We’re chatting in the aquarium in the shield ship Shiitake, that was modeled after the Motobu Aquarium, when we suddenly hear tire noises.
I turn to look, and see a small self-driving van approaching.
This van is painted on top with leaf vegetables, and on the bottom with bread. And it has the words ‘light meals’ on it.
It stops in front of us as we look on with confusion. It has cameras where the windows should be, and something like a vending machine screen that says things like ‘Are you hungry? Thirsty? Leave it to me!’.
I see. Water bottles are two puni, and food printer ham and cheese toast is five.
It also sells organic food for thirty puni.
I ask the girls if they want anything, and everyone asks for a water bottle and a light snack with organic vegetables. Now where should we eat… I think, and then I notice there are benches in front of the water tanks.
Just how distracted was I by the tanks? Maybe it’s time for me to get basic mercenary education.
I always wanted an aquarium, but I was too busy with business trips, so I was worried I wouldn’t take care of it.
Maybe I’ll look for one later, because in this space age, there isn’t a lot you have to do.
“Well then, everyone’s done eating, so about seeing things other than the aquarium? It looks like we spent an hour here.”
“I could stay here for longer~!”
“I am curious about the grassy field floor!”
“I guess I’d like to see the forest floor.”
“I wanna see that pond floor!”
“I am interested in the entertainment floor. It seems there is a hot spring with ryokan there.”
This is a shield ship, right??
We end up going to the hot spring area.
I start to sense the smell of wood as we go down the elevator. Once we’re there, I look around and see trees along the paths, with what looks like ginkgo fan-shaped leaves. The leaves are yellow, likely changing color.
But I don’t feel that distinctive gingko nut smell.
Also, across the road, the trees on the other side of the sidewalk have red leaves that are like open hands, like maple trees.
They’re all withering, with some falling here and there, but I can see cleaning drones in the distance, so I assume they’re always working.
Unlike the aquarium, we can walk in the center. There’s a large building right in the middle. The sign near the elevator says ‘walking path’, so it looks like this is for strolling.
“The maintenance costs for this ship must be crazy. How do they maintain it?”
“This ship normally operates as a giant mining mothership. It uses hundreds of drones to mine and process ore, and take care of pirates, and sells the ore to colonies. This cycle is entirely handled by Sebastian, who maintains the ship. He bragged about a streak of twenty-five years of big profits, which was a little annoying.”
“Eh~? So what does Hiiragi do~?”
“Sleep and enjoy the same entertainment over and over again.”
That sounds pretty messed up…
“I won’t say it’s healthy, but who are we to talk?”
“But don’t you wanna go to the hot spring already!? We’re spending money just standing here talking!”
Everyone agrees with Vasilisa, so we walk faster as we head towards the building. We pass by many bipedal robots and people we assume are also visitors, who we greet as we walk forward.
It’s a stereotypical hot spring ryokan building. There’s a red wooden guardrail in front of the entrance for some reason, and the three story building itself is made of wood and has a calm color and a Japanese feel. There’s what looks like paper sliding doors on the big windows, so I can see inside.
We cross a bridge, and walk on stone pavement. There’s sand on both sides, and the garden is decorated with hanging lanterns and pine trees.
On the entrance, there’s a sign that says hot spring ryokan and a curtain, and for some reason, the entrance is wide enough for Vasilisa and Saratha to enter side-by-side. I guess it’s a wide open double door.
The entrance has steps, as expected. There’s an android that makes me feel nostalgic because it reminds me of Pepper, and it’s taking off shoes, replacing them with slippers, and providing bags for shoes. It also casts Purification magic on people that don’t wear shoes, like Saratha and Vasilisa.
“Welcome. Will you be, staying? Using hot spring, without, staying?”
“It’s a day trip.”
“Different, this way. Please wait a, moment.”
Why did they make the android speak this way in an era where there’s mechanical intelligence… It has a high-pitched voice, but it’s not the original one.
There’s tea incense close to the entrance, making the area around it smell like roasted green tea. It really captures Suzuri’s attention.
“Suzuri, do you like this smell?”
“Yes, it is nice… Could we perhaps use it on Tortilla Double?”
“They use fire, so that’s not really a good idea. It would be better if it was a fragrance or aroma water.”
“Ah, so this really is boss’ hometown smell, uh?”
“Roasted green tea, flavor, is sold in, souvenir shop.”
“It’s a good salesman… But it does smell nice~. And relaxing~.”
As we talk, a strange cylindrical object slowly comes our way. There’s a cat’s face on top, that looks just like cat-shaped food delivery robots in family restaurants.
“I will, guide you. Mixed, bath? We have, family baths.”
“Separate.”
“What’s the point of that at this stage~?”
“It does feel pointless, boss.”
There’s no reason to resist, but I guess it’s just good manners, right?
We follow the delivery cat, and pass by curtains with women written in red, and men written in blue. Then we pass by a few big double doors with the word ‘occupied’ shining, and stop by one that says family bath, between false daphne plants.
“Towel rental, available. Clothes washing, available. Please refrain from, sexual acts.”
Well yeah.
I see it leave in my peripheral vision, open the double door, and steam with a bit of the smell of sulfur hangs in the air.
I guess sulfur might not be the right word…
“Owah~!? It smells weird!?”
“Is something rotting?”
“Boss, is something leaking!?”
“This is fine, it is the smell of a hot spring. I know, because I used to deal with such materials.”
“It is a fragrance to be more precise. Using an actual hot spring would cause tremendous effects on a spaceship.”
“There aren’t any hot spring mineral deposits.”
It’s not that large. There’s a simple shelf by a wall, and ten baskets underneath. To the left there’s an embedded cleaning magic item that looks like a whirlpool pattern.
There are also wave patterns carved, and I guess I’m getting used to space, because I can easily imagine that once activated, the magic item casts Purification on the whole shelf.
I look at the other side, and see sticks stuck to a square board. The sticks are pointing to round numbers, as this is a very retro analogue scale.
Next to it is a display case you’d see in a convenience store, with ice, barley tea, milk, milk coffee, and fruit milk.
Once I pay with my smartphone, the drink comes up and a bubble field made to look like a glass display appears. I poke it with my finger, but it’s elastic.
“Genma, what is he doing? Is that a drink?”
“Looks like it. Apparently on Earth people went to hot springs and then had a cold drink after the bath.”
“If it’s after the bath, how about we go in?”
I look at them, and see they’ve already taken their clothes off. They’re fast.
I also strip… and everyone including Iris is already on the other side of the steamy glass.
I look around for a towel but only find a drying magic item. I see.
I move the steamy sliding door to the side, that was closed to prevent steam from coming out, and feel an even stronger hot spring smell.
No way, is what I immediately think. There’s a starry sky above, and lit up yellow cherry blossoms decorating this open air hot spring.
I step forward on the randomly shaped stone pavement, and see everyone in the open air hot spring put together with rocks.
I hear the sound of a water filled bamboo clacking against a rock among the high-pitched voices.
“What was that noise!?”
“It’s the sound of bamboo hitting a rock, Suzuri. It’s like a water clock, which makes that sound at regular intervals. Like a decoration to make it feel like it’s my home.”
“Darling~! Hurry up and come here~!”
The wall is made to look like a bamboo fence, and it makes me completely forget that we’re in a spaceship.
“Is everything here aside from the floor and bath a monitor projection? Do you know, Iris?”
“Yes, the walls and ceiling are all monitors. That tree you call a cherry tree is an imitation.”
“Ah! That’s an imitation too! How intricate is this place?”
“Wah, Vasilisa! Your tentacle is wrapping around my leg!”
Says Suzuri.
There are buckets on the side, so I pick up a dry one, scoop up water, and pour it on me.
I do it again on my head, and slowly enter the bath.
“Ahh…”
Everyone’s looking at me with weird faces, but I don’t care about that right now, I’m about to cry. Gimme a towel to hide my face…
We enjoy the hot spring for about half an hour. Suzuri and Saratha got kind of dizzy, Vasilisa started swimming around, among other incidents, but I feel like I got to enjoy the bath I wanted.
After that, we return to Tortilla Double feeling nice and warm. I didn’t ask how long we’d be moving, and we were in the hot spring for a while, so don’t we need a break?
And so, we’re going to take it easy in the living room, but…
“<Attention all hired mercenaries, we have confirmed everyone is on board, therefore this ship will be moving to a hyperlane. We are scheduled to arrive in twenty hours, so please understand that we could be in combat as soon as we are ejected from the hyperlane.>”
“I see. Iris, sorry, but take over the cockpit for eighteen hours.”
“Very well. Please take it easy.”
We take it easy for eighteen hours, stay in the living room for one, and stand by in the cockpit for another.
“<Attention all hired mercenaries, we have arrived and the target we are guarding is under attack. Please activate your identification friend or foe devices, we are sending data.>”
“So we didn’t get here in time…”
“Received IFF data!”
“<One minute until we are ejected from the hyperlane. Everyone be ready for combat.>”
I see on the rear monitor that the hangar bay shutter where Tortilla is is opening, so we’re heading out for combat the moment we’re ejected.
“Brace yourself, we’re jumping right into combat.”
“““““Understood!”””””
The color beyond the shutter changes to pitch black.
“<Sending data. The enemy has five destroyers, one shield ship, eight frigates, and fourteen corvettes.”
Isn’t that more than we thought!? Not that I can really say much, since I don’t know what we have…
“Genma! The auto-pilot is ejecting us!”
“We need to get a good position! Saratha! Where’s the big thing we’re protecting!?”
“We didn’t get any data!”
“<Sending data. Friendly fortress 1.>”
I see, any other big friendlies?
“…Is it over!!?”
“The friendly fortress is left of the Shiitake! The enemy is positioned in front of the Shiitake! It’s a cross fire formation! We should have the positional advantage!”
“This isn’t going to be enough firepower~~!”
Tortilla Double launches from Shiitake. We’re exiting from the left, and our guarding target is… I can see it.
For a moment, I’m so captivated that I forget about the passage of time.
It’s a giant metallic obi. I can see it bends, and in the center is a bright star. There are metallic walls on the outside, and while I can’t see what’s in the middle of the obi, I can guess.
Livable territory. A territory around the star with liquid water where life can be sustained. The probability of such a planet existing here is incredibly low.
A dreamer thought, we just have to make a ring around it. And inside that ring, a mother land. A lot more economical than searching for a new home planet.
The Shiitake is here to protect the giant ring structure known as Huang. This is what Count Dellaovonno is after, the ring around this star that is impossibly tough by Earth standards, and is the sole property of one person.
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