Evolve (19)
After an exhilarating discussion about how to mess with Cystus, we finally took a breather.
In the heat of the conversation, I ended up saying things I both should and shouldn't have, which left me feeling a bit embarrassed. The surroundings had gotten a little chaotic, thanks to Nadia and Carry causing a ruckus together.
From the middle, I had even joined in and made things louder, so I had no excuse. Celestia, who had been laughing heartily, cooled her flushed cheeks with a hand fan and then naturally changed the topic.
She wiped away tears at the corners of her eyes from laughing so much, giving off a slightly apologetic vibe.
"Ah, Hyun-woo. I'm sorry. I took up too much of your time. I didn't think it would take this long..."
"You didn't know."
"No... I actually expected it to some extent. There's no way this kind of work would finish quickly."
"..."
I was at a loss for words. Seeing my expression, Celestia hurried to continue.
"I can handle the rest of the work on my own, so now I can help you!"
"That would be great. Actually, I was just wondering what to do next."
That was something I wanted to ask her anyway. My own thinking had its limits. With two minds instead of one, the chance of finding the right answer would be much higher.
"Ah! Me too, me too!"
「⸜(˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶)⸝」
Exhausted from fighting a virtual Cystus, Nadia and Carry also volunteered to help. Although they were still panting for breath, since all we were doing now was thinking, they were gradually calming down.
Now, we had four minds instead of just two: Nadia, Celestia, Carry, and me. Let's go.
"Hyun-woo, what have you tried?"
"I haven't had much time to try anything. Basically, all I managed was to inject psionic energy into it, like when I processed the Blue-Eye exoskeleton yesterday."
"And the result?"
"Um... I guess you could say it was meaningless? Transformation was possible, but I didn't get the sense that it could actually accomplish anything."
I answered the two, taking turns as they fired their questions. Nadia wagged her tail playfully.
"So you haven't tried combining it yet?"
"That's right. But combining?"
"This rare metal is ultimately just a material. It may need further processing—unlike the Blue-Eye's exoskeleton."
Celestia explained that, more often than not, materials become something new after additional processing rather than being used as-is.
"Combining equipment is a basic procedure. Hyun-woo, remember your plasma cutter? The one that basically turned into a spear? Let's try it with that."
"It's in my room... but how exactly do you plan to combine them?"
While I voiced my doubt, I summoned Beta Series and ordered it to bring my equipment. The moment I did, I realized my room wasn't mine alone anymore, so I hurriedly revised my order to retrieve the gear where Licorice was.
"We'll have to figure that out from here on. If we just try a bunch of things, maybe we'll stumble across something."
"That won't work. There isn't much of it. This isn't something engineers can brute force their way through by grinding away at it."
Nadia shook her head. She insisted that we first analyze what the circumstances were when this rare metal was first discovered.
'What kind of situation was it...?'
I had found the needle-shaped rare metal in level 7 of the underground sector of the mining base Heaven, a level that wasn't supposed to exist structurally. It surrounded a wooden fragment being stored in an underground lab with a special energy field.
Storage, protection, or sealing—whether it was to guard against outside interference or to block dangerous waves emanating from inside, I had no idea.
All I knew was that the energy field encasing the wooden fragment was destroyed by Celestia's shot, and the wooden fragment itself turned to ash the moment the energy field collapsed.
I couldn't just leave it behind, so I scooped up the powder, stored it in a sample container, and was shocked when it reassembled itself—especially when it changed from a twig into the current sprout.
'Though not anymore.'
If something surprised me again, it would likely be for a completely different reason. You never knew when or how the sprout might cause an incident.
'It's like raising a child.'
It seemed obedient, but it definitely had a willful streak.
Celestia, agreeing that the analysis was important, met my eyes and recalled her memories carefully.
"If my memory's right, this needle was used to confine the wooden fragment—using the energy leaking from the tip."
"Then it might not be a material we can use as we like. There are things called sealers, devices designed to keep their shape from changing. They usually undergo a special process for that."
Nadia told us to imagine melting down scrap metal to make something new. Most of the time, what gets remade can't be traced back to its original form or characteristics.
But sealers are different. Even if you manage to melt them and lose their form, the property itself never disappears.
"So there's such a thing as a sealer. I've never heard of that. Celestia, did you know about it?"
"I knew of their existence. They're usually used for shady purposes, I think."
When I asked how she knew, Nadia replied with a distant look.
"Didn't I tell you? When I was little, I had to live with a sealer on me. To stop me from running away. Depending on the type, some weaken your body."
"..."
I regretted asking. The sudden mention of her dark past made cold sweat run down my back. She said it so lightly that I almost reflexively responded with a "Really?"
Celestia let out a sigh of relief, giving me a look as if to thank me for asking instead. Maybe I should have waited a bit—then Celestia, not me, would have stepped on that landmine. I almost regretted it.
But only briefly. When Nadia scratched her cheek and spoke again, I quickly sucked in a breath.
"And actually, Celestia, where did you hear that sealers are mostly used underground? Did you maybe confuse them with restraints?"
"... What? R-restraints?"
"Yes, restraints. Those are the things used for human trafficking and, well, other shady stuff, just like you said. Only the really nasty black markets deal in those."
Nadia explained that restraints are nasty devices that restrict the body using electric stimuli. She went on, saying that the sealer she wore was meant to suppress an original biological circuit near her heart, not her body itself.
"Unlike that, sealers are basic infrastructure. With more and more unstable energy sources out there, any large and well-equipped research lab pretty much has to have some."
"... What?"
"I thought you'd know, Celestia... Oh—I guess you misunderstood since I said I wore one. Well, that happens! I was a special case. Still, it's true a lot of people get them mixed up!"
Nadia laughed it off as a minor hiccup. Even though she was smiling, there was a strange look in her eyes, as if insinuating Celestia had seen too much of that stuff on the black market.
Celestia's face immediately flushed bright red as she kept glancing between me and Nadia, seemingly desperate to explain herself.
"No, that's not... That's not it... It's a misunderstanding..."
"People really do get confused often, see."
"That's not comforting at all..."
Celestia slumped her head at my attempt at consolation. I figured it'd be better to just leave her alone for a bit, rather than saying more.
「ꉂꉂ(ᵔᗜᵔ*)」
"Ah, right. Carry."
「╰༼.◕ヮ◕.༽つo:「」:::::::〉」
"... I haven't said anything yet."
The moment I called him, Carry immediately dropped his smile and whipped out his knife, so I looked at him with a sour expression. Apparently his landmine PTSD was acting up again.
Just as I was about to protest my innocence, the Beta Series—which had carried out my earlier order—arrived. The robot placed my gear on the worktable before returning to its original task.
With our equipment ready, I focused my attention on the rare metal for Celestia's sake. Not because I felt put out by Carry.
"Nadia, so you're saying this might not be for upgrading equipment at all?"
"Yeah, that's right. Unless you're making entirely new equipment out of it, it's probably meaningless."
"Hmm..."
"That's just my opinion, though. It's not an answer."
Despite saying that, Nadia looked confident. I, too, started to wonder—maybe that's why I hadn't seen a way forward so far. Even Kyle had completely thrown in the towel.
"Even if we do make new equipment, though, how or what are we supposed to make right now?"
Celestia joined in the conversation. She seemed nervous, worried Nadia would tease her again for acting as if nothing happened.
Nadia and I shared a glance and silently agreed.
"Yeah. Maybe if we had more time, but we really don't."
"But we can't just do nothing, so let's at least try it the way we originally planned."
With us responding kindly, Celestia's face brightened up. Nadia quickly turned her head, pressing her hand over her mouth to stifle laughter only Carry and I could recognize behind her fake coughing.
From then on, we devoted ourselves to working with the rare metal. We tried what we could, and with every attempt, I became more convinced of what Nadia had said—this wasn't a material for equipment enhancements.
Before long, evening fell, and Kyle returned, bringing news that the defense and performance tests of the composite armor using the exoskeleton and the cannon had been successfully completed.
"... Let's call it a day. Kyle's back, anyway."
I hadn't set a hard stopping point. Judging by everyone's condition, it seemed we shouldn't push any further, so I stepped in.
As I broached the subject, their dead eyes barely managed to show agreement. All we had done was manual labor, but we looked a mess. It made me realize again how impressive Kyle was.
'As for the rare metal...'
It might be better to just hold on to it. Since it had the effect of amplifying psionic energy, I thought I could control it with telekinesis and use it as a projectile against anyone I didn't like.
As I was cleaning up the mess we'd made on the work table, the Albatross's storage bay doors opened.
Through the half-opened gate, a small armed shuttle squeezed in. It looked like Kyle had come in first, but perhaps he did some scouting before coming in, which would explain his late arrival.
The shuttle tried to land in the same spot as yesterday. Despite the clutter, its thrusters operated with precision to correct the angle.
And soon, it landed perfectly. As always, Roxy's piloting was impressive. While the shuttle vented its remaining pressure as steam, the door opened and Roxy stepped out.
'Huh?'
Was it just my imagination? Roxy didn't look happy. He seemed very subdued. It wasn't the appearance of someone who was just tired, so I wondered if something had happened.
But when I blinked, his usual playful face was back. He met my gaze, grinned broadly, and waved his hand. He was his usual self after all.
'Was I imagining it?'
Even so, I couldn't help but wonder. I watched Roxy resume his shuttle modification, and I finished tidying up my worktable.
Soon after, we wrapped up for the day and headed to our respective rooms. All that remained was to wash up and sleep.
"See you tomorrow, Hyun-woo."
Celestia gathered the White-out's tail skeleton and scales, apparently planning to continue her work in her room. After watching her trudging off with a long box and Beta Series, Nadia and I also headed to our new living quarters for the night.
We'd gotten the location from Licorice earlier. It wasn't the central lounge area Celestia had mentioned, but although smaller, it was still big enough for several people.
Licorice added that she chose it because it was secluded. She said she couldn't concentrate around too much commotion.
Nadia, looking excited, wagged her tail and led the way. Carry followed behind her, with the sprout perched proudly atop his head.
When we reached the lounge and opened the door, we let out small exclamations of surprise. It was more nicely furnished than we'd expected—three beds, each separated by partitions.
They weren't so tall you couldn't see over them when sitting up, and while they didn't completely isolate each space, it was much better than nothing. It eased the sense of burden.
Licorice casually greeted us when we arrived. She snorted at Nadia, who dove excitedly onto one of the beds, and asked if this was good enough. Nadia answered with a wagging tail.
Nothing particularly noteworthy happened after that. After washing up, I kept my promise and dried and brushed Nadia's tail.
She suggested we should all chat late into the night since we were living together now, but lately I'd been getting sleepy much earlier, so I had no choice but to politely decline.
Before drifting off to sleep, I asked the sprout to look after Licorice—then I was out like a light.
***
"You don't have to look at him like that; Lee Hyun-woo isn't going anywhere."
Licorice was speaking to Nadia, who was peeking over the partition. She changed clothes in the dark, hidden by the curtain and shadows.
"... I'm just looking."
Nadia, looking nothing like her earlier lively self, stared at the sleeping Lee Hyun-woo with a sunken expression. Licorice clicked her tongue quietly.
"It's odd for me to say this, but you should keep a close eye on that Hyun-woo guy. Even Woof-woof knows he's been acting strange lately. He might seem dull, but you probably know better than anyone how he goes looking for trouble."
"..."
"I was the one looking after him until yesterday. I kept worrying he'd wake up suddenly from some kind of incident—because it's not normal for someone to sleep through just about anything, no matter what you do."
"That's not it, though. That last part. You didn't do it out of concern for him; you just wanted to sleep beside him. And what exactly did you do, anyway?"
"..."
Licorice pursed her lips. With Nadia's ears perked back up, she redirected her attention to Lee Hyun-woo.
Nadia knew all too well that Lee Hyun-woo had been acting strangely for several days. He tried not to show it, but those of us closest to him couldn't help but notice.
He was sleeping more, sometimes his expression would change as if he were a different person, the way he looked at Celestia was different, and so on. We all knew he'd changed, but pretended otherwise.
'Partners don't miss these things.'
Licorice glanced in Nadia's direction. She'd heard directly from Hyun-woo what he was struggling with—though she was sure she hadn't told Nadia, she knew Nadia had already noticed before she could.
For a moment, Licorice sensed a strange emotion welling up inside her—a dark, sticky jealousy different from ordinary feelings.
She found it odd herself, but she couldn't completely deny feeling jealous about their relationship. She chalked it up to fatigue and lay down on her bed.
Suddenly, she remembered the humiliation she'd suffered that morning—how her restraints had suddenly activated while she was walking down the hallway and she'd nearly panicked. Thank goodness no one was around; if anyone had seen her, she'd have rather bitten her tongue than go on living.
How infuriating. She was already grinding her teeth over it. She'd meant to scold him for pulling a stunt like that, but in the end, seeing his face made her soften and she couldn't.
'If you do that again next time, I really won't let it slide.'
She knew it was a mistake, and admitting she'd let it go if it happened again, still, she forced herself to promise not to. Sighing, she looked up at the ceiling, then spotted Nadia's tail wagging above the partition and spoke up.
"Are you just going to watch?"
"Yes."
"Why? If it were you, you could dig deeper."
"... It's not something I should intervene in."
Nadia shook her head weakly. She'd already insisted on sleeping together, purely out of her own selfish desire. She just wanted to keep an anxious eye on him.
Doing anything more would only make things harder for Hyun-woo. Knowing that, she purposely didn't.
It wasn't like she wanted to stay a bystander; she was anxious and upset, and wanted to help however she could. But she knew that wasn't the right answer.
"This is something Hyun-woo and Celestia have to resolve."
'So you already know.' Licorice murmured inwardly. Nadia knew not only that there was a problem, but who exactly was involved.
Licorice believed Celestia was already aware of Hyun-woo's condition—understandably so, given the way Celestia had gradually changed her attitude toward him.
"Seems like over there, she's decided to wait it out too?"
"That's not certain. She might look that way on the outside, but inside, who knows what she's thinking? Even today, she almost spoke up."
Nadia recalled when they were processing the White-out's tail. She pretended to focus, but in reality, she'd been listening intently. She was glad she was a beast-folk; even if not exceptional, her senses were sharper than a normal person's, so she could hear everything.
'She said she'd respect whatever decision he makes? ... Liar.'
Making a decision first and acting on it wasn't respect—it was more like one-sided affection. Nadia was sure of this from the talk Celestia had had with her in her room the night before.
'... I won't interfere or block it, but...'
She wouldn't just stand by and watch Hyun-woo get tossed around. As his partner, as a tamed fox herself.
***
Dawn cloaked in a pitch-black sky. The Albatross, hidden within a glacial canyon.
The bridge monitors suddenly snapped out of standby mode. This was because Canna's alarms, planted around the region, had detected several flying craft moving close to the surface.
「Eight small armed shuttles. Approaching rapidly. Current hideout may be compromised. Broadcasting internal emergency alert immediately.」
The blaring alarm sounded throughout the ship almost simultaneously.