Did you guys forget anything?

　All the usual members of the team respond to Mom's question. I don't care if I forgot something or not, I can't wait to get out of these f*cking hot clothes. Should I have stayed behind with Con?　In the midst of light regret, Mom's voice rang out loudly.

'Good. Then let's head for the moon!　Get into the shuttle.

　Mom was beckoning me to the entrance of the Shuttle to the Moon in a light tone of voice, as if she were going to a convenience store. As I watched with a sideways glance, I remembered why I had to put on a space suit and board this shuttle.




----Kouki Arakawa Point of View


　After the ladies came out of the bath, Shingo and I set up the barbecue set up in front of the front door and prepared to grill the meat. As we were skewering the vegetables and meat, Alice and Aikawa-san came out the front door, changing into their sweats.

'I'm hungry, Koki-kun,'

　With a wry smile on her face at Alice's words, Aikawa-san asked me about my 'summer vacation plans' as she and Shingo split up to cook the meat.

''Hey, Arakawa-kun and Shin-kun, what are you going to do for your summer vacation?''

　I'm having trouble answering that question with a straight face because I haven't made up my mind. 　When I said that to Aikawa-san, he sighed as if he was looking at raw garbage.
　No, because that's how it should be!　You know, a student's summer vacation is supposed to be about going to bed in the morning and getting up in the evening!　I asked Shingo for his consent.

Gouki, I don't think that's possible.

He sighed in a dumbfounded way. I'd like to ask Alice about it, but I have no doubt she'll give me the same opinion, so I'll weigh myself. As I was roasting the meat, almost crying over the lack of allies, Shingo came to me as if he remembered.

I've been told that the International Research Station will be built on the moon during the summer vacation. I heard that the academy is cooperating with you.

　Oh, you plan to do that? As I was listening to him as he removed the vegetables from the spit and ate only the meat, Aikawa-san continued the conversation.

'As I recall, wasn't Arakawa-kun's mother in charge of the construction and investigation?　It's awesome.

　Sorry, but I don't know. The scope of what my mom does on a regular basis is so broad to begin with that I can't keep track of what she's doing right now. Should I ask her when I get home?　Just as I was thinking about this, I heard an email ringing from the terminal on my arm.


I forgot to mention that your mother is going to the moon next week to build the 'International Research Station'. I would like to take Alice and the others with me, so please listen to my plans for the next two weeks.


　It wasn't my fault when I checked the text, I seriously suspected the existence of a wiretap or a surveillance camera. When I showed everyone the email, which was so perfectly timed, they all agreed to join. I continued to eat my meat in silence, feeling that something more troublesome was about to happen.





　Then we hurriedly prepared for the event and are now. As I sat in the seat of the shuttle, I adjusted the cooling system of my life-supported spacesuit to lower the internal temperature. There, I remember the last time I was sent into space in a rocket and it shook like crazy, and I ask my mom how it's going to be this time.

It was a ballistic missile, and it was not designed to carry a person, so it shook. This time, like an airplane, it takes off from the runway and flies leisurely into the stratosphere, then leaves the atmosphere with a booster.
　Then we'll get a big booster and fuel from the working ship in orbit to reaccelerate the spacecraft, and we'll accelerate to 120,000 kilometers per hour and head for the surface of the moon.

　Aikawa-san, a space specialist sitting across the aisle, said, 'We're going to break through the third space speed! I know he's surprised to hear me say that, but I don't know much about that, so I can only think of it as something amazing. But it's only about 400,000 kilometers to the moon, so it's going to take about 4 hours to get there....
　I'm not telling you that I was a little bit nervous because I was expecting my mother to say something like, 'We're going to warp through space.

'We will be taking off soon. Please take your seats and use your belts for safety.

　As I was eating the biscuits Alice gave me, an announcement was made. As I sat quietly, buckling my belt as instructed, I remembered that in the world before I was reincarnated in this world, there was a gossip that there was a 'secret alien base' on the 'dark side of the moon', and I asked my mother about it.

'Hm?　The dark side of the moon?　There are the remains of Nanika, yes. The life forms aren't there already, though.

　You have one!　And can you say that normally?　That kind of thing is a top secret and a civilian secret....

"Kou-chan, you're not a 'civilian' when you're here right now, okay?

"Gongju-kun, didn't you sign the 'security clearance document' before you got on the shuttle?

　Alice is talking to me with a look on her face as if she's not sure what she's talking about now, but I don't remember signing any such documents. Well, I'm pretty sure my mother wrote and submitted the paperwork for me behind the scenes, too. With a faint vibration, I realized that the shuttle I'm on has started to take off. The shuttle is designed to leave the atmosphere, so it has no windows, so you can't see what's going on outside.

"Congratulations, Congratulations, I'm free, let's play a game on the terminal.

　Shingo sent me an application to join the card game from his personal terminal, and I give him permission. I was somewhat impressed by the fact that even though the world has changed, it's still the same for me to pass the time with playing cards when I'm bored, and when I operated my own terminal, I noticed something that bothered me.

"Hey, isn't that one person too many?

　The four people displayed in the lobby of the game screen, me, Alice, Shingo, and Aikawa-san, as well as a fifth person, 'Miichan', were displayed. Who's that?　"Miichan.

It's your mother!

　I overhear Mom confidently declare with a somewhat annoyed expression on her face, and I propose a kick vote for 'Miichan' for all of us. My proposal appears at the top of the terminal, but it's rejected by a vote of 1 in favor and 3 against. Everyone but me feels like they're welcoming my mom........
　Don't be a good old man and don't come to the children's game!　And I'm playing a simple millionaire with no stair bindings, etc., and my mom is too strong... there's no way I'm going to be a millionaire all six times I've played it!　Why are you so strong?

'Arakawa-san, why are you so strong?'

　Aikawa-san seemed to be wondering about it too, and asked her mother fearfully.

'Emi, you don't have to be so awed. You can call me Miki-san!　It's not that I'm strong, it's simply that I 'memorize the cards on the field'. I know which cards are in everyone's hand, so I play the most efficient card in the hand.

　Don't consume your genius brain on a mere game!　You can use it somewhere else!　I mean, if you can do that, you ain't going to win a game of cards!　Everyone else seems to have figured that out, and a desperate look appears on their faces.

'We'll be docking with the working ship in five minutes.

　The announcement comes in at just the right time. I'm glad the game didn't turn out to be one-sided... I buckled up again and sat back in my seat, thinking about it.



　I stood there for about 20 minutes after I felt the light impact of the docking with the workboat, and then an older man came into the cabin.

'Ladies and gentlemen, I'm Daniel Ware, the captain of this shuttle.

　Apparently, he looks like a captain. He's dressed in the United Nations military uniform I saw before, and he looks like an 'air force officer' from an old war movie I saw. As I was thinking about this, Daniel-san continued with his explanation, "I want to be a good-looking person like that in the future.

'It is a great honor to meet such distinguished people as you and to be able to guide me to the moon. And I can assure you that we will have a safe journey in space with complete safety regulations.
　However, the next leg of your journey will be very fast, so you will have to turn on your respective life support systems and put your helmets on.

　Ah, yes, yes. The point is, 'You're going to sit quietly in your space suit because you don't know what's going to happen next, right?　 I'm worried about the captain's "stomach" as I continue to listen to his explanation.




----I continued to listen to the explanation while worrying about my 'stomach'.


　I had come to the conference room, as usual, to conduct today's flight briefing. When I entered the room, I noticed a woman wearing the rank insignia of 'Major General' in addition to the flight control officer who was supposed to be there, and I saluted her. Why is the general attending the briefing?　Such a question comes to mind, but we can't ask it, so we are silent, and the Major General opens his mouth.

'Commander Ware, you may be seated.

　I sat down in the pipe chair as instructed. While I was waiting to be handed the flight data, which would normally be given to me immediately, the major general began to explain, showing the images on the screen.

"Commander, the personnel you are carrying to the moon today are not 'normal' personnel. I want you to take a look at this first.

　I found myself watching the images on the screen and my mouth dropped open until my jaw almost fell off. It was understandable that 'Arakawa Miki' was on the list of people scheduled to board, she was the leader of the construction and lunar survey of the lunar base. It wasn't that much of a surprise, since they were going to get her to the surface of the moon eventually, but the other four were important.
　 Even in the United Nations Space Force, there are many people who think of him as a hero. Of course, I am one of them.
　Alice Alford, the girl who succeeded in developing a drug to combat the European Tragedy Virus, the worst enemy of mankind, and whose reputation is revered by many doctors, is rumored to have been rejected by the World Health Organization when they offered her the position of Chief Scientist.
　 I have read some of her papers, and I saw a talent for leading the next generation of space development.


And displayed at the end........the 'Kouki Arakawa' in question.


　He succeeded in developing the '8th Generation Power Suit' personally. I've heard of rescuing cruise ships and even heard rumors that he was able to stop a direct hit from a missile by crashing an observation plane into a ballistic missile. And last month, in order to rescue his kidnapped lover, he single-handedly re-entered the Earth from outside the atmosphere, forcing his way onto an island where the enemy was waiting for him, and held out as a decoy until the main force arrived.
　In the end, despite being a non-combatant, I single-handedly 'covered' the descent unit, which is said to be elite even in the United Nations, and after crushing all of the enemy's anti-aircraft positions, I rescued my girlfriend by myself and withdrew from the island as if nothing had happened.
　Other than that, I'm not qualified to view the information, but there seems to be 'something' going on, and the rest of the world is treating him with an unusual degree of nervousness.

　I want to resign and go home now................................no?　If I'm not good at carrying people more important than a head of state, a mission like this is too heavy for me. If I'm flying with five of these big men on board, it's good to be out of the atmosphere, but what kind of security will I have on Earth?　He allows me to ask questions, so I ask him about that.

I'll ask him about that. Fortunately, there are no windows on the shuttle, so once it begins its flight, the UN aircraft will be on full-time security duty. At any given time, more than forty planes will be encircling the shuttle until it reaches the stratosphere and will act as shields in the event of an attack. On the ground, the regular security forces will be removed today and another unit will be assigned to guard the shuttle.

'I remember that the security team at the shuttle depot was staffed by professionally trained special forces. Is it safe to remove them?

　No matter how much it is for security purposes, it is useless when a non-specialized ranger is sent to you. When I hinted at this, the major general replied with a grin.

The unit that will be on guard duty is a unit belonging to the United Nations Special Operations Group. The official name of that unit was not 'disclosed' to me and I have no right to know it.

　I see, I can see why you're worried. There's only one unit that even the major general class doesn't know about... it's the 'ghost unit' that's rumored to have brought down the nation with one unit. I've only heard rumors about it, so I thought it was a story made up by the PR department to boost the will to fight, but it looks like it's really real.

"Commander, your mission on today's flight is to get these five VIPs to the moon safely and quickly. I've also been informed by your superiors that you will be giving 'Kouki Arakawa' special attention.

　How do you get 'special consideration' to put them on a military plane?　There are no beautiful flight attendants on board, no drinks or extravagant in-flight meals to be served. Tell me what to do, really!

As for the method of 'consideration', you will have to figure out and implement it yourself, Lieutenant Colonel. Then, Commander, I wish you well on your mission.

　The Major General strode out of the room, letting my questions fall into place. This is all going to be on me if there's a problem. I'll call my wife before I leave I have to tell her that even if I don't come back, I'll still have a happy life with my child who will be born next month.



　After docking with the work ship to install the additional boosters in orbit, I headed to my stateroom without watching the work. I was desperately trying to think of ways to 'take care' after the Rear Admiral left, but in the end, the only thing that came to mind was to go out in person and explain what I would have to do in an announcement. I fixed the wrinkles in my uniform in the washroom provided and put my hat back on before opening the door to the guest room.

'Good to meet you all, I'm Daniel Ware, the captain of this shuttle.

　When I greet them, I can see that they are all paying attention to me. Lady Arakawa please stop giving me that price-taking look. Feeling my stomach ache, I looked sideways at my true love, Mr. Kouki, and saw that he was looking at me as if he had a favorable look in his eyes. Good!　Apparently, it's a success. He goes on.

'It is a great honour to meet such a distinguished person as you and to be able to guide you to the surface of the Moon as I do. I am honoured to be able to meet your illustrious colleagues and take you to the Moon, and I can assure you that your journey will be safe and in perfect safety. However, the next leg of your journey will be very fast, so you will have to turn on your respective life support systems and put your helmets on.

　If my head hits a bulkhead during acceleration, my head will be on a stick. At best I'd be demoted, at worst I'd be left for the backcountry or court-martialed after.... No, let's not. Thinking about bad things weighs me down, and right now I have to think about this flight. I continue with my explanation anyway.

We've been using the gravity generator to replicate the same gravity on Earth in the shuttle, but when we accelerate toward the surface of the moon, we'll turn it off. Therefore, please put your food and drinks in the special container attached to your seat.
　In case of an emergency, the cabin module will be separated to prioritize your safety. In that case, a rescue ship will be dispatched from Earth and you will be rescued within three hours.

　He glanced at Mr. Kouki during the explanation, but he was doing as he was instructed, tightening his belt, putting the cookies and drinks in place, and checking the life support system. Since he was receiving special treatment from the United Nations and other countries, he was inwardly impatient to see what kind of selfishness he would receive, but he was a good, honest boy.
　The expression on his face seems to be kind, and he doesn't look like someone who would run into an armed force alone. I finished explaining to him and decided to return to the cockpit.

''Thank you for your help, Commander.''

　The captain, who is serving as a co-captain, gives me a word of thanks. I was checking my equipment as I responded appropriately, when the captain asked me a question.

'What was Kouki-kun like?'

　You're a weird guy to ask. When I told him the impression I got, he was listening to me with a strange look on his face. I was curious and asked him why he was making such a face, but he refused to answer. When I questioned him further, he prefaced his statement by saying, 'I don't believe it either, but...' and then began to speak.

I have a friend who is in the Navy, and he is friends with a guy from the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force. I heard from the Self-Defense Force that Kouki once launched a 'cruise missile' that he had made himself when he was a child. The second time he couldn't intercept the missile in time, and the missile itself blew itself up.

　No way..... She wouldn't be the kind of girl who would do such a thing. I laughed at him, saying it was just gossip, but he froze when he heard the rest of the Captain's story.

'I heard that they launched a rocket a few years ago and the Space Force tracked it down, but it lost its target. I wasn't in the Space Force at the time, but I'm sure the Lieutenant-Colonel would know about it.

　As I recall, there was a time when I was still a major, and all the departments of the Space Force were called for emergency dispatch. I had thought that some country had launched a satellite without prior notice, but was that the case?　
　I replied to the Captain, 'Well, I don't know,' but I can't hide the fact that my hands are shaking. I still look like I'm carrying a hell of a customer.

'The additional booster has been inspected and installed. We are ready to launch.''

　I get a call from the work ship and make an announcement to the cabin, ready to accelerate. I see the Captain beside me trying to press the ignition button on the booster, so I rush to grab his hand and tell him to change the procedure.

'Captain, the first step is to turn the engines on the shuttle itself to maximum power. Ignite the boosters then, and then we'll gradually accelerate. We won't use rapid acceleration this time, the safety of our guests comes first.

...is that right?

Yes.

　The captain, who has figured out what I'm trying to say, silently follows my instructions. The Captain's hands begin to tremble too, but I can't laugh at that, because I'm pretty sure that if I end up injuring one of the passengers, I'll be 'killed'. By whom?　He gradually accelerated the shuttle and activated the booster, daring not to think about it.
　All at once, the G's on my body, but the function of my space suit worked and the burden on my body was minimal. In addition, because it is not the usual rapid acceleration from zero, the extra burden is small, and the cabin is also supposed to be pressed when there is a problem, the button that tells you of an abnormality is not pressed, so there is probably no problem. All we have to do now is to hope that we will arrive there safely.



This is the lunar base control tower. We've got you in sight. Please follow the guidance signal to land. It's currently -170 degrees centigrade and clear.

　After about four hours of flying, we received a transmission from the lunar base. The female controller is making a joke about 'temperature and weather' as if it were a normal airliner flying over the earth, but unfortunately, Koch doesn't have that luxury. We're devoting our entire attention to carefully landing the shuttle!　Please don't make that disruptive comment!

Captain, pull down the wheel.

Yes, sir.

　I land the shuttle more gently than usual and shut off the engines. All that was left was for the lunar base personnel to bring a mobile vehicle and dock it in the shuttle's doorway. Our work was done here. Sighing a sigh of relief, I offer to buy the captain sitting next to me a drink at the base's PX, but he looks like he's about to cry as he tells me.

"Commander it's us on the way back,

　When I join the base, I'll write my resignation.... I've made up my mind to do so.




----Kouki Arakawa Viewpoint

　After the shuttle landed, we were brought to the interior of the lunar base in a mobile vehicle. What I saw was the main hall, which was so large it was hard to believe it was a base that was still under construction. As I was looking around in surprise, my mother clapped her hands to get everyone's attention.

Okay, I'll explain the cards we're about to hand out. This card serves as a security card for the base, and you won't be able to go anywhere without it. Please wear it around your neck when you sleep.
　Also, you four will all have top-level security cards, which means you'll have access to virtually anywhere on the base. But you're not to go into dangerous places without permission, and you're not to go outside the base to the moon without permission. I'm trusting you all and giving you this level of permission, so make sure you keep it to yourself.

　I don't think any of these members would do anything stupid like that. Probably all of them would say 'I want to go here, I want to go there' to the people who work on base before they go.

"It's where we're all going to sleep for two weeks, but for security reasons, we're all going to have to share a private room in the same compartment. I don't think you'll have any problems, but in terms of water, try to conserve as much water as possible, considering the amount you've brought in and the performance of your circulatory system.
　Most importantly, a roll call will be taken at 7:00 am and 7:00 pm, so be in the cafeteria before then. The rest, well... if you have any questions, you can ask them then.

　You're just throwing me off at the end!　Well, there's no need to answer all the questions here and now. I think there are some questions that will come to mind when things settle down, and we decided to head to the room we were assigned to, guided by our mother.
　After putting our luggage in the room, we moved to the dining room and decided on our future plans. Aikawa-san will probably go with the lunar surface research team, and Shingo will go check out the new work equipment. Alice will probably go to another research facility that is studying bacteria and viruses in space.

'Do you have plans for where you're going, Conju-kun?'

Alice asked me what I was doing.

I think I'm going to go see the ruins on the other side.

　When I said that, I got a look from all of them as if I knew it. Because it's romantic!　I don't think I'll ever get to see with my own eyes the legacy left by an unknown, intelligent life form. I'm going to ask my mom to take me there, even if I have to push her a bit.

"Huh, so we're all separated for a couple of days from tomorrow.

　Shingo concluded with that, and the day was dismissed.



　The next day, after the morning roll call was over, I asked my mom if I could go to the "ruins". I thought she would be reluctant to go, but I was surprised to find out that it was granted surprisingly easily, and then she told me with a laugh.

'I knew you would definitely want to go to the ruins,' she said. I've already made preparations for you.

　That's my mom, you're a great mom, you've anticipated what your son is going to say and you're ready for it. I smiled and thanked her, 'Thank you,' but Mom explained to me with a straight face.

To tell the truth," she says, "the survey of the ruins is hardly finished. It's not that there were actually any aliens in there, and we weren't able to get in there in the first place. There was some kind of writing on the entrance, but there was no research going on, and I tried to blow it up and get in, but I didn't get a scratch on it. Please let me know if you know what you found out in the field.

　If my mother, a genius, couldn't see it, I wouldn't know it when I saw it. But I thought it would be good if I could be of some help, so I returned it to Mom and said 'Leave it to me'.


　As I waited in the lobby after changing into my reinforced skeletal equipment as instructed, I noticed that my mother, who had changed into the same equipment, and a stern man who was clearly a soldier came with her from behind. As soon as that old man saw me, he said.

"C'est agréable de vous rencontrer

He spoke to me. I have no idea what he's saying, but I think it's nuanced French. I'm frozen, and the old man seems to notice and makes a gesture with his finger to press the switch around my neck. What's that?　I explore the neck of my exoskeleton with my hand and find a switch in the same place, so I press it.

'Is the automatic translator working?　Do you understand a word I say?

Oh!　Oh, wow!　You can hear a synthesized voice in your ear a little later than the old man speaks. It seems that the microphone built into the exoskeleton is picking up the voice and the machine is automatically translating it and playing it back.

''I can hear you!　I was kind of surprised.

Ha-ha-ha, the first person to use this feature is going to be surprised. Your mother invented this feature, remember?

　Seriously?　Mom is awesome. I look at Mom and see her looking at me, smiling gently as usual, and my eyes meet hers. I feel somewhat embarrassed and look away, and the old man continues to talk.

I heard that you want to go to the ruins on the moon. I'll show you around, so take your time and look around!

　I smiled at the slightly excited old man who shook my hand as he said so, and my thoughts turned to the ruins I hadn't yet seen....