Chapter 128: Mission Report

The former administrator of Kanon looked warily at the man who was acting so familiar. She searched the depths of her memory, certain that she had no recollection of him whatsoever.

The Captain smiled. It seemed this lady was quite guarded against him—or rather, she was guarded against everything around her.

"You don't recognize me? Well, that's alright. We can get to know each other all over again."

The Captain walked to the other side of the desk and took a business card case from the drawer. It had just been delivered to his terrestrial office yesterday, containing cards printed uniformly after the new department’s name had been finalized. As he opened the lid, a fresh scent of printing ink wafted out.

The moment Lebeje took the business card, she felt her tense shoulders unexpectedly relax. The texture of the card and the smell of the ink acted like some kind of trigger, giving her an inexplicable sensation—as if she had suddenly stepped from the freezing outdoors into a room with heated floors. As she relaxed, she felt a sudden chill run through her.

This contradictory feeling of being both relaxed and tense made Lebeje deeply uncomfortable, and it only made her situation feel even more bizarre.

Just as Lebeje stood there, dazed with the card in her hand, the Captain patted the shoulder of the injured man sitting in the chair. "Go back to the dormitory and get some rest."

Tregear, whose guarded gaze had been fixed on that box of business cards the entire time, didn't say a word and immediately teleported away. The Captain then turned his gaze toward the doorway. The two young men, receiving the Captain's silent signal to leave, promptly saluted and bolted. Homare Soya even helped pull the door shut behind them.

*

Outside the building, Zero and Homare Soya sprinted all the way to the beach before stopping, both of them involuntarily letting out a sigh of relief.

"I have a feeling that administrator is going to have a rough time."

Zero was panting slightly as he leaned against his knees.

"..." Homare simply nodded in agreement. He had already experienced the terrifying nature of the Captain; whether it was his combat prowess or that near-mind-control ability, both left him feeling a mix of reverence and fear.

Through Fuma's introduction, Homare had learned the true identity of this "Zero," though he never expected him to call their Captain "Captain" as well... Just who was their Captain Sakamizu? Surely, the Captain of the Inter Galactic Defense Force hadn't been demoted to Earth, had he?

At that moment, Pega peeked out from the shadow beneath Homare's feet, looking around cautiously.

"Is this Earth?"

"Yes, though it's an Earth in another universe." Zero nodded, reached down, and took Pega's hand to pull him out of the shadow.

Once on solid ground, Pega stretched out lazily, taking a deep breath. "The sea breeze here smells so good~ Earth is truly the best."

Hearing this, Homare sniffed the air, but he only smelled the saltiness of the sea and didn't find anything particularly special about it. However, Pega, who had traveled far and wide with Riku, knew that there were very few planets in the universe with such a pleasant environment as Earth. Coming here was just like a vacation.

Zero had sent word to the Defense Force the moment he arrived on Earth, and then helped Pega send an Ultra Sign to Geed, letting him know Pega was here. If nothing went wrong, Riku would likely find his way here soon to reunite with his separated friend.

Pega finally set his mind at ease, his attention quickly captured by the beach after the tide had gone out.

The sands were scattered with the ocean's gifts. Pega trotted off on his short legs, eager to find a beautiful seashell.

Zero and Homare jumped down to join him, claiming they were there to help look for shells, though they were actually enjoying themselves quite a bit.

The sun gradually dipped below the horizon, painting the sky a vivid red.

By the time the Captain sent a telepathic message for the "kids" to return to his office, they were having a wonderful time at the beach. Pega's pockets were stuffed full with over a dozen shells and several pretty pebbles. He looked left and right, liking every one of them and unable to bear throwing any away, so he kept them all.

When they returned to the office, Lebeje was no longer there. There was no telling where she had gone, or perhaps... she would never appear in front of others again.

"Captain."

After the three of them entered the office with a report, the first thing they noticed was the rich aroma of coffee filling the room. The Captain was sitting there, waiting for them with a small cup in his hand.

*

"Eh? We... we can't stay here?"

Upon hearing the Captain say that the three of them were to return to the mainland, and that the Vice-Captain at the "Headquarters" there had already arranged for their passes and dormitories, Pega's eyes widened. He immediately felt his social anxiety flare up. This enclosed island, filled with familiar faces, gave Pega a great sense of security. But going to the mainland... that would be full of strangers.

Pega subconsciously wanted to hide back in Homare's shadow. He would rather return to the "Dark Space" than go to a place that would draw startled or suspicious looks.

The Captain looked at Pega and asked gently, "Does Pega want to stay here?"

"Mm-hmm!"

Pega nodded so vigorously he almost bowed. Listening to the Captain's tone, it seemed there might be room for negotiation.

"I—I won't run around."

The Captain seemed to be weighing something, then nodded and reached out to ruffle Pega's head. "Then you may stay here."

Pega let out a huge sigh of relief and quietly withdrew the foot he had started to tuck into Homare's shadow.

The Captain then looked at Homare and Zero. The two of them didn't mind; if anything, they were soldiers who followed orders and obeyed commands, and they had no objections to the Captain's arrangements. The Captain specifically reminded Homare to make sure he delivered the bags of plant seeds and the test tubes of culture medium back to the Science Academy immediately upon his return.

Homare checked his pockets. He had the items he kept on his person, but only half of them; the other half was with Hiroyuki.

The Captain said that everything left with Hiroyuki had been lost.

Homare froze, not understanding what that meant. Zero signaled with his eyes, and with the little Fuma sprite whispering in his ear, Homare finally understood. He nodded honestly and repeated the phrase—yes, everything left with Hiroyuki had been lost.

Next came the mission debriefing for Homare and Zero.

Since the two had acted together in the latter half of the mission, they each recounted their experiences from departure until their rendezvous, followed by Homare leading the explanation of their joint operations, with Zero adding details at appropriate moments.

The Captain listened silently, sipping from his clearly empty coffee cup.

"...That concludes the report for this mission."

"You've worked hard."

Homare's throat was dry from talking, and the Captain handed them both bottles of mineral water, bringing the debriefing session to a close.

"Hiroyuki... about when will he be able to come back?"

Homare downed half a bottle of water in one go, set it down, and asked with lingering concern.

"That," Zero shrugged, answering nonchalantly, "depends on when the Science and Technology Bureau decides to let him go." He had a gut feeling that Hiroyuki wouldn't be staying at the Silver Cross for long before being snatched away by the Science and Technology Bureau. As for when he would get out, that would depend on when the Captain went to rescue him.