“Come on, come on! It’s morning! Everyone, fold your futons and get ready for breakfast!”

The cafeteria lady—no, Auntie Yoshie—roused the kids with a frying pan and spatula in a delightfully retro Showa-era wake-up call.

The children folded their futons with the crisp efficiency of trained soldiers.

Before long, breakfast was laid out on the tables.

Rice, miso soup, rolled omelet, and nori.

It was a simple meal, small in portion, but incredibly warm.

“Alright, everyone together. Itadakimasu!”

“Itadakima~su!“

“What a lively breakfast,”

“Tell me about it. Mornings are a battlefield every day,”

Kenya and Kaguya ate amid the kids running wild.

Every person here had lost their parents.

Yet they dashed around with such energy, enduring without family.

“Kenya?… No, it’s nothing.”

Kaguya glanced at Kenya.

He caught sight of tears welling up in her eyes since morning, now spilling freely.

Kenya himself couldn’t quite grasp what those tears meant.

Was it because he understood their feelings a little? Because he saw himself in them?

Or the family-like vibe of sharing breakfast together?

Kenya didn’t know.

Not even if it was joy or sorrow.

…

“Now, I’ll announce the operation!”

In the large hall, Kenya and Kaguya sat among many soldiers.

Isshin was the one making the announcement.

“First, the objective of this operation: seizing KOG.”

The plan was this.

They would ambush an Earthguard Empire transport ship arriving at the old Tokyo Bay that evening.

Activate the KOGs onboard, seize them, and immediately withdraw.

An operation to bolster their forces and deal damage to the enemy.

Kenya wondered if they could even operate an enemy nation’s KOG, but apparently there were collaborators inside the Earthguard Empire, so no issue there.

Startup keys were distributed to everyone.

“May I ask a question?!”

One soldier raised his hand.

“Even if it’s a transport ship, we can assume KOG escorts. How do we handle that?”

“We’ll deploy our own KOG.”

“Our only one?! But Kaguya can’t pilot it at full combat strength yet…”

The single KOG they’d successfully seized before.

All the soldiers here had trained to at least operational level, so they could seize more.

But none had real combat experience, so they weren’t battle-ready.

That was part of why Kaguya trained as a KOG pilot.

“Yeah, I was planning to pilot it myself, but the final piece fell into place yesterday: Kenya Mikazuki. Come forward.”

Kenya was called.

Already eyed with skepticism in the strategy room, now all gazes intensified.

“Kaguya told me. Your piloting surpasses even the Ice Princess.”

“What?!”

The soldiers raised their voices.

The Ice Princess’s name was legendary—said to be the second strongest in the nation after the Military God.

“Can you do it… Kenya?”

Isshin had decided yesterday, looking into Kenya’s eyes.

The man Kaguya brought back. The man Kaguya approved of.

And.

“To protect Kaguya, and this nation.”

“Leave it to me.”

Kenya accepted.

That was why he’d come, after all.

“T-That newbie?! Who even is he?!”

The soldiers clamored in agreement.

Isshin silenced them with a hand gesture.

“He swore to protect Kaguya, even at the cost of his life. You get what that means, right?”

“S-So that means…”

“Yes. He’s family now. Kaguya’s special someone.”

The soldiers understood—or rather, misunderstood—Isshin’s words.

Exactly as Isshin intended, to lead them there.

“Then no complaints here. Sorry, Kenya. Looking forward to it.”

“No, I’ll do my best. Please take care of me too.”

Kenya shook hands firmly with the soldiers one by one.

Congratulations came with each.

Kaguya couldn’t comprehend it.

“Huh? What? What’s going on?”

She didn’t follow the conversation.

But one soldier offered her blessing words.

That’s when she understood everything—her father had said it to make the soldiers accept Kenya.

“Congrats on the marriage, Kaguya.”

“Wha?!”

She got it then.

They thought she and Kenya were lovers.

Blessings poured in one after another.

“Miss! Congratulations!”

“W-Wait, that’s not…”

“When’s the wedding?”

“N-No, it’s…”

“No need to be shy—we’re looking forward to the kids!”

But denying it would undermine trust in Kenya.

It could jeopardize the operation.

As Isshin’s daughter and a resistance fighter, if her “boyfriend” status built that trust, she couldn’t refute strongly.

So Kaguya.

“U-Uwaaaah!!”

Ran off, face beet red.

…

“Alright, Kenya, let’s go.”

“Where to?”

“Obvious, right? Less than ten hours till the op.”

He was led to a warehouse.

Inside stood a single black Earthguard-made KOG.

“Finally, you get to pilot it…”

“Here’s the card key. You know how to start it?”

“Yes!”

He’d read the military manual urgently. Startup was simple.

Controls matched the simulator.

Kenya climbed the ladder from the back into the cockpit.

“Feels just like the sim. Insert card key and…”

The startup screen lit up.

Earthguard Empire design, so their national flag appeared.

But controls were familiar.

“Phew… alright!”

Kenya gripped the levers.

He’d moved it countless times, but never dreamed he’d pilot the real thing.

Moved it as usual.

“I-It moved. It moved!”

The KOG stepped forward steadily.

Inertia control in the cockpit meant almost no shaking.

Still, he felt faint vibrations with each step.

Growing accustomed, Kenya sped up gradually.

Little by little.

The watching soldiers gasped in admiration.

“Incredible. It moves like a human.”

“Yeah, amazing. Wonder how long it’d take us.”

Kenya handled the KOG like his own limbs.

Soon his movements flowed like a master’s martial arts.

Backflips, sword swings—like dancing.

His piloting reached extremes beyond even his own body.

Not just in sims, but inching toward reality.

“This should work.”

Isshin smiled.

Seeing movements matching Kaguya’s tales, he was convinced of success.

“Amazing, amazing! It really moves, just like I think!”

Kenya, thrilled, checked fine details.

“Jumping a bit!”

Warning over open channel.

Then he made the KOG leap.

Flying through the air, it felt like he himself soared.

“Incredible. KOG really is something else.”

Bathed in morning sun, Kenya was moved.

Deeper emotion than his first VR trial.

This world was hell, but he felt glad he’d come.

The sunrise made the world gleam.

…

Evening came, and the operation began.

“Man, guard duty’s such a drag. Totally unnecessary.”

“Hey, no dozing off.”

With that, the transport ship guards switched.

In the massive ship’s autopilot bridge, one man sat.

“Nothin’s gonna happen anyway. So sleepy…”

The usual calm sea.

Sunset nearing, but faint orange glow lit the ship.

The transport carried ten KOGs.

One KOG could shift battle lines.

Dependent on pilot skill, but an ace made it unstoppable.

Hence specialist academies, and the empire’s pilot focus.

“A quick nap couldn’t hurt…”

The man closed his eyes.

Then alarms blared.

“Wh-What?!”

He jolted up, checked radar.

An unannounced ship approached at high speed.

“H-Hey, what the?!”

He radioed warnings immediately.

No response, even to declarations of hostile action.

Then he realized.

“No way, is this…”

Too late.

A massive jolt rocked the ship as another rammed close.

A flag rose on it.

White and red, bearing the Rising Sun.

And at Isshin’s command.

“Operation start!!”

The KOG seizure operation commenced.