Earth floated beyond the window. Blue. Massive. Breathtakingly beautiful. Amami Kaito pressed his nose against the small circular porthole of the transport shuttle, staring intently at the sight. A blue planet suspended in black space. The white of clouds. The deep blue of oceans. The thought that he'd spent his entire twelve years of life on that world felt strange, almost surreal. And right beside that Earth——a massive chunk of iron hung in the void. 3.2 kilometers in length. Cylindrical. Slowly rotating, reflecting sunlight in a glittering shimmer. The Earth Federation Central Military Academy, commonly called Central Academy. The military academy of this world, where pilots and operators were trained. A place that produced crews for humanoid space combat vessels——Humanoid Starships, or HSS for short. Kaito felt warmth spreading through his chest. "[excited]That's huge……" The words escaped his lips before he could stop them. The guy in the next seat nodded in agreement. Everyone had their faces pressed against the windows, eyes wide with wonder. Once inside this colony, he'd be living 400 kilometers above Earth in space, looking down at the planet. The gravity was artificial——0.9G, almost the same as Earth. Just slightly lighter. Flying through space in an HSS. Training for that was what awaited him here. (I'm definitely going to be the best in this class.) Kaito clenched his fist quietly. Amami Kaito stood 148 centimeters tall with a slightly muscular, compact frame. His naturally wavy black hair was cut short but always seemed to stick out a little, and he couldn't tell if it was bedhead or just his natural texture. His eyes were hazel green and slightly upturned——they looked a bit intimidating when he stared, but when he smiled, a dimple appeared on his left cheek, giving him an instant charm. For entrance day, he wore an oversized blue hoodie and black cargo pants. The notice said uniforms would be distributed after arriving at the colony, so it wasn't wrong, but seeing everyone else dressed more formally made him slightly anxious. A few small freckles dotted his left cheek——unchanged since childhood. The transport shuttle drew closer to the colony's docking port. --- The entrance ceremony was held in the academy's grand hall. Vast. Incredibly vast. Even with all 800 first-year students from the Pilot and Operator courses packed inside, there were still empty seats. The ceiling soared high, and the walls were lined with photographs of past graduates. All of them looked dignified in their uniforms. Kaito felt goosebumps rise at the thought that his photo would someday hang there too. The principal——a stern-looking elderly officer with graying hair——took the podium and began reading the opening address in a flat tone. Kaito only half-listened. Instead, he found himself distracted by the faces of his classmates sitting nearby, the photographs on the walls, the ceiling lights. But the very last line came through crystal clear. "[serious]This year's graduation exercise will be conducted in an unprecedented scale of live combat format." Murmurs rippled through the hall. Live combat format. The words spun in Kaito's mind. Not simulation——real exercises. Even though it was three years away, it felt tangible. (Live combat format……what does that mean?) As he pondered, the MC's voice came through. "[serious]Now we'll proceed to the new student representative speech." Wait——that's me, isn't it? Kaito froze for a moment, then stood up. The person in front of him turned with a surprised expression. Kaito didn't care and made his way to the podium, stepping up to the microphone. Eight hundred pairs of eyes fixed on him all at once. (I'm not nervous at all.) He realized it honestly. He felt surprisingly calm. He'd always been like this in these situations. "[excited]I'm going to be the strongest pilot in this class!" The hall went silent. No one said anything. No applause. Only silence. Kaito scanned everyone's faces. Expressions of shock, awkward smiles, and faces that clearly screamed "What is this guy saying?" Even the instructors in their section had subtle, uncomfortable looks. (Ah, I think I messed up.) But Kaito didn't really care. He'd just said the truth. That's when——from the back of the hall, slightly off to the side, he noticed a girl's gaze fixed on him. Short black hair. Refined features. But her expression was almost blank. She was staring directly at him, and in her eyes was something cold——a mixture of exasperation and contempt. Their eyes met for just a second, then the girl looked back down at the materials in front of her. (What's her deal……) Kaito thought she seemed unfriendly. But he forgot about it immediately. --- After the entrance ceremony, Kaito's mood was at maximum. "[excited]Let's go check out the simulator!" He bolted down the corridor. He'd confirmed the location of Primus Block——the Simulation Block——from the map they'd handed out earlier. Go straight down the left corridor, turn right at the end—— The moment he turned the corner. A collision. His vision went white, and the next instant, a shower of papers rained down on his head. White documents fluttered and scattered across the entire corridor. Kaito sat on his rear, unable to process what had just happened. Standing in front of him was a girl. The same girl from the back of the hall during the entrance ceremony——the one with cold eyes. She was examining the scattered documents one by one, seemingly checking something. Her profile didn't look angry so much as calculating. "[angry]S-sorry! I'll pick them up!" Kaito scrambled to his feet and reached for the nearby papers. "[cold]Don't touch them." Her voice was quiet. But it came through clearly. Kaito stopped. The girl continued gathering the scattered documents with quick, efficient movements. "[cold]It will be faster if I do this alone than if you help." Kaito blinked. "[surprised]……But I'm the one who knocked them over." "[cold]If the order gets disrupted, it's pointless. Please step back." Her tone was incredibly businesslike. Emotionless. Pure efficiency. Kaito tried to say something back, but nothing came out. The girl had already stopped acknowledging his existence. She methodically picked up the documents and arranged them according to her own system. Kaito mumbled something and walked away. (What the hell……I apologized.) Around the corner, a boy from the entrance ceremony called out to him. A troublemaker he'd known before enrollment——Shirakawa Ryo. Lanky frame, brown short hair, always grinning. "[sarcastic]Weren't you running at full speed?" "[angry]……Shut up." Ryo laughed. Kaito scratched his head, remembering the girl's cold eyes. She was definitely unfriendly. He definitely didn't want anything to do with her. --- That afternoon, when they were guided to Primus Block, Kaito had already forgotten about the incident. The interior of the Simulation Block was far larger than he'd imagined. Thirty-six simulator pods lined the walls in neat rows. Each was a two-seater, with front and rear positions. Cables hung from the ceiling. Wiring ran across the floor. The smell of machinery and the faint hum of air conditioning. Just that was enough to get Kaito's adrenaline pumping. "[serious]Everyone, gather in front." A voice rang out. A woman standing by the wall slowly turned toward them. Early thirties. Auburn hair cut short, eyes that looked perpetually drowsy. Awake, but as if existing in a dream——half-closed eyes. Yet those eyes swept across all the students and calculated something. She looked relaxed but was anything but. A nameplate on her uniform read "Captain C. Lette." Captain Carmilla Lette, today's instructor. "[serious]HSS——Humanoid Starship. A humanoid space combat vessel 15 meters in length, weighing 38 tons. I'll explain the overview of the machines you'll be piloting." Her voice was flat. Almost emotionless. But the content was crystal clear. "[serious]The front-seat pilot handles piloting and combat. The rear-seat operator handles tactical analysis and communications control. The two are neurally linked, sharing thoughts and sensations. The better synchronized you are, the stronger the machine becomes." Hearing those words, Kaito suddenly thought. (I have to pair with someone……?) He'd never really considered it. He'd thought about getting stronger, improving his skills——but he'd somehow overlooked the fundamental premise that he'd have to work with a partner. A faint unease settled in his chest. "[serious]The numerical value of synchronization is called Sync Rate. Zero to one hundred. Sixty or above is the operational deployment standard. Eighty or above is ace-class. Your first goal is to exceed sixty." They'd start with individual tests, Carmilla explained. Kaito climbed into a pod first. The cockpit was narrower than expected, with the front and rear seats positioned right next to each other. As he sank into the front seat surrounded by instruments, a 360-degree video display activated——and space opened up before him. Stars. Earth. In the distance, what looked like an asteroid belt glimmering with light. "Whoa……" escaped his lips. He gripped the control stick. The sensation of the thrusters firing transmitted through the seat. Despite being a simulation, it felt real and heavy. Kaito adapted in a second. It felt like he'd always been here. Enemy simulation units appeared. Distance, velocity, angle. He calculated instantly, fired the thrusters. Circled around to the right, got into firing position—— The beam hit. For the next ten minutes, Kaito didn't stop. Instinct moved him. His body moved. His hands moved before he could think, and when he realized it, he'd destroyed all the simulated enemies. When he exited the pod, Carmilla's drowsy eyes narrowed slightly. He could hear the other students murmuring. "[serious]……Next. Moving to pair simulation test. I'll assign temporary partners. Attach the neural link to the back of your neck and enter the pod." Kaito looked at the small device he was handed. This was the neural link. When he pressed it against his neck, it adhered with a soft sensation, followed by a mild electric feeling. Back in the pod. A temporary partner sat in the rear seat. The link connected—— In that instant. "——!" Someone was in his head. Disgusting——that was his honest reaction. A foreign presence mixed into his own thoughts. The partner's tension flowed directly into him. The boundary between self and other blurred. (Calm down, calm down——) But the partner was panicking too. That panic flowed back into him. Kaito panicked. A vicious cycle. The exercise began. Enemy units approached. Kaito tried to move, but the information from the rear seat didn't align. It didn't mesh. Timing was off. When he wanted to go left, a right command came. When he tried to fire, a "not yet" signal arrived. His focus scattered. His head hurt. He couldn't concentrate. A score appeared on the display screen. "15." Simultaneously, red text flashed. "WARNING: SYNC RATE CRITICAL" The moment he saw those words, intense pain shot through his head. Nausea rose from the pit of his stomach. Kaito forced the pod hatch open and crawled out into the corridor, where he vomited. It was the worst. After a while, footsteps approached from behind. Carmilla. Her drowsy eyes looked down at him quietly, but there was nothing drowsy about her gaze. "[serious]If your Sync Rate stays below 40 for six consecutive months, you'll be forcibly reassigned. A new partner will be assigned. If that happens twice, you'll be subject to expulsion recommendations." Kaito didn't look up. "[serious]Your individual score is currently first in this class. It would be a shame if your talent went to waste." Her voice was matter-of-fact. Not taunting. Just stating facts. That's what made it sting. Carmilla walked away. Kaito remained alone in