Chapter 134: Evil Female Executive ~The Only One in This World~ (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 134: Evil Female Executive ~The Only One in This World~ (4)
A’s work pattern was quite regular. He worked as an engineer in the mornings and afternoons and went home in the evening. When he pulled guard duty, he would take either the morning, afternoon, or evening shift and rest during the early hours of the morning.
He still struggled to wake up in the morning due to his hobby of binge-watching dramas, but thanks to Seira, who always came to wake him, his work remained unaffected.
Many who saw him working in the hangar assumed he would be just as temperamental with his shifts, but he was only sensitive while in the hangar; he was always professional when it came to the job itself, and that was no different when he was on duty.
"This is A, on duty at the 54th Aviation Corps Combat Information Room."
A hologram monitor appeared before him as he took the call. A provided a detailed explanation regarding what the caller was looking for.
Once the call ended, a woman working in the Combat Information Room approached him.
"A. Could you check this programming array for me? It keeps throwing an error, but I can't find where."
Since he was skilled at handling various programs, it was common for people to come to him with programming questions. A scanned the array the woman had transferred to his hologram monitor.
"Command error in the 37th row."
It didn't take long for him to identify the problem. A explained it to her step-by-step with kindness. Once she understood, she smiled and thanked him.
"Thanks. You saved me again."
"It was nothing."
As the woman returned to her seat, Kruger, who was on duty with him, watched A quietly.
"What?"
Feeling the gaze from beside him, A turned his head and met Kruger’s eyes. Kruger shook his head and let out a light sigh.
"What is it?"
"I was just thinking... I wish you were even half this nice when you're in the hangar."
"What did I do?"
Failing to see the difference between his 'hangar self' and his 'on-duty self,' A frowned in dissatisfaction. Kruger shook his head once more.
"Just think about how you act before and after you step into that hangar."
A fell into thought for a moment at Kruger’s words. Soon, realizing what Kruger meant, he nodded and looked back at him.
"Hey. Accidents happen in the hangar in the blink of an eye. It’s because there are always idiots who walk in there with their heads in the clouds."
"I get that, but why do you carry around a spanner you aren't even using just to throw it at people?"
"Because those space cadets don't realize what they're doing unless there's a loud noise to snap them out of it."
It wasn't that Kruger didn't understand. As a fellow engineer, he knew exactly how many hazards existed in the hangar.
While he understood A’s actions at times, he still wished A would tone down the aggressive behavior that often led to misunderstandings with others.
"How are you more high-strung now than when you were a Soldier?"
"As a Soldier, you only have to be careful during operations. Back then, I only had to look out for my own skin."
The two had been comrades since their days on the Homeworld long ago. They had started as basic infantry—Soldiers—performing operations together, and even through numerous MOS changes, they had often been transferred together.
Since Seira had been with them throughout that process, Kruger knew the relationship between A and Seira better than anyone.
"If someone touches an engine wrong and it blows, the whole hangar goes with it. It’s only natural to be sensitive."
"I guess that’s true."
Kruger nodded in agreement. The issue was A’s violent reactions, not his intent to prevent safety accidents.
"The hangar must be busy right now, huh?"
"Probably. It's the day the Bioroid arrives."
Today was the day the Bioroid intended for 'learning purposes'—which they had heard about weeks ago—was scheduled to arrive at the Aviation Corps. They didn't know why, out of the three ships in the 6th Fleet, it had to be their ship—and specifically their Aviation Corps Hangar Engineer Team—but being in charge of the incoming Bioroid had become an unavoidable reality.
"I almost cracked that Record Officer's skull open. You think he's holding a grudge?"
"Who knows? I haven't seen him since that day. I heard he only comes to check the equipment when you're not around."
After his disastrous first meeting with Baltor, the Record Officer, A hadn't run into him once. Baltor was intentionally avoiding A, and A had only heard that the man only visited to check the status of the new robot when A was off-shift.
"Well, it's a relief we're stuck on duty. They're probably doing all sorts of nonsense in the hangar right now."
With the arrival of the new Bioroid, many high-ranking officers had gathered in the hangar. A and Kruger were grateful to be away on duty on a day like this.
Just then, Kruger received a communication. After a brief greeting, he was given a set of instructions.
Kruger only responded with "Yes" or "Understood." Once the call ended, A looked at him, wondering what was going on.
"The escort fleet just arrived."
"Then Seira must be back. I just hope nothing happened to the fighters."
The fact that Seira, a pilot in the same hangar, had returned meant that all the fighters that had gone out to escort the Bioroid transport ship were back.
Uninterested in the Bioroid itself, A only hoped there were no issues with the aircraft. A moment later, he received a call.
"This is A, on duty at the 54th Aviation Corps Combat Information Room... Yes, Captain."
The person calling A was none other than Captain Esmeralda, who was currently receiving the new Bioroid in the hangar. Hearing her voice over the comms, A simply repeated quiet affirmations.
The call ended, and this time it was Kruger who looked at A to see what was wrong.
"She wants me there."
"Huh?"
"She told me to come to the hangar right now."
"While you're on duty?"
"Yeah... Fuck. I hope nothing broke."
Assuming he was being summoned mid-shift because something was wrong with a fighter, A cursed with a deep scowl.
"Just go for now. What else can you do if she called?"
"I guess. Keep an eye on things here."
"Will do."
Leaving Kruger in the Combat Information Room, A stood up and headed for the hangar. The distance between the two locations was quite far, and the whole way there, A worried about what could have possibly happened.
After walking for a while, A arrived at the hangar, swiped his ID, and entered. Contrary to his expectations, there weren't many high-ranking officers inside.
There was Esmeralda, Baltor the Record Officer, Theo from the hangar team, and Roy—who definitely shouldn't have been there at this hour.
"Captain!"
A called out to Esmeralda from a distance and approached quickly. Seeing him running toward her, she gave a light wave.
"You got here fast."
"Yes. You called so suddenly, so I hurried."
"Senior! Senior!"
As he tried to speak with Esmeralda, Roy approached him, his animal ears twitching atop his head as he poked A with eyes full of curiosity.
"What?"
"That."
Where Roy was pointing stood a massive transport ship he had never seen in the hangar before. Many people were already disembarking and scattering to various areas. A tilted his head in confusion and looked at Esmeralda.
"Ah, that's the Bioroid transport. I've already finished delivering all the necessary briefings."
This meant the official welcoming ceremony for the Bioroid was over. Then why had she called him? Was it really a problem with the fighters? Just as he was thinking that, Seira approached in her pilot suit and saluted Esmeralda.
"Captain. All twelve fighters on the escort mission have returned. No abnormalities found."
"Good. Well done."
Before the engineers performed their inspections after a return, the pilots checked the status of their aircraft first. Seira was reporting on behalf of the pilots that the planes were fine.
‘Then there’s no reason to call me?’
Since there was nothing wrong with the fighters, he couldn't fathom why he had been summoned from his duty post. As he stood there waiting, he saw a girl with a black bob cut approaching from a distance.
"Project Section 3, Number 3117, 86-7 (Eighty-Six Dash Seven). Reporting for duty."
Seeing the girl approach and give a crisp, military salute, A immediately realized she was the Bioroid his team was supposed to take charge of.
"Right. Glad to meet you. I am Esmeralda, Captain of the 54th Aviation Corps. And this is A, the Engineer Team Leader who will be your handler from now on."
"Glad to—... Excuse me?"
A, who was about to return the greeting as Esmeralda introduced him, was cut off mid-sentence. When he looked at Esmeralda with a questioning gaze, she only offered a smile.
"It’s as you heard, A. I want you to take charge of the education for Section 3’s Eighty-Six Dash Seven."
"...This is the first I'm hearing of this."
"That’s because I’m telling you for the first time right now."
While A stood there dumbfounded, looking at Esmeralda, the girl turned toward him and saluted.
"I look forward to working with you."
"Uh, yeah..."
He couldn't refuse a direct order from a superior, but the situation made no sense. A stared blankly at the girl saluting him.
Behind him, Roy was hovering, looking at the new Bioroid with intense interest.
"And who is that person behind you?"
When the girl pointed behind A and asked, A turned around to find Roy. Roy was pointing at himself as if asking to be introduced.
"This is what we call a pet."
"I see. A pet."
"Senior?!"
Roy’s voice rose in indignation at being treated like a dog out of nowhere. Watching this, Esmeralda stifled a laugh before patting A on the shoulder.
"I’ll leave her in your hands for the time being. I’ll have my aides transfer the necessary data to you as soon as possible."
"Understood."
Esmeralda left the hangar after her farewell. Baltor, who had been glaring at A with displeasure, soon followed her out.
"Well, good luck, A."
Theo, who had escaped being the Bioroid’s handler, returned to his workstation with a smirk. Only A, Roy, Seira, and the Bioroid girl remained in the group.
"How should I address you, Handler?"
"Me? Just..."
"This is Senior A. He was my handler back when I was a Bioroid."
Roy cut in, and A furrowed his brows as he recalled the days he had spent handling Roy. Roy’s personality, which was exhausting just to be around, hadn't been much different back then. He had caused trouble constantly, giving A no end of grief.
"Then should I call you Senior A?"
"No, we're the same rank—Soldiers. You can just call me A."
"Yes, Senior A."
"Fine. Do whatever you want."
Seeing the girl continue to call him 'Senior' despite his correction, A gave up on trying to fix it. Roy continued to pester her from the side.
"Senior! Me! Me!"
"What about you?"
"You have to introduce me as her Bioroid senior!"
"...This is Roy. He's the base dog that guards the Aviation Corps."
"Yes! Military dog Roy."
Having been identified as a military dog from the very start by the new Bioroid, Roy froze in place like a statue from the shock. Seira watched the scene quietly before stepping closer.
"Seira. The fighters are all good, right?"
"Yeah. But why did the Captain put you in charge of the Bioroid?"
"How should I know? I was Roy’s handler before, so she probably figured she’d dump this one on me too."
In the end, he had no idea why he was the one chosen for the new Bioroid.
"Ah, and this is—"
"Seira."
"Huh?"
Just as A was about to introduce Seira, the girl spoke Seira's name first. She wasn't confirming it; she was simply stating it as she recognized her from her internal database. Her tone was incredibly blunt.
"No, I mean, you're both Soldiers, but Seira has the same service number as me—"
"Seira."
Even if they were technically on the same level within the rank of Soldier, it was rare to speak so informally upon a first meeting. A sighed as he watched the Bioroid girl point a finger at Seira and state her name without any titles or honorifics.
Seira, having been addressed so rudely by someone she just met, wore an expression that was a mix of a forced 'I'm an adult, I should be patient' smile and genuine irritation at the girl's insolence.
"This new Bioroid has quite the attitude, doesn't she?"
"Bioroid is not my name. I am Project Section 3, Number 3117, 86-7 (Eighty-Six Dash Seven)."
The moment she was called out for her attitude, her speech toward Seira became entirely informal. A let out another long sigh.
‘I have a bad feeling about this.’
It was the exact moment he felt certain that his sudden appointment as a Bioroid educator was not going to be smooth sailing.