Nia is still a child, after all.
The sight of her being embarrassed and her words matched so well that it created a strange atmosphere, but Nia just wanted someone to sleep beside her.
Alone in the vast universe, separated from her family. Furthermore, not knowing if her grandfather was even safe, it was no wonder she couldn’t fall asleep alone.
If anything, just maintaining her composure like this was impressive.
“Alright. Let’s sleep.”
“Yes!”
[…Yotogi is—]
“Tsubame, shut up.”
[…Understood.]
Amidst a strange tension, I lay down on the bed, and Nia hurriedly crawled in. Using my arm as a pillow, she curled up while pressing her back against me.
She must have been exhausted from staying tense in such an extraordinary situation. Nia soon began to breathe rhythmically in sleep.
“…Grandfather…”
At the words she whispered, I couldn’t help but peek at her face.
A single tear was rolling down Nia’s cheek.
…It’s no wonder.
No matter how much she acts tough, she must be incredibly anxious. When my parents died, there was no one to help me.
But that’s exactly why I don’t want to be like that.
If a child is alone and in trouble, I want to be an adult who can reach out a hand.
In reality, I was just a person thrown away like trash by a black company, but I didn’t think my soul had rotted.
“It’s okay. I’ll do something about it.”
I whispered softly and gently stroked Nia’s head.
I felt like her expression relaxed just a little.
…How long had we been like that?
“…Nn.”
“!?”
The sleeping Nia rolled over and hugged me.
Having missed the timing to pull away, I looked up at the ceiling with a wry smile, and glowing letters appeared, though I didn’t know the mechanism.
[This is a chance for Yotogi! Shall I prescribe an injection that prevents pain no matter what happens, or medication that ensures a full night of sound sleep regardless of activity?”]
“…!”
Who would ask for that, you idiot!
I wanted to scream at her, but I held back because Nia was sleeping.
And besides, when I said ‘shut up,’ I didn’t mean it was okay if it was just text!
“Nn… Nngh…”
Because of Tsubame’s bizarre behavior, I became oddly conscious of her. Her simple breathing sounded strangely alluring.
…I am an adult. I’m an adult, so I’m fine. I won’t do anything…!
This is bad. I definitely won’t be able to sleep.
Looking at Nia’s sleeping face right in front of me, I made a decision.
“…Tsubame, prescribe the medicine that makes you sleep soundly through the night—for me.”
As I whispered softly, the short character for ‘Yes’ appeared on the ceiling. Even though it was just text, I wanted to believe that the feeling of disappointment I sensed was just my imagination.
When I woke up, Nia was sleeping peacefully right in front of me. Her lustrous lips, and eyelashes so long they looked fake.
Forgetting that Nia was only about fourteen, my heart couldn’t help but skip a beat.
It might be because Tsubame has been pushing me so hard that I’ve become conscious of it.
…This is bad.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.GITHUB.IO
I am not a lolicon, and I am not a despicable human who would do something improper to a sleeping girl.
I wiped away the traces of her tears so as not to wake Nia, and quietly slipped out of bed.
[Good morning.]
“Morning.”
After giving Tsubame a thorough lecture, I had her guide me through the ship to get ready.
Since Nia was sleeping, she had apparently waited for me to leave the room before speaking.
[Since your order last night was to ‘shut up,’ I could not bring myself to make a sound.]
“Just because it isn’t voice doesn’t make it okay. Putting text on the ceiling like that…”
[I will also prepare a medicine to put Master into ‘Beast Mode’.]
“Discard that immediately, along with the recipe.”
By the way, the clothes I was wearing were made by dismantling the stock found on the ship and tailoring them to match the outfit I arrived in. A shirt that fit my average build perfectly, paired with black slacks. Over that, a khaki flight jacket, also sewn to my exact measurements.
It was the same design as a delivery driver’s uniform, but the comfort was on a completely different level. It fit snugly, yet didn’t feel constricting at all. Above all, it was incredibly light.
Plus, despite feeling breathable, it was remarkably warm.
“Is this like… some high-end fabric? Does it have special functions or something?”
[It utilizes bulletproof and blade-resistant fibers, so standard physical rounds won’t be an issue. As for optical laser weaponry… it will leave a scorch mark if sustained for more than ten seconds.]
“So you’re saying It’ll be fine anyway!”
[It will not be ‘fine.’ It will scorch.]
“I’m talking about the person inside the clothes, not the fabric!”
[Would you like breakfast?]
“After Nia wakes up.”
[Understood. In that case, until Nia opens her eyes, how about a little exercise?]
“Exercise…?”
[The lower section of the living quarters includes an attached training facility. I thought you might like to train there.]
“Was there really space for that…?”
[I have implemented spatial expansion, so it is much larger than it appears from the outside.]
“More of that nonsense Pre-Ancient Civilization technology, huh…?”
Seriously, anything goes with this stuff.
Following Tsubame’s guidance, I arrived at a space filled with what looked like white panels.
I expected to see rows of training equipment, but instead, there were just a few vertical pods lined up against the wall.
[These are pods for changing into training gear and measuring your vitals, a medical pod, and a pod for accessing virtual space.]
“A medical pod…? Is there a chance I’ll get injured during training?”
[Primarily, it is used to alleviate muscle pain and fatigue. However, in the unlikely event of an emergency, it can quickly regenerate things like lost limbs or organ damage.]
“That’s a hell of an ‘unlikely event’… but yeah, totally nonsensical. That’s better than the highest-grade medical facilities I know.”
If I recall, organ regeneration therapy used to take six months to a year even with massive machinery.
And the cost was eye-popping—though it was amazing how many people were desperate enough to pay it.
I knew this because I’d transported them before. Not just the equipment, but the cultivation pods containing customers in the middle of their treatment.
For now, I stepped into the nearest pod. With a pashuu sound, air rushed over my body, and suddenly I was wearing a skin-tight inner suit. Apparently, it also cleans off sweat and dirt like a substitute shower; I felt strangely refreshed.
Though, not knowing how I was stripped naked is a bit unsettling.
“Hey, this changing function…”
[…Have you realized? Yes, last night, if I had received permission, I could have turned Nia naked in an instant—]
“Using that function on someone who’s unconscious is forbidden! Permission is only granted for emergency medical acts!”
What is this junk AI even saying?!
[Increasing the population of the Federation is an urgent matter… and childbirth is a medical act… Therefore, may I assume permission has been granted?]
“Like hell you may!”
This thing really never wavers, does it?
Stepping out of the pod, I checked my new clothes. The black-based suit was etched with silver lines that pulsed irregularly.
“That’s a pretty cyber-looking design.”
[It is for real-time measurement of your basic capabilities. It can also be operated from my side to apply loads—the reverse principle of a Powered Suit—or to help you understand correct movements.]
Tsubame’s thought of everything.
The floor rose up, and something resembling a model gun appeared.
Apparently, I was going to use this for training.
[First, let us begin marksmanship training. If Master’s own skills improve, it will provide a significant bonus when firing from this unit.]
“Is that really necessary? With Tsubame’s support, I don’t think I’ll ever miss.”
[We must prepare for unexpected damage or malfunctions. Furthermore, the more Master’s shooting ability improves, the more I can allocate resources elsewhere.]
“I see.”
[Besides, you need a way to protect yourself when operating outside the ship. I am currently rushing the production of a Powered Suit for Master’s use, but training is essential to raise your survival rate even slightly.]
Nodding at her sound reasoning, I took a stance with the model gun and aimed at a hologram that appeared in the room.
The position of my feet. The angle of my arms. How to hook my finger. How to steady my aim.
Tsubame’s critiques came fast, correcting every little detail. There were so many things to fix that I was exhausted before I even fired a shot.
Visit the request page If there’s a Japanese Light Novel (LN) or Web Novel (WN) you’d like me to translate
When the donation goal progress bar above hit 100% one novel will be chosen for translation
| Table of Contents | Next* |
Support the Author by Buying the Original Books!
