Chapter 1
"Master Kait. This unit has just passed Jupiter's orbit."
"Roger."
"Congratulations. Master Kait is now recorded as the first civilian in human history to cross Jupiter's orbit."
"Thanks. There's a good chance this will be the first and last time."
Inside a not-so-large iron coffin, Kait Crouch absentmindedly responded to the report from the support robot 'Emotion'.
His eyes were fixed on the tablet in his hands. After completing his daily routine of training and eating, he would indulge in his hobby of reading—that was his way.
"Emotion. Could you bring up 'New Wave' by Professor Ashura Unagi next?"
"Again? My memory contains works from all ages and regions. There's no need to keep reading those old classics."
"Masterpieces are worth rereading. Works by Professor Ashura Unagi and 'Lost Ed' by Professor Terry 8 always bring a fresh sense of wonder."
Thought Criminal 279502.
That was Kait's final title.
Deemed a harmful influence on Earth's humanity, he was found guilty through a rather one-sided trial. Not long after, he was confined in a custom-built 'personal prison' floating in space, where he spent nearly three years.
Earth was destroyed (apparently).
The reason was unknown. He had no authority to gather information from the surface, and he didn't particularly care to know why it had perished.
Kait was enjoying life in this space with only himself and Emotion far more than he had when living on Earth.
"So, Emotion?"
"Yes?"
"How much food, water, and oxygen do we have left?"
"It's difficult to say, but based on your consumption, Master Kait, we have about forty days' worth of food and water remaining. Shall I reduce your intake to extend your survival?"
"No, that won't be necessary. What about oxygen?"
"The circulation system is functioning normally. Barring any unforeseen accidents, it should last more than forty days."
"I see."
He let out a yawn.
The last time he saw Earth, its colors were already fading. The vibrant hues he had seen when ascending into space had gradually been overtaken by red and brown. That transformation made it easy to believe the explanation that Earth had perished.
The collapse of human civilization nullified his sentence.
No longer a prisoner number, Kait had reclaimed his name and was now on a one-way trip through space.
"Well, I guess I was lucky to make it this far without any other accidents."
"For the record, the euthanasia function is still available."
"Understood. I'll count on it once the food runs out."
No destination, and the duration was until death. The spaceship itself was the very prison he had been using.
Whether the oxygen ran out, he crashed into an asteroid, or was pulled into a star's gravity—he had no insurance on his life. It was a suicide mission left to fate.
Yet somehow—whether by luck or misfortune—it seemed he was going to die of starvation. He appreciated Emotion's effort to spare him from suffering.
"Well then, Emotion. I feel like listening to metal today. Something melodic, please."
"Understood, Master Kait."
Letting his body be carried by the core-pounding drumbeat from the speakers, Kait activated the external camera for the first time in a long while.
"...What is that?"
He was speechless at the sight on the monitor.
"Emotion?"
"Yes?"
"I haven't received any explanation about the structure beyond the external camera."
Moreover, the ship appeared to be heading straight for that structure.
It was a massive structure. From this distance, he couldn't grasp its full form. Perhaps it was the size of a small planet.
The scattered lights leaking from it resembled the lights of nighttime Earth as seen from space.
Kait felt a wave of nostalgia far stronger than he expected.
"What are you talking about? The sensors aren't showing any abnormalities."
"So this must be a hallucination. That thing I see beyond the monitor is just an illusion created by my brain."
A hallucination of home, born from the subconscious. The nostalgia he felt made too much sense. From within Emotion, he heard a rare sound of her circuits activating.
Kait braced himself for a strong mental health warning from Emotion.
But—
"I'm surprised. The main camera is indeed showing a massive structure. Is it deceiving our sensors with its size, or are the sensors malfunctioning?"
Emotion's electronic voice took on a tone of confusion.
The whirring sound coming from within her was probably her way of trying to process the reality before her.
Kait set down the tablet he had been holding and scratched his head.
"Does this count as another first for a civilian too, Emotion?"
His hair, uncut since his imprisonment, now reached his waist. As he unconsciously gathered it with his hand, he murmured softly.
"I'd really rather not be eaten alive or have eggs laid inside me."
"You've watched too many classic movies, Master Kait."
Emotion, still presumably processing, replied with a dull edge.