No. 233 Terraforming テラフォーミング

300 m Underground | Mainframe | 2025

ウ01

What?

Kisaragi!?

Amiguchi!?

ウ02

×Shu Amiguchi

What are you doing here?

That’s what I should be asking you!

Well, whatever.

Who’s that lil cutie?

…

Hear that? You're a “cutie,” apparently.

I'm not complaining…

Hey, what are you doing? Stay back.

They might be with the black suit guys.

BJ says he knows them.

Natsuno…?

ウ03

×Natusno Minami

Usami!

You're here too? Why?

This little guy led me here.

Sekigahara’s robot?

I see.

The two of them will speed up the process.

ウ04

Hello… Okino.

I am like this now, but…

You're Miura.

Sekigahara told me.

What is your goal?

To save the girl trapped in orbit.

Then we’re on the same path.

ウ05

×Natusno Minami

Amiguchi-kun surprised me enough as it is…

But seriously! You too, Usami!?

I can't believe you're all time traveling.

This is actually where I'm from.

Whoa! You came from the future?

Does anyone else know about this stuff?

Lest see… Yuki-chan from class 1-A. Miura-kun, too.

What? That guy?

ウ06

×BJ

So you're here to help No. 16, too?

My own Sentinel is there.

Sentinel No. 17…

So that’s how it is.

Both 16 and 17 were put into orbit.

They went to an unknown man-made artifact in space.

We’ve briefly gotten a hold of it from here…

But we don’t quite understand what it is.

No. 16 would know the answer,

Last time, we got through to her when I touched something over there.

But now…

It won't respond. Not even with Kisaragi’s biometric ID.

She's completely inaccessible now.

Shu Amiguchi may know the reason.

ウ07

×Shu Amiguchi

You wanna know why?

Ida did it himself.

He shut down her Sentinel.

Ida, huh.

Yeah.

Something about authorization.

He must have used his security authorization to issue the command…

So that’s what happened.

You created the Sentinels.

Perhaps you can clear the authorization.

…Worth a try.

ウ08

Help me out.

ウ0

×Shu Amiguchi

So why are you here?

I can't turn down a cry for a help.

Especially not from the one and only Miyuki Inaba.

ウ10

△Miyuki Inaba→Shu Amiguchi

Miyuki Inaba…?

You mean that idol?

Well, yeah.

She talked to me through a TV program.

You guys call her No. 16, but…

She's actually another you.

ウ11

△Miyuki Inaba

I knew it… That song.

It sounded a little different in the style of the ‘80s…

But it’s just like one I sang back in middle school.

And “Inaba”… That’s my username.

I became an idol? Seriously?

ウ12

The preparations are complete.

Kisaragi.

As you scan your ID to grant access…

The authorization will be reset and the Sentinel will reboot.

Go ahead and unlock it.

ウ13

×Unlock

Here goes…

No good?

…

The Sentinel started up normally.

I…

I see.

Ida-kun shut me off…

We all came to save you.

Sorry it’s a little late.

Thank you…

Access it clear.

Don’t worry…

Universal Control doesn’t suspect a thing.

To it, this appears to be a simple video broadcast.

ウ14

×Miyuki Inaba

So you're Miyuki Inaba?

Also known as Tomi Kisaragi. Just like you.

Please tell me.

What is all this? What’s going on?

I would like information as well.

Do you trust me?

Well, you're me, right?

I won't get anywhere if I can't even trust myself.

ウ15

×Miyuki Inaba

I was shifted to the orbiting command ship.

Command ship?

For the second phase of the interstellar development project.

It’s an artificial satellite that presides over terraforming.

Terraforming?

The very ground you stand on is proof.

The second phase was a resounding success.

No way…

So the D-forces were used to develop land?

Originally… Yes, they were designed as heavy machinery for that purpose.

You mean… It’s really true?

We’re not on planet Earth…

Huh?

I've seen it with my own eyes.

The whole city’s less than 30 kilometers long.

I thought it was on a spaceship, though…

Unbelievable.

What about the other countries I’d been investigating?

Universal Control alters the information you receive.

It does whatever’s necessary to make things appear consistent.

Shu-kun is telling the truth.

ウ16

×Miyuki Inaba

From here…

I can see the entirety of the residential ward system.

All of the terminal controls, too.

You're able to control the satellite from your Sentinel?

It does have some limitations, of course.

But it is possible.

Because… I'm Tomi Kisaragi.

?

She's the one who designed the second phase of interstellar development.

She was a terraforming researcher.

Watch this log of hers.

February 8th, 2188.

Continuing my report from yesterday…

I ran the simulation.

This was our 25th terraforming attempt.

We believe the planet is a type 57B.

In order to reach a habitable state for humanity…

The process took 1,800 years. A bit longer than hoped.

No further issues up to this point. Oh, and I almost forgot.

At Professor Morimura’s suggestion…

I updated the system on the command ship.

It’s set to monitor the final phase―surface facilities.

Before any harm may come to these facilities…

It will determine whether the final phase needs to be redone.

As the professor always says, it can't hurt to be safe.

Work has been coming along well…

But I honestly can't wait to return to the surface.

ウ17

×Miyuki Inaba

What… was that?

A log from Tomi Kisaragi in the year 2188.

She said some curious things.

Like… redoing the final phase.

You heard correctly.

There's no turning back.

Well, what now?

…

The command ship will fall below the horizon soon.

We’ll be disconnected for a quite a while.

Are there any measures we can take?

Yes…

But I believe there's only one way through this.

…And what’s that?

Universal Control. It needs to be altered.

And the only ones who can do that… are all of you.

Trust in me…

And get into the Sentinels.

Story

Prev

Next

To the Last Battle...

Archives

Prev

Next