At This Point, It'd Be a Crime Not to Make a Move
"Ah, Arva?"
Pomen, who had been letting out lewd moans in my arms, suddenly went rigid.
Feeling a pang of regret as her hands slipped away from my lower body, I turned my head to gaze at the silver-haired silhouette emerging from the darkness.
Arva's expression was as impassive as ever.
But...
I could see her eyes scanning my shattered prosthetic arm, Pomen's tear-streaked face, and my still-aroused lower body in sequence.
Of course, I didn’t miss how her slender fingers had turned bone-white at the knuckles.
"Combat situation terminated. All hostile entities neutralized. However, before expressing a detailed report, we should relocate, Commander."
"Because of the prosthetic?"
"Affirmative. There is a high probability of internal frame damage according to my analysis. Immediate repairs are required."
Arva approached and reached for my intact right arm to support me.
"I-I'll help you!"
Pomen tried to burrow into my arms first, but Arva's hand blocked her.
"...Arva?"
With my broken arm between them, an invisible spark seemed to fly between the two ECHOs.
This is the commander's life I used to watch from beyond the monitor?!
For the first time in my life, I felt like the popular guy everyone envied.
The affection and goodwill from the ECHOs toward their commander were plain as day, yet there wasn't even a single event scene to be had in the game.
No wonder players who mained ECHOs always called the commander a eunuch.
"Pomen."
Arva said in a low voice.
"You're a firepower-type ECHO. Your strength control protocols are unsuitable for precision work. Failure to regulate force could cause additional damage to the Commander's internal frame."
"This is just about supporting him, isn't it? If that's the case..."
"You've already failed one mission, Pomen."
"......"
The assassin ECHO throttled a barrage of logical facts.
Pomen bit her lip and couldn't retort to Arva's words.
Not missing the opening, Arva smoothly pushed Pomen aside and supported my body.
"I'll report en route, Commander."
"...Got it."
"All hostiles in Sector C-3 have been eliminated. Confirmed cessation of vital signs in twenty standard zombies and seven mass-produced ECHOs exhibiting erosion."
"What about Sector C-3 itself?"
"It should be usable after two days of Z Virus decontamination and sterilization."
"Supplies?"
"During combat, we secured high-concentration nutrients and ECHO repair parts."
That meant the objective was achieved.
Upon arriving at the infirmary, Arva carefully sat me on the bed and dismissed Pomen under the pretext of sorting warehouse supplies.
Now alone in the infirmary.
Arva brought over the toolkit and began expertly dismantling my wrecked prosthetic.
Feels kinda weird.
The vibrations traveling through my nerves were a sensation I'd never felt before in my life.
Hmm... come to think of it, I was now an armless cripple, huh…
But to survive in this apocalyptic world, maybe this is for the best?
What if I'd smacked a zombie tentacle with my real arm?
I'd have ended up just as crippled— and possibly teetering between life and death from the virus.
"Doing the repairs yourself?"
Arva nodded at my question.
"I'm familiar with prototype prosthetic maintenance."
True to her word, Arva's hands moved with machine-like precision, without the slightest error.
However, when inspecting the shoulder-prosthetic junction, her fingers lingered longer than expected.
Probably because reconnecting the neural circuits was that delicate.
Click…
Once the new prosthetic connected, Arva gently set my arm down.
It’s perfect.
I rotated my arm slowly; there was not even a hint of pain.
She said she was familiar with prototype prosthetics, but this was beyond familiarity, bordering on the realm of experts.
Yet after finishing, Arva didn't rise from her seat. Her hand, having closed the toolkit lid, remained perfectly still atop it.
"Arva?"
At my call, Arva paused before slowly lifting her head.
Then she stood at attention before me.
"Commander."
Her voice was lower and colder than usual.
"I have no excuses, sir."
"About what?"
"My reconnaissance mission failed. I failed to predict the presence of parasitic Z Virus entities, exposing you to direct threat. Had you not intervened personally, both Pomen and you would have suffered severe damage and losses beyond measure."
Arva reported her failure with mechanical detachment. But her clenched fist trembled faintly.
"I violated the top priority of securing your safety. I will formally request disciplinary action from Central AI. I will accept any punishment."
"......"
Arva spoke of punishment without blinking.
As if that was the only logical way to take responsibility for her mistake.
"Hah."
I let out a short sigh and rose from the bed.
Then, with my newly fitted prosthetic, I gently enveloped her trembling hand.
"...!"
Arva flinched and looked up at me with startled eyes.
"There will be no disciplinary actions. Don't talk nonsense."
What if I punished her?
And she got scrapped?
This vast Ark would be left with just me and Pomen.
Mass-produced ECHOs might be around, but they couldn't compare to the Original ECHOs.
"I chose to head into battle. And I'm a soldier too. It’s only natural to get injured."
"But...!"
"I'm the Commander. So naturally, the responsibility is mine."
"......"
Arva's lips parted faintly before closing at my words.
"...Understood."
After a long pause, she nodded.
"......I accept the Commander's orders."
Her response was characteristically stiff.
But was it my imagination that the tension in her impassive eyes seemed to have eased considerably?
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
💬 Arclight Squad Tactical Link Chat
[Arva: Commencing data analysis for Mission C-3. Report any anomalies, Pomen.]
[Pomen: ...Hah. Just say, “Our Commander was seriously badass, right?” Central AI would approve.]
[Arva: Emotional evaluations impair data accuracy. I require fact-based analysis.]
[Pomen: ......]
[Arva: The Commander's combat prowess deviates 97.8% from standard human profiles. Especially marksmanship defies logical explanation.]
[Pomen: Right? I thought he was a male ECHO for a sec. Oh, is that why?]
[Arva: ???]
[Pomen: The Commander looked at me with these superheated eyes... If it weren't for you, Arva, I might've been ravaged right there.]
[Arva: Ravaged?]
[Pomen: You know, like... hot and rough, can't breathe, head goes all white. Hands here, and here like this...]
[Arva: ...Data analysis in progress.]
[Pomen: Oh? Error codes popping up all over your face already?]
[Arva: Ugh, refrain from lewd remarks. They log in comms history.]
[Pomen: Hmph. But this is my honest data. Plus, the Commander took an enemy hit for me. Even with his arm smashed to bits, he worried about me first.]
[Arva: ......]
[Pomen: Humans see us as scrap metal or expendables. I'll die in battle someday like the other ECHOs, right?]
[Arva: That's our duty as ECHOs, Pomen.]
[Pomen: True. But wouldn't you rather die with meaning? I felt it today. If I can protect the Commander, I'll do anything from now on.]
[Arva: Hmm, not much different from what you've done so far.]
The comms ended with those words.
"No, it is."
Pomen sat up in bed, flashing a sultry smile toward where Arva was staying.
"The Commander is really different from other humans. He doesn't despise us ECHOs. In fact..."
The skinship she'd felt in the C-3 warehouse.
"He's someone who can make us feel the warmth of being alive."
Recalling that, a strange heat flickered in Pomen's eyes.
Her gaze shifted toward where the Commander was, thighs crossed at an angle.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
Acquired 1500C.
Acquisition History: C-3 Warehouse Clearance Operation (Command Participation Reward)
Just 1500 cash?
A hollow laugh escaped me.
For risking my life and practically losing a prosthetic arm, the reward was laughably inadequate.
Hell, 1500C wouldn't even buy a single bread roll these days.
Even with the Money Compass, survival in this world was far harsher and crueler than I'd imagined.
"Tch..."
Simply raiding supply warehouses had clear limits.
However, does that mean I needed to venture into zombie-infested zones, especially one with high possibilities of the Crawler Queen lurking about?
It might be better to just starve to death holed up in the Ark.
"Need to boost the ark's production capacity..."
It felt less like a beautiful-girl collector game and more like a strategy sim or a tycoon builder.
As I pondered to myself, the infirmary door slid open silently.
Turning, I saw Pomen standing there like a thieving cat, footsteps muffled.
"What're you thinking so seriously about alone, Commander?"
Pomen sidled up behind me naturally, resting her soft chin on my shoulder and breathing hot against my ear.
Her voice carried a sticky, sweet heat unlike her previous teasing.
"Not thinking— just checking out the Money Compass. Or compass, well, whatever this is."
"Oh, that OOPArt? I don't see anything, though."
At Pomen's words, I shared the Money Compass screen with her.
Her eyes widened at the sudden display lighting up before her eyes, then those soft eyes lit up with interest as she gently swiped her finger across it.
"Mmm, so this is the secret only the Commander can see? So much interesting stuff. Oh?"
Her finger paused over an item in the 'Daily Necessities' category.
[Latex Stretchable Protective Sheath (Pack of 12) - 50C]
"Commander, what's this?"
"Uh, huh?"
"Protective sheath? These seem essential for injuries. Buy it quick."
Acting all innocent, she goaded me into purchasing the product.
In a daze, I hit buy, and with a small sound, a condom box appeared.
Pomen plucked one out and gazed down at me with sultry eyes.
"This is the protective sheath...? So thin and soft. What does it protect? Shouldn't vital spots be protected by something thicker?"
"...Y-Yeah, right?"
This vixen.
She was doing this on purpose, no doubt.
Thinking we'd grown closer after today, her foxy teasings were crossing lines.
"Hehe, so... could we mix our bodies while feeling each other's heat with this? Like this... so hot?"
"......"
Pomen whispered in my ear, her soft hand stroking up my thigh.
The Pomen I knew kept boundaries while faking seduction of the commander... but this felt different.
Her bold, advancing touch was really groping my lower abdomen.
"Pomen, you..."
"Shh."
Before I could finish, Pomen snapped her fingers.
The room lights dimmed as she provocatively tugged down the cup-like bra covering over her breasts.
"An ECHO's breasts... what do you think, Commander?"
"......"
And what was revealed were pristine, bare mounds.
Even in the dark, their full, beautiful curves stood out vividly. At their peaks, shy pink nipples asserted their presence toward me.
"One command from you, and I'd do anything... Don't you want to touch?"
Pomen's voice was honey-sweet, lethal.
"With just a command, you could use these anytime."
She flashed a breathtaking smile, slipping the condom between her luscious cleavage.
She was an ECHO, no woman, who knew exactly how to drive a man mad.
"Or does our Commander think... an ECHO isn't a 'woman'... Nngh!"
Without conscious thought, I grabbed those brazenly offered breasts firmly.
In the end, I couldn’t hold back.
No. When an ECHO comes at you like this, wouldn’t it be a crime not to make a move on her?