I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship, so I Became a Space Mercenary

「In other words, the flow of time is a collection of fleeting moments, like a thread continuously being spun. Once a thread is spun, it cannot be undone, and the past that has been observed cannot be reversed. Controlling time and space means grasping those fleeting moments and intervening in the flow of time that continues to be spun.」

「The ability to manipulate fate is the power to select the future that will come. It’s about how you combine those continuously spun threads and weave a picture of the future—」

An old man, who was pure white and furry, kind of like a monkey, and a mysterious beauty with an eyepatch covering one eye, were eagerly explaining the Third Spiritual Form, the ability to control time and space and manipulate fate, to me. They’re doing their best, but…

「…Huh?」

I feel like my eyes are about to roll back in my head from the complicated explanation. Or rather, they already did. Can’t you explain it a little simpler? Please? Impossible? I see…

In summary, as far as I could grasp, the ability to control time and space involved interfering with the smallest unit of time, expanding it, compressing it, and manipulating it at will. The ability I have, to hold my breath and slow down the flow of time, was apparently the result of me stretching and expanding this smallest unit of time. Regular people can only act for one second in one second. That’s obvious. But I could stretch one second into ten, and within that one second, I could take ten seconds’ worth of actions. Yeah, saying it myself, I still don’t really get it.

If I master it, I could stretch a moment—a hundred trillionth of a second—into eternity, allowing me to take infinite actions, or so they said. That’s something way beyond the limits of being human. I’d become like one of those time-stopping characters from stories…

「As for the ability to manipulate fate, even after the explanation, I still don’t get it… Threads and weaving? I don’t see any of that stuff.」

「The metaphor of a fabric woven from the threads of fate is just one way of looking at it. In short, it’s the power to pull in the desired future from the nearly infinite branches of potential futures.」

「My Lord, how should I put this… you are making quite the face.」

I must have been making a terribly grim expression. Apparently, my ability to manipulate fate worked instinctively, almost unconsciously. But it always seemed to attract trouble. So, I’ve been unconsciously pulling trouble toward me all along? I had a hunch, but I really didn’t want to know that for sure.

「As for how to train your power, repeated use is key, as with any skill. Fortunately, you seem to have no issue with activating your power reliably, Hiro-dono,  so it would be good to use something like this.」

The white-haired old man produced an hourglass.

「To visualize how much you are stretching time, it’s helpful to use a simple, primitive tool like this.」

「I see… To be honest, I haven’t been using this power unless absolutely necessary because I don’t fully understand it. It feels like something that could mess up the world or my body.」

「That feeling is, in a way, correct. As a wielder of great power, it’s very wise not to use a power you don’t fully understand recklessly. However, as long as you understand it and can control it properly, there’s no problem. There’s no need to worry about any negative effects on your body, so while you’re here, feel free to experiment as much as you like.」

「Normally, for training in Third Spiritual Form like this, it would be best to seek the assistance of that person…」

「Ah yes, that’s true… but that person…」

The old white monkey and the mysterious beauty with the eyepatch and white scales on her neck both sighed. That person, huh? A person who can manipulate space-time and whose name can’t be spoken… The only one that comes to mind is that gorgeous nine-tailed beauty. Is it her?

Oh, there she is, waving at me with a big smile—hey, wait a minute!

「Could you not just show up out of nowhere like that… Ah, so this is what happened last time too, huh?」

Looking around, I noticed that everyone except me and the nine-tailed beauty was frozen in place, as if time itself had stopped. Actually, it probably has—time is almost completely halted. The beauty before me has likely expanded one of those ‘fleeting moments’ and pulled me into it.

「It hath been some time, hast it not? ‘Tis I ♡」

「Yeah, no… Stop appearing like that. You’re way too beautiful, and if you keep showing up like this, I’m gonna be totally done for, so could you not?」

「Art thou trying to compliment me or insult me? Which is it…?」

「Both, maybe…」

I responded to the nine-tailed beauty, who gave me a somewhat perplexed look. But really, she’s stunning. This woman is ridiculously beautiful. With golden hair that seems to emit its own light, flawless, porcelain-like skin as smooth as silk, and dressed in an extravagant shrine maiden outfit that exudes an air of elegance, almost like an oiran courtesan. Her clothes are loose, and her chest is so exposed that you can see her cleavage, and let’s just say everything about her is… bouncy. If she didn’t give off such an ‘absolutely dangerous’  aura, I might’ve been completely entranced by now.

「So, you show up at this moment—does that mean you’re going to teach me about the Third Spiritual Form?」

「If we grow closer, there will be no need for lessons. All shall be resolved. What sayest thou?」

「Nooo thank you.」

It was a tempting offer, but I rejected it with a will of iron. I mean, no matter how delicious a fruit dangling in front of me looks, I’m not crazy enough to bite into it, knowing it’s deadly poisonous.

「Just a little, just the tip! That is all!」

「You’re way too desperate! What in the world is driving you so hard?」

「Is it not the finest feeling to steal another woman’s man?」

「Uh, that’s not really my thing… I don’t judge people who are into that, but I’m not fond of things that make everyone involved miserable.」

I’m starting to think that the reason she’s treated like someone whose name can’t even be spoken isn’t because of her immense power or her status as a higher being. It’s more likely due to her… uh, ‘personality defects.’ That would make sense.

「So long as I am content, that is all that matters, is it not? Problem solved!」

「No, it’s definitely not solved… How about we stop with the nonsense now?」

「Oh, come now. Surely thou knowest that impatient, cold men are far from popular, do ye not?」

「Trying to one-up me with those kinds of remarks isn’t going to work, so just give it up, okay?」

It’s not that I’m starving or that I’m a boy without experience. I have seven different partners after all. We don’t do it every night, but with seven, you can imagine the frequency. So, yeah, that kind of teasing won’t work on me.

「Ugh… Thou art a dull man, no fun to toy with at all.」

「Yeah, sorry about that. Now, can we get to the real topic?」

「Thou art truly no fun… Perhaps I should ‘train’ thee someday.」

「Spare me, please.」

Coming from her, that’s no joke. I could easily end up under her spell without realizing it, and by the time I noticed, it’d be game over.

「In any case, as thou hast likely surmised, I am here to impart unto thee a lesson on the Third Spiritual Form.」

「Great, I’m honestly grateful for that. I’ll repay you in any way that doesn’t involve my body, mind, soul, or labor.」

「Art thou not being a bit too rude? If thou keepest being so unendearing, I shall sulk! And a sulking me is quite the bother to handle, you know?」

「Okay, okay. I’ll accept your price if it’s not unreasonable. Let’s just negotiate the terms first.」

Yeah, with this nine-tailed beauty, I have to be extra cautious. Entering into a vague agreement with her would definitely lead to some irreversible consequences.