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.
.
About five months ago.
"Well now, aren’t you going to end up joining the Goddess Squad at this rate?"
"Who? Me?"
"Well, I’ll be." The NIKKE with her hair tied back replied.
Unlike the other NIKKEs, they carried swords rather than guns.
They were a close-combat squad, specially modified NIKKEs equipped with blades instead of firearms.
"Heechun, aren’t you getting ahead of yourself? It’s not like I’m—"
"No, honestly, just look at you. You cut Raptures in half all by yourself. How could the Goddess Squad possibly not pick you?"
"How could I go alone when my little sister is here?"
"Good grief. You really are an unrealistically devoted pair of sisters."
"Such a sister fool, a fool," said the NIKKE called Heechun as she walked ahead first. Sorry, but I can’t leave my little sister behind.
■■ suddenly looked down at her sword, [Hwamu Sipilhong].
If our squad was truly selected as an official squad and I went to the Goddess Squad...
"It would be right to give this sword to Scarlet, wouldn’t it?"
That girl would become strong like me, too.
After indulging in that brief, happy fantasy, ■■ picked up her pace to catch up with her comrade.
.
.
.
.
And a few days later—
■■ learned that, in the name of efficiency, all the close-combat squad NIKKEs but herself were to be disposed of.
Through a staged rebellion, she fought her sister.
For the 984th time.
The 985th time.
Their blades clashed, playing a song of steel.
Claaang!!
‘Scarlet... you have to become strong...’
‘Sis...!’
‘So that no one can ever... control you...’
For her little sister’s sake, she made her stab her Core and took her own life.
.
.
.
Protect your ideals... and walk straight ahead...
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.
.
Vroooooom.
Across the empty wasteland, a single vehicle sped along with a roar.
"Um... but..."
"Yes?"
"Eek, no, I mean, um... where are we going...?"
Along with one hostage(?) and one machine(?)—
"Aha~ Is our Mori scared?"
"N-No, it’s not that..."
"Hmm~ Don’t worry. For now, please keep driving~"
"Y-Yes!"
What was this situation? First off, I had recruited Mori as a companion. Well... it had been half forced.
Still!
I’d attacked two men who appeared to be from the Human Allied Forces, so there was a high chance I’d become a target. Since they had passed through here, that meant others used this route too.
So right now, we were heading nowhere in particular—no! We were moving somewhere without people. Oh, and Mori was driving us, by the way~
"Sniff... sniff..."
...She wasn’t crying, was she?
Ah, and I decided I needed a persona. Why?
Because if I acted innocent or went all derpy, those Human Allied Force bastards would just—
Pop.
"Rukh!!"
"Kyaaaaaaaaaah??!!!"
"Aaaah?! Why?! What is it?! What is it?!"
"Bippy!!"
Screeeech!!
Something pale and female-looking suddenly appeared from the ceiling—from the ceiling, it—!
"Aah, you scared me too! Why? What happened?!"
Ah... it was Eclipse...
The one who had burst through the ceiling was none other than Eclipse. And startled by my scream, Bippy, who had been rolling alongside the moving vehicle, had somehow already loaded its gun, while Mori slammed on the brakes.
"Ah... sorry, Mori. There was a..."
"O-On the ceiling?"
"A cockroach on the ceiling."
"A-A cockroach... Hey, Rukh, where are you going to find such a preeetty cockroach...?"
"You want to die?!" Eclipse waved her arms around furiously, her face red... Wait a second.
"Mori, can’t you see that?"
"S-See what...? There’s nothing there?"
Eclipse was sticking out from the ceiling enough that not only I, but Mori should have been able to see her. But she... couldn’t see her... Was I the only one who could?
"Aha, I was designed so only you can see me. More importantly..."
As though she had read my mind, Eclipse answered before rolling her eyes and continuing.
"Is this a hearse?"
"...Excuse me?"
"No, who on earth are you talking tooo?"
"Bip."
A hearse?... A vehicle that carries the dead? Out of nowhere?
As question marks filled my head at Eclipse’s abrupt words, she explained further.
"There are all sorts of things in the back. Guns and stuff."
Ah, were they those fucking humans who showed up in the story? In the story, human greed never had any end. They didn’t give a shit about life or anything else...
"They’re just smugglers, then?"
"Uh... is that what they are?"
Just the typical scumbags, then. As I turned to ask Mori to keep driving, Eclipse, who had been scratching her head, added—
"Do swords sell for a high price too?"
"...What did you say?"
"Swords. Blades used by warriors, like samurai~ The blade was really red, you know? It was too large for a person to carry~"
"W-Wait, wait... the blade... was red?"
"Who on earth are you talking to...?"
A red blade. A sword too large for a human to wield...
"Fuck, Mori, come with me."
"What? Why—eek?!"
I grabbed Mori’s wrist and took her outside to the cargo bed. Guns and all kinds of other items came into view.
"...Why is this actually real?"
As I looked around, a red-glowing sword in the corner immediately caught my eye. Calling it just a sword would be a serious misunderstanding.
It was copyrigh—no! It was a blade used by close-combat NIKKEs.
I’d thought it was just a toothpick from seeing it in the story...
"Um... could those things possibly be... smuggled goods...?"
"Hmm... Mori, you mustn’t do things like that, okay?"
"I-I wouldn’t?! ...Y-You’re not mad, are you?!"
Wow. Flustered Mori is adorable.
Mori, who squeaked out a cry like a chick, somehow reminded me of an adolescent little sister. Yeah, this was the Mori from the original work.
After ruffling Mori’s hair once—"Eek!"—I climbed into the truck and pulled out the sword. Wow... that blade...
"W-What is that...? Why is there... a sword?"
"Hm? Didn’t you help transport this too, Mori?"
"No... I was only told it was a supply transport job..."
Good grief... so this was when she first got taken advantage of. No wonder she became a cynic.
While holding the sword and looking around, I spotted a long box in the corner. What was this?
"Um... it looks rather like... a coffin... doesn’t it?"
"Yeah, just like a coffin... a coffin?"
When I looked outside, Eclipse was gazing at the box with her chin propped in her hands, then nodded up and down.
Then she carefully mouthed the words at me.
Hearse.
"...This is insane!! No, what the fuck?!"
"W-What is it?!"
"Mori, let’s take this box outside together. Got it?"
"Okay? Whoa!"
Clunk.
When we pulled the box outside, the vehicle rocked up and down under its weight. If it weighed this much...! There was no doubt about it!
"Ugh, it’s heavy!"
"Phew... Bippy!"
With a little "Bip," Bippy rolled over and came up before me like a puppy.
I pointed at the box, then moved my finger up and down in a cutting gesture. As if it understood, Bippy approached the box.
Whiiirrr.
It began carefully dismantling it, spewing flame.
"Oh, did I put in a function like that?"
"More importantly, Eclipse, inside that..."
Pshhhhh! Bip!
With a hiss of air, Bippy waved its hand.
I swallowed dryly, walked to the box, and carefully placed my hand on its lid.
"...Mori, help me, please. We’ll open it on three, okay?"
"O-Okay."
Tap.
"All right. Oooone... twooo..."
Three!
Creeeak.
When we pushed together, the lid slid away more easily than I had expected.
And then...
"Uh... uhhhh??? A-A corpse! A corpse!!"
"...Hah... fucking hell..."
Inside lay not an ordinary mass-produced NIKKE, nor even an SR-class NIKKE, but—
The former owner of [Hwamu Sipilhong] and leader of the close-combat squad.
"Why is she here?"
Janghwa—no, Scarlet’s older sister—was lying there.
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