Chapter 33: Silver Soul (Cosmic Arc)

"You've finally arrived," Kamui said to Take Okakura.

"Thank you for letting me go back to see them," Take Okakura replied.

"It's nothing, just a small matter," Kamui said offhandedly.

"Um, when will I be able to leave this place?" Take Okakura asked.

"You can go now," Kamui replied with a cheerful smile.

"…Now? Really?" Take Okakura asked in surprise.

Kamui nodded. "In a moment, I'll have Abuto take you to board a spaceship."

"And, um, where is the destination?" Take Okakura asked, a hint of suspicion in her voice.

"It's a beautiful planet, perfect for a vacation."

"Oh, well, thank you," Take Okakura managed.

"No need to thank me. Abuto, take her to the ship," Kamui said, turning to Abuto.

"Yeah, yeah…" Abuto got up lazily and walked over to Take Okakura. "Come on, I'll take you to the spaceship."

"Ah, alright. Thank you." Take Okakura turned to Kamui. "And thank you for letting me leave this planet. Goodbye."

"Mm, bye-bye." Kamui waved at her with a bright smile.

After leaving Kamui's office, Abuto led Take Okakura toward the landing pad. Along the way, many people greeted Abuto, and some cast ambiguous glances at the two of them. Take Okakura thought they must have gotten the wrong idea about something.

After a few minutes, they took the elevator up to the landing pad. There were countless spaceships parked here, both large and small. Abuto led Take Okakura to a small ship.

"Alright, this is the one the captain picked out for you—a single-passenger ship," Abuto said.

It looked like a barrel-shaped vessel, much smaller than the others nearby. Take Okakura pointed at it. "So, Mr. Abuto, if it's for one person, that means I'll be alone? But I don't know how to pilot a spaceship."

"Don't worry, it's a new AI model. The destination's already set; it'll fly itself," Abuto replied, his expression deadpan.

"I see…" Take Okakura eyed the ship again. It looked quite new, so it should be fine. She adjusted her backpack and stepped into the cabin.

As soon as she entered, the door began to close. Before it shut completely, she heard Abuto call out to her.

"Take care, Earth girl."

Through the reinforced glass, she saw Abuto's weary face. She waved at him, and he waved back. The ship slowly lifted off, steadily departing from the landing pad.

After sending Take Okakura off, Abuto returned to Kamui's office. Seeing Kamui's ever-present smile, and remembering Take Okakura's travel destination, Abuto couldn't help but sigh for the unfortunate girl's future.

"Captain, I've sent her off," he reported.

"Oh, she's gone? Good."

"I'm sure when she gets to that wonderful vacation spot you mentioned, she'll be thinking of you, Captain."

"Of course—it's a place for the strong to enjoy themselves," Kamui replied, his cowlick bouncing as he grinned.

Abuto shrugged helplessly. "Before that, Captain, could you hurry up and sign these papers?"

"I'll sign half. You can sign the rest, just imitate my handwriting."

Abuto's expression grew even longer. "Captain, I've already signed so many for you."

"That's your job~"

"…"

Somebody, please come pack up the captain and take him away! Abuto thought to himself.

The spaceship carrying Take Okakura finally left Planet Crota. Through the reinforced glass, she gazed at the little planet she'd called home for so long—a sphere streaked with blue, green, red, and black, ringed by a faint halo of light. It was beautiful.

"Tetana, Coco, Nini…" Take Okakura murmured the names of those she had met on this planet. In her heart, she quietly said goodbye. She was glad to be able to leave without a fuss; if she had to say goodbye face to face, she might never have managed to leave at all.

After a final, lingering look at the planet, Take Okakura turned away. Since she had decided to leave, there was no sense in looking back.

"How long until we reach the destination?" she asked the AI system.

"Ninety minutes and thirty-eight seconds remain. Wishing you a pleasant journey," replied the mechanical male voice.

Take Okakura decided to sleep for a while. Before closing her eyes, she told the AI, "Wake me when we arrive."

"Understood. The rest chamber is now open. Please rest as you wish."

She lay down in the sleeping pod and quickly drifted off, her soft breathing blending with the gentle hum of the ship. Together, she and this tiny vessel were heading toward an unknown world.

"Captain, wasn't the destination you chose for that Earth girl a bit too dangerous?" Abuto asked as he signed the papers.

"Was it? I thought it was interesting," Kamui replied.

"I heard they've dumped more dangerous mutants there recently. On the interstellar hazardous species index, those mutants have reached a super S-class rating. The most dangerous creatures there used to be super A-class—it's leveled up."

Hearing this, Kamui's cowlick wagged even more. "Oh, that's even better! Abuto, looks like I made the right choice for her. She should become much stronger there."

Watching Kamui's excitement, Abuto silently lit a candle for Take Okakura in his heart. Poor Earth girl.

"Dear Miss, you have arrived at your destination. Total flight time: ninety-eight minutes and thirty-four seconds…" The mechanical voice woke Take Okakura. She rubbed her drowsy head and peered out the reinforced window. The ship was descending, the sky a clear blue, the land below a sweep of green—grasslands, it seemed. The planet's ecosystem looked promising.

Minutes later, the ship dropped lower, bringing her closer to the ground. She glanced out again—and nearly lost her balance.

"Sh-ship, can we… can we please go back the way we came?" Take Okakura asked, her voice trembling.

"I'm sorry. The initial route is set as highest priority. You may issue a new course command only after one month," replied the mechanical voice.

"…"

"No! Please, ship, can't we negotiate? Let's go to the nearest inhabited planet! Let's just leave here, please!"

"I'm sorry, dear miss, the initial settings are unchangeable."

Take Okakura looked out the window again, just to be sure she wasn't hallucinating. She wasn't. The ground teemed with monsters, each many times larger than she was. They crawled across the grass, some fighting and hunting. She saw a fountain of blood erupt in the middle of a struggle, spraying everywhere, and a horde of snake-like beasts swarmed toward the carnage.

The writhing mass of feeding creatures below made Take Okakura's skin crawl.

Kamui! Very funny! What beautiful vacation planet? Did you send her here just so she could watch monsters feeding before being thrown into some beast's stomach to tour the underworld?

She was exhausted; basic trust between people no longer existed…

No matter how much she pleaded, begged, or tried to be cute, the ship would not change course. At last, it landed, attracting the attention of all the monsters on the grass. They swarmed over, surrounding the small vessel.

Take Okakura played dead, pressing herself against the floor, eyes fixed on the monsters' huge, gleaming eyes and gaping maws outside the glass. The blood and flesh stuck between their teeth made her shudder.

What now?! In her heart, Take Okakura seized Kamui's cowlick and pounded it mercilessly.

The monsters poked the ship with their claws—it was hard. They sniffed it—smelled like metal, which they didn't like. They bit it—tough and unpalatable. The adults soon lost interest in the alien object and wandered off, leaving a few younger ones circling the ship.

"Um, ship, if we can't leave the planet, can you at least take off and find somewhere safer to land?" Take Okakura asked in a small voice.

"I'm sorry. Landing coordinates were set upon arrival and cannot be changed. Only after you disembark will the system reset and allow takeoff to seek shelter."

So she had to get out before the ship could leave! But with monsters everywhere, how was she supposed to step outside?

"I'm done for…" Take Okakura sprawled on the floor, mourning her predicament.

Juveniles of any species are always the most troublesome. After howling around the ship for a while, the young monsters started to play with it, rolling it across the grass with their claws. Left, right, back and forth—they were having a marvelous time.

Inside, Take Okakura was in misery, tossed from corner to corner as the ship spun. Every time she tried to stand, a swipe from outside would send her tumbling again, rolling endlessly with the ship…

She couldn't take it anymore! If she didn't get out, she was going to throw up and end up rolling in her own vomit. That was a line she refused to cross. Better to face the monsters than that humiliation.

"You win, ship. Open the door and let me out," she said, fighting her nausea.

"Thank you for choosing this vessel. Opening the hatch now," came the reply.

Moments later, the door opened, startling the young monsters, who all stepped back in fright.

Take Okakura crawled out with difficulty, the air tinged with a faint, fishy stench—and, right in front of the monsters, she couldn't hold back any longer and threw up.