Yulha, a Nikke affiliated with the Central Government Army, observed the young officer before her with a less than friendly expression, despite her heavy dark circles under her eyes while he ate in front of her.
Dressed in a suit, the young officer was undoubtedly the one listed in the materials circulating among the prominent figures of various departments of the Central Government Army—a list of individuals to be cautious about.
He wore the military uniform well, and his stern appearance made him seem older, but he was merely a young man of twenty-two. The information that he had recently graduated from the officer training school surprised her.
She was the leader of the Trident Unit. To cover up a scandal involving soldiers under her jurisdiction, which she had learned about through Privaty's contact, she had reserved a high-end restaurant facing the Royal Road and asked him to come here.
"Ah... I'm... I'm sorry."
"Ah...Please don't pick it up."
Suddenly, the appearance of Admi, a Nikke member of the Trident Unit, who looked like a young girl, dropped her fork on the floor, creating a metallic sound distinct from the synthetic resin. Admi hurried to pick it up, but he stopped her with a raised hand.
A waiter responsible for the hall promptly approached them.
"I'm sorry, but could you bring her a new fork?"
"Of course, please wait a moment."
According to the information, his combat and athletic abilities were overwhelming compared to a regular human. Therefore, she had expected him to be a rough individual with no formal manners, focusing solely on combat. However, he seemed to be aware of formal etiquette.
Yulha checked his movements.
They say culture manifests itself in the most casual gestures. Was he from an affluent background? There was no trace of disorder in his manner of eating.
Speaking of his origin, the information stated that he was from within the Ark, but it didn't specify the exact district. As she remembered this, Moore wiped his mouth lightly with the napkin spread over his knee, then stood up and placed the folded napkin on his seat.
"I'll excuse myself for a moment."
Perhaps he was going to wash his hands. As he rose and left through the hall, Yulha watched him with a sidelong glance. His cutlery, placed in an eight-shaped pattern, indicated that he was still in the middle of his meal.
"... Admi, don't be too nervous."
"I'm sorry..."
"... Is he really the same person that we know?"
Perhaps due to his intimidating presence and strong demeanor, Admi seemed nervous. When the waiter brought a new fork to Admi, Yulha voiced her thoughts.
As the waiter left, Privati expressed her doubts. She, too, had read the information available to the Central Government Army before heading to the apology. The disparity between the information obtained by the Central Government Army and Moore's actual demeanor left her puzzled.
"It's certain that he's the same person. His face matches, and the ID card's recognition number was correct."
Normally, Yulha wouldn't have time for such things. Her work was piling up, and while Nikke didn't need sleep, she was accumulating mental fatigue. Sleep was necessary for relaxation and mood improvement, but recently, even that wasn't reliable anymore. She found herself absentmindedly rubbing her temples, a habit she had developed.
"...There was information about his unusual coloration..."
"...What is it?"
"...Don't worry about it; it's something you don't need to know."
She had slipped up. However, it wasn't significant information. It was something that wouldn't be of any use.
---However, the nature of the abnormality wasn't explicitly stated, and that intrigued her.
"I apologize. Thank you for waiting."
Moore returned after finishing his business, and Yulha nodded gracefully. She was a captain, just like him, but she held a senior position. Being overly polite might invite condescension.
"Is the food to your liking?"
"Yes. Lately, it's been combat rations at the base, so I was a bit worried that my palate might deteriorate."
It was quite a pity. Even in Yulha's position as a hostess, his situation didn't seem ideal, to say the least.
He sat back in his seat, the napkin he had folded placed on his lap, and he turned his attention back to the half-eaten dish. Yulha's gaze once again shifted to Moore's hands.
His table manners were impeccable upon reexamination. He didn't make unnecessary noise with the dishes and cutlery. Even among the affluent, few would eat with such perfect posture.
Well, recalling the scene where Moore sat down after the women had taken their seats and remembering that he sat on the left side of the chair, there was a certain level of refinement about him.
"I heard there was nothing at the outpost..."
"Construction has finally started recently. Under the pretext of improving their welfare... I never expected it to turn into a café."
His concern for the Nikke, evident in the nuances of his words as he answered Privati's question, aligned with the information. There was a note in the records stating he was an unusual individual.
"...A café, you say?"
"Yes. ...I wanted to ask, are Nikke generally fond of sweets?"
"...Huh?"
"...At least...they don't hate it."
"Each individual has their own preferences. It's the same as humans... though, I think the tendency is stronger among them..."
"...I see..."
Privati was taken aback, and Admi timidly expressed her opinion from her perspective. Then, just to be sure, Yulha provided additional explanation. Strangely, Moore wiped his mouth with a napkin, arranged his cutlery on the plate, and seemed disheartened as he finished his meal.
"...If they like sweets, well... it might be okay."
He muttered to himself, but Yulha felt it didn't carry much significance. She decided not to touch on that topic.
After sipping the water poured into his glass, he calmly looked at the three people around the dining table, nodding as if to say, "Ah, The piece finally fits."
"Are all three of you Nikke?"
Yulha's cheek twitched slightly, and Privati and Admi sat up straight unconciously. While they had introduced themselves, they hadn't explicitly mentioned being Nikke to him.
"--When did you figure it out?"
"I became certain just now during the café discussion. I simply asked whether Nikke preferred sweets... and the way Admi-kun responded made it clear, as if it was about herself."
"I see. ...Just that?"
"And also the Elysion logo on Lieutenant's chest."
"...we weren't meant to hide it, but your observational skills are indeed sharp."
This couldn't be taken lightly. It was belated, but Yulha heightened her vigilance. It seemed he had been observing them in a similar way, but she couldn't grasp that probing gaze. However, she doubted he would straightforwardly answer if she asked.
"Incidentally, you've treated me to this meal, so I won't report it. You probably tried to appease us because you were concerned about that... but..."
Moore let out a sigh, but Yulha and the others meeting him for the first time couldn't trust him—especially Yuulha. The possibility of him acting wasn't something she could entirely discard.
Although, His subordinates who knew him well would probably unanimously say, "He's not THAT subtle."
There were mainly five types of methods for appeasement:
Feeding. Drinking. Gaining control. Intimacy. Flaunting power.
These were the five categories.
She had already fed them and provided drinks.
What remained was giving them financial control, physical intimacy, and... Yulha excluded the last option as it seemed less effective.
"Well, I say that but it probably won't be accpeted as it is, right?"
"Yes."
Naturally, she nodded. Moore hoped they would believe him on this matter. After all, they had received more than enough apologies, considering she had treatedhim to a meal and drinks.
"...Is the concern here the potential deterioration of relations with the Central Government Army if I report this incident to Sir Andersen?"
"That's right, and we want to avoid creating a negative impression with the Central Government Army."
"I see. ...Then there shouldn't be a problem. Lord Andersen wouldn't bother to react to such a trivial issue. That man is busy, too."
He watched as the waitstaff cleared the plates from the table and immediately a dessert cake was brought in. It was an intricately crafted cake that showed delicate and precise workmanship.
"...Admi-kun, would you like to have it? I'm not very fond of sweets."
"...Is it alright?"
He handed his cake, plate and all, to Admi, who was sitting to his left, then turned his gaze back to Yulha.
"That's impolite."
"I apologize. I have a poor educational bringing..."
He obediently lowered his head in response to her reproach.
The cake was a fondant au chocolat, perfectly replicating the bitterness and sweetness of chocolate, melting in the mouth. However, now that it became apparent that Yuulha had arranged this restaurant meeting for appeasement, he couldn't bring himself to eat it. This was especially true for this dessert. It wouldn't be surprising if there was something masked within the bitterness and sweetness.
Considering that possibility from the start, Moore had left his seat earlier and, just as Yulha had predicted, headed to the restroom. However, his purpose wasn't to relieve himself; he had vomited everything he had eaten.
...What do you mean by "poor educational bringing"?
There was no room for carelessness or openings. If anything, perhaps it was because of this meticulousness that he was liked by Vice Commander Andersen. While pondering this, Yulha stabbed her fork into the cake.
"…That's a shame. The cakes here are delicious."
"...I'll personally visit if my taste changes."
Yulha seemed to have understood. She threw a suggestive remark, and he shrugged. It seemed there was nothing suspicious about the cake.
"...Let's stop playing this cat-and-mouse game. Can I trust you?"
"Yes."
He nodded in response to her question, even though she had no basis for asking. Nevertheless, Yulha, feeling somewhat impolite at this point, took out her mobile device.
"Do you have the 'blabla' messenger app? Let's exchange contacts. For mutual surveillance purposes."
"Even if you don't go to that extent, I won't report anything..."
If that would earn her a certain level of trust, it would be a small price to pay. Moore also took out his mobile device without hesitation.
---
.
.
.
"Hah! Again...!"
"...How many times is it, Anis? And why is your ahoge standing up? Do you have antennas or something?"
And at the same time, it goes without saying that their companion, walking through the slums of the Under Rim, received something.
------
Author Notes: Chromosomal abnormalities... I wonder what that's about.
The shoulder insignia on the portraits of both Privati and Admi looked the same, so I assumed they were lieutenants, while Yuulha, judging from her demeanor as a middle manager, was assigned the rank of captain.
Yulha, a Nikke affiliated with the Central Government Army, observed the young officer before her with a less than friendly expression, despite her heavy dark circles under her eyes while he ate in front of her.
Dressed in a suit, the young officer was undoubtedly the one listed in the materials circulating among the prominent figures of various departments of the Central Government Army—a list of individuals to be cautious about.
He wore the military uniform well, and his stern appearance made him seem older, but he was merely a young man of twenty-two. The information that he had recently graduated from the officer training school surprised her.
She was the leader of the Trident Unit. To cover up a scandal involving soldiers under her jurisdiction, which she had learned about through Privaty's contact, she had reserved a high-end restaurant facing the Royal Road and asked him to come here.
"Ah... I'm... I'm sorry."
"Ah...Please don't pick it up."
Suddenly, the appearance of Admi, a Nikke member of the Trident Unit, who looked like a young girl, dropped her fork on the floor, creating a metallic sound distinct from the synthetic resin. Admi hurried to pick it up, but he stopped her with a raised hand.
A waiter responsible for the hall promptly approached them.
"I'm sorry, but could you bring her a new fork?"
"Of course, please wait a moment."
According to the information, his combat and athletic abilities were overwhelming compared to a regular human. Therefore, she had expected him to be a rough individual with no formal manners, focusing solely on combat. However, he seemed to be aware of formal etiquette.
Yulha checked his movements.
They say culture manifests itself in the most casual gestures. Was he from an affluent background? There was no trace of disorder in his manner of eating.
Speaking of his origin, the information stated that he was from within the Ark, but it didn't specify the exact district. As she remembered this, Moore wiped his mouth lightly with the napkin spread over his knee, then stood up and placed the folded napkin on his seat.
"I'll excuse myself for a moment."
Perhaps he was going to wash his hands. As he rose and left through the hall, Yulha watched him with a sidelong glance. His cutlery, placed in an eight-shaped pattern, indicated that he was still in the middle of his meal.
"... Admi, don't be too nervous."
"I'm sorry..."
"... Is he really the same person that we know?"
Perhaps due to his intimidating presence and strong demeanor, Admi seemed nervous. When the waiter brought a new fork to Admi, Yulha voiced her thoughts.
As the waiter left, Privati expressed her doubts. She, too, had read the information available to the Central Government Army before heading to the apology. The disparity between the information obtained by the Central Government Army and Moore's actual demeanor left her puzzled.
"It's certain that he's the same person. His face matches, and the ID card's recognition number was correct."
Normally, Yulha wouldn't have time for such things. Her work was piling up, and while Nikke didn't need sleep, she was accumulating mental fatigue. Sleep was necessary for relaxation and mood improvement, but recently, even that wasn't reliable anymore. She found herself absentmindedly rubbing her temples, a habit she had developed.
"...There was information about his unusual coloration..."
"...What is it?"
"...Don't worry about it; it's something you don't need to know."
She had slipped up. However, it wasn't significant information. It was something that wouldn't be of any use.
---However, the nature of the abnormality wasn't explicitly stated, and that intrigued her.
"I apologize. Thank you for waiting."
Moore returned after finishing his business, and Yulha nodded gracefully. She was a captain, just like him, but she held a senior position. Being overly polite might invite condescension.
"Is the food to your liking?"
"Yes. Lately, it's been combat rations at the base, so I was a bit worried that my palate might deteriorate."
It was quite a pity. Even in Yulha's position as a hostess, his situation didn't seem ideal, to say the least.
He sat back in his seat, the napkin he had folded placed on his lap, and he turned his attention back to the half-eaten dish. Yulha's gaze once again shifted to Moore's hands.
His table manners were impeccable upon reexamination. He didn't make unnecessary noise with the dishes and cutlery. Even among the affluent, few would eat with such perfect posture.
Well, recalling the scene where Moore sat down after the women had taken their seats and remembering that he sat on the left side of the chair, there was a certain level of refinement about him.
"I heard there was nothing at the outpost..."
"Construction has finally started recently. Under the pretext of improving their welfare... I never expected it to turn into a café."
His concern for the Nikke, evident in the nuances of his words as he answered Privati's question, aligned with the information. There was a note in the records stating he was an unusual individual.
"...A café, you say?"
"Yes. ...I wanted to ask, are Nikke generally fond of sweets?"
"...Huh?"
"...At least...they don't hate it."
"Each individual has their own preferences. It's the same as humans... though, I think the tendency is stronger among them..."
"...I see..."
Privati was taken aback, and Admi timidly expressed her opinion from her perspective. Then, just to be sure, Yulha provided additional explanation. Strangely, Moore wiped his mouth with a napkin, arranged his cutlery on the plate, and seemed disheartened as he finished his meal.
"...If they like sweets, well... it might be okay."
He muttered to himself, but Yulha felt it didn't carry much significance. She decided not to touch on that topic.
After sipping the water poured into his glass, he calmly looked at the three people around the dining table, nodding as if to say, "Ah, The piece finally fits."
"Are all three of you Nikke?"
Yulha's cheek twitched slightly, and Privati and Admi sat up straight unconciously. While they had introduced themselves, they hadn't explicitly mentioned being Nikke to him.
"--When did you figure it out?"
"I became certain just now during the café discussion. I simply asked whether Nikke preferred sweets... and the way Admi-kun responded made it clear, as if it was about herself."
"I see. ...Just that?"
"And also the Elysion logo on Lieutenant's chest."
"...we weren't meant to hide it, but your observational skills are indeed sharp."
This couldn't be taken lightly. It was belated, but Yulha heightened her vigilance. It seemed he had been observing them in a similar way, but she couldn't grasp that probing gaze. However, she doubted he would straightforwardly answer if she asked.
"Incidentally, you've treated me to this meal, so I won't report it. You probably tried to appease us because you were concerned about that... but..."
Moore let out a sigh, but Yulha and the others meeting him for the first time couldn't trust him—especially Yuulha. The possibility of him acting wasn't something she could entirely discard.
Although, His subordinates who knew him well would probably unanimously say, "He's not THAT subtle."
There were mainly five types of methods for appeasement:
Feeding. Drinking. Gaining control. Intimacy. Flaunting power.
These were the five categories.
She had already fed them and provided drinks.
What remained was giving them financial control, physical intimacy, and... Yulha excluded the last option as it seemed less effective.
"Well, I say that but it probably won't be accpeted as it is, right?"
"Yes."
Naturally, she nodded. Moore hoped they would believe him on this matter. After all, they had received more than enough apologies, considering she had treatedhim to a meal and drinks.
"...Is the concern here the potential deterioration of relations with the Central Government Army if I report this incident to Sir Andersen?"
"That's right, and we want to avoid creating a negative impression with the Central Government Army."
"I see. ...Then there shouldn't be a problem. Lord Andersen wouldn't bother to react to such a trivial issue. That man is busy, too."
He watched as the waitstaff cleared the plates from the table and immediately a dessert cake was brought in. It was an intricately crafted cake that showed delicate and precise workmanship.
"...Admi-kun, would you like to have it? I'm not very fond of sweets."
"...Is it alright?"
He handed his cake, plate and all, to Admi, who was sitting to his left, then turned his gaze back to Yulha.
"That's impolite."
"I apologize. I have a poor educational bringing..."
He obediently lowered his head in response to her reproach.
The cake was a fondant au chocolat, perfectly replicating the bitterness and sweetness of chocolate, melting in the mouth. However, now that it became apparent that Yuulha had arranged this restaurant meeting for appeasement, he couldn't bring himself to eat it. This was especially true for this dessert. It wouldn't be surprising if there was something masked within the bitterness and sweetness.
Considering that possibility from the start, Moore had left his seat earlier and, just as Yulha had predicted, headed to the restroom. However, his purpose wasn't to relieve himself; he had vomited everything he had eaten.
...What do you mean by "poor educational bringing"?
There was no room for carelessness or openings. If anything, perhaps it was because of this meticulousness that he was liked by Vice Commander Andersen. While pondering this, Yulha stabbed her fork into the cake.
"…That's a shame. The cakes here are delicious."
"...I'll personally visit if my taste changes."
Yulha seemed to have understood. She threw a suggestive remark, and he shrugged. It seemed there was nothing suspicious about the cake.
"...Let's stop playing this cat-and-mouse game. Can I trust you?"
"Yes."
He nodded in response to her question, even though she had no basis for asking. Nevertheless, Yulha, feeling somewhat impolite at this point, took out her mobile device.
"Do you have the 'blabla' messenger app? Let's exchange contacts. For mutual surveillance purposes."
"Even if you don't go to that extent, I won't report anything..."
If that would earn her a certain level of trust, it would be a small price to pay. Moore also took out his mobile device without hesitation.
---
.
.
.
"Hah! Again...!"
"...How many times is it, Anis? And why is your ahoge standing up? Do you have antennas or something?"
And at the same time, it goes without saying that their companion, walking through the slums of the Under Rim, received something.
------
Author Notes: Chromosomal abnormalities... I wonder what that's about.
The shoulder insignia on the portraits of both Privati and Admi looked the same, so I assumed they were lieutenants, while Yuulha, judging from her demeanor as a middle manager, was assigned the rank of captain.
