An Unexpected Accident

"What the hell is going on?" Ryouko Kusakabe strode over to the control panel, yanking the collar of the operator, her tone urgent. "Explain this right now!"

"T-The equipment seems to have malfunctioned…" The operator stammered, visibly panicked and clearly not expecting the situation, stumbling over his words.

"Then fix it already, you idiot!" Ryouko barked.

"H-How can I, with you holding onto me like this…" The operator gasped for air, his face turning red as he struggled under Ryouko's grip.

Ryouko released him, and he collapsed to the ground, heaving in relief.

"Hurry up and fix it! Or I swear, I'll tear this place apart myself!" Ryouko's face darkened with impatience.

The operator exhaled shakily but, seeing her anger, dared not delay any further. He ran to the control panel and checked the system, only to stare in disbelief. "Th-This can't be…"

A bad feeling began to swell in Ryouko's gut, and she hurried over to him, demanding, "What's going on? What's happened?"

The operator still looked stunned, snapping back to reality only when he saw Ryouko rolling up her sleeves, ready to pounce. "The gravity control unit has malfunctioned. The gravity levels are increasing non-stop, currently at…"

"How high has it gone?" Ryouko's face darkened further, her voice a low growl.

She was well aware of the gravity unit's potential dangers. An average person could withstand up to three to five times gravity, with astronauts reaching up to seven or eight times briefly. But prolonged exposure, let alone the tens of times possible here, could crush a human being instantly.

"Ten times…no, fifteen times," the operator stammered, sweating profusely as he scrambled to make repairs, but nothing seemed to work.

Ryouko was overcome with anxiety and regret. She should never have agreed to let Kaguya take the test. She knew how severe gravity overloads could be, especially without the protective manifest equipment. Kaguya hadn't even undergone proper physical training yet—passing a simple five-times-gravity test was questionable, let alone withstanding extreme gravity levels.

The display on the monitor escalated at a visibly rapid pace, with the needle in the indicator panel now pointing deep into the red.

"Twenty times gravity!" the operator cried out, frozen in horror.

This was already the gravity unit's maximum setting, but the needle continued to fluctuate, showing that the actual force inside far exceeded the system's measurable range.

Ryouko couldn't stand it any longer. She pulled her hair back, placed her hand against a slight protrusion on her temple, and, with a soft glow, her manifest equipment activated over her. This was an emergency deployment mode designed to ensure that she could summon her equipment in critical situations. Although this method took a toll on her body, she didn't hesitate.

With a quick click, Ryouko readied her automatic rifle, aiming at the gravity control system across the room.

"No! You can't do that!" The operator, horrified by Ryouko's actions, ran over and blocked her line of fire. "If you shoot, it will not only destroy the machinery but likely cause a massive explosion! We'd all die! And even if you did manage to open it, the person inside would still be crushed by the sudden release of gravity imbalance."

"Damn it!" Ryouko dropped the gun to the floor in frustration, cursing, "Then tell me what we're supposed to do!"

"We've cut the power supply already. The pressure is slowly decreasing, and it shouldn't take long before we can open the system. But…" The operator hesitated, then added in a low voice, "Even if we open it now, the person inside has likely…"

He didn't finish, but everyone present understood. At over twenty times gravity, sustained far beyond human limits, survival was out of the question. Everyone began to mourn the breathtakingly beautiful girl who, due to a malfunction, met such a tragic fate.

But little did they know, Kaguya was hardly human in the ordinary sense.

Finally, the gravity unit began to shut down, the heavy silence inside the chamber mirroring the grim silence outside.

Around her, the gathered AST members felt a wave of sorrow. That such a lovely girl should perish in such a way was truly tragic, an accident that had robbed her life in a mere instant.

Suddenly, the stillness was broken.

"What are you all standing around for? Get in there and help!" Ryouko yelled, her frustration spilling over into fury as she berated the other members.

Startled out of their stupor, the team members snapped into action. They grabbed their toolboxes and sprinted toward the gravity control unit, the clinking and clanking of repairs filling the air. Still, they all knew that this effort was little more than a formality; they were only humoring the captain's faint hope. In their hearts, they knew there was no chance for anyone to survive such crushing forces.

However, when they used a robotic arm to pry open the chamber's heavy iron door, what they saw inside left them dumbfounded.

In the far corner of the chamber, a figure huddled, unmoving.

The team members sighed, as if letting go of the final thread of hope. Of course, there was no way anyone could have survived that; only a miracle could have saved her.

But as they prepared to retrieve Kaguya's "body," the "corpse" suddenly moved. She sat up, stretched, and yawned. In a muffled voice, she asked, "Is the test over already?"

The entire crowd was stunned, instinctively taking a few steps back with shocked expressions, as a chill crept up their spines.

Could it be...a ghost?

"What's wrong with all of you?" Kaguya wiped her eyes and looked at the people in front of her, utterly confused.

Everyone had assumed Kaguya was dead, yet here she was, awake and standing, moving almost like she was floating. Coupled with the dim lighting, her ethereally beautiful face took on a slightly eerie quality.

Kaguya took a step forward, and everyone took a step back. Their limbs felt cold, and their scalps prickled, some even feeling weak in the knees.

At that moment, a graceful figure rushed over, grabbing Kaguya's arm and anxiously asking, "Are you...are you okay?"

It was none other than Ryouko Kusakabe, whose straightforward nerves left her unfazed by the ghostly possibilities, or perhaps her simple mind didn't even register the thought.

"What's going on?" Kaguya was even more puzzled. She had merely taken a nap inside the gravity chamber, and now she woke up to this.

Honestly, why would she care about the gravity generated by the chamber? The gravitational forces within her "Amenominaka" space far exceeded anything the so-called gravity chamber could produce. At most, this chamber could reach 20 times gravity, maybe 30. But her gravitational space could reach hundreds of times that, even hitting thousands under full power.

This gravity chamber hadn't affected her in the least. In fact, the real problem was that it was too boring inside, empty and with nothing entertaining to pass the time. She'd even had a poor night's sleep due to Tobiichi Origami's late-night "visit."

Of course, nothing "unsuitable for children" had happened; just a little exchange of fluids in the most innocent sense.

"Did you feel any discomfort just now?" Ryouko was inspecting Kaguya closely, still holding her arm with concern.

"Discomfort?" Kaguya thought for a moment, rubbing her chin. "Does the ground being so hard that it hurt my back count?"

The crowd around her was speechless.

"That doesn't make sense…" A male operator scratched his head, frowning in confusion. "The gravity inside was already well over 20 times. How could she be unaffected?"

"The display needle must've broken. There probably wasn't any gravity at all inside," another female operator suggested. "Otherwise, anyone would've been crushed under that pressure. The only possible explanation is that the gravity chamber itself malfunctioned."

"Could that really be it?" The first operator looked doubtful.

Regardless, everyone was relieved that no actual disaster had occurred. Had there been a fatal accident, he would've faced serious consequences, and his entire project would likely have been suspended and investigated, which would have been a massive loss. He inspected the chamber daily to prevent such an error. Perhaps it really was just aging equipment…

Ryouko, too, breathed a deep sigh of relief. If anything had happened to Kaguya, she wasn't sure how she would have explained it to Tobiichi Origami.

"About my test…" Kaguya suddenly remembered the reason she had come, looking expectantly at Ryouko.

"About that…" Ryouko hesitated.

Technically, a test result was void if equipment failure occurred. But this incident had made her wary; what if another malfunction happened in the future? She didn't want to take any more chances.

"Let's just say you passed," Ryouko smiled brightly, patting Kaguya's shoulder. "But don't get the wrong idea. You didn't actually complete the test, so you'll still need to work hard. Keep in mind that Origami is one of the top talents in AST, and if you want to catch up, you'll need to double your efforts."

"Understood," Kaguya replied with a slight smile.

It seemed Tobiichi Origami's standing in AST was indeed impressive, which was somewhat surprising. After all, in the original story, she was repeatedly overpowered, even with her powerful Angel weapon. But then, that was relative to Spirits; considering that most AST members were essentially fodder, Origami was quite formidable among them.

With Ryouko seemingly busy, she didn't stay with Kaguya for long, instead directing her to the virtual simulation zone before leaving in a hurry. Kaguya's keen hearing picked up a word through her headset— "Spirit," along with a mention of another Spirit sighting.

A Spirit?

Kaguya frowned slightly. Was it Kurumi Tokisaki again? But she hadn't sensed any Spacequake, and her sensitivity to spatial vibrations was sharp enough to detect even a small disturbance. Could a new Spirit have appeared?

Perhaps it would be best to investigate; if a new Spirit had emerged, it would be wise to plan accordingly.

Just as Kaguya considered slipping away, a petite figure approached her.

"Hello there!" A charming girl with a sweet smile stood before her, eyes curving in a friendly way. "Are you the new recruit, Kaguya?"

"That's me. And you are…?" Kaguya asked curiously, realizing she didn't recognize this girl.

"Oh, sorry if I startled you!" the cute girl apologized with a bit of shyness. "I'm Mikie Okamine. Just call me Mikie."

"What brings you here?" Kaguya asked, puzzled.

"Ah, um…" Mikie blushed slightly, her voice soft. "If you don't mind, I'd be happy to help familiarize you with the virtual simulation equipment."

"Uh..."

Kaguya was taken aback, having expected something more significant. Could it be that her charm was attracting the attention of other girls now?

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