Sorry About That...
...It's a familiar ceiling.
This is my room. Today's my day off.
Normally, I'd be getting ready for the next training or mission.
But today, for some reason, the blanket feels especially cozy...
I decided to sleep just a bit longer. As soon as I made up my mind and closed my eyes again...
Gah?!
The door burst open, and something slammed into my stomach.
Hehe! Wake up, Captain!
It's finally complete...
The genius Naru's celestial utopia equation!
But... Hmm?
...Huh?
Ahaha... Um...
Err...
My grandpa was right when he said boys are really healthy in the morning...!
Get off me!
Is it true? You actually finished the equation?
Yup! Of course! A genius never lies!
The statistics still need to be verified, but the logic is flawless! No foreseeable issues!
I told you I'd show you first once it was done, remember?
Hehe! A true genius never forgets even the smallest promise! So? Are you moved?
You seriously finished it? Already?
Sure did! Hard to believe? That's normal!
Ordinary folks usually struggle with rapid paradigm shifts!
But! Soon, everyone will understand. The era has changed!
Which brings us to... ta-da!
Naru pulled a map from her bag and spread it across the floor.
What's that?
A full map of NOA I borrowed from the Orbital Search Team office!
We'll calculate the probability of disaster by analyzing local environmental variables and astronomical data!
Let's do this together, Captain! Hehe!
So then... hmm?
There! Let's try running a simulation on Vendor Village.
Any reason you picked that village?
Huh? Well...
...
...I used to live near there.
Hehe! Now that I've said it out loud, it feels kinda weird.
Anyway! I'll be extra thorough with the calculation!
But it should be fine. It's a high-altitude village, after all.
At most, we'll get a basic weather prediction for today... Huh?
...No way.
There's no way I made a mistake... Then why...?
H-hold on! Let me recalculate from the beginning...!
...Huh?!
Sweating, Naru frantically compared her equation notes with the map.
What is it?
...I-it takes an hour to get to Vendor Village...
But the equation says the village will be underwater in just an hour and thirty minutes...
We can't just sit here! Captain, we have to evacuate the villagers now!
Vendor Village is going to flood?
There were no anomalies in today's disaster alerts.
Where did you get this information?
From the results of the equation I completed myself!
Ms. Roberta, Ms. Lugh! We have to deploy now! There's no time!
Vendor Village will start flooding in an hour and ten minutes!
An output of your equation...
I'm sorry, but that's not a valid reason for the Orbital Search Team to mobilize.
That's...!
It's a result from an unverified equation.
There's been no emergency alert issued from Astro Sanctum, either.
Vendor Village, was it? Let's check the readings for today.
For sector 32-N, probability of an earthquake is 0.02%, 0.017% for a landslide, and for flood risks...
It's 0.08%.
...
In fact, other regions have higher disaster probabilities. Though even those are still very unlikely.
But...!
I understand, Naru. I get what you're feeling.
But we're the Orbital Search Team.
What if something else happens while we leave our posts without an order from Polaris?
What if a Voidborn crashes into the plaza while we're gone? We wouldn't have the right personnel in the right place when it's needed most.
I'll put in a word and ask the nearby stations to keep an eye on things. But we can't deploy without official orders.
...0.009%.
Hmm?
...0.009%?
My hometown was destroyed by a Voidborn attack with a 0.009% probability.
They said it was too unlikely to ever happen.
But... it did happen!
My village was erased from the map!
That's why I hate probabilities. I can't trust them!
I can't just accept a system that relies on numbers! I refuse to move on like nothing happened!
A perfect prediction! One that leads to perfect prevention! That's why...
I completed this equation to create a safe world where no one gets hurt!
Please, I'm asking you! Just this once, believe me.
Please...!
I'm asking you, too.
*Sigh*
...Ms. Roberta.
...Alert the whole Orbital Search Team.
Tell them we're deploying to Vendor Village.
With the Orbital Search Team's cooperation, we arrived at Vendor Village and evacuated the villagers.
All right, folks! This way, please!
We're short on time! Please hurry!
Wait, our village is on a mountaintop. How could it possibly flood?
Hey, are you sure you didn't make a mistake? That just doesn't add up.
No! It's not a mistake!
Wait. Aren't you Naru? From the neighboring village?
Wasn't that village was destroyed by Voidborns...?
Yes! I'm Naru, the genius from that very village!
According to the disaster prediction equation I developed, heavy rain will begin in twenty minutes.
The upstream dam will overflow, flooding the riverbanks.
The water will change course and submerge Vendor Village... I'm sure of it!
So please, evacuate now. I'm begging you!
I would also like to ask for your cooperation as well.
Together with Naru, I pleaded with the villagers.
Only then did the villagers begin evacuating in an orderly fashion. We prepared for the heavy rain as best we could, but...
30 minutes later.
...Hasn't the predicted time already passed?
It's not even raining. It's just clear and sunny.
That can't be...
No... No, no, this can't be happening...!
According to the equation, it should've started raining by now...!
Hey, what gives? Weren't we told it'd rain?
The sky's completely clear...
Our apologies. It seems there was an error on our part.
We're truly sorry for the disturbance, especially with your busy day.
As the villagers trickled back, when no rain fell,
Roberta, Lugh, and the entire Orbital Search Team offered their apologies.
Um...
Well...! The equation shouldn't be wrong...!
My equation is...!
Naru.
Lugh gently placed a hand on Naru's shoulder.
We're pulling back. Prepare for return.
B-but...!
Don't worry about it. Honestly, I'm just glad nothing happened.
Our job is to prepare for what might happen, even if it doesn't.
Stuff like this happens. More often than you'd think.
And honestly, this is way better than an actual disaster striking.
Get ready to head back, Naru. Leave the rest to your seniors.
With that, Roberta and Lugh once again applogized to the villagers.
See? I told you nothing was going to happen.
Yeah, I figured too. But she looked so serious I couldn't say no...
...I'm so sorry!
Hmm? Isn't that Naru...?
It's fine. No need to be sorry like that.
I'm sorry! I really am!
I'm really... really...
sorry!
I stood beside Naru and apologized along with her.
I apologize for the trouble we caused.
After returning to NOA, Naru was a shadow of her usual self.
She carried out her duties in an ordinary way, no longer revising or verifying equations.
The Orbital Search Team seemed to notice the change.
They began quietly looking out for her. So did I, but nothing really changed.
Then one day, I saw Naru at Candle Square, shredding stacks of notebooks.
Naru? What are you doing?
Oh, this?
They're all the notes I've written about the logic and theories I used for my equation.
What?! Why would you do that...?!
I rushed to stop the shredder, but Naru gently caught my arm.
No, it's okay.
I'm not holding onto that equation anymore.
After we got back from the village, I ran another verification check. And it was full of errors.
Now that I think about it, there's no way something like that would be finished so easily. Right?
Neither Astro Sanctum nor Lady Alicia could complete the perfect disaster prediction.
Who am I to think I could pull it off?
Holding onto an equation that might never be finished, and making trouble for everyone in the process. I'm done with that.
Naru... But still...
...Mm!
Thank you for everything, Captain.
For always helping me test and verify the equation. I really appreciated it.
But... I'm all right now. Really!
I won't cling to something that might never be completed.
It's time to let it go.
I'll see you at training tomorrow, Captain.
So now...
She trailed off mid-sentence and gave me a soft, weary smile.
It's nothing. See you tomorrow, Captain.
On the way back, I couldn't stop thinking about that smile I saw that held no spark in her eyes.