Ch.143

"──Everyone, sorry to keep you waiting!"

Deliberately maintaining a cheerful tone, Shuen passed through the door and entered the room.

The room, resembling a meeting room, had several sofas lined up, and there was even a fully equipped free drink corner along the wall. Rather than a meeting room, it seemed more like a waiting room where one could relax.

The three figures sitting on each sofa looked up casually as Shuen entered, and they directed their eyes toward her.

"──Today, I brought someone with me! Guess who? Come on, come on, come in!"

To the extent that Shuen was specifically calling someone, or rather, there seemed to be a familiar presence, there was a kind of surprise and interest. Maxwell turned his turquoise eyes toward her direction and widened them for a moment.

"──Long time no see."

"──Captain!!"

A face they recognized—though not from a particularly long acquaintance, memory was not so poor as to forget the face of someone they had undertaken operations with.

As Laplace, with bright blond hair tied into two bunches, stood up, he directed his deep brown eyes toward Drake, who was maintaining a shotgun. After confirming that he seemed to be in good health, Maxwell headed towards the free drink corner along the wall.

Placing a synthetic resin cup into the holder and setting up the coffee maker, he pressed the button, and the sound of its operation began.

"──How have you been?"

It was just a casual topic brought up until the coffee finished brewing, but Laplace swallowed her breath from behind, and Drake, following that, seemed to clear her throat. It seemed that the choice of topic was somewhat...offensive to the atmosphere.

"Well... we, you know."

"...Couldn't read the room. Sorry──"

[──This is the front of the Mislis Industry headquarters! The citizens' demonstrations are still ongoing as usual!]

On the TV screen inside the room, the figure of a male announcer in a neatly dry-cleaned suit appeared. Holding a microphone in one hand, he reported to the studio while heading towards the representative of the citizens' group, who had been demonstrating for days.

As the microphone was pointed towards the representative, he began to speak.

"──Can we guarantee that when Nikke grips the gun with free will, the barrel won't be aimed at the citizens of Ark but instead at the ground monster Rapture? What is free will to Nikke? NIMPH to Metis. NIMPH to Nikke."

Echoing phrases similar to those of the representative, the members of the citizens' group also responded in agreement.

Perhaps hearing the chants up close was not good for the eardrums, as the announcer, with a slight furrow on his forehead, was about to return from the remote location to the studio when he raised his voice.

"The distrust of Ark citizens towards Metis is expected to intensify in the future! In response to this, what moves will Shuen, the representative of Mislis Corporation, make──"

"──Sorry, but turn it off. It's not pleasant news to listen to while drinking coffee."

As the coffee maker finished its extraction, and the steamy black-brown coffee was poured into the cup, Maxwell turned around, holding the handle of the holder.

Shuen shrugged her shoulders and turned off the TV with the remote control in hand, finally bringing quietness to the room. Amidst this, a faint sound echoed as Moore sipped his coffee.

"...The coffee here isn't very good."

"Are you implying it's cheap?"

"If it sounded like that, then yes, that's what I meant."

Without hesitation, he returned sarcasm to the glare of Mislis's CEO. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either. While feeling the ordinary taste, Moore, in his military uniform, continued sipping his coffee.

"Captain, sorry. It's been a while since we met, but I've been showing you such an unenergetic appearance..."

"Don't worry about it. ──After that mission, I also had various ups and downs. I was promoted to Major once, but immediately got demoted, you know."

"Oh, really. I hadn't heard about that. Baby, what happened?"

"I sent a few Central Government Army guys to the hospital... Was that the cause?"

Trying to change the topic and be conscious of the events during their cold sleep, Moore began to talk about his experiences, but only Maxwell responded to it.

"I can't imagine someone fitting the rank of Major, and I prefer the sound of Captain over Major."

While still wearing a dark expression, he glanced sideways at Laplace. Probably emphasizing the sound that she might like, but the reaction was not favorable. It seemed to be a dud.

"──Why is everyone getting gloomy after seeing that? Don't be afraid of such stories... Do you even know who created you all?"

Shuen, throwing the TV remote onto the desk in a casual manner, straightened her chest while placing a hand on her flat chest.

"Do you forget who I am? I'm Shuen, the CEO of Misilis. Shuen. Do you think I can't overturn such public opinion with a single word?"

While looking at the Metis squad, she continued.

"I won't let them talk about time bombs or embedding NIMPH in you after today. ──I've found a way for you to become heroes again!"

This revelation seemed to have a profound impact, especially on the previously somber Laplace. She lifted her face as if bounced, widening her eyes, and providing evidence of the effect.

Drake, probably discontent with not being a villain, still seemed interested in the possibility of breaking the current situation. Holding the shotgun that seemed to have just been cleaned, she also turned her face towards Shuen.

"──How?,"

Asked Maxwell, the squad's strategist, mixing suspicion into his turquoise-blue gaze. Shuen, along with a small cough, sent a momentary glance to Moore.

"──Ark is facing a crisis."

Without exaggeration, the petite CEO picked up another remote control placed on the desk where the TV remote was thrown, pressed a few buttons, emphasizing the word 'crisis.'

Then, the room's lights dimmed, and a screen descended from the ceiling.

"──Rapture's swarm is gradually approaching Ark. I reported it to the military, but... they detected it from a considerable distance, so they intend to refrain from taking action and observe," Shuen explained.

A map was projected onto the screen, displaying blinking red dots. The blinking coordinates indicated the swarm of Rapture, or so it seemed. Of course, it was a fabrication.

"How many are there?"

"Uncertain. The scan didn't work well."

When Maxwell inquired, Shuen responded in a seemingly casual tone. Eventually, she operated the remote control, retracting the screen to the ceiling and turning on the room's lights.

"This swarm is undoubtedly heading for Ark. Even Tyrant-class or Lord-class might be mixed in... but the military officials are sluggish. They say valuable resources can't be deployed for uncertain information."

----It certainly sounds like something they would say.

Moore, one of the military personnel, considered Shuen's words not only plausible but something he might have said.

Of course, pouring precious resources and various assets owned by Ark into a situation that might yield no effects or results would raise responsibility issues. It was understandable that military bureaucrats might be hesitant.

"So, should we defeat those Raptures?"

"Yes, that's right. You'll be the ones to save Ark from the crisis."

"Can we really become heroes again with such a simple thing?"

"Yes! And we'll capture your heroic figures on camera and show them throughout Ark. That way, even those foolish people in the city will understand. It's good that Metis is here in Ark!"

"Oh...! That sounds great!!"

Glancing at the joyfully trembling Laplace, Moore continued to sip his coffee. The deep vertical wrinkles on his forehead were not due to the coffee's bitterness.

While Laplace and Drake began to laugh, seemingly competing with each other, Maxwell sighed as if enduring a headache. Unexpectedly, turquoise-blue eyes were directed at him.

"──Baby. Your expression has been dark since earlier... What's wrong?"

"…Does it look that way? …I just returned from a mission. Must be fatigue. Got shot a few times."

"…Huh!? Is that okay?"

"…It's fine. No issues."

A shot to the abdomen was blocked by a ceramic plate. The shrapnel from the explosive round stuck in his right leg, the wounds from bullets tearing through flesh and skin, though not fully healed, would likely not impede combat. A shot to the right eye was also not a problem. His stamina was recovering. Everything was fine.

Suddenly, Maxwell shifted in front of him, tracing a grazed scar from the right eyelid to the eyebrow with gloved fingertips—a surprisingly deep mark as if intentionally emphasizing it. He did so while furrowing his brow, almost as if conveying a painful expression.

"...You've become more rugged."

"I'd prefer you call it handsome. It's a battle scar. Adds character."

"Maybe. ──Hey, what are you hiding?"

She narrowed her eyes in a wry smile, but in the next moment, suspicion colored her gaze.

─Doesn't seem like the type to make light-hearted remarks.

"Hide? What do you mean?"

─Baby, you're not good at lying.

"No, it's nothing. Don't worry about it."

Maxwell, with a glimpse of her fangs and a deliberately crafted smile, lightly shook her head left and right.

"──By the way, the fact that the Captain is here..."

"Yes. When I asked, he readily agreed to accompany us as the commander. Isn't that right?"

"...Yes. That's correct."

The coffee poured into the cup was already gone. When Shuen gestured, Moore nodded and proceeded to tidy up the empty cup and holder.

Laplace, with quick steps, approached him, clasping both hands with her own and vigorously shaking them up and down several times.

"──Thank you, Captain! Thanks for helping us resurrect as heroes! We'll definitely repay this favor someday!"

"...You don't need to worry that much."

Maintaining a radiant smile as she shook her hands vigorously, Laplace—the awkwardness showed as he forced a smile, his facial muscles creaking.

──A hopeless villain, he thought, mocking himself.

-----

Characters who can see through Captain Moore's lies have been observed, including in "Counters," but it's not that his expressions are easily readable. The common point is──well, you can probably guess.