Chapter 137: Evil Female Executive ~The Only One in This World~ (7)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 137: Evil Female Executive ~The Only One in This World~ (7)
Seira, the pilot team leader, did not file a separate report regarding A.T.’s behavior following her first sortie. She framed A.T.’s participation on the front lines as a direct order from herself, as she had been the one commanding the pilots on-site, and she didn't mention the incident again afterward.
The ship’s crew who had monitored the situation, along with the pilots who were there in person, were so impressed by A.T.’s skill that they talked about that battle incessantly for days.
However, A.T.’s words immediately following their return weighed heavily on the minds of both A and Seira. The reason Seira hadn't reported A.T.’s independent action was that A.T.’s way of thinking was vastly different from any Bioroid she had encountered before.
That didn't mean they spent all their time agonizing over it, though. For now, they treated it as a one-off incident and quickly returned to their daily routines.
“Roll call must be over by now. Why did you have to oversleep?!”
“I got back late because of guard duty last night.”
On their way to the hangar, Seira was nagging A for oversleeping.
“If you finished late, you should’ve gone straight to bed! Just what time did you stay up until if you couldn't even hear me trying to wake you?”
“There’s a certain amount of drama I have to watch every day, you know.”
Seira shook her head and sighed, fed up with A’s excuse that he had overslept because of a TV show.
“So, what time did you actually go to sleep?”
“……Four?”
He’d had less than three hours of sleep. Despite having a full schedule today, he’d stayed up until dawn watching dramas. Seira slapped him across the back. Smack! The sound of the hit echoed, and A’s face contorted in pain.
“Ow!! I said I was sorry! That’s why I’m not talking back!”
“Is staying quiet supposed to make it okay?!”
The two bickered the entire way until they reached the hangar. A took three deep breaths, bracing himself for the lecture he’d get from his team, and pushed the door open.
“Don't just stand around huddling! You bastards!”
As soon as the door opened, a voice rang out, drawing their eyes to a single spot. It was where A.T.’s new robot was stationed. Today, as usual, engineers from other teams were loitering around, trying to get a peek at the new machine.
Normally, this would be the moment where a wrench thrown by A would clang loudly against a wall, followed by a torrent of curses. But by the time A arrived, that scene was already in full swing.
There was someone—no, a Bioroid—cursing at the engineers gathered around the new robot while banging a wrench against a toolbox with a loud clang, clang.
“Get the hell out of here! You bastards!”
Her voice was loud, but A.T.’s tone lacked any real sense of intimidation, even as she dispersed the crowd.
Because she wasn't actually threatening, the engineers weren't exactly scared of her. However, seeing a girl who looked to be in her late teens swearing using A’s exact mannerisms was terrifying in a different way.
It felt as if A, the most notoriously foul-mouthed engineer of the lot, had been transformed into a young girl. The engineers, spotting A watching from behind, scrambled to get away.
A was just as shocked by the situation. Aside from when he was on guard duty or after work, he had spent almost all his time with A.T. recently, so this was his first time seeing her handle other engineers on her own.
“You’re late.”
Kruger, dressed in his coveralls, approached from where he’d been doing maintenance. A forgot to even apologize for being late and simply stared at A.T. before whispering to Kruger.
“What’s wrong with her?”
Unlike A, who was seeing this for the first time, Kruger had often seen A.T. alone while A was on duty. He shrugged as if he were used to it.
“What do you think? It’s exactly what it looks like.”
A and Seira listened to Kruger with stunned expressions before turning their gaze back to A.T. She was now checking the robot’s exterior, peering at an optical pad in front of the machine the engineers had just vacated.
Then, Theo approached the group with a broad grin.
“Hey, A.”
“Yeah?”
Theo nudged A’s shoulder and pointed at A.T., who was inspecting the robot by herself. He said just one thing:
“That’s your handiwork.”
A had already suspected as much from watching her, but Theo’s words turned his suspicion into a certainty.
A.T.’s actions were centered entirely around her handler. The reason she called A "Senior" was because Roy had addressed A, his handler, with that respectful title.
The reason she spoke informally to Seira was because her handler, A, spoke comfortably with Seira.
Her understanding of her environment was limited to her handler’s perspective. A, who had realized this earlier, could now see that A.T.’s recent behavior was a direct carbon copy of his own daily conduct.
“Didn't I tell you to watch your mouth?”
Kruger, who had a front-row seat to A’s usual behavior, couldn't stop himself from laughing at the sight of A seeing his own reflection in the girl.
“Good luck with that.”
Since A.T. was A’s responsibility, Kruger and Theo had nothing more to do. They left the stunned A behind and headed back to their workstations. Seira looked back and forth between A.T. working in the distance and A.
“You know, back then…”
“Hmm?”
Seira tilted her head as A suddenly brought up the past. A kept his eyes fixed on A.T. as he continued.
“When my parents were still alive.”
“Yeah. What about your mom and dad?”
“Whenever they felt like they were about to have a marital spat, they were always very conscious of me.”
At the mention of his late parents, Seira was about to turn solemn, but then she wondered why he was bringing up their arguments and stared at him intently. After a deep sigh, A spoke his final thought.
“I think I finally understand why they did that.”
He began walking slowly toward A.T., leaving Seira with a brief, “Go take care of your work.”
Watching A walk toward A.T., Seira nodded as if she understood exactly what he meant, then headed toward her own fighter jet.
“A.T.”
A.T., who had been checking the robot’s exterior while looking at the optical pad, turned her head at the familiar voice.
“Senior A. You are late.”
“Sorry. I overslept.”
After exchanging greetings, A stood beside her and looked at the panel she was inspecting. Since the robot had been under maintenance since the last sortie and was currently on standby, no particular issues were found.
“Since you were late, Senior, I dispersed the engineers who were gathered in front.”
Seeing A.T. speak with such pride in her actions, A gave her a short compliment—“Yeah, good job”—and patted her head.
“……By the way, where did you get that wrench?”
Despite being an engineer, there weren't actually many occasions to use tools like a wrench. Most tasks were handled by the maintenance robots once a program was entered. The only reason A carried a wrench was to serve as a warning to engineers who were slacking off.
He found it strange that A.T., who wasn't even an engineer, was carrying a wrench she didn't even use.
“I purchased it after work.”
The wrench she pulled out with confidence was the same model as A’s. The only difference was that it was a slightly smaller size to fit her hand.
“I’m telling you this just in case, but while it’s true I’m in charge of your social education, not everything I do is the 'correct' answer.”
A.T. stood still and listened intently to A’s words. However, her expression suggested she had no idea why he was saying this. A began to explain point by point.
“You know the engineers from the other teams hate my guts, right?”
“Yes, I am aware. When you chase them with a wrench, I have heard them curse, saying, ‘That son of a bitch is throwing a fit again.’”
Hearing those words come out of her mouth so bluntly, A momentarily reflected on his recent behavior.
“Right. So, if you act like me, people are going to curse at you like that.”
“Is that a problem?”
A felt a wave of worry as he looked at A.T., who saw absolutely nothing wrong with acting like him. It would be one thing if it ended here, but a Bioroid’s final social education forms the foundation of their personality when they eventually become a Kaijin.
In other words, if she continued to repeat these actions until she became a perfect mirror of A, she would behave this way wherever she went.
Fortunately, A.T. was quick to absorb her surroundings. As long as A behaved himself, there was plenty of room for her to change.
But first, he had to explain why acting like him was a problem.
“Look, we live in a society with other people, right?”
“Yes.”
“But if you yell, get angry, and swear at those people every time, they’re going to dislike you, aren't they?”
He felt a pang of guilt as he spoke, but he pushed through to convince A.T. Halfway through, she tilted her head, clearly unconvinced.
“Then you’ll end up alone in a group environment. You’ll become an outcast that nobody wants to deal with.”
“……But that is how you act, Senior.”
Once again, A felt the weight of the fact that he was the source of this disaster.
“Are you acting this way despite knowing you will be hated by others, Senior?”
The innocent, malice-free question pierced deep into his heart.
“I’m the type who doesn't really care about that stuff, but… yeah. I’m going to try to change little by little, so you should try to change too. Okay?”
He kept talking to try and convince her, but A.T. still looked confused, furrowing her brow and tilting her head. She closed and opened her eyes as if lost in thought.
“I do not understand. Why must you change the lifestyle you chose for the sake of others? Your way is your own, Senior. Is it not acceptable to maintain it as it is?”
The part A.T. couldn't accept was A suddenly deciding to change his own behavior.
A knew himself well enough to know he wouldn't change overnight, but if he said, “Yeah, I’m just going to live my way,” right now, he felt like he’d just be instilling a pointless stubbornness in A.T.
“Still, you have to be at least a little conscious of living with others……”
“I do not understand. Why must one change their own ways for the sake of other people?”
“Because! ……It’s because of you!”
Seeing no other way to make her understand, A blurted out in a near-tearful voice that she was the reason he was trying to change.
“!!!”
A.T.’s eyes went wide. Only then did she realize the reason her handler was changing his behavior was that she was mimicking him perfectly.
The fact that she was the cause of her handler’s change seemed to be quite a shock; she stood frozen on the spot as if she’d been turned to ash.
“It’s not strictly because of you. I decided it’s because I have problems too. So, let’s both try to change, slowly but surely.”
“……I understand.”
A.T., who usually acted like a machine influenced by her environment, looked dejected for the first time. A tried to be as kind as possible to finish persuading her.
Fortunately, A.T. seemed to have grasped A’s intention, as she nodded obediently.
And that day, the two of them swore at the other engineers seventeen times.