Chapter 4

004

After talking with Nanami for a while, the differences between her world and mine became clearer.

The broad flow of history is the same, but the details are quite different.

"Have you heard of Oda Nobunaga?"

"It’s not registered in the name dictionary. What did he do?"

"He was someone who almost unified the country... So, what about Tokugawa Ieyasu?"

"I don’t know him either."

Without Ieyasu, Edo was never developed, and in Nanami’s world, the capital of Japan is around Kobe. Tokyo is apparently a relatively relaxed provincial city.

The Tokugawa shogunate was established in Wakayama, and there was a civil war in Shikoku. The entire history of Japan was centered around the Seto Inland Sea.

Just the absence of Ieyasu can make such a big difference in history...

Another major difference is that the Cold War hasn’t ended yet. It seems to be worsening at an accelerating pace.

I can understand why Nanami is worried.

I was lounging in the captain’s cabin next to the combat command center, nodding along to her stories.

Space is precious on aircraft and ships, so the captain’s cabin is quite small. It gives the impression of a business hotel.

But this place is surprisingly relaxing, so I took off my suit and lay down on the bed.

The air conditioning is comfortable, and I can drink as much cold water as I want, but the only food is hard biscuits.

I wish I had eaten a proper breakfast this morning.

Ah, the milk in the fridge is only good until tomorrow.

I don’t feel like I’ll be back by then...

Nanami came in to give her regular report.

"Captain, we are currently heading northeast."

The ship seems to be flying at a considerable speed, but since the scenery on the monitor is just the sea and clouds, it’s hard to tell.

"Is there anything to the northeast?"

Nanami tilted her head.

"Um... We are currently measuring the surrounding ocean currents and creating a map. If we follow this current upstream, we might encounter a ship..."

I wish she had a bit more confidence.

"Indeed, the pirate ship we encountered earlier was a wooden sailing ship. There were no steam engines or anything like that, right?"

"No large heat sources other than the cannons have been detected."

In that case, following the current upstream doesn’t sound like a bad idea.

"Got it. Let me know if you find anything."

"Ah, I found something. A wooden sailing ship is sailing."

That was quick.

"I’ve captured it with the optical camera. It will be displayed on the monitor."

The screen showed an old-fashioned wooden sailing ship.

Nanami, who had put on glasses at some point, nodded while looking at the image.

"It’s probably a sailing ship from before the Age of Exploration. It’s designed to prioritize speed and cargo capacity, but it’s not suitable for open-sea navigation."

"Can you tell just by looking at it?"

"Well, I am a ship, so I know everything about ships."

You’re flying, though.

I had a lot to say, but the problem with this ship came first.

The sailing ship was displayed in a size where the barrels on the deck were visible, but there were no sailors.

"I don’t know much about sailing ships, but is it sailing normally?"

"Hmm, the sails aren’t properly set for the wind direction, so it seems to be drifting