Evolve (15)
"Hey, Lee Hyun-woo! Stop her! She's trying to kill me!"
Licorice's mask shattered. The woman who always acted so composed was now scrambling away in terror. She was surprisingly fast, allowing her to escape the range of Nadia's swinging tool.
But the problem was where she ran. By hiding right behind me, Nadia's glare grew even colder. Licorice might have escaped immediate danger, but it seemed she had brought on even greater trouble.
"People die eventually, you know."
"That's not something you should say right now!"
At my nonchalant remark, Licorice yelled. The conversation felt like déjà vu.
I scratched my cheek. Honestly, I'd never seen Nadia act this way before. She had growled before but never actually taken action. I decided to think it was simply time—time to harvest the fruit that had ripened.
'That's not good.'
I couldn't afford to lose Licorice here. I watched as Nadia approached, tool in hand, inch by inch, then used telekinesis to gently lift her up from below as if enveloping her. Nadia flailed in the air, startled.
"Uwah...!"
"Got you."
I pulled her over and sat her down on my thigh. With one hand, I held Nadia steady by the shoulder, while my other hand gently stroked her fluffy tail, alternating between gripping it fully and running my hand down its length.
"...!"
Nadia straightened her back and tensed her legs almost simultaneously. Just as a faint moan was about to escape her slightly parted lips, she hastily tossed away her tool and covered her mouth with both hands. I caught the falling tool with telekinesis, careful not to break the mood.
I handed the tool over to Carry. It was a relief I could finally use my supernatural power again.
"Hngh..."
A suppressed sound slipped out uncontrollably. As I kept stroking her tail, Nadia forgot her original purpose, focusing solely on the sensations coursing through her.
I could feel Nadia's body temperature rising in real time. After about ten repeats, her strength melted away and she relaxed completely into my arms.
"Have you calmed down?"
Nadia nodded in silence. Maybe I had been a bit too stimulating—she looked like she was on the verge of tears. I had gripped her tail a bit too tightly at first and tried to go easy midway through, but I guess it hadn't mattered.
"Should I stop now?"
This time, she shook her head. So far, I had been the one grabbing her tail, but now her tail had wrapped itself around my hand.
"... I didn't get to wash and brush my tail properly last night."
"I'll take care of it."
"Only... when it's just us."
"Okay."
I was able to reach an amicable agreement with Nadia. The feeling of a soft, fluffy tail in my hand was truly pleasant.
When I turned my head to show off the now-docile Nadia, I saw Licorice, face bright red, peeking through her hands as she covered her face. If she wanted to hide, she should have just covered her eyes completely, but she was determined to leave a crack to watch through.
"What is—how can you do something like that in the morning..."
"It's just a tail massage."
I asked why she was reacting that way, and disbelief filled Licorice's eyes. She kept opening and closing her mouth as if she had too much to say but didn't know where to start.
I shrugged and spoke up first. Who knew what nonsense might come out of her mouth if I left her alone.
"Licorice, I just saved your life."
"... Geez, thanks a lot, that's so touching."
Licorice swallowed the words she was about to say and looked defeated. Nadia tapped my arm, still holding her, and spoke up.
"So, are you going to keep sleeping in this room?"
"If I don't want nightmares, I have to."
"You don't have to sleep together. Didn't you say the seedling seems to protect you anyway?"
"That's just because the seedling won't leave Lee Hyun-woo's side."
Licorice's casual comment was met with a thin-eyed stare from Nadia. Under the fierce gaze, Licorice flinched and her gaze instinctively darted to where the tool had fallen.
"You know I'm not asking about that. Let me try again. You don't need to stick so close when you sleep, like today, do you? The important one is the seedling, not Hyun-woo's... arms, right?"
Nadia gritted her teeth mid-sentence and barely relaxed her expression. If she hadn't held herself back with her tail, something else might have slipped out. Reluctantly, Licorice admitted it.
"I want to ask one more thing. But I'll give you the answer in advance. Just say 'no.' Got it?"
"What? That's—doesn't make any sense—"
"Got it?"
"No, I mean—...fine, just ask."
Licorice started to object but fell silent. It was strange—she'd never backed down to Nadia before, always being on top until now.
"Why do you insist on sleeping next to Hyun-woo when there's a perfectly good bed? Why do you only insist on his room when there are wider ones? As long as the seedling has space, that's enough, isn't it? While we're at it, let's move somewhere else today. The lounge would be perfect—unlike a regular cabin, this kind of thing wouldn't happen there, and all three of us could live together."
It wasn't just one question, and the last part wasn't even a question, but a declaration. Still, no one could argue.
"..."
"Answer me."
"That's a bit of a problem. I'm the type who doesn't believe in doing pointless things twice."
"Nope. I can't stand it anymore."
Nadia growled, snapping her head from side to side. She fixed her gaze on Carry, who had the tool.
「!!((((((っ;ﾟ∀ﾟ)っ」
Carry, who had quickly caught on to the situation and tried to quietly slink away, froze in place, a trail of pixelated sweat dripping down.
"Carry, come here!"
As Nadia hinted she might pull another tool, Licorice screamed and dove under the covers. A dumpling shape formed instantly. Things could've turned bloody, if not for me holding onto Nadia.
"All right, all right! I'll have the Beta series clean up the lounge, so come over! Lee Hyun-woo, you too!"
Wasn't I the real victim here? No one even bothered to ask my opinion as plans advanced.
"Answer!"
"... Fine."
I sighed deeply. I had agreed to fully cooperate, but I couldn't help but feel conflicted.
'Is it disappointment?'
I couldn't deny I felt some of that. But it was also a relief. If Licorice and I had stayed together alone, no matter which way it went, someone would have ended up causing trouble.
Despite giving in obediently, Licorice snorted beneath the covers, which actually rendered her not scary at all. I soothed my ire and disappointment by petting Nadia's tail. That's when I noticed the time.
'It's almost time for the meeting.'
Even after all that with the two of them, I still had a bit of time before the meeting, maybe thanks to waking up early. I figured I had just enough time for a quick wash-up.
Before I even said anything, Licorice began to get ready herself, coming out from under the covers and putting on her outer clothes.
"Licorice, you're going to the meeting, right?"
"Of course. Why?"
"Then, at least give me a quick update before you go."
"You're not coming?"
"No, the modifications are more urgent than the meeting for me."
"Really? I see..."
Licorice sounded disappointed and trailed off. She manipulated her bracelet and projected a hologram screen to share with me.
"We'll be talking about how to proceed. First, we need to set up relays to extend the communication range—a continuation of the work we started in town. Even though that place went up in smoke, we can't just stop."
"So, only Roxy and Kanna are going?"
"That's just the plan. It's not set in stone yet."
Even so, I guessed that the plan would go forward more or less as-is; everyone knew Licorice made the optimal decision based on every possible scenario. Even if the details changed, it would just mean swapping out people or equipment.
'A relay installation operation using a small shuttle.'
I checked the project outline and recalled Roxy's plan.
"How big are the relays? If they're too big, the shuttle can't carry them. The cargo hold's already filled up with other stuff."
"What? Hmm... It should be okay. We can just carry them slung on cargo wires. Only one at a time, so it'll take longer, but it's safer that way. They're ground-installation models, so you can just throw them down and they'll settle on their own."
Licorice went on.
"The next job is also relay installation, but it's a bit different from before. This one's a kind of controller."
She projected a hexagonal pillar on the hologram, equipped with parts resembling legs for anchoring, and what looked like antennae on top.
"We haven't decided which reactor to target. But just know these must be installed around a reactor. It would be best to form a network, like an array, but that would take too long; so, we're going for the minimum necessary requirements."
The controller Licorice mentioned was related to the purification protocol. She said at least three were needed for it to work, arranged at each vertex to synchronize the signal and amplify it. Only then could they even attempt control.
"If the purification protocol activates, you don't know what will awaken. If it's strong enough to erase Europa, the candidates would be a blockade satellite or a planet-killer hidden underground."
"... Planet-killer? There's really something like that?"
My eyes widened. A planet-killer. The very idea of a weapon that could destroy a planet existed, spread unofficially as urban legend.
Some said it was a gigantic freezing bomb that, if detonated, would freeze the planet's core and doom it.
Some suspected such weapons were passed off as terraforming devices throughout society.
Others claimed it would hyperactivate the planet's core and turn it into a star.
None of these were positive. Either way, it meant the planet would be devastated and uninhabitable.
"I couldn't say for sure if one actually exists. I used to think I knew almost everything from my broker days—but that was a frog-in-a-well way of thinking."
Licorice gave a wry chuckle, saying that anymore it wouldn't be surprising if such things existed.
"You're the only one who'd call Titan a 'well.'"
I wanted to go to Earth, but Titan was no tiny moon. It was a major hub of the blue crystal trade, with a sizeable transient population.
"So, did you like Titan?"
"Well...not really."
Unless you've known nothing but endless winter your whole life, once you know what spring is, winter is just suffering. While Titan had its merits, the drawbacks outweighed them.
"Right? Same for me. Anyway, that's it for now. I don't know if the controller will work, but we can't just do nothing, so we have to try."
Licorice turned and stood by the door, saying "See you later," before heading out. Thankfully, sleeping well the last two nights had brightened her complexion considerably.
"She's gone."
"We should go, too."
"Right now? ... Can't we wait a bit? You promised to brush my tail."
Nadia clung to my fingertip, looking up at me with sparkling eyes.
"Wouldn't it be better to do it in the evening? It'll only get dirty again during the day's work."
"Then do it both—tonight, and now."
She was acting so spoiled it was clear she was still miffed about the Licorice ordeal.
"All right, then."
I nodded without hesitation. It wasn't hard to agree. With Nadia joining in from today, spending the night together, I had my own share of stress to soothe.
I told her to sit with her back to me. Tapping the bed, Nadia promptly sat down. As I prepared the brush, she pressed the back of her head to me and asked,
"So, what are you preparing to do if Lobelia tries to seize control? Can you tell me?"
"Hold on... ah, here it is."
I retrieved a switch I'd stashed carefully in my tool pouch. It was a top-secret measure, but since this was Nadia, it was fine to share. In fact, it was better if she knew—if anything happened and she was nearby, she needed to grab it for me.
"This is it. But it's still incomplete—"
Just as I went to show Nadia, I accidentally touched it and saw the 'activated' indicator light up. Or was it my imagination? I thought I heard Licorice's scream through the door.
I immediately pressed the button again, and the restraint device deactivated. Luckily, it disengaged instantly, but the mistake had already been made.
'Why did it press—?!'
My heart pounded. All I could think was that I had really messed up. I hadn't meant for this to happen, but it was too late. I could clearly picture Licorice's present state in my mind—tied up by the restraint, suddenly released.
I anxiously wondered if the furious Licorice would come back and kick in the door at any moment.
- Lee Hyun-woo, why d1d you pr3ss the switch. Just wa1t. I'm not going 2 let this go. Not letting this go.
A message arrived, obviously from Licorice. I broke out in a cold sweat—she was so angry it was riddled with typos.
'... I'm screwed, aren't I.'
I'd inadvertently run a performance test. And I couldn't reasonably ask why she was still wearing the restraint either—I knew perfectly well why she kept it on. If I brought it up, I'd be forced to witness something I'd rather not, maybe even see Licorice cry for the first time.
Seeing my dismayed face, Nadia tilted her head. I said it was nothing in response to her questioning look.
While clumsily trying to brush off the situation, I nervously sent Licorice a message saying I was sorry, that it was an accident. There was no reply. The read receipt appeared, but that was it. I thought I could literally feel the cold sweat running down my back.
"I'll show you that backup plan later."
"Okay!"
The device was so sensitive that just touching it could trigger it again—and that would be truly disastrous. I couldn't face the consequences.
At least, I wouldn't be in the meeting room, which was a relief. I hoped nobody was nearby and started brushing Nadia's tail from end to end.
As I started gently brushing, Nadia hummed a tune, swinging her legs. Her ears perked up in delight. Suddenly, a thought occurred to me and I asked,
"By the way, Nadia, how did you know Licorice was sleeping in my room?"
When she came in, Nadia hadn't walked in blind—she must have known, which explained her unusually polite knock. Her expression at that moment was still vivid in my memory.
"Celestia told me."
"Celestia did?"
Well, she was the only one who would, I suppose. Though there were others on board, none of them dropped by rooms like Celestia did.
"What did she say?"
"That's... a secret."
Nadia pondered for a moment, then changed the subject. Shaking her head, she said she couldn't tell me. I wondered what could be so hard to say, but it must have been sensitive for her in addition to whatever else she'd heard.
Her body temperature was rising without her meaning to. She was definitely hiding something. I was curious, but not enough to press, so I just accepted it as it was.
"You heard about it this morning, right? I hadn't seen you since yesterday."
"Hmm? I did see her this morning, but I heard about it last night—right before I went to bed."
"Really? Then do you know where she went today?"
"She said she was busy making equipment. That's all I know. Ah... Hyun-woo, brush there a little more..."
Equipment, huh. I nodded again and brushed Nadia's tail where she wanted, watching her ears and tail twitch in pleasure.
'I wonder what she's making.'
I was curious. All of Celestia's equipment was custom-built, Myosotis models—every piece was a cut above standard gear.
Even her smart pistol used advanced military tech—not because it had just a targeting system, but because the system was embedded right into the gun itself, not the ammunition.
There was a special kind of bullet it needed, but as long as that was met, it could achieve near-perfect accuracy every time.
'I'm looking forward to it.'
As far as I knew, Celestia was quite adept at crafting equipment—not on the level of Kyle or Nadia, but she could make complex kits herself.
I'd been a bit concerned having not seen her for a day, but she seemed to be doing well. Maybe because I hadn't seen her, Ian's memories hadn't surfaced to confuse me.
Honestly, I'd almost forgotten about Ian—I had been so busy these past few days. Still, I knew I couldn't avoid the subject forever.
If I didn't find my own answer, I'd have to pay the price myself. That's something I'd learned, starting with Celestia's advice and through personal experience.
'Celestia...'
Her words, saying I could call her 'Celly', lingered in my ears.
'Someday.'
Maybe not right away, but one day—I hoped I'd be able to call her that. When I felt I could act without hesitation, I'd finally be ready.
I knew I was indecisive. I wanted to be better, but it wasn't as easy as I wished.
"All done brushing. Let's get to work."
"Okay!"
Nadia wagged her tail in satisfaction, the sheen on it shining with a soda-blue glow.
「✧(*,,ÒㅅÓ,,)✧」
Carry, who had been watching us, turned on her propulsion unit with a look full of anticipation. As if to prove how much she loved work, she looked delighted at the prospect of getting back to it.
We made our way to the cargo section of the Albatross, ready to resume the work we hadn't finished yesterday.