Chapter 39: Confession
『All right! So, just ahead is the research district, and...』
We’d just arrived at a place that looked like a fairly spacious plaza. Minia had barely started speaking when—
『Target confirmed.』
『—BI-G889-No.016789, acknowledged. All units from BI-G889-No.016790 through BI-G889-No.016815: follow orders and commence restraint procedures.』
『—Acknowledged. Executing command.』
A large number of blue, bipedal robots appeared and surrounded us. There were twenty-six of them.
Their red monocular sensors coldly scrutinized us. Not a trace of emotion could be seen in them.
"What the nya?!"
"We're completely surrounded!"
"I was caught off guard. I never imagined they'd move this quickly."
It happened in the blink of an eye.
Their mobility was so overwhelming that even Nanashi-kun, who’d been keeping a wary eye out the entire time, couldn’t react. Their coordination was equally astounding.
It was a swift encirclement maneuver that only mechanical soldiers could pull off. Nanashi-kun was not at fault.
"Minia, what's going on?"
『E-eh? E-eh, e-eh...?』
『Autonomous-thinking, small urban guidance unit BI-F888-No.000008-Minia. Confirmation: target guidance mission accomplished. Return to normal duties.』
Minia was bewildered by Kizuna-kun’s question.
She probably hadn’t been told anything about this. She’d simply been guiding us to the research district as instructed.
...Though that guidance itself had been part of the trap.
"What do we do, Kizuna? Should we break through?"
"What are our chances?"
"To be honest, virtually nonexistent. Each unit possesses considerable combat capability, and their teamwork is excellent. Escaping without anyone getting captured is simply not realistic."
"...Then let's wait and see for now. They said they were going to ‘restrain’ us, so I don't think they'll hurt us right away. ...What do you think, Tierra-san?"
"I have no objections either. If it comes down to it, we'll just raise some hell."
"I like the sound of that, nya. If it comes to that, we'll show them what we're made of, nya!"
And so, that was that.
The mechanical soldiers restrained us and escorted us away.
Along the way, only Rene, Lies, and I were separated from the others and forced to take a different route.
When Kizuna-kun and the others tried to resist, I managed to calm them down by saying things like, "Please leave Rene and Lies to me. If things come to it, we can at least make a run for it."
...Honestly, resisting would have been pointless. This was a machine city. Mechanical soldiers could be deployed endlessly, and the entire city's systems were weapons in their hands.
Besides, based on the scraps of game knowledge I could still remember, their objective wasn't supposed to be harming us. If that was the case, we were better off going with the flow for now.
And so, our group was split in two.
One group consisted of Kizuna-kun, Padron-kun, Nanashi-kun, Piska, Pahal, and Tetoma.
The other consisted of me, Rene, and Lies.
And then—
"I am the current city chief of Mikania. My name is Limient Cornerstone."
At the place where we’d been taken after being separated from Kizuna-kun and the others, a red-haired, golden-eyed woman wearing a white lab coat was waiting for us.
The area around her right eye had been mechanized, as had various other parts of her body, including her right arm.
"...Let us get straight to the point. Miss Rene. Tierra As. And Lies Thebe Rois Lamouatie."
She dramatically swept her long lab coat aside.
Then, extending her left hand toward us, she declared:
"I want you three."
"Huh?"
...So, apparently, a woman I’d just met had suddenly confessed her feelings to three women at once.
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