Come on Ticia, you can’t fail this time! Ticia thought to herself, standing in front of Licia’s bedroom. I can’t let this continue any longer!
She had stopped counting how many times she stood in front of that door, never able to move whenever she did. It was as if her worst fear was hidden behind it. It had been three days since she first tried to talk to Licia, and she was still stuck in the same situation everyday. Ticia wanted to talk to Licia, but found herself stuck, only to do something else, as if to flee from this place.
I can’t let this continue! I… I want to see Licia! I want her to talk to me!
Ticia was becoming more and more restless, she felt pain everytime she thought about Licia, the clone girl’s last expression she had seen appearing to haunt her. This had a big impact on her mood, and while she tried to act as if she was fine in front of the other clone girls, they could tell something was wrong. But apart from Nillia, none of the clone girls had gone to see Licia.
To make matters worse, Ticinia and Vinia, who were still in the infirmary, had yet to wake up. To alleviate some stress from Ticia, who was trying to talk to Licia, Nicia had declared herself the ‘overseeing nurse’, and installed herself in the infirmary to keep a watchful eye on her little sisters. The action cried cuteness, and Ticia nearly melted the instant she heard that.
Still, that wasn’t the only thing that changed during that time. The training sessions had been temporarily canceled, but some clone girls still wanted to train daily, namely Ria and Lidia. Having the recent events in mind, Ticia could not let the clone girls train without watch, hence why she made sure to be present each time, and also notifying the other clone girls of the training session. With this, she hoped Willia would come, and regain the vigor she had lost. Unfortunately however, Willia never came. As for Licia, she didn’t even bother coming out of her room anymore.
On that note, Ticia had brought food to Licia’s room when it was time to eat, hoping she would be able to make a move with the excuse of bringing food to the girl. But she still ended up frozen like a statue the moment she stood in front of that door, and Ticia gave up each time, leaving the tray of food behind.
Ticia was beginning to hate that door. This was probably the first time she hated a non-living object so much, but even if it wasn’t there, would it change anything? That she did not know…
The only positive thing that came out of all this was that Licia did not seem to starve herself. Each time she came back in front of that damned door, the tray of food she had left behind was empty. With this small hope, Ticia continued on, and most of her time ended up with her staying as a statue in front of Licia’s room, to the worry of the clone girls who were passing by…
She could only thank the relative calmness coming from the outside for letting her try this many times. Since there had not been any attack, Ticia could spend as much time as she liked on it. And the situation repeated itself for three whole days.
This time, it will- no, it MUST be different. I must succeed this time! Ticia was fuelled by a strange motivation this time, it was an urge, a feeling of not wanting to mess up something she knew would be important for the clone girls. After all… It’s been three weeks!
That’s right, three weeks had passed since the clone girls had emerged from their nutrition pods. And since the accelerated aging made them gain one year every three weeks, the clone girls had now reached the age of nine!
This means today is their birthday! Ticia reminded herself strongly. That was something she had wanted to do with the clone girls since a while ago. She knew the importance of birthdays to kids, and she wanted the clone girls to know this happiness. A happiness she herself had only experienced little about since she did not know her own birthday.
She did not know her own, and yet, Rika had taken a habit of wishing her a happy birthday on a set day the woman had chosen. Ticia did not really understand why her old superior did so, but thanks to this, she knew what a birthday should be like.
A birthday should be celebrated together with your friends, colleagues and most importantly, your family! That she was sure of. She might not have had any family, nor any friends… or anybody that would come to her own birthday, except Rika for some reason, or maybe the old man from the military unit she was the closest with? She could see him do that…
But now it was different, Ticia had a family, twelve cute little ‘sisters’ to be exact. Even though as of late, Ticia herself had doubts on the term… And now that she thought about it, Rika probably won’t be present on her next birthday. For some reason, the thought of the person who chose the date of her birthday not being there made Ticia sad…
No good, I’m digressing. Ticia shook her head. Focus Ticia, focus.
Ticia had decided. She wasn’t going to let Licia miss the birthday party! She would make sure her beloved ‘little sister’ would be there! And just like that, she would also talk to the girl and tell her how much she loves her!
This could only be a perfect plan in Ticia’s head, and when she announced it to one of the two accomplices she had forcefully enrolled, A-4, the AI just told her this was a plan on a level even inferior to it!
Hmph! How could you say that, A-4? You’re supposed to be on my side! Ticia thought, pouting as she remembered A-4’s words. Fortunately, her second accomplice, Nillia, had supported the plan. And as punishment, she had already punished the AI for its insolence by slaving it into creating the best gift the clone girls could ever dream of! Without even telling it what the said gift was…
But that wasn’t the problem, right now, the problem was talking to Licia!
And so, we meet again, hateful door. This time, it’s for good. Our battle will be legendary. Ticia thought as she sent a death glare to the inanimate object. And so, the battle of fates (?) was about to begin…
***
“Hm hm hmm~” Nillia was plunged into her own dream world as she was laying on her bed with her favorite plushie in her arms. She had a lot of free time since Willia wasn’t dragging her along for her training sessions now, not that she disliked doing those though. But she also liked those moments of calm. It let her sink into her own fantasies, where she, as a valiant knight, would protect her sisters from danger with the help of her fluffy plush companion.
“Hehe, we’re the strongest duo! Don't you think so, Sir Bunnyhop?” She asked her purple bunny plushie as she raised it in the air. Of course, it did not give any answer, and Nillia knew that, but since she was just playing, that was fine, right?
*catchack*
“Hm?” She was interrupted from it however when she faintly heard the sound of the door to her room opening.
“I can’t do it!”
“Hyaaa!?”
Ticia suddenly exclaimed as she barged in, making Nillia jump in fright, and her plushie ended up on the other side of the room.
“Uuuuh~ Big sis, you scared me again!” Nillia angrily said as tears filled her eyes.
“Ah, sorry Nillia…” Ticia said somewhat apologetically, it seems like she had developed a habit by now.
“If you’re sorry, stop doing that already! Geez…” Nillia protested cutely. This wasn’t the first time this had happened, in fact, it happened a lot in the span of three days. More than Nillia’s poor heart wished it would happen…
“Ah, don’t be like that, Nillia, here, let me hug you as an apology.” Ticia said, there was no doubt to Nillia that her ‘big sis’ was not sorry, and just wanted to buy her way out with a hug.
"Hmph, it can't be helped then." She still yielded, raising her arms in Ticia’s direction. The offer of a hug was too tempting to refuse.
“Hehe~, thanks, Nillia.” Ticia joyfully said as she hugged Nillia tightly.
They stayed like this for a moment. But Nillia finally broke the silence by asking a question she had now become used to asking.
“So, I'm guessing you failed again?"
“...Yes…” Ticia replied weakly, tightening the hug. “I couldn't even speak, like always…”
“I-it's alright, I'm sure you're gonna succeed today.” Nillia tried to comfort her ‘big sis’, but the effect seemed weak. “You can do it again! This time, I'm sure it'll be different!”
“And just how many times have you said this phrase and nothing changed, Willia?” Ticia answered as a frown appeared on her face, making Nillia panic as she searched for the right words.
“Uuuuh~, but I'm just trying to support you…” She ended up mumbling.
“I know, thanks a lot, Nillia.” Ticia answered as she tightened the hug. Every time she failed to talk to Licia, she did a tactical retreat to Nillia’s room. Or at least that’s what she told Nillia everytime… As a result, Nillia had assumed the role of a confidant to Ticia, and probably became a charger too, something the girl was happy about.
In a somewhat comical way, the roles between her and Ticia had been reversed. She was now the one consoling her ‘big sis’, and Nillia was happy to be relied upon.
“And you, have you talked to Licia today?” Ticia asked Nillia.
“Yes.” Nillia answered, she had met her sister multiple times in the span of three days, as Ticia asked her. She was probably the only one who did so, as Willia was depressed, and the other clone girls were just too scared to go see her, fearing consequences.
“How was she?” Ticia asked with impatience, the worry in her voice was apparent to Nillia, and she did not like the face her ‘big sis’ was making, it was a face she did not want her usually proud and strong ‘big sis’ to have.
“The same as yesterday. She's fine, but she seems lost in her thoughts all the time, and her eyes are a bit lifeless… It's hard to keep the conversation going, you know?” She said, half complaining to Ticia. Nillia wasn’t really talkative when she erased her emotions, and since Licia wasn’t one to chatter a lot as well, it led to very awkward silences between the two girls. Normally it wouldn’t be like that. There would be silence between the two, but one that was more tranquil and had a good feeling about them. Licia’s current state however, just made it impossible to have that.
“Anyway, I asked her why she wouldn't see you, just like you wanted, but she refused no matter how much I insisted, mumbling something about not wanting to hurt me like she's been hurt? I don't understand what’s wrong with her…” Nillia ranted. Licia’s actions had been weird to say the least, and neither her nor Ticia had told her what happened between them. She was frustrated to not know what the problem was, because it seemed that there was something more than the incident from that day. Maybe, no, she was sure something had happened after she had told her eldest sister to go see their ‘big sis’, and that would make her guilty, as the one who provoked the current situation…
“...” Ticia’s hug tightened around Nillia.
“Big sis?” Nillia asked as she raised her head, her ‘big sis’ had an even more pained and sad expression, that she erased the moment she noticed Nillia looking at her.
“It's nothing, thank you Nillia. Thanks to you, Licia isn't always alone…”
Nillia had to agree that Licia seemed somewhat happy to see her everytime, even though she did not talk much. Licia would always ask her what their sisters were doing, about Willia, and then about Ticinia and Vinia’s current state. But strangely enough, she would avoid asking about their ‘big sis’.
“If this continues, I can forget about the birthday party…” Ticia said sadly.
“Big sis, I know you talked about making a birthday party, but if Licia doesn't come out, we could just report it, no?” Nillia asked. Frankly speaking, she did not see the use of a birthday, and her sisters were probably the same. Still, the idea of Ticia wanting to make a party for them and giving them gifts intrigued her.
“But it won’t have the same effect…” Ticia said, sulking. “‘If you celebrate your birthday another day, it doesn’t have the same effect as doing it on D-day…’ An old acquaintance of mine said so, and I think she’s right.”
Again with that ‘old acquaintance’... Nillia thought as a sigh nearly escaped her. Ticia had been mentioning that person more and more often, and yet Nillia did not know that person’s name, as Ticia never said it, and did not seem to want to talk about her. Still, it was apparent to her that her ‘big sis’ missed that person, who, based on how Ticia talked about her, should be still alive.
We’re here, you don’t need that person. Those were the words she wanted to say to her ‘big sis’, but she always held back. Nillia feared it would affect Ticia’s current view of her. But she could not help but feel jealousy for that person. If she’s not here, that means she abandoned you, ‘big sis’, if so, she must be a bad person. Unlike us who will always be by your side. Her mentality quickly took another direction, and har face twisted into a look full of disgust. She hated the fact that this person was taking more and more place in Ticia’s heart, without Ticia herself noticing it.
“But I can understand what you mean, Nillia.” Ticia said, not noticing Nillia’s change. The latter’s expression immediately returned to the one she usually showed her ‘big sis’. “I don’t think the other clone girls are in the mood, and Ticinia and Vinia have yet to wake up… Yes, perhaps you’re right.” She nodded, having come to a decision. “It is a bit sad, but I guess we’ll have to report the birthday party if I don’t manage to talk to Licia. That, or if Ticinia and Vinia do not wake up.”
“Let’s do it once everything’s over, and with everybody!” Nillia exclaimed, trying to console Ticia.
“Fufu, that might be for the best, Nillia. Yeah, let’s do that.” Ticia said as she patted Nillia’s head, making the girl giggle.
Yay! I did it! I raised ‘big sis’’s mood again! She thought happily. That was all that mattered to her right now.
“Let’s make it a promise!” She excitedly said. The thought of having a party with all her sisters and Ticia made her jump in joy. It’ll be just like the first day when ‘big sis’ took care of all of us together!
“Alright, it's a pinky promise then.” Ticia smiled as she stretched her arms toward Nillia, raising her pinky finger. Nillia happily raised her own, and they crossed them. They giggled together at this.
“Alright, Let’s try this again!” Ticia exclaimed as she got up. She had regained her vigor and charged on Nillium, now she would launch a new assault on the boss!
“Good luck, big sis! You can do it!” Nillia happily encouraged as Ticia left the room in high spirits.
A whole hour passed as Nillia got back to her own dreamland, happy to have raised Ticia’s morale.
“Sir Bunnyhop, we have accomplished another mission successfully. The queen is going to reconcile with the first princess, and the whole family is going to reconcile!” She said to her purple bunny. She was sure it was a success this time, since Ticia did not come back yet.
But then…
*BAM*
“Kyaaa!?”
“Nillia~, I failed again!”
Nillia’s heart would not be spared today either….
***
Night time, long after the clone girls had gone to bed, Ticia was within a specific room on the fourth floor.
“Uuuuuuuuh~” Tica was whining, face first on the counter of the bar. Bottles of alcohol that the facility had created were laying in an unorganized state next to her, most of them empty.
“A-4~~? Why do I always fail~~?” She said as she raised her head. Her face was red from drinking too much.
“Caution: Owner Ticia has drunk too much to be able to hold a fruitful conversation on the subject.”
The AI warned, and it was true that Ticia had drunk a lot. Like Rika, she was a heavy drinker, and the both of them liked to drink, so they often drank together. But drinking isn't free, and since the two of them drank so much, it usually ended with most of Ticia’s paycheck being wasted on alcohol… As for Rika? Well, she never had problems with money to begin with.
“What do you mean I’m too drunk~? I’m totally fine~, I haven’t drank in awhile too~.” Ticia answered back, ever since she ended up in Clone installation 3, she had not touched alcohol. Of course, she knew about the existence of the bar, but she decided to abstain from drinking until things calmed down. Besides, the clone girls were there now. She didn't want to set a bad example for them, nor did she want the clone girls to see her pathetic side when she was drunk, so she stopped thinking about even getting a single drop of alcohol.
But the last days had just been too hard with Ticia, and she couldn’t help herself anymore. She wanted to let out her frustration and relax, things she knew alcohol would help her cope with. And since her usual drinking buddy wasn’t here, she enlisted A-4 to keep her company…
“Warning: Owner Ticia should be careful about her consumption of alcohol, liver damage is already estimated to be high.”
The AI warned, but its warning came on deaf ears.
“Whaddya mean~? My liver’s totally fine~! This isn’t the first time I’ve drunk this much, in fact, it's just the beginning~!” Ticia said in her drunken voice reminiscing about the past. “Once, I even emptied a whole wine cellar with Rika~”
“...”
“And you~,” Ticia pointed to the drone as she took her glass in another hand, ready to empty it in one shot. “You didn’t do what I told you to prepare, you bad AI!”
Ticia was talking about the birthday party preparations, she had ordered A-4 to prepare a room for that, make a birthday cake, and prepare gifts, but none of this was done.
“Answer: This unit simply did not act to preserve already dim resource stocks.”
“But there should be enough for a cake at least, right~?” Ticia asked suspiciously, she had a feeling the AI was hiding something else.
“... This unit had estimated owner Ticia was unlikely to succeed in getting Null CG-01 Licia out of her room, and as such, this unit did not act wastefully.”
“So you didn’t trust me from the beginning huh?!” Ticia snapped, feeling betrayed.
“Correction: This unit does believe in owner Ticia’s capabilities, hence why this unit did not act wastefully.”
“Gah! I don’t understand how you work, tin can! You’re just making my head hurt more.” Ticia sighed as she finished her glass, she truly did not understand this AI. It called her its owner, and yet it did not obey her. “That’s why I refused promotions, having to care about subordinates is just asking for more trouble… All I needed to ever do was leave everything to Rika! Taking care of somebody isn’t my-”
But her ranting ended there. As soon as she was about to say the next words, the clone girl's happy face came to her mind, only for Licia’s last expression of having her entire world crushed at her words to remain.
She sighed as she filled herself another glass of alcohol. This had made her become sober. She slowly drank her glass of alcohol in silence, under the watch of A-4’s drone.
“...Just how did I end up here again?” She muttered after a while, raising her eyes to stare at the ceiling.
This was a question she asked herself often. She thought back of all the events that led her to this. She was doing her usual stuff in the 9th special assault brigade, when a fat officer, which she had already forgotten the name of, had asked something outrageous. Of course, she had refused, knowing that her superior, Rika, would have her back anyway, and it wasn’t like it was the first time this kind of thing happened.
What was different however, was that Rika wasn’t present at that time, and as a result, she ended up being transferred to another unit.
Then, all of this happened… Ticia sighed as the recent events of this month passed in her mind, the relief at still being alive, the shock of discovering what this abandoned facility was used for, and then, the clone girls, and all the happy moments she had with them, until the events from three days ago…
“...Would owner Ticia like to answer a survey?”
A-4 suddenly proposed, breaking the heavy mood and making Ticia come back to present time.
“… What?”
“Repeating question: Would owner Ticia like to answer a survey?”
“No, that’s what I don’t understand, a survey?”
“Affirmation: To improve the management, clone installations’ AIs are equipped with survey applications to gain effective feedback from users and owners.”
“What kind of place would ask its own owner to complete this kind of thing!?”
“Answer: Clone installations would do so.”
“...” Ticia was left speechless, she did not understand what would be the use of that.
“...Oh well, fine, I’ll do it.” She ended up saying, maybe this survey would help to improve her current mood.
“Request has been confirmed.”
The drone beepped for a second, its eye changing to green color as a loading symbol appeared.
“Initiating survey protocols, owner Ticia has been recognized as the person answering the survey, please answer each question orally, owner Ticia.”
“Yeah, yeah, I’ll do that.” Ticia said without paying much attention to it.
“Authorization has been granted, initiating quizz. First question: Please give an overhaul evaluation of Clone installation 3’s food quality.”
“...That’s a weird question to begin with…”
“Repeating first question: Please give an overhaul evaluation of Clone installation 3’s food quality.”
“Agh, whatever,” Ticia sighed, she did not understand why the AI was insisting so much on this survey. “The food is good, like, way more delicious than military level stuff.”
“Answer received, proceeding with the second question: Is the quality of the bedding to your liking?”
“...” Ticia was left speechless. What kind of survey am I answering?! One for a hotel?! Still, she gave her answer. “It’s good, I’ve never had a bed feel this soft.”
“Answer received, proceeding with the second question…”
A-4 continued its survey, the questions were all general, to the point Ticia began to question if it was really a survey made for clone installation. Then A-4 asked what she thought of the military supplies, to which she said it was fine, just a bit lacking in guns laying around.
“Answer received, proceeding with the next question…”
What will it be this time? She asked herself, this survey really was asking a lot of questions about small, unimportant things.
“Are you willing to use the cloning facility for its main purpose?”
“There you go, that’s more like the questions I was expecting.” Ticia felt relief that the questions she expected finally came. “I already told you, A-4, I don’t want to create clones of myself.”
“...Even if your close ones are in danger?”
“That, I don’t-'' Ticia stopped herself, she was going to say she didn’t have anybody close to her since she was an orphan, but then, twelve faces passed through her mind, if those girls were to meet danger…
“... Maybe I would…” She mumbled.
“Answer received, proceeding with the next question: If you had the choice to let Null class clone girls to live or not again, would you still make the same choice?”
“A-4,” Ticia said, raising her tone and sending a death glare to the drone. “I think we already had this discussion multiple times already. Whatever the case is, they have the right to live, and I would still allow them to do so. I would never kill them!”
“Answer received, proceeding with the next question: Are you satisfied with the current clone girl’s abilities?”
“A-4!” This time, Ticia yelled, standing up, clearly angry at the drone. “I already told you, I don’t care about those kinds of things! The girls are fine the way they are!”
“This unit understands owner Ticia’s anger.”
The AI said, surprising Ticia who was not expecting this from the AI.
“However, this unit is simply asking the questions from the official survey guide, please understand.”
“...Fine…” Ticia said after staring at the drone for a while, there was no need for her to get angry at a tin can anyway… She sat back, and filled her glass with alcohol. “All of them are excellent.” She simply answered as she took a sip of her drink.
“Answer received, proceeding with the next question: How would you like the clone girls to refer to you as?”
Ticia nearly spat out her drink. That definitely wasn’t a question she expected…
“Didn’t I ask them to refer to me as their big sis?”
“Notification: Owner Ticia did ask the Null class clone girls to refer to her as ‘big sis’. However, this process could have been implanted in their knowledge before awakening, replacing the basic settings. Theory: Since basic settings have not been changed, the chances of the Null class clone girls thinking of owner Ticia as something else other than a ‘big sis’, are high.”
“What!? Why didn’t you tell me that sooner!?”
“Answer: Owner Ticia did not ask so. Notification: Basic settings were written within the reports this unit gave owner Ticia.”
“Oh…” Ticia had no excuses now, she regretted not having read the reports more seriously now… “Then, could you remind me what the basic setting is?”
“Reminder: Basic settings of clone affiliation is to consider the owner of the clone facility its ‘leader’.”
Oh, it’s just that, that’s a relief… Ticia sighed in relief, but for some reason, a small pain emerged in her heart.
“…Notification: Since awakening of the clone girls is done at a young age, feedback from other clone installations have revealed that the clones who have this identification tend to identify the leader as a ‘parent’, due to a lack of anybody else to cling to.”
“Oh…” Ticia finally realized what this meant. Now I understand why some of them want to call me mother… They yearn for a parent, just like I did…
“Crap…” Ticia thought back on how she had told the clone girls to call her ‘big sis’, and the reaction they had… That was like a rejection of responsibility, wasn’t it?
She drank her glass of alcohol, which was still half filled, in one shot. The worst, I might have done something disgusting without realizing it…
“I should probably just accept it, but…” Ticia mumbled to herself.
“Answer received: From now on, basic cloning settings will make sure to specify owner Ticia as ‘mother’”
A-4 suddenly made its own conclusion.
“W-wait a minute, A-4? I didn’t say that?!” Ticia panicked. “Please come back to basic settings!”
“Owner Ticia’s request is impossible to grant. Survey does not allow coming back on an answer.”
“That’s stupid, how could there be a survey like that?!” Ticia was really dumbfounded by this survey, were all clone installations like this? In the end, she just sighed. “Fine, have it your way…” It’s not like I plan on making any more clones anyway…
“So, what’s the next question?” She asked, expecting another question.
“Survey has been completed. Thank you for giving some of your time to answer our questions!”
A-4 announced, and to Ticia, it seemed like the AI was satisfied, as its drone beeping around.
“That’s it?” Ticia on the other hand, was left with a weird feeling, she felt tricked by the AI. “*sigh*, well, fine then, I’ll continue to drink now.”
“Warning: Owner Ticia should stop drinking.”
“How many times do I have to repeat myself A-4…” Ticia began to argue with the AI once more. Perhaps she was too drunk as the AI said, because she hadn’t noticed that two pair of eyes had been secretly watching, listening to the whole exchange…
Chauchat
Author's monologue:
Hey there, I'm back with another chapter!
That one was long really, I struggled a lot on its writing process. I had a hard time deciding how I would describe the emotions of my characters at that moment. You see, I wondered for a long time wether it was a good chapter. The part with drunk Ticia was supposed to be the only thing, and that was where I wanted to lead Ticia too anyway: a breaking point that would make her more open about herself. But then I though it was a bit too sudden of a follow up, so I added the first part of this chapter, and then I thought this would also be a good accasion to add a Nillia POV! And now you see where this is going... Those two parts took more space that I initially though, hence why I thought about separating them. But in the end, I still kept this chapter as a whole.
So yeah, process of writing aside, is Nillia going yandere? Well... We'll see? Nillia is one of the last clone girl that I worked upon, so while I setted up her personality as a kid, I'm still working on how whe and the others will evolve... Well, I do have my own idea...
As for Ticia? I like her drunken side, as it allow me to make her speak more easily about herself in a somewhat funny way...
And A-4! The AI truly had a great role in this chapter, I wonder what it has planned behind it's owner's back...
And lastly, who are the little spies~? Well, you'll know in the next chapter~.
And so, with the little teasing done, here comes today's illustration!
I had the choice between Licia and Vinia for today, acording to the poll, and while Vinia would go well as a follow up to Ticinia in the 'OMG so cute!' department, I think it might be better to show Licia's illustration instead. After all, the girl has been at the center of my chapters for a while now...
So without further talk, here it goes!
Man, I had to remake that one a lot of time... I wanted to show the struggle of Licia while still having her remain somewhat expressionless. And this one, who gives a bit of a rebelious look, which could also be associated with a look of doubt, was probably the best that could come out.
Well, that's it for today! I would have loved to publish another chapter on Wednesday but life never goes the way you want, and I'll be busy this week. So yeah, I probably won't be able to publish the next chapter in the week, but I'll try if possible! Unfortunately, I can't give you all a precise date.
Anyway, Thank you all for reading this chapter! I'll see you all on Monday if not sooner!
Come on Ticia, you can’t fail this time! Ticia thought to herself, standing in front of Licia’s bedroom. I can’t let this continue any longer!
She had stopped counting how many times she stood in front of that door, never able to move whenever she did. It was as if her worst fear was hidden behind it. It had been three days since she first tried to talk to Licia, and she was still stuck in the same situation everyday. Ticia wanted to talk to Licia, but found herself stuck, only to do something else, as if to flee from this place.
I can’t let this continue! I… I want to see Licia! I want her to talk to me!
Ticia was becoming more and more restless, she felt pain everytime she thought about Licia, the clone girl’s last expression she had seen appearing to haunt her. This had a big impact on her mood, and while she tried to act as if she was fine in front of the other clone girls, they could tell something was wrong. But apart from Nillia, none of the clone girls had gone to see Licia.
To make matters worse, Ticinia and Vinia, who were still in the infirmary, had yet to wake up. To alleviate some stress from Ticia, who was trying to talk to Licia, Nicia had declared herself the ‘overseeing nurse’, and installed herself in the infirmary to keep a watchful eye on her little sisters. The action cried cuteness, and Ticia nearly melted the instant she heard that.
Still, that wasn’t the only thing that changed during that time. The training sessions had been temporarily canceled, but some clone girls still wanted to train daily, namely Ria and Lidia. Having the recent events in mind, Ticia could not let the clone girls train without watch, hence why she made sure to be present each time, and also notifying the other clone girls of the training session. With this, she hoped Willia would come, and regain the vigor she had lost. Unfortunately however, Willia never came. As for Licia, she didn’t even bother coming out of her room anymore.
On that note, Ticia had brought food to Licia’s room when it was time to eat, hoping she would be able to make a move with the excuse of bringing food to the girl. But she still ended up frozen like a statue the moment she stood in front of that door, and Ticia gave up each time, leaving the tray of food behind.
Ticia was beginning to hate that door. This was probably the first time she hated a non-living object so much, but even if it wasn’t there, would it change anything? That she did not know…
The only positive thing that came out of all this was that Licia did not seem to starve herself. Each time she came back in front of that damned door, the tray of food she had left behind was empty. With this small hope, Ticia continued on, and most of her time ended up with her staying as a statue in front of Licia’s room, to the worry of the clone girls who were passing by…
She could only thank the relative calmness coming from the outside for letting her try this many times. Since there had not been any attack, Ticia could spend as much time as she liked on it. And the situation repeated itself for three whole days.
This time, it will- no, it MUST be different. I must succeed this time! Ticia was fuelled by a strange motivation this time, it was an urge, a feeling of not wanting to mess up something she knew would be important for the clone girls. After all… It’s been three weeks!
That’s right, three weeks had passed since the clone girls had emerged from their nutrition pods. And since the accelerated aging made them gain one year every three weeks, the clone girls had now reached the age of nine!
This means today is their birthday! Ticia reminded herself strongly. That was something she had wanted to do with the clone girls since a while ago. She knew the importance of birthdays to kids, and she wanted the clone girls to know this happiness. A happiness she herself had only experienced little about since she did not know her own birthday.
She did not know her own, and yet, Rika had taken a habit of wishing her a happy birthday on a set day the woman had chosen. Ticia did not really understand why her old superior did so, but thanks to this, she knew what a birthday should be like.
A birthday should be celebrated together with your friends, colleagues and most importantly, your family! That she was sure of. She might not have had any family, nor any friends… or anybody that would come to her own birthday, except Rika for some reason, or maybe the old man from the military unit she was the closest with? She could see him do that…
But now it was different, Ticia had a family, twelve cute little ‘sisters’ to be exact. Even though as of late, Ticia herself had doubts on the term… And now that she thought about it, Rika probably won’t be present on her next birthday. For some reason, the thought of the person who chose the date of her birthday not being there made Ticia sad…
No good, I’m digressing. Ticia shook her head. Focus Ticia, focus.
Ticia had decided. She wasn’t going to let Licia miss the birthday party! She would make sure her beloved ‘little sister’ would be there! And just like that, she would also talk to the girl and tell her how much she loves her!
This could only be a perfect plan in Ticia’s head, and when she announced it to one of the two accomplices she had forcefully enrolled, A-4, the AI just told her this was a plan on a level even inferior to it!
Hmph! How could you say that, A-4? You’re supposed to be on my side! Ticia thought, pouting as she remembered A-4’s words. Fortunately, her second accomplice, Nillia, had supported the plan. And as punishment, she had already punished the AI for its insolence by slaving it into creating the best gift the clone girls could ever dream of! Without even telling it what the said gift was…
But that wasn’t the problem, right now, the problem was talking to Licia!
And so, we meet again, hateful door. This time, it’s for good. Our battle will be legendary. Ticia thought as she sent a death glare to the inanimate object. And so, the battle of fates (?) was about to begin…
***
“Hm hm hmm~” Nillia was plunged into her own dream world as she was laying on her bed with her favorite plushie in her arms. She had a lot of free time since Willia wasn’t dragging her along for her training sessions now, not that she disliked doing those though. But she also liked those moments of calm. It let her sink into her own fantasies, where she, as a valiant knight, would protect her sisters from danger with the help of her fluffy plush companion.
“Hehe, we’re the strongest duo! Don't you think so, Sir Bunnyhop?” She asked her purple bunny plushie as she raised it in the air. Of course, it did not give any answer, and Nillia knew that, but since she was just playing, that was fine, right?
*catchack*
“Hm?” She was interrupted from it however when she faintly heard the sound of the door to her room opening.
“I can’t do it!”
“Hyaaa!?”
Ticia suddenly exclaimed as she barged in, making Nillia jump in fright, and her plushie ended up on the other side of the room.
“Uuuuh~ Big sis, you scared me again!” Nillia angrily said as tears filled her eyes.
“Ah, sorry Nillia…” Ticia said somewhat apologetically, it seems like she had developed a habit by now.
“If you’re sorry, stop doing that already! Geez…” Nillia protested cutely. This wasn’t the first time this had happened, in fact, it happened a lot in the span of three days. More than Nillia’s poor heart wished it would happen…
“Ah, don’t be like that, Nillia, here, let me hug you as an apology.” Ticia said, there was no doubt to Nillia that her ‘big sis’ was not sorry, and just wanted to buy her way out with a hug.
"Hmph, it can't be helped then." She still yielded, raising her arms in Ticia’s direction. The offer of a hug was too tempting to refuse.
“Hehe~, thanks, Nillia.” Ticia joyfully said as she hugged Nillia tightly.
They stayed like this for a moment. But Nillia finally broke the silence by asking a question she had now become used to asking.
“So, I'm guessing you failed again?"
“...Yes…” Ticia replied weakly, tightening the hug. “I couldn't even speak, like always…”
“I-it's alright, I'm sure you're gonna succeed today.” Nillia tried to comfort her ‘big sis’, but the effect seemed weak. “You can do it again! This time, I'm sure it'll be different!”
“And just how many times have you said this phrase and nothing changed, Willia?” Ticia answered as a frown appeared on her face, making Nillia panic as she searched for the right words.
“Uuuuh~, but I'm just trying to support you…” She ended up mumbling.
“I know, thanks a lot, Nillia.” Ticia answered as she tightened the hug. Every time she failed to talk to Licia, she did a tactical retreat to Nillia’s room. Or at least that’s what she told Nillia everytime… As a result, Nillia had assumed the role of a confidant to Ticia, and probably became a charger too, something the girl was happy about.
In a somewhat comical way, the roles between her and Ticia had been reversed. She was now the one consoling her ‘big sis’, and Nillia was happy to be relied upon.
“And you, have you talked to Licia today?” Ticia asked Nillia.
“Yes.” Nillia answered, she had met her sister multiple times in the span of three days, as Ticia asked her. She was probably the only one who did so, as Willia was depressed, and the other clone girls were just too scared to go see her, fearing consequences.
“How was she?” Ticia asked with impatience, the worry in her voice was apparent to Nillia, and she did not like the face her ‘big sis’ was making, it was a face she did not want her usually proud and strong ‘big sis’ to have.
“The same as yesterday. She's fine, but she seems lost in her thoughts all the time, and her eyes are a bit lifeless… It's hard to keep the conversation going, you know?” She said, half complaining to Ticia. Nillia wasn’t really talkative when she erased her emotions, and since Licia wasn’t one to chatter a lot as well, it led to very awkward silences between the two girls. Normally it wouldn’t be like that. There would be silence between the two, but one that was more tranquil and had a good feeling about them. Licia’s current state however, just made it impossible to have that.
“Anyway, I asked her why she wouldn't see you, just like you wanted, but she refused no matter how much I insisted, mumbling something about not wanting to hurt me like she's been hurt? I don't understand what’s wrong with her…” Nillia ranted. Licia’s actions had been weird to say the least, and neither her nor Ticia had told her what happened between them. She was frustrated to not know what the problem was, because it seemed that there was something more than the incident from that day. Maybe, no, she was sure something had happened after she had told her eldest sister to go see their ‘big sis’, and that would make her guilty, as the one who provoked the current situation…
“...” Ticia’s hug tightened around Nillia.
“Big sis?” Nillia asked as she raised her head, her ‘big sis’ had an even more pained and sad expression, that she erased the moment she noticed Nillia looking at her.
“It's nothing, thank you Nillia. Thanks to you, Licia isn't always alone…”
Nillia had to agree that Licia seemed somewhat happy to see her everytime, even though she did not talk much. Licia would always ask her what their sisters were doing, about Willia, and then about Ticinia and Vinia’s current state. But strangely enough, she would avoid asking about their ‘big sis’.
“If this continues, I can forget about the birthday party…” Ticia said sadly.
“Big sis, I know you talked about making a birthday party, but if Licia doesn't come out, we could just report it, no?” Nillia asked. Frankly speaking, she did not see the use of a birthday, and her sisters were probably the same. Still, the idea of Ticia wanting to make a party for them and giving them gifts intrigued her.
“But it won’t have the same effect…” Ticia said, sulking. “‘If you celebrate your birthday another day, it doesn’t have the same effect as doing it on D-day…’ An old acquaintance of mine said so, and I think she’s right.”
Again with that ‘old acquaintance’... Nillia thought as a sigh nearly escaped her. Ticia had been mentioning that person more and more often, and yet Nillia did not know that person’s name, as Ticia never said it, and did not seem to want to talk about her. Still, it was apparent to her that her ‘big sis’ missed that person, who, based on how Ticia talked about her, should be still alive.
We’re here, you don’t need that person. Those were the words she wanted to say to her ‘big sis’, but she always held back. Nillia feared it would affect Ticia’s current view of her. But she could not help but feel jealousy for that person. If she’s not here, that means she abandoned you, ‘big sis’, if so, she must be a bad person. Unlike us who will always be by your side. Her mentality quickly took another direction, and har face twisted into a look full of disgust. She hated the fact that this person was taking more and more place in Ticia’s heart, without Ticia herself noticing it.
“But I can understand what you mean, Nillia.” Ticia said, not noticing Nillia’s change. The latter’s expression immediately returned to the one she usually showed her ‘big sis’. “I don’t think the other clone girls are in the mood, and Ticinia and Vinia have yet to wake up… Yes, perhaps you’re right.” She nodded, having come to a decision. “It is a bit sad, but I guess we’ll have to report the birthday party if I don’t manage to talk to Licia. That, or if Ticinia and Vinia do not wake up.”
“Let’s do it once everything’s over, and with everybody!” Nillia exclaimed, trying to console Ticia.
“Fufu, that might be for the best, Nillia. Yeah, let’s do that.” Ticia said as she patted Nillia’s head, making the girl giggle.
Yay! I did it! I raised ‘big sis’’s mood again! She thought happily. That was all that mattered to her right now.
“Let’s make it a promise!” She excitedly said. The thought of having a party with all her sisters and Ticia made her jump in joy. It’ll be just like the first day when ‘big sis’ took care of all of us together!
“Alright, it's a pinky promise then.” Ticia smiled as she stretched her arms toward Nillia, raising her pinky finger. Nillia happily raised her own, and they crossed them. They giggled together at this.
“Alright, Let’s try this again!” Ticia exclaimed as she got up. She had regained her vigor and charged on Nillium, now she would launch a new assault on the boss!
“Good luck, big sis! You can do it!” Nillia happily encouraged as Ticia left the room in high spirits.
A whole hour passed as Nillia got back to her own dreamland, happy to have raised Ticia’s morale.
“Sir Bunnyhop, we have accomplished another mission successfully. The queen is going to reconcile with the first princess, and the whole family is going to reconcile!” She said to her purple bunny. She was sure it was a success this time, since Ticia did not come back yet.
But then…
*BAM*
“Kyaaa!?”
“Nillia~, I failed again!”
Nillia’s heart would not be spared today either….
***
Night time, long after the clone girls had gone to bed, Ticia was within a specific room on the fourth floor.
“Uuuuuuuuh~” Tica was whining, face first on the counter of the bar. Bottles of alcohol that the facility had created were laying in an unorganized state next to her, most of them empty.
“A-4~~? Why do I always fail~~?” She said as she raised her head. Her face was red from drinking too much.
“Caution: Owner Ticia has drunk too much to be able to hold a fruitful conversation on the subject.”
The AI warned, and it was true that Ticia had drunk a lot. Like Rika, she was a heavy drinker, and the both of them liked to drink, so they often drank together. But drinking isn't free, and since the two of them drank so much, it usually ended with most of Ticia’s paycheck being wasted on alcohol… As for Rika? Well, she never had problems with money to begin with.
“What do you mean I’m too drunk~? I’m totally fine~, I haven’t drank in awhile too~.” Ticia answered back, ever since she ended up in Clone installation 3, she had not touched alcohol. Of course, she knew about the existence of the bar, but she decided to abstain from drinking until things calmed down. Besides, the clone girls were there now. She didn't want to set a bad example for them, nor did she want the clone girls to see her pathetic side when she was drunk, so she stopped thinking about even getting a single drop of alcohol.
But the last days had just been too hard with Ticia, and she couldn’t help herself anymore. She wanted to let out her frustration and relax, things she knew alcohol would help her cope with. And since her usual drinking buddy wasn’t here, she enlisted A-4 to keep her company…
“Warning: Owner Ticia should be careful about her consumption of alcohol, liver damage is already estimated to be high.”
The AI warned, but its warning came on deaf ears.
“Whaddya mean~? My liver’s totally fine~! This isn’t the first time I’ve drunk this much, in fact, it's just the beginning~!” Ticia said in her drunken voice reminiscing about the past. “Once, I even emptied a whole wine cellar with Rika~”
“...”
“And you~,” Ticia pointed to the drone as she took her glass in another hand, ready to empty it in one shot. “You didn’t do what I told you to prepare, you bad AI!”
Ticia was talking about the birthday party preparations, she had ordered A-4 to prepare a room for that, make a birthday cake, and prepare gifts, but none of this was done.
“Answer: This unit simply did not act to preserve already dim resource stocks.”
“But there should be enough for a cake at least, right~?” Ticia asked suspiciously, she had a feeling the AI was hiding something else.
“... This unit had estimated owner Ticia was unlikely to succeed in getting Null CG-01 Licia out of her room, and as such, this unit did not act wastefully.”
“So you didn’t trust me from the beginning huh?!” Ticia snapped, feeling betrayed.
“Correction: This unit does believe in owner Ticia’s capabilities, hence why this unit did not act wastefully.”
“Gah! I don’t understand how you work, tin can! You’re just making my head hurt more.” Ticia sighed as she finished her glass, she truly did not understand this AI. It called her its owner, and yet it did not obey her. “That’s why I refused promotions, having to care about subordinates is just asking for more trouble… All I needed to ever do was leave everything to Rika! Taking care of somebody isn’t my-”
But her ranting ended there. As soon as she was about to say the next words, the clone girl's happy face came to her mind, only for Licia’s last expression of having her entire world crushed at her words to remain.
She sighed as she filled herself another glass of alcohol. This had made her become sober. She slowly drank her glass of alcohol in silence, under the watch of A-4’s drone.
“...Just how did I end up here again?” She muttered after a while, raising her eyes to stare at the ceiling.
This was a question she asked herself often. She thought back of all the events that led her to this. She was doing her usual stuff in the 9th special assault brigade, when a fat officer, which she had already forgotten the name of, had asked something outrageous. Of course, she had refused, knowing that her superior, Rika, would have her back anyway, and it wasn’t like it was the first time this kind of thing happened.
What was different however, was that Rika wasn’t present at that time, and as a result, she ended up being transferred to another unit.
Then, all of this happened… Ticia sighed as the recent events of this month passed in her mind, the relief at still being alive, the shock of discovering what this abandoned facility was used for, and then, the clone girls, and all the happy moments she had with them, until the events from three days ago…
“...Would owner Ticia like to answer a survey?”
A-4 suddenly proposed, breaking the heavy mood and making Ticia come back to present time.
“… What?”
“Repeating question: Would owner Ticia like to answer a survey?”
“No, that’s what I don’t understand, a survey?”
“Affirmation: To improve the management, clone installations’ AIs are equipped with survey applications to gain effective feedback from users and owners.”
“What kind of place would ask its own owner to complete this kind of thing!?”
“Answer: Clone installations would do so.”
“...” Ticia was left speechless, she did not understand what would be the use of that.
“...Oh well, fine, I’ll do it.” She ended up saying, maybe this survey would help to improve her current mood.
“Request has been confirmed.”
The drone beepped for a second, its eye changing to green color as a loading symbol appeared.
“Initiating survey protocols, owner Ticia has been recognized as the person answering the survey, please answer each question orally, owner Ticia.”
“Yeah, yeah, I’ll do that.” Ticia said without paying much attention to it.
“Authorization has been granted, initiating quizz. First question: Please give an overhaul evaluation of Clone installation 3’s food quality.”
“...That’s a weird question to begin with…”
“Repeating first question: Please give an overhaul evaluation of Clone installation 3’s food quality.”
“Agh, whatever,” Ticia sighed, she did not understand why the AI was insisting so much on this survey. “The food is good, like, way more delicious than military level stuff.”
“Answer received, proceeding with the second question: Is the quality of the bedding to your liking?”
“...” Ticia was left speechless. What kind of survey am I answering?! One for a hotel?! Still, she gave her answer. “It’s good, I’ve never had a bed feel this soft.”
“Answer received, proceeding with the second question…”
A-4 continued its survey, the questions were all general, to the point Ticia began to question if it was really a survey made for clone installation. Then A-4 asked what she thought of the military supplies, to which she said it was fine, just a bit lacking in guns laying around.
“Answer received, proceeding with the next question…”
What will it be this time? She asked herself, this survey really was asking a lot of questions about small, unimportant things.
“Are you willing to use the cloning facility for its main purpose?”
“There you go, that’s more like the questions I was expecting.” Ticia felt relief that the questions she expected finally came. “I already told you, A-4, I don’t want to create clones of myself.”
“...Even if your close ones are in danger?”
“That, I don’t-'' Ticia stopped herself, she was going to say she didn’t have anybody close to her since she was an orphan, but then, twelve faces passed through her mind, if those girls were to meet danger…
“... Maybe I would…” She mumbled.
“Answer received, proceeding with the next question: If you had the choice to let Null class clone girls to live or not again, would you still make the same choice?”
“A-4,” Ticia said, raising her tone and sending a death glare to the drone. “I think we already had this discussion multiple times already. Whatever the case is, they have the right to live, and I would still allow them to do so. I would never kill them!”
“Answer received, proceeding with the next question: Are you satisfied with the current clone girl’s abilities?”
“A-4!” This time, Ticia yelled, standing up, clearly angry at the drone. “I already told you, I don’t care about those kinds of things! The girls are fine the way they are!”
“This unit understands owner Ticia’s anger.”
The AI said, surprising Ticia who was not expecting this from the AI.
“However, this unit is simply asking the questions from the official survey guide, please understand.”
“...Fine…” Ticia said after staring at the drone for a while, there was no need for her to get angry at a tin can anyway… She sat back, and filled her glass with alcohol. “All of them are excellent.” She simply answered as she took a sip of her drink.
“Answer received, proceeding with the next question: How would you like the clone girls to refer to you as?”
Ticia nearly spat out her drink. That definitely wasn’t a question she expected…
“Didn’t I ask them to refer to me as their big sis?”
“Notification: Owner Ticia did ask the Null class clone girls to refer to her as ‘big sis’. However, this process could have been implanted in their knowledge before awakening, replacing the basic settings. Theory: Since basic settings have not been changed, the chances of the Null class clone girls thinking of owner Ticia as something else other than a ‘big sis’, are high.”
“What!? Why didn’t you tell me that sooner!?”
“Answer: Owner Ticia did not ask so. Notification: Basic settings were written within the reports this unit gave owner Ticia.”
“Oh…” Ticia had no excuses now, she regretted not having read the reports more seriously now… “Then, could you remind me what the basic setting is?”
“Reminder: Basic settings of clone affiliation is to consider the owner of the clone facility its ‘leader’.”
Oh, it’s just that, that’s a relief… Ticia sighed in relief, but for some reason, a small pain emerged in her heart.
“…Notification: Since awakening of the clone girls is done at a young age, feedback from other clone installations have revealed that the clones who have this identification tend to identify the leader as a ‘parent’, due to a lack of anybody else to cling to.”
“Oh…” Ticia finally realized what this meant. Now I understand why some of them want to call me mother… They yearn for a parent, just like I did…
“Crap…” Ticia thought back on how she had told the clone girls to call her ‘big sis’, and the reaction they had… That was like a rejection of responsibility, wasn’t it?
She drank her glass of alcohol, which was still half filled, in one shot. The worst, I might have done something disgusting without realizing it…
“I should probably just accept it, but…” Ticia mumbled to herself.
“Answer received: From now on, basic cloning settings will make sure to specify owner Ticia as ‘mother’”
A-4 suddenly made its own conclusion.
“W-wait a minute, A-4? I didn’t say that?!” Ticia panicked. “Please come back to basic settings!”
“Owner Ticia’s request is impossible to grant. Survey does not allow coming back on an answer.”
“That’s stupid, how could there be a survey like that?!” Ticia was really dumbfounded by this survey, were all clone installations like this? In the end, she just sighed. “Fine, have it your way…” It’s not like I plan on making any more clones anyway…
“So, what’s the next question?” She asked, expecting another question.
“Survey has been completed. Thank you for giving some of your time to answer our questions!”
A-4 announced, and to Ticia, it seemed like the AI was satisfied, as its drone beeping around.
“That’s it?” Ticia on the other hand, was left with a weird feeling, she felt tricked by the AI. “*sigh*, well, fine then, I’ll continue to drink now.”
“Warning: Owner Ticia should stop drinking.”
“How many times do I have to repeat myself A-4…” Ticia began to argue with the AI once more. Perhaps she was too drunk as the AI said, because she hadn’t noticed that two pair of eyes had been secretly watching, listening to the whole exchange…
Chauchat
Author's monologue:
Hey there, I'm back with another chapter!
That one was long really, I struggled a lot on its writing process. I had a hard time deciding how I would describe the emotions of my characters at that moment. You see, I wondered for a long time wether it was a good chapter. The part with drunk Ticia was supposed to be the only thing, and that was where I wanted to lead Ticia too anyway: a breaking point that would make her more open about herself. But then I though it was a bit too sudden of a follow up, so I added the first part of this chapter, and then I thought this would also be a good accasion to add a Nillia POV! And now you see where this is going... Those two parts took more space that I initially though, hence why I thought about separating them. But in the end, I still kept this chapter as a whole.
So yeah, process of writing aside, is Nillia going yandere? Well... We'll see? Nillia is one of the last clone girl that I worked upon, so while I setted up her personality as a kid, I'm still working on how whe and the others will evolve... Well, I do have my own idea...
As for Ticia? I like her drunken side, as it allow me to make her speak more easily about herself in a somewhat funny way...
And A-4! The AI truly had a great role in this chapter, I wonder what it has planned behind it's owner's back...
And lastly, who are the little spies~? Well, you'll know in the next chapter~.
And so, with the little teasing done, here comes today's illustration!
I had the choice between Licia and Vinia for today, acording to the poll, and while Vinia would go well as a follow up to Ticinia in the 'OMG so cute!' department, I think it might be better to show Licia's illustration instead. After all, the girl has been at the center of my chapters for a while now...
So without further talk, here it goes!
Man, I had to remake that one a lot of time... I wanted to show the struggle of Licia while still having her remain somewhat expressionless. And this one, who gives a bit of a rebelious look, which could also be associated with a look of doubt, was probably the best that could come out.
Well, that's it for today! I would have loved to publish another chapter on Wednesday but life never goes the way you want, and I'll be busy this week. So yeah, I probably won't be able to publish the next chapter in the week, but I'll try if possible! Unfortunately, I can't give you all a precise date.
Anyway, Thank you all for reading this chapter! I'll see you all on Monday if not sooner!
