The Drone had been hovering a few feet above them the entire time—silent, loyal, filming the family drama from a slightly wrong angle.
So to the viewers, it looked like they were watching an old Brazilian soap opera—about a poor little hamster taken in by godlike war machines.
Slow zoom.
Cracked lens.
Tragic stabilizer shake.
Up on Shiori’s ship, Dick and Jackie—
along with trillions of viewers—
watched it unfold.
“Poor Blindy…”
Jackie laughed.
“Dick, look at his face.
Airi-chan is ruthless.”
Shiori nodded quietly:
“Jakkī-san… I’ll talk to her.
She should stop tormenting Buraindi-san.
But… she’s not doing it out of malice.”
Dick smirked:
“That idiot captain never had a chance.
He falls for every pretty face—
so of course he ends up the joke.”
The thought lingered—uncontested.
“His own damn fault.”
He glanced at the Author—
too quiet, too distant,
eyes looking through them… and everything else.
“Hey, Sage.
You’ve been real quiet.
Spit it out—what are you hiding?”
The Author blinked, like someone pulled him out of a dream.
“Oh… Dick, nothing… really.
It’s just… all of this is overwhelming.
Exhausting.
I’m… not used to this.”
He swallowed.
“I’m a terrible adventurer.
I’m used to sitting in my room writing about this…
not living it.”
Jackie frowned and elbowed Dick:
“Hey—leave him alone. Stop pushing.”
She glanced at the player and smiled:
“Let me just put on a song.
While we wait for Phoenix…”
She tapped the panel.
“A song from Saga of Code™—Mon amour™
by Élise D’Aurélie™ and Lucien Valmont™,
superstars from the plant—La Nouveau Monde.”
She smiled softly:
“Hope you—and the viewers—like it…”
When the melody faded, Jackie exhaled—
quiet, a little tired, but her voice still carried velvet:
“So, Dick… see how beautiful a language can be?”
She smiled faintly:
“You only hate French because of your agent.”
A slight tilt of her head:
“But a language itself—it’s just a tool. We decide whether it becomes a tool of love… or hate. The tool isn’t to blame.”
She added softly:
“People confuse the language with the ones who wield it.”
Dick raised an eyebrow—
clearly not expecting that hit:
“C’mon, baby… why bring up my agent again?”
He exhaled.
“We’re in the middle of the apocalypse, and you’re talking Todd this Todd that.
Fuck him and every damn word he spills from that filthy mouth.”
The Author shook his head with a smirk. Dick waved it off:
“Sorry baby, I shouldn’t—
But, please, don’t talk about that asshole…
Alright, screw him.”
He turned to Shiori:
“Hey, Shiori…
what’s actually going on down there?
Can you check?”
Shiori stepped to the navigation terminal:
“Airi-chan, ima no jōkyō o oshiete kudasai.
Zerosu-san wa dō natteimasu ka?
Genjō o kakunin dekimasu ka?”
Down below, Airi looked up at them:
“Fenikkusu-kun ga minna o mamotte iru yo. [ ︶︿︶]”
A brief hesitation in her voice, then she added:
“Sorekara… onii-chan, watashi no tāminaru ni setsuzoku shite.
Ue no minna ni mo misete ageru. (¬_¬”)
Watashi-tachi wa koko de shima o mamoru kara ne.”
At that exact moment, the holographic terminal came alive.
The map vanished—
replaced by a live image.
Phoenix spoke:
“Shiori… this will allow you to observe what’s happening…”
Shiori nodded:
“Arigatou gozaimasu.”
She glanced at Dick,
and he and Jackie stepped closer.
All three stared at the terminal.
Phoenix’s voice returned—
cold, sharp, almost emotionless:
“This… is a live feed of what the F.O. sees.”
A short, measured delay.
“As you can observe…
he is trapped within the Architect’s infinite Spiral.”
The feed flickered—just for a fraction of a second.
“Now… please… remain silent. And watch.”