073. Getting a Job (2)
073. Getting a Job (2)
"...What is this? This flimsy, soft-looking little brat of a body."
She muttered sullenly, examining the mirror I had brought over.
For reference, I hadn't gotten a clear look at Eve's body myself until then. Her body had been submerged in semi-transparent preservation fluid the entire time.
But now that I saw it, this model looked exactly like the Eve I had encountered inside the server.
For instance, the elegant black hair and mysterious blue eyes.
Her fair, clear skin.
Her small hands and feet. Her delicate shoulders, and so on.
Putting it all together, she was exceedingly beautiful and lovely.
Though the person in question had a slightly different assessment.
"Hideously ugly, I see."
I was dumbfounded.
"What are you talking about? You're pretty, if anything."
"To a deviant like you, perhaps! To the eyes of a normal person, am I not simply a little pipsqueak!"
Eve began finding fault with her own body as she spoke.
"Why are your hands and feet so small, and why are your toes so tiny and close together? And what is with this broad, straight pelvis? Can this even be called a woman?
"No, now that I look, the cheeks are far too plump as well. And I detest how the outlines of the ribs show through the chest...!
"Most of all, what in the world is this?! This scrawny bosom looks as though it could not nourish even a single baby mouse...! No, such a thing cannot even be called a bosom! It is merely a chest!"
Hmm.
She was not wrong about any of it, but...
"Why are you so fixated on a mature figure?"
"I am not fixated on a mature figure! I am fixated on this woman's original appearance!"
...Well.
Recalling Violetta's description, before the infected Eves seized control of the system, Eve had apparently possessed a stacked and curvy appearance.
Except that wasn't her 'original appearance.' Because she never had a body in the first place.
If I had to put it that way, that was probably closer to the ideal image she had of herself.
In short, Eve imagined herself as a voluptuous wuxia-style beauty.
However, the body that the actual manufacturer custom-built after analyzing her brain structure—that is, her 'original appearance' suitable to her true mental level—was this.
An elegant, demure, and mysterious young thing floating around inside a glass tube.
"In any case, I cannot accept it! Make it bustier! This woman shall train until she overcomes any compatibility issues!"
That part of her really was rather childish... though saying so might have been rude.
I let out a deep sigh.
"They gave it to us as a favor. I can't demand that they replace it. If you want different exterior plating, earn the money later and ask the manufacturer yourself."
"......Gngngngnk."
Eve rolled her eyes, making a strange noise.
A moment later, she answered as if making a grand concession.
"It cannot be helped. I must find meaning, for now, in having obtained a physical body that can become strong."
At least she seemed willing to accept that.
Fortunate, but.
......Huh?
"A body that can become strong? Are you planning to become a soldier?"
"Indeed?"
"Why would you think that?"
"Fundamentally, because I heard jobs are scarce in this world."
That was true.
The value of labor had plummeted due to the commercialization of biodroids.
In the case of simple service-sector biodroids, they wouldn't die, but they were in a situation where they couldn't properly do the work they wanted to.
In that sense, military biodroids were certainly better off. Since their own lives were on the line, the allowances themselves were set much higher.
On top of that, military service was one of the few ways a biodroid could earn "honor"—
"This woman wishes to become strong. That is this woman's true desire."
There were some who aspired to the military for that reason.
Because they wanted to become strong.
And the reason Eve had come to dream of becoming strong was probably—
"Because of martial arts novels, right?"
A brief silence.
Eve's face flushed bright red before she shouted.
"Wh-What nonsense are you spouting."
"No, I mean... you read a ton of martial arts novels."
"How do you know that, you scoundrel...?!"
Well, because the manufacturer told me.
During manufacture, they had scanned her brain and found that she spent most of her free time reading martial arts novels or playing wuxia-style games.
Eve had not originally spoken in this rejuvenated-peak-master style either.
As you could probably tell from names like 'Eve' and 'Genesis,' Genesis Industry's aesthetic was rooted in Western religion.
The knowledge and self-image originally imprinted on her cultured brain would mostly have reflected that aesthetic.
But after living for so long under the infected Eves and consuming huge amounts of martial arts fiction, Eve 27 had been influenced by it until her values and speech changed into what they were now. That, at least, was the manufacturer's interpretation.
In other words, her brain had been marinating in wuxia.
As a result, she could now spout embarrassing lines like 'This woman wishes to become strong' without batting an eye.
"Nuaaaaaaaa shut up! Shut up! What's wrong with wanting to become stronger!"
Eve shouted over me, drowning out my words.
Then she added, in a solemn tone as if she had regained the poise of a Heavenly Demon.
"In any case, our bond ends here."
"Huh?"
"For I will not be able to become as strong as I desire in a small, decrepit base such as this. I wish to go to the martial world that befits this woman."
Ah, so that was what she meant.
I had been meaning to talk about that part anyway—
"What is it? Why that regretful look? Do not be too upset. Shabby though this body may be, this woman is sincerely grateful that you gave me a chance to become strong. Someday, once I have become sufficiently skilled... let us meet again with smiles on our faces."
No.
Well...
"That... may be difficult for you."
"......Huh?"
Eve tilted her head to the side.
It suited her outward appearance far better than playing the Heavenly Demon.
As she did so, Eve asked.
"What do you mean, difficult? Surely you are not mocking me?"
"No, I'm not trying to slander you."
I just wanted to make it clear.
The body you're in was not built for combat.
"......What did you say?"
"Didn't you hear? Your body is not a combat body, period."
"Then what? Then what is its purpose?"
Well.
I wanted to say, "It depends how you use it," and put a positive spin on things.
Nevertheless, there was one blatantly obvious purpose.
"It's for romance."
"F-For romance......?"
That's right.
For romance.
The sort rich, pot-bellied old men collected for lecherous purposes...
"Does that not mean a prostitute! Do you mean to say you have stuffed this woman into the body of a worn-out, jaded prostitute!"
No, not worn-out and jaded.
It meant the model structure was suited for such purposes, but the body itself was a clean, brand-new product.
"Quiet! More importantly, do not lie to me! There is no way any man would lust after a body that looks so scrawny and soft!"
"No, like you said, the world is full of deviants."
Since she showed no sign of believing my explanation, I showed her the analysis Sumire had prepared.
[This biodroid is not a model capable of combat.]
[Recommended Use: Social Activity Assistance]
......They sure rephrased 'for romance' quite nicely.
In any case, the fact that combat was impossible remained unchanged.
Meaning she physically could not become stronger unless she somehow found a secret martial arts manual somewhere.
"Unacceptable! This woman is a masterpiece of Genesis Industry, a woman who dreams of becoming the best under heaven! My brain itself is first-class! Instead of this third-rate body, fit me with a high-quality body befitting my status!"
Like I said before, that would be difficult.
"Then pull me out of this body...! Better to live as a brain in a vat than in the body of a courtesan!"
"Ah, no."
Sumire, who had been listening to the conversation, interjected.
"Once a full-brain configuration has been dismantled and installed in a body, it can never be restored to full-brain form. So unless you obtain another compatible body, you must continue living in that one..."
"Wh-What did you say? Why did you not give that explanation earlier!"
"Well, I tried to explain everything, including the spec data and precautions, but Eve said she wanted the transfer done quickly and asked me to skip the explanation..."
So it seemed.
Once that sank in, Eve began to tear up.
"U, Uu...... Why...... Why on earth...... This woman truly wished to become the best under heaven......."
"Don't be too disheartened. You can work hard and buy a new body."
"But, in this employment crisis, the only work I can do with a body like this......!"
Hmm.
That was certainly a problem.
"T-Take responsibility."
"What?"
"I said, take responsibility and provide me with a job......!"
Well.
At that point, I figured it was no longer my problem.
I had provided the body as promised, for starters.
And I thought I had satisfied her demand for something "high-quality" to some extent. A custom model was high-end by definition.
So.
"How about we part ways now? You and I?"
I said, taking a step back from Eve.
Eve took two steps toward me and began to fawn in a manner befitting the purpose her body had been designed for.
"D-don't be like that... Did we not get along well? Did we not defeat the infected Eve together? And now this woman begs you so. At least help me, who obtained a body dreaming of becoming the best under heaven, avoid ending up as some bald old man's plaything..."
Earlier she had spoken as if she couldn't be satisfied with a small, decrepit base like this.
......Anyway.
What should I do with this pitiful creature?
Since she wasn't a combat model and had no other specialized skill like Sumire, there didn't seem to be any work at Krädel I could give her.
I worried about it for a moment.
"Ah."
Now that I thought about it, there might be one thing.
No—there was one job she was actually extremely well suited for.
"Then how about working here as an operator and handling the paperwork?"
"......Operator and paperwork handler?"
I nodded.
"Because it seems like you'd be able to do that well regardless of your body's performance."
Since she was an Eve, her computational ability was extremely high. She could assess situations quickly and process data at high speed, which made her ideal as an operator.
On top of that, as a human computer, she would be skilled at computer work.
Beyond that, tasks like cleaning or base management could probably be managed even with a body for that kind of purpose.
"So, if you want, I'll register you as a member of Krädel."
It wasn't a particularly difficult thing.
Unlike the deserter Sumire, who I'd picked up(?) on the streets, this one was a biodroid I had personally purchased from the manufacturer.
As long as Eve herself and I, as her commander, agreed, she could formally join the unit and receive a military salary and Krädel's mission allowances.
Of course, that would consume one of Krädel's already scarce personnel slots. But the higher-ups didn't seem inclined to send us new recruits anyway, so it was hardly a loss.
"Anyway, if you work hard for about 2–3 years, you'll be able to custom-order a combat body."
"I-Is that true?"
It was true.
At that, Eve expressed her gratitude.
"Thank you! I shall serve faithfully as an operator! And feel free to entrust me with anything else as well!"
......Hmm.
Putting aside the desperate circumstances, was I the only one thinking she had become docile due to the influence of the romance body?
Well, anyway.
I decided to just be glad that available manpower had increased by one, and move on.
That was what I was thinking when Sumire, who had been watching from beside me, asked with a puzzled look.
"Um, Commander. Is this really all right?"
"Huh?"
"Aren't the tasks you just assigned Eve already being handled by Alicia...?"
Ah. So that was what she meant.
"You don't need to worry about that. Alicia found a new role."
"Huh? By a new role, you mean......."
Sumire asked, still seeming unable to understand.
I decided this was a good time to make it clear.
"From now on, Alicia will be Krädel's sniper."
There was no other choice.
Because the day before, I had learned that Alicia was an S-rank sniper who had been hiding her strength.