Android-Exclusive Self-Defense
With preparations for tomorrow’s departure underway, Serika had returned to her original base for a while, claiming she needed to gather supplies.
I had tried to go with her to help, but because the factory was filled with complex machinery, we ultimately had to turn back, watching her walk away.
And then, around that evening.
"It’s self-defense, Chanwoo-nim!"
"Self-defense, huh..."
Revi suddenly spoke up with a serious expression.
"But... why would a human like me need to learn self-defense designed for androids?"
"Of course, there is a vast performance gap between humans and androids. However, if you use that gap as an excuse to do nothing, the one being targeted will always be defeated in the same way."
Self-defense is not a technique to turn the tide of battle.
It is a technique to grasp the situation and increase the probability of surviving with the least amount of damage.
Revi was conveying that fact in the most solid way she knew how.
It is better to know and avoid than to die out of ignorance.
That statement, of course, sounded ridiculously plausible.
From 0% to 1%.
No matter how minuscule, if I could step onto the side where there was 'less' of a chance of dying, it was well worth the effort.
And above all...
"Chanwoo-nim. Do you remember that time? When we were in the middle of engaging N.E.M.E.S.I.S.... I mean, the time you were almost in real trouble."
"How could I forget? The thing that was trading blows with you suddenly turned its attention to me, the one controlling you."
I had genuinely felt a chill down my spine back then.
In the game I was conquering, I was almost the one being conquered instead.
It was literally the moment I went from the controller to the creation, from the player to the target.
That incident had left a clear mark on me.
This wasn't just a simple game; it wasn't a world I could safely watch from behind a screen.
In this world, a single shift in camera perspective could turn the hunter into the hunted.
And it meant that I could now be the one in that prey's position.
"Back then... an unidentified power flowed out from within me."
"Yeah, I saw it too. Something like black lightning was sparking off you."
At that moment, Revi had rushed over with unbelievable speed and slammed N.E.M.E.S.I.S. into the ground.
What on earth was that power?
I had forgotten about it, but suddenly I was curious again.
"Revi, about that power... do you have any idea what it might be?"
"...I am not sure. Only that the moment I felt you were in danger, something hot spread from somewhere in my lower abdomen and enveloped my entire body."
As she said that, Revi slowly stroked the area below her navel.
As if that power had originated from there.
But soon, she returned to the main topic.
"Anyway! That is not what is important right now!"
"...Huh?"
"Relying on miracles is foolish! If someone tries to target you first again, you must have a way to defend yourself!"
Now that she mentioned it, she wasn't exactly wrong.
I am a human, an 'extinct species' by the standards of this world.
I’m not as tenacious as a mutant monster, nor do I have weapons built into my body like an android.
In other words, I was a being that had to be protected in this world.
But I couldn't survive until the end just by being protected.
At the very least, I needed the strength to strike back once against an opponent who underestimated me.
According to Revi, this self-defense was a very simple technique that even young androids who had just awakened in the R.P.M. incubators learned as basic training.
'Yeah, screw it. If kids can learn it, there's no reason I can't.'
"Alright. Teach me, Revi."
"Yes! Chanwoo-nim!"
Revi raised both hands and beamed.
And the next words came out all too naturally.
"Then first, please take off all your clothes."
"...What?"
For a moment, it felt like time itself had stopped.
"Self-defense is the ultimate martial art that resolves everything with the body! Learning in a natural state—that is, in the nude—is the most efficient method!"
Revi was dead serious.
There wasn't a hint of hesitation or lewd intent in her eyes.
That made it even scarier.
"...For real?"
"We don't have much time, do we? To learn it within a day, we must prioritize the transmission of physical sensation!"
This was all for the sake of humanity.
No, more than that, it was for my own sake.
Convincing myself of that, I began to take off my clothes.
Honestly, I was a little embarrassed... but well, Revi and I were already in a relationship where we bit and licked each other anyway.
'At this point, being naked is nothing...'
Seeing Revi, who didn't have a shred of playfulness, I didn't even have a decent excuse to run away, and eventually, I was completely naked.
However, as Revi scanned my body, her eyes flicked down to my still half-asleep cock, and she swallowed a small gulp.
"...Revi?"
"Ah, yes! I was just... c-checking your physical condition!"
Where on earth did she learn the habit of swallowing hard while checking someone's physical condition?
I was flustered and dumbfounded, but Revi, who soon regained her serious expression, approached me and began to teach me the basic android martial art: 'Catfight Self-Defense'.
"Originally, this self-defense was created to deal with beings with human-like bodies, such as ourselves, with bare hands. It is less effective against enemies with irregular shapes, like mutant monsters."
"I suppose that makes sense."
"So, this is a specialized martial art developed to be used against enemies like me or N.E.M.E.S.I.S."
In other words, it was useless against mutant monsters.
However, according to Revi, mutant monsters weren't intelligent enough to target the controller, so it was valuable enough as a precaution to block 'such threats'.
"Then, first, I will show you the most basic movement. The start of a catfight is... a punch."
"Oh, nice. A straight punch, right?"
Revi clenched both hands and took a stance.
It was the familiar movement I’d seen many times at taekwondo studios.
But her fist, which cut through the air with a *thwack*, wasn't aimed at the front, but at the abdomen... specifically, at a spot much lower down.
"This is the basic technique of catfighting: the 'Uterus Strike'."
"Uh, uh...?"
I couldn't help but think that aiming for the solar plexus would be more effective.
As if she had heard my inner thoughts, Revi continued.
"You thought it would be better to aim for the solar plexus just now, didn't you?"
"Huh?! Ah, uh... yeah."
"I thought so too at first. I wondered, 'Why aim for the abdomen? Isn't the solar plexus much faster and more accurate?'"
She nodded and took a short breath.
"But as time passed and I entered 'pain tolerance training,' I learned with my body why that technique is important. It's not just a simple strike; it's a decisive blow that paralyzes the enemy's circuits, even if only for a moment. For androids designed with female forms like us, that spot is the uterus."
Her voice was firm.
If a man's weak point is the testicles, perhaps a woman's weak point is the uterus.
But I never dreamed there would actually be a martial art that designated that as the number one target for a punch.
"So, should I just practice in the air?"
"No. You must strike me."
"...What?"
For a split second, I thought I’d misheard.
But Revi had already approached me, hands behind her back, bowing her head slightly.
Her expression was serious, and her posture was... that of a punching bag.
"...Are you serious?"
"Yes. You must attempt it on me directly. Practical training is the most effective way to find the precise target point and check the reaction."
She was speaking seriously, but the problem was that expression.
A face without a single hint of hesitation, without even a speck of laughter.
That made it even harder to do.
"But, you could get hurt!"
"Do not worry. This is merely a technique to temporarily incapacitate an opponent; causing direct injury is not the goal."
After catching her breath for a moment, she tilted her head and smiled softly.
"Besides, Chanwoo-nim, you are a human. I expect the damage... to be minimal."
Even so, she was asking me to punch my first escort android.
"Come now, it is fine. Go ahead!"
At Revi's insistence as she kept thrusting her lower abdomen forward, I had no choice but to take a stance.
Her abdomen was firmly toned.
Below that, the curved protective cover designed to shield the female android's unique uterus rose thinly and smoothly.
And that was exactly the spot I had to aim for.
I clenched my fist slowly and cautiously.
And then...
Tap.
"...? Chanwoo-nim. What is this! It doesn't hurt at all! At this rate, the moment you are attacked, you will be defeated!"
"I, I know, but..."
No, I mean, is it even right to punch a woman in the gut!
In the first place, I didn't even have that kind of sadistic fetish.
But seeing my hesitation, Revi brought out an even sharper truth.
"If you are defeated first, then Serika or I will be defeated next."
"...!"
"Regrettably... we were destined to have died several times over if not for your command, Chanwoo-nim."
That was the truth.
Until now, we had created miracles several times even in impossible situations.
The fact that we had won battles that seemed to have no chance of victory was ultimately thanks to my command.
So, if I were to fall, it meant that from that moment on, it would be the end for Revi and Serika as well.
I took a deep breath.
And again...
Thud.
"...!"
I put more strength into my fist than before.
But it still wasn't my full power.
"Harder! I want you to hit me without mercy, to the point where my urinary system malfunctions and I piss myself!"
"Revi...!"
"That is how we survive! That is how you, Chanwoo-nim, can survive until the end!"
Right, this was all for the 'greater good'.
Like that.
WHAM!
"Ngh-ohhh?!"
That evening.
Even after Revi pleaded, "That's enough...!", and even after she actually pissed herself, I silently kept landing gut punches.
It was all for her sake.
No, to be precise, it was for all of us.