For the next half-month, Setsuna took Mio and the others on an incredible journey: wandering through vast deserts, galloping across endless grasslands, and watching the sunrise from the world's highest peaks. Along the way, he introduced Mio to human society and the many facets of his own life.
Mio's ability to learn was astonishing.
Within two weeks, she mastered most major languages spoken across the world. She absorbed knowledge of Earth's worldview and history with ease. Books on dicine, physics, and chanical engineering were quickly consud, her understanding surpassing most human experts. Even her magical aptitude impressed Tohru.
Of course, Setsuna wasn't free from consequences for his brazen actions of "wooing a Spirit" under the watchful eyes of the oath-bound ship. Every night, he had to double—or even triple—his rations to pacify Richelieu. Fortunately, his dual-core Wisdom Cube made him more than capable of enduring the demands.
After exploring a good portion of the world, Setsuna piloted the Eternal Snowfall into space, ascending beyond the atmosphere and into the starry void.
The ship cruised in orbit around Earth.
"Wow…"
Peering through the viewing port, Mio pressed her face against the glass like a curious child, srized by the dazzling Milky Way stretching out before her.
Compared to the beauty of Earth's landscapes, the vastness of space struck her with awe. It was her first ti experiencing the wonder of the cosmos.
"This is incredible… I've never been to space before."
Mio turned her wide-eyed gaze to Setsuna, admiration written across her face.
"In your world, can you just go into space and see the stars whenever you want?"
"Of course. If you'd like, I can bring you to space anyti," Setsuna said as he gently pulled Mio into his embrace. He pointed toward the expanse of stars.
"Look over there. That's the Androda Galaxy. It's 2.537 million light-years away from the Solar System and is the closest major galaxy to the Milky Way."
"Once we develop faster-than-light technology, we can go and see it together."
"2.537 million… light-years… faster-than-light…"
Mio's expression turned dazed.
Though her abilities were nearly omnipotent on Earth, the vastness of the universe felt overwhelming. Distances between galaxies, asured in millions or billions of light-years, made her feel small.
"You're amazing," she murmured after a mont.
Mio leaned her head against Setsuna's chest, gazing up at him.
"…"
Setsuna couldn't help but marvel at how easy it was to gain the affection of soone so pure and naive. Taking her on a few scenic tours and showing her the stars had already filled her heart with fondness.
"I like you," Mio suddenly said, her cheeks tinged with a soft blush.
Under the reflection of the stars, her beauty seed otherworldly, with an added touch of shyness she hadn't shown before.
"Wow—"
Before Setsuna could respond, Kurumi, who was in the cockpit with him and eating sothing, imdiately couldn't take it anymore.
"You really have a knack for charming girls, don't you?!"
"What exactly did she fall for?"
"Hmm? Is there a problem? I think the Commander is quite wonderful," Belfast interjected, voicing her disagreent.
Kurumi's lips twitched. She began tallying Setsuna's recent behavior on her fingers.
First, he taught Mio to read and write, patiently guiding her through human knowledge.
Then, he treated her to extravagant als, freely splurging on fine dining without batting an eye.
Next, he took her on a whirlwind global tour, visiting iconic landmarks like the Pyramids in the morning and watching crocodiles bare their teeth in tropical rainforests by afternoon.
Finally, he brought her into space to gaze at the stars.
"…"
Okay, fine. That was undeniably romantic. Very few girls could resist such a combination of gestures, let alone soone like Mio, who was as pure as a blank slate.
"Are you jealous? Wishing it were you instead?" Tohru teased, tilting her head.
"I'm not!" Kurumi protested, though her tone betrayed her denial. Her gaze shifted to the ship's crew of Spirits, dragon girl, and shipgirls.
"What about all of you? Are you really okay with this?"
"You call him 'Commander,' yet you're just letting him get so close to the Spirit of Origin?"
"…"
Richelieu chuckled softly, brushing her golden hair, which seed even more radiant than usual in recent days, as though nourished by so mysterious force. She reached out and playfully poked Kurumi's cheek, looking down at the Spirit with an air of authority.
"If you want sothing, rember to earn it yourself," Richelieu said calmly.
"And don't resort to tricks."
"???" Kurumi froze, her expression puzzled.
"What is this? The confidence of a flagship battleship?"
The others, equally confused, could only gape as Richelieu ushered them out of the command room.
"Move along, don't disturb the Commander anymore," she said, gesturing them toward the exit.
"Let's take a trip to the moon instead."
"Wait, wait! I want to see what happens next! Isn't the confession just the beginning of the good part?!"
Kurumi clung to the doorfra, reluctant to leave, but even a Spirit couldn't resist the strength of a battleship. With a firm shove, Richelieu sent her into her own ship.
With a roar, the starship's engines ignited, carrying them away into the vast expanse of space.
...
anwhile.
As the spectators were forcibly whisked away, Setsuna received a ssage from Richelieu.
"Make sure to spend so quality ti with when you're back."
"..."
Setsuna sighed. Richelieu, always poised and observant, rarely displayed her emotions. It seed he'd need to make it up to her later.
Replying briefly, he turned his attention to Mio, who sat nestled in his arms.
Her blue eyes sparkled with admiration and hope, her expression that of a lovestruck girl. There was no trace of the apocalyptic power she wielded as the Spirit of Origin.
"Do you really understand what the word 'like' ans?" Setsuna asked with a playful smile.
"I do! You think I'm dumb?!" Mio huffed, pouting like a child as she playfully rebuked him.
"I'm not the girl who couldn't even pronounce her na a few days ago. I've learned a lot!"
"Like… like the feelings your shipgirls have for you!" she said earnestly.
"That's called a oath, right? Can I make a oath with you? To protect each other until the end of ti?"
Mio's voice was soft yet determined, her question carrying a hopeful sincerity.
"A oath is a shipgirl's term…" Setsuna mused, chuckling.
"But if you put it that way, it sounds like you've got the idea."
Looking at the girl whose hopeful face was tinged with a delicate blush, Setsuna leaned in and kissed her gently.
Mio, who didn't bother with any makeup or adornnts, carried a natural beauty that was unparalleled. Her faint fragrance complented her pristine deanor perfectly.
"Mm…"
She nuzzled closer into Setsuna's chest, basking in the warmth and comfort he provided. Her white gown clung to her graceful figure, accentuating her curves in all the right places. Combined with her stunning, pure features, Setsuna found himself montarily spellbound.
"Is it hard to resist?" Mio asked softly, leaning into him with a mischievous glint in her eye.
"…You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?" Setsuna muttered, realizing her deliberate teasing.
"I know everything…" she whispered with a playful smile.
"Every night, you're with that golden-haired girl… That's what a oath is, right? What people do after making one?"
"??!"
The rest of the crew might have been preoccupied during their travels, but Mio's extraordinary perception didn't miss a thing. She had apparently pieced it together on her own.
"Your special abilities… are they only used for this nonsense?" Setsuna asked, half-laughing, half-exasperated.
"I should install interference modules on the Eternal Snowfall to block out all magical and spiritual detection in the future."
"It's not like that!" Mio blushed furiously, waving her hands in denial.
"I just… guessed… guessed!"
Lowering her head, she mumbled timidly, "If you don't want to, then forget it…"
"Not a chance!"
Before Mio could react, Setsuna scooped her up in a princess carry and strode toward the cabin.
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