Chapter 135: Evil Female Executive ~The Only One in This World~ (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 135: Evil Female Executive ~The Only One in This World~ (5)
A had never once desired to take on troublesome tasks. It was simply that his nature wouldn't let him rest until a job was finished properly, and because he handled things so reliably, his competence was recognized—which, ironically, led to him being frequently assigned more troublesome tasks.
If he had to choose, A was the type who preferred lounging in his room, spacing out in front of the TV, rather than bustling about with various chores.
However, he had been saddled with another bothersome duty. Since it was an order from a superior, he couldn't refuse, so he decided to just do what he could this time as well.
A had barely managed to calm down Seira, who had been confronting the Bioroid girl with a look of utter distaste, and sent her back to inspect the fighter jets. He also successfully convinced Roy to return to his own post.
Before returning to his duty station, A set up a spot in a corner of the hangar for a brief introduction and sat down across from the Bioroid girl.
"Right. I guess we should start with introductions."
"Yes. I am Project Section 3, Number 3117..."
"Too long!"
This was the first problem. Having been in charge of Bioroids twice before, A always made it his first priority to name the Bioroids that came to him.
Roy, too, originally had a name consisting of a project name, project number, entity name, and entity number rather than the name 'Roy.' The name he used now was one the engineer team had casually given him back then.
"First off, I don't care if you call me 'Senior' or just speak casually. But are you going to greet everyone you meet like that?"
The girl sitting opposite him tilted her head, her eyes wide and clear as she looked at A.
"According to the data from previous entity numbers, they greeted everyone in this manner. I understand that previous entities were called slightly different things depending on where they went and whom they met."
Bioroids have entity numbers. There is a process where a model undergoes repetitive learning, updates collected information, and evolves into a higher-tier entity. Of course, the previous entity is replaced by the new one, and the newly born Bioroid receives the next entity number.
The entity number is the digit at the end of the name. The Bioroid girl in front of A was number 7. In other words, she was the seventh entity of the Bioroid model named '86.'
A newly reorganized Bioroid possesses the memories of the previous models, but the information is preserved like a story heard from someone else, rather than being entirely their own memory.
"Let's decide on a name first."
"……There is no memory regarding the method of choosing a name."
Usually, people don't give names to Bioroids. This is because they know that once a Bioroid finishes its training in one region, it returns to its fleet and is replaced by a new entity.
Even though 'replacement' means the DNA is broken down and reassembled into a new entity, the way they remember things is different. Even if they are the same model, once the number changes, they become like a completely different person. Consequently, most people avoid getting attached to Bioroids.
"You too, huh…."
A was used to this. It was the same when Roy was a Bioroid, and the same with the Bioroid he had been in charge of before that. Bioroids found the concept of naming themselves very foreign, and the girl before him was no different.
"What was the name again?"
"Project Section 3, Number 3117, Eighty-Six Dash Seven."
After listening to the long name until the end, A closed his eyes for a moment in thought. He decided it was indeed impossible to call her by that long name every single time.
"So, the entity name is Eighty-Six, right?"
"Yes."
He felt a sense of pressure about naming a girl, so he decided to just pick a temporary name for now rather than something permanent.
"Then let's go with A.T."
In truth, he was just being lazy. It was more bothersome to spend time on naming than the act itself, and since it was just a temporary name to use while she lived with the Aviation Corps, he just took the first part of her entity name.
"A.T.…"
Though he had named her half-heartedly, the Bioroid girl—no, A.T.—muttered her name aloud as if it felt strange to have a name for the first time.
"Yeah. I'm A. You're A.T. Easy to remember, right?"
"Yes."
Even as a Bioroid instructor, his job was to teach various lifestyle habits, not to impart professional knowledge. Furthermore, since A.T.'s training stage was said to be the final one, she would become a Kaijin—the final stage for a Bioroid—once she returned after this training.
Thus, A made up his mind to approach his duty as A.T.'s handler with the mindset of looking after a young child.
"First, this is the hangar. Where are we?"
"The hangar."
"Right. The hangar. There are many dangerous things here, so you mustn't touch them recklessly. If anyone starts messing with things they shouldn't, you smash their hea—no, wait."
He had started speaking out of habit but stopped himself, realizing he shouldn't say such things to A.T., who was just beginning her education. But A.T., who had been listening intently, spoke up.
"Yes. This is the hangar, and since there are many dangerous things, I must not touch them recklessly. If anyone touches them recklessly, I will smash their heads."
"No! I cut myself off, so why did you finish the sentence?!"
A felt a pang of guilt, as if he had taught a child their first swear words, and his voice rose.
"First of all, forget about smashing heads."
"Forget it."
Perhaps possessing a strong desire to learn, A.T. mimicked the end of A's sentence and focused on his words. Feeling a strange sense of pressure from her intense focus, A swallowed hard and spoke.
"Since it can be dangerous, if someone touches things recklessly, you admonish them."
"In what manner should I admonish them?"
"……."
A.T.'s question left A speechless. He had never once in his life admonished someone for doing something stupid in the hangar with gentle words.
Since throwing a wrench was his default response, A pondered how to phrase a 'gentle admonishment.'
"Uh… like, 'That is dangerous, so please do not touch it recklessly.' Something like that."
"Understood."
Relieved that he had managed to erase the 'smashing heads' part from A.T.'s mind, A let out a sigh of relief and stood up.
"I'm on duty today, so let's go to the Combat Information Center. Don't touch anything, and for the time being, just watch what I do from the side."
"Understood."
As A walked out of the hangar toward the CIC, A.T. trotted along behind him. Feeling like he had grown a tail, A kept looking back to check on her.
Every time he did, A.T. would stand up straight and prepare to listen, thinking A had something to teach her. A was left agonizing over how to handle this awkward situation.
Having been a Bioroid handler twice before, A knew well that even though Bioroids were artificial life forms, they all had different personalities based on their experiences in various fields.
The first Bioroid he trained, the second one—Roy—and now the third, A.T. They all had distinct personalities, and even though this was his third time, the situation felt no different from the first.
After walking for a while, they arrived at the CIC. A opened the door and locked eyes with Kruger, who was on duty.
Kruger stared blankly, wondering why A, who had gone out alone, had suddenly returned with a young girl in tow.
"…Is she your secret daughter?"
"What the hell are you talking about?"
A grabbed an empty chair, placed it next to his, and had A.T. sit down. A.T. looked at the monitors and various equipment in the CIC with curiosity. A explained what had happened in the hangar to the inquisitive Kruger.
"So, you're handling this one alone instead of as a team?"
"That's how it turned out. I don't know why either."
"Isn't it proof that the Captain trusts you?"
"Isn't that trust a bit too deep?"
Unable to think of a plan for the future, A turned his head and met the gaze of A.T., who was sitting perfectly upright and staring at him.
"But you know, her vibe is really similar to yours."
"Similar, my ass."
In reality, the only thing they had in common was black hair, but Kruger desperately wanted to tease A about being in charge of a Bioroid girl.
"No, really, you look alike. If you walked around with Seira, the three of you would look exactly like a family."
At the mention of Seira again, A's brow furrowed as he glared at Kruger. A.T. also furrowed her brow and looked at Kruger upon hearing Seira's name.
Flinching at the two simultaneous glares directed at him, Kruger quickly laughed it off, saying, "Just kidding."
"Don't you dare say that in front of Seira. The vibe between A.T. and Seira isn't great right now."
"A.T.?"
"Yeah. Her entity name is Eighty-Six, so I called her A.T."
"Wow, you really put zero effort into that name."
Thinking the naming was devoid of any sincerity, Kruger looked at A, commenting on how cold it was, while A.T. stared intently at Kruger.
Noticing A.T. watching Kruger, A belatedly introduced him to her.
"This is Kruger. He's my colleague and an engineer who works with me in the hangar we were just in. Just call him 'Mister.'"
"Yes, Senior A. Hello, Mister."
"Hey! Why is he 'Senior' and I'm 'Mister'?!"
Kruger raised his voice at being immediately addressed as 'Mister.' A had told her to call him that just to see if she would actually do it, and he couldn't hold back his laughter when she complied instantly.
"Pwahahaha! Hey, based on her age, we are misters."
"We might be, but it's unfair!"
Seeing A laughing and enjoying himself, A.T. felt a sense of pride, thinking he was happy because she had done as he asked. Kruger looked at A.T. and then hung his head low.
"She seems to absorb whatever I tell her for now. And she doesn't seem to want to change things easily. The kid's got a stubborn streak in weird places."
A spoke to Kruger about A.T., recalling the events in the hangar. Hearing A's words, A.T. knitted her brows.
"Senior A. I am not stubborn."
"Huh?"
Was she offended by being called stubborn? A couldn't hide his bewilderment when A.T. suddenly denied it.
"You are… being stubborn right now, aren't you?"
"I am not."
Seeing her deny it so firmly, A wondered what kind of situation this was and said to the girl who was staring holes through him:
"That right there is what you call being stubborn."
"!!!"
A.T. froze in place, looking as shocked as Roy did when he was called a military dog.
"……Maybe she really thought she wasn't stubborn?"
"You think so?"
As Kruger chimed in from the side, A thought for a moment and then looked at the still-frozen A.T.
"Fine, you're not stubborn. Let's go with that."
Only then did A.T., feeling acknowledged that she wasn't stubborn, sit back in her upright posture and resume looking at the panels in the CIC.
"……I feel like I've just taken in a new recruit."
"I was thinking the same thing."
A and Kruger recalled their old memories, feeling like they were looking at a fresh recruit from their days as soldiers. A, who was the first to stop reminiscing, worried about what to do with A.T. moving forward, but decided to stop thinking about it for now, knowing no answer would come in the current situation.