Chapter 2

"Where... where are we?"

"It doesn't seem to be heaven or hell."

"By some luck, could we have been transported to some other part of the universe?"

The three, who had lost consciousness due to the shock of being swallowed by the interdimensional cosmic stream, woke up almost simultaneously.

"Urgently! Check the current situation!"

"It's done."

Crew members of a spaceship often have a lot of free time during voyages, but because anything can happen, they are usually required to undergo regular training similar to that of the military. Kōki and his team also followed this practice, and immediately after waking up, they began to check their current situation, which had already been confirmed by Kiyomaro, who had not lost consciousness.

"It feels a bit anticlimactic... So, where are we?"

"According to the observations, it's Earth."

"Earth, the homeland of humanity?"

"Yes, that Earth."

In the year 2867 AD, during the Seventh World War, each camp used complete nuclear weapons that did not emit radiation, resulting in the loss of 90% of the global population and 70% of the continents, turning the planet into an environmental protection planet.

When Kanagawa's bridge checked the outside, everything was surrounded by the sea. The spaceship Kanagawa, which should have been in space, was floating with only the bridge and part of the deck above the water.

"Brother, I heard that humans are not allowed to enter Earth. If we don't get back to space soon, we'll be fined to death!"

Seiki's face turned pale. The current Earth was an environmental protection planet, and except for some monitoring personnel, humans were not allowed to enter. Moreover, violating this rule would result in a hefty fine.

"The fine will worsen our company's financial situation. We need to escape... but it's impossible! Kanagawa can't leave the planet!"

Kanagawa was a transport ship designed for space, and Kōki remembered that it couldn't enter the atmosphere on its own.

"We could install special boosters, but can we get such equipment in the civilian sector?"

Special boosters were originally military equipment, expensive, and not something a small transport company could obtain or purchase. Hope faded from Kōki and Seiki's faces.

If they were caught for illegal entry to Earth, the financial situation of Ashikaga Transport would worsen, and in the worst case, the company could go bankrupt.

"In this situation, we should explain our circumstances and request assistance. Since we were caught in the interdimensional cosmic stream, emergency measures might be applied."

"Maybe that's our only option..."

Following Kiyoko's suggestion, they tried to send a distress signal, but there was no response. Kōki's bad feeling grew worse.

"Can't we even reach Mars, the closest planet?"

"It's not just that we can't reach it; it feels like there's nothing on Mars at all."

"Huh? What do you mean...?"

"President, let's send out an unmanned reconnaissance drone to check the situation on Earth."

"That's our only option..."

Following the always wise and calm Kiyomaro's advice, Kōki launched an unmanned reconnaissance drone from Kanagawa. This equipment, which was actually a repaired piece of junk found on a battlefield after the Matsunaga conflict, was technically illegal, but many spaceship crew members kept such rule-breaking equipment to protect themselves.

"Is the current Earth just all ocean?"

After spending a whole day checking the ship and passing the time, the unmanned reconnaissance drone finally returned. Analyzing the data collected by various sensors, they were surprised by the results.

"There's no Great Lakes in the middle of the American continent."

"The Eurasian continent seems too large."

Before becoming crew members, they had all taken history classes. It was common knowledge that many continents and islands had sunk due to the nuclear war.

However, according to the unmanned reconnaissance drone's images, this Earth had returned to its pre-nuclear war state.

"What does this mean?"

"Maybe we were not transported to a different dimension but through time."

As an android, Kiyomaro calmly stated his hypothesis.

"Time travel... like in science fiction."

"Let's continue detailed investigations. For now, we'll hide."

"That's our only option."

Following Kiyomaro's advice, Kōki submerged Kanagawa's entire hull below the water surface and continued the unmanned reconnaissance drone's investigations.

"Our pride, the spaceship, has become a submarine..."

Kanagawa, designed to operate in the harsh environment of space, could function like a submarine in the atmosphere. It could also move like a surface ship if it floated higher, but the streamlined shape of the hull, except for the bridge, offered little benefit when exposed to the water.

"If only we could use warp..."

"We can't, President, because we can't perform emergency braking."

"You're really calm."

"I'm an android."

Even Kōki's sarcasm didn't faze Kiyomaro, who remained calm.

After several more days of investigation, the results were surprising.

"All the ships are wooden..."

"The buildings are old... no skyscrapers. It looks like a historical drama."

Raising the unmanned reconnaissance drone to a high altitude for further investigation, it only reinforced Kiyomaro's hypothesis. There were no signs of modern technology.

"What era is this?"

"Probably around the mid-16th century in the old Gregorian calendar."

Kiyomaro answered Kōki's question.

"Is it around the middle of the Hosokawa Shogunate?"

"Yes, Vice President."

About a century after the first Shogun, Hosokawa Masahiro, established the shogunate, it would be the reign of the seventh Shogun. They had learned this in history class, but none of them could remember the name of the seventh Shogun.

"Since we're Japanese, should we go to Japan?"

"That might be a good idea."

"Kiyoko, Brother, is it okay for us to interact with the locals?"

"Huh? Is that a bad idea?"

"Because we might inadvertently change history."

Seiki, sounding like a character from a science fiction novel, raised a valid point. Indeed, showing something like Kanagawa could alter history.

"I don't think that's a concern."

"Why not, Kiyomaro?"

"Because this world is already a parallel universe by the time we got here."

"Since it's a different world, a different outcome wouldn't be a problem?"

"Yes. Besides, do we want to hide and live until we die?"

Kōki thought that was unacceptable. Kanagawa should be kept hidden as much as possible. There might be a chance to return to their original world, and if so, Kanagawa's functions needed to be maintained until then.

"Even so... is it okay to leave Kanagawa to Kiyomaro?"

"Yes, if we don't move much in the planetary environment, it can be maintained for thousands of years."

Spaceships often travel millions of light-years before reaching a repair dock, so unless they suffer major damage, they can be repaired and maintained by androids and robots alone. Most armor and parts can be repaired in the ship's repair facility. The ship also has an automated farm to produce food, including meat, fish, and eggs, though the taste is slightly inferior to the real thing. With the food stored in the freezer, they wouldn't starve for ten or twenty years.

Spaceships are equipped with large amounts of supplies and reproduction facilities to prepare for emergencies.

Kanagawa, though small for a space transport ship, was over a kilometer long. As a new ship, it had the latest equipment, which was as good as that of larger ships.

"In this situation, it might be better to raise children on land."

"Brother, I have a desire to get married too..."

"Maybe we should blend in with the locals. Living alone as a group of three might be too isolating."

The three agreed, but there was one problem.

"How will we live?"

"Right! The new yen from Akitsushima can't be used here!"

Seiki pulled out his wallet from his pocket, and the other two followed suit. Though there was no chance of it being usable, they couldn't help but check the amount of money inside.

"I have 35,231 new yen."

"I have 24,578 new yen."

"I have 5,579 new yen."

"Brother, that's a surprisingly small amount for a president."

Kōki received a disapproving look from Seiki for the small amount of cash he had. "As a president, isn't that a bit much? People will notice."

"Shut up, I have cards. We don't need cash on Earth. If we need it, we can withdraw it."

"I doubt there are banks in this world. Even if there are, we can't use cards or withdraw cash. We don't have accounts here."

"Our bank accounts...!"

They couldn't use them, and even if they had saved up, they couldn't withdraw the money. Kōki screamed in frustration.

"Our company accounts, personal accounts! In the tough financial situation, I finally saved up some money..."

Kōki had secretly saved money in a hidden account, a few hundred new yen at a time, to avoid his wife Kiyoko's notice. Realizing the money was gone, he felt a sense of despair.

"Hey, Mikan, what do you mean by 'hidden savings'?"

"Ah!"

Kōki, shocked, blurted out something he shouldn't have and faced Kiyoko's sharp questioning. Thinking that hiding a little money from his wife was normal, Kōki tried to come up with a plan to avoid her interrogation, given that she was a former elite military officer.

"Well, it's for Seiki and me..."

"Brother, don't try to shift the blame to me."

Kōki tried to pass it off as dating expenses, but Seiki, not wanting to face Kiyoko's terrifying interrogation, didn't help him.

"Are you not going to help your brother here?"

"I can't take that responsibility. Marital issues should be resolved between the couple."

"Kiyoko, please explain it properly?"

Kōki then faced Kiyoko's interrogation for nearly two hours, which left him mentally and physically exhausted.

"Here, crying won't solve anything."

As a president, Kōki quickly regained his composure and began to think of a solution. There was no point in dwelling on what was lost. This was one of Kōki's good qualities.

"What currency is used in this era? Large or small gold coins?"

"Also, silver and copper coins."

Their historical knowledge was vague, but Kiyomaro provided the answer. His artificial brain was linked to Kanagawa's vast database, always providing appropriate answers.

"Should we sell something to get money?"

To secure immediate living expenses, Kōki suggested selling the ship's cargo, items on board, and items that could be reproduced in the ship. Selling these could yield a considerable fortune.

"Selling everything at once might be dangerous..."

"Yes, selling advanced technology could make us suspicious to authorities."

"That's a valid concern."

If they were suspected, their new life could be ruined. Kōki had to be cautious.

"Kiyomaro, do you have any suggestions?"

"Then, how about this plan?"

Kiyomaro proposed an excellent plan, and the three accepted it, directing Kanagawa to a certain sea area while it remained submerged.

"Let's retrieve treasures from sunken ships."

"Right, selling them will get us money."

Kōki navigated Kanagawa to the waters off the Korean Peninsula, the Chinese mainland, and Southeast Asia, where they began recovering treasures from sunken ships. Most items were damaged, but they recovered ceramics, copper coins, gold, and silver from the Song and Yuan dynasties. The three were impressed by the advanced technology of ancient China.

"Treasures, treasures~"

"Without competition, it's wonderful."

Kōki and Kiyoko used modified space operation pods to retrieve treasures from the seabed, which were then cleaned and repaired by robots and stored in wooden boxes with shock-absorbing materials. Since there were no submarines in this era, most of the treasures were theirs to claim.

"There are many sunken ships from the past, Brother."

"Trade was a matter of life and death."

"Even for us, it was a matter of life and death."

Being a spaceship crew member was a dangerous job with a high death rate due to accidents and space pirates. Life insurance premiums were high, and few people wanted to become crew members.

Even Seiki, who was not used to such dangers, had experience firing at pirates. Kanagawa was equipped with multiple defensive weapons, though they were currently unusable.

"Having gold and silver will help."

Precious metals have always held value. They managed to secure a considerable amount, though not as much as copper coins. The next step was to see how much they could sell ancient Chinese ceramics for.

"Let's travel the world, not just Asia."

"Yes, there are many sunken ships."

After touring Asia, they traveled to the Middle East, the Mediterranean, the Atlantic, South America, North America, and the Pacific, eventually returning to the waters near Japan. They recovered a large amount of gold, silver, and valuable artworks, with the locations easily identified by Kanagawa's sensors.

"After about half a year, I think we've made a fortune, but isn't this world a bit different?"

During their travels, they also gathered information about Japan. They discovered some unexpected facts.

"The Ashikaga Shogunate? Is that our last name?"

It seemed that the history of Japan they knew was slightly different. There was no Hosokawa Shogunate, but an Ashikaga Shogunate, which was in decline.

"That's bad, our shogunate."

"Kiyoko, it's not like they're our ancestors."

"That's true, but..."

Kōki felt a bit uneasy seeing people with the same last name in decline, though he had no intention of helping them.

"The decline suggests there might be wars."

"Yes, Executive Vice President. The Ashikaga Shogunate is barely holding on."

While retrieving treasures from sunken ships, Kiyomaro used unmanned reconnaissance drones and even tiny insect-like drones to gather information in Japanese towns.

These were like advanced listening devices, purchased by Seiki from Neo-Akihabara for civilian use, but they proved useful.

"Is it safe to do business in such a state?"

"From what I've gathered, there are regular wars, but the town of Sakai is a moated city run by influential merchants. There are also several other commercial cities."

Kiyomaro continued his report. It was July of the third year of the Eiroku era.

"I don't recognize this era."

The information in Kanagawa's database was hit or miss. The historical and character information about Japan was mostly different, but the technological and cultural aspects were similar. Strangely, the characters, history, and culture of China were not much different.

"Should we sell the Chinese ceramics we retrieved in Sakai?"

"That won't be easy."

Kiyomaro cautioned Kōki.

"Ah, in this era, guilds are strict, right?"

Doing business without permission could result in severe punishment, even death. They might confiscate the treasures they had collected.

In space, there were also strange laws, corrupt politicians, and officials who extorted money from merchants. Kōki, Kiyoko, and Seiki agreed to be cautious.

"Is there a more free city?"

"How about Tsushima in Owari?"

According to Kiyomaro, a powerful daimyo named Oda Nobunaga, who controlled half of Owari, had defeated the 25,000-strong army of Imagawa Yoshimoto with only 3,000 soldiers.

"Is he a remarkable person?"

"Kiyoko, should we go to Tsushima?"

Helping a rising power might be better than dealing with a powerful one.

"Riding the wave of a rising power could lead to business success, Brother."

"That's true."

There was no point in dwelling on the issue. The three decided to navigate Kanagawa to Tsushima in Owari as quickly as possible.