003. Cat on the Rooftop (2)
003. Cat on the Rooftop (2)
The first morning at Krädel. Pressing on my throbbing temples, I headed to the command-and-control room.
Alicia had arrived first and was tapping away at the keyboard. Her seating position and posture were exactly the same as yesterday.
Her hairstyle was the same braided bun, and she wore the same uniform.
Even the angle of the monocle she wore was exactly the same.
"...You didn't happen to work through the night here, did you?"
"I am merely standardizing the work environment."
Did she have some kind of obsessive-compulsive disorder?
I couldn't tell at this point. I decided to set aside unnecessary curiosity and get straight to the main point.
"I think we talked about this yesterday, but this base has absolutely no remaining budget, correct?"
"Yes. Not a single won."
Wasn't she agreeing a little too easily?
"...But there must be some missions or commissions to earn money, right?"
"Of course there are."
Alicia pulled up several items on the main screen.
== Mission List ==
[Missions Issued by High Command]
★★★★☆ Legion Hive Sweeping Operation Support
★☆☆☆☆ Investigation of Unidentified Signal at the North End of Trash Island
★★☆☆☆ Support for Missing Biodroid Search in the Metropolis Outskirts
[Commissions Proposed by Civilians]
★★★☆☆ ※Urgent※ Cargo Convoy Security for a Merchant Association near Metropolis
== ==
Just looking at the list, it seemed fairly plausible.
"Which of these can we carry out right now?"
At my question, Alicia tapped the keyboard once with a click.
Then the same tag appeared beside every item on the screen. In red letters: [Unavailable].
As I stared in disbelief, Alicia drove the point home.
"As you can see, there are no commissions that can be carried out."
"Not a single one?"
"Yes."
"...Why on earth?"
In theory, there were two biodroids who could be used for combat missions, weren't there?
But then, Alicia revealed yet another unexpected difficulty.
"Currently, there is no precise terrain data within a 20km radius of this base. The expected encounter points and activity patterns of nearby Legions are also unreliable, as more than six months have passed since the last update.
"Therefore, all missions involving potential combat are currently deemed unavailable."
Essentially, it meant the basics weren't in place.
However, I couldn't just sit around doing nothing.
A commander was essentially an independent contractor entrusted with running a military base. Aside from the site, basic facilities, and starting biodroids, the military provided nothing.
I had to cover my own salary, the base's operating costs, and its supplies out of mission pay.
...The problem was that I couldn't even carry out those missions.
"So, shall I at last print out the resignation form for you?"
"...No."
I thought for a moment. In the end, the problem was the lack of terrain data around the base. In that case, couldn't we just generate that data anew?
In other words.
"Let's start with reconnaissance operations first."
Survey the surrounding terrain, secure safe routes, and identify enemy activity zones. We had to do that before anything else could begin.
I said that as I rose from my seat.
Alicia then asked, almost in passing.
"Surely, you are not thinking of conducting the reconnaissance yourself?"
"You think I would?"
As a human, I had a body that could be killed by even the weakest enemy. To conduct reconnaissance, I had to be accompanied by a combat operative who could protect me.
In that sense, I was off to meet a suitable combat operative.
That suitable combat operative had already been decided upon yesterday.
Had Alicia understood the series of events as well? She added, in a tone that suggested she didn't particularly care but was mentioning it just in case.
"She won't do it, though."
...That, we would just have to wait and see.
***
The rooftop of the main building.
Laika was there again. In the exact same state as yesterday, sprawled on top of the solar panel, asleep.
The wind was stronger than the day before. Laika's loose-necked white T-shirt fluttered in the headwind, alternately revealing and hiding her round, cute belly button.
Her hair, a shade of blue slightly lighter than the sky, swayed as well.
Whenever that happened, the warm morning sunlight would occasionally reflect off it, sparkling.
All together, it was an extremely peaceful and lovely sight.
If not for the vast Trash Island stretching out beyond where she was looking, I might have believed this place was paradise.
For that reason, it was unfortunate for Laika—— but work was work. I looked down at Laika and spoke.
"Laika."
"Euhyeh..."
"Wake up. There's work to do."
"Nhuhhh... I'm sleepy daang..."
Letting out a noise that might have been sleep-talking, Laika rolled over. I sighed and crouched down beside her.
"We need to go on reconnaissance around the base."
"Reconnaissance~? Bothersome... Commander can just go alone..."
"How am I supposed to do recon by myself? And you promised yesterday you'd come right away when called."
"Did I...? My memory's a bit fuzzy, you knoow..."
Laika gave me a brazen and shameless answer.
I wasn't particularly disappointed. It was all within the range of responses I had expected. If she had agreed immediately, I would have found that stranger.
...That didn't mean I intended to leave her like this, though. I planned to persuade her somehow and put her to work.
The important thing was how to go about persuading her.
In that regard, last night I had done some research on Laika, or more precisely, on her body model, 'Angela (TYPE-15)'.
What she liked and disliked, which sensations she was weak or resistant to, and so on. Those traits were strongly influenced not only by the brain that formed Laika's personality, but also by the body that housed it.
It was like how a dog's breed could give you a rough idea of its temperament and preferences. It wasn't absolute, but it was useful information.
And so, the result of that research was...
Angela TYPE-15 was designed to look somewhat younger than other biodroids, and accordingly had a pronounced weakness for basic sensory pleasures—especially sweetness.
Its appetite was also set somewhat high. Halo Company stated it openly on the model page: 'Angela, especially TYPE-15, is easy to befriend through food.'
The method I was about to use to persuade her this time was also based on the advice from that introduction page, utilizing information from the conversation I had with Laika yesterday.
And so, what exactly was this persuasion method——
"Laika."
"Yeah~"
"Didn't you say you liked bungeoppang?"
"...Euhing?"
Oh. She suddenly looked like a cat spotting its owner carrying a can of food.
But it was too early to look pleased. If I was dealing with a cat, I needed to act harmless at least until it saw what was inside the can.
In other words, play it completely cool.
As if I wasn't saying this just to tempt you.
"Ah, well. Yesterday, while I was resting and browsing the internet, I found out that an incredible bungeoppang shop had opened in Metropolis."
"...Incredibly amazing, bungeoppang shop...?"
Laika asked, sounding somewhat dissatisfied.
It felt subtly different from simple disinterest. It was more like she was scoffing, 'You dare call it incredible?'
Or perhaps she was preparing to judge harshly.
The question was whether the supposedly incredible bungeoppang shop I'd found deserved that reputation even among serious bungeoppang enthusiasts, or whether it was merely a place popular with casual customers that had ridden a wave of viral marketing.
...Again, it was just a feeling.
I had no idea the world of bungeoppang ran that deep in the first place.
Knowing none of that, I went ahead and introduced the bungeoppang shop I'd found.
"Yeah. A popular bungeoppang shop. Apparently they had custom molds made and sell pastries shaped like all kinds of fish."
"For example?"
"Huh? Well, um..."
I pulled up the review page on the internet again with my PDA.
Then I showed it to Laika and read along.
"Goldfish bread? Flatfish bread? Ah, there's pufferfish bread too..."
"Hmm...?"
That reaction suggested my bungeoppang knowledge was slightly lacking. Were flatfish and pufferfish unexpectedly common?
But from that point on, Laika's reaction changed completely.
"It says they have discus bread too?"
"...Euhi?"
Laika shot up from her spot.
"D-Discus bread? For real? Not a lie?"
"Yeah. Besides that, they also have garden eel bread and narwhal bread, it says?"
I showed Laika the fish-shaped pastries on the review page, swallowing minor questions like, 'What even is a discus?' and 'More importantly, a narwhal isn't even a fish, is it?'
Laika stared at the review page with her eyes wide and round.
It wasn't a lie. I hadn't misread it either.
For the first time, Laika opened her usually sleepy, half-lidded eyes fully and normally.
In that state, Laika murmured to herself.
"G-Garden eel...? Narwhal...? They can make bungeoppang in shapes like that...?!"
Wow. She was genuinely thrilled. She looked as though she had discovered a whole new frontier of bungeoppang.
...But this wasn't the time to just marvel at it.
I began asking Laika some leading questions, as she looked like she was under the effect of a hypnosis app.
"I remembered you saying you liked bungeoppang yesterday, so I showed you. What do you think? Do you like it?"
"Uh, yeah...! Laika might be feeling alive for the first time in a while...!"
"I see. For the record, the flavors aren't just red bean, but also pizza, choux cream, and even Nutella. Sounds tasty, right?"
"Yeah! Yeah yeah!"
"If I bought you a set, you'd gratefully eat it, right?"
"Yeah yeah yeah! Yeah yeah yeah yeah!"
Right then, I turned off the PDA screen.
Reflected in the black screen was Laika, mouth open in an Euhye? as if asking what atrocity I had just committed.
Regardless, I said all I had to say.
"But it's impossible."
"...Euhing?"
"You can't eat this amazing bungeoppang. No, actually, Laika can't eat even the cheap bungeoppang sold on the street. The only food permitted to Laika is combat rations that have been converted from supplies because they're about to expire."
"W-Why..."
Well, naturally.
"Because the base has no funds at all right now."
"Then earn some! Earn money and buy it for me...!"
...Wasn't she being a bit too shameless?
Instead of questioning her and breaking the flow, I gave a wise answer.
"I want to do that too. But to earn money, we have to carry out missions, and the situation is that we can't even accept missions because there's no terrain data around the base. Plus, going back and forth to Metropolis without ensuring safety is burdensome too.
"That's why I asked you to help with reconnaissance—I really wanted to buy you that narwhal bread. But if it's too much trouble, I guess there's nothing we can do."
"Euhhyeng..."
Laika looked like she was deep in thought.
A moment later, she asked me furtively.
"If I help with reconnaissance, you'll buy me the assorted fish set~?"
"...Assorted fish set?"
"Yeah. Earlier, when I looked at the review page, there was a menu with one of each type~"
I checked the review page again.
It was there. Assorted fish set. Total 49,800 won.
Was this really a reasonable price for a mere bungeoppang? I was dumbfounded for a moment... but now wasn't the time to quibble over the price.
"I'll buy it. The assorted fish set or whatever."
At those words, Laika's face brightened right up.
"Alright! Fine, I'll help you out!"
Forward Base Krädel, Available Personnel +1
Assorted Fish Set -1
This was a significant achievement.
***
Thus, the first reconnaissance mission was established.
The setup was simple. Laika and I would handle forward scouting and security, while Alicia would stay in the command-and-control room as our operator, providing communications and intelligence support. Since she'd said she'd rather die than fight, there was no real alternative.
And Rinne was... placed in a rear cover position for now.
Of course, I had no expectations. Moreover, I didn't even know exactly where she was positioned. The reason, as ever, was her refusal to face me in person. Because of that, I only knew through Alicia that she was trailing behind us at a distance of roughly 500 meters.
To summarize, it was a bizarre reconnaissance combination that I had never even heard of at the Academy, let alone learned about. It seemed fitting to name it something new, like the Krädel style.
The Krädel-style reconnaissance went surprisingly smoothly.
Although we had initially estimated around three hours, we had already secured most of the terrain data around the base in just two hours.
Alicia's ability to quickly encode the data we gathered played a part, but most of the credit went to Laika, who was genuinely motivated.
"...Maybe, at this rate, we'll finish without running into them."
"Euhhe? What~?"
Laika responded to my muttering.
"Those guys, I mean."
"Which guys~?"
It seemed she felt like playing a game of catching me out with my words. At this point, it was as clear as day what I meant by 'those guys'.
Or maybe she wanted me to call them by name. The superstition that they appear like ghosts the moment you say their name was common across all units.
I wasn't really one to believe in superstitions. I was about to answer casually.
"That would be, of course——"
Right at that moment, a message window popped up.
[100 meters ahead. Behind the building rubble, heat source reactions. Two.]
...Right. It would be disappointing if they just let us go.
Of course, I hadn't intended to just turn back either. I wanted to see how these girls engaged in combat with them at least once.
Right after I thought that, those guys revealed themselves at the exact location Alicia had pointed out.
They were roughly the size of a stray dog. Their silhouettes, at least, looked like stray dogs.
But unfortunately, they were by no means stray dogs. Their entire bodies were made of machinery.
Well, that aside.
It seemed about time to reveal the name of those guys.
We called those mechanical monsters, that one day suddenly appeared and drove humanity to the brink of extinction, 'Legions'.