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After learning about everything Akihiro had experienced in this world, Mikazuki shook his head and said indifferently, "So that's how it is. No wonder that old man gave me a smile earlier."
"A smile?"
Akihiro was stunned for a moment, then he let out a laugh. "Mr. Uzumi is a very kind man. He has taken great care of me. But enough about me what about you? Why are you on that warship?"
"About that... here." Mikazuki pulled out a headset, turned it on, and handed it to Akihiro.
"What's this?"
"Put it on."
Akihiro took the headset with a suspicious look and placed it over his ears.
"Yo, Akihiro."
"That voice... Orga?!" Akihiro's eyes went wide. He looked at Mikazuki in utter disbelief, but Mikazuki only smiled and signaled for him to talk to Orga himself.
While Akihiro was still dazed, Orga's teasing voice rang through the headset. "Hey, Akihiro. It's been a long time. Don't you have anything you want to say?"
Akihiro gulped, his voice strained as he spoke. "Orga Itsuka... are you still alive?"
"I'm currently existing as something like a system inside the Barbatos. I suppose I count as being alive," Orga muttered, though even he wasn't entirely sure if he was truly alive or stuck in some state in between.
Akihiro looked confused. "What does that mean?"
Mikazuki, guessing what Orga had said, cut in. "Orga is inside the Barbatos now. He doesn't have a body; he's more like a conscious presence."
"I... I still don't understand what you guys are talking about..." Akihiro admitted. Like Mikazuki, he wasn't exactly well-educated, and his past as Human Debris hadn't left much room for learning about abstract concepts.
And so, Orga had to spend a great deal of effort explaining it all over again until Akihiro barely managed to grasp the idea. Orga then gave a brief summary of everything that had happened from the moment Mikazuki appeared in this world until now.
After wasting quite a bit of breath, Orga couldn't help but complain about Mikazuki's tendency to avoid trouble. Had Mikazuki really pushed all the tedious explaining onto him just because he hated the hassle?
Hearing Orga's grumbling through Akihiro, Mikazuki scratched his cheek and laughed dismissively. "Well, I'm not very good with words, after all. I wouldn't have been able to explain it clearly."
Inside the Barbatos, Orga heard Mikazuki's response and nodded. "Fair enough."
As they talked, the two of them unconsciously made their way to the edge of a cliff. Looking out at the vast, boundless sea, Akihiro folded his arms. "Still, it really is hard to believe. People like us, who were supposed to be dead, are actually still alive."
Mikazuki kept his hands in his pockets, feeling the sea breeze against his face without saying a word. After a long silence, he finally spoke.
"I've already told Orga since we're both alive, does that mean our other fallen comrades have come back too? Somewhere in this world... or perhaps in another world entirely."
Akihiro's brow furrowed as he thought of those precious to him: his brother Masahiro, Aston, and the woman he loved... Lafter.
"Is that... even possible?"
Mikazuki looked up at the horizon and blinked slowly. "Aren't we living proof of it?"
"...."
Akihiro's expression shifted several times before he turned his head slightly toward Mikazuki. "Mikazuki, we might have to move separately in the future."
Mikazuki seemed to have anticipated this. He showed no surprise, looking at Akihiro with a calm gaze. "What's the reason?"
"I want to go look for them... If they're really alive, I want to find Masahiro, Aston, and... Lafter."
"Do you have a lead?"
"...Not yet."
The two were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't notice a car approaching behind them. The only sound in their ears was the rhythmic crashing of the waves.
The car stopped about a hundred meters away from the cliff. Cagalli Yula Athha sat in the vehicle, dressed in a skirt, with Ledonir Kisaka in the driver's seat.
Ledonir was taken aback when he saw the man standing next to Mikazuki, wearing an identical coat. "Is that the comrade Mikazuki mentioned to Captain Murrue earlier?"
"His name is Akihiro Altland. Lord Uzumi brought him back to Orb two months ago," Ledonir explained.
Cagalli was startled. "Father brought him back? How come I didn't know?"
Ledonir rolled his eyes and replied irritably, "Of course you wouldn't know. Who was the one who left Orb three months ago without saying a single word? You really caused quite a headache for us back then."
"Uh..."
Ledonir didn't continue teasing Cagalli. He looked at the two young men in matching coats and murmured, "Still, that boy was appointed as a direct guard to protect Lord Uzumi the moment he arrived in Orb. He's definitely not ordinary. No, I should say is every member of Tekkadan that extraordinary?"
"They haven't seen each other in a long time, so they must have a lot to talk about. Let's not disturb them. Let's go, your father is still waiting for us."
"Okay."
The car started up and drove away.
At that moment, Mikazuki suddenly looked back at the receding vehicle and smiled. "Anyway, I have no problem with you going to find the others. It's your choice. Just make sure you don't regret it."
Orga's voice came through the headset. "My view is the same as Mikazuki's. If you want to do it, go for it, Akihiro."
Akihiro's stern face finally broke into a kind smile. "Thanks, Mikazuki, Orga. But there's no rush. You're going to keep traveling on that warship for a while, right?"
Mikazuki nodded. "Yeah. Aside from the energy requirements for the Transition Device, I promised Murrue I'd protect them. I'll be staying on that ship until the energy is full."
"I see. In that case, I'll probably set off after you guys leave Orb. Mr. Uzumi has helped me a lot, after all. I can't just leave without a word..."
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