REIWA JIGOKUHEN - Chaotic Disturbance of Reiwa Era

Chapter 18 - Typhoon Forecast

Kikai Town, Kagoshima Prefecture: Kikai Island Communication Station

"New radio emission confirmed... source is around Ulithi Atoll, Federated States of Micronesia."

"Random number key identified. Sending decrypted message now."

"Radio emissions in the United States of America, Hawaiian Islands."

Midnight.

The crew on duty at their desktops were reporting one after another. Because of the original position of the communications center, many of the staff members were fluent in Chinese. Most of them were also fluent in English, and the communication ciphers were easier to crack than breaking a piece of shoji paper. The only exception was the primitive spread-spectrum radio waves off the Philippines, which those with good intuition immediately recognized as SIGSALY. At the same time, the information obtained through the work made everyone realize that this was really the world in March 1945.

"Sir, I think we need to be on the lookout for this one."

"Hm."

The paper that the head of the interception team handed to the station chief was partially highlighted with a signature pen. It was the contents of a communication between Pacific Fleet Headquarters at Pearl Harbor and Task Force 58. Orders to the task force to launch as scheduled, an alert to an unidentified and powerful Japanese unit, and questions and answers about the Marianas and the information that the bombers had suffered heavy casualties. The US military, it seemed, is also unsure of the details of today's—or perhaps already yesterday's—battle, as is to be expected.

"There are 17 aircraft carriers going out... ooh, so that's why the Azusa Unit didn't go in."

"History has changed, hasn't it?"

"Never heard of recursive history," the chief looked over the paper as he spoke.

Even though all the information intercepted and deciphered will be shared with the Radio Department of the Intelligence Headquarters, it is also important to evaluate the situation in the field. Even if they have no idea what is in store for them, there is no doubt that the huge fleet, once feared as a typhoon, is headed for the Japanese mainland on a single course.

"Alright, let's bring it up to headquarters," the chief declared and picked up the telephone.

Then, as he dialed the direct line to the Radio Director of the Intelligence Headquarters, he thought it would be a good idea to turn Task Force 58 and all the rest of the fleet into a pile of shipwrecks. Using modern anti-ship missiles would be like stomping a baby's hand, and it seemed the best way to make them understand the difference in their powers. The military of the heinous country that indiscriminately burned Tokyo deserved as much.

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Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo: Prime Minister's Office

PM Kato was in his office, a bit dazed. He had managed to contact the embassies of Switzerland and Sweden, two of the four countries that had represented Japan's interests in the United States and Britain during World War II. Since the Japanese ambassador to the Soviet Union, Naotake Satō, was supposed to be in Moscow as well, they should be able to work out a way to contact them as well. In order to avoid unnecessary confusion, they will have to behave for the time being as the Kuniaki Koiso administration did at the time, but they may be able to open a window of opportunity for dialogue with the Allied nations.

In addition, it would be possible to establish contact with Imperial Japanese military units throughout Asia. However, the Navy Captain who had come by Zero fighter seemed to have fainted as soon as he heard the details of the time-space cataclysm, making it very difficult to handle him. In addition, he didn't know how the soldiers were treated at that time. They must have been Japanese, but their lives were already over long ago, or their names were inscribed on the list of the Yasukuni Shrine. There are probably not so many of them, but some of them are still alive.