“Shameless!!”
As I was finally calming my mind by puffing on the long-awaited cigarette, Galatea burst into the tent which serves as the Rustiagis encampment built outside Tiamat 25.
“Hmm… What is it…?”
I, who had reached a state akin to Zen-like relaxation — though I can do it without a cigarette, it certainly aids mental stabilization — hastily propped myself up in response to the sudden visit. I cut off all the functions of my artificial endorphin system and returned to a normal state.
“Isn’t this shameless!?”
“…The skin suit?”
What was thrust right in front of my eyes was the inner garment I’d made specifically for her.
This was an open-back suit, with a pressure-sealed zipper on the back, that snugly covered her from her toes to her neck. Though it resembled a wetsuit used for diving, the suit also came equipped with light armor to prevent transparency in the chest and groin areas, along with devices to check vital signs, giving it a somewhat mechanical appearance.
However, I couldn’t quite understand why it would be considered shameless. To me, it was just a normal skin suit. In the beginning, with the factory’s capacity being constrained, we hadn’t prepared any. But after retrieving the “Great Mother” and having access to the 3D formative machine, I was now using it myself—a completely ordinary pair of underwear.
“What’s your issue with this? It’s very convenient.”
No need for washing, strong against body odor, and with just a monthly refill of nanomachines, it remained in optimal condition for daily or battlefield wear. What’s not to like?
The reinforced exoskeleton has high airtightness, which becomes stifling. Plus, the full-plate models with attached armor can be bothersome during long-term wear due to sweat and grime buildup. Since humanity that hasn’t undergone cybernetic modification uses these skin suits to adapt—apparently, they all find them quite practical.
Truth be told, it’s become indispensable for me too, due to how comfortable they are.
“This… this kind of underwear showing off such a figure! It’s shameless!!”
Skin suits worn beneath the hard exoskeleton are designed to fit snugly to avoid causing internal strain on the exoskeleton’s structure. This isn’t due to any developer’s peculiar tastes but rather technical necessity. Without proper adherence, the embedded nanobots couldn’t decompose sweat or excretions, hence this design is rational.
“I-I… why would you send me something like this!?”
“As normal underwear. I customized it to match your new reinforced exoskeleton. That’s all.”
As equipment updates progressed after a few days from the feast, Galatea has apparently shown up here for a peculiar negotiation. Is she unhappy with the underwear I prepared for her? Yet, she was so moved when I provided her with the full-plate exoskeleton model.
“Firstly, it’s underwear! Who’s even going to see it?”
“That… it’s…”
Moreover, there are only two humans here: you and me. What’s there to be bashful about?
“Let me clarify; I’m not some lewd person who peeps on women changing.”
“That’s… I know… but…”
Her whisper of “embarrassing” was barely audible.
Hm, it seems our fashion sense might be a bit too advanced for people from the Canopy Holy Capital.
“Selene, are you free now?”
“I’m busy calculating production plans. Is it an urgent matter?”
“It’s about Galatea’s underwear.”
Damn, the moment I brought up the topic, the call got cut. And it seems I’ve been blocked because I can’t even call back…
I wonder if my partner is having some sort of misunderstanding…
“But isn’t being fully covered like this a better option than a Sparrow?”
“It’s… there’s something about it, though…”
Ah, that’s right. Galatea lost most of her equipment and escaped with just the clothes on her back, so she actually has no spare clothes. Until recently, I’d been supplying her with the same overalls I use, and she’d been making do with men’s underwear. However, Selene reported that she had been laboriously washing and drying one piece of underwear repeatedly.
Apparently, using men’s underwear was too embarrassing for her, so she only wore it while waiting for her own to dry.
It’s quite pitiable, so I tried making her a suit, but she didn’t like it, did she?
Still, it’s not as if skin suits come in fancy designs. Since I lack artistic flair, if I were told to design from scratch, I’d be at a loss.
Moreover, with normal cloth underwear, she’d struggle during the upcoming march. We’ll be running non-stop on the pack of wolves, and the friction with the exoskeleton would be stressful. How would she handle bedsores if things went wrong?
“You’re glad that your limbs are all covered, right… but…”
“But what?”
“The outline of your… body…”
Ah, I see—this is a cultural thing.
I now recognize the culture Galatea belongs to, which values how women cover their bodies.
Respecting her privacy, I don’t know what kind of underwear she usually wears, but her satisfaction with covering even her limbs hints at a culture where women wear long-sleeved camisoles and drawers that extend to the thighs.
There must be cultural norms where women should modestly cover their bodies and expose only their necks and wrists to men.
That’s why you’ve been wearing the one size larger overalls to make them loose, right?
“Hmm… what kind of clothes did you wear in your homeland?”
“Lend me something to write with.”
With considerable effort using a pen and a spatial projection tablet, she drew a picture for me.
Oh, you do have talent for drawing! I can clearly understand what you mean.
As expected, the undergarments consist of a camisole with sleeves reaching the arms and drawers extending to the shins.
And, regular clothes are… What?! Lolita Gothic? She actually wore Gothic Lolita attire!
This was unexpected.
No, it’s fine. I think such a Gothic Lolita look would actually suit the active, boyish Galatea. Yet, after always seeing her in overalls with the exoskeleton, learning that she used to wear a Gothic Lolita outfit is rather shocking.
“W-What’s with that reaction? This is a traditional, normal outfit.”
“Well, the person who popularized these must share some common interests with me. I think we’d have a great drinking session together.”
“Huh?”
Her expression clearly read, “What is this person talking about?” but please ignore that. This is just my quirk.
See, I’m quite the polyhobbyist; I enjoy everything from stylish looks to sugary maidenly aesthetics. Even something a bit eccentric strikes a chord with me.
“Anyways, Galatea, can you bear with it for now? Creating something similar to what you prefer with the same material will be extremely inefficient.”
To be serious, such loose items won’t allow the nanomachines to properly touch the skin, causing hygienic problems. When you wear the exoskeleton, compromising here could lead to serious issues. The constant stench of a kendo club’s locker room every time you open the back won’t be pleasant for you either, right?
“If it’s unavoidable, I’ll prepare an additional layer of underwear that you can wear over the skin suit.”
“If wearing that will prevent my figure from being visible…I’ll endure.”
Hmm, while it’s good that she agreed, I wonder if pointing out that this seems to evoke some peculiar tastes would be appropriate or not.
No, it’s fine anyway; I personally love things like pairing swimsuits with knee-high socks or even jackets. Such gaps are quite appealing.
“Still, nobody but you will see your underwear, so why be so bashful?”
“It’s embarrassing for me to see myself in the mirror! Men wouldn’t understand, huh?”
I’m sorry, but as a mechanized human—whose base bodies are still produced through the old-fashioned method of combining parental DNA data and whose genders are sorted during the purification process—we can change our appearances with prosthetics, but completely understanding a woman’s psyche is impossible.
There are times during VR games when I feel pleased thinking, “Wow, I’m quite perverted,” but I’ve never actually felt any real sense of embarrassment.
“I’ll resolve this as soon as possible, so please bear with it until then.”
While acknowledging this, Galatea folded the skin suit in utter embarrassment and left the tent.
Though I thought that equipment procurement was progressing smoothly thanks to Tiamat 25, I hadn’t foreseen this little hitch.
As I scratched my head, I checked the stock table that Selene diligently updates to monitor the progress.
First, the portable rations—almost sufficient. During the expedition, the reserves necessary for the elderly and children of Rustiagis, who will be heavily laboring, are complete as well.
Production is straightforward. We cultured meat obtained from the DNA of the wild boars we caught last time, heated it in the cooker, and vacuum-packed it. Additionally, we used accelerated cultivation techniques for fruits and vegetables found around here, made soups, and canned them. Though the repertoire is limited, rations are like that, so we’ll rely on the recipients’ tolerance.
The Sylvanian preserved food is even simpler. We harvested the grass they normally eat using a harvester, dried it, and molded it into pellets.
It actually feels like rabbit feed, but it’s surprisingly well-received.
Apparently, their taste buds appreciate how the bitterness and sharp flavors of the grass are removed, giving the pellets a unique, fresh aroma. In fact, quite a few of them prefer this as long-term storage food over their regular diet, so I’m considering moving the manufacturing equipment to the kingdom soon.
Even if we provide such luxuries, Tisy and Prometheus of the Rabbits won’t get upset—I hope.
After all, she’s the one who created food refining plants that can produce chestnuts endlessly as long as organic material is provided as raw material.
Next are the Hexapods called the丙種一型広域移動用多脚装輪車両, or the group of wolves. Production will be complete for all personnel by next week. Considering the need for proficiency training, about twenty days are necessary, and the design and production of the wagon pulled by the wolves also require the same amount of time, so there will be no wasted time.
After all, it took them three months to get here from the Holy Capital using the Gear Caliber, including supply deliveries and everything. Though I think the wolves are more advanced, even if we can reach the destination twice as fast, we’ll still need a lot of supplies.
By the way, are the portable small 3D printers ready?
If you think about it, a 3D printer can recreate another 3D printer of the same kind. Though assembly requires human hands or drones due to size concerns, our advantage lies in being able to replicate most smaller items.
With this, we’ll be able to fix anything that breaks during the journey and immediately produce replacements, giving us greater peace of mind along the way.
Tents for sleeping, lightweight tarps, and large tents for gatherings all appear to be completed. All that remains are smaller items like sleeping bags and blankets.
We’re positioned in the northern hemisphere of this planet; winters here are quite cold. The pleasant weather now suggests we’re in spring, so there’s no immediate concern. However, depending on the duration of our stay, we might return in winter, so equipping ourselves properly is essential.
Oh, and the design proposal for the new coilgun came up as well.
I asked for an improved design because we found a better factory.
“…Revolver Rifle?”
At a glance at the blueprint, I couldn’t help but mutter.
Selene, my partner, has crafted something quite peculiar again.
The 3D data reveals a coilgun shaped like a rifle with a rectangular shell covering the long barrel and a revolving cylinder magazine. The stock has a hole for the thumb integrated with the trigger guard, with a mechanism extending near the base to increase the barrel length.
Long-barrel revolvers were an invention of the early stages of automatic firearms but became unpopular due to certain significant flaws—like the risk of burns from the leaking gas when shouldering—but if I think about it, coilguns could indeed overcome these issues. Additionally, they simplify the autoloading system. The design of reloading the entire “cylinder” is also swift and innovative.
While viewing it from a military perspective, one might think, “Isn’t this too much of a personal preference?” However, this is the most efficient design Selene has brainstormed using our current facilities. It must be the most reasonable design with the highest rigidity and the best maintenance properties—so there’s no complaint there.
Actually, the maximum output has doubled to 6,600J thanks to the longer barrel.
Plus, the fact that it can mount a bayonet is personally another significant plus point for me.
It was quite useful during the previous battle after the ammunition ran out and will likely continue to prove its worth in the future.
“Hmm, yes, this will surely make the warriors happy.”
There’s also a design proposal for the improved version of the coilgun I carry.
That said, it’s just improved by elongating the barrel to enhance the power—since it’s a handgun, the performance upgrade is moderate—there’s no particularly novel feature.
Other necessary items would include communication relay drones and their charging station installation units, and then…
A universal tool per person would be good to have as well. Designing a new pistol for close-range combat isn’t a bad idea either. And the exchangeable parts for the exoskeletons and spare clothes are already within permissible limits, so there’s no issue there…
If everything goes as planned, we should be able to depart within a month. I continued to calmly check the catalog of numbers with this in mind…
The next update is scheduled around 6:00 PM.
