3 bar menu

528 – 「Alright, Alright, Is This a Contest or Something?」

 

「I can’t do this without a drink!」

「I can’t do this!」

Tina and Wiska were weirdly hyped. When they say the same thing at the same time like that, it really makes them seem like twin sisters.

We were staying in a hotel with the typical Holy Vuelzarus Empire aesthetics—in other words, a traditional Japanese inn. The mechanic sisters, after being dragged here by Elma and me, were washed in the bath by the rest of the girls, and then served an extravagant meal that featured delicacies from both land and sea, as well as natural meat—not the synthetic or cultured kind, but real livestock meat. Now, they were on either side of me, clinging to me and getting touchy while drunk.

「They’re totally wasted… Well, the alcohol here is delicious, so I can’t blame them.」

「Yeah, it’s so smooth and tasty.」

Facing me from across the table, Elma and Dr. Shouko were also drinking. That said, Dr. Shouko wasn’t nearly as heavy a drinker as the mechanic sisters or Elma, so she was sipping hers at a much slower pace.

「Aaaaahhh…」

「This has an addictive texture, huh, Mimi-chan.」

「I agree.」

Meanwhile, a little off to the side, Kugi was getting pampered by Neve and Mimi. Kugi had her head resting on Mimi’s lap, while the two of them were gently petting her head and animal ears. Kugi’s face had completely melted in pleasure from being softly stroked and petted by the two of them.

「So, Hiro-kun, what’s the plan for tomorrow?」

「Tomorrow, it’s more operational tests for Krishna at the research facility and some training in the Third Spiritual Form, I guess. Tina and Wiska will likely want to go to the facility too… What about you, Dr. Shouko?」

「Me? I’ll be heading to the research facility as well. I’m planning to negotiate with the people of the Holy Empire to see if I can get some DNA samples from them. It seems that this country hasn’t made much progress in the field of biotechnology. That leaves a lot of room for negotiation… Is it alright if I use Black Lotus’s facilities and its medical supplies as leverage?」

「Of course, that’s fine, but if you’re going to be acting on your own, I’ll have Mei support you. Whether it’s negotiations or anything else, you’ll be safer with her around.」

「That would be a great help. Is that alright with you, Mei-kun?」

「Yes, Doctor. If that is Master’s will, I will provide you with my full support.」

And so, the next day, Dr. Shouko and Mei would be working as a pair. What kind of negotiations she plans to do? Will she offer treatment for injuries or diseases in exchange for DNA samples? Well, if it’s Dr. Shouko, I don’t need to worry. And Mei will be with her, so it’ll be fine.

「As for me, my psionic abilities are interesting to them because they developed in a different environment from the Holy Empire, so I’ve been asked to cooperate in some research.」

「If they put you in an unreasonable situation like they did with me yesterday, tell me right away. I’ll crush them for you.」

「I will. I doubt they’ll make the same mistake after messing up today, though.」

Elma shrugged and poured herself another drink from a green, cut-glass sake cup. You’ve been drinking that like water all night, you know that sake is pretty strong, right? Don’t come crying to me if you end up with a hangover. Well, if it comes to that, I’ll just toss you in Krishna’s med-pod.

「I will also come with… Ah, not there… Ahhh…」

Kugi started to say something but melted into bliss again. Well, I got the gist of what she was trying to say, so I’ll just leave her be.

「Kugi-san is going with Hiro-sama, right? What should I do…?」

「I’d like you to work on securing some Holy Vuelzarus Empire food supplies, Mimi. You know, like the long-lasting types we ate in the Neeparc Colony’s Shrine. I want to eat them, and I think Kugi would love them too.」

「Got it! I’ll ask Moegi-san and the others about it tomorrow!」

「Thanks. What about you, Neve?」

「My area of expertise doesn’t seem very useful here… Plus, I’m not physically fit enough to keep up with anyone just yet, so I’ll stay somewhere you, Tina, or the others can keep an eye on me.」

「In that case, why don’t you come with me? As long as you’re in the pod, you’ll be fine. Besides, even though I said I’d ask Moegi and the others, it’s a bit nerve-wracking to go alone.」

「Really? I’d probably just be a burden…」

「Don’t worry about that. We’re all crewmates who entrust our lives to each other, right?」

With that, Mimi clenched her left fist and let out a strong breath, full of resolve. Crewmates who entrust our lives to each other—she’s right. Mimi’s got a point. We’re all in this together, and it’s not like we’d abandon or cut someone loose just because they might slow us down.

「Mimi, that was well said.」

「Right? That’s our oldest crew member for ya.」

「Are you teasing me?」

「No, I think you made a great point. We are crewmates who entrust our lives to each other, no doubt about it.」

Mimi, who had been giving the two drunkards a flat stare, broke into a smile when I agreed with her. I’m completely sober, after all. You can’t exactly trust what drunk people say.

「Wiska’s been awfully quiet… Oh, she’s asleep.」

It seems Wiska, having drunk just enough to feel pleasantly buzzed, had fallen asleep, leaning against me with an innocent look on her face, softly breathing in slumber. Yeah, adorable, she’s pretty adorable like this.

「Man, this is classic Wee. She’s so sneaky with those calculated cute acts.」

While saying that, Tina also leaned on me and started rubbing her cheek against my arm. Are you a dog or a cat or something? Honestly, if we’re talking about being sneaky cute, Tina’s pretty guilty of that herself.

「Alright, alright, is this a contest or something? Fix that slovenly face, Hiro. Wiska’s already asleep, so maybe it’s time to call it a night?」

「Yeah, that’s a good idea.」

Wiska, still sound asleep, was gently carried away by Mei. Not even the slightest sign of waking up. Watching Mei carry a full-grown person without disturbing her at all was impressive in its own right.

☆★☆

The next day, after enjoying breakfast at the inn, we made our way back to the research facility. Once there, everyone split off to tackle their assigned tasks for the day. Tina and Wiska were off to check Krishna’s condition and review the maintenance procedures, while Elma went to help the research into elven psionic abilities. Dr. Shouko and Mei were handling negotiations regarding the collection of DNA samples from the people of the Holy Vuelzarus Empire. Mimi and Neve were in charge of securing food supplies from the Holy Empire.

As for me and Kugi, we were scheduled to meet with scholars, researchers, and practitioners knowledgeable on the Third Spiritual Form—the ability to manipulate higher dimensions, space-time, and fate—to receive explanations and training in the subject.

「You three are coming with me, huh?」

「I am tasked with being your guard.」

「I’m the record keeper.」

「And I’m a researcher.」

Konoha, Inaba, and Fuguruma were accompanying me. It looks like Moegi went off somewhere with Mimi, I’m grateful they assigned her a guard as well. Although, realistically speaking, the odds of being attacked by some thug within the Holy Vuelzarus Empire seem pretty slim.

「…Well, whatever. So, how am I being evaluated so far, Miss Record Keeper?」

「You’re dangerous if angered.」

「I feel like that’s true for anyone, though?」

「In your case, Hiro-dono, the potential damage is a little beyond normal levels…」

「The military officers you beat up yesterday are actually considered among the upper ranks of the Holy Vuelzarus Empire’s military, Hiro-dono. The fact that you trampled down over a dozen of them single-handedly created quite a stir.」

「Well, they weren’t exactly trying to kill me. It got a bit intense, but calling that anything more than a brawl is exaggerating things.」

If all the military officers had gone all out from the start, recklessly attacking without regard for collateral damage, I’m not sure how things would have turned out for me.

「…But wouldn’t that be the same for you, Hiro-dono?」

「Maybe.」

If I had entered the fight with the intent to kill everyone present, what would’ve happened? Hard to say. In a free-for-all situation, you never know what will happen. If I had been serious about it, I probably would’ve crushed or obliterated everyone without hesitation. And then there’s the stretching sword—I could’ve easily turned it into a weapon that slices through anything it touches. Those who failed to dodge it would have been cut clean in half.

「…Hiro-dono, you are letting out a somewhat ominous aura.」

「Oh, sorry about that.」

I’ve been thinking too deeply about how things might’ve turned out if we had all been fighting with murderous intent, so I ended up radiating a bit of a dangerous vibe. My mistake. While Konoha can handle it, Inaba and Fuguruma aren’t combatants. Scaring them is no good. I need to be more careful.