After devouring the plate with single-minded determination, a new dish appeared before Kaito without a moment’s delay.
Vanilla ice cream. At least, it looked like vanilla ice cream. A modestly sized scoop of ice cream with a small spoon.
Kaito hesitated. Earlier, he thought it would be spicy, but it turned out to be sweet. What flavor would this ice cream-like thing be if he expected it to be sweet?
Before he could stop her, Emotion, who had finished her meal, also had the same thing appear before her.
In one smooth motion, she scooped it up and ate it. A brief silence followed.
“…I recall that ice cream is a dessert enjoyed by both children and adults.”
“Y-yeah. That’s right.”
“Do Earthlings like this flavor…? My taste buds are supposed to be adjusted to match Earthlings, but I don’t find this flavor appealing.”
He couldn’t exactly say that taste varies from person to person.
Ice cream is usually sweet. And this probably wasn’t sweet. Not wanting Emotion to develop a strange impression, Kaito reluctantly took a bite.
It was bitter.
“Do I need to readjust my taste buds?”
“No, Emotion. It’s not you. It’s just that this flavoring isn’t like Earth’s.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. This is what we call bitter.”
Kaito prided himself on being able to tolerate most unpalatable foods. The meals during his imprisonment were so bad he could barely stomach them. But just the discrepancy from the taste he remembered was enough to leave him feeling defeated.
He swallowed it like medicine, without chewing. Before the next dish could appear, he made a request with a weary look in his eyes.
“…Bring me the person responsible for this flavoring.”
Just one word. He had to say it, or he wouldn’t feel satisfied.
“I see. So this is the pattern of an Earthling’s taste buds. I’ll make sure to share this for future reference.”
“…Thanks.”
He had been interviewed about Earthling taste buds without any ulterior motives. The mechanical intelligence that appeared as the responsible party brought out seasonings based on Kaito’s explanation and quickly prepared one Earth dish. Kaito was at a loss for words when it was presented to him. He took a bite and was amazed by its deliciousness. Just by understanding the balance of flavors, it had changed so much.
“…This is…”
“Master Kaito! Wh-what is this!? I’m having an unprecedentedly positive reaction to this dish!”
“It’s fried rice… It’s nostalgic.”
Kaito suddenly remembered the fried rice he had eaten at a restaurant with his parents during his childhood, when he still innocently believed in familial love. This was incomparably more delicious, but for some reason, he felt a stronger sense of nostalgia than taste.
“I know the name of the dish! I want to understand this reaction!”
“It’s delicious… that’s all, Emotion. This fried rice is delicious.”
“This is… this is!”
Emotion’s unusually exaggerated reaction somehow drained the tension from the room.
Taking a deep breath, Kaito shook off the nostalgia and said to Emotion,
“Let’s go see the ship.”
“…Yes. Let’s do that.”
Emotion replied that it was scheduled as the next step.
But then she added,
“I took a look at the catalog while you were resting. Given your nature, I’ve determined that there’s no way to correct your tendency to prioritize your own tastes and preferences. So, the ship is fine based on the catalog. However! Since I’ll be on board, I won’t allow it to be a half-baked ship, so keep that in mind.”
“…Yes.”
Emotion had completely shut down Kaito’s opinion.
‘Ah, so you’re planning to come along as an operator, huh? ‘
Not letting those words slip out from the tip of my tongue might just have been the best play of the day.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
“Ah, Third rank citizen Mister Enek-Ragif!”
Mr. Hamatu greeted them in the packed shipyard.
Hamatu raised his right arm, which was about as tall as Kaito.
“We’ve come to discuss our ship,”
“Ah, the base model’s ready to go,”
“Wait, what?!”
Hamatu looked down at Kaito with amusement as he explained.
“We already got word from your proxy, Ms. Emotion, that you’d be taking this one. We always keep stock on hand for the Representative Terraporapanesio. Though, hardly anyone’s interested in buying these, so they mostly just sit here.”
“My apologies. I’m Emotion, the one who contacted you earlier. If it’s been in stock, does that mean the ship itself is outdated?”
“Nice to meet you, Miss Emotion. No, we’ve been upgrading it regularly. There’s still some fine-tuning to do, but this ship is the latest model used by the Representative Terraporapanesio. If you handle it well, it can do anything. Literally anything.”
Hamatu let out a puff of steam from the top of his head. Was it a sigh?
Dilganer vents from around the ears, while Hamatu does it from the top of his head. It’s probably just a quirk of each mechanical intelligence, but it’s still hard to get used to.
Still, Emotion’s reaction was noticeable. It wasn’t exactly hostile, but the air felt tense.
“First, regarding the interior, I’ll take responsibility for Master Kaito’s life support systems. I’ll share energy from my own body, so please set it up as a function independent from the ship’s main systems.”
“Hmm?”
“Please install a life support block that covers the space used for operating the ship. In the worst-case scenario, we should be able to abandon the ship and use the life support block alone to reach the Federation.”
“Whoa, going that far, huh? I don’t mind, but the ship’s going to end up pretty bulky.”
“That’s fine. If it increases the chances of protecting Master Kaito’s life, I’ll accept it.”
“Emotion?”
The request was unusually specific and thorough. When Kaito called out to Emotion, she turned just her head toward him. ‘At least twist your upper body a little. It’s creepy.’
“Master Kaito. This is something inherent to the Federation’s nature, so I think it’s unavoidable.”
“Huh?”
“Since having backups for life is considered normal here, the concept of life support on ships is generally neglected. Unless this function is implemented, I cannot allow Master Kaito to board this ship.”
Kaito nodded at Emotion’s words. So, because people can revive in new bodies even after death, the life support systems on ships are kept to a minimum? Of course, the ship’s performance itself is far beyond Earth’s standards, so accidents are probably rare.
Even Kaito himself can’t say he’s completely detached from Earth’s perspective on life. Just because there’s a backup body with the same cells and memories doesn’t necessarily mean it’s truly him.
“If Master Kaito doesn’t mind losing his life and prefers a more stylish exterior, I can withdraw this proposal.”
“No, let’s go with this plan. I’m not fully assimilated into the Federation’s way of thinking yet. Even if there’s a backup, I’d prefer to live a long life in this body.”
“I’m relieved.”
“…I see. So that’s how species who view life as finite think. Got it. I’ll get started right away.”
Hamatu didn’t comment on our old-fashioned thinking but seemed to accept it as he began working.
As Kaito watched the work with interest, Emotion quietly approached.
“By the way,”
Emotion whispered into Kaito’s ear. “That ship… it’s built to the same standards as the ones used by the Terraporapanesio. If Master Kaito’s output drops, like from dozing off, the life support system itself will fail.”
“Seriously?”
Ah, right. The Terraporapanesio are a hive mind, so they can probably take turns sleeping or something.
Kaito’s body has been modified to endure long periods without food, water, or sleep, but even that has its limits.
“Thanks, Emotion. That sent a chill down my spine.”
“You’re welcome.”
Kaito unconsciously clutched his chest and let out a deep breath. In a way, this moment might have been the most striking realization of the difference between them and the Federation.
“Now, about the ship’s equipment. Master Kaito’s psychic abilities will be the basis for operating the ship, but what about armaments?”
“Armaments? Hmm…”
Things like destroying asteroids we might collide with, or battles with other civilizations or space pirates… if such people even exist.
Kaito vaguely looked at his future ship, which was transforming from a flat fighter-like shape to a chubby, rounded form. Huh, it reminds me of something. What was it?
In any case, Kaito felt a strong inspiration looking at the ship. He confidently spoke up.
“I want… hands.”
“…Hands?!”
This time, it was Emotion’s turn to be shocked.
As Kaito and Emotion went back and forth about the ship’s equipment, Hamatu, who had been working, made a strange noise. It didn’t seem directed at them, but the work itself had stopped.
Before Kaito could ask what happened, Hamatu turned his head unit toward them. It wasn’t as creepy as Emotion’s reaction, probably because Hamatu’s design isn’t as human-like.
“Third rank citizen Enek-Ragif. We’ve received a message from Dilganer of Zodgia. He’s asking if you could come back for a moment.”
“Huh? Dilganer?”
Kaito had no idea what this was about.
As Kaito and Emotion exchanged glances, Hamatu spoke up again.
“You’ve got that ship you rode to Zodgia, right? He wants to discuss what to do with it.”
“Ah!”
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