Chapter 103: Preparation Period

According to him, if they were going to use entertainment like this as a test, he would prepare the test himself.

According to him, even if it was not quite an emergency, with the Insectum growing more active, this was no time to be playing around with races.

According to him, take this seriously!

Sheepherd Dog answered every one of Potato Man’s shouts with “Pretty cool, right?” and called it good. I thought he was a fairly crazy, groovy, happy sort of guy.

Well, Doggy House did have some say in the selection, but as a rule, the current hound was the one who named the next generation. In the end, Sheepherd Dog forced it through, and the test became the Crash Race.

Crash Race.

It had “race” in the name, but apparently, it was not a race.

When the event first began, there had been a set course, and the rule was that any kind of interference was allowed. But since the crowd got more excited when someone destroyed an opponent’s machine, the focus gradually shifted from the “race” part to the “crash” part. As a result, the modern Crash Race had become a contest where machines smashed each other apart inside a sealed-off arena.

Apparently.

It was a team battle, three vehicles per team. Even if you won, failing to repair your vehicle before the next match could mean losing by default. In other words, it was a clash of both combat power and technical skill.

Naturally, I would be joining Shinzo’s team.

But who should be the third member?

Just as I was thinking that, Howard-san brought out a scrapbook of past matches and gave us the explanation above. Then he started fidgeting.

“…Would you like to join?”

“Hm? No, no, that wasn’t what I had in mind. But, well, since you went to the trouble of inviting me… I am busy with work, of course, but…”

“I see. Then I’ll ask Rikan or someone.”

“Taking a break is important!”

“…”

A grown man reverting to childhood and getting excited was rather unsightly.

I learned something fairly important that day.

***

Education was the foundation of a nation.

National character, ethnic character, things like that could be shaped to a certain degree by the environment. In other words, by education.

People are your stone walls, your castle, your moat, as the saying went.

And since education shaped the way people thought, at least to some extent, there was no way handing it over to another country could ever be acceptable.

In other words, it was unthinkable. Not as support, but as the main provider. Handing education wholesale to another organization, in this case Double C, was simply not possible.

This is an act of invasion!

That was what I argued, but Howard-san and Karys, both members of the educated class, did not see it that way.

People like me and Shinzo were too specialized to teach properly. Eevee was a generalist, but because of the difference in species, parts of her teaching inevitably failed to line up with human methods. “Finish them with a biobullet!” was not very useful advice when humans could neither produce nor fire biobullets.

And so, at present, a five-person training unit from Double C, led by Alex, had been dispatched to the campsite.

Since I usually worked outside, I rarely met them.

“What are you doing, Hound?”

“Ah. It’s been a while, Alex.”

Which was why this was the first time I had seen Alex in about a month.

I was at the school inside the campsite.

At present, starting with Shinzo, who stood at the top of the campsite, most of the people in higher positions were martial types. I had secured Akito, who seemed relatively free as a mechanic, but that alone was not enough.

So I had come here to recruit volunteers from the technical school.

I explained that to Alex.

“Hm. In that case, shall I pick out a few for you?”

“I would appreciate that, but…”

Why Alex? I wondered.

He must have read the question in my eyes.

“I also serve as an instructor for the technical side. You could simply call me a jack of all trades, but originally, a sniper was meant to be a specialist in military affairs. Though the existence of Monoz has removed the need for that.”

Alex gave an exaggerated shrug.

“I see. In that case, there may be no one less suited to being a sniper than me.”

I copied him and gave an exaggerated shrug of my own.

For some reason, he punched me in the shoulder, so I decided to make a note of it.

***

Horse Unit ran away from home.

“…”

Well, Rooster Unit was tracking him, so it would probably be fine.

“…”

He would surely be back by breakfast.

“…So please stop staring at me, all of you.”

Ten Monoz, excluding Horse Unit and Rooster Unit, were all looking this way.

Do not look at me.

The machines used in the Crash Race had a few regulations.

One of them was that they had to have four wheels.

When I first heard that, I had planned to choose from among the large Monoz: Ox Unit, Tiger Unit, Dragon Unit, Horse Unit, and Boar Unit.

And the first to be rejected was Horse Unit.

He was fast.

He was certainly fast.

He knew that too. His mood had probably been something like, “Speed means me, and I mean speed.”

So he must have thought he would absolutely be chosen.

But I did not choose him.

Because he was too fast.

For a machine with four independent wheels, that was fatal. Tiger Unit and Boar Unit might keep up, but Ox Unit and Dragon Unit could not.

“Tiger Unit, Boar Unit, you two will be the rear wheels. As for the two medium units, Dog Unit and… Sheep Unit, you had【Riding】aptitude, didn’t you? Good. Then I’ll ask you.”

The four units whose names I had called rolled over.

Now then, that made four. If we followed the same kind of regulations, we could load two more Monoz. Rat Unit was confirmed, so the last one would be…

“No, it can’t be helped, can it?”

Please stop coming up beside me, looking up like you have something to say, and only then taking your position.

Beep. Rat Unit sent me a message.

Famous quote: Our friend does not understand the hearts of others.

“…You are not people. All right! That one was my fault!”

So please stop jabbing me, all of you.

The damage to my body was nothing much, but it hurt my heart in a small, persistent way.

“…But realistically, it’s impossible, isn’t it?”

Famous quote: The moment you give up, the match is over.

Follow-up: Indeed. Grasp the bone necklace and think.

Follow-up: Our friend can do it.

Follow-up: Burn hotter.

“Isn’t that last half just motivational talk?”

Still, I decided to think about it. I gripped the bone necklace and thought. The problem was the four wheels. If it had three wheels, I could leave the front to Horse Unit. No, the real problem was that none of the Monoz could keep up with Horse Unit. I was starting to feel like it was strange for only me to be blamed.

“…You all should suffer a little too.”

I said exactly what I had been thinking.

Statement: We do not mind.

Their eyes blinked as if to say that. I smiled wryly. Then something occurred to me.

“Right. Let’s gather all the suffering in one place.”

Oh? Did you think of something? The Monoz looked at me with expectant eyes.

“Bring Horse Unit back, and go get Akito.”

I have a secret plan.

I grinned.

The Monoz recoiled from my smile.

“…”

That hurt a little.