Date with Kugi

It's been a few days since Tina and Whisker were officially admitted as

members of our motley crew.

Eh? What happened after our talk? We ate our meals and I was forced

to drink some alcohol by the two since we were celebrating. When I

came to my senses, the three of us were already inside the [resting

area] near the restaurant.

Well, maybe there were parts I do remember. Even so, those two bad

girls really needed to experience some punishment. And so, I 'lectured'

them for a while.

"Do we have something important going on today?"

After having breakfast with everyone and getting decently dressed, I

called out to Mei.

"We've recently received word. It's from that specialty armor shop. It

seems they have already finished your power armor, Master."

"So, we'll have to pick it up today huh."

Mimi, who heard Mei's report, said with a smile.

These past three days, I've taken Elma, Mei, and Mimi on dates in that

exact order. In other words, yesterday was Mimi's turn. We enjoyed

eating out, walking together, enjoying the virtual aquarium, and

basically just flirting with each other. That's why Mimi was in such a

good mood today.

"Then, it's Kugi-chan's turn today, right?"

"Me?"

Kugi reacted to Tina's words and displayed her surprise through her

expression and raised fox ears.

"That's right. Boss has been dating us in turns, so it's your turn now."

"You ended up being the last one, but we have to be fair with stuff like

this after all."

Elma followed up on Tina's words. Mei was expressionless as usual,

making it difficult to read her feelings, but if she objected, then she

would have spoken out directly. And since she hasn't, it looks like she

didn't have any problem with it either. Whisker and Mimi also nodded,

so there was no one who objected to the date with Kugi.

"I understand. Then I shall be accompanying you today, My Lord."

"Yeah. Let's go and have fun."

I replied to Kugi and then briefly sent Elma a glance. Elma nodded in

response. I went and glanced toward Mei next, and she also nodded

back. For the time being, after living together with her for a while, it

seems the girls have decided that Kugi posed no danger. I wouldn't say

they came to that conclusion too early, but I still have to put up some

appropriate measures just in case. For now, I told myself to try my

hardest not to get involved in any sort of trouble while we were out on

the date.

I got dressed in my usual get-up – a sturdy jacket, my trusty laser gun,

and my swords – and left the hotel with Kugi.

"First, let's head to the armor shop and pick up my order."

"Yes, My Lord. However, is it alright to not have asked Mei-sama for help

in carrying it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Aren't armors heavy? I think it's going to be difficult to carry it back."

Kugi displayed a worried expression as she walked beside me. Ah, I see.

So that's what she means huh.

"These colonies have efficient goods delivery systems, so we don't

really have to carry large packages ourselves. You're familiar with the

trams used to get around the colony, right? There are basically small

versions of those in stores, and they allow for the direct delivery of

goods straight from the warehouse to the client address."

"I see… So why are we going out of our way to– Ah, I see. You have to try

it on first before accepting it."

"That's right. Well, they've taken my sizes and motion data properly

anyway, so I don't really think there would be any problems though."

We chatted like that until we arrived at the tram station and boarded a

tram together. The tram network was widely spread inside the colony,

so you couldn't really feel any inconvenience when moving from place

to place, but the distances between station to station were still pretty

long.

Long-distance travel was conducted via trams. And while we were

walking to the station, I noticed that vehicles like cars weren't widely

used. Or rather, it seemed the only vehicles in use were military ones,

fire-fighting vehicles, and medical emergency vehicles.

"M-My Lord, that tickles."

"Hm? Oh, sorry, sorry."

The inside of the tram was crowded, so I ended up sticking really close

to Kugi, and it seems my breath was directly hitting the animal ears on

top of Kugi's head. I thought her ears were fluttering more than usual.

So that's how it is. Uh, it's not like I'm breathing excitedly like some sort

of pervert y'know. I was just breathing normally. I really didn't have any

sneaky intentions. It was purely an accident.

After such an incident, we finally reached our stop and got off the tram.

We then started walking toward the armor shop.

"Have you gotten used to the lifestyle here?"

"Yes, all thanks to everyone. I'd like to express my gratitude somehow."

"I see. Well, our ships will get delivered in a few days, so you're gonna

have to get used to new things again. Or rather, that's when you'll really

experience our regular lifestyle, so you have to get used to it too."

"Yes. I will do my best to earn everyone's trust as soon as possible."

I nodded in response to the earnest Kugi while inwardly smiling

bitterly. It looks like Kugi herself realizes that we haven't completely

placed our trust in her yet. Well, I suppose that's to be expected.

"Uh, sorry, Kugi."

"No, do not apologize, My Lord. We are used to people from other

countries not understanding our mission. And we are able to

manipulate the power of law, so that also adds to their alienation and

mistrust."

"Power of law. Does that refer to magic or psionic power?"

"Yes. There are many ways of calling it, but the root is essentially the

same. It is a technique that allows one to temporarily twist the laws

governing this world with mental waves. There are many ways of

applying the technique such as controlling physical elements like fire,

lightning, and the like, as well as interfering with the mind and spirit. In

our country, the arts of manipulating time, space, and fate are

considered to be particularly advanced techniques."

"Err, doesn't that mean once I finish my training with you, I'd become a

super-dangerous fellow who can freely manipulate space-time and

fate?"

When I voiced my concern, Kugi looked up to me with a smile.

"Yes. And that's why someone like me is necessary. Our mission is to

support special existences like you and sometimes act as your teachers

and guides. All to preserve the peace and balance of this world."

"I see… Then, depending on how you interpret it, that actually sounds

like you guys would be willing to eliminate guys like me if you judge

that we'd be a threat to the world's balance."

"I am here so something like that will not come to pass. As long as I am

by your side, I will never let you walk such a path, My Lord. No matter

what."

Kugi grabbed the sleeve of my jacket and looked up at my face with eyes

filled with a strong will. Mm, I see. She's really serious about this.

Whether or not her mission was true or just a sham, Kugi herself was

fully convinced of it. Exactly what had made this girl so determined…?

No, she'd already told us all about it a while back. She held a

determination in her heart to fulfill the mission that she and the people

of her country have been imposed upon since they were born.

Honestly, I wasn't really big on stuff like religion. So, I think it would be

honestly impossible for me to completely understand her. But I should

be able to accept the kind of person she is. I'll just believe the rest when

I see and experience them for myself.

"It would be difficult to do it right away, but I'll do my best to try and

believe you, Kugi. I'll give my best effort."

"Thank you very much. Please see for yourself whether or not I truly

can be trusted. I, in turn, will do my best to earn your trust and never

betray it."

Right after she said those words, Kugi's ears suddenly perked up. She

then stopped in her tracks and sniffed the air. Her brows knitted

together as she displayed an expression of discomfort.

"What's wrong?"

"…I sense an ominous presence, as well as the smell of blood."

"…Eh?"

The armor shop is just around the corner though… Another

troublesome incident? Can't a guy just catch a break!?