3 " The Tree Selection Ceremony"
At the Academy 's board of directors, Airi, Mikami, and Seto were sitting down tired on the sofa.
"... ... Because of those damn luck ships, the economy has completely tanked."
Economic data on the monitor was all falling.
"Traffic and insurance companies have all experienced negative revenue starting last week, half of them are on the verge of bankruptcy.The damage to the defensive fleets is also rapidly rising."
"It's not the damages that's killing us, it's that all resources and important goods are becoming so rare.
"At this rate the transportation industry of the entire galaxy, and every other part of commerce and industry will cease completely in a matter of months ..."
"Maybe if we beg hard enough we can leave the federation and join a pirate Guild."
"Well that's what we get for our reliance on Seina, an eye for an eye, bad luck for bad luck ..."
With a sigh Airi fell down on the desk and looked right at Seto.
"This is dangerous we need to find Daruma and have the Kamidake give the finishing blow before we're done for."
"... ... To do that we would have to allocate quite a large amount of resources to search for it, we wouldn't be able to take care of any other crimes."
"The problem is defense, right?"
"Of course, have you seen the results from the various times we've tried to fight them? "
"Maybe we need something to assist Kiriko with defense aswell, there was a slight incompatibility in the reaction between Fuku and my tree, but a slight gap is inevitable, but under normal circumstances it shouldn't be a problem at all, but with those ships luck, that gap could become a fatal thing. "
"What about using an AI controler? What about the unit from the Kamidake No. 1?"
"That would seem to be the most reliable method, but in order to make it fully synchronized with the Kamidake, we would need to accumulate battle data with a luck ship.even then with there luck who know what would happen .... still we should begin collecting data. "
"In the end, the best solution would be to just wait for Fuku to mature ..."
"Oho ho ho, while waiting, Galactic Federation will go bankrupt."
"And then, after that ..."
While saying they, Airi and Mikami realized seto had the only real solution.
As they decided, Seto drank a cup of tea.
"Who know's this might be a good opportunity"
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Seto who came back to the Mikagami headed to the bridge. From there she transferred to the bridge of Azusa's ship "Kirito". she told him she would visit in advance, a meeting with Azusa took place without any further ado.
"So ....you want Kiriko to do the tree choosing ceremony ..."
Azusa leaned deeply on the sofa with his arms folded.
"With the defense and response speed of a tree we can fill the defense gap of the Kamidake, the compatibility between Washu's ship and royal ships has already been proven."
Approximately seven hundred years ago, when Ryo-Ohki attacked Jurai, with the fact that the third and second generation ship hesitated to attack Ryo-Ohki. Tree's have to listen to the orders of higher generations unless the life of their master is threatened. That meant that the Trees acknowledged Ryo-Ohki as a first-generation tree. And that was confirmed when Ryo-Ohki brought the Kamidake to Jurai.
"Even so, she doesn't have to be the one to get one. Aren't you worried about the safety of the Masaki family?"
"Huh?" Seto couldn't hide her surprise to this answer. Forcing Kiriko into the royal family itself was quite a risky proposition.
It hadn't been announced that the Masaki family members were from Yosho's blood line. (正木 Japanese spindletree without the tree radical vs 柾木 spindletree tree) . Naturally, that was because no one knew Yosho was alive. Of course they were instead said to be from Funaho's younger sister's blood line, but because they were from an early civilization, they could not be recognized as part of the royal Family easily even going up into space wasn't originally allowed. So as far as anyone was concerned Masaki was just an honorary name.
Even though Kiriko herself was a competent and well-known presence within the GP and was famous for being an assistant to Seina, she was only a normal citizen in the long run. To accept such a girl into imperial family, especially when Funaho's rein was still not that strong, and Azusa didn't have the power to decide that. Not without the approval of the other families first. And it would look like it was something which was only meant to benefit the devil princess of Jurai.
"Although I can't clearly reveal her genetic origin,I can adopt her into the royal Family, on the basis that she will eventually be marrying Seina Yamada, Do you think that will work?"
Once she had been adopted by the Kamiki family and later to the Masaki family, changing her name for obviously political reasons, it might be enough for them to get away from it but at the same time, wouldn't reflect well on Funaho.
"I will discuss it with Funaho ... ... hopefully her and Misaki will approve it."
" I will appreciate it if you do so ...."
Seto herself though was worried of making Misaki and Minaho upset with her, it was a bit of a problem when she went and adopted Mashisu who was a citizen and before that she had adopted Noike. It could be seen as though she was diluting the family. Mashisu had reason to be adopted so she could marry Misao Kuramitsu, and then they now had a direct tie to the Kuramitsu family, but for Noike there was no clear reason for her to be adopted. If the survival of Yosho was announced and the circumstances around his grandchild Tenchi and the women around him were known, the reason for her adopting Noike into the royal family was thin , there were many other much more suitable candidates. It seemed like Seto just did it on a whim. Now on top of that, to adopt Kiriko, It would be a big risk to Seto's reputation.
"In the case of Kiriko, I think it might be more convenient if you adopt her directly into the Masaki family."
"What do you mean?"
"Seina is from Earth, from the same place as Funaho, the same village, as far as anyone in the universe is concerned, he is a sibling, they're as good as family so it can be seen as set up for making seina a royal Masaki and there are many people who think he should be."
"Indeed, his presence and esteem is getting bigger, and it makes sense not to let him get fully incorporated into the GP."
"I can argue that it will put him on Jurai's side, and I'm sure Seina wouldn't object."
"... ... It may not be so difficult to make Kiriko-chan a royal Masaki after all, we just have to persuade the other houses in the right way."
"But would there be any problem with the GP if we make her royalty?"
Kiriko technicaly is regarded as a member of the GP army. And, in extreme terms,that means she is technically on Seniwa's side. Becoming a member of the Royal family of Jurai was an act equal to betrayal. Of course, only some of Mikumo's older soldiers thought about it that way, it could still make things uncomfortable for her in the military. Criticism against her would be aimed no longer at her, Their anger would be directed to Mikami. Even though Mikami was a Kuramitsu, she couldn't help but be drawn into dealing with the dispute, especially now that mikumo's reign had ended.
"Minami should be President of the elder men's Association, but if Taima is appointed it will be awkward."
"That's a big deal..... good thing the captain of the first fleet who lost a fight to me is in good health"
-----this seems to be her second mention i assume this is Seto talking about the mysterious lady onthe doujin cover this also seems to confirm her as a Kuramitsu but she can't be Minami's wife because she is a widow.---
"If so, then there's no problem, it might be a good opportunity to eliminate the influence of Seniwa from GP."
"The opposition from those people will be great, but .... I think we'll cope, I'll deal that on my own. It seems though that there's nothing to keep us from move right ahead with this right away any case."
"Good, then let's move ahead with things."
Azusa and Seto headed for the transfer gate with quick pace to fulfill their respective roles.
Seto, who came back to the Mikagami again, breathed a big sigh of relief.
"Unfortunately to do this we have to put some troubles on Seina."
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"... ... What did you bring me here for?"
Kiriko was sitting in Nashiisu, which was closed during the holidays, with a alarmed expression. Seto sat across from her with a full smile.
"Why don't you undergo the tree selection ceremony?"
"What?" Kiriko kept silent after that for a while.
"... Who me?!"
The ceremony to choose trees was a ceremony only for Jurai's royalty, Seto had just essentially told her she had become a part of the royal family. It was no wonder that she was surprised.
"How!?"
"...... Amane is a Kaunaq..." Noticing what Seto was saying, Kiriko was struck stiff
"Ryoko is a descendant of the king of Balta, Neeju is the shrine maiden of Melmas ... ... don't you think you should be on the same footing as them?"
Kiriko looked dumbstruck, Seto gazed her with a smile.
"We already have the acceptance of the Emperor of Jurai and the heads of the four families, and I heard that Funaho is also looking forward to it"
"... Wait, are you sure you want me in the Masaki family?"
"Where else is there to put you?"
"Well, but ... ...."
"Kiriko-chan don't underestimate yourself or you're value to Jurai."
"What?"
"Seina is a good person, but he isn't yet a full member of the Galactic Federation. but currently he's only formally tied to Seiniwa and the academy. "
"In other words,you want to use me to tie him to Jurai..."
"It's not like i'd have to order you to do so would I?"
"Oh!" Kiriko got silent again.
"............"
"I know you're hesitant to turn the Kuramitsu-based military officials into your enemies ...."
"From my point of view, I'm more worried about Mikami ... ..."
"Don't think she can't handle her self just because she has set up that image of her as a gentle grandmother. Think about you. Are you prepared to turn the army into your enemy?"
"............"
"... ... Do you want to lose seina ... ... because you know that's what will happen if you don't."
The same thing would have happened if Kiriko's real lineage was revealed. For her now, military relations were trivial and Seina meant more to her.
"I'll do it."
"Good then get ready were going to Jurai."
"What?"
"You heard me, hurry up."
"Right now !?"
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"An Imperial ship with the Kamidake?"
Kiriko and Seto came to the GP dock exclusively for the Kamidake.
"Why are you so shocked?"
"No way ... ... so that's why I'm being given a tree !?"
"It should alleviate the defensive burden on Fuku."
"But will it work? I find it hard to believe that a perfect union can be done without actual combat testing."
"We know from 700 years ago that the Tree's and Ryo-Ohki are very compatible already, and of course Fuku-chan is too."
"Nevertheless ...we're going to be using it to go up against a good luck ship."
"Your anxiety won't help."
"Huh!?"
"Trees can sense your state of mind. The bond is very strong it will know your knowledge and experiences ... ... and the battle experience you accumulated on the Kamidake, your bonds with Fuku, Seina, and the other crews are transmitted to the Tree as they are... the computational reaction speed of the Trees surpasses even the most advanced computer, so a battle with lucky ships shouldn't be an issue, perfect synchronicity should be possible without much training. "
"So that's why your giving me a Tree ......"
"Well it also expands the power of the Masaki family."
"But I'm only one person ... ... It would be better you to just announce Yosho's survival if that's what you wanted, then Tenchi, Tennyo, and the rest of Masaki village would be apart of the line right? "
"Don't you think there's a reason why I've let Yosho skirt around his royal obligations for the past seven hundred years? At the very least I would like to wait for seina to make some sort of big achievement before I make that kind of announcement.but for now it's better to keep it unannounced so no one has to report anything going on down there to Jurai. Of course the accomplishments of Tenchi, Tennyo, and Masaki village's people are great, and the existence of Ryoko and Washu is also a good reason to let it be known, not to mention their impact by bringing us Seina was tremendous. "
"So you're just biding time till things align?"
"Well yes, at least for Ryoko and Washu-chan, it took seven hundred years to make sure that it had been long enough that they could no longer be seen as the bad guys,not to mention I have to downplay that I knew and kept silent, but with Seina running around doing such good, any wrong doing on their behalf is trivial compared to the results we have gotten from Seina thanks to yosho.
"I see."
"I'm thinking I'll do a little experiment with the Mikagami before syncing Fuku with your tree"
"Experiment?"
"I want to leave all defense up to the tree, so control will be given to Fuku-chan, but it will still be easier than controlling them all by herself."
"But what if we encounter a lucky ship while that happens ... ..."
"At that time that time, the Mikagami can defend us in a worst case scenario, so you can escape."
"I guess that could work ......"
"But if you think about it, if you encountered a lucky ship, isn't it possible that it could defeat Mikagami-sama?"
"That implies we will encounter it. In the opinion of Washu-chan, there seems to be large fluctuations in the probability of attracting Space Pirates when Seina is near royal ships, and I will do everything to reduce that number as much as possible when we test this."
"... ... Really?"
In other words, Seto, don't expect any encounters with lucky ships during this test
"Well, even if we encountered a lucky ship,it would be a good test of the system."
"Seto!" Hakuren saw Seto and Kiriko and came over.
"Mikagami-san's accommodations are complete, it's now possible to leave for Jurai."
"Yes, I understand, thanks for your hard work. Where is Fuku-chan?"
"She is on standby with Seina on the bridge."
"Well then, let's go.
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Seina who was on the Kamidake bridge saw that Seto accompanied by Hakuren had arrived so he stood up and saluted.
"At ease... if you don't mind can I borrow Fuku chan for a little while before departure?"
"Mya?" Fuku, lifted up by Seto, cocked her little head curiously.
"Hey Fuku, I'd like for you to talk to Mikagami for a while, is that okay?"
"Mia!" Fuku immediately knew Seto 's intent and jumped onto her head happily
"Thank you, Seina please ask Kiriko for a details if you're confused."
Seto said and she went off to the transfer gate quickly. Seina turned his eyes towards Kiriko.
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Seto took Fuku to the bridge and introduced her to Mikagami, the two began to talk to each other.
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"Kiriko is being made a part of the royal family!" Amane stood up in surprise. Of course, the others felt the same.
"Congratulations Kiriko-sama!"
However, Hakuren's people were infored from Seto in advance so they briefly congratulated Kiriko with a graceful bow.
"Oh! Yes.. Congratulations!" Seina also said in a hurry.
"Thank you. I felt the same way when I heard it from seto."
"... ... so from now on we also have to call you Kiriko-sama."
"I would prefer if you didn't." Kiriko said to the serious looking Amane.
"Why!"
"Even if there is no choice when conducting official affairs, I would appreciate it if you would treated me as usual in every other situation, in any case the GP is my top priority."
Seina seemed to be unable to conceal his embarrassment.
"What's wrong Seina, until now you've come in contact with the royalty Masaki's all the time, why are you nervous, have you forgotten that Tenchi, Katsuhito, and Tennyo, are all Juraian royalty? "
"Well, that's true but ... ...."
"Please treat me the same, because nothing has changed about me."
"I'll do my best!" He was nervous.
"It's not hard."
"Well, that's true, but ..."
For Seina, Kiriko was special. (It just reminds me that we've all come a long way since I came into space ... ...)
"Hey Seina, I want you to know that you are the reason why I become a member of the royal family."
Kiriko said shyly to Seina.
"Huh!?"
"In fact there's a plan to put a tree ship in the Kamidake to counter the luky ships."
"Like how seto synced with us that one time?"
"Is that why you're having a ceremony to choose a tree?" Hakuren replied
"Wait... you choose?" seina said
"Well you know how the tree's have a will of their own? That's why we have rituals to become partners with one ... ... it's sort of a matchmaking thing."
"And that tree you choose is going to be put in the kamidake?"
"The primary objective is to have it take charge of the Kamidake's defense."
"So we can guard with Light Hawk Wings! I see, then we will be able to compete against a lucky ship for sure."
"Yeah ...unfortunately we can't wait for Fuku-chan to grow up to do this."
"The damage caused by the good luck fleet is expanding to the extent that it can't be ignored, but it's impossible to deal with under ordinary circumstances."
"The only hope is the Kamidake ... ... Seina you're now more important than ever."
"Heh well ... ...." Seina felt a bit uneasy with that assessment.
Bling bling─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─!
At that time, a monitor with Seto showed up after a short calling sound.
"How are you on your end? "
"We can start here anytime."
"Seina what's wrong" The monitor of Seto approached to look at Seina's face.
"Oh, nothing ... ... I'm just surprised a bit ... ...."
"Just think of it as adding an accessory to your ship."
"An accessory ...?"
"We need to take a little longer on my end."
"Is something wrong?"
"They're a bit caught up in playing with each other ... ..."
Seto got out of the way of the screen, and it zoomed in to Fuku playing with the nerve lights
"Please wait a moment until they settle down."
"Heh ... ...." Seina felt at ease upon seeing that.
--------------------end of chapter--------------------