ASAHI NO NISHISEI - Rising Sun Goes West (2)

Sakura's Unlucky Day

May 31, Midnight

On board the cargo ship Seal Trump, Port of Seve

Three Public Security Police officers were gathered in a room on a container freighter docked in the port of Seve at night. The light from the interior lamps installed in the room illuminated the three figures. Lily, who is an outsider in this matter even though she is accompanying them, is already asleep in another room. Jindo was reading out to Hiraide and Riyoshi from a memo he had written down in order to organize the information he had obtained from the interviews with the illegal emigres.

"The five missing students belong to a student political organization called the Students' Union for Peace in Terralus, or 'Teppeiren'. Originally formed during the Red Season, the Gathering of Youth Who Refuse to Return to Militarism collapsed after funding from the MSS was cut off, and some students with radical ideas who belonged to the organization reorganized themselves into the Non-Resistance League... this is the predecessor of the current Teppeiren."

The "Red Season" refers to the period from 2018-2019, when the new left and new leftist political groups, which were supposed to be quiescent, flourished on par with the 1960s. Anti-war and anti-military demonstrations took place all over the country and were very likely, but after the Sino-Japanese Senkaku Islands clash in January 2019, domestic public opinion shifted to the right, and the public became less enthusiastic about the demonstrations. They then died down rapidly, partly because the Chinese Civil War severed relations with China.

Those who demonstrated with "pure motives" continued to do so, and the "Non-Resistance League," the predecessor of the Teppeiren, was one such group. The organization's argument was that "even if we are attacked first, let us choose virtuous conclusion rather than ugly fighting," and it was a direct denial of the right to an independent nation.

"And the man they said was their leader was this man, Ryuji Kirioka. It was at his house that the note in the Juperian common language was found."

Jindo put the profile of Kirioka on the table.

"And all three of them have one thing in common... they all say they left the country to remove the ruling party from its position. But all three say they have not been told exactly what that means."

"Oh, come on... they've come all this way with nothing but hope? In a way, that's amazing," Hiraide muttered in dismay. Riyoshi also grimaced.

The testimony shared by Okuda, Yamamoto, and Tomimaru, all of whom they were able to secure in this city, was that they had set out in search of a way to bring down the current administration, and secondly, no one but the leader knew what exactly the measures were.

"...Then, the mysterious foreigner who led them here was, as expected, a mage. Thanks to him, the travel time was greatly reduced. As for the identity of the guide... he called himself Hassamud Ahari and said he was from the Arabanne Empire. Kirioka and his group's final destination is this same country."

After abandoning the three abducted by kidnappers, Kiroka and Shigeno apparently headed west to Beginteria with a mysterious guide. As expected, nothing is known about the identity of the guide, except for where he is from. However, their final destination was finally known.

"Arabanne Empire, huh... one of the Seven Dragons that recently established diplomatic relations with our country. It is a country similar to that of Islamic nations on Earth, as I recall..."

Riyoshi recalled information about the Arabanne Empire that she had seen on TV a few weeks ago. The Arabanne Empire was a country that fought fiercely for supremacy over the Juperia Continent with the then Crossnell Kingdom (now the Crossnellyard Empire) about 500 years ago. Because of the historical ties between the two countries, public sentiment toward the Crossnellyard Empire and the Holy Rovance Papal State is terrible.