20 - Recognition x Reward

T/N : This is the main story’s epilogue.

It’s already past 10 o’clock at night, and beautiful stars are reflected in the sky inside Mixture space station.

However, the inside of Mixture never sleeps.

Scientists are still enthusiastically moving around the laboratories and research sites, and unmanned transporters that deliver necessary materials and supplies are busily coming and going.

The Port Block receives a stream of incoming ships, unloads containers of goods, and loads them into warehouses.

Among them, the section where the Entertainment District is located was especially crowded.

It’s like a big city, where a whole building block is dedicated to it.

Like a large urban center, the Entertainment District is lined with many shops, providing food, clothing, luxury goods, pastimes, and various other things to people in Mixture.

Even as the night deepens, the bar streets are crowded with adults, the back alleys are filled with delinquents, and the noise never stops.

Contrasting that were Schola Sanctus’ facilities and the living quarters where the students sleep.

Inside a quiet hangar, you can hear the voices of two sisters talking happily.

“Mm. It’s beautiful,” Ratio said.

[Nfufu. I’m so satisfied,] Wis said.

Ratio wears a maintenance suit and holds a cleaning cloth.

And now Wis has been polished to a mirror sheen and giggles.

There’s only one unit, Virtus Flos, housed in a maintenance cage in the spacious hangar. In a space that would have normally been occupied by many containers, Ratio leaned back on the rail in front of Virtus Flos’s head and said:

“Well, it took me to get around to all of you, but you’re finally clean. Sorry, Wis.”

[Don’t worry about it!] Wis replied happily.

Ratio smiles and put the cloth in the box under her feet, then took out the face towel from a pouch on her waist to wipe off her seat.

Though Virtus Flos hadn’t yet been planned to deploy, Ratio used her in the incident at the training grounds because it was an emergency.

The maintenance team, who were on good terms with Ratio like family, laughed it off and accepted her reason, but since then Ratio’s been interrogated by the administration of Schola Sanctus, and after that, she was jostled and aggressively approached by the students who saw her success, and now that she’s no longer busy, she finally had time to polish her machine to a mirror sheen.

“How’s the unit doing?” Ratio asked.

[Fine now that you’ve cleaned it!] Wis said. [Ready to deploy any time!]

“I don’t think that’s going to happen again,” Ratio said.

This case was extremely irregular.

If it was just an intrusion, and if the other training machine Centurias could be used, it would have been easier to suppress it.

After this incident, it was announced that the Security Systems would be reviewed, and above all, live machine exercises would be postponed for a while.

There was an investigation into the incident, and above all, they no longer have enough units to go around after so many of them got destroyed.

Ratio, the one responsible for the destruction, is not to be blamed because it was an emergency situation and she helped suppress the chaos.

However, the Pilot Department will focus on training such as classroom lectures and on-foot shooting for a while, and the piloting skills will be limited to simulators.

The hardest part is the Maintenance Department which no longer had machines to work on, the students in the Production Department who need to manufacture new parts, and of course, the Instructors.

The planned curriculum had to be scrapped immediately.

However, with this as an opportunity, the Manufacturing Department will teach the production flow of the Stella Corpus on the spot, and the Maintenance Department will also learn how to build the aircraft they maintain and deepen their understanding of them.

She was sorry to hear that, but Ratio was also relieved to hear the applause of the students and the accolades for the Pilot Department.

“Next time, when you’re ready, let’s fly together,” Ratio said.

[If it’s with you Big Sis, I’m A-O-kay to go to the ends of space!] Wis cried.

“Oh, stop, you,” Ratio said, laughing at her sister’s reckless request.

[Buu,] Wis grumbled.

“I just finished reassembling you,” Ratio said. “I don’t want you to break down again from recklessness.”

[Huh? But I feel like I’m already ready to go, I can deploy right now, can’t I?] Wis asked.

“But you know, the unit could start falling apart again,” Ration said.

[I’m not going to let that happen!] Wis cried. [I’ve been clea-ned and re-paired! This time, you will not get hurt, Big Sis! I’ll make sure to take care of anyone who tries!]

Ratio calms down her murderous sister.

Ratio also felt there was still plenty more of the unit’s specs to push when she had piloted it.

The output of the reactor is still limited because she forced it to use too much at once, but the reaction speed is good, and she can’t lie, she’s looking forward to when Virtus Flos is fully equipped and able to demonstrate her full power.

“Thank you so much. I couldn’t have helped my friend without you, Wis,” Ratio said.

[Fufuhn,] Wis huffed. [I’m going to crush that useless bitch someday.]

“Did you say something?” Ratio said as she was stretching out.

[I’m so glad I was able to help you out, Big Sis,] Wis said happily. [Big Sis, Wis did her best, didn’t she?]

“Huh? Yeah,” Ratio said.

[We-ll then: I want a re-ward,] Wis said.

Ratio smiles wryly at the voice that seems to be begging for a treat.

“The usual?” Ratio asked.

[Yeah!] Wis said.

“Can’t be helped, then,” Ratio hummed. “Then, let me see your face?”

“Ro-ger!] Wis said excitedly.

And with that, Virtus Flos’s protective mask slides open with a slight whirring noise.

Ratio approached the exposed face, then,

“Thank you, Wis.”

She gives her a quick kiss.

[Muha!] Wis gasped. [I’m ready to fly so high!]

“Not too much,” Ratio said. “Granny will get mad at you.”

[No she won’t!] Wis said.

The sisters’ happy but boisterous exchange continued smoothly until the Chief came around to check on them then yelled, “Hurry up and go to bed already!”

T/N: There are four more side stories exploring and fleshing out the world. The last features Ratio and Regina’s return and the further aftermath of the incident.