-3: 135
As I arrived in a crackle of pixellated lightning, I took a look around my surroundings, tucking my multitool back in its trusty spot behind my breastplate. "So this is the crystal region that Raptilion mentioned..."
It was a beautiful landscape filled with crystals that looked like a sky-blue quartz etched with circuits inside them.
I picked up a loose chunk of the crystal nearby and held it in my hand, idly hefting it up to check its weight. "Hm... it's weirdly light."
Despite looking solid, it felt almost like plastic instead of a mineral. Super light.
"Well, I'll experiment with it later." I left it aside for now and continued walking forward.
Like Sophia said, the surroundings vaguely looked like a synthetic Ark.
There were buildings, roads, and signposts, so I just followed along it to where the Central Government headquarters should roughly be.
As I did, I kept an eye on the surroundings and hummed, mulling over recent events. "It's still just Monday and the 2nd... I'll need to start heading with Anis to practice for the concert on the 11th. I should probably watch the Ark Rangers movie at some point too... Ah, and I need to do research into the Gundams and megazords..."
The downsides of being a man in clear demand: there was always something on the to-do list.
But after a bit more walking, a lilac blur and and orange blur descended from above. Liberalio and Nihilister.
Liberalio smiled and floated over to give me a warm hug. "Father. It's good to see you again. Have you been well?"
I hugged her back and said, "I've been great, Liberalio. You?"
Liberalio ended her hug and smiled. "It has been fun. Miss Siren is quite enjoyable to talk to, as well as Miss Abe and Ziz."
Nihilister walked over and held out a fist for a fistbump.
I fistbumped her and said, "What about you, Nile?"
"Eh, it's alright." Nihilister tucked her hands in the pocket of her white hoodie and said, "Behemoth is fun to spar with and the crystal Raptures around here are interesting targets. But it's pretty boring otherwise. Wolfie has been fun too, but I've just been keeping a perimeter." She reached up to stretch. "How are things at the Outpost? Anything exciting, Pops?"
"Something like that. We're going to start moving on making headway to claiming territory ahead of the Third Surface Reclamation war."
Nihilister's eyes lit up and she said, "So what I'm hearing is that there's a chance for us to go wild against the crazy Tyrants roaming on the surface, Pops?"
"Pretty much." I chuckled and said, "So where is this sleeping beauty I'm supposed to help wake up?"
Liberalio hugged her jellyfish floatation device and started drifting. "This way, Father. I will lead the way."
I nodded and followed after her.
Nihilister moved in tandem beside me before saying, "By the way, Pops." She pointed at the crystals and said, "This is pretty interesting stuff. It chases energy and disrupts a lot of things. If you're not careful, it can grow on Nikkes and Raptures too. But it listens to us."
I paused. "...Listens to us?"
Liberalio nodded. "Indeed. If Wolfie, myself, or Nihilister makes contact with the crystals, it recedes if on other entities, or it becomes inert."
"Huh. That's interesting... Is it alive then?"
"Beats me, Pops." Nihilister shrugged. "It seems pretty useful though. The leader of the Four Beasts says it seems kind of like what they call Dark Matter, except instead of generating energy, it eats it."
"Hm... that really is interesting. Did Sophia mention anything about it? I presume she's here too, right?"
Liberalio nodded. "Miss Sophia said that it seems similar to Father's records on... materia?" She looked at Nihilister. "That is what she said, right?"
Nihilister nodded. "Yeah. Materia. Not material, but 'materia' whatever that is."
My eyes sharpened. "Is that so?"
If that was the case...
Definitely a lot to test.
But before I could dwell too much on it, we arrived at a giant research facility. Or what looked like one at least.
I straightened and said, "Well, we can look into that later. For now, let's go meet the others."
===
"Oh! Commander!" Siren let out a warm smile and waved at me as I walked inside. "Thank you for coming!"
I waved back at her. "No problem, Siren. Thanks for the message." I took a quick look around and took in the surroundings.
There was a giant coffin set in the middle of the room hooked up to various terminals. Giant crystals and Harmony Cubes were interlinked with black pulsating veins. And all of that was connected to an ethereal beauty with snow-white hair fashioned in twin-tails, pristine skin... and a white outfit with so many holes cut into it that it looked more like the suggestion of clothing than actual clothing.
I slowly blinked and said, "...Do all Nikkes inherently dislike clothing, or what?"
Siren noticed my gaze and blushed. "A-Ah. Well, Cinderella is a fan of beauty... and she's beautiful enough to wear an outfit like that..."
At that time, a built woman with sun-bleached blonde hair, a black hooded cloak... and literally a black fabric thong, sleeveless croptop, and combat boots walked up.
"So you are the Commander that Siren mentioned."
Although her face was hidden by a mask, I got the sense I was being sized up.
But I didn't mind. Mostly because...
"Okay. Reiterating my point."
...I couldn't help but do the same since she was muscular but left literally nothing to imagination.
"...Do all Nikkes dress like this? I mean, I guess some of the ones under my command have outfits that are a little sus, but..." I trailed off when I shifted my gaze to the side and saw that Leviathan girl again along with three other young women wearing black mesh with what looked like dripping black leather. Clothes that looked like they would wash away in a strong current.
"...You know what?" I sighed. "Never mind." I clapped my hand and said, "Let's get down to business." I walked over to the coffin and took a cautious look. "So this is Cinderella, huh?"
Like Siren said, she was definitely beautiful. Cinderella had the assets, curves, and beauty to flaunt whatever she wanted. And the high-tech personalized weapon hooked up to her that looked like floating chrome heels also seemed beautiful... and dangerous.
Siren walked over and nodded. "Yes! She's one of my dear friends... so it would be wonderful if you could save her, Commander... Oh!" She pointed at the muscular woman from earlier. "This is Abe, by the way! She's the one who made us!"
I looked over at her again and said, "Abe?"
The blonde woman nodded. "Nice to meet you." Her voice came out in a gravely rasp as she held out her hand.
I took her hand and shook it.
When I did though, Abe tensed.
I frowned and said, "What is it?"
"...Superhuman." She looked down at my hand and tried squeezing.
I tilted my head and squeezed back, idly equalizing her hand pressure. "That's a firm handshake. Respect."
Abe let out a soft chuckle and said, "I understand. You are different. Definitely Superhuman. Handsome too... Cinderella will like you."
I slowly blinked. Then I said, "Okay. So like, is the fact that I'm openly intimate with more women these days showing up on me or what? More and more people keep commenting in my looks and about being attractive."
Siren giggled, a faint blush on her face. "Well, you ARE attractive, Commander! Almost like... a prince!"
Abe chuckled. "Right. A prince charming."
At that time, a black-haired woman from the group of four I noticed earlier walked over. Adjusting her glasses, she smiled and said, "I, the enlightened Bahamut, will explain! When a man has been approved by women, he is marked as a 'safe' entity and preapproved for others. As such, for women who wish to create offspring-"
Leviathan sighed and drifted over. "That's enough, Bahamut." She looked at me and smiled. "And hello again, Commander." She coughed, the tips of her ear a bit red. "I-I take it that you resolved your... affairs from last time?"
"It actually wasn't an affair since everyone was aware of it... but yes. And it's nice to meet you officially, Leviathan."
Leviathan smiled. "Thank you." She gestured towards the others and said, "This is Bahamut, as she made readily apparent."
The woman with glasses nodded. "Indeed."
"That's Behemoth."
A woman who also had black hair, but who looked a bit more dangerous with spiked armor and a floating... drill bit? Some sort of weapon attachment at least.
She walked over and sized me up before giving me an approving smile. "You're strong." She glanced at Nihilister and said, "Okay. You're right. Your Pops isn't a weakling."
Nihilister looked smug. "Told you."
Leviathan rolled her eyes and gestured towards the last member of her group.
Said last member was a shy-looking young woman with short pinkish/red hair... and wearing basically nothing at all except a womb tattoo, a sleeveless crop top in the VERY loosest definition of that word considering it looked like it was melting and one bad slip away from the side from revealing her nipples, thigh-high black leather boots, and a literal small triangle that barely covered her groin.
"This is Ziz," Leviathan said.
Ziz let out a shy wave and said, "N-Nice to meet you? Um... don't hurt us?"
"I don't have any intention to. But... Honestly." I frowned, eyeing them all. "Do you not have clothes, or are you just that poor in resources out here?"
Leviathan blushed and averted her gaze.
Behemoth blushed too and looked down. "...It's hard to find clothes that don't get wrecked, okay?"
Ziz instinctively covered herself, suddenly self-aware. "S-Sorry! Is it too much...?"
Bahamut, however, just adjusted her glasses and said, "I, the esteemed Bahamut shall explain the situation with our outfits. You see, Dark Matter emits high heat when in use. Accordingly, due to our lack of material, most outfits tend to burst into flames or disintegrate. As such, we have resorted to allocate a minimum amount of Dark Matter for modesty, but no more."
"Hoh?" I rubbed my chin, thinking. "That's interesting... Dark Matter, huh?"
Leviathan cleared her throat and said, "We can talk about fashion choices later. Commander Hoopa, over here." She walked over to the coffin, where Sophia was typing at a terminal, and gestured me over.
I followed and said, "So what's the situation, Sophia?"
Sophia looked up, tucking a strand of her silver hair behind her ear. "Creator. As suspected, all diagnostics and vitals are clear. But her memory and sense of self is tenuous. Part of it is because she appears to have been exposed to a substance that removed her NIMPH in the past, but most of it is because her corruption and transformation into a Heretic is conflicting with her core ego as a Nikke. It appears that there is some fragmentation in her identity, resulting in the current situation." She paused and looked up at Abe. "...Although not quite to the same degree, it is similar to Miss Abe here. Which is the problem."
I paused and looked at Abe.
Abe was quiet and slowly nodded. "Yes. I remember Siren. Cinderella. Hansel and Gretel. But..." She tapped her head. "In the past, humans betrayed me. They opened my head. Scrubbed my brain for information. Afterwards, they left me. I relearned everything, but those memories..." She trailed off.
I frowned and then slowly said, "I am starting to have less and less reasons to obey the Central Government HQ by the day. But alright." I looked at Sophia. "So the initial plan was the awaken Cinderella with her creator's help, Abe here. But since Abe is functionally amnesiac without access to any core memories or schematics, we're working in the dark."
Sophia nodded. "Correct. But." She looked at me, amused. "Creator has a habit of pulling off miraculous events when it comes to beautiful women. Why don't you simply follow your intuition?"
I laughed. "Well, if it's a sleeping beauty we're dealing with, why don't I just kiss her?"
It was a joke.
I was teasing.
But Abe placed a hand on her chin and said, "A kiss... Yes. It could work."
Sophia was serious too and said, "A kiss is impactful. An anchor memory that would fire off numerous neurons and synapses... in theory."
"H-Hold on." I blinked. "Are you serious?"
Abe nodded. "Cinderella would like you. And waking up from a dream to a prince by a kiss... it should work."
Sophia nodded. "I agree. Especially if the same phenomenon that Creator has with other Heretics occurs."
It was a two-pronged attack. Both Abe and Sophia were eyeing me with curious but serious gazes.
I sighed and rubbed the back of my neck. "You realize that this will probably make her fall deeply in love with me, right? And it's going to absolutely result in a catfight down the line?"
Sophia chuckled. "Creator. You have experience and expertise in resolving those."
Abe nodded. "A Superhuman can resolve superhuman problems. You will make it work."
In the corner of my eyes, I saw Siren looking on with a curious gaze.
Leviathan and Bahamut were too.
Liberalio looked amused, Nihilister looked like she was expecting something ridiculous...
And was that Wolfie in the back giving me a thumbs up?
I chuckled. "Fine. I suppose I shouldn't complain about getting the chance to kiss a beautiful woman. Though." I pulled out my phone and shot out some text messages to the group chat with all the women in my life.
===
[My fair ladies]
HOOPA: Question. If I kissed a beautiful woman to wake her up from a coma, with a high probability of her falling for me, what are your thoughts?
Anis: Ugh. ANOTHER one? Fiiine. But you'd better make sure she knows her place!
Rapi: I don't mind.
Endless: I approve the acquisition of tactical assets.
Rapunzel: Oh my! While your aunties and father are out fighting for humanity, you're flirting with more women? As expected of my sexy nephew! <3
Mari: It's okay. We need more reinforcements at night. >.>
Rose: Of course you would be doing that right now, Commander. XD But go ahead. I don't mind.
Shifty: I-I'm still yours, right, Commander? You won't throw me away?
HOOPA: Of course, Shifty. >.> Do I need to mark you to make you sure?
Shifty: !!! I-I mean...
Anis: Wow.
Guilty: I don't mind, Commander. In fact, please go ahead. If you can save someone, you should do it.
Sin: I approve just for the sake of having more beautiful women around~
Mihara: Oh! You included Yuni and me too in this group? We love you too, Commander~ But of course. Go ahead and do as you wish.
Maxwell: For science, Cutey, go ahead!
Syuen: Ugh. You absolute pervert.
Maxwell: Says the Pipsqueak who gave Laplace a womb barcode tattoo.
Syuen: SHUT UP!
Jien: :) I am fine with whatever you wish, Darling~
Ark Ranger Black: I-I am considered your woman...? I-I mean... I'M HONORED! And yes! Do as you please, Commander!
Viper: Oh my. Honey's laying his claim on me already? But I'm okay with it too~
Anis: It's clearly fine, Commander. Not like we can stop you anyway... but I want cuddles later! And a baby! Whenever Maxwell and Syuen get around to making more of those shots!
Maxwell: It'll be done by Christmas, Anis.
===
After that, the chat devolved into the girls breaking off into their own little conversations, so I slipped my phone away.
Then I looked up at Abe and Sophia before nodding. "The wifeys say it's alright, so we're all good."
Abe tilted her head. Her face was invisible, but I got the sense that she was amused. "A responsible philanderer..."
Sophia chuckled. "Well. In some retellings of the classic fairytales, the 'Prince Charming' is the same in multiple tales... this lines up."
"Sure, sure." I chuckled and walked forward. "Then, I'll get started." Kneeling in front of the coffin, I reached out to brush a strand of Cinderella's bangs away from her eyes. Then I leaned in and whispered over her lips. "Wake up, Sleeping Beauty. You've slept long enough."
After that, I closed the gap and placed a soft and chaste kiss on her lips.