002. Cat on the Rooftop (1)

After operating the console for a few minutes, Alicia located the two individuals. One was on the roof of the main building where the Commander's office was, and the other was in the underground storage of the barracks building. Annoyingly, they were at opposite ends of the base.

The next concern was which one to visit first.

One of them was clearly in worse shape than the other, and if I met the worse one first, I thought I might end up feeling far too hopeless.

When I asked Alicia for her opinion, she replied that they were both equally bad, but still advised me to head to the roof first.

I decided to follow the advice of the girl who seemed like the only somewhat normal person at this base.

And so, I came to the roof.

I came, but...

"...Is she really up here?"

I had been thinking this the whole way up, but the roof of the main building didn't have the kind of atmosphere where people would come and go. There were antennas, communication equipment, and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠all sorts of sensitive machinery scattered everywhere.

For that same reason, I hoped I wouldn't accidentally mess with anything I shouldn't.

I didn't want to increase repair costs when things were already tight.

In the first place, we didn't even have the capacity to fix anything right away if it broke.

Especially the solar panels, which appeared to be the only power source supplying the base. I had just resolved that I absolutely, absolutely shouldn't touch them—

"...Huh?"

As I was scanning across the widely spread panels, following the horizon line, something out of place caught my eye.

...It was a girl.

A small girl with blue eyes and hair of a slightly paler sky-blue shade.

Judging by her distinctive colors and beautiful appearance, she had to be a biodroid.

In other words, she was the combat personnel of this base that I had been looking for.

But even so.

"...What a pitiful sight."

I couldn't help but mutter that.

The girl's attire was a complete mess. She was wearing a winter athletic jacket paired with summer shorts. A mixed uniform, which was a violation of regulations.

No, forget that—even the condition of the mixed uniform pieces was terrible. There were stains all over them, like ramen broth, and the elastic bands at the collar, waist, and cuffs were all stretched out and shabby.

The thigh area was shiny from friction.

And on top of that, her lower belly was fully exposed where her shirt had ridden up.

In such a pathetic state, the girl was sound asleep and snoring away.

Looking at that sight, how should I put it.

I felt as if everything I had learned over three years at the Academy about 'this is what a military base is' was being utterly negated.

"First, I guess I should wake her up...."

Maybe she heard my ensuing sigh.

The girl, who had appeared to be deeply asleep, groggily opened her eyes and—

"Euhye...?"

She let out a sound as listless as she looked.

If anything, that snapped me back to my senses. I approached the girl, who was still lying down, and asked.

"You, you're a biodroid assigned to Krädel, right? What are you doing up there?"

"Uuum... taking a nap...?"

Even a passing dog could tell that.

"I meant, why are you taking a nap there?"

"Euhye~ Why was it again~?"

A moment later, the girl answered as if it had just come to her.

"Ah, I was playing the fish-in-a-fishbowl game."

What was that supposed to mean?

"To put it simply~ you think of the sky above as the world inside a fishbowl~ and imagine yourself as a fish swimming around in it~"

"Why were you playing such a weird game during work hours?"

"Because I want to be a fish in a fishbowl~ Fish in a fishbowl are the best~ The owner feeds them~ and they have short memories so they can forget painful things right away~"

Hadn't she been giving me strangely off-base answers for a while now?

As I stood there speechless, the girl flailed her limbs like a frog rather than a fish and asked me.

"If you want, do you wanna join~?"

Absolutely not.

I finally pulled myself together and corrected her.

"I won't. And it's not 'you,' it's Commander."

"Eue?"

"My name is Han Si-hu. Commander Han Si-hu."

I repeatedly stressed the word 'Commander.'

I did that assuming she had misunderstood my identity, and to convey that if she now realized I was the Commander, she should correct her slouchy posture and overly casual attitude.

But it was a futile effort.

She didn't straighten her posture one bit.

Still sprawled out on the panel, the girl scratched her soft white belly and answered brightly.

"Ohh~ Is that so~ Another new Comman'er came~ Nice to meet ya, Mister Comman'er~"

"It's Commander, not Comman'er."

"Euhyeong, pronouncing it properly is a bother~ I'm an energy-saving-type biodroid, you see~ In that sense, talking a lot made me sleepy~ Hwaam~ Alrighty, since I finished my morning nap, shall I try taking a real afternoon nap now~"

Don't just wrap things up by deciding to go to sleep.

Or at least do a self-introduction before falling asleep.

"Self-introduction~? You're gonna leave tomorrow anyway, so what's the point~?"

"I'm not leaving."

As I said that, I climbed up onto the solar panel.

The first thing I noticed upon climbing up was that it was incredibly hot. It seemed like if I kept my hand on it for more than three seconds, I'd get burned no matter what.

So that was why only a biodroid, who was many times sturdier than a human, would dare to fall asleep in a place like this.

But the second thing I realized a moment later was... that the view was incredible.

The trash island beside Krädel and the blue sea beyond it were both visible at a glance.

"This is a premium spot."

"Ohh, this Commander knows how to appreciate it~ That makes me a little happy, maybe~ As thanks, shall I at least do the self-introduction you asked for~"

The girl launched into a string of logic I couldn't follow and kept chattering.

"My name is Laika~ My occupation is technically a military biodroid~ My favorite food is bungeoppang~ My favorite animal is fish~ Among fish, goldfish are the best~ My hobby is~ uum~ sleeping, I guess... my specialty is also sleeping... Hwahaabbeum— Since I'm done with the self-intro, shall I properly fall asleep now..."

"No, that wasn't a self-introduction at all."

I pinched Laika's cheeks as I spoke.

Laika, still lying down, flailed her limbs and protested.

"Whyyy— What are you dissatisfied with nooow—"

"If a military biodroid is going to introduce themselves, there are things ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that should come up, aren't there? What's your Base Model, what are your specialties, what's your preferred weapon, what missions you're good at and not good at—those should at least be included."

"Eueong, this Commander is way too strict~ Even though you're planning to quit within a day or two anyway~"

"I said I'm not quitting."

I pinched the other cheek too.

Maybe that was effective. Laika flailed again and confessed.

"Eugyak... fiiine, fiiine, I'll tell ya... Laika's Base Model is Angela... my specialties are forward assault and defense... my preferred weapon is a shield, I guess... I don't think there's a mission I'm particularly good at... I'll just try to do as much as I'm told...

"Also, Laika's PDA password is 1q2w3e4r... and the location of the base Laika belongs to is..."

"I said self-introduction. Don't stage a scenario where you get captured by the enemy and interrogated for secrets."

One more thing: I wished she'd set a more complicated password.

And I wished she wouldn't rattle off the base location just because I pulled her cheeks a little.

"Euhyeong, anyway, you got to know everything you wanted... "

That was true.

"Your Base Model is Angela?"

"Yeah. Angela, produced by Halo Company. To be precise, I'm TYPE-15, famous for its soft and chewy body~

"Whyyy? No way, Commander, are you one of those pitiful people whose heart pounds when they see a tiny little girl~?"

...For the record, I didn't have that kind of taste.

I only asked again because she was a high-performance model that seemed too good to be rotting away in a garbage base like this.

"And you're specialized in assault and defense. You seem a lot more useful than you look."

"Somehow I can't interpret those words in a good way... Did Laika just reveal information she shouldn't have...? Am I gonna get kicked out of my private photosynthesis bed and observatory that I finally secured, and get worked to death...?"

If I affirmed that right here, she'd probably never tell me anything again.

I decided to give her an answer she could accept. Including bait she might fall for.

"I'm not planning to work you that hard, so don't worry. And I'll allow you to sleep up here. On the condition that you come find me right away the next time I call you.

"Oh, and be careful not to step on the equipment, including the antennas. If anything breaks, you'll have to work to fix it."

"There's a lot of unpleasant stuff in there, but I'll accept it considering my position... Laika is a more flexible girl than she looks, you see..."

Having answered like that, Laika let out another long-stretched Hwaaaam— ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠yawn.

This time I didn't grab her cheeks and stretch them. There was no need to bother her any further.

We had exchanged greetings, and I had roughly grasped what kind of problem child she was. I could get to know the rest gradually.

Even as laid-back as she seemed, a girl would still be wary of strangers to some degree.

Just one thing, however, that I wanted to make sure of, for the sake of the Commander's authority.

"You. Why have you been speaking informally since earlier?"

"If I speak politely, I have to talk longer, you see. Like I said, Laika is the energy-saving type. Respect my individuality."

For the record, Laika's body, the Angela, was not particularly energy-saving. She was just babbling as she pleased.

Well, anyway.

"If you promise to use that conserved energy for me, I'll allow it."

"Shall I... Hu-nyam..."

With an ambiguous grunt that was hard to tell if it was an answer or not, Laika fell asleep again.

***

Following Laika, I went to meet the third and final biodroid belonging to this base.

...Correction. Strictly speaking, I couldn't say I met her directly.

First, I did head to the underground storage of the barracks building where she was. And I did ascertain that something was living inside that storage.

Furthermore, I did communicate with the presence inside the storage, with the door between us.

I did, but.

"Excuse me."

[What.]

"Aren't you going to open the door?"

[Why would I?]

I was turned away at the door, literally, with that kind of feeling.

Of course, I did ask for her name and basic spec data.

The process of getting there was... pretty difficult. Roughly speaking, it went like this.

"Then let's talk with it closed. What's your name?"

[......Rinne.]

"Rinne?"

[Yeah. Idiot.]

"Not an idiot. Your Commander. My name is Han Si-hu."

[So what?]

"...First, could you tell me your specialties, preferred weapon, and Base Model? It'd also be nice if you told me any missions you're confident in."

[Ask Alicia.]

"I'm asking because I want to hear it directly. For the record, I won't leave until you tell me. If you tell me, I'll go right away."

[......Specialty is sniping. Preferred weapon is a bow. Base Model is Kaguya Heavy Industries' Kurenai. Done?]

"Ah, I see. Thanks for telling me—huh?"

[What.]

"No... Isn't Kurenai completely unsuited to sniping? I don't think it's even a military model to begin with."

[What about it?]

"What's your sniping rank, by any chance?"

[F.]

I should stop asking.

Anyway, after that series of interactions, I had a rough grasp of Laika and Rinne. I believed I'd at least managed to show both of them that, this time, their commander genuinely intended to make things work.

...Again: I believed. At this point, it was practically a matter of faith. For now, I had no other option.

And so, after making the rounds for about an hour, I returned to the command-and-control room.

Alicia was still there. As if someone had frozen time in the command room, she was focused on paperwork in the exact same spot.

I collapsed into the chair beside her. Whether she thought my reaction was trivial or simply had no interest in me, Alicia asked in her usual tone.

"Have you met them?"

"Yeah. I met them."

I couldn't see one of their faces, but anyway.

"I see. What do you intend to do? Shall I prepare the resignation form for you?"

I refused.

"I keep telling you, there will be no resignation."

"Is that so. Then, what will you do going forward?"

Right. What was I actually supposed to do?

The answer was already decided. Somehow rehabilitate the two who had become my squad members. Rehabilitate them and turn them into useful soldiers.

However, rehabilitating both of them at the same time was realistically impossible, I thought.

First of all, both of them were quite the problem children.

One was just lying on the roof photosynthesizing, and the other was locked up in a dark underground storage, refusing to come out—the exact opposite situation.

At ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠times like this, I needed to choose one thing and focus on it.

And in that case, naturally, the one to prioritize was—

"First, I'm going to try improving Laika."

"Why is that?"

There wasn't a major reason.

"Her model is superior and her combat power is higher. She also seems to at least have some communication skills. ...Compared to Rinne."

On top of that, how should I put it.

I got the impression that we oddly clicked.

This was purely in the realm of impressions, but looking back over my three years of cadet life and my life before that, those inexplicable gut feelings had often been right on the mark.

So for now, I would focus my attention on Laika.

Then, with her cooperation, I'd make the base functional with Laika and Alicia at its core. Maybe not normalize it all at once, but at least get it working.

That was the primary goal.

As I laid out these solid ambitions, Alicia suddenly spoke up.

"When you say you'll make Laika and myself the core, does that mean you intend to assign me combat duties?"

"Hm? Of course."

Naturally, that was my answer.

At that, Alicia looked directly at me—something she rarely did—and said.

"I'm afraid that will be difficult."

"...What will?"

Alicia suddenly changed the subject.

"Come to think of it, Commander, it seems we haven't yet introduced ourselves properly. Nor have you heard about me in detail."

That wasn't all. Alicia stood up from her seat and gave a slight bow of her head, as beautiful and graceful as a noble family's young lady.

Then came her words.

"Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Alicia. I was manufactured with the «Margitte» designed by Dunkel Industries as my Base Model. My specialty is information analysis, and I am in charge of managing overall operations at Krädel, as well as acting as your proxy for those duties in your absence. I am confident I can give my best effort in most related tasks."

Alicia continued expressionlessly.

"However, one thing: no matter what happens, I will not fight. The moment you order me into combat, I will either kill myself or desert. That is all."

Hmm.

In the end, this one was also a member of Krädel.

Once I'd convinced myself of that, I kept thinking. Since things had come to this, I'd have to start by taming that lazy rooftop cat.