-1: 40
Syuen had seen what happened to women who failed.
She KNEW what happened to COMPETENT woman who failed.
There was no quiet retirement. There was no disappearing from the spotlight.
Syuen let out a bitter laugh. "For the sake of humanity... right?"
It was a clear ending.
Someone like her... the Central Government was probably salivating the opportunity to turn her into a Nikke. An unfortunate 'accident' was all it would take. And then they would spin it as the 'brave Missilis CEO continuing to serve as a Nikke even after death...'
Syuen gnashed her teeth again, cracking them. But she didn't care.
The newsreport continued to play, lauding headline after headline about the Knight Commander.
There was one path out.
But to take it...
"...Fuck it." Syuen slapped her hands on her table and grabbed her phone. "I'm NOT... I'm NOT going to let them do that to me. I'm NOT becoming a Nikke. If I have to beg, if I have to throw my pride away, at least...!"
Just before she was going to text Hoopa, she got a message from the head of the board of directors. A notice that the board had set a deadline for her to show results before they consider a vote of no-confidence.
"Those bastards...!"
It wasn't even a veiled threat. They were basically saying that if she couldn't pull anything off, they were going to turn her into a Nikke. They'd arrange an accident and then make use of her brain after she couldn't refuse.
Syuen bit her lip hard enough for it to bleed. Then she changed her mind. Instead of texting Hoopa, she pressed call.
"You'd better pick up, you...!"
===
Back in my room, just after dinner time.
Because I'd taken Anis out all day, it was Marian's turn to have me in the evening.
But also because the girls were considerate, they'd given me a few hours to just be by myself in case I needed to take care of work or other Commander duties.
And it seemed like their foresight was spot-on.
In the middle of sorting out meeting notices, like the fact that I was supposed to meet another Deputy Chief named Burningum tomorrow as well as transfer notices about a Nikke squad called Matis from Missilis, my phone rang.
At first, I thought it was Raptilion. I hadn't heard from the guy in a bit, so I thought it was about time he checked in.
But when I saw the caller ID, it read Syuen.
"...Should I answer?"
I didn't want to. Her first impression was absolutely NOT good.
But the fact that she was calling right now just after I got the transfer notice of Matis meant that it was probably important...
So after the first ringer, I picked up. "Hello?"
"You bastard! You deliberately kept me waiting, didn't you?!" Syuen's voice cut through the line, sharp and furious.
But it wasn't just that.
If it was, I would have hung up.
But I could hear it. Faint, but present. An emotion completely at odds with her initial impression: desperation.
Since that was the case, I sat up straight in my chair and spoke calmly. "My apologies. I was still processing what the purpose of your call could be, Miss Syuen."
Was it because I didn't snap back at her? Or did my deliberately calm town help her relax a bit.
Syuen took a slow breath and said, "...No. That's fine. I get it. I did just call at a random time."
Okay, something must be REALLY bad. For her to apologize... well, it wasn't a REAL apology. She didn't say it.
But I had enough experiences with bratty types and tsunderes to read between the lines.
So instead of drawing attention to that, I said, "How can I help you?"
"...What?" Syuen's voice cracked. "...Wh-What makes you think I need help, huh? You stupid Commander, I don't need any help from you!"
Ah, she was definitely in a bad spot.
Hm...
Alright. Then let's due the standard protocols: play to her ego a bit and let her think it was her idea.
"That's right. You're competent, so you don't need any help, especially from me. But there's probably something useful I can provide, right? That's why you're calling."
Syuen paused, letting out a shaky breath. "...Yeah. You understand me. Good. And there is."
"Go ahead. I'm listening."
"...Keep an eye on Matis for me. For a while. Take them out on patrols or whatever you do. And get me some footage."
I blinked. "...Is that it?"
Syuen was quiet for a while. Then she said, "For now."
I waited.
Syuen didn't keep talking.
So I continued with the next tactic for dealing with bratty tsunderes who were dishonest: talking about the topic by not talking about the topic.
"Alright then. So, would it be helpful if we found any useful advancements on the surface too? Like maybe lost tech?"
"...Yes. If you find anything like that, I'll pay you for it. You're smart. No beating around the bush with you, huh? Should've expected it with the way you treated me, you rude bastard."
Next tactic, ignore what you don't want to talk about, highlight what you do.
"I am fairly competent, yes. And I'll let you know. I do plan on heading out on an excursion soon anyway, so it'll help."
"Good. That's... good." Syuen murmured. "...Hopefully it's enough."
Okay, yeah. I was getting all sorts of death flag vibes from her.
Even if she was a bitch to me when we first met, considering she was a genius and a woman, I could read between the lines.
If she failed, she was fucked. Maybe literally, maybe metaphorically. But women in power were always in danger of being turned to Nikke in this world.
Especially women like Syuen, who flailed around authority without having any personal power.
She wasn't like Ingrid, who was built like a woman who could absolutely knock your teeth out and put a bullet in your head.
Syuen was young. A bratty teenager who was barely legal at best, probably younger than that.
...Hm. In hindsight I'd snapped over a kid who was probably in the midst of puberty.
Not my best move, but you win some you lose some.
But either way, I was getting severe 'remember to save here' vibes. Like, if this was a visual novel, this would ABSOLUTELY be the point that decided if she died a horrible death or kept being involved in the plot.
So...
"Hey, Syuen."
"What? You got something to say about me, asshole? You gonna threaten me again for a ransom? Or are you pissed about me declining your requests for mass-produced Nikke? I already sent you Matis, so what more do you want, you greedy bastard?!"
I pointedly ignored her venom.
...It was hard.
The inner crashout in me wanted to scream right back at her.
But I remembered that I was a grown-ass man, and she was definitely still just a teenager.
So instead, I calmed down and said, "Since you're a genius, I'll ask you this. I was going to ask Mustang, but you seem more suited to figuring this out."
I heard Syuen take a deep breath. Then she slowly said, "...Alright. I'm listening."
"I'm aware that NIMPH is what allows Nikke to be formed. It's done by injecting nanomachines into a brain and copying the data. But as far as I know, you don't know the exact physics behind it, yes?"
"...Obviously. We know the process, but the exact mechanisms are still a work-in-progress and an active area of research. ...Why?"
"Well..."
...Damn.
I kept saying that I wasn't a hero and a man who followed certainty.
But at the end of the day, I also hated not having a choice.
And I could tell.
Syuen was at the end of her rope. For the relevant people in power, it might be best to just arrange an accident, spin it with good PR, and turn her into a Nikke with NIMPH so they could control her.
Moreover, she was young. Still a teenager. Hell, she might not even know how to deal with the hormone changes.
I didn't know much about her, but she DID give off child genius forced into power due to prowess without consideration of maturity vibes.
But she was also prideful.
I couldn't just give her an out. I had to give her the tools to build an out, otherwise she'd never take it.
So...
"Have you considered that instead of 'electricity' storing the data, it might be light instead? Nerve cells have microtubules of light stored inside them. An evanescent photon. If you could read and capture the states of these photons, then model them, wouldn't it be possible to bypass NIMPH entirely?"
For me, it was a casual question.
But I could tell.
For Syuen, it was revolutionary.
For a solid five minutes, Syuen was quiet. Then, she spoke in a shaky voice. "...What do you want?" She put a bit more strength into her voice and said, "What do you want, dammit! That's... you can't just...! You want something! You HAVE to want something from me! Just... tell me what it is!"
Ah, right.
A girl like Syuen wouldn't believe in 'no-strings attached.'
So in that case, let's do a bargain that's skewed in her favor on the surface, but really isn't.
"If anyone asks about the tech I'm using, say it's Missilis. Specifically, yours."
Syuen was quiet again. Then her voice came out slow and shaky. "That's... it?"
"I need an alibi. I would ask Mustang, but Tetra doesn't really do what I do. And Ingrid... Mm. I trust her as a person, but not as a business partner. You're the opposite. Honestly, I dislike you as a person. But I know I can count on you in deals."
Backhanded compliments, subtly affirming her capabilities, showing she has value...
And predictably...
"Y-Yes. Yes. Of course I'm better than that old Ingrid." Syuen's voice regained its strength and she said, "Who the hell do you think I am, huh? I'm Syuen, the genius CEO of Missilis. Of course I'm better at business than a crusty old lady like Ingrid."
"I agree."
"Fine. It's a deal. You keep an eye on Matis for me, and I'll cover your back whenever you pull out whatever technology you have. Hell, I'll even let you put our logo on your equipment if you want. But you have to say its mine. Syuen's specifically."
"Deal. But do you have a personal logo? I dislike the Missilis one."
"WHAT?! Are you crazy? What's there to dislike about it, huh?!"
"The fact that it has three crosses inside of it?"
Syuen was quiet again.
I heard the sound of rapid keyboard clicks and then a sharp gasp.
"...No way. All this time... I THOUGHT THAT WAS DECORATION! But... ARGH! Those V.T.C. bastards! This is MY company! Mine!"
"Right? The Vatican's pretty shady."
"You're damned right they're shady! That's it, we're doing a rebrand right away." Syuen grumbled under her breath, the furious sound of keyboard typing echoing over the phone.
After a bit though, the sounds stopped. Then Syuen's quiet breathing echoed.
I waited.
And finally, Syuen quietly said, "Thanks."
Then the line went dead.
"...Well." I stared at my phone. "...Hopefully that was enough."