Translator: SFBaka
After finalizing the order for the new ship, we began to prepare to move our base of operations to a hotel. Well, not really. Weâll only be staying in a hotel from a few days to a week at most, so we just need to pack accordingly. All I packed were some clothes and a few personal effects, but I bet Mimi and the rest of the girls wonât be like me. Well, I donât think itâs necessary to carry that much luggage because we can always procure stuff that we need in the place weâre staying at in case of emergencies.
âWhen it comes to staying in a hotel, we canât forget about preparing enough security measures.â
After quickly packing her stuff, Mei moved to the break space of Black Lotus and muttered softly.
âThat might be true, but you canât just bring a laser launcher, hatchet gun, power armor, or military combat robots you know.â
While saying so, I patted the spot right next to me on the sofa I was sitting on. Mei, who was behind me, said âPardon meâ and proceeded to sit down beside me. If I didnât do this, Mei wouldnât take the initiative to sit next to me.
âIâm always troubling you, Mei. Youâre always taking care of us, so itâs fine if you act a bit more selfishly from time to time you know?â
âYouâve given me more than enough, Master. Youâve upgraded the weapons and equipment of the Black Lotus to military-grade ones and even bought military combat robots. And you also treat me the same as you treat Mimi-sama and Elma-sama. More than that is just too much.â
âI seeâ¦â¦ But I want Mei to act more spoiled and then spoil me in return though.â
âI can spoil you any time you like, Master. Just like always.â
âOk, ok, letâs stop with that topic already. My bad, alright? But Iâm serious about you acting a bit more spoiled, okay? If I said thatâs actually a wish of mine, will you be willing to fulfill it, Mei?â
ââ¦â¦Iâll consider it.â
It was a gentle and unassertive response that wasnât like the usual Mei. Usually, sheâd just answer with a simple yes or no. It must be because my smooth-talking was challenging her usual sense of values and policies.
I communicated with Mei like so until Elma and the others finally appeared.
âIt looks like only Mimi brought a lot of stuff huh?â
âElma-san and the others just packed too littleâ¦â¦â
Elma, Tina, and Whisker didnât pack a lot of stuff to take with them. They each only stuffed some of their personal effects in Boston bags that werenât that large and were just half of what Mimi had packed. Well, due to their small physiques, Tina and Whiskerâs bags did seem a bit big. Mimi, on the other hand, brought a large suitcase in addition to two filled Boston bags.
âMimi-sama, I can carry that for you if youâd like.â
âThank you, Mei-san.â
Mimi handed over her large suitcase to Mei, who easily lifted it without any fuss. Well, thatâs no surprise since itâs Mei weâre talking about.
âWould you allow me to carry your bags as well, miladies?â
âWhatâs with you? Youâre being creepy yâknow.â
âIsnât âcreepyâ a bit too much?â
âBossâs antics are off like usual.â
âAhahaâ¦â¦â
Even the usually supportive Whisker wasnât following after me. Did acting like a gentleman really not suit me that much? Câmon guys. Okay, fine. I admit it was pretty out of character.
âWell, it looks like weâre all ready to go. Shall we then? Youâve already booked a hotel for us, right?â
âYes! Iâve already finished making a reservation so we just need to check in!â
Mimi snorted confidently while carrying her substantial amount of luggage.
âIf youâre gonna guide us there, then itâs better to free up your hands you know. Iâll carry that for you. Câmon.â
âIâll take one too then.â
âAuuâ¦â¦ Then please do. Iâm sorry.â
I and Elma each took one of Mimiâs bags off her hands, so Mimiâs arms were completely freed up. The guide should travel light after all. Since we probably wonât get suddenly assaulted in the city, it didnât matter if my, Elmaâs and Meiâs arms werenât free. And in case of an emergency, we can always throw the luggage on the ground.
âEverythingâs locked and secure! Shall we?â
After preparing our luggage and gathering up, all we had to do next was depart. Krishna was taken out of the hangar of Black Lotus and parked inside the colony port while the Lotus itself will be transferred to a dedicated hangar to undergo refurbishment.
âWe can quickly reach the hotel by taking the tram.â
âGotcha. Make sure not to get separated, everyone.â
âWeâre not kids so we wonât get lost you knowâ¦â¦â
The colonyâs high-speed transportation system - the tram - had a station located close to the port area. Since the Windas Tertius colony was the main trading colony of the Windas system, it was inevitable that its population would increase to a large size. Due to this, the transportation system for goods and people was well developed and maintained. Well, calling it the colony high-speed transportation system is a hassle, so letâs just call it the tram instead.
By the way, âtramâ was a word that refers to a streetcar or cable car. I believe itâs an English word? By the way, the first time Iâd encountered the word was in a game about the strongest engineer in the universe traveling around to dismantle monsters for parts.
Anyway, we moved from the tram station near the port area to one in the commercial area. There were quite a lot of people that were taking the tram to move from the port area, which was the gateway of the trading colony, to the commercial center. I kept an eye out for possible encounters with pickpockets and molesters, but no one really approached us due to the two swords strapped to my waist. Actually, a large space was opened up between us and the rest of the passengers. Man, the authority of nobles, or rather, nobles equipped with swords sure was amazing.
âIâm not really a noble though.â
âWell, youâre carrying two swords on your waist, so of course, itâll turn out like this. And arenât you an honorary viscount, Hiro?â
âYeah, I guess.â
I did pin the Gold Star medal and Silver Sword Wings Assault medal on my jacket as well just in case. Werenât average citizens familiar with them? Well, I suppose them in addition to the swords would make people try harder to keep their distance instead huh. I see. Itâs not so bad since I wanted to avoid trouble anyway, so Iâll try not to mind it.
***
After we reached our stop, we got off the tram and walked out of the station.
âWow, that sure is a big crowd.â
âEverything is so big, and the ceiling is so high. Itâs a luxurious use of available space.â
As soon as we got out of the station, the mechanic sisters looked around in admiration. The main colony of the dwarves in the Brad system had narrow roads and a low ceiling, so it kinda felt oppressive.
Just then, I felt a gaze trained toward me, so I turned away from the sisters and searched for the source of the gaze. I then found a figure that stood out from the rest of the crowd. It was a young girl who I could only describe as âwhiteâ. She had white-colored hair - or perhaps it was silver? She also wore white clothes. They somehow resembled a monkâs habit or a shrine maidenâs gownâ¦â¦ Anyway, it was a fluttery religious-looking outfit.
The âwhiteâ girl who met my gaze sprinted toward me with a look of pure joy on her face. She was definitely looking at me, but I had no recollection of ever meeting her previously whatsoever. I wondered if she was actually looking at someone behind me instead and turned back, but I only found Mei, who had a blank expression like usual, standing there.
To be on the safe side, I tried to shift a few steps to the side, but the âwhiteâ girl immediately changed her direction accordingly and kept rushing headlong toward me. At this point, Mimi and Elma also noticed what was going on.
âAn acquaintance?â
âNope, no idea who she is.â
âBut isnât that girl heading straight for you, Hiro-sama?â
âThat does seem like it.â
âDid you just manage to lure in another poor girl?â
âOh, câmon. Donât imply that Iâm always trying to hook up with young girls, okay.â
Basically, I just got to know them naturally and I never actively pursued any girl. Well, it was a bit different for Mei, but in her case, I was just at the mercy of an incredibly pushy sales droid.
âSo, what are we gonna do about her?â
âI suppose weâll just have to see how it goes, right?â
The distance between the âwhiteâ girl and us was already shortened to about 10 meters. Sheâd be able to reach us soon while we engaged in banter. Itâs gonna be difficult to escape from her already. Or rather, I wonder what would happen if I did make a run for it? We needed to head to the hotel, and according to Mimi, it was just next to the station. And we were also carrying our luggage. There were also Tina and Whisker whose small statures only allowed them to take short strides.
Iâm not sure how good her physical abilities were, but as I said, it was quite difficult to get away from her. As for why, itâs because the crowd mysteriously parted like the red sea in her wake, though I had totally no idea how sheâd made them do so. Just seeing the scene made me suffer heartburn. Sheâs trouble. I bet the lemon-flavored carbonated drink case I stuffed inside Krishna that sheâs gonna be trouble.
âIâve finally managed to meet you! My Lord!â
âM-My lord?â
The âwhiteâ young girl peered up at me with tears of apparent happiness shining from the corners of her eyes. I didnât notice when she was still at a distance earlier, but she was obviously fairly young. Judging from her appearance, she could be about Mimiâs age or younger. Her irises were bright yellow. You can even say they were golden. And she was also quite the young beauty. And most notably, she had fluffy animal ears on top of her head. I see. Animal ears huh. Theyâre quite impressive.
âUmmâ¦â¦ anyway. Just calm down first. Iâm not sure what this is all about, but I think it isnât something we can solve by just standing around here.â
âYes! If that is your will My Lord, then I have absolutely no objections.â
She wiped the edges of her eyes with her dainty fingers and made a truly relieved expression. It was like a lost child who finally managed to reunite with her parents.
Oh, câmon guys. I really donât know her. Iâm serious. I ainât familiar with such a white-colored animal-eared girl. So stop looking at me with those judging stares, okay? Iâm really innocent here.