A Mechanic’s Nightmare – The Overloaded New Unit
「Kou’s location signal has been lost!」
Aki’s voice carried a tone of panic, almost like a scream. But this was anticipated. Aimer remained calm.
「He’s been summoned, just like Hyoue-san. This much is within expectations. …Asia, you should be able to sync with Unit 5, correct?」
「I can, but doing so would go against Kou’s wishes.」
「Kou hasn’t told you not to sync with Unit 5. And he hasn’t told us to stop you from doing it either!」
Aimer’s words were resolute, unyielding, and without hesitation.
「…I’ll transfer you just his location data.」
Asia conceded. As much as she wanted to object, Aimer had a point—Kou hadn’t stopped her from interfering.
The location data appeared on the map.
「Unit 5’s location confirmed. Estimating trajectory…」
Aimer murmured, her voice low as she analyzed the data.
「This is bad! Aimer! We can’t let Kou go any further!」
From Aimer’s mouth came the voice of Master. She didn’t usually interfere with them like this, so she must have noticed something really concerning.
「The place ahead on his trajectory… there’s no doubt about it. That’s where Kou, Asia, and I met for the first time, and the place where Kou first boarded Unit 5!」
「The ruins of the industrial Defense Dome where the headquarters of TAKABA were first located. Kou is definitely heading there.」
「In other words… this is bad. That demigod, that Hemitheos. Could it be…?」
Aimer closed her eyes for a moment, recovering the control of her body that had been taken over by Master’s consciousness.
「Master, calm down. Even if your hypothesis is correct—or if it’s wrong—letting Kou sense our unease could throw him off balance.」
「You’re right. I’ve let myself lose my composure… Forgive me, Aimer.」
Master sounded ashamed of her outburst.
「No need to apologize. Still… if only we could somehow get supplies to Kou. He’s been on the front lines, fighting non-stop. There has to be a way…」
Unit 5 had to be low on supplies, having faced one battle after another.
「Aimer-chan, can you hear me?」
「Huh? Flack?」
It was the voice of Flack, the young mechanic. This boy also admired Kou, looking up to him as an older brother figure.
「This is Thunderstorm. We’re loading up Unit 5 supplies and additional armor now, and heading out immediately. Marl-chan, get in with your Silhouette! You’ll have to do the emergency repairs .」
「Flack! When did you—?!」
Marl, stunned by her younger brother’s initiative, couldn’t hide her surprise. She, too, held a quiet admiration for Kou, and her unsettled tone betrayed her emotions.
「I prepped everything while you were dithering, Marl-chan. Blue-neechan’s going to be mad since I’m borrowing her unit without asking, but it’s worth it.」
Flack was different. While others faltered, he focused on what could be done to help Kou. His decisiveness shone as he quickly put his plan into action.
「Please, Marl-chan! Flack! Don’t worry about Blue. She wouldn’t get upset over something like this.」
「Got it! I’m heading out—this one’s for you too, Aimer-chan!」
The Thunderstorm launched from the rail catapult, accelerating as it soared into the sky. Its top speed pushed near Mach 2, a feat achieved through relentless design improvements born from Aimer’s frustration during past rescue operations.
Each time the Thunderstorm was shot down and rebuilt, it became faster and stronger. Now, it was a far more capable plane than before.
「This is the Edge Swift squadron. Deploying to provide aerial escort, just in case.」
「Understood. We’re counting on you.」
These two siblings, Flack and Marl, were war orphans raised by the Familias. To the Familias, they were like their own children.
「Asia, send a message to Kou. Tell him this—」
「I understand. I’ll make sure he hears it.」
Their feelings for Kou were the same. Asia took in the message and its intent with unwavering resolve.
◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆
Unit 5 was flying just above the ground, skimming low to avoid enemy detection.
「Kou-niichan! Can you hear me? I’m on my way!」
Flack’s voice came through the comm.
「Flack? Why are you here? Go back! I don’t need anything. Just return immediately!」
「What are you saying? You’ve barely had any supplies or maintenance! Do you know how worried Aimer-chan and the others are about you?」
Kou couldn’t argue with that. Those words struck a nerve.
「Fine, don’t stop moving. Switch from thrusters to roller dash mode. We’ll handle the rest from here. Once we’re done, we’ll head back right away!」
「Huh? Did you come in the Thunderstorm?!」
The Thunderstorm soared overhead, and Unit 5 smoothly landed, transitioning into roller dash mode to continue its swift ground maneuvering.
「Purge the Type-C additional armor! We finally finished the new flight unit!」
「Got it!」
Unit 5 immediately jettisoned its additional armor, the detached pieces tumbling to the ground as the Silhouette maintained its speed.
「Ready, Marl-chan?」
「Anytime!」
The Thunderstorm deployed the Battle Pecker, the mechanic-specialized Silhouette that Marl was piloting, and they began maintenance on Unit 5.
「Type-C Lanius, a mechanic’s nightmare of cutting-edge innovations packed into one unit. A1 and B models are so much more straightforward, but C? It’s a whole other beast. Without the additional armor, it moves better—it’s wild!」
The key distinction between the A1, B, and C models lay in the thrusters integrated into their limbs. While all models could equip the standard additional armor, the high-mobility assault flight armor was exclusive to the C model.
According to Kou, the C model had always been the design he wanted to create. However, technological limitations at the time had forced him to develop the B model as a precursor.
「Heh, I designed it like that on purpose after all.」
Kou remarked with a faint smile, acknowledging Marl’s muttered complaint.
Kou was reminded of a grumbling panel-beater he once knew, who often complained about the challenges of repairing vehicles made with super high-tensile steel or advanced hybrid systems. The introduction of new technologies frequently demanded steep learning curves, whether in cars, medicine, office work, or PCs—technology was always evolving and pushing boundaries.
The C model was a Silhouette product of the collaboration between Kou, TAKABA, and Misumaru Heavy Industries. Designed with the assumption that it would operate with the assault flight-type additional armor, its base performance was optimized to shed excess armor when necessary, enhancing acceleration and mobility. However, for mechanics, this model was a headache. With fewer standardized components, limb thrusters, twin reactors, and other specialized systems, the C model was a maintenance challenge.
「This isn’t funny!」
Despite her words, Marl couldn’t help but laugh. It was rare for Kou to smile and chat like this, and she was glad for it.
「That’s why the base armor is so important. Look, a few rounds from a railgun have punched through the additional armor. I’ll take care of it, so just keep moving!」
The Lanius C model had decent defenses, combining medium armor and armored artificial muscles. It was a machine designed to maximize armor performance relative to its weight.
Yet, watching Kou dive headfirst into the front lines with his close combat style made those around him constantly worried and tense. Many still advocated for him to use a heavier-armored, ground-combat model to mitigate risks, even at the cost of mobility.
「I know it’s a hassle, but I’m counting on you!」
Marl pulled out the gun-like emergency repair device mounted on her Battle Pecker’s back. It began emitting a beam of intense heat, which she used to melt and apply a mixture of metal-glass substrates and nanomaterials as a makeshift reinforcement.
She sprayed this repair material over Unit 5’s front armor, arms, and legs. True to Kou’s skillful combat style, there was no sign of hits to the rear armor.
Marl grabbed another repair unit, equipping a second gun. Adjusting the settings, she changed the color of the emitted beams and used them to instantly cool the newly applied metal through laser cooling. This dual-gun technique allowed her to solidify and seal cracks in just a matter of seconds, restoring the damaged armor with precision.
Her skill was undeniable. Even as Unit 5 continued to move at full speed without a single pause, Marl managed to execute the repairs flawlessly.
Once the emergency repairs were complete, she moved on to her next task, slotting D-rifle rounds into the ammunition cartridges located at Unit 5’s waist. To finish, she maximized the replenishment of metallic hydrogen reserves and wrapped up her work.
「All done! I’ll recover the jettisoned armor now. You go on ahead!」
「Kou-niichan! I’m dropping the new C-model additional armor now. Sync with the signal to equip it!」
「So, the additional armor based on the Analyze Armor is finished? Astraea works fast.」
The Analyze Armor designed for heavy ground combat was highly regarded for its performance and reliability. However, its major drawback was that the Silhouette itself had to manually equip it in battle, a process that took significant time. Kou had long identified this as a problem and had been searching for ways to streamline the system.
The breakthrough was the development of electromagnetic induction-based instant attachment.
After this, he soon discovered that by using Whis most of the issues of the system got resolved, making it relatively easy to design an improved system.
「Starting the drop!」
「Got it!」
From the Thunderstorm’s side weapon bays—normally used to carry bombs—containers were released and dropped. In mid-air, the containers broke apart, revealing the additional armor for the Lanius C.
The components seamlessly attached themselves, first to the arms and legs, then to the torso and waist. Finally, the flight unit was secured to the back, completing the transformation into the Lanius C Assault Flight Model.
The main thrusters, as well as those on the arms and legs, were part of the Lanius C’s base configuration, optimized for high mobility even in its standard form. Though the armor couldn’t fully integrate with the internal structure, the Lanius C was specifically designed with these external thrusters in mind. Aside from the TAKABA’s Accipiter, no other Silhouette employed this unique system.
「Good luck out there, Kou-san!」
「Niichan, don’t you dare to lose!」
「Thanks. I owe you both, and the escort team as well.」
Kou had long been aware of the Edge Swift squadron patrolling the sky to safeguard the siblings. Their presence gave him a sense of relief and focus.
Kou’s gentle smile came through the comms—a rare sight, yet it carried immense weight for Flack and Marl. Though Kou himself might not realize it, that smile was the greatest reward the siblings could ever ask for.
Unit 5 returned to low-altitude flight, skimming just above the terrain.
On the monitor, Asia appeared. Her expression wasn’t angry—in fact, her gaze carried a gentle warmth.
「Emergency repairs are complete, I see.」
「As expected, you were the one who told them my location, huh? Asia. Well, I can’t argue with that.」
Kou wasn’t upset. Everyone in the Astraea constantly sought ways to support him however they could.
「I won’t intervene, but I’ll be watching over you. Also, I have a message from Aimer. That’s all from me.」
「Understood. What’s Aimer’s message?」
「She said, ‘I believe in you. No matter what happens, stay calm and respond with composure. Fudōchi.’」
「‘No matter what happens, stay calm.’ Fudōchi 1, huh? Thanks, Asia.」
Asia smiled brightly, ending the transmission. There was no sign of pain or worry on her face—she, too, believed in Kou.
Kou let out a wry chuckle. The term Fudōchi reminded him of a famous work he’d read as part of his martial arts studies. Written by a renowned monk, it bridged swordsmanship with Zen philosophy. While Kou wasn’t quite at the level of embodying the concept of unity between sword and mind, he often turned to such texts for guidance in his pursuit of mental and physical mastery.
Aimer had clearly been influenced by him as well, often immersing herself in books about swordsmanship. She had chosen her words carefully, distilling her deepest feelings into a single message.
「Stay unmoving, observe the greater flow from a detached perspective, and act with a clear mind… Can I really do that? No, this is Aimer’s advice—there must be something to it.」
Kou mused over her words. He wasn’t sure what Aimer feared or why she’d chosen to reference such a complex text. It wasn’t merely encouragement; it was deliberate, considered guidance.
Perhaps she sensed something she couldn’t fully explain.
「When all this is over, maybe I’ll reread it. For now, let’s go. I’ve already loaded the data into you.」
The monitor flickered briefly—a rare response from Unit 5. Although Unit 5 was capable of communication, it seldom engaged actively.
「Let’s move. No matter what happens—calm and ready. That’s what I’ll be.」
The destination was still far off. For now, the distance from the front lines meant he wouldn’t encounter combat, but the unknown always loomed.
Without looking back at the siblings or the others behind him, Unit 5 soared steadily toward its goal, resolute and unwavering.
TN1: The term Fudōchi comes from a three-part treatise on Buddhist philosophy and martial arts written in the 17th century by Takuan Sōhō, a Japanese monk of the Rinzai sect. In English, it’s called the Unfettered Mind. The book is a series of three discourses addressed to samurai but applicable to everyone who desires an introduction to Zen philosophy.
Its key aspects are:
Immovability: Reflects an unshaken state of mind, symbolizing mental stability and resilience.
Wisdom: Suggests a deep understanding that transcends ordinary thought, enabling clarity and calmness in decision-making.
Action without Hesitation: Encourages being fully present in the moment, acting decisively without overthinking or being clouded by doubt.
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