Chapter 1

Please enjoy this.

"Looks like you have some free time, Mitsu."

"That carelessness will delay our response when space pirates appear."

"Hehe, Mitsu is so serious."

"No, no, we've only had this 'Kanagawa' for about ten months. We still have over twenty years of loan payments left. If space pirates steal or destroy it, we'll go bankrupt!"

It was a distant future.

After several world wars, the Earth's environment had deteriorated, and resources had depleted, leading humans to venture into space for thousands of years.

A small spacecraft was navigating through a certain region of space.

Though called "small," it was over a kilometer long, but it was considered small for an interstellar transport ship.

The spacecraft was operated by a young couple and one other person.

To be precise, there were only three humans.

"Even you, Madam, understand the financial state of Ashikaga Transport. No matter how much we earn, most of it goes to the spaceship loan."

"And then there's the uncharming Kiyomaro..."

"President, you shouldn't expect charm from an android."

This third person was, in fact, an android.

"Mark A1253, Next Mitsubishi Corporation, Space Year 4789 version," commonly known as Kiyomaro, was a versatile type but specialized in spacecraft repair, maintenance, and security.

He looked like a handsome young Japanese man.

It was rumored in the industry that his appearance reflected the developer's personal taste, as she was a woman.

"Combining your share, we have 22 years and 7 months left on the loan."

"You're expensive..."

"You are the latest model. And you're performing well."

"I'll admit that."

For some reason, Kiyomaro felt proud, but there was a basis for it, and his owner, Hikaru, acknowledged it.

"Well, well, without Maro, it would be tough for Mitsu to maintain and operate the Kanagawa, right?"

In the current era, where humans had expanded to more than half of the galaxy, many spaceships were used for various purposes by civilians, the government, and the military, but there was a chronic shortage of spaceship crew members.

Civilians only ventured into space for travel, relocation, or job transfers.

Military personnel dealt with conflicts between nations, suppressing rebellions on controlled planets, and eliminating space pirates.

Government officials operated state-owned transport companies for security reasons.

Despite this, there was still a shortage of transport capacity, so many small private transport companies and small "one-ship companies" like theirs existed.

They existed, but they couldn't fully make up for the shortage.

This was because being a spaceship crew member was not a popular job.

Even if you started a transport company, many ended up being killed by space pirates or going bankrupt after their cargo or ship was stolen.

The military actively pursued and eliminated space pirates, but there were too many, and responses were often delayed.

As a result, many people applied to state-owned companies, which offered average salaries but were safer and more stable.

Even in state-owned companies, working as a salaryman on a planet or in a space colony was considered better, so there was a slight shortage of personnel.

"We can't let the Kanagawa, which we finally bought after risking our lives to earn the down payment during the 'Matsunaga Incident' a year ago, be stolen or sunk."

The husband, Ashikaga Hikaru, was 20 years old.

He was the owner of the small space transport ship 'Kanagawa,' the president of the small transport company 'Ashikaga Transport,' and responsible for the Kanagawa's repair, maintenance, and business operations.

His wife, Ashikaga Kyoko, was 21 years old.

She was a year older and the senior wife, serving as vice president and head of security.

In fact, she was a former military officer who had achieved the rank of major at a young age.

Her specialty was anti-pirate and anti-terrorist special combat, but she had also commanded regular units and held a medical degree.

In reality, she was a far superior woman to Hikaru.

"Brother, sister-in-law, I've finished the calculations."

"How is it? Seiki."

"Last week's job was quite profitable. We might be able to pay off a month's worth of the loan early."

"Great job, Kiyochan."

At last, the third person appeared.

His name was Ashikaga Seiki, Hikaru's younger brother.

He was 19 years old and served as the executive officer of Ashikaga Transport, handling finance, personnel, and general affairs.

"Jobs related to the military are always profitable."

"Your hard work over the past four years has paid off, brother and sister-in-law."

Hikaru and Kyoko's marriage, the establishment of Ashikaga Transport, and Seiki's joining the company were the result of various events.

The Ashikaga brothers were from the Akitsushima Federation, a Japanese planetary nation.

They were born to a typical working couple, but their lives changed when their parents died in an accident when they were still young.

After the funeral, malicious relatives came and took all the remaining inheritance.

With no choice, the two brothers entered an orphanage.

Life in the orphanage wasn't too bad, but they had to leave and stand on their own after completing compulsory education at age 15.

They needed money to pursue higher education.

After much deliberation, they enrolled in a state-run spaceship crew training school.

This school was free, offered many qualifications, and allowed students to work part-time on spaceships.

The curriculum was diverse, and future employment was stable.

Being a spaceship crew member, who spent most of their time in space, was an unpopular job, but it was perfect for the Ashikaga brothers, who had lost their parents and harbored resentment towards their relatives.

The brothers intended to join a state-owned transport company, but their lives took a turn four years ago.

The planetary nation 'Matsunaga,' part of the Akitsushima Federation, openly rebelled against the federation.

Prime Minister Matsunaga Hidehiro, a descendant of the family that colonized the planet Matsunaga, declared independence from the Akitsushima Federation.

However, behind this rebellion was the shadow of the Akitsushima Federation's largest rival, the Chinese Federation, which sent a space fleet to support Matsunaga's independence.

Naturally, the Akitsushima Federation also dispatched a fleet, leading to a conflict.

This was essentially a war, but it was officially called a conflict due to non-aggression treaties.

As the conflict began, several problems arose.

First, war is a massive waste of resources.

With Chinese Federation warships near the planet Matsunaga, the military needed to escort transport convoys to prevent the disruption of nearby planetary trade.

Regular fleets, armies, and air forces were also dispatched.

Naturally, there was a critical shortage of transport capacity.

Second, with the military concentrated near the planet Matsunaga, space pirates in other regions became more active, leading to an increase in attacks.

To address this, the 'Wartime One-Ship Captain System' was created.

The government lent armed second-hand transport ships to volunteers, who would transport goods through dangerous regions and receive high-risk pay.

Despite being a student, Hikaru applied and operated a second-hand small spaceship alone, earning a large sum of money over three years.

He completed his school credits through correspondence courses while working.

He faced several dangers but managed to earn enough to start a small company and secure a loan for a new small spaceship.

He also met his wife, Kyoko, and they worked together happily, making Hikaru feel fortunate.

"You looked so cool when you rescued me."

"I didn't know you had that kind of courage, brother. I didn't."

"Both of you, let's not talk about that."

Their meeting was a coincidence. While Hikaru was operating a transport ship, he discovered a destroyer that had been attacked by a Chinese Federation high-speed fleet and was about to sink.

Kyoko, who was on board and injured, was rescued by Hikaru, who was helping with the rescue operation.

In fact, Hikaru had no obligation to rescue her.

But as a crew member, he followed the tradition of helping fellow crew members in distress, which he had learned in school.

Kyoko, who was saved, fell in love with Hikaru at first sight.

Hikaru was slightly above average in appearance but not particularly attractive to women.

Kyoko, on the other hand, was stunningly beautiful and had a great figure.

Hikaru wondered why she fell in love with him, but she was also an orphan who had attended a military academy for free.

In this era, military schools were segregated to avoid scandals.

As a result, Kyoko had little exposure to men and fell in love with Hikaru due to the "suspension bridge effect."

Despite their busy schedules, they managed to meet for meals and shopping every few months.

They found they had a lot in common as orphans, and Hikaru was happy to date Kyoko, who pursued him.

Three years after the war began, the Chinese Federation's intervention ended with the destruction of their fleet and the suicide of Prime Minister Matsunaga.

The Chinese Federation's space fleet, which had planned to separate the planet Matsunaga, suffered significant damage and would take a decade to recover.

They also had to pay substantial reparations in secret peace negotiations.

The Akitsushima Federation also suffered significant damage but fared better than the Chinese Federation.

With the war's end, Hikaru's life as a hired captain under the 'Wartime One-Ship Captain System' also ended.

Instead of joining a state-owned transport company, he decided to start his own company with the money he had earned.

Kyoko, who had retired from the military, contributed her savings and retirement funds, and Seiki, who had worked for a state-owned transport company after graduating from the spaceship crew training school, joined them.

With three human employees, one android, hundreds of various work robots, and a new small space transport ship, the Kanagawa, they formed a typical small transport company, Ashikaga Transport.

"Once this job is done, how about a honeymoon? We haven't had one yet."

"I've thought about it, but we're always moving."

They had visited many planets but not as tourists.

They had held a wedding ceremony but had not gone on a honeymoon.

"But isn't there a difference between just moving and visiting tourist spots?"

"Well, maybe we can go on a honeymoon sometime..."

As they were talking, an alarm suddenly sounded throughout the ship.

"What's happening?"

Hikaru opened a nearby terminal, and an emergency alert appeared.

Upon investigation, a report came in that an "interdimensional space current" was approaching the Kanagawa.

"Bad! We didn't notice it until it was this close!"

"It seems to have appeared suddenly!"

An interdimensional space current was a mysterious natural phenomenon with an unknown cause.

Many spaceships disappeared each year after being caught in it.

Some theories suggested they were transported to another dimension or sucked into a black hole, but no one had ever returned to confirm these theories.

"Kiyomaro! Emergency evasion!"

"It's too late. Let's pray to the gods."

"You, an android, saying that..."

Hikaru switched to manual control and tried to evade, but the Kanagawa was caught in the interdimensional space current and disappeared from the region.

Later, the Akitsushima Federation military officially announced that the space transport ship Kanagawa and its three crew members had been caught in an interdimensional space current.