Oi, Oi, Oi!

In the end, we couldn't do anything about the matter until morning

came. Or rather, it was already the middle of the night, so we just

quietly killed time while waiting for the next day. We could do some

light workouts, training practice, take a nap, dispose of the stuff we got

from the Grado clan's forest territory, and so on. In short, there was a

lot of stuff we could do to kill time.

So I decided to dispose of the stuff we got from the forest after working

out a bit, but–

"Uh, we actually ended up bringing this thing back huh."

Yep. It was the mysterious shining drill-shaped object. It was now

sticking out of my backpack. It was flashing excitedly as if expressing its

joy in seeing me again.

"Uh, yeah. I thought I'd leave it behind, but it was blinking weakly again

so I couldn't help but pity it a bit and placed it inside your backpack,

Hiro-sama."

Mimi smiled bitterly as she confessed.

"This thing's really sly for a damn flashing drill... And we don't know

what it is and where it came from, so we really can't let our guards

down around it. Sheesh."

I picked up the mysterious object that was leaning against the wall. I

wonder why. It feels like I'm really getting accustomed to holding this

thing. Judging from its appearance, it really doesn't look like something

easy to wield, but I still feel that way. Hmm. And it also flashes in

regular intervals whenever I was holding it, as if it felt really comfy in

my hand. This thing isn't actually sucking stuff out of me, is it? Uh, like

that something or other power those elven leaders talked about. They

said that stuff was overflowing out of me or something.

"Hmm. It does feel easy to swing this thing around, but I really don't

know how to actually use it."

"We don't need it for dowsing anymore now that we're back on the ship

after all."

Mimi took out our harvest from a backpack and displayed a wry grin.

There were kokiri fruits that just rolled out of the bag, millberries

stuffed inside a black polycarbonate box, and fresh mokoridake

mushrooms.

"So what should we do with this stuff?"

"Shouldn't we just eat them and finish them all off?"

"Yeah. We do have a container for cold storage inside the ship, right?

How about putting this stuff inside to refrigerate them?"

"Mm. Let me consult with our chef as well."

"Ah, maybe these could be used to cook some tasty stuff, right?"

Yep. Tetsujin V might be able to whip up something delicious by using

these. Basic automatic cookers can only make meals by using food

cartridges, but high-performance luxury models such as Tetsujin V also

have the function of processing raw ingredients to make dishes.

After all, Tetsujin V's database was chockfull of countless cooking

recipes collected from all over the known universe that was installed by

its manufacturer, and it seems its penchant for making superb-tasting

dishes was due to that dedicated attention to detail. Science really is

amazing huh.

"Okay then. We'll store all the foodstuffs in the container later. Next up

is how to deal with this one."

"Whisker-chan said it was better to bring it with us too, so I brought it

back."

The next thing on the list was the broken rescue signal transmission

beacon. This thing was damn useless!

"Well, just make sure it doesn't get mixed up with the other junk, I

guess. If we end up passing by the manufacturer's factory or a major

distributor during our travels, let's bring it in and show it to them."

"We're gonna go that far?"

"Sure. Maybe they'll end up offering us a better model as compensation

after all."

They might be willing to give us a pretty discount as well. We had a lot

of space left inside the cargo hold of the Lotus anyway, and the only

other use I could think of was to sell the thing at a junkshop for dirt

cheap. Well, if it doesn't get disposed of quickly, it's possible we might

forget it and leave it gathering dust in a corner of the hold.

"Should we just throw this thing together with the beacon? It would

kinda stand out if I just bring it around with me since it keeps shining

and all."

"Um... It looks like it's protesting though."

"This thing's too bright."

Mimi and I squinted at the mysterious object that was flashing violently

in protest.

"It was just a joke, okay. Anyway, I better just ask the native elves if they

know something about you once the representatives arrive later."

Afterward, the mysterious object began flashing in much calmer

intervals, as if it was relieved. Really now. Just what the heck is this

thing?

Once dawn broke, Mei immediately contacted the elves and told them

we would accept their apology. It was decided that the representatives

will come to visit the Lotus early in the morning. I don't really care

about it myself, but Mei really flipped out this time around. Even if I

don't pursue the matter, it looks like Mei wouldn't stand for it herself.

Judging from how she's acting, it might be necessary to pacify Mei later.

"Mei, keep calm. Keep calm, alright."

"Yes, I am calm, Master."

"I'd be fine with just a normal apology you know."

"I understand. I will make sure to have those people crawl and grovel

on the floor in apology."

"No, no, that's not it. That's not a normal apology at all, okay?"

"Just one wrong step might have resulted in Master and the rest not

being able to return after all. Moreover, they were so caught up in their

internal spats that they ended up delaying rescue efforts. They even

tried to prevent me from rescuing Master myself. In the first place, they

would not have been able to deal with the pirates in the latest incident

without Master lending a hand anyway. It's beyond outrageous that

they would delay their benefactor's rescue just because of their petty

squabbles. I believe they would need to show a sufficient level of regret

and apologize accordingly for troubling you."

"The latest incident?"

I don't remember doing anything though. We couldn't really do

anything about the pirates while we were stuck on the ground after all.

Mei was the one who took care of them, right?

"I belong to Master. The Refill Autonomous Region's government was so

utterly disappointing that I had no choice but to use Black Lotus to get

rid of the pirates. That's why they indirectly caused trouble for Master

and need to apologize for it."

"Isn't that a bit too arbitrary?"

"I am an AI lifeform, but now, I am part of Master's properties. In other

words, my actions are as good as Master's actions."

"Uh, but doesn't that mean I'd be held responsible if you ever

accidentally caused a big incident, Mei?"

"That is correct. But there is almost zero chance of that happening."

Mei replied with her usual deadpan expression. In other words, Mei's

saying she would never make a mistake huh. Really? She tends to

overdo it sometimes though. Well, even if she does overdo it at times, it

doesn't really develop into a big deal, so I guess it's fine. But I better not

tell her what I think about her tendency to overdo things. She might get

angry after all.

I continued chatting with Mei as we waited around in the Lotus' dining

hall until the elves who came to offer an apology finally arrived. I had

Elma and Mimi guide them inside the ship. I was trying to defuse Mei's

irritation, but it didn't work out so well. At this rate, I could only see a

future where Mei batters the elven representatives with her sharp

retorts.

"Anyway, just keep calm. I don't have any intention of picking a fight

with the elves."

"On the contrary, they are the ones who are picking a fight. Or rather,

they might really have been planning for there to be casualties in the

first place."

"I think the main thing to blame for this situation is my incredibly bad

luck though..."

It pains me to admit it, but it was probably the case after all. My

unusual constitution, which I might have acquired when I got thrown

into this dimension, caused the passenger vehicle we were riding in to

crash. It would be unreasonable to think that the Grado clan planned

the crash when they provided the vehicle and that they actually wanted

us dead. Nobody could have predicted that accident unless they're God

or something. And I don't think the elves have sufficient motives to

want me dead anyway. I think Mei's just overreacting.

And as I was trying one final time to persuade Mei to back down, I

heard a commotion outside. What's wrong? It didn't seem like a scuffle,

but it was noisy nonetheless.

"It's you, right!? You're the one who brought dirty technology to our

pristine forests and thoughtlessly trampled upon them!"

When Elma appeared at the entrance of the dining hall, she was pushed

aside by an unfamiliar elf who immediately came after me. Mei started

giving off a dangerous vibe.

Oi, oi, oi, he's definitely going to die at this rate!

"...Wow, what's going on here–? Whoah there, Mei. Stay, Mei! Calm

down! Be cool!"

I grabbed Mei's hand and tried to hold her back with all my might, but it

was pretty difficult. The difference in strength between my biological

flesh and her tough and powerful artificial muscle fibers and composite

alloy skeleton was far too great.

Apologize, man! Yes, you! The arrogant elf over there! Hurry up and

apologize! If you don't, you'd get your neck twisted right off y'know!