Two weeks had passed since the ceremony at Junius Seven. Today was the day the White Star opened its doors to the public—or at least, to a very lucky few.
The demand had been staggering. Both the international press and the citizens of Orb had applied in such numbers that we were forced to implement a lottery system. For this first tour, we were hosting thirty journalists and thirty Orb civilians.
To keep things orderly, we split them into two separate groups with different routes. Ezaria Joule was in charge of the press, while Mu and Rey took the lead for the Orb civilians. It was their first official duty as members of Shadow Mirror.
Assigning Ezaria a role had been a bit of a headache. In the end, I'd appointed her as our official Press Secretary. My reasoning was simple: during the war, she had been the one spearheading the propaganda campaign against Lacus Clyne's anti-war broadcasts. She knew how the media machine worked from the inside. Eventually, I hoped to transition her into a political advisory role, but for now, she was our best bet.
Aside from Cornelia, who was far too valuable as a front-line commander, no one else in Shadow Mirror had much experience with the spotlight. I'd briefly considered Lemon, as she was sharp and socially adept, but she was already the de facto No. 2 of the organization and head of the technical division. I couldn't ask her to juggle press conferences on top of that.
As for Murrue, I'd discovered she had some minor experience with the media—a few magazine interviews back when she was part of the Phase Shift armor team. Apparently, she'd been used as a bit of an 'image girl' for the project, which made sense given her striking looks. But she was busy enough as it was.
Thus, the job fell to Ezaria.
"Axel, it's time," Lemon's voice pulled me from my thoughts.
"Right. Sorry, I'm coming."
The tour wasn't the only event on the agenda today. I was also scheduled to perform a full inventory check, emptying everything from my Spatial Warehouse—Personal Troopers, Armored Modules, transport ships, and more.
It was a calculated move. Ezaria had suggested that a public display of our military might would act as a form of "gunboat diplomacy." By showing the world exactly what we were packing, we would erase the image of Shadow Mirror as a mere "private militia" and establish us as a global power to be reckoned with. Ezaria might have been new to the job, but her instincts as a former Supreme Council member were as sharp as ever.
"Alright, what are we starting with?"
I was currently in the main hangar, surrounded by Lemon and the technical team. Murrue was there as well, alongside Murdoch, who was officially on his 'study abroad' program from Orb. Cornelia, Echidna, and Yzak were elsewhere, currently busy putting the Orb military's M1 Astray pilots through a grueling mock battle. I just hoped there were still some egos left intact by the time they were finished.
"Let's start with the PTs," Lemon suggested. "There shouldn't be too many different models, right?"
I accessed the mental list of my Spatial Warehouse. "Mostly the Mass-Produced Gespenst Mk-IIs and the El-Ains."
"Good. Let's see them."
I began the process, pulling the machines from the void and arranging them in the massive hangar.
"Good grief..." Murdoch muttered, staring at the growing ranks of steel. "Is your warehouse a literal bottomless pit, kid?"
I couldn't blame him for being stunned. I was unloading a legacy of technology spanning my home world, the OG world, the Code Geass world, and this one. The only things missing were the Gan-Ruu units from the Geass timeline, which I'd already handed over to the techs for study. (I had a feeling they'd come back as some kind of 'demon-modded' monstrosities sooner or later.)
"Wait, isn't that an Alliance Linear Tank?" Murrue pointed out, her eyes widening. "And those large VTOL transports... Axel, when did you get those?"
"Uh, those? Think of them as a little souvenir I picked up on my way out of Alaska," I said, rubbing the back of my neck.
"Unbelievable," she sighed. "Do you have any idea how hard we were fighting while you were playing kleptomaniac with the Alliance's motor pool?"
As I finished unloading the last of the units, I took a moment to look around. Between the sheer volume and the cutting-edge quality of the hardware now sitting in this hangar, I felt confident that we could take on the entire world if we had to.
"Axel, do you have a moment?"
I turned to see Ezaria approaching, a trail of journalists following her like hungry wolves.
"You're early," I noted. "I thought you were coming by later."
"We were," she admitted, looking a bit harried. "But the press was insistent on hearing from you directly, so I moved the schedule up."
"From me? Isn't that what we have a Press Secretary for?"
I looked past her and saw another group entering from the far side. It was Mu, holding a small flag that said Orb Visitor Group—I suspected he'd made it himself—leading the civilians. Shinn and Mayu Asuka were walking close to Rey.
I'd set this up intentionally. Since Shinn and Rey missed each other at the party, I'd invited the Asuka kids along for the tour. Their father, Kou, was currently drowning in work at Morgenroete, trying to develop an underwater kit for the M1 Astray using tech reverse-engineered from our Sea Lion units. He'd been disappointed to miss the tour but was happy to let his kids see the White Star.
"Well, the cat's out of the bag now," I sighed. "Mu, Ezaria—let's just combine the groups for the hangar tour. It'll save me having to give the speech twice."
Mu grinned. "Works for me. Less walking."
"I... I apologize," Ezaria said softly, looking down. She seemed genuinely frustrated that she hadn't been able to maintain the schedule against the reporters' demands.
"Don't sweat it," I told her. "We've only been doing this for a short time. You'll get the hang of the Shadow Mirror way soon enough."
"Exactly!" Mu chimed in. "Look at me. I'm already a total professional."
"Mu, you've been 'light' since the day I met you. That's just your personality."
"Is that so?"
"Beyond a shadow of a doubt."
I was trying to lighten the mood for Ezaria, but as the words left my mouth, a sudden, violent jolt of Psychodriver intuition spiked through my brain. It was a cold, jagged sensation—the feeling of impending, widespread catastrophe.
"KYAAAAAAAAAA!"
"MAYU!"
The screams echoed through the hangar. Mu, Ezaria, and I shared a split-second look of alarm before sprinting toward the sound. The journalists, sensing a scoop, scrambled after us.
"Stay back if you value your lives!" I barked over my shoulder. I didn't have time to play babysitter.
"Accel!"
I triggered the spirit command, my body blurring as I surged ahead of the others. I rounded the corner into the Teleportation Sector, and my heart nearly stopped.
A teleportation field was manifesting wildly in the center of the Lycaeos. Shinn was standing at the edge, screaming in terror, while Rey stood frozen, his face pale as he stared into the shimmering light. Inside the field, Mayu was curled in a ball, paralyzed by fear.
And at the control console stood a man I didn't recognize. A saboteur.
There was no time to think. If that field stabilized, Mayu was gone. I couldn't allow an 'accident' like this to happen, not with a crowd of witnesses, and certainly not to a child.
I charged toward the field. I couldn't use the Slime—it took too long to manifest and stabilize. I had to use my own body.
"Axel!"
Lemon's voice cut through the chaos. I felt something sail through the air behind me. Guided by pure reflex, I reached back and caught a small, cold object without even looking at it.
"Stop! It's triggering!" Murrue's voice was a scream of agony.
I dove into the field. I reached Mayu and, with a violent shove, threw her clear of the shimmering light.
"Axel, get out of there!"
It was too late. The world dissolved into a blinding, electric blue. The last thing I heard was the saboteur's fanatic roar: "FOR A BLUE AND PURE WORLD!"
Then, the White Star vanished.
"GAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Agony. It felt like my very cells were being gnawed on from the inside out. I had teleported dozens of times, but this was different. This was a violation of physics itself. My thoughts were a frayed mess of pain and light.
What... what happened? Lemon... Cornelia... Murrue...
The faces of the women I loved flashed before my eyes—the people I would give everything to protect. Then, the darkness claimed me.
"Oh? Ayaka, look over here."
"What is it? ...My goodness!"
"Don't get too excited, Ayaka. Little one, you'll catch a cold sleeping in a place like this. Wake up."
Voices. Who was that? It wasn't Lemon, or Murrue, or Cornelia. They were voices I'd never heard before, though one had a gentle lilt that reminded me of Murrue. Slowly, my consciousness clawed its way back to the surface.
"Oh, you're awake! Are you alright? As Chizuru-san said, it's far too chilly to be napping out here. You simply must come to my home so I can look after you properly!"
"Now, now, Ayaka. You're being a bit too honest with your desires. But it is a problem... we're just getting back from dropping off snacks at Natsumi-chan's drama club and it's already dark. Finding this boy's home might take some time."
"Exactly! Which is why I, Ayaka Yukihiro, shall take full responsibility for his care!"
I forced my eyes open. Two girls were looming over me. One was a blonde with a regal air; the other had deep, reddish-brown hair. That wasn't the problem, though.
"They're huge," I croaked.
It was true. My height was roughly six feet, but these girls looked like they were ten feet tall. And then there was my voice. It was high, shrill—the voice of a child who hadn't even hit puberty.
Panic began to set in. I looked down at my hands and felt my blood run cold. They were small, soft, and chubby. These weren't the hands of a soldier who had survived a dozen battlefields. These were the hands of a toddler.
I realized I was still clutching the object Lemon had thrown to me. It was a palm-sized device—well, palm-sized for a man. For me, it was as big as a grapefruit. I recognized it instantly: it was the Marker device Echidna had used in the Geass world. It didn't have a teleportation function, but it was a beacon. As long as I had this, the Lycaeos could eventually find me.
"Sweetie? Are you okay?" the redhead asked, her voice uncomfortably loud. "Oh, what's that you're holding? Can I see?"
I pulled the device closer to my chest. High voice. Tiny hands. Giant girls. The pieces clicked together, and the reality of my situation was far more terrifying than any mobile suit battle.
I had been turned into a child.
"You've got to be kidding me," I muttered.
The blonde girl—Ayaka—reached out and patted my head with a pitying look. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. We just want to help you find your way home."
"Ah... no, it's not that."
I had to fix my tone. A child speaking like a grizzled mercenary was going to draw way too much attention. Based on my past travels, I was almost certainly in a new world—likely one from a manga or anime. In this state, being conspicuous was a death sentence.
"Um... can I ask something? Where are we?"
"Oh dear," the redhead said. "Ayaka, he really is lost."
The blonde girl beamed, her energy spiking to an almost manic level. "In that case, let me tell you! This is Mahora. You are in the girls' junior high district of Mahora Academy City!"
Mahora? I'd never heard of it. It sounded Japanese, but that didn't narrow it down much. I looked up at the "giants" and the sprawling school buildings behind them.
Great. Just great. What kind of world have I landed in this time?
Status Update: Axel Almar (Child Form)
Level: 38 (PP: 615)
Stats: Melee: 262 | Ranged: 282 | Skill: 272 | Defense: 272 | Evade: 302 | Hit: 322
SP: 462
Ace Bonus: SP Boost
Abilities: Psychodriver Lvl 10, Attacker, Morale Limit Break, Geass (Inactive)
Total Kills: 374
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