The Muv-Luv world. Or, in short: humanity versus alien mining robots.
1997.
Imperial Guard Eishi Training Academy.
Dressed in a blue sailor uniform, Inori watched a Tactical Surface Fighter streak across the sky.
(Yui Takamura, Student Edition)
(Her Squadmates)
(Type-82 Zuikaku TSF)
(Actually Pretty Cool)
That was the Type-82/F-4J Kai Zuikaku—the TSF that graduates would be assigned to upon completion.
"The spec gap compared to a Gundam is enormous. Mobility's impressive, sure, but the firepower and everything else are abysmal."
Both were humanoid mecha, sure, but this world's machines were painfully underpowered.
Drop one into the Gundam world, and it'd be a steel coffin.
The tech was still battery packs paired with jet fuel.
Literally only useful for learning piloting techniques.
Then again, it was a 3-star piloting course. Couldn't expect much more.
"Yui, isn't that the transfer student everyone's talking about?"
"Whoa—that gradient from white to pink in her hair, so pretty! Is it dyed?"
The moment Inori entered the classroom, whispers broke out around her.
She didn't care. She was here for one reason only: acclimate to her body and complete her "pre-performance training."
The opening weeks were mostly theory.
Covering how to engage the enemy, tactical breakdowns, and so on.
After reviewing the material, Inori found it all quite simple. The entire philosophy boiled down to one concept: charge headlong.
For someone running both a hyper-advanced AI and a Fatima as dual cheats, this was child's play.
"Eight minutes! That is the current average survival time for a new Eishi in their first engagement against BETA!"
The instructor was lecturing from the podium.
Meanwhile, Inori was studying the materials in her hands.
"Riddled with errors."
These case studies, touted as textbook examples, were full of holes to Inori's eyes.
"Optimizing the plans…"
The sensation was peculiar.
To put it in terms she could relate to: it was like having a "skill tree" in her brain.
Every decision branched into simulated outcomes, and plans with excessive projected losses were pruned automatically.
"A bit too mentally taxing, though. If I had the Black Monolith, it could provide support—but it didn't come with me."
The Fatima ability was somewhat constrained—apparently because she still lacked "authorization."
"I'll need to find a way around this limitation."
Our dear director was thinking.
"In the meantime, let me restructure the computation model."
Since brute-force calculation wasn't fully available, she'd adapt.
First, build a large-scale model in her mind, then run strategy and tactics through an initial screening pass.
Once the model was constructed, refine it—isolate the best computational models, then feed in the live battlefield parameters.
This round was much faster.
"Precision dropped, but processing time went from ten seconds down to three. With the Black Monolith's quantum computer assisting, I could cut it even further."
Good results.
But not quite enough.
"After optimizing the model, I should be able to bring it down to one second under normal conditions."
The first semester focused on theory and physical training.
Inori might look human, but she wasn't one—not in the truest sense. She could simulate normal human performance, but her actual physical specs were absurdly high, requiring zero training. And her body wouldn't degrade from lack of exercise, either.
Still, the downtime of this first semester was what allowed Inori to finally, completely take stock of her current capabilities.
The world's military doctrine wasn't entirely worthless, either.
The large-scale combined-arms operations described in the textbooks—military installations coordinating with TSFs in massed formations—were the sort of engagements you rarely saw even in the SEED world.
—Wait, the Muv-Luv anime didn't have any of this?
(Large-Scale Operations Exist in the Setting Bible)
Oh, it only existed in the setting bible. Fair enough.
The training course took place in the "real world," so naturally, setting-bible content became reality.
By the second semester, practical training began in earnest. The students would be piloting a TSF called the Gekishin.
At last, Inori also received her "Performance Costume."
[Costume: Surface Pilot Fortified Suit]
[Rarity: 3-Star]
[A performance outfit with moderate tactical value. Excellent anti-G and impact resistance; suitable as a piloting suit in most situations. Attention +5% when worn, +5% bonus during combat.]
The Fortified Suit came in two layers. The inner layer was a near-transparent bodysuit; the outer layer was an armored shell.
Pure eye candy for the viewers.
(The Inner Bodysuit Layer)
(The Others Can't Be Shown)
(Finally Found One That's Publishable)
Inori still had access to the Workshop, though, so she could modify and adjust the costume.
"Don't you think this suit is kind of embarrassing?" The other students were grumbling among themselves.
"That's only because your child-sized bodies make it look that way."
"Ahahahaha…"
"Supposedly the design was specifically meant to eliminate the sense of shame."
Inori donned the suit and followed the others to the training ground.
After changing into these combat suits, they still had to acclimatize—running drills while wearing them, and so on.
What Inori truly could not comprehend, however, was why the TSFs here were standing around practicing sword swings.
—Do robots need exercise too?
(I Cannot Comprehend This)
Finding it too absurd to dwell on, Inori stopped thinking about it and resumed her internal planning.
"I can use the Workshop to add vacuum-environment adaptability to this suit."
Unfortunately, this world's technology was far too primitive—let alone any internet—and while Inori had computational power, her internal database was a blank slate. All she could draw on was what she remembered.
"After returning to the SEED world, I'll need to download enough data from the network to build a proper reserve."
Filing that under "to-do," Inori moved on to another question.
"Stage—can I fuse Performance Costumes?" Inori asked.
[Upgrade the Workshop tier, or the fusion feature can be included when commissioning a custom Performance Costume]
How convenient.
Inori happened to be able to commission a custom costume. A 4-star one, at that.
And after that, formal training finally began.
The underlying engineering of humanoid mecha varied wildly between worlds, but the piloting fundamentals were universal.
After all, the SEED franchise was a regular fixture in the Super Robot Wars games, and even Muv-Luv had crossed over with Super Robot Wars before.
Compared to ranged combat, though, the people here seemed far more invested in close-quarters melee. Not only did the mecha practice sword swings, there were even full-on mecha kendo duels—utterly absurd.
From the perspective of a hyper-advanced AI, Inori thought the people in this world were a bit unhinged.
But with the "base template" now in hand, optimizing her piloting logic became much easier. The Fatima talent allowed Inori to demonstrate piloting skills at peak efficiency with a solid foundation to build from.
Without authorization, however, she still couldn't unleash a pilot's true potential.
"Once I'm back, finding Kira has to come first."
No matter what, once this training ended, it'd be time to return.
Before that, though, Inori went ahead and crafted Inori Yuzuriha's signature Goldfish Outfit—and fused the Fortified Suit into it.
[Costume: Goldfish Outfit]
[A latex-textured performance outfit. Attention +15% when worn, +15% bonus during idol activities.]
[Battle Mode: Converts to space combat suit mode. Attention +10% when worn, +20% bonus during combat.]
No special abilities—functionally, it couldn't compare to Zhuixia. What it excelled at was pure stat padding: attention maxed out.
Everything was in place. Time to start drafting the script for "Episode 0"…
(Inori Is Still the Cutest)