“Wow—oh. That girl named Aris sure fights better than I expected.”
[…]
Through the shared screen, Aris was holding up pretty well against Neru. Honestly, if she had picked up a regular firearm instead of a railgun, it might have looked more convincing.
But right now, Neru feels stronger than I anticipated. And we all know why… well, it’s obvious.
No matter how you look at it, she’s probably grinding her teeth trying to beat me just once. But why would I fight that fiery little squirrel again?
If she doesn’t fight again, she can spend her life bragging, “Yup, I won the last time we fought! I don’t listen to the words of weaker people, so good luck☆.”
[Sure, she’s putting up a decent fight, but…]
“Decent, huh?”
[She’s not as strong as I expected. Right now, that firepower and the weapon’s performance are just the result of the engineering department throwing budget like water.]
“Hmm. Well, that is true, but still, for her to fight that well? I mean, giving Neru that much distance means she has ways to counterattack, which is impressive!”
Especially considering the weight and size of that railgun, being close is a penalty for Aris. If we gauge it from when she gave up distance, it feels like she suffers even more than our Hina.
When Hina and Neru clash, unless Hina gives up distance, she’s going to get beaten up, but if she does, it turns into a dangerous disadvantage.
Still, both have the ability to find a breakthrough, so I can’t say who will win, but based purely on compatibility, that’s how it plays out.
[…That one likely has the potential to command the legion of Nameless Priests, Mika. Considering that, I think the assessment of being weaker than expected is not wrong.]
“Heueng. Well, that part is subjective, right? A commander doesn’t necessarily have to possess strong military power. Yeah, the threshold for being both martial and scholarly is surprisingly high.”
[Is that so?]
By the way, Rion looks genuinely troubled. It’s pretty close to a fact that Aris might lead the Nameless Priests to ruin Kivotos. Rion getting this far with only about two weeks of observation and information gathering is impressive.
“…Huh? Wow, that looks a bit tricky. Watching her swing that pair of chains is making me dizzy. When we fought, the chain broke so fast that the outcome was already decided before I got to experience it.”
[Mika, I want to ask one thing.]
“Yeah? What’s up?”
[If by any chance that thing turns out to be our enemy… the vanguard of destruction, will you cooperate with me?]
“Hmm.”
The answer is obviously no. Given that in the original story, [Key], or Key was successful in stopping Aris from taking control, I would never allow Rion to push her towards death.
However, it would be somewhat out of bounds to directly express that to Rion. I was a bit deep in thought about that part.
“For now, I guess? Depending on what Rion wants my cooperation for, the story might change a bit.”
[Then, I’ll be straightforward, so listen well. If that humanoid robot turns out to be the commander or vanguard of a force pushing Kivotos to destruction, I plan to destroy that entity.]
“…I see.”
[Do you dislike that?]
“If Rion is saying something so drastic, then you must’ve reasoned it out somehow, right? Yeah, I can’t say it’s entirely irrational thinking.”
[That means you think it’s wrong, Mika. You’re implying you’ll argue against it knowing this.]
Really, life.
I’m just not ready to have this kind of discussion with Rion yet…
“To be honest, I admit I’m hesitant about it… that said, I don’t think your argument is wrong. Yeah, really.”
[…Is that so? I think I understand what you mean a little.]
“What I want to say is, isn’t there a better way if you look for it…? One that satisfies everyone.”
[…Mika, the compensation and compromise plan you proposed last year wasn’t taken seriously because, disregarding the positions of the academies, it wasn’t all that serious of a situation. I’ll admit there was some rationale behind it, but as the president of Millennium, I didn’t really need to agree to that proposal.]
With a somewhat serious voice, Rion slowly conveyed her thoughts to me, then paused for a moment. After that, a clattering sound came through as if checking something.
[Moreover, since it has already been proven with results, I don’t have much more to say. This time, it’s a bit different, Mika.]
“Ahaha… Even if I fail, someone can take responsibility for the outcome. And the difference between that and something that must not fail, the one that’s impossible to take responsibility for…”
[Exactly. Among the information gathered so far, it indicates that the entity is continuously transmitting an incomprehensible signal. If that receiving target happens to be the Nameless Priests… it confirms the hypothesis that it was created to serve as a commander.]
“…Still, what if I ask you to look for an alternative? What if I appeal to you like that?”
[Mika, I can hardly believe this, but you aren’t suggesting we accept a robot we’ve never even met as a fellow student, are you?]
“…”
[Ugh. You’re way too sentimental. I can only see that as a flaw.]
“I won’t deny it. But I really wish you’d think a little differently. To just say that it’s a robot made only to destroy Kivotos isn’t enough considering the emotions that kid showed today… doesn’t it feel too genuine to you?”
[…Mika, that’s the Eliza Effect.]
“No, Rion. It’s not just that. Although I couldn’t hear her words… the way she seems angry at Neru or how she’s happy with everyone else. It’s too much to just say she’s imitating humans—”
[I told you, that’s the Eliza Effect. No matter how human-like her behavior is, that doesn’t make her human… Sigh… Mika, let’s leave this conversation here. It seems unlikely that our thoughts will align on this issue.]
Feeling a headache from Rion’s words, I instinctively pressed my forehead hard and rubbed it. After all, it seems impossible for me to persuade Rion.
Honestly, I’m not someone particularly brilliant. I’m not a smooth talker who can sway someone like her who determines everything with reason and logic.
…And if it goes on like this, Rion would take on the role of the villain who gets overpowered by everyone and disappears somewhere on her own.
I didn’t want that to happen. I knew that most of what Rion said wasn’t wrong. So, it bothered me that her efforts wouldn’t be recognized.
If I were to easily give up trying to persuade her, then I wouldn’t care at all about what Rion was doing in the first place.
After all, in the main story I know, things managed to work out fine on their own. I figured it would be the same this time, too, holding onto those optimistic expectations.
But I knew that my actions so far had greatly changed things. So it was all the more hesitating to leave the situation as it is.
No one could know what sort of change would arise regarding Aris.
…And it was because I was acutely aware of that, I simply could not give up.
“Rion, I have just one proposal.”
[I don’t believe you’re going to ask me to change my mind again without reason. If that happens, I’d be pretty disappointed in you.]
“If accepting your proposal leads to disappointment, then I can accept it. But, yeah, I really don’t want the opposite to happen…”
[Ugh… So, what’s your suggestion?]
“The girl named Aris. How about we meet her directly?”
[…What?]
“Just the three of us, me, you, and that girl. Himari… well, I’m worried she might be a bit too loud. How about that?”
[…I understand what effect you’re aiming for. But you might as well bury the thought that it will work.]
“Yeah, I see you can read me like a book. But if this is what it takes to persuade Rion, then I’m fine with it…”
Rion fell silent. The screen that had reflected the game development club and C&C faded out.
Was she thinking deeply about it? After a while of silence, Rion sighed heavily.
[Hah… In exchange for just one meeting, I’ll ask for a price.]
“Price?”
[Mika, regardless of the content, you have to fulfill one of my requests. Absolutely.]
“…As long as it’s not a ludicrous request like helping you kill that girl, anything else should be fine. Then I’ll agree.]
[It won’t be a request unrelated to destroying that entity, I promise.]
“Then… okay, sounds good.”
[Mika, you really are hopelessly foolish.]
“Haha, what’s with the sudden realization?”
Though I laughed, my eyes and even the corners of my mouth failed to carry a smile.
Can I really persuade Rion? If I fail to convince her, what should I do then?
What’s more, am I even doing the right thing?
Everything remained a question that tormented me.
“I’m free tomorrow and the day after. Can I come then?”
[I’ll try to clear my schedule as much as possible, so make sure to come by tomorrow. The timing doesn’t matter.]
“Okay then, let’s meet and talk tomorrow…? Have a good day, Rion.”
[I’m hanging up now.]
“Okay.”
[And you too…]
click
The communication cut off there. As I stared at the silent communication device, I slumped back in the chair of my office.
…Yeah, let’s do our best.
I’ve managed to get this far. I should do fine again this time.
That was the resolve with which I had started this venture.
