I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship, so I Became a Space Mercenary

「I’m going to undergo a detailed examination…」

Kugi, who had suddenly been possessed by the mental projection of a dangerously powerful psionic being, experienced actual physical changes—like growing an extra tail or strange markings appearing on her face that looked like makeup—so she went to undergo a detailed examination. Or rather, she was practically forced to go by a crowd of researchers who surrounded her. Fortunately, several shrine maidens from the Ministry of Divine Affairs went with her, and I made sure to threaten them that if anything happened to Kugi, I’d unleash hell. So, I think it’ll be fine… probably.

「Man, I gotta say, Boss, ya really can’t be left alone for a second without stirrin’ up some kinda big incident, huh?」

「It’s not my fault… No, actually, this time it might be. The saying, ‘Loose lips sink ships,’ really rings true.」

「Who knows? But either way, don’t you think that person might’ve planned for things to end up like this all along?」

With Kugi being whisked away for her examination, Tamamo, who was supposed to help me train my Third Spiritual Form, had naturally gone along with her. This meant my training had to be put on hold. Since we had some downtime, everyone gathered near the temporary hangar where Krishna was stored to take a break and chat about everything that had happened. Elma’s opinion does seem plausible—it’s possible this was intentional, though her body going ‘boom’ might not have been part of the plan.

「Maybe so, but there’s no point dwelling on it now. What’s done is done. By the way, how’s everyone else doing? You’re not bored, are you?」

「Neve-chan and I are just enjoying ourselves sightseeing. We’ve been taken to all kinds of shopping spots, so we’re not bored at all!」

「It feels like there are more scenic and beautiful spots here compared to the imperial capital of the Grakkan Empire. The capital was impressive in its own way, though, with how developed it was.」

Mimi and Neve, who had been spending a lot of time together recently, said this as they showed me holo-images they’d taken along the way. I see what they mean. Compared to Grakkius—the imperial capital— there’s a lot more nature integrated into the cityscape here. The buildings aren’t crammed together either; the city planning seems more spacious and relaxed. Plus, there aren’t many tall buildings, so you can see quite far.

「Is it because there aren’t as many people living here?」

「Who knows? Remember how this habitable zone had an absurd number of planets clustered together? It could simply mean there’s a lot more room for living spaces.」

「So they simply have plenty of land to go around… Well, this place is kind of like a ringworld in a way, isn’t it?」

A ringworld refers to a massive megastructure built within the habitable zone of a star system. It forms a ring encircling the star, using its interior as a living space. By utilizing the entirety of a star’s habitable zone, such a structure would be unimaginably large and capable of housing an enormous population.

Still, I doubt this universe has one—it’s just too massive. However, the star system we’re in, which serves as the Holy Vuelzarus Empire’s home system—come to think of it, I never did catch the name of this star system—has an unusual number of habitable planets within its habitable zone. In a way, it feels like a similar concept to a ringworld, except implemented in a more natural, planetary form.

「You and your weird trivia… Ringworlds as a concept have been around for ages, but no matter how you calculate it, the cost is always astronomically impractical. That’s why no one’s ever actually built one.」

「Really? I think it would be cool, though. Then again, since there are plenty of star systems out there, I guess it makes more sense to invest in terraforming random rocks rather than gamble resources on building a ringworld.」

Unless science and technology eventually advance to the point where intelligent beings are freed from the constraints of time and matter, constructing megastructures like a ringworld may remain an unattainable dream.

「Elma, you were training your psionic abilities, weren’t you?」

「I was, but I can’t do anything even remotely close to what you can do, let alone what the Holy Vuelzarus Empire’s military officers are capable of. Don’t get your hopes up too high. Still, it’s all about how you use what you’ve got, I suppose.」

「Sounds like you’ve made some progress, though.」

「Well, yeah. But let me say it again—don’t expect too much.」

Elma shrugged as she said that. Still, she’s really insistent on downplaying her abilities. She’s either genuinely not confident in her psionic abilities, or she’s trying to set me up for a surprise. Either way, it seems best not to press her on it for now.

「Oh, by the way, about psionic abilities, it turns out Neve-chan, Tina-sab, Wiska-san, and I have absolutely no talent for them at all.」

「No matter how many years we train, we apparently wouldn’t be able to so much as move a pen. Though I’ve heard that if you undergo biological modifications to enable psionic abilities, that’s a different story.」

「Yeah, I don’t think I’d go that far just to use ‘em. What ‘bout you, Wee?」

「I’m in the same boat. I don’t think I’d go through with something like that… though it’s a little tempting.」

As Wiska said that, she thrust her hand forward with a ‘Hyaaah!’ gesture. Was that supposed to mimic someone using psionic abilities? Honestly, it was kind of adorable.

「Oh, but you know, someone asked me some weird questions.」

「Weird questions?」

「Yes. They asked, ‘By any chance, are you particularly lucky?’ After that, they ran all sorts of tests or measurements with some machines I didn’t really understand.」

「I see… Let’s go ask them about the details together later, okay?」

「Yes!」

Mimi’s face lit up with a big smile, clearly excited about the chance to accompany me. Over the past few days, I’ve been caught up in training and other tasks, leaving her a bit neglected. Since we’re not pressed for time, I should try to approach things with a bit more balance and give everyone the attention they deserve.

「By the way, what about Dr. Shouko?」

「After collecting genetic data from the Holy Vuelzarus Empire people, she’s been holed up in the lab of the Black Lotus with several Holy Empire’s scientists, running around doing who-knows-what. Maybe you should check in with her?」

「Good point. I’ll contact her after we ask about Mimi’s tests.」

I glanced at the message application on my portable device. I’d sent earlier a message to all the girls about meeting near Krishna for a break but Dr. Shouko hadn’t answered.

Now that I see it again, there is a reply from her that reads, ‘I’m back at Black Lotus right now, so it’s a bit tricky. Sorry!’

I didn’t noticed it—my mistake. Well, I’m not particularly worried about her. Dr. Shouko is an accomplished adult after all…

Wait… maybe I should worry a bit? She’s always been a bit careless about her own safety, even back when she was with Inagawa Technologies. Still, this is the Holy Vuelzarus Empire—it’s highly unlikely anything dangerous would happen to her here. Probably. Hopefully.

☆★☆

「To sum it up, Miss Mimi is what you could call a singularity… Wow, these numbers are incredible.」

The flamboyant scholar with striking red feathered wings—who introduced himself as Ou—said this while pointing an incomprehensible device at Mimi and me. Using telekinesis, I nudged the device slightly so it pointed off in another direction while pondering the meaning of his words. Singularity, huh? That term could mean so many things—mathematical, geometrical, physical, and more.

「Does this have something to do with Mimi’s good luck?」

「In a way, yes. You’re aware that the Third Spiritual Form is able to manipulate space-time and destiny, right?」

「Of course. I’m able to use it to a certain extent, after all. But Mimi has absolutely no aptitude for psionic abilities, right?」

I glanced at Mimi, who nodded energetically next to me.

「Indeed, Miss Mimi has no such aptitude. However, lacking talent in psionic abilities doesn’t necessarily mean one cannot interact with those domains. In fact, I believe Miss Mimi possesses a unique trait or talent that’s, in some ways, even rarer than those of psionic users like us—or you.」

「And that’s her uncanny good luck?」

「Exactly. It’s akin to a form of reality or destiny alteration. Out of the infinite possible futures, she draws the one that’s most advantageous to her. People often described as ‘lucky’ tend to have this sort of ability to varying degrees. That said, for most, it’s nothing extraordinary—at best, they slightly exceed the statistical average. For example, even someone described as very lucky might only have a marginally higher probability of rolling a seven or higher on two dice.」

I see. Some part of my brain wanted to shout, ‘The average roll of 2d6 is 5!’ but now it’s not the moment.

「So Mimi’s case is different?」

「Indeed… It seems that when Miss Mimi is with you, Hiro-dono, this characteristic of hers becomes especially pronounced. Could it be that Miss Mimi is somehow interfering with your powers…? Is such a thing even possible…?」

Ou pointed the mysterious device at us again, muttering to himself as if caught in some arcane train of thought. Ugh, this guy’s hopeless.

「There’s no danger involved, right?」

「That depends on how you define danger. At the very least, I don’t believe there’s any risk to either of you at present. Please, do stay on good terms with each other.」

「Don’t say things that make me anxious.」

The way he phrased it made it sound like if Mimi and I broke up, her extraordinary luck might somehow turn against us. Even as a joke, it isn’t funny. If Mimi’s luck flipped into misfortune, the consequences would be catastrophic.

「Hiro-sama and I are very close, so there’s nothing to worry about!」n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

「Yeah, you’re right.」

Mimi suddenly hugged me from the side, her warmth and softness pressing against me. She is right—there is no reason for concern. I have no intention of distancing myself from Mimi, now or ever. Even if there is some underlying truth to what Ou hinted at, as long as Mimi and I love each other, there shouldn’t be any issues. Probably.

That said, I have been somewhat neglecting her recently, focusing entirely on my training and leaving her to her own devices. At the very least, I should spend today with her to make up for lost time.