ASAHI NO NISHISEI - Rising Sun Goes West (1)

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"I look forward to working with you, Mr. Davis."

Savia, having been introduced by Sitos, held out her right hand to Sergeant Davis. He firmly returns the princess's meticulous hand. Sitos and the other soldiers gazed seriously at the Marine, an odd-looking figure by their standards. In case you are wondering, they are now wearing Desert MARPAT, a digital camouflage uniform for the desert.

"Let's get started with the meeting... but first, let me check around this room a little bit. We don't want anyone to overhear us."

The Japanese government has not completely discarded the possibility that they are connected to the Altian government. Therefore, they were under strict orders to be on the lookout for any kind of spying or eavesdropping.

"...! Y-yes."

Savia's eyes widen for a moment, but she gives her consent to the search with a stammer. Shortly after, ten Marines under Sergeant Davis' command spread out in the chapel. Sitos felt a slight discomfort with the Japanese messengers, who did not trust them at all, but he watched their search quietly, as this was another way of building mutual trust. About 40 minutes later, after confirming that there were no eavesdroppers or sleeper agents in the vicinity, the conversation finally got down to business.

"First... can you tell us about your operation?"

Davis asked about the details of the coup plot hatched by Savia and others.

"It all depends on the day your army lands in Custefai... we believe that the fastest way to do this is to capture the Senate Grand Hall, where all of the country's top officials meet."

It was Sitos, standing next to Savia, who began the explanation.

"Senate?"

"Yes... the one and only meeting of 214 senators, consisting of the emperor and ministers as well as the heads of leading noble families. Normally, it would convene once every seven days, but now that the nation is in a state of emergency, it meets almost every day."

The Senate of the Altian Empire was in turmoil after the destruction of the regular army by the Japanese and the capture of one of its major cities, McTayle. The senators were divided into two factions, one advocating early peace with Japan and the other advocating a thorough war.

"...I see. I understand very well. That is, you want to coincide the time of your capture of the Senate with the time of our attack on this city. If your willingness to cooperate is genuine, we will leave the control of the Senate to you. We would be grateful if we could do so without unnecessary sacrifices or trouble."

Davis indicates a willingness to cooperate on the Japanese side.

"Our landing is in seven days. After we have eliminated the naval and air forces of the Capital Guard, we are to land the Army troops and various weapons."

"!!"

He informs them of the Japan-US Joint Fleet's schedule of operations. Savia and Sitos' eyes widened.

"...Seven days?"

Savia is surprised that the Japanese landing schedule is closer than expected. This meant that the battle for the survival of the homeland was only seven days away.

"The Senate session will probably be held in seven days, approximately in the early afternoon, and we would like your forces to begin operations just before that time. We will secure the heads of state, and it is our hope that your forces will minimize destructive actions. We would also like to conclude an armistice with your country after you are sworn in as head of state."

Sitos conveyed their request. He asked the Japanese for restraint in their destructive actions in the capital and the accession of Savia Iliam to the throne in return for their own control of the Senate.

"If that's your requirement... I will inform the main unit immediately. Please wait for a reply from the Japanese mainland."

Since Davis and his team were not in a position to judge them, they promised to convey their requirements to the main group waiting in the middle of the ocean. Two days later, a response from the Japanese government was delivered.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

March 15

Command Room 2, SDF Base, Temporary Capital Zion, Seiren Kingdom

Two days after the Japan-US Joint Fleet made contact with the volunteers, at the SDF base in the Seiren Kingdom, the captain of the destroyer Yūgiri, Commander Seiei Okawa, visited the office of Rear Admiral Suzuki.

"Excuse me!"

"Oh, welcome. So how was the debris?"

Since the Battle of Iloa Sea, which broke out on February 26, a large number of debris produced during the battle had been processed at the Zion Base. After the fleet's departure, the work had been carried out by the remaining ships in the Seiren Kingdom, but the work, whose future was uncertain, had been worrying both the Japanese and American crews. However, for the past four days or so, a mysterious phenomenon had been occurring in the Iloa Sea.

"Yes. We still can't find it anywhere."

"I see... hmmm..."

Commander Okawa responded to Suzuki's question. Upon hearing this, Suzuki furrowed his brow. In fact, since the day the fleet sailed, the large number of debris that was supposed to be floating above the sea had begun to decrease on its own. As the days went by, it turned out that the debris was decreasing too fast compared to the progress of the cleanup operation, and yesterday, the debris floating on the sea finally reached zero.

"Well, it's a good thing we are able to clean up all those piles of garbage."

As a result, the cleanup of the ocean was complete, and it was indeed fortunate that no further cleanup work had to be done. However, it was not clear to anyone who was involved in the work. Where in the world had so much debris disappeared?

"I heard a strange rumor in the city about that."

"Strange rumor?"

"Yes, I suppose it is a kind of legend..."

Suzuki inquired about the legend that he had heard.

"It is said that in this world, the souls of ships and sailors who have sunk into the sea are drawn by the power of the 'Farthest Witch' to reassemble the wreckage to form 'ghost ships' and occasionally appear in this world after being captured by the 'ghost fleet' she leads... or so they say."

"......"

Silence reigned in the office. Normally, this is a silly fairy tale that should be laughed at, but that is only if it were in the original world. The fact that the debris has actually disappeared and that this is a world where magic exists makes it premature to dismiss it as just a legend.

"W-well... witch's work or not, I'm glad the cleanup is over. Tomorrow we will suspend all work, as a gesture of respect for the crews. Make sure each member gets a good rest."

"Yes, sir! Everyone will be pleased!"

Okawa saluted and exited the room.

'Ghost fleet, huh... I wonder if Hasegawa-kun and the others are all right? Well, he wouldn't believe me if I told him that...'

In the empty command room, Suzuki worried about his comrades who were struggling in enemy territory. Later, a Japanese man would encounter the legendary 'Witch of the Farthest', but that is another story.