The Cowardly Supporter
What is the special perk I received for being dropped into this world?
First, there was the Money Compass, a totally broken Artifact that allows me to buy anything with Cash.
If I didn't have that, let alone developing the Ark...
I probably would have already become some nameless Zombie and been rotting away by the time I encountered the Carapace Lord.
And the fact that I was a player who enjoyed Echoes of Humanity — ECHO is also a perk, in its own way.
Having played the game for a long time, I was quite familiar with the background of this world.
Although there was the fatal flaw that the current timeline I'm standing in is a prequel era, about 30 years before the game's main story.
But that didn't change the essence of the story itself.
The personalities and background settings of each ECHO.
The existence of the enemies driving the world toward destruction.
And the cruel lore that permeates this world remained valid, whether it was 30 years ago or after.
"How does it taste? Is it to your liking?"
Resting my chin on my hand, I looked at the two ECHOs sitting opposite me.
"Ah, yes... yes. It's, it's wonderful. Fresh bread like this... It's the first time I’ve had this in my entire life."
Compass, the leader, spoke in a surprised voice as she tore into the bread.
However, her eyes were incessantly scanning my surroundings and Arva's movements.
As expected of a leader.
Watching her attitude, I mentally recalled the information I had on Compass in my head.
Leader of the Pathfinder Squad.
A competent and decisive commander, and a soldier type with unwavering loyalty to Ark 14.
Even in the actual game story, Compass was an ECHO who willingly dove into a death trap with the sole determination to protect the Ark, even after sensing her own end.
Honestly, isn't she the hardest type to persuade with words?
In terms of conquest difficulty, she's the highest.
A type like that wouldn't easily open her heart just because someone gave her food or treated her well.
Not every ECHO is crazy for human kindness...
Approaching her by pretending to be friendly too hastily would likely only increase her vigilance.
But the other one is a different story.
My gaze shifted past Compass, landing precisely on Sherpa, who couldn't take her eyes off the basket of strawberries.
The pickup ad for Sherpa, who appeared alongside the Pathfinder members, and her image flashed through my mind.
Her main weapon was HG—the traditional Handgun, so to speak.
I couldn't remember her skill set well, but I think she was a buff-type supporter.
Anyway, Sherpa was an ECHO with a puppy-like face and curly brown hair tied in pigtails, giving her a slightly rustic yet cute impression.
"Munch, munch... gulp."
She was stuffing strawberries into her mouth until her cheeks were bursting, like a hamster that hadn't eaten in days, stuffing everything inside its elastic mouth.
Every time the sweet and sour juice burst in her mouth, her eyes widened, and she soon trembled with an ecstatic expression.
Cute.
Honestly, was it because she was an early-release character?
She had a bit of a crude feel to her.
She regained popularity later when a rare skin was released that matched her impressive story, but I personally hadn't used her.
It couldn't be helped since she was a waifu pick rather than a meta pick.
The microtransactions in Echoes of Humanity — ECHO were a bit too spicy for me, as I was just an ordinary office worker.
Anyway, both of them are walking on eggshells even while eating.
It's not like the food I'm giving them is their last meal or something.
It felt almost like prisoners stealing bread behind a guard's back, so I reached for the water bottle on the table, intending to lighten the mood.
"You'll get a dry throat. Have some wat—"
"Hieeeek?!"
The moment I raised my hand, Sherpa jumped in surprise and ducked her head low.
She wasn’t just simply startled by my movement.
She raised both arms to cover her head and curled her body—a perfect defensive posture.
"……."
A moment of silence followed.
Compass's expression beside her stiffened, and Arva's eyes narrowed.
I lowered my hand, which had stopped in mid-air, and gave a bitter smile.
Whether it's Ark 74 or 86... I guess those places aren't that great either. No, maybe all the Arks in this world are similar?
The setting of this damn post-apocalyptic world was just too cruel.
The humans here treated the ECHOs who saved their lives not as comrades, but as talking tools or emotional trash cans.
It was a world where it was considered normal to beat them if an operation failed, or to harass and insult them as targets for venting frustration when bored.
The tight-lipped developers didn't clearly reveal the reason even until the 3rd anniversary event, which I had played before my transfer, but in the end, this setting was a huge advantage for me.
While others treat them like trash, I just have to treat them as comrades or people. That alone makes me a special person to the ECHOs.
Androids? Weapons?
None of that mattered.
First of all, they're pretty, they listen to me, and they're charming.
And I knew better than anyone that this small difference would come as a shock to the ECHOs, akin to the creation of the heavens and the earth.
"Did you say your name was Sherpa?"
"Ye-Yes...! I-I'm sorry for suddenly screaming!"
Sherpa trembled, her face turning pale. She probably thought I was going to beat her up.
"It's fine. It's natural to be surprised. And I wasn't trying to hit you."
I spoke in the softest voice possible as I pushed the water bottle toward her.
"I don't know if the term indigestion applies to an ECHO, but watching you eat makes me feel like I'm the one getting indigestion. Drink some water while you eat."
"Th-Thank... thank you."
I glanced at Sherpa, who was drinking the water with shaking hands.
Exactly like the game.
In my memory, Sherpa's personality was that of a timid coward.
Her specialties were balancing her center of gravity, stuffing anything into her bag, and danger sense (knowing when to bolt), right?
And things she likes are free food, people who carry her bag, safe Arks, and kindness.
Since I had watched all the affinity stories without skipping, I remembered them roughly.
Among them was a scene where she blushed and fell for the protagonist simply because he carried her heavy bag.
"Hmm..."
Then the answer was simple.
There was no need to waste energy trying to break through Compass's sturdy defense mechanisms.
Rather, it would be far more efficient to shake up the soft and vulnerable Sherpa to make her spill all the information about Ark 86 and its surroundings.
Since they're a reconnaissance squad, they'd know much more than we do.
I wonder how that cowardly porter girl will react if I treat her kindly.
Forcing myself to suppress the corners of my mouth from curling up, I stood up from my seat.
"I'll leave you to it. You two... please enjoy yourselves and take a rest as you wish."
"……Ah!"
At my words, the two ECHOs nodded their heads in understanding.
"And since you said you'd stay here to monitor the Hachishakusama, you'll need temporary quarters. Hmm, for now, the lodging over there..."
Wait, were there any rooms left in the temporary quarters?
As my voice trailed off, Pomen, who had approached at some point with a minigun slung over her shoulder, subtly intervened.
"Oh? Commander. There's only one room left in the temporary quarters over there."
"Only one?"
"Yep. Reinforcements arrived from the Ark today. And... that room was originally intended to be used as a storage room."
True, I hadn't expected an ECHO Squad from another Ark to visit so suddenly.
I put on a troubled expression and looked back and forth between Compass and Sherpa.
"It can't be helped. Then, you."
"Ye-Yes?!"
The designated Sherpa jumped in surprise and hurriedly wiped the strawberry juice from her lips with the back of her hand.
"I'm sorry, but you'll have to share the quarters that the C-008s are using."
"Ah, yes, yes! I understand!"
"In that case, I will also...!"
Was it because they had to use separate quarters?
Compass stepped forward urgently at the mention of being separated from Sherpa.
But Pomen intervened again.
"There are no rooms left there either. Because you guys came, we're in the middle of clearing out the storage rooms. And anyway, you'll be sticking together within our district all the time and only sleeping separately. That should be fine, right?"
"……I understand."
At Pomen's words, Compass quietly shut her mouth.
In contrast, Sherpa, who had to use the quarters alone, looked slightly anxious.
Hmm.
While looking at Sherpa, my gaze suddenly shifted to her tactical backpack, which looked larger than her own body.
It was a bag packed to the brim with various supplies, knick-knacks, and who knows what else, looking as if it might burst.
I wonder how many kilograms that weighs?
Just looking at it made my shoulders feel like they'd pop out.
And the protagonist won Sherpa's affection by carrying that bag?
...Just how did he manage to carry it?
Anyway, it looked damn heavy, but since the protagonist did it, I felt a strange sense of competitiveness, thinking that I could probably do it too.
Click.
Moreover, I had a metal prosthetic arm, which could be called a gift(?) of this world.
So, I strode up behind Sherpa and gripped her bag firmly with my left prosthetic arm.
"Eh—? Uh? Co-Commander?!"
"It's not that heavy."
No.
It's damn heavy. It felt like it easily exceeded 100kg.
Even though I enhanced my physical abilities with the prosthetic, I feel like I've fucked up.
No, seriously, how the hell did that protagonist guy carry this?
Was that bastard a cyborg? A male ECHO?
"Anyway, since I was rude earlier, I'll move this luggage for you."
"Uh, uh? Co-Commander? I-I, I should carry...!"
I walked away with large strides as if it were no big deal.
Having had her bag snatched away unexpectedly, Sherpa jumped in surprise and followed behind me, leaving her food behind.
And so, with Sherpa following me with a confused expression and bewildered footsteps, I went to the room where she would stay and—THUD!—dropped the bag.
Then I turned back toward Sherpa, whose eyes were wide as she looked at the quarters.
"You won't have much to do until the Astral invade... so get some proper rest. Ah, you can go back and finish your meal."
Then, I casually patted Sherpa's head and headed toward the Commander's office inside the Bastion.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Click.
The sound of the heavy door to the Commander's office in the defensive platform Bastion locking echoed.
As soon as I leaned deep into the sofa, Pomen, who had followed me inside, dove between my legs as if she had been waiting.
"Comman—der..."
When I didn't say anything, Pomen used her familiar touch to undo the buckle of my trousers and strip away my clothes.
Soon, something hot and wet clamped down on my hardened member.
"Chup, churururup—! Churp!"
"Hmm..."
Below my gaze, Pomen's pink hair moved busily up and down.
She gripped my thighs tightly, rolling her tongue to stimulate the sensitive glans and skillfully serving me by swallowing the shaft deep into her throat.
After soothing my desires with squelching sounds for a long while, Pomen swallowed what she had held in her mouth and looked up.
"Haah... haah... How was it?"
"Good. Your skills have improved."
"Fufu. I guess practicing while teaching the new girls lately helped."
As for who those new girls were... I think I knew without her telling me.
Lips glistening with saliva and cheeks flushed red with excitement.
Seductively licking the traces from the corner of her mouth with her tongue, Pomen looked up at me with moist eyes and asked.
"Commander, I did well earlier, right?"
"Of course."
I gently stroked Pomen's sweat-dampened hair.
It didn't matter if the quarters were actually full.
It was just that, thanks to Pomen intervening at the right time, I could naturally separate Compass from Sherpa.
It was a wonderful assist.
"You're quite the tactician, aren't you, Pomen?"
"Fufu. That's why..."
Pomen grinned at the praise, then pushed me aside and climbed on top of me.
As she slid her leotard slightly to the side, her secret place, devoid of even underwear, was revealed explicitly.
Perhaps already highly aroused, Pomen's area, touching the tip of my hardened member, was flooded with wet arousal.
"I want a reward after a long time, Commander."
"A reward? What kind?"
I looked at her, nonchalantly rubbing the tip of my glans against Pomen's pussy.
Then, Pomen, her waist trembling slightly, breathed out hot air and pleaded.
"Cock... Commander's cock..."
"Hng."
"Aang, it's already flowing like this here... I don't think I can hold it anymore. Please... drive it in deep. Please?"
An ECHO who had become a female who knew the taste of sex several times over.
At that explicit temptation, I chuckled and slapped Pomen's buttocks with my hand, making a loud smacking sound.
"Put it in."
Taking that short permission as a signal, Pomen drove her waist down as if she had been waiting.
Plump—!
"Haaaah—! It's, it's so full—!!"
As the heavy foreign sensation filled her stomach, Pomen let out a piercing scream of pleasure.
And without giving a moment's pause, she began to shake her waist up and down frantically.