Volume 2, Episode 1
The helmet, along with the headset, was blown away.
As his head suddenly felt lighter, the sky came into view.
Unfortunately, it was an cloudy sky.
Including the backpack, his body weighed around 170kg, yet it floated easily in the air, and soon, without being given the chance to protect himself, his body crashed awkwardly onto the ground.
The backpack's belt snapped, which was fortunate as it made him more agile. However, he felt a strange sensation and directed his gaze towards his own lower body. His right leg had bent in a direction it shouldn't have due to structural issues, breaking through flesh, skin, and the fabric of his combat uniform to reveal the exposed end of a white bone.
The voices of his subordinates, sounding almost like screams, reached his ears as he struggled to focus, and he noticed a black tail wrapped around his broken right shin. It was right at the spot where the bone had snapped.
Excruciating pain shot through him.
As he was being dragged away by the black tail, he instinctively grabbed the handle of the combat knife that was hanging from the side of my body armor.
"──What are you doing, Commander?"
"──Commander-sama!?"
"──Master!? Don't do it!!"
Using his trained abdominal muscles, he raised his upper body, holding the knife's blade against the back of his shin.
The strange black creature seemed to have sensed what he was attempting.
──Serves you right. Don't underestimate ME.
A sense of superiority blossomed in his heart as he forcefully drove the blade of the knife into the torn flesh around the broken bone.
-------
"──Right now, I feel like cursing the world..."
"──Well, you are the base commander after all. Can't be helped."
The couch in the commander's office was supposed to be for visitors.
And yet, with her chestnut hair tied up in a bob cut, the Nikke who acted as if she owned the place, lounging on the couch, flipping through a celebrity magazine, and reaching out to grab a bottle of carbonated water from the table in front of her.
Even he, a seasoned commander, couldn't help but feel his temples throbbing at the sight. Especially considering he was in the midst of work.
"Anis, did you do the rounds with the mass-produced Nikes?"
"Done."
"Checked the armory and ammunition depot?"
"Done."
"Cleaning?"
"Not yet."
"Do it now, right away."
"I'm delicate, you know."
The words "Search the words 'I'm delicate' in dictionary" were on the tip of his tongue, ready to be said right now, but he managed to swallow them just in time.
It had been about a week since he was transferred to this outpost, and during that time, he had been busy day and night with work.
First of all, the shower situation in the barracks was a source of many complaints – not only from him, but also from the mass-produced Nikes who were stationed here before.
He had to put effort into solving this issue. Although a boiler was installed, it inexplicably didn't work. Leaving that aside, while water flowed fine in facilities like the kitchen, the shower room was an exception. Investigating the pipes, he eliminated the cause of the malfunction.
Thanks to that, water was now flowing properly, but the boiler itself was beyond repair, its interior in tatters due to wear and tear over the years.
With this situation, there was no way to achieve its intended purpose. The only solution was to purchase a new boiler.
Since his arrival, problems had been piling up. In order to solve them, he found himself constantly engaged in approving the documents that appeared on his tablet screen day and night – a scenario that was all too easy to imagine.
"Commander-sama, growing a beard?"
"...It's not like I'm growing it intentionally. I just don't want to waste time shaving."
"It does give you a rugged look, which isn't bad. By the way, I'm really bored.."
"Then go to the firing range. But go to clean up before that."
Due to his busyness, there were stubbles of a beard on his jaw and around his mouth. Combined with the shadows that had deepened around his eyes, his disheveled appearance didn't hide his tough demeanor. Though, Anis continued the conversation with a light tone.
The remote and rugged nature of this outpost had its benefits.
One of them was the installation of a shooting range.
The state of ruins had been accelerated by the mass-produced Nikes who were stationed here earlier, but utilizing that, when he proposed turning it into a shooting range, everyone agreed unanimously.
For stress relief, he himself had been going to the shooting range for the past week whenever he found a spare moment, shooting off about a magazine's worth of ammunition. So, the installation was undoubtedly a good decision.
However, despite all this, his work wasn't progressing at all.
With a sigh, he got up from his seat and picked up an ashtray from the table where Anis had left her carbonated water. The ashtray was filled with dozens of cigarette butts and ashes, and he walked over to the window, still holding it.
"Make sure to open the window."
"...I know. Anis, was there any appointment with visitors?"
As he took a soft pack of cigarettes from the pocket of his combat pants and shook it lightly before placing one between his lips, he noticed something odd in his scrutinizing gaze. There were two unfamiliar vehicles parked in front of the headquarters building.
"Visitors? I haven't heard of any."
"...Me neither. Did the boiler we requested arrive?"
Trying to anticipate the situation, he opened the lid of his oil lighter and spun the wheel. As the flame ignited, he brought the tip of the cigarette closer to it, but...
"──Commander, may I enter?"
"...Please."
The oil lighter's lid closed with a metallic sound. Holding a cigarette that hadn't been lit yet, he turned to face the entrance as Rapi, seeking permission to enter, came into view.
"Excuse me. We have visitors."
"...I didn't hear about any appointments though..."
"Yes... But they are still visitors, so if you are ready, please come downstairs."
He nodded vaguely in response to her report. As she finished reporting and left the room, Moore removed the unlit cigarette from his mouth, seemingly reluctant to let go of the last traces of smoke.
"Wouldn't it be fine to have a smoke first?"
"...They are impolite guests, but it would be rude to keep them waiting."
With a sigh, he got up to leave the commander's office, and Anise followed suit.
"...Wait, where's your coat?"
"Is it really necessary to be that formal?"
Wearing a black short-sleeved shirt, he had a pair of recognition tags hanging from a ball chain around his thick neck. It was quite a casual appearance, and Anis voiced her concern. Although it didn't quite fit her usual manner, he shrugged it off.
Descending from the second floor to the first, they were met with the sight of a girl who exuded a rather disrespectful atmosphere and two figures who seemed to be Nikkes standing together.
Almost immediately, Moore felt the impulse to turn around and return to the room he had left, just to avoid this situation.
"...Nice to meet you. I am Lieutenant Moore, who has been appointed as the commander of this outpost."
"------Hey. When guests come, you should move IMMEDIATELY. Do I look like someone who has that much free time?"
"...Excuse me, but may I know who you are?"
Even though he was delivering an introduction to someone he was meeting for the first time, he was unilaterally interrupted halfway through, which didn't sit well with him.
But fortunately, his expression didn't change. He was thankful that he had a poker face, a face that didn't need any facial muscle rehab. Meanwhile, the girl in front of him stood tall with a nearly flat chest, looking up at him and sniffling.
"Who am I? ME? Hah! You really don't know who I am!?"
"...I apologize. I'm not very well-versed in common knowledge..."
"Ugh... The recent officer schools are useless. They don't even teach basic general knowledge."
He agreed with that sentiment. Perhaps the lectures on basic common sense in the Base and Combat Command might have been too dull. He couldn't remember clearly what they had been taught in those general knowledge lectures.
"Hey, you there, the white... 'piece of junk' one."
Moore was about to agree, even if just for a moment, but when he heard the next words, his eardrums resonated quicly. His brow furrowed further in response, while his deep brown pupils narrowed slightly.
"Huh? M-me?"
"Yeah. Tell this idiot who I am."
"Yes, Sensei. This individual is Shuen-sama, CEO of Misilis Industry, one of the three major companies responsible for Nikke production."
"See? Did you hear that properly? So, shouldn't you know what to do now?"
"...Misilis..."
He compared the information conveyed by Neon with the knowledge in his brain. He distinctly remembered making a mistake in reading the spelling of a company name recently. It quickly came back to him.
That was ... he recalled making a mistake while at the shooting range, misreading the spelling of a company name written on an ammunition box, which had caused the mass-produced Nikes to burst into laughter.
"----Ah... I read Missilis as 'Missiles'..."
"----Hey. Say that again."
It seemed he had let it slip unintentionally.
Was this one of his bad habits? A bad habit with a high probability of attracting misfortune, to be exact.
As evidence of this----the girl before him narrowed her eyes and seemed to be reaching for her handgun.
-----
Author Notes:
Lieutenant Moore means no harm. He's just straightforward by nature. Please believe in him.
Regarding the Missilis incident, please refer to the main story.
Volume 2, Episode 1
The helmet, along with the headset, was blown away.
As his head suddenly felt lighter, the sky came into view.
Unfortunately, it was an cloudy sky.
Including the backpack, his body weighed around 170kg, yet it floated easily in the air, and soon, without being given the chance to protect himself, his body crashed awkwardly onto the ground.
The backpack's belt snapped, which was fortunate as it made him more agile. However, he felt a strange sensation and directed his gaze towards his own lower body. His right leg had bent in a direction it shouldn't have due to structural issues, breaking through flesh, skin, and the fabric of his combat uniform to reveal the exposed end of a white bone.
The voices of his subordinates, sounding almost like screams, reached his ears as he struggled to focus, and he noticed a black tail wrapped around his broken right shin. It was right at the spot where the bone had snapped.
Excruciating pain shot through him.
As he was being dragged away by the black tail, he instinctively grabbed the handle of the combat knife that was hanging from the side of my body armor.
"──What are you doing, Commander?"
"──Commander-sama!?"
"──Master!? Don't do it!!"
Using his trained abdominal muscles, he raised his upper body, holding the knife's blade against the back of his shin.
The strange black creature seemed to have sensed what he was attempting.
──Serves you right. Don't underestimate ME.
A sense of superiority blossomed in his heart as he forcefully drove the blade of the knife into the torn flesh around the broken bone.
-------
"──Right now, I feel like cursing the world..."
"──Well, you are the base commander after all. Can't be helped."
The couch in the commander's office was supposed to be for visitors.
And yet, with her chestnut hair tied up in a bob cut, the Nikke who acted as if she owned the place, lounging on the couch, flipping through a celebrity magazine, and reaching out to grab a bottle of carbonated water from the table in front of her.
Even he, a seasoned commander, couldn't help but feel his temples throbbing at the sight. Especially considering he was in the midst of work.
"Anis, did you do the rounds with the mass-produced Nikes?"
"Done."
"Checked the armory and ammunition depot?"
"Done."
"Cleaning?"
"Not yet."
"Do it now, right away."
"I'm delicate, you know."
The words "Search the words 'I'm delicate' in dictionary" were on the tip of his tongue, ready to be said right now, but he managed to swallow them just in time.
It had been about a week since he was transferred to this outpost, and during that time, he had been busy day and night with work.
First of all, the shower situation in the barracks was a source of many complaints – not only from him, but also from the mass-produced Nikes who were stationed here before.
He had to put effort into solving this issue. Although a boiler was installed, it inexplicably didn't work. Leaving that aside, while water flowed fine in facilities like the kitchen, the shower room was an exception. Investigating the pipes, he eliminated the cause of the malfunction.
Thanks to that, water was now flowing properly, but the boiler itself was beyond repair, its interior in tatters due to wear and tear over the years.
With this situation, there was no way to achieve its intended purpose. The only solution was to purchase a new boiler.
Since his arrival, problems had been piling up. In order to solve them, he found himself constantly engaged in approving the documents that appeared on his tablet screen day and night – a scenario that was all too easy to imagine.
"Commander-sama, growing a beard?"
"...It's not like I'm growing it intentionally. I just don't want to waste time shaving."
"It does give you a rugged look, which isn't bad. By the way, I'm really bored.."
"Then go to the firing range. But go to clean up before that."
Due to his busyness, there were stubbles of a beard on his jaw and around his mouth. Combined with the shadows that had deepened around his eyes, his disheveled appearance didn't hide his tough demeanor. Though, Anis continued the conversation with a light tone.
The remote and rugged nature of this outpost had its benefits.
One of them was the installation of a shooting range.
The state of ruins had been accelerated by the mass-produced Nikes who were stationed here earlier, but utilizing that, when he proposed turning it into a shooting range, everyone agreed unanimously.
For stress relief, he himself had been going to the shooting range for the past week whenever he found a spare moment, shooting off about a magazine's worth of ammunition. So, the installation was undoubtedly a good decision.
However, despite all this, his work wasn't progressing at all.
With a sigh, he got up from his seat and picked up an ashtray from the table where Anis had left her carbonated water. The ashtray was filled with dozens of cigarette butts and ashes, and he walked over to the window, still holding it.
"Make sure to open the window."
"...I know. Anis, was there any appointment with visitors?"
As he took a soft pack of cigarettes from the pocket of his combat pants and shook it lightly before placing one between his lips, he noticed something odd in his scrutinizing gaze. There were two unfamiliar vehicles parked in front of the headquarters building.
"Visitors? I haven't heard of any."
"...Me neither. Did the boiler we requested arrive?"
Trying to anticipate the situation, he opened the lid of his oil lighter and spun the wheel. As the flame ignited, he brought the tip of the cigarette closer to it, but...
"──Commander, may I enter?"
"...Please."
The oil lighter's lid closed with a metallic sound. Holding a cigarette that hadn't been lit yet, he turned to face the entrance as Rapi, seeking permission to enter, came into view.
"Excuse me. We have visitors."
"...I didn't hear about any appointments though..."
"Yes... But they are still visitors, so if you are ready, please come downstairs."
He nodded vaguely in response to her report. As she finished reporting and left the room, Moore removed the unlit cigarette from his mouth, seemingly reluctant to let go of the last traces of smoke.
"Wouldn't it be fine to have a smoke first?"
"...They are impolite guests, but it would be rude to keep them waiting."
With a sigh, he got up to leave the commander's office, and Anise followed suit.
"...Wait, where's your coat?"
"Is it really necessary to be that formal?"
Wearing a black short-sleeved shirt, he had a pair of recognition tags hanging from a ball chain around his thick neck. It was quite a casual appearance, and Anis voiced her concern. Although it didn't quite fit her usual manner, he shrugged it off.
Descending from the second floor to the first, they were met with the sight of a girl who exuded a rather disrespectful atmosphere and two figures who seemed to be Nikkes standing together.
Almost immediately, Moore felt the impulse to turn around and return to the room he had left, just to avoid this situation.
"...Nice to meet you. I am Lieutenant Moore, who has been appointed as the commander of this outpost."
"------Hey. When guests come, you should move IMMEDIATELY. Do I look like someone who has that much free time?"
"...Excuse me, but may I know who you are?"
Even though he was delivering an introduction to someone he was meeting for the first time, he was unilaterally interrupted halfway through, which didn't sit well with him.
But fortunately, his expression didn't change. He was thankful that he had a poker face, a face that didn't need any facial muscle rehab. Meanwhile, the girl in front of him stood tall with a nearly flat chest, looking up at him and sniffling.
"Who am I? ME? Hah! You really don't know who I am!?"
"...I apologize. I'm not very well-versed in common knowledge..."
"Ugh... The recent officer schools are useless. They don't even teach basic general knowledge."
He agreed with that sentiment. Perhaps the lectures on basic common sense in the Base and Combat Command might have been too dull. He couldn't remember clearly what they had been taught in those general knowledge lectures.
"Hey, you there, the white... 'piece of junk' one."
Moore was about to agree, even if just for a moment, but when he heard the next words, his eardrums resonated quicly. His brow furrowed further in response, while his deep brown pupils narrowed slightly.
"Huh? M-me?"
"Yeah. Tell this idiot who I am."
"Yes, Sensei. This individual is Shuen-sama, CEO of Misilis Industry, one of the three major companies responsible for Nikke production."
"See? Did you hear that properly? So, shouldn't you know what to do now?"
"...Misilis..."
He compared the information conveyed by Neon with the knowledge in his brain. He distinctly remembered making a mistake in reading the spelling of a company name recently. It quickly came back to him.
That was ... he recalled making a mistake while at the shooting range, misreading the spelling of a company name written on an ammunition box, which had caused the mass-produced Nikes to burst into laughter.
"----Ah... I read Missilis as 'Missiles'..."
"----Hey. Say that again."
It seemed he had let it slip unintentionally.
Was this one of his bad habits? A bad habit with a high probability of attracting misfortune, to be exact.
As evidence of this----the girl before him narrowed her eyes and seemed to be reaching for her handgun.
-----
Author Notes:
Lieutenant Moore means no harm. He's just straightforward by nature. Please believe in him.
Regarding the Missilis incident, please refer to the main story.
