Chapter 12: Last Supper

Clang, thud. The sound of something hard hitting something else hard.

The sound of a Monoz ramming into another Monoz.

Out of the three rare items I managed to acquire, only two could be processed into Monoz cores.

I’d forcibly grabbed the two small units, Rat Unit and Rooster Unit, both reluctant, and used them as substitutes. In their place, I’d tried inserting two new, unnamed units. But for some reason, one of them had been headbutting the large Ox Unit for a while now. Ox Unit looked very annoyed.

“Beep?”

Snake Unit, a stealth-skilled small Monoz who had evaded my clutches, rolled up to my feet and gave me a look. Just like Rat Unit once had, it seemed to be saying, “What’s up with that…?”

That’s what it looked like to me. Honestly, I wanted to know too.

“What exactly is it trying to do?”

So I decided to ask the person nearby who knew a lot about Monoz.

—That one wants to get inside the big body.

That’s what she wrote on her sketchpad. I see. I still didn’t know why it wanted that, but I appreciated it stating its intent so clearly from the start. I’d try putting it inside Ox Unit later and see what it was aiming for. He’d probably be easy to name. Ah, speaking of which—

“Do you happen to know where the other one went?”

—It ran away. You scared it off.

She giggled softly, looking amused—Kusa-san always seemed so mature.

That was the impression I had of her.

Those sharp, almond-shaped eyes that looked a little cold. Her silky black hair, her calm and composed air—everything suited her.

“…”

Maybe that’s why she retained her memories? If so… did that mean I was childish? Maybe I was a “last teen” who never let go of a boy’s heart? Probably the kind of person who read Shonen Jump.

—What is it?

Maybe I’d been staring too long. Her sketchpad now had those words written.

“No, it’s nothing.”

I shook my head.

“I just thought… these Monoz seem awfully unique this time.”

That’s all, I said.

In truth, I hadn’t really been thinking that. I’d just been thinking Kusa-san’s really mature. And if she found out, I’d probably be in trouble. Good thing she’s the type whose expression doesn’t give much away. Or so I thought. But now Kusa-san’s smiling wryly at me—and it’s kind of scary. Really scary.

—Do you have a Monoz body?

“Unfortunately not. How much does one cost per unit?”

—A brand-new one, regardless of size, the cheapest starts at 800,000C.

“Impossible, then.”

According to Alex, I was an exceptional rookie, but even so, I didn’t earn anywhere near that much. In short, they weren’t something easily obtainable for a newbie.

But Yuri had casually given me three Monoz. Which meant, if I earned enough, I could get them. Or maybe—

“What about secondhand?”

—Around 250,000C.

“That might work.”

For just one unit, maybe. If I poured my entire month’s pay into it, I could manage.

But then again… “penny wise, pound foolish” as they say. Was it worth buying a low-performance Monoz? I planned to upgrade my current Monoz eventually. Especially Rat Unit. It was vital to strategic intelligence, and it overheating so easily was a serious flaw.

Should I buy a higher-grade body from the start?

Or should I prioritize adding more hands?

I wanted to ask Alex or Koma-san about this.

Suddenly, I felt a tug on my sleeve.

“Yes?”

I looked down, and there was Kusa-san, smiling brightly.

—If you’re okay with something a bit finicky, I know a way to get two units for 300,000C.

If that were true, it’d be a huge help. Still, even then, it was over budget.

“What about a loan?”

—Depends on how well you negotiate. Something like that, I suppose.

“In that case…”

I bowed my head. “Please.” And Kusa-san smiled warmly back.

—Hey, I’d really love to eat some delicious pasta.

“In that case, how about next day off?”

My immediate goal was set. I needed money. That’s what it meant.

I parted ways with Kusa-san and set off to kill some aliens.

***

The final sortie was drawing near.

Three days of work, one day off—this cycle had repeated seven times. And now, with tomorrow marking the start of the final three-day sortie, I realized I hadn’t spoken with any of my fellow rookies.

It must be what you’d call a new hire welcome party.

That night, under the stars, the company was hosting a standing buffet. And that’s when I noticed something. All the other rookies had formed teams.

Unlike the senior employees who had contracts with as many Monoz as they could handle, we rookies generally only had the three units issued by the company.

That meant we lacked manpower. So it was apparently common practice for rookies to form teams.

But I commanded eight Monoz: two large, two medium, four small. And so, sadly, I hadn’t needed anyone else.

Eight units. That’s right—eight.

Thanks to securing a loan, I’d obtained one large and one small body, naming them Horse Unit and Rabbit Unit respectively, further bolstering my forces.

And as a result… this.

I’d fought alone all this time. And now, even at this lively party, I had no one to talk to.

“…”

Not that I particularly liked talking to others anyway, so in a way, it worked out. But still, the feeling of isolation was undeniable.

I could’ve left early, sure. But that wasn’t an option. Alex had ordered me to attend this party. He’d said there was a money-making opportunity. If it went well, I could apparently pay off my loan—the one I’d taken to buy those Monoz.

And that’s why I was here.

“I want to go home,” I muttered, nibbling on a potato wedge and sipping a soda.

Starting tomorrow, I’d be back to survival rations. I really should eat something good while I could. But alas, all the tables with tasty food were surrounded by cheerful people, and it was hard to approach.

I sighed and sat down on a bench by the wall.

I toyed with the vertebrae necklace hanging around my neck. It calmed me. I’d thought about sanding down the sharp parts, but lately… I kind of liked it the way it was.

“Mind if I sit here?”

A voice spoke up. I looked up.

A guy my age, wearing a bandana. His right eye was covered with an eyepatch. Maybe it was blind. He smelled faintly of gunpowder. Not a rookie, I thought.

He quietly glanced to my side.

Right, left. Both sides of the bench were empty.

“Do you need something?”

“Straight to the point, huh.”

“Is that a problem?”

“Nah, saves me trouble.”

“Then go ahead.” I shifted a bit, making space for him.

“Thanks.”

I sipped my soda and fiddled with the necklace in my hand. I looked him over. Lots of scars. Built body. Either assault infantry or cavalry, I figured.

“Shinzo. Cavalry.”

“Touji. Sniper.”

“I know. You’re famous, Snipes.”

We shook hands, Shinzo giving a wry grin. Calluses under his middle, ring, and pinky fingers. Ah, the hands of a cavalryman.

“Just came to say hi. Tomorrow, you’re getting assigned to my squad.”

“I see.”

I nodded thoughtfully, prompting him with my gaze.

“You know, right? Tomorrow, we’re hitting a Bubble transport unit. Upper ranks are sending a few groups to take it out.”

“I see.”

I looked up at the sky. The moon was out.

So this was the money-making opportunity Alex had mentioned. And so, at last, I became part of a team.