Can I have it?” she asked.

“Yeah, sure. I just kept it as, like, an antique. I don’t actually use it. Oh right, I forgot... it’s Kouki who’s got authority to give activation commands to all this stuff now. If you wanna use it, you need his permission.”

What’s going on here?! Mom’s fishing for mementos while they have a girly chat. And why’s Eve talking like a kid? Isn’t she a 600 million-year-old gra—

“Finish that thought, and I’m throwing you out into the vacuum.”

Stop reading my mind!

My head was starting to hurt, so I went and sat in the corner with the security team while I waited for my mom to be satisfied.

The issue of what to do with this place was a real problem. Although Eve described the place as being “a problem because it’s so hard to get to,” I thought the problem was more that humankind wasn’t ready for it. We were a race that would fight against our own kind, nation against nation. It was too soon for us to know about this place. In order to be ready, we would need to start thinking of ourselves as Earthlings.

“You’re right. I had the same thought,” Eve said. “After watching over humankind up till now, I don’t like the idea of giving you our technology. You’d go and start a war with it and wipe yourselves out. You can destroy what’s here; there are still other bases on Titan and inside Pluto. Go find those.”

“We’ll do just that,” I said. “Let’s destroy everything here when Eve leaves. Is everyone okay with that?”

“Indeed,” Mom said. “Although we can’t be trusted with it, we do realize how dangerous this place is. It’s best to leave these things alone until we’re ready to accept such technology.”

We spoke with the middle-aged guy and his team about erasing the data on their suits’ recording devices. Finally, Mom returned, satisfied.

It was time for Eve to return to her home.

Before climbing into her one-person shuttle, Eve looked back and told me, “I’m glad it was you who came, Kouki. If it’d been anyone else, things could’ve gotten tricky.”

“I’m nothing special, honestly,” I said. “It’s not like I’m free from greed. It’s just that, even if it makes life easy, I don’t want excessive power.”

She smiled just like she had in the moment I first saw her. “But you know, Kouki, though you may not have done it on purpose, aren’t the things you’ve created up to now a little more than what your people are ready for? I know all about it. A while ago, you made an artificial black hole, didn’t you? Our people called that an imaginary number bomb. We considered them the ultimate weapon.”

Wha?! I don’t remember making— Oh, that? When Shingo and I were heating up some food, I got a little excited and said, “We can use particle collisions to generate heat! Could that heat our food?” Did I really make something so dangerous?!

“All I’m saying is, keep advancing your culture, but don’t get reckless. I hope I’ll see you again sometime!”

With that, Eve gave me a quick kiss on the lips and climbed into her shuttle.

Is she crazy?! Though that was kind of nice!

“That’s to thank you for relieving me of my duty,” she added. “Bye bye!”

Before I could complain, her shuttle shot off and disappeared from view.

We should be getting back, too... I thought slowly.

Once we left, the relic would be destroyed and buried deep underground. Re-excavating it would be a practical impossibility. We left the relic by following the same route we’d taken when we came in.

“Kou, I want you to tell me more about this imaginary number bomb later,” Mom said to me via a transmission.

That sounded like trouble, so I tried to find some way out of it, but Mom made some vague threats related to Alice, so I gave up and promised I’d tell her.

Come to think of it, Alice might not mind, but when I tell Aikawa about this, she’s going to be so disappointed that she missed it. I just know there’ll be trouble.

I tried to imagine her reaction as I stared out, via my suit’s cameras, into the endless void of space.

**

Miki Arakawa’s Point of View

Using the terminal in the room I’d been allocated, I tried to establish a connection with Earth.

I could never have imagined that we’d make our first contact with alien life on the moon. I had to discuss this with Shuuichi.

“Connecting...” appeared on the screen, and after some time, a tired-looking Shuuichi appeared.

“Miki? What is it?”

“Kouki opened the relic on the moon.” I summarized the important points. “Inside the relic, we found a life form who claimed to be from a race that originated on another planet and was destroyed 600 million years ago. We were able to communicate with her.”

Shuuichi knitted his brow as he lit a cigarette.

Did he start smoking more cigarettes again?

“Well, whose fault is that?” Shuuichi shot back when I expressed concern.

I’d rather you didn’t blame other people for your lack of self-control.

Shuuichi looked troubled, and he raised his hand to silence me before I could make further complaints. He said he wanted to know why I was calling him.

“First, I need to know, is this line secure?” I asked him.

“That’s not a problem. Clare always checks carefully, so there’s no need to worry.”

Clare... I remembered that she worked in intelligence. Shuuichi took great care to monitor the performance of his people, so if he said there was no need to worry, I had no doubt she was more than competent. I was satisfied by his response.

“Information relating to the opening of the relic and the information we found inside are covered by a gag order. The unit that came with me were my own people, so I’m not worried about them. The problem is the artifacts we found in the relic, and the fact that the relic now belongs to Kouki. I’m sending you more information. Please take a look.”

I sent the data and waited for Shuuichi to finish reading it, while trying to make sense of the situation in my own head.

The ownership of the relic itself wasn’t a substantial problem. The relic had already been destroyed and buried deep underground. Even if this came to light, we could insist that it had been destroyed in an unfortunate accident.

The problem was the artifacts. I brought them back with me so they wouldn’t be a problem if the relic was somehow re-excavated. Each of these items had the power to destroy the balance of society. Humankind wasn’t ready for interdimensional scopes or blueprints for new spacecraft. That woman, Eve, had been right to say that they would lead to a major war. And it was Kouki who had the power to activate each item.

It was easy to imagine a fierce competition to control Kouki. As his mother, I wanted to give Kouki an ordinary life until he graduated from the academy, at the very least.

“You’re right,” Shuuichi said when he finished reading. “This is bad. I think the technology would be safe in your hands or in the hands of your people, but the majority of people would use those to become rich or for military purposes.”

“That’s what I thought,” I agreed. “And Kouki is involved. I won’t let this disrupt his life.”

“If I know you, you’ve already thought of a plan.”

I told Shuuichi the details of the plan I’d been thinking of for some time.

“Are you serious?” he asked once I’d finished.

“I’m serious. We can do this,” I replied.

For a while, Shuuichi looked deep in thought. He told me he’d have to discuss this with his subordinates, and that he’d call me back later. We ended the call.

I’ll have to discuss this with some of my own people too... I thought.

I looked at the screen once again, and made another call to Earth to discuss my plans.

**

Shuuichi Arakawa’s Point of View

After finishing my call with Miki, I made a request to Clare. Two hours from now, I needed all personnel to convene at the Hakone base. Including those that were off duty.

Then I took a look around the base with Clare.

Although it was still under construction, it was overwhelming to see this vast geofront 800 meters underground.

“The first level is approximately 15 kilometers wide,” Clare commented. “It’s hard to believe we’re underground. Without the small-scale cold fusion reactor that your wife invented, none of this would be possible.”

“That’s another thing that was mostly designed by Kouki,” I told Clare with a wry smile.

Seeing her shocked reaction reminded me that that was classified information.

“Forget what I just told you,” I ordered her as we headed to see another location.

We arrived at the weapon storage section. A group of researchers who I supposed were working for Miki were testing a powered suit. It was a prototype suit equipped with flight thrusters. We watched as it flew unsteadily and then crashed to the ground.

“You must be Mr. Arakawa,” one of the researchers called out to me. “I’m terribly sorry. I didn’t notice you until now.”

“Don’t worry about it. What’s this thing?” I asked, pointing to the powered suit.

The researcher sounded embarrassed as he laughed and told me, “Well, we’re trying to copy the eighth-generation suit that Kouki and his friends made, but it’s not going very well. We’re using brain signals as the control method, but we still can’t seem to stabilize the orientation during flight. As you can see, it tends to crash. I’ve concluded that the only reason Kouki can fly it is his talent. I suspect that he excels when it comes to understanding the space around him, balancing the suit, and piloting it.”

That’s another thing to add to Kouki’s list of talents. I wonder what his future plans are. I’ve never known anyone with enough talent to be a first-rate researcher and a first-rate soldier.

“You’ll have to excuse me. We’ve just received an urgent request to attend a meeting from Mrs. Arakawa.” The researcher walked off high-speed. It seemed as though Miki had already begun to act.

I returned to my quarters for a while and drank coffee with Clare while we waited for my subordinates to gather.

The two of us talked until the message appeared on my terminal: “Personnel are now gathered.”

As I was about to step into the conference room where everyone was, Clare said, “Please don’t worry. We’ll follow the commander’s lead, whatever happens.”

Clare had good intuition, and although she didn’t know the details, she probably had some idea of I was going to say.

I headed into the conference room without replying.

When I entered, all of our people were sitting, grouped into teams. They all stood and saluted when they saw me.

I saluted in return and climbed onto the podium. Clare stood beside me.

“Everyone, take your seats. All teams report absences,” she ordered.

I could tell just by looking that no one was absent. But a formal check was required to keep things organized, so I had to wait until all teams had reported.

“No absences. All 350 personal have gathered.”

I nodded in response and took another look at my subordinates.

We’ve fought together through so many battles...

They’d fought with me in Africa when supplies couldn’t reach us and we were drinking muddy water. We completed a reconnaissance-in-force operation at the North Pole while shivering in temperatures so low that it was impossible to sleep. We provided humanitarian aid to countries in the Middle East while dealing with guerrilla fighters that could have attacked at any time. There’d been 1,200 of us when we’d first formed, but this was all that was left now. The soldiers of the supposed strongest unit were now down to 352 survivors, Clare and myself included.

How can anyone call us the strongest? The only reason we’ve gotten so far is because of those who willingly gave their lives so that the rest of us could live on. And now I’m going to betray them all because of my love for my son.

“Gentlemen,” I said while trying to stop my voice from trembling. “I think... I’m going to be leaving the United Nations forces.”

I could see they were unsettled by my announcement. It was so sudden that they were bound to be shocked. I gave them a moment before continuing.

“This morning, I received a proposal from my wife, Miki Arakawa, relating to my son. I can’t give you all of the details, but I’ve decided to accept her proposal. The proposal isn’t something I can go along with while I’m still with the United Nations forces.”

I looked at Clare, and I saw that she was listening quietly. I looked at Louis, who was both the vice commander of our unit and the commander of squad B. He was deep in thought with his arms folded.

“I want you to consider my leaving the United Nations forces to be something that’s already decided,” I said. “What I’d really like to discuss is that I’d like to have some of you come with me, if possible. I obviously can’t force you. I can’t even reveal the details of the proposal to anyone until they agree to come with me. I have to ask that you make your decision without any information. I realize how unfair that is, but I’m begging you.” I bowed my head as I finished my statement.

I could hear people discussing it with those sitting near to them.

At most, four or five people will come with me... but we need all the help we can get for what we’re planning.

I raised my head once again to tell them I’d be giving them time to think.

“I don’t need to hear a decision now. I’ll return in an hour. Anyone who has no intention of leaving the United Nations forces, please leave this room. Before I leave the United Nations forces, I’ll be sure to report that your performance was first rate, so it won’t cause problems for you. Don’t be concerned about that.”

I was about to leave the room when someone sitting with Squad C called out to me: “Commander, this is a waste of time. Please tell us about the proposal and when we’ll be leaving the United Nations.”

The man speaking called out in an unreasonably loud voice. I remembered that his name was Rodriguez.

What does he mean, a waste of time? I was left speechless.

“No matter how long you give us, everyone will still be here,” Louis said. “Everyone is with you, commander.”

These idiots! What’s going through their heads?! How can they accept the proposal so easily without hearing the details? Don’t they worry that they could be pawns in some greater scheme? I need them to think about this before deciding!

I tried to reason with them, but Thomas laughed and raised his hand, so I allowed him to speak.

“You can call us idiots, but when I was in trouble, someone came to save me. The two of us were alone, but he carried me for 20 kilometers on his back straight through enemy territory. Which idiot was that?”

That was me. But I hardly could have abandoned you! We were both on the verge of death, but I’m glad I could save you.

I tried to argue, but then Cote raised his hand.

“When I was imprisoned under suspicion of killing hostages, I remember a certain idiot forcing his way into the international court with his gun pointed at the true killer’s head.”

That had been me, too. Cote’s face was covered in wounds, making him look like a psychotic killer, but he had a kind heart. Even in this base, he was secretly taking care of a stray cat. It’d been a shock when I saw a man over two meters tall with a bottle in his hand, feeding milk to a kitten.

“Commander, are you listening to your own words?” Clare said. “You remember the name of every last one of us. You must be the only commanding officer who remembers the full names of 1,200 people, along with their nine-digit identification numbers.”

I felt my face turning red. That’s because we’re fighting as a family. How could I not remember your names?!

The conference room filled with laughter when I tried to explain this.

Why is everyone laughing at me?! I scowled at Clare, and she smiled an uncharacteristically pure smile.

“We’re a family, like you said. That’s why we’re going with you. So please tell us about the proposal and when we’ll be leaving the United Nations. We’ll have to start living out of this base.”

I should have known... There was never anything to worry about. My faith in my subordinates still seemed to have been lacking. The shame I felt was enough to turn my face red again. I tried to keep it together as I explained the proposal I’d received from Miki.

The expressions on my subordinates’ faces turned to looks of surprise when they heard me explain the proposal. They urged me to explain in more detail.

**

Kouki Arakawa’s Point of View

“Waaaaah! Shin, Arakawa’s bullying me!” Aikawa wailed.

“Kouki, I think the way you said that was a little mean,” Shingo agreed.

“Kouki, you’re the worst...” Alice added.

“Of course I’m jealous!” Aikawa had screamed when I told her about the relic. I told her about it in slightly mean-spirited way, and now everyone had turned against me.

I didn’t think she’d start crying like that. Now I don’t know what to say.

Shin was looking at me coldly, and Alice looked at me like I was piece of trash. I was ready to repent.

“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry! Look, I’ll show you a video of the inside of the relic, so please forgive me!”

I started playing my own video record, which I hadn’t deleted yet, on my terminal screen. I was surprised at how quickly Aikawa’s mood improved. I explained the video to them as they watched.

“This is the entrance I figured out how to open. It was a fairly simple puzzle made of pictures. There were more pictures inside that they used to express more instructions.” I kept on explaining as the video showed me solving the entrance puzzle.

Aikawa seem fascinated by the footage of me solving the puzzle, and, to my alarm, she began taking notes while watching.

“Sorry, Aikawa, it’s explained later in the video, but we need to pretend that these ruins never existed,” I said. “Humankind just isn’t ready. Please just enjoy the video.”

Aikawa agreed and tore up her notes. I could only show them the video in the first place because Mom had given me permission. I’d have to delete it afterward.

“Nice to meet you, Earthlings,” the woman in the recording said.

“Buh hee?! Is that a human?” Shingo was understandably shocked. I had the same thought when I’d seen her.

When I explained that she was an artificial life form rather than a human, Shin, being an engineering specialist, was eager to hear what she was like. I told him she was like a human in every way, and he was disappointed we hadn’t kept any detailed information about her.

If we could ever make an AI like Eve, that would be a turning point in human history. She had a near-perfect human form. Chabane seemed near-perfect, but Eve was on another level.

“While returning home to Adam from Earth, the outer space exploration fleet...”

“Judging from her explanation, it sounds like many generations lived inside each ship. How did they deal with genetic abnormalities and diseases?” Alice asked.

I had no idea. Mom brought back various items that looked like documents, so I suggested we ask her later. Alice seemed disappointed and stopped asking questions. If my mom was looking into it, she’d probably figured it all out already.

“Their own species, the people of Adam, who were low in number and whose culture was in continual decline...”

Everyone was silent as we reached the difficult scene. Aikawa had already begun to cry.

We couldn’t reveal the people of Adam publicly yet, but at least they were in our hearts. The time would someday come when we could tell the world. When that happened, I wanted to build a monument on the moon’s surface.

“It’s not like I’m gonna be using it,” the woman in the recording said.

“Just to be clear, Kouki, Eve was one of the people of Adam, right?” Aikawa asked. “She was the last living member of a race that protected humanity.”

“Yeah. You can’t really tell from this video, but I’m sure she was one of the people of Adam.”

Aikawa seemed confused when Eve’s authority was revoked and she became a completely different person. I had the same reaction. It was horrific... The proof was in the fact that the camera became focused on the corner of the room and stopped moving. That was when I’d been staring at the ceiling instead of facing reality.

The video remained like that without moving for a while, but eventually my mom appeared in the frame with various items held in her hands. We were about to reach the scene where Eve headed home.

Oh, crap... I can’t let them see this part! I dived for the pause button, but it was too late.

“That’s to thank you for relieving me of my duty. Bye bye!”

The moment the kiss was shown, we heard a crunching sound as Alice squeezed the stainless steel bottle she was holding. I was too afraid to look in her direction. Alice had been holding a bottle designed for use in space; it couldn’t be dented without applying over 100 kilograms of pressure.

I heard Shingo and Aikawa shriek.

Just how much did she dent it? I slowly turned to look at Alice’s hand.

“It’s completely crushed?!”

I hadn’t meant to say it aloud. The bottle in Alice’s hand had been squished like a piece of clay. I’ve really messed up... It’s all over. This must be how I die.

When I went to rescue Alice, I flew through a sky riddled with bullets, but the current situation seemed even more hopeless.

“A-Alice... the thing is...”

I watched as the damaged bottle crashed to the floor and rolled toward me. I couldn’t help imagining that the bottle was my own neck. I desperately tried to come up with an excuse. I tried all kinds of awkward excuses, like, “It was an accident”; “She’s not actually human”; and “I didn’t even enjoy it.” But Alice remained motionless, hanging her head.

Once I was done making excuses, she looked straight at me and asked, “Are you sure you want those to be your final words?”

Wait a minute! I looked to Shingo for help, but he looked away. Aikawa was pretending to sleep. There’s got to be some way out of this...

Just as I was preparing to make one final prayer, there was a knock at the door.

My savior is here! I darted over and opened the door. There stood my mom with a serious look on her face.

**

Mom was standing outside the door with a serious look on her face, and I was desperately trying to figure out why.

Did I do something to make her mad? I don’t think I did anything recently...

“It looks like you’re all gathered already,” Mom said. “I have something important to say. Is now a good time?”

We all exchanged glances as my mom entered the room. Mom took a seat before picking up the bottle that Alice had crushed. “What happened to this?” she asked.

Everyone was silent, not knowing what to say.

Mom cleared her throat and began speaking. “First of all, I wonder if you’re all aware of how much you’ve been through.”

What does she mean? Been through? We haven’t done anything major.

Everyone else looked as doubtful as I was.

“It looks like being around Kouki has desensitized you all.”

What’s that supposed to mean?! Are you trying to say that I’m the one who causes all the trouble?! I might have performed a few experiments with Shingo, but we only ever rehash a few of my mom’s ideas or make things by accident. It hardly seems worth having this tense discussion over that.

“None of you seem to realize, so I’ll explain. Alice, you discovered a treatment for the worst virus in the history of the human race. Shingo, you created an advanced AI and a new model of powered suit. Aikawa, they may just be published reports, but you’ve brought new ideas to space exploration. This very station is based on ideas you’ve published. And I don’t think I’ve told any of you this, but the ‘Mother’s Equation’ that I published was an equation that Kouki derived by himself when he was three years old.”

“Eeeeeeeeeh?!” Everyone cried out in surprise at the same time.

Wait a minute! Those were just some sketches that happened to form that equation. I didn’t actually think of it.

I frantically tried to explain, but everyone just looked at me kindly as if to say, “You don’t have to hide it anymore.”

Stop looking at me like that! It really was a misunderstanding. How many times do I have to explain this?

Mom completely ignored my distress and continued speaking. “There’s more. Eighty percent of the research I’ve published was originally Kouki’s work. I’ve taken the credit for myself to prevent Kouki from becoming unnecessarily famous. It’s worth mentioning that leaders of nations around the world fear Kouki and refer to him as the ‘demon child.’ I can’t blame them. The development of military technology over the past ten years has been almost entirely Kouki’s work.”

“Kouki, you’re amazing...” said Alice.

“So Arakawa really was a genius after all,” added Aikawa.

They were looking at me with sparkling eyes, but it was all one big misunderstanding.

All I did was give you advice! Stop exaggerating by saying I invented everything myself!

Ever since I’d been reincarnated, I was finding that nobody in this world would listen whenever I had something important to say.

Is this some sort of curse?

“Right now, you’re a member of the academy, which is a neutral international organization. But do you know what’ll happen when you graduate? There’s sure to be competition over Kouki. It’s well-established that Kouki will boost technological development in whichever country he decides to live. That could lead to a terrible war. The same goes for the rest of you.”

What does she mean? What does this have to do with my friends?

“Your deeds have been great enough to change the world while you’re still students. Once you graduate, you’re likely to be placed under house arrest by your home countries, under the guise of protection.”

“Mom, I think you’re exaggerating,” I said.

Without any change in her expression, Mom said, “You’re naïve. If calling it protection doesn’t work, they’ll arrest you for some made-up crime. There have already been attempts to do this with Kouki. His father and I have to deal with it every time. Sadly, that’s just how international relations—how politics are.”

Then what should we do? I thought frantically. We’re just ordinary people. The scale of this discussion is completely beyond all of us. Are we supposed to just accept it? I don’t think I can stand it! Everyone else feels the same, right?

When I expressed my concerns, a wicked-looking smile appeared on Mom’s face. It was the same smile she made whenever she was about to punish Macho Man.

“Don’t underestimate your mother, Kouki. I could crush one or two of the world’s major powers if it came to it. What I wouldn’t be able to deal with would be the whole world deciding that you and your friends are enemies of humankind. We’re talking on this scale because that’s the problem I have to deal with. That’s where Project Ark comes in.”

This is getting out of hand. I guess I should just leave it all to her...

I urged Mom to continue her explanation as I rubbed my aching stomach.

**

Miki Arakawa’s Point of View

Project Ark—it had originally been an escape plan conceived to protect only my family. The original idea had been to escape to an uninhabited island or a space station if trouble arose. But the plan had grown in scale with the development of new technology and an increase in available funds. Successful observation of the Arakawa particle meant that the plan could be executed sooner than expected.

The Alternate Dimension Migration Project formed the foundation for Project Ark. To prepare for emergencies, I’d found another world where humans could live, and prepared an environment where my family and approximately 20,000 people who wished to accompany us could migrate to.

The Hakone base we were constructing was merely a front for that project. Once completed, the base would act as a fortress to protect the gate to the other world. As a secondary objective, I also wanted to find somewhere for Kon to live.

I expected it to be difficult to find a world with life forms similar to humans and a culture that wasn’t particularly advanced, but the interdimensional scope that I brought back from the moon had proved useful. Using the scope made it possible to find other worlds. Eve gave me an instruction manual in English, so I had soon been able to use it.

Everyone appeared to be in shock when I explained all of this to them. I realized that it sounded like a fairy tale, but this was necessary for their safety.

Shingo was the first to recover and ask a question. “If we go to another world, won’t we be attacked by the creatures living there?”

“We might be able to reason with them if they’re intelligent,” I said. “I’d prefer to resolve things as peacefully as possible. We aren’t invaders, so as a last resort, we could set ourselves up on an island or peninsula with heavy defensive walls around it. But if they persisted in attacking us even after we settle in some uninhabited region, we’d use force to eliminate our attackers.”

Shingo seemed to accept the answer, and he became quiet.

Aikawa was next to raise her hand. “What will we do about things we’ll need for everyday life?”

“I’ve already collected enough resources for us to live for five years, and I intend to continue collecting more. In the longer term, I intend to take large-scale facilities such as production plants with us.”

Aikawa accepted the response with a nod.

The next question came from Alice. “Will we be able to return to this world?”

“Of course. If it turns out I was worrying over nothing and you’re able to live an ordinary life after your graduation, just think of it as a slightly unconventional holiday villa.”

“I’m okay with that,” Alice said.

Everyone else remained silent.

For some reason, Kouki didn’t seem to have a single word to say. It was only when I pressed him to ask any questions he might have that he raised his head and looked at me with a serious expression.

“What are you planning to do about soldiers and weapons? And will there need to be some form of political negotiation with the other world?”

I’d expect no less from Kouki... He’s already beginning to grasp the main issues we’ll deal with when living there. I felt I’d been right to suggest to Shuuichi that we make Kouki our representative in the other world.

“We have 12,000 professional soldiers, and the rest are researchers and engineers. Since more than half are soldiers, we’ll be able to deal with whatever threats we encounter. As for the weapons we’re taking, half of the people will be equipped with combat-use powered suits, and we’ll also have several dozen industrial suits. There will be 130 aircraft, and 200 tanks and armored vehicles. In addition, we’ll take whatever vehicles our engineers might need. I’ve left the specifics of the weaponry to our military division, but we will have an equivalent level of weapons. Political negotiations will be handled by our intelligence department and PR department, so there is no cause for concern because they’re professionals.”

“Well, that sounds okay,” Kouki replied before appearing to become deep in thought.

I looked at each of the children in turn, and then in a gentle voice I said, “By the time an emergency arises, it’ll be too late to prepare. That’s why I want to start preparing our countermeasures now. Just think of it as us building a secret base.”

I used the gentlest voice I could to avoid causing them any concern, and it seemed to be effective. Everyone was smiling back at me.

I vowed to myself once again that I would protect these children’s smiles.

**

Kouki Arakawa’s Point of View

“Another world...” I whispered to myself as I lay staring at the ceiling in my room.

When I’d previously been thrown into another world by accident, I found good people there. But I didn’t know what would happen in this next world.

There was a lot I was uncertain about, but I understood this was the only way to ensure the safety of Alice and my friends.

I was afraid at first, but having heard how many soldiers were coming with us, it seemed we’d have a reasonable size force accompanying us. That would probably assure our safety.

I was lost in thought until an email appeared on my terminal.

“Contrary to our agreed-upon schedule, we’ll be returning to Earth tomorrow. If you’d like, you may return home briefly when we get back. I’d then like to make a visit to everyone’s home at a convenient time. I’ll be explaining our plans to your families. Everyone will be gathering at the Hakone base in the coming days, so please make preparations.”

Mom sent the same email to me and my friends. She appeared to be serious about setting up a base in another world. Things really were getting out of hand.

The bad feeling I had about this summer vacation had been right on; but before long, I was sleeping soundly.

**

On June 27, 2102, the leaders of the United Nations were in disarray.

Shuuichi Arakawa, the commanding officer of a unit known as the Arakawa unit that had completed many difficult missions, suddenly asked permission to resign. His unit of 351 personnel simultaneously made similar requests, leading the United Nations to fear that a coup d’état was about to take place. However, everything had been done according to official procedures, so the United Nations reluctantly accepted.

The following day, Miki Arakawa resigned from her position at every research institution. She then established a large conglomerate of companies known as Noa.

The personnel of the Arakawa unit who resigned had then registered as part of a private military division that was one of Noa’s defense contractor divisions. From that point on, they served as soldiers working for Noa.

More than half of the personnel assigned to the Next Generation Research Laboratory and the Space Particle Research Institution of Japan had also transferred to Noa. This then led to the transfer of many scientists and engineers thought to be loyal to the Arakawa family. The world’s nations became alarmed and tried to prevent what was happening, but the personnel were already under the protection of Noa.

Then came information that would be a final blow to the nations of the world: Kouki Arakawa, Shingo Saito, Alice Alford, and Megumi Aikawa each stated in an international press conference that they were joining Noa of their own free will.

This action thwarted attempts by nation states to intervene, leaving each nation able to do no more than simply watch the events play out.

That was the day that the world began to change rapidly.