----Shuichi Arakawa Point of View


"This was sent to me this morning as a report of an investigation in progress, but there is no 'Alice Alford' person.

　Today seems to be the day in my life when the most 'shocking report' comes in. But that report can't exist, all of Gongju's friendships must have been investigated, reports of people who don't exist will immediately come up in the first place... I said that back to Lewis, but he calmly denied it.

''No, without a doubt she has appeared out of the blue. Alice Alford, a Canadian citizen, was recommended by the Canadian government for her expertise in advanced medical care and was admitted to the academy after taking an examination.
　She has recently developed an effective treatment for the Tragedy of Europe, and is a true resourceful young woman, but she has no history of being a teenager. As for Clare, the only information on her is her birth address, which was not found in the Canadian government's main terminal, although it was hacked into.

　Louis is looking at my expression with difficulty, I don't think he's going to care about my complexion. I nod at him to encourage him to continue.

I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this. But it's already closed down because of a fire that destroyed its functions, and the time of the fire coincides with Mr. Alford's appearance in official documents.
　Also, I found the records of that genetic research lab in old UN intelligence records. They didn't have any details, but the research being done was called 'Project Alice'.

　I understand why Lewis was looking at me in the face, because if I'm right, if I'm right, the lab was doing research that it was ethically forbidden to do. But I still don't know, maybe I'm not, but I can't just throw it away.

'Louis, make a formal request to the Canadian government to explain the situation. If they're reluctant to do so, you can put our names out there, and if it's something to do with Gongju, we've been given sole discretion by the top brass. But it's a very sensitive matter, and I won't allow you to grieve for my son or hurt my potential future daughter, so resolve it in secret.

　After giving those instructions, I crossed my arms and collected my thoughts. If Alice is involved in this case, it's going to be quite troublesome. Do we have to change the rescue plan we had originally planned?　

Sir, we've got the identity of the terrorist group. It's that cult you were talking about.

　Lewis, who was in contact with another department, reported to me. Funds, personnel, equipment, etc. are no longer at a level that one religion can do anything about. As I'm making plans for the future in my head, Lewis tells me his opinion.

I think there is a high possibility that Alford-san is involved in this case. But it's also possible that I'm completely off the mark. I'm not targeting Mr. Alford, but rather 'Shingo Saito' who saved the earth from an asteroid by an AI robot and 'Emi Aikawa' who is well known for her space technology development are also friends of his son.
　There is a possibility that they may have targeted their friends for some reason. From my point of view, I think we should protect them both until we have more information or when the situation changes.

　That's right, since we can't throw away all the possibilities, we should do the best we can now. After giving orders to Lewis and his subordinates to protect Saito-kun and Emi-chan as soon as possible, I began to think again.




---- Intelligence Officer Claire's point of view ----.


　I didn't feel alive the entire time I was retreating from the academy to the Self-Defense Force base with Kouki-kun in my arms. In the first place, my specialty was intelligence analysis, not the main focus of actually putting on a power suit to fight in battle, how could this happen just today!　
　Moreover, the skinhead who was originally responsible for my role was participating in the defense of the academy, so he wasn't accompanying me in this retreat. That bald man's mission was to protect Gongju-kun, right!　The bald man should be sent to the base while we are defending ourselves. While we were mumbling about such things, the self-defense base came into view.
　Perhaps because a state of emergency has been declared, I can see quite a few power suits in operation and tanks deployed around it. And then a communication arrives from the base's operator: "This is the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force.

It's the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force. We have been told of your affiliation, and if you approach without permission, we will shoot you down.

　I finally lose patience with the person who sends me the stupid communication and shout back.

'This is the United Nations!　You've already been notified by your government!　I'm also giving you an identification signal, and if you lock up, I'll fight back immediately. If you understand, open the gate and we'll drive through on this.

　After declaring that, without slowing down, as we approached the gate, it was opened to the side as if in a hurry, and we ran into the base, sewing up the gap between the two.
　I've been shaken up at that speed, I thought I wouldn't be able to walk properly, but surprisingly, I'm walking with a surprisingly firm gait. I took off my suit and rushed up to him, and even though his face was blue, he seemed to remember me.

Oh, you're Rocket's sister. I thought she sounded familiar.

Yeah, I know, it's a lot of motion sickness, isn't it?　I'll give you some medicine and you can rest in the officer's quarters.

　When I say this, he weakly shakes his head, but only his eyes are full of firm intentions as he refutes me.

'I'm worried about Alice, could you get in touch with my mother to see if she can lend me some communication equipment?'

　I'm sorry, I can't allow such a thing to happen to you, but I'm going to call the top of the room for now and fool myself into thinking that I'm going to call the top of the room and urge you to rest in the private room. He looked like he was thinking about it for a while, but he managed to promise me that he would take his medicine and rest. After sending him to his private room and closing the door, I remembered the report I had sent him this morning.
　If your lover finds out that Alice Alford is an 'artificially created human being', will you still be able to continue to love her, Koki-kun?




　A few hours later, I was in visual communication in a communications room that uses a secret line provided by the JDF. The captain is on the screen, and next to him are the upper echelons of the United Nations and the heads of state, with Miki Arakawa on the screen next to him. I could feel my heart racing with nervousness in front of the members who were truly running the world.

'So, what's the situation over there?'

　The captain will ask you a question on behalf of the captain, and you're almost at a loss for words, but you calmly reply.

'Currently, our key target, Kouki-kun, is perfectly protected. Also, our friends Shingo Saito and Emi Aikawa arrived about two hours ago, they are also under tight protection.

　When I finished my report, he nodded his head in satisfaction and said, 'Good job. Vice Captain Lewis, who was standing next to the captain, explained as he took over.

The United Nations Special Operations Division has determined that this series of terrorist acts is a plan to abduct Alice Alford, disguised as the abduction of Mr. Arakawa, for more details, please refer to the report that you have. It is presumed that the main purpose of the plot was to abduct Ms. Alford, with the secondary goal of abducting and assassinating Mr. Arakawa.
. We believe that the organization behind the cult may be connected to the Genetics Research Institute, but we do not know at this time what that is, but we have received a commitment from the Canadian government to inspect the closed lab and provide information on this matter.

　I knew it had something to do with that girl, and if so, my guesses, which I've been thinking about since I got here, were correct?　But the explanation goes on.

It goes on to say, "In order to expose all the facts, we must resolve this incident as quickly as possible. We are currently organizing a rescue team led by the United Nations standing force, but due to the scale of the terrorist organization, it may be more appropriate to call it a 'rescue force'.　We have also confirmed that after the terrorist organization pulled out of Japan, it moved its entire force to an uninhabited island in Southeast Asia. We are trying to find a solution to this problem as well, as it is extremely difficult to approach the island because it is surrounded by the sea with good visibility.

　My speculation turned to conviction when I heard that explanation. I wonder if he noticed the change in my expression the captain urges me to speak up if I have an opinion, as an intelligence analyst I speak up with my own analysis of the information so far.

First of all, I will conclude that there is only one power suit in the world that can be approached effortlessly. You have all forgotten that there is only one power suit in the world that can be approached effortlessly.　It can travel 3200 kilometers by itself, break the speed of sound, even re-enter the earth from outer space, and is equipped with optical camouflage as if it were built just for this purpose.

　When I say this, everyone on the screen starts to buzz. I guess this is one of the reasons why you are called 'Son of the Devil'.

The first thing that comes to mind is to ask yourself, "Why did you rush to the scene of an accident at sea with a prototype that was supposed to be dangerous?　I'm assuming that saving lives was the primary goal, but this was probably a field test for the prototype, in fact he's been firing his thrusters as hard as he can.
　Secondly, why did he develop optical camouflage for the trivial reason of 'peeking'?　We can only assume that this was a desperate measure because they needed to hurry up development but couldn't come up with an excuse for their surroundings.
　We haven't engaged in any such foolishness since we actually finished the development and put it in the suit, and most importantly, I think it proves my point that we're building the same suit again, even though we're dumping the test suit overboard.

　When I finished saying all that, I heard the people on the screen shouting things like 'That's ridiculous', 'Is he a real devil?', 'How far ahead of time does he see? In the midst of all this, Miki Arakawa, who had remained silent, spoke up.

''So you're saying that you predicted that your son would be in this situation, yet you neglected it?

　No!　That's not what I'm trying to say!　Please don't look at me like I'm looking at such a bug, I desperately try to explain myself in a cold sweat.

''That's not the case, perhaps Gongju-kun was planning to fix everything by himself. This is something that is deeply related to his girlfriend, Alford-san, who was on the agenda earlier. From here on out, it's a complete speculation on my part, with no evidence to support it....
　I believe that Conju learned the secret of Mr. Alford's birth from his own network. It's true that we're looking into the records of his correspondence, but it's impossible to say whether we can grasp everything. And when he found out his girlfriend's secret, he chose to protect her instead of rejecting her. He was going to take care of everything in secret so that he wouldn't hurt the one he loved.
　When I first saw this information, I wondered, ''Can Gongju-kun still continue to love her even if he finds out that she is an artificially created person?'' But when I thought about his actions as an explanation, I realized that my thoughts were terrible and ugly. I don't think that such a thing was important to you, Gongju.
　I'm not going to be able to tell you what to do, but I'm going to be able to tell you that the size of the organization is far greater than I ever imagined.

Everyone listens in silence to my speculation. And then the President of the United States lets slip a few words.

'Are we wasting our time on meetings where our children are determined to fight alone?

　With those words, the meeting began to progress rapidly. The first thing that was decided was to ask for help from Kouki-kun as a decoy for the rescue operation, because he was the only one who could move the key 8th generation aircraft.
　It's a very good idea to have a good idea of what you can do with it, but you have to give it up. Secondly, the United Nations is sending in 20 percent of its forces for this operation, and major nations other than Japan, which is still in turmoil, are providing significant numbers of troops to reinforce the operation. And as for the details of the operation, Miki Arakawa proposed an unthinkable method.





----Kouki Arakawa's point of view


　After taking some pills in my room and sleeping for a while, I was able to think things through with a cool head. When Alice was taken away, I was in such a hurry that I didn't think twice about it, but she was wearing "my power suit". It's the same suit that Mom personally ordered from the Ruin Company, and I knew it wasn't an ordinary suit, but the specs I read when we were building the new model said this.


"The power suit you ordered is a modified version of the highest level of protection for key personnel.


　The thing is... that suit cannot be opened from the outside unless you punch in the 30+ digit password, and if you put it in emergency mode, you can stay in it for 2 days. There's also food and water underneath the seat so you don't have to worry about anything. Alice, who laughed at the specs with me, knows this, so she's probably locked up in emergency mode by now.
　It's not just a matter of time before you open it, but also a matter of time before you open it. It's a good idea to have a rescue team come for you immediately if you're asleep inside.

"I'd be hungry if I didn't have to worry about it...

　I was about to leave the room and act to get something to bless me with food, but the sister who carried me to this base at the right time comes into the room.

"Kunki, let's move to the 'Japan Space Development Agency' mega-float. And you must be hungry.　I've got some sandwiches for you to eat on the move.

　Really, this beautiful sister is too smart to be left as a macho subordinate, she should just quit her job and come to my mom's place... I'm pushed into the chopper and start moving around with these thoughts. As you eat the sandwiches they gave you on the plane, you say something you've been wondering about

'Why did they take me out of the academy alone?　Is it because he's your mother's son?

　I don't like being treated special because of this. It makes me feel bad for everyone that I'm the only one escaping from a dangerous place, and the fact that Alice, who was wearing my suit, was kidnapped should mean that the criminals are after 'me'. I want to ask you about that. When I asked that question, the sister told me as if to admonish me.

You will be able to find out what is going on in the world," she said, "but we have also protected Kunugi's friends Saito and Aikawa-san, although they are treated as special. You have created a cure for the tragedy in Europe, and you are obligated to receive special treatment in any country in the world, so please be aware of the results you have produced.
　Aikawa-san is a good friend of ours, so it was decided to make a special exception and protect her because she was in danger of being targeted in this attack. Secondly, I honestly don't know about the kidnapping of Mr. Alford, but I don't know.......it could be that they were targeting Conju-kun or they could have been targeting her herself from the beginning, but either way, it's something that should be investigated by the investigative team once the case is solved and it's out of my jurisdiction.

　After he told me that, we were both silent. I needed time to think about what was just said, and my sister kept working on the terminal at hand, and after an hour or so I could see the mega-float out the window, what was he going to do when he got to this place?　I've finally gotten to this point where I've come up with a fundamental question. Before I could even ask that question, my sister gave me instructions.

When you get off the plane, I want you to go to the central control room right away, where your mother will be waiting for you.

　Ah yes.





　When I entered the control room where I could hear voices buzzing around me, it was instantly quiet around me, I felt uncomfortable, but I headed to my mom's place. She noticed me approaching and opened her mouth when she looked at me.

'Gongju, I don't have much time, so I'll just get right to the point. I need your help with Alice's rescue mission.

　Huh!　Why would I do that?　I'll do anything I can do, but is there anything a mere student can do? It's a good thing that you're able to have a good idea of what you're doing.

I'll explain it to you, so listen carefully, and I'll ask you all your questions later, so for now, get the contents in your head. I know I've said it a million times, but we really don't have much time, so you need to concentrate.

　Mom said and projected the images on the large screen.

As a result of the investigation, we found out that Alice was taken to an uninhabited island in Southeast Asia, which is also the home of the terrorist group. There is currently a joint operation with the United Nations and major international forces to retake the island. But there's a problem... the island is surrounded by clear water, so any approaching the island would be instantly detected, making it impossible to launch an invasion from the sea, and the airspace is equally impossible with the radar network in place.
　And worst of all, there's a low pressure system approaching the area, which means a major storm is going to hit in nine hours and won't pass for about three days. That means the power suit that Alice is wearing will be neutralized, so far so good?

If I chewed up Mom's explanation and understood it, if we don't rescue Alice in nine hours, we're in trouble... I nodded and urged her to go on.

'But there's one solution. I'm going to use the new power suit that Gongju developed to forcefully enter the island alone and scatter smoke bombs and electronic jammers that block the radar network throughout the island. In the meantime, a recuperation team descends from the sky to rescue Alice and then quickly retreat.

　You wanted me to help you because I'm the only one who can move this thing and I'm the only one who can move it.

Then I will explain the procedure. You will board a ballistic missile with a special space attached to the warhead, which is scheduled to be launched in an hour and a half from now. When it reaches satellite orbit, it will separate from the warhead and begin re-entry 30 kilometers before the target island.
　Don't worry, your mother will do the calculations at this point from the ground, and don't forget to activate the optical camouflage at 10,000 meters above the ground. Then start flying independently from 2,000 meters, approaching the island, flying below 15 meters in altitude to avoid the radar network. As soon as it arrives at the island, it goes up to an altitude of 40 meters, then disperses the missiles it brings to the area at random....
　When it's done, we'll rapidly leave and have a ship ready to pick you up on the other side of the island. Any more questions?

　Questions?　No, I'm not!　I have a lot to say. Will it succeed in the first place?　And if it doesn't work?　What if the storm reaches us ahead of schedule?　I can't stop thinking about it, but if you say 'I'm the only one who can do it,' there's only one answer. And it's to save Alice, I turn to my mom and reply.

'None.'

That's a great answer, you're very proud of your son. Now, go get dressed and go through the boarding process in detail.





　After a detailed briefing, I was immediately strapped into my power suit and shoved into the missile. As I waited nervously, I heard an announcement announcing the launch.

"Launch, 50 seconds........49, 48, 47

　Honestly, I'm scared, frankly, my legs are shaking because I could die.

"30, 29, 28, 27

　But if I don't go, it will be impossible to save Alice, and I don't want to miss her smile, that's not something I want to see.

Ten seconds to nine, eight, seven.

　I think I can hear that voice of Alice's saying to me, 'I love you'.

'Five seconds ago ... four, three, two, one, fire.'



'd*mn it!　I'm coming for you, Alice!　I'll get you out of there, I promise.

　That's what I said out loud, and I took off into space.