I Reincarnated as the Captain of a Battleship in a Robot Anime, but at This Rate, I’m Going to Be Assassinated – Chapter 21

Chapter 21: It’s Fun to Watch Youth From the Sidelines, I Wish It Would Last Forever
  “You! Why are you in the Trismegistus…… Ouch!”
  “Yuuki! Are you alright?! Are you hurt?! What are you doing, you’re not being reckless, are you?! And why are you even riding that thing, it makes no sense!”
  
  Upon landing and disembarking the ship with Yuuki, they were met by the security forces already waiting on the runway.
  As soon as Yuuki appeared, Percy, his face bright red, was the first to approach and confront him, but Anish pushed him aside and rushed over to Yuuki. Anish took Yuuki’s arm, examining him all over while showering him with worried words.
  Perhaps due to the overwhelming momentum, most of the members present were dumbfounded, some even wearing wry smiles.
  
  “S-Stop it, Anish. Not here……”
  
  Even while being jostled, Yuuki blushed with embarrassment.
  When he resisted out of sheer shame, Anish puffed out her cheeks and glared at him angrily.
  
  “What’s with you, I’m worried about you! First of all, you’re not some civilian amateur! Why are you piloting that weird thing and fighting?!”
  “I-It was just a series of coincidences…… Hey, stop shaking me, I’m feeling……”
  
  This might be the first time since being reincarnated into this world that he’s encountered such a heartwarming scene.
  It was truly a picture of peace. If Anferu hadn’t pushed through with his insane plan, or rather, if the Trismegistus hadn’t arrived, they could have at least continued to enjoy that peace.
  
  ‘Well…… that would have been absolutely impossible, though, from the planning stage.’
  
  It’s a perspective of a viewer, in a way. To put it another way, it’s an opinion that Shougo, who can see things from a god’s perspective, at least in this world, can have. Yuuki, Anish, Mark, and even Anferu and the others each had their roles to play.
  Shougo was the one who managed to break that. He had to, otherwise, he would have been destined to die.
  However, the rails of the stage crumbled with a loud crash. There were some attempts at course correction, but the overall story should have derailed considerably.
  First of all, in the original anime, they weren’t such a large group, nor were they this friendly.
  
  “Feeling? Are you feeling sick? You didn’t hit your head, did you?”
  “I’m just dizzy, let go of me already, it’s embarrassing.”
  “Well, don’t say things like that! It’s all because you don’t listen to me!”
  
  Watching the two of them still flirting, he can’t help but think.
  These two were much more tense in the anime. It was partly due to the circumstances. Partly because they had no room to breathe. And to add to that, Anish’s frustration at not being able to fight due to her injuries and her inherent concern were intertwined in a complex way, leading her to lash out at Yuuki with harsh words more often than not.
  But now, at this moment, there’s no sign of that.
  
  ‘Well, these days, no one would accept a story that’s just full of tension. Gentle youth, good, good.’
  
  He says this, but he feels a bit envious, thinking that his own youth wasn’t filled with such bittersweet feelings.
  And to add to that, he wonders if the reason he finds such a scene heartwarming is because he’s gotten older. His original age should still be in his twenties, but is he being drawn towards the age of his current body?
  
  “Ahem, Candidate Anish. That’s enough clinging for now.”
  
  Apparently unable to let that atmosphere continue indefinitely, a bald man steps forward after clearing his throat. He doesn’t know his name. He’s sure he’s one of the instructors in the security forces.
  
  “First, I want to confirm the situation.”
  
  He’s a man who should have been shot down.
  There are several security personnel behind him, but they too should have been shot down.
  
  “No, I’m afraid the Trismegistus takes priority. Excuse me, Captain Jowain. My name is Strum Carve. I’m the combat leader of the destroyer Savona.”
  
  A middle-aged man with a crew cut steps forward, interrupting him.
  Shougo knows this man. He holds the position he just mentioned, and he too is a man who, in the original story, was injured by Mark, temporarily retreated, and then launched a suicide attack to protect the destroyer Savona and the Trismegistus piloted by Yuuki.
  He introduces himself and offers a handshake.
  
  “Yes, nice to meet you, Captain Strum. As you said, the Trismegistus has returned to our ship. Of course, we intend to hand it over to you, but what’s the status of your ship?”
  
  Shougo takes the offered hand and returns the handshake.
  At the same time, he thinks about the man who should have died much later.
  Shougo didn’t think of that scene as a great scene…… It felt like they just threw him out there and killed him to meet a quota.
  
  ‘Come to think of it…… in that scene, the Savona had engine trouble, too. And a malfunctioning radar…… and then the Trismegistus’ second ability release…… huh?’
  
  Something clicked.
  He feels a frustration that he can’t pinpoint what it is, but Shougo feels like he might be able to find some common ground.
  He feels like there’s a scene he’s forgotten. It should have been very similar to this current situation.
  
  ‘……Yes, engine trouble. In the anime’s plot, the Savona needed to be in danger. To be cornered and have the protagonist come to the rescue. But that’s an anime meta-reason. What would be the cause if it happened in reality? An enemy attack is still plausible, since they’re being chased. Other than that, it would be a machine malfunction…… but even then, engines are usually thoroughly checked. The Savona is an old destroyer, but it shouldn’t have been portrayed as a rickety ship or anything like that…… There would be wear and tear from repeated battles…… The engine stopped? Conveniently? No, inconveniently……’
  
  As he was pondering these thoughts, they must have shown on his face.
  Strum looked at him suspiciously.
  
  “Captain Jowain?”
  “Oh, ah, sorry. I was just thinking about something……”
  “Oh, is that so? Well, anyway, our ship can manage to stay afloat, at least. It’ll still be a while before we can ascend to space, though. Not to make excuses, but I thought that ship would last longer. But I guess it’s just an old model after all. Even with two more engineers, they’re unreliable.”
  
  Strum said, glancing at Percy.
  Apparently, he had Percy and Dr. Phoenix helping with the ship’s maintenance.
  
  “With all due respect, Dr. Phoenix and I are not slacking off. There was no problem with the engine. However, using an old model means there’s a possibility that it’s been reinforced with parts that weren’t originally intended. If that caused a malfunction──”
  “Ah, I get it. My bad.”
  
  Since Percy spoke in a strong voice, Strum shrugged and accepted it dismissively.
  Here, Shougo’s knowledge as Jowain whispers to him. The Rebel Army relies mostly on outdated equipment for its forces. Moreover, they are also short on resources and cannibalizing parts for repairs is commonplace.
  Apparently, the main force can obtain genuine parts through political and economic means, or even embezzle them.
  
  “So, depending on the circumstances, we might need your ship to tow us. It’ll put a strain on you, but I think it’s possible with a state-of-the-art New Balance ship, right?”
  “That would be better. Even though we’ve dealt with Anferu’s men, the regular army will be coming. We should leave this planet as soon as possible.”
  
  In any case, the more forces, the better. Numbers are a weapon, no matter what you’re doing.
  Fortunately, the fleet of the female captain named Janet, who will be arriving soon, is unlikely to attack this planet indiscriminately. There’s a possibility of a battle, but they should be able to get away with running away.
  In other words, escaping through warp. He’s afraid of the gravitational anomaly, but if they warp in a direction that avoids it, they can create distance. Besides, regardless of the outcome, the Trismegistus has released its ability.
  They might be able to rely on it.
  
  “For that reason, I’ll have the Trismegistus do a bit more work……”
  
  Shougo said, deliberately looking at Yuuki.
  Then, Anish interrupts, blocking his gaze.
  
  “That’s enough. Yuuki only helped by chance.”
  “That’s right! In the first place, there’s no explanation for why he can even pilot that thing……”
  
  Percy, echoing Anish, raises his voice and reiterates the danger of the Trismegistus for the umpteenth time. Shougo and the others were expecting him to say something like “don’t ride it,” or “don’t use it” again, but they were interrupted by an unexpected intruder.
  
  “Vee!”
  “You, Thoth! Why are you on that ship…… Whoa, what the heck!”
  
  Thoth, who was clinging to Yuuki’s back like a backpack, suddenly pounces on Percy. It doesn’t seem like he’s trying to hurt him, but he’s acting rebellious, persistently threatening him and trying to keep him away.
  
  “You……!”
  “Technical Captain. Don’t get serious with a puppet. Besides, this thing has important data stored in it, right?”
  
  Strum, unable to watch any longer, picks up Thoth and simultaneously pushes Percy back.
  However, Percy didn’t back down.
  
  “Puppet? That’s not just a puppet. It’s the Trismegistus’ data!”
  “Vivi! Square, square! Vee! Hate, hate!”
  
  Thoth was acting as if he was provoking him.
  He slipped out of Strum’s grasp, perched on Yuuki’s shoulder, and looked somewhat triumphant.
  Looking at him like that, he does resemble a mascot character, in a way. Not that he’s cute in the slightest.
  
  “Ahaha! You’re being mocked by a machine!”
  “Listen! Don’t you get it yet?! This thing is……”
  
  Anish bursts out laughing at the sight, and Percy raises his voice at her in response.
  It was an atmosphere where someone had to intervene.
  So, Shougo let out an exaggerated sigh.
  
  “Sigh…… Look, I get it, it’s dangerous. I understand that this thing is strange, okay? But there’s no point in making a fuss here. It would be better to call the doctor. I have a lot of questions I want to ask him, like why he involved Yuuki, about the pilot registration, and so on.”
  “Of course! There’s no way the Trismegistus pilot registration could be that easy. The doctor must have done something.”
  
  Judging from his response, it seems that Percy himself may not be aware of the true nature of the Trismegistus. What he knows is probably just the surface-level performance.
  Self-replication, data storage, manipulation of various energies, and so on. Certainly, even those alone are dangerous enough.
  Based on that, Percy has decided not to board or activate the Trismegistus.
  “We haven’t been able to confirm the space battle yet, but we have a general idea of what happened. It’s dangerous, as expected. That machine is……!”
  “Vee! Vee!”
  
  Every time Percy takes that attitude, Thoth threatens him.
  Shougo sees Thoth’s reaction and thinks again.
  
  ‘I know it’s dangerous. But what’s important now is to use this, this cheat-like ability. After all, this is the only one who can find a way to survive.’
  
  Shougo is more or less in favor of Percy’s idea, emotionally speaking.
  But from a different perspective, if they consider Thoth…… no, the Trismegistus as an individual, would it have positive feelings towards something that denies its own survival, its own existence?
  Thoth’s rejection of Percy is precisely that.
  At the same time, he realizes that it’s terribly frightening.
  
  “I understand your concern. That’s why I have a lot of questions I want to ask the doctor, including all of that. Anyway, we’ll unload the Trismegistus from the ship. Will you, the original pilot, pilot it? Or will you throw a tantrum and refuse?”
  “I-I’ll do that much! Take me to the hangar. I’ll take care of it!”
  
  Just as Percy steps forward.
  Thoth starts making a fuss again. But it’s far more intense than the previous threats, and even Yuuki, who’s carrying him, almost loses his balance.
  
  “What the……?”
  “You’re noisy, you little thing.”
  
  Yuuki is about to fall. Anish supports him.
  That exchange alone was heartwarming.
  Percy ignores the fussing Thoth and moves on.
  Shougo and the others also try to return to the ship to finish their work for the time being.
  
  “Come here, Thoth. Come on!”
  
  The moment Percy tries to grab Thoth.
  
  “Vee!”
  
  Thoth screams like a siren.
  And then……
  
  “Huh?”
  
  Shougo is stunned by what he sees.
  Percy, who was trying to grab Thoth, has vanished into thin air.
  
  “Vivi, Vivi!”
  
  Thoth laughs as if he finds it amusing.
  And then……
  
  『Captain! The Mirandora’s warp drive is──』
  
  Clart’s scream comes from the intercom built into his uniform.
  But at the same time, Shougo and the others are enveloped in a white light.
  
  “Hey, no way!”
  
  Shougo’s cry of astonishment and the feeling of weightlessness hit him at the same time.
  He unconsciously covered his mouth. Even though it would be a meaningless act if they were truly in outer space.
  However, it was the familiar bridge.
  And for some reason, only Mark, Yuuki, and Anish were there.
  The figures of the Rebel Army and the security forces were nowhere to be seen.
  
  “C-Captain…… the ship has…… warped out…… w-we’re in space.”
  
  Clart, sitting at the operator’s seat, said with a pale face.
  
  “W-What…… why?!”
  
  Shougo’s scream echoed.