Volume 13 Chapter 437 Kirika Kotono, the Eldest Daughter of the Verification Team Isn’t Just for Show!!
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
We came to space to save Aqua-san.
But it seemed we had arrived just a little too late.
”…Nuclear warhead detonation confirmed.”
The moment Mikoto-san delivered her report, the Heaven’s Sword signal vanished, and a heavy silence settled over us.
If only we had arrived a little sooner.
No… even if we had reached him in time, Aqua-san would never have abandoned his convictions just to avoid pressing that button. Even so, if we had managed to stand before him one last time, perhaps we could have done something. Perhaps there had been another path.
Now even that possibility was gone.
”Aqua…”
Kanon-san lowered her head, fighting back tears.
Seeing that, the rest of us forced ourselves to stay composed. Aqua-san loved our youngest sister more than anyone, yet she was crushing down her own feelings just to endure this moment. If Kanon-san could keep standing, then none of us had the right to fall apart first.
”Wait… what is this data? A miniature black hole? A supernova never occurred, so how did this happen? The energy from a nuclear explosion shouldn’t be enough to create one. Did it react with the compact fusion reactor powering the suit? No, that still doesn’t explain it. There isn’t enough energy… This makes no sense. Even I can’t understand what’s happening. Koyomi-oneechan, what did you do to the Heaven’s Sword suit!?”
Mikoto-san’s eyes widened as calculations flashed across her monitors.
Sabato Koyomi—the genius behind the ultimate high-performance server, Saba-chan, and widely regarded as the greatest scientific mind in the world.
She had done something to the suit?
Now that I thought about it, Emily-san had mentioned that Koyomi was a high-ranking member of the Holy Aqua Church1. The Heaven’s Sword suit had begun as little more than a hobby project from a small-town factory, but the Church had seen its potential and poured money into it without limit. It made sense that they would send someone like Koyomi to support its development.
”Hey, Mikoto,” Kirika said. “Explain it in a way idiots like me and Kaede-paisen can understand. What happened?”
”Yeah, tell us!” Kaede added.
Honestly…
The two of them had entered Mary University on full academic scholarships.
Mikoto-san pressed a hand to her chin before answering.
”A miniature black hole appeared at Aqua-sama’s exact location. According to the data, he was swallowed by it before the explosion occurred. That means the event horizon should have blocked the shockwave, heat, and light. Aqua-sama probably never even experienced the blast.”
For a moment, my breath caught.
Aqua-san had not been caught in the nuclear explosion.
”The problem comes after that,” Mikoto-san continued, her expression darkening. “Normally, someone who falls into a black hole would move toward the singularity. As an AI, I cannot predict what exists beyond that point. However, according to some theories of relativity and quantum mechanics, a person entering a black hole might split into two versions of themselves. The theories suggest that if someone enters a place where normal physical laws break down, reality itself may require two versions of that person to exist. But it is only a hypothesis. Black holes remain one of humanity’s greatest mysteries.”
She paused before finishing quietly.
”In the end, whether Aqua-sama survived is something only God knows. But there is a possibility… a possibility that Aqua-sama is still alive inside that black hole.”
My heart pounded so hard it hurt.
Emily-san had been right.
There was still a chance.
I did not care what existed inside that black hole. I did not care whether there was one Aqua-san or two.
I just wanted him to live.
Closing my eyes, I offered a silent prayer.
”Reaction detected inside the black hole. Is this… a white hole?! Heaven’s Sword signal restored!”
The four of us erupted at once.
Words no longer mattered.
Even if Mikoto-san, the most advanced AI in existence, could not explain what had happened, that did not matter either.
Aqua-san might be alive, we might be able to see him again, and we might even be able to bring him home to everyone waiting for him—including the children.
That possibility alone filled my body with strength.
Kaede-san. Aqua-san.
At last, I understood.
This was the “power” the two of you had always spoken about.
”Miko-chan, what about the suit’s vital signs!?” I asked.
”Nothing besides the signal… but wait,” Mikoto replied. “Maria-sensei was involved in the Heaven’s Sword project at Mikoto-oneechan’s request. She is both a cybernetics researcher and a doctor. She developed medical cybernetic suits designed to transport patients in perfect condition under any circumstances. If Mikoto-oneechan predicted this… if a black hole was actually within her calculations, then surely…!”
I exchanged looks with Kanon-san, Emily-san, and Kaede-san.
We nodded.
The entire conversation took less than 0.0001 seconds.
No words were necessary between comrades who had fought side by side for so long.
If there was even a chance, then there was only one thing left to do.
”Mikoto-san, give us the exact coordinates!”
”Understood! Coordinates 473.721.92 locked in!”
Thank goodness they were easy to remember.
I reached for the propulsion throttle.
”Wait! A massive debris field is blocking the route!” Mikoto warned. “It is probably made up of fragments from the comet destroyed by the nuclear warhead!”
”What’s the safest route around it!?”
Mikoto-san shook her head.
We briefly considered slowing down and waiting for the debris to disperse, but depending on Aqua-san’s oxygen supply, even a one-second delay could be fatal.
Then Mikoto-chan’s eyes widened.
”I-I can’t do it. There is too much debris. I can’t calculate every movement in time. If we activate the hyper-booster, the ship is simply too large to dodge everything!”
”Understood.”
The moment I answered, Kaede-san moved.
Working in perfect sync, she headed straight for the sector module attached to the hyper-booster and prepared to release the safety locks manually from inside the shuttle.
Even if it was impossible, we had no choice.
We were going to save Aqua-san.
At the same time, Emily-san and Kanon-san unfastened their seatbelts and left their seats.
”Mikoto! I memorized the entire manual because I was bored out of my mind during pregnancy, so I’ll back you up!” Emily shouted. “You focus on the calculations!”
”U-understood!”
Emily-san slid into the co-pilot seat while Mikoto-san moved aside.
”Kanon,” Emily called out, “I’m leaving Aqua-sama’s recovery to you!”
”OK! I’ll definitely bring Aqua back!” Kanon declared. “Just like before!”
They really were reliable.
We were not connected by blood, yet the bond between the four of us felt stronger than many real families.
So I am counting on you, Kanon-san.
I will get you to Aqua-san.
Turning back toward Mikoto-san, I noticed she had gone pale.
”No way… How is this possible…?”
What happened now?
Mikoto-san quickly brought up another monitor.
Fuchu Base?
Judging by the timestamp, the recording had been taken shortly after we reported our arrival.
The staff at the base were listening to Mikoto-san’s debris report.
’Even if we connect every AI-3510 on Earth, we still will not finish the calculations in time!’
Despair spread across the room.
Then one researcher—the scientist Takamine, who had first discovered the comet—opened a notebook and picked up a pen.
’I-I’ll begin manual orbital calculations for the comet fragments designated X/2024 O-721!’
The moment those words were spoken, others reached for notebooks and pens as well.
No matter how brilliant they were, calculating something this enormous by hand should have been impossible.
But all of us knew someone who had built his life around turning the impossible into reality.
’This is Houston! We’ll help too!’
The feed switched to Houston.
There, countless people were already calculating trajectories by hand.
’Stars Space Development Agency here! Please allow us to assist!’
’Far East Federation Space Development Headquarters. We are joining the effort!’
’Arabian Peninsula States. You have our full cooperation.’
One after another, more voices joined the chorus.
The Southern States Community.
The African Community.
The Union of Oceania Nations.
The Southeast Asian Community.
The entire world was stepping forward.
Could this really be happening?
People from different countries, races, and cultures were working together for a single purpose.
To save Aqua-san.
’Acting Chief Kokucho! Research institutes and university professors from nations operating supercomputers are offering support!’
’How… how is this possible?’
A secretary hurried over and showed Agewa-san a monitor displaying a live feed from Fuchu Base.
’Someone is streaming everything happening here onto the internet!’
’What did you say!?’
Who would do something like that?
No.
Thinking about that now felt petty.
Another secretary rushed over with a second report.
”Also, it appears programs are spreading across international message boards. They’re linking personal computers directly to the AI-3510 through distributed computing technology. With this…”
I slowly turned toward the Mikoto-chan standing beside me.
Mikoto-san’s eyes were wide, and although her body barely moved, I could see the faint tremor running through her.
”Is this the power of humanity… the strength of human desire?” Mikoto-san asked in a trembling voice.2
Robots were not supposed to cry.
Yet as I looked at her, I could have sworn a single shining droplet slipped from the corner of her eye.
”Orbital calculations complete! Mikoto, begin full-scale navigation!” I shouted.
A route instantly spread across the HUD, followed by a flood of coordinates.
Hakuryuu-sensei had written about it in one of his novels. There would always be obstacles standing between you and the person you loved.
Fine.
I would smash through every last one of them.
”Hyper-booster, disconnect!”
”Understood. Disconnecting hyper-booster.”
The Izanami separated from the booster and plunged straight into the debris field.
We darted through the shattered remains of the comet, snatched up Aqua-san, then whipped around through the jagged storm of wreckage before reconnecting with the booster. Once that was done, all that remained was a full-throttle sprint back to Earth.
The objective was clear.
The moment it was, my thoughts sharpened and every sense snapped into focus.
”Everyone, seatbelts checked?”
The others nodded.
Comet. Space. It did not matter what stood in our way.
I was not letting anyone take someone precious from us.
”Izanami, vector locked! Target: the one we love! Here we goooooooo!”
I slammed the throttle forward and drove the Izanami toward Aqua-san, correcting our course by 0.0005 degrees as my hands flew across the controls. The first fragment slipped past the hull, and I threaded through the rest of the incoming barrage with practiced precision.
”Eep!”
Honestly, Emily-san acted tough, but she could be surprisingly timid.
Oddly enough, that startled yelp helped me relax.
Keeping my heart burning hot while my mind stayed ice-cold, I danced through the deadly maze spread across the darkness of space.
”Nee-san, above you!” Emily-san warned.
”No problem!”
I rolled the Izanami into a full barrel roll, slipping past a chunk of comet debris while flying inverted.
Back when I worked as a test pilot, I used to pull stunts like this in heavy passenger liners just to squeeze budget approvals out of the development team. I still remembered my boss foaming at the mouth in the co-pilot seat after one flight, followed by the longest lecture of my life.
Heh.
I had never told the rest of the Verification Team, but I had been quite the troublemaker when I was younger.
”We’re exiting the debris field! But at this angle, recovering Aqua-sama and reconnecting with the hyper-booster—” Emily-san began, unable to hide her concern.
”Don’t worry. It’ll work.”
They had followed me this far.
Now it was the pilot’s job to finish the journey.
There was always a margin of error.
This was exactly where my real skill got to shine.
”Wait, Nee-san!? What are you planning!?” Emily-san demanded.
”You know what.”
Honestly, her intuition could be a pain sometimes.
Still, there was no turning back now.
After all, I was the eldest sister of the Verification Team.
I throttled down to the bare minimum as the massive meteor fragment rushed toward us.
”Anchor, fire!”
”Y-you’re actually firing the anchor!?”
Even so, Emily-san obeyed immediately.
The cable blasted outward and buried itself deep into the comet’s surface. A violent shudder raced through the Izanami as the line snapped tight, and the hull groaned under the strain.
’No way. Are you serious, Nee-san!?’
Kaede-san’s voice echoed through the comms.
Yes.
Completely serious.
I hauled back on the controls and pushed the Izanami’s frame right to its structural limits.
”Anchor, purge!”
”Disconnecting anchor!”
The moment the cable released, I clenched my teeth against the crushing G-forces and gripped the control stick even tighter.
Turn.
Come on.
Turn!
The anchor-drift gravity turn was the only way to change our trajectory without wasting precious fuel.
Like carving through the apex of a racing circuit, I swung the ship around the curve and launched us onto a new path through the void.
Yes!
Perfect!
As the Izanami settled onto its new vector, I quietly pumped a fist in celebration.
’Doing an anchor-drift in a space shuttle while heading for Heaven’s Sword… Nee-san, that was completely insane…’
Kaede-san sounded genuinely stunned.
’For the record, nobody in recorded history has ever performed a drift in space. This incident will probably end up in history textbooks forever.’
Kanon-san’s calm explanation somehow made it even worse.
”You’ve got to be kidding me! If I’d known that, I would’ve at least put on makeup first! Seriously, you people should tell me these things sooner!”
”Kanon-san, we’ll reach Aqua-san in forty seconds. We only get one chance. If we overshoot, we won’t have enough fuel left to return to the hyper-booster. Just grab him as we pass!”
’Understood! Leave it to me!’
It would be fine.
Kanon-san would catch him.
Because her older sisters—because all of us—were supporting her with everything we had.
—
Summary:
The team arrives in space just in time to witness a nuclear detonation near Aqua. While they initially fear he is lost, Mikoto identifies a miniature black hole that may have shielded him from the blast. A global effort, coordinated across nations, is launched to track the debris and locate Aqua as signs of life reappear through a potential white hole.
The protagonist maneuvers her ship, the Izanami, through a chaotic debris field while attempting a high-stakes rescue of Aqua-san. Utilizing her past experience as a test pilot, she performs a dangerous ‘anchor-drift’ maneuver to alter their trajectory without sufficient fuel for a standard course correction. The maneuver is a success, setting the team up for a narrow window to retrieve their target, leaving the success of the mission in Kanon-san’s hands.
—
Trivia:
The Holy Aqua Church possesses infinite wealth and has been funding the Heaven’s Sword project.
Sabato Koyomi is the developer of the “Saba-chan” server and a genius level support staff member.
Maria-sensei is a medical researcher who contributed to the medical cybernetic suits used by the team.
The team’s coordinates were set to 473.721.92.
Fuchu Base serves as the central communication hub for the rescue coordination.
The protagonist’s past as a test pilot included performing prohibited aerobatics in heavy airliners to secure development budgets.
Mikoto-chan’s robotic nature is being bridged by her own self-identification as part of humanity.
The ‘Verification Team’ dynamic suggests a specific structure within the setting’s AI research/development context.
The ‘anchor-drift’ is canonically the first time such a maneuver has been attempted in space.
—
Translation Notes:
Notes:
• Aqua – Aqua (Shirogane) is a charismatic male idol, BERYL leader, and student with sharp eyes, sleek hair, and strong convictions. Initially perceived as dense, he wields past-life wisdom, once saving Shintaro and leading space evacuations. Caught between public image and private vulnerability, he plays games with rival Yukari. Currently, he is drifting in space after a collision, making him the target of a crucial rescue mission.
• Mikoto – A self-proclaimed genius robot with a synthetic body, she exhibits human-like emotions and deep learning after inputting bulletin board data into her system. As an advanced AI, she supports her team during the crisis by providing vital technical data, precise calculations, and mission navigation, serving as their primary, reliable source of information.
• Kanon – Internet master and fashion icon Kanon-sama is Aqua’s devoted wife, mother, and Verification Team member tasked with his final recovery. Close to Ayana and Emily, the youngest sister hid her emotions behind a brave, cool, yet jealous exterior. She left a note for Hakuryuu-sensei before vanishing, having shared a helmet kiss with Aqua and watched his turmoil with Kukuri with tender exasperation.
• Koyomi – A self-proclaimed genius designer who developed the Saba-chan server and created emergency functions for the AIs. As an expert engineer, they also modified the Heaven’s Sword suit, maintaining close technical relationships with others by upgrading their gear.
• Saba-chan – A moderator entity or AI associated with server management (SSD capacity). Also refers to self as Mikoto.
• Emily – Emily (Yukishiro Emily)—the graceful, heavily pregnant Yukishiro heir, “Impression King,” and high-academic Verification Team member—co-hosts variety shows with her husband, Shirogane Aqua, and serves as a skilled, albeit anxiety-prone, technical co-pilot. Kukuri’s “oneechan” and Aqua mediator, she stalks him as a reporter, has an intimate bond with Hakuryuu-sensei, and aided Yui. Unseen lately.
• Kirika – A young woman and member of the Verification Team who traveled to space to save Aqua. She struggles to remain composed for the sake of her younger sister.
• Kaede – Tall, silver-haired Morikawa Kaede is an eccentric Mary’s scholarship student, Satsuki’s mother, and a Church of Power Intelligence rep. This Verification Team mentor provides high-academic technical and operational support during missions, teaches body language, and advocates the Power Birth Method. Aqua’s predecessor and Emily’s acquaintance has lately been missing from her chants.
• Mary – An elderly woman referred to as an Empress and Star Reader who possesses the ability to see the future.
• Maria – A female American-born medical genius and Japanese citizen affiliated with the Saint Claris and Mary Foundations. Renowned for her humanitarian research, she is a doctor and cybernetics researcher who helped develop the Heaven’s Sword medical suite.
• AI-3510 – An AI entity managing the flight and technical operations of the Izanagi.
• Takamine – A researcher who discovered the comet and took the lead in manual orbital calculations.
• Kokucho – Acting Prime Minister and lead character. A focused leader with short hair and professional attire, currently orchestrating the emergency defense against the meteorite impact as the chief official coordinating the response efforts.
• Agewa – Kokucho Agewa, part of a lineage tied to Japan’s emergency political hierarchy, is a high-ranking assembly partner who receives crisis updates from the base while managing her own responsibilities. Recognizable by her handmade hair tie, she maintains a vital, collaborative role with base personnel and other officials during emergencies.
• Hakuryuu – Ai-sensei (Teacher Hakuryuu) is a silver-haired, veteran Warrior of Light, matriarch, and narrator. A reclusive writer, idol, and gentle mentor baffled by modern life, she coordinates farewells for Aqua. While she doubts her art’s transcendent worth, her banned novels inspire devoted female fans and serve as a thematic guide for the protagonist, delivering dreams and hope to everyone.
• Fi – A member of Milk Dipper. A support staff member for the concert.
• Nee-san – A veteran board user and member of the Verification Team. Feared for her temper.
• Su – A young child who is still in the Shirogane Kingdom.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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