You Still Owe Me, Right?

As the sun began to set, and the blue sky gradually turned a shade of

purple, countless falling stars started to appear on the horizon.

"Wow! How pretty!"

"Yeah. But those are actually debris from the destroyed pirate ships

though."

"They're beautiful, but filthy at the same time huh."

"Alright, you two. Can't you be a little bit more, you know, romantic…?"

"Those debris include the remains of filthy criminal uncles, so isn't that

far removed from being 'romantic'?"

"It's not like we can be sure the pirates are all composed of dirty looking uncles, Hiro-sama. What if there were aunties, young men, or

women within the crew?"

"That's beside the point, okay?"

Anyway, since they included dead pirates, I just couldn't bring myself to

enjoy the sight of those shooting stars. Well, if we discounted that fact,

the brilliant shower of lights did look pretty.

Alrighty then. Let's stop paying attention to those shooting stars with

dirty elements and confirm the current situation.

We managed to defeat the combat robots sent by the enemy earlier,

succeeded in boarding the Krishna, and were now waiting for the

commotion to die down while in the safety of the ship's energy shields.

It was next to impossible for combat robots to breach this ship's energy

shields, so we were relatively safe as long as we holed up inside the

ship.

Meanwhile, a security force consisting of this planet's defense robots

arrived at the island and started mopping up the remaining enemies.

Right now, the defense forces have already managed to destroy the

invading spherical combat robots, but since there was still a chance of a

small assassination-specialized bot being sent together with the regular

combat bots in order to take Chris's life, we decided to remain inside

Krishna for the time being.

Oh, and we had the maidroids, including May, get off the ship earlier.

Depending on the situation, we may decide to directly fly outta here

after all. The gorilla robot and the rock crab robot already went back

inside the forest as well. I really wanted to ride on top of that rock crab.

However, since it was boring just standing around the ship, we all

gathered inside the dining room and were now whiling the time away

by watching holo-videos. We just finished watching the documentary

compilation regarding the sea environment on Sierra III that was sent

to us by Miro earlier.

Oh, and it was already dinner time, so we were eating our meals while

watching the vids. Tonight's menu was pizza created by our trusty

Tetsujin V. There were a lot of toppings to choose from, and right now

we're having a pizza topped with my favorite chicken teriyaki. The

chicken drenched in salty-sweet sauce and the pizza really paired well.

Ginger ale also went well with the meal.

"So what do we do now? Will we get in touch with Major Serena after

all?"

"About that… well, doing so would guarantee our safety after all."

It's been roughly a week since we holed-up on this planet. The message

we sent to Chris's grandfather might have already reached him. If so,

then perhaps her grandfather was already arranging for Chris's rescue.

Also, I bet Chris's uncle is feeling like his behind's on fire right now.

Yeah. It would be nice if his sneaky behind really did catch on fire for

real. Well, his plans are close to falling apart anyway. So what would

such a cornered individual do? If he were the type to give up and cut his

losses calmly after failing, Chris wouldn't be stuck in this sort of

situation. There's a good chance he'll get desperate and try to kill Chris

without caring for the consequences.

"Well, she does owe us, in a sense. I'm sure she wouldn't mind taking us

into her protection for the time being."

"Ara, you're talking like a seasoned mercenary now, Mimi."

"Well, of course. I've been learning a lot from you two and developing

day by day after all."

Mimi, who was praised for her mercenary-like thinking, puffed up her

bountiful chest proudly. Umu. Mimi's breasts are doing great today as

well. Are those amazing knockers also developing day by day, I wonder?

How curious.

"What kind of person is that Major Serena?"

"Oh, uh, simply put, an unfortunate beauty, I guess."

"Unfortunate beauty?"

"And an unruly drunk."

"Unruly drunk?"

"Um, she's an imperial military major who commands an independent

anti-pirate star fleet. She has a sort of, um, connection with Hiro-sama."

"Just say she's a persistent stalker, Mimi."

"Yep. Stalker is the word."

"Um, a persistent stalker…? Is it really okay to contact her then?"

Chris displayed a really worried expression. Well, of course, she would.

"Uh, um… She's also a lady hailing from a marquis house. What house

was it again?"

"House Holz, I believe."

"Marquis Holz… They're a distinguished family boasting of many

members who achieved great success in military and political fields. I

haven't had an opportunity to meet with members of that house

though."

"I see. What about you, Chris? What do you think about getting help

from the imperial military?"

"Let's see. Since the situation is as it is, I think doing so would best

ensure our safety–"

"I think you don't need to involve Chris and Earl Daleinwald in this

matter. You can just decide for yourself, Hiro. There's no need to bother

Chris about this."

"Is that so?"

"Yup. And also, we've just been singing to that major's tune every time.

It's just fair that we're the ones who'll make use of her this time, right?"

Elma made an evil-looking grin. Oh boy. I'm guessing she's planning to

dump all the troubles resulting from the pirate attack to Major Serena

later huh. Well, that actually doesn't sound too bad. It's true that Major

Serena's been dragging us around every time we meet her, so it's high

time she paid back what she owes us.

"Yosh. I'll contact Major Serena then."

"Before that, wouldn't it be best if you got in touch with Miro first?"

"Oh, right. Okay then. Mimi, get me a secure line."

"Yes."

Mimi fiddled with her tablet terminal and got a hold of Miro.

[Yes. What seems to be the matter, everyone?]

"Well, the lodge was damaged, and it's not in any state for us to

continue enjoying a vacation, so we were thinking of departing from

this planet early. What are the procedures for doing so?"

[Yes. There are still some days left for your stay, but if you insist on

departing from Sierra III, then the remaining days will be canceled.

However, since we allowed for a situation that caused our guests

inconvenience, I would like to present you with a special discount

coupon for use on your next visit.]

"That sounds lovely. It was fun, so how about we come here again?"

"That's right! The food was really delicious too!"

Elma and Mimi were smiling happily after hearing Miro's offer. Un,

certainly. I also greatly enjoyed our time here since I finally had the

opportunity to drink some carbonated stuff.

[By the way, will you go ahead with the maidroid purchase?]

"Eh? Uh, y-yeah."

"Were you planning on leaving May-san behind, Hiro-sama…?"

Mimi gave me a stern gaze after hearing my hesitant reply. Please stop,

Mimi. Don't look at me like that.

"Well, isn't it okay? Since May's specs are quite high, it would be

reassuring to have her with us if we get ourselves wrapped up in a

situation like this again, right?"

Elma was pushing for purchasing May as well for some reason.

"Yeah, I guess..."

"Why do you sound so reluctant?"

"It's a guy thing. You wouldn't understand."

Please imagine this, everyone. There's a lifelike figure crammed with all

the obsessions and fetishes a guy keeps deep inside his heart, and the

women close to the said guy can freely see said figure. Furthermore, the

said figure can move, talk, and shows absolute loyalty to the guy, who's

technically her creator. She even calls him Master. Just what kind of

shameful play is that!?

Ugh. I know, I know. I get what you guys are saying. Why am I still hung

up on that when it's already out in the open, right? But it still feels

complicated, okay. I practically designed May's appearance from the top

of her head down to her pretty toes y'know. It still feels hella

embarrassing. Well, I'm glad the two of them have accepted May, at

least.

"Yeah, you're right. Having May around is certainly helpful in various

ways. How do I pay for her?"

[Yes. Thank you for your purchase. Please feel free to bring May along

on your travels then. All necessary information will be relayed to Orient

Corporation, so please go to the nearest Orient Corporation dealer shop

to complete your purchase at your convenience. They will also retrieve

the data for the trial period once you do so.]

"Understood."

[She will be losing my support, so there will be some performance

drops until you take her to the dealer shop for the necessary upgrades.

Please do take note of that.]

"I see... I guess we'll have to get her upgraded as soon as possible

then."

And so, it was decided that May will be the newest addition to our crew.

The necessary procedures were simple enough. I finished the purchase

via remote payment and had Enels deducted straight from my account.

"I will be in your care from now on, everyone. Thank you for having

me."

May boarded Krishna and made an elegant bow in front of us.

"Yeah, glad to have you."

"Please take care of me as well, May-san."

"Welcome. We'll be counting on you then."

"Yes."

May raised her head and went in front of me.

"I hope to be of service to you for a long time, Master."

"Y-Yeah."

I managed to nod back while feeling slightly pressured by those black

eyes peeking through the back of her red-framed glasses.

* * *

"Hachooo! A-Achooo!"

"Major… Are you sure you didn't catch a cold?"

"That's weird... The medical check showed I wasn't sick."

"Major! There's an unknown ship breaking through Sierra III's

atmosphere, and it's trying to establish contact."

"Unknown ship?"

"Yes. I'm checking the model now... Ah…"

"?"

"I've managed to identify the ship in question. It belongs to a Gold-rank

mercenary affiliated with the Mercenary Guild. It's Captain Hiro's ship,

ma'am."

"Eh...? Aaaaaah!?"

* * *

Krishna sent out a communication request to the flagship of the

independent imperial anti-pirate fleet, and before long, a familiar face

showed up on the cockpit monitor.

[It's been a while, Captain Hiro.]

"Yes, it has. Hello, Major Serena. It looks like you're doing well."

[Yes. We've been having great success lately. I hope your skills haven't

dulled due to being on a vacation though.]

Major Serena was smiling, but I could sense a really dark aura behind

that beautiful smile. I'm sure she's just jealous because we've been

living it up on a resort planet lately.

"Hahaha. I just didn't want to get in the way of your job, major. Man. The

vacation on Sierra III sure was a blast though. The food was delicious,

and the sea was amazing."

[I see. That sounds lovely. Fufufu...]

The dark aura oozing from Major Serena's smile intensified. Oooh. How

scary.

"Hahaha. By the way, major…"

[What is it, Captain Hiro?]

"I seem to recall you still owe us from last time, right?"

The smile on Major Serena's face twitched after she heard my question.

Hahaha. What a good expression.