Chapter 118: The Moving Company with the Doggie Logo

Akito finished packing right around the time the hour hand was either pointing straight up or just about to.

In other words, midnight.

The moon shining over the border between today and tomorrow was very beautiful.

That was all.

It saved absolutely nothing.

What did it matter if the moon was pretty? It did not fill my stomach. It did not make the night visibility meaningfully better. In other words, we could not set out now.

“Yeahhh… that took longer than I thought. Sorry, Touji!”

There was no need to check where that entirely unrepentant voice had come from.

Akito.

I somehow swallowed the sigh that was trying to escape. I checked my terminal. Inns still open at this hour were—

Only the absurdly expensive ones.

I gave up.

“I’ll come pick you up tomorrow morning, so…”

For today, please go back to your room and sleep.

Having said only that much, I climbed into the armored vehicle. I had not planned on taking the wheel this time, so I had asked them to prioritize comfort when building it. That, at least, was a saving grace.

The cushioned sofa, made by adjusting the moisture content of the building materials, was ultimately only an imitation. It had a strange chemical smell too. Sleeping facedown on it made me feel like I was going to throw up.

Still, it was somewhat better than sleeping on the ground.

—Beep.

An electronic sound.

Monkey Unit must have made it for tomorrow. It brought me a ghillie cloak done in desert camouflage.

“Thank you.”

I accepted it with my thanks, used it in place of a blanket, and went to sleep.

***

I fixed my bed hair with the steamed towel Sheep Unit had brought me and let out a yawn. Pretending not to notice Potato Man’s look—which very much suggested he had complaints—I got myself ready at the washstand in Doggy House.

I would grab a quick breakfast, then head out.

That was the plan.

Unfortunately, Doggy House did not look usable. The staff’s attitude was terrible. They were glaring at me. Nothing for it, then. I would eat at a stall. Decision made.

“Breakfast, everyone.”

At my words, the Monoz scattered off in search of sunny spots, while Rudo came trotting over. It was still morning and not that hot yet, probably. For once, his tongue was not hanging out, and he looked oddly sharp.

“…”

The children from yesterday’s curry stall were nowhere to be seen. I had no desire to make myself feel worse, so for the moment, I decided to interpret that in a good direction.

A breakfast stall had been set up in front of a bakery. Apparently, they would take the sandwich bread bought inside, put whatever fillings you wanted between the slices, and make sandwiches on the spot. Fairly interesting. I preferred thinner slices, so I bought a full loaf cut into eight. The sliced-off crusts would be Rudo’s breakfast.

Perhaps because he was technically a Western dog, Rudo was a bread man.

Well, that aside, turning an entire loaf into sandwiches may have been overdoing it.

“Breakfast. Here you go.”

“Huh? Really? Thanks, Touji!”

With the right ruby text, even disposal of leftovers could be read as a charitable offering. I tossed Akito into the armored vehicle and attached the sled loaded with his luggage.

“…”

Even with a sheet thrown over it and everything tied down with rope, it looked unstable. It might be better to have someone keep watch.

“Monkey Unit, Rooster Unit, Dog Unit, A1. Guard the luggage.”

At my order, the three rolled off looking somehow pleased and hopped onto the sled.

Well, this was a road we had traveled many times. There was no need to stay that tense.

Four hours passed, with breaks along the way for the Monoz serving as tires. At two in the afternoon, when the sun had climbed past the zenith and started down, and the heat radiating from the ground sent the temperature soaring to its worst, Rabbit Unit, who had been watching outside, rolled over.

What was it?

I tilted my head slightly and took out my terminal. Right on cue, a message arrived.

Report: traces of group movement confirmed.

“What scale? Can you tell where they’re headed?”

Response: Scale unknown. Many children. Direction unknown, however inference → perhaps: camp?

“…Any Monoz?”

Response: One large unit.

I see.

In other words, if this was the group I thought it was—

One cooking Monoz.

“…”

I would not go so far as to call them suicidal.

This road was safe enough, as routes went. But only enough. I had assumed Shinzo would either escort them himself or arrange an escort, but… had they moved faster than expected and gotten ahead of him?

Three seconds.

I thought. Tap, tap, tap. I kept rhythm by drumming on my knee.

“We should go.”

If I had been called sweet-and-spicy, I might as well show a little sweetness.

“Sorry, Akito. We’re making a small detour. Depending on the situation, we may be taking on more passengers, so—”

“Okay! I’ll leave it to you, Touji!”

Grateful. I gave him a small, quick bow to show it.

Now then. I should send out an advance party. Rabbit Unit was fixed, since we needed to follow the trail. As for something that could run and had high combat ability—

Monkey Unit, Dog Unit, Tiger Unit, Boar Unit, and Rudo.

“…”

Tiger Unit and Boar Unit were serving as tires, so they were out. Dog Unit and Monkey Unit were better used together with Rooster Unit.

That left Rudo. Thanks to the air conditioning, he was looking unusually crisp today. I would ask him.

“Rudo.”

I called him over and put his dog armor on him. There probably would not be any fighting, but it would show that he was someone’s dog.

“…”

Since I was at it, I might as well have him carry a little more. I fastened two two-liter canteens to the attachment. Fixed to either side of him, they looked a little like missiles, which was honestly kind of cool. Rudo weighed just under ten kilos. The water alone was a third of his own weight, but whether because of genetic modification or not, he did not seem particularly bothered.

I scrawled a rough note saying we had no hostile intent and wanted to talk, along with the rest of what seemed necessary, and had Rudo carry it.

“Rudo, Rabbit Unit, R1. Go on ahead. Once you see them, if they don’t seem hostile, join up with them and wait. If they look dangerous, there’s no need to make contact. Withdraw at once. Rabbit Unit, you make the call on retreat.”

My orders were answered by a beep and one sharp bark.

“Then I’m counting on you.”

All I did was slow down, and the brave dog and the metal sphere shot out without a moment’s hesitation.

“Now then.”

I saw them off, then started rummaging through the luggage.

If things were as I imagined, then they had walked all the way here from the city. Hydration mattered, but without salt, that could turn bad too.

I opened a bag of salt candies I had bought as consumable supplies.

***

Signal red.

In other words, combat.

The moment I received the message from Rabbit Unit through Rat Unit, I had no time even to swear. I threw open the armored vehicle’s roof and climbed outside.

I let my guard down.

I would have liked to regret that, reflect on it, do all the proper things—but not now. For the moment, I gave that up.

There was not even time to put on Centipede. I snatched up my headset, pulled on my hat, and threw myself onto the roof, going prone behind the Type Five I had hauled up with me.

The wind roared.

Even through the headphone-style headset, at this speed, the wind was unbearably loud.

“Rat Unit, link me and S1. Receive Rabbit Unit’s information and distribute it to everyone.

“Dog Unit, Rooster Unit, Monkey Unit, A1. Move ahead. Shift from supporting R1 to taking the lead. Seize the battlefield.

“Snake Unit, Dragon Unit, Sheep Unit, R2. Break off three hundred meters before Point B and recover R1 and the noncombatants.

“Ox Unit, Tiger Unit, Horse Unit, Boar Unit, A2. Until I give further orders, continue functioning as tires.

“Don’t worry about the luggage on the sled. We’re going all out. Ah, but do worry about Akito, at least.

“Situation start. Rock and roll. Let’s make this happen.”

Now, our speed was two hundred kilometers per hour. Just under three kilometers remained to Point B, our target. About one minute.

Whether that was plenty of time or nowhere near enough—

“—”

I would decide after looking through this scope.

Thank you for choosing the moving company with the doggie logo.

Our free service includes the 『Trouble』 option.

For an additional fee, we can also upgrade that to the 『Romantic Trouble』 package.