“Yaa!!”
With a powerful shout that could split silk, the extended right fist was lightly brushed aside by the left hand, and the momentum of the deflection was used to aim for the face.
However, my thrust did not pierce Galatea’s flushed face but instead softly pressed her adorable lips.
“Alright, you’re dead. The philtrum is one of the prominent vital points of the human body.”
“Ku… another one!”
“Sure thing.”
As she requested, I took the distance, ready to assume a stance, but a quick high kick suddenly came my way, taking advantage of a brief opening. It was a magnificent kick, utilizing the twist of her leg and waist and the resilience of her upper body, but her management of distance was slightly off. I evaded the incoming toe that would have struck my temple and grabbed her ankle from below in one motion.
“Ahh!? Wa, kyaa!??”
Failing to maintain her balance, her torso wavered. Had I pushed further, she would have fallen backward onto her buttocks, so instead, I pointed my finger guns and whispered.
“Boom. Alright, you’re dead.”
“Ugh… I, I give up.”
“Thank you very much.”
We both stood and bowed. Though she had taught me the etiquette of sparring, her face betrayed lingering regret despite her graceful bow.
“Uuh, I can’t win…”
“Of course not. You just installed the combat plugin, and if I lost to you, my instructor would kill me.”
Now, during the preparatory period before we set out toward the Holy Capital again, I was training Galatea in unarmed combat because, out of curiosity regarding her newly freed connector, she decided to try different skills. Thus, I installed a close-combat plugin for her.
It’s understandable that after acclimating to firearms, she wanted to proceed with hand-to-hand combat. However, I don’t entirely trust this close-combat software.
“Also Galatea, your movements are way too rigid, and you’re launching attacks the moment you get a guaranteed hit indication, right? If you do that, it’s obvious when you’re going to attack.”
That’s because your movements are too rigid and thus absurdly readable.
Certainly, acquiring actions ingrained through thousands or millions of repetitions by simply installing a single software has its merits. Still, it’s all too uniform, leaving me, someone seasoned in real combat and endless VR battles, with the impression that it’s as predictable as a stamp, making it easy prey.
It’s like fighting a video game character in real life, isn’t it?
Well, if she were to hit me with some wave from her hand or sneak behind me by vanishing into shadows, I’d probably lose. But if the same predictable attack comes with the exact same form and timing, it’s easy to dodge, and it’s even easier to counterattack.
After all, we don’t live in units of seconds; by default, we operate in individual frames.
“Umm… but the software said there was an opening with Nozomu.”
“That’s just how it looks. It’s a feint. Hmm…”
To illustrate the lesson, I assumed a stance with my right side forward, my left hand at waist level, my right fist against my right hip, and my knee slightly bent. It’s a rather traditional karate stance, but her software likely pinpoints my slightly extended left hand, overly forward left foot, and somewhat inclined chin as key targets.
“Now, can you tell which foot my center of gravity is on?”
“The left one, right?”
“Sorry, wrong.”
Even though I’m obviously leaning forward with my right side, my left foot levitated as if no weight was upon it at all.
“EH!??”
This is one type of feint through body control. I keep my center of gravity slightly at the back to pull back my body anytime…
And the seemingly easy-to-kick chin, the hand that practically invites grabbing, and the knee vulnerable to sweeping—all of these are fakes, beckoning attacks in these spots.
But the software can’t discern such subtleties. If it came equipped with high-resolution visual elements that could scan the internal structure of the opponent, it wouldn’t fall into such visible traps, but for Galatea, who beyond electrically augmenting her brain remains flesh-and-blood, it is impossible.
“I train in unarmed combat as backup if I lose or break my weapon, so losing just because of installed software would really make no sense at all.”
“Looks like you can’t just become strong overnight, huh?”
Regretfully gazing at the sky, Galatea prompted me to suddenly question why she had abruptly decided to enhance her melee skills.
“Because last time, Nozomu, you left me behind.”
“Left behind?”
“When we infiltrated, the cavalry had to stay back.”
“That’s why…”
Galatea covered her face with her hand, probably wiping sweat, though I felt something else seep through—that must not have been imagination alone.
“I know it already… But still, I wanted to charge in with you.”
“Because I am your retainer, right?”
Among the muffled words from her hands, I was at a loss for an answer.
Really, why does everyone want to rush to the front lines?
“I’m not saying I think you’re unreliable.”
Placing my hand on her shoulder, I hugged her gently, as one would between friends. For a moment, her body tensed. Through the tactile sensors disguised as flesh on my pseudo-skin, I could feel her warmth transmitted through her combat suit.
“Actually, without you guys, the time it would have taken us to clear the flanks would have increased by at least three minutes. In that case, we might have been wiped out entirely?”
“I understand that intellectually…”
Galatea naturally wiped her palm and avoided eye contact, but the subtle blush on her exquisite honey-brown skin was unmistakable.
“I haven’t returned the favor yet.”
“…Was there even such a thing?”
“Didn’t you save me, even allowing your head to be cut off?”
Galloping back with a sudden turn, her face revealed an expression I had never seen before.
Rage.
For me, losing a replaceable prosthetic meant just that—no, even though that prosthetic was unique and significant at that moment—it must’ve been entirely different for her, someone more akin to the old humans, right?
I guess our perception differs from that of the old humans due to this. Even VR—where respawning is possible and where there’s no saving except through interruption—ends the player’s life in an instant, beyond perceptible cognition. Through numerous simulated death experiences, true death is the shattering of the photon crystals, something designed so we cannot perceive it absolutely.
Thus, though she’s so angry, I couldn’t fully empathize with her, which made me a little sad.
If I had been one of the old humans, I wouldn’t have done anything to upset Galatea, right?
“Sorry, you’re right; that was a debt. Just don’t return that favor in the same way.”
“…So you’re saying it’s a nuisance for me to risk my life for you?”
“No, it’s not that. Your beautiful body is irreplaceable.”
Touching her cheek, tracing her nose, trailing along the edge of her lips, gripping her chin, and bumping foreheads, her iris, clear green, reflected the sunlight beautifully—enough to make me want to adorn it as jewelry.
“These eyes, this nose, these lips—I can repair them, but there is no replacement. You shouldn’t treat yourself the same as me, where repairs are simple if something breaks.”
“But…”
“Didn’t I explain? Our essence of life is different. Your volatile soul must be cherished. That would be the greatest joy for me.”
As we stared silently into each other’s eyes, she probably noticed my camera-eyes adjusting focus with their simulated pupils, for she placed her hands on my chest and grabbed my collar, assuming a throwing stance.
“Alright, not yet perfect.”
“Ugh!??”
So, I swept her waist, causing her to tumble.
“If you want to prove it through force, you have to take me down first. Until then, please take care of yourself and live long, my comrade.”
“Ah!!”
Turning my back to her as she waved her clenched fists in a pique of rage, I waved goodbye, mentioning some errands, though there really wasn’t anything pressing. I merely wanted her to have time to reflect.
Galatea mistakenly regards me as a saint, but at the end of the day, we’re both just a single life. If I can reconcile her somehow and satisfy her, that’ll be enough.
[Peeping is bad etiquette, Ridelberdy]
[Our training sessions just coincidentally overlap, Chief]
Near the Great Mother’s bushes, when I called out, the warrior chief slowly emerged, a towel draped over his neck. It seemed he had been watching us spar, but before that, he was likely performing basic training, as his thin tank-like shirt and loincloth were drenched with sweat.
[Still, no one can sneak up on you, Chief anymore]
[With eyes at the back of my head, that’s to be expected]
[That’s spooky]
Though it seemed like a joke, it’s genuinely true. Though they’re hidden by my hair, visual sensors are embedded all over, granting a 360-degree view complete with thermal sensors, making it impossible to approach me unless they use thermal camouflage.
At the advanced prosthetic level, spatial grasp sensors detect atmospheric distortions, so even with electromagnetic, thermal, or optical camouflage, it’s still impossible to hide from me.
[So, pure noble warrior]
[Yes, Chief of the Great Mother’s tribe]
[Don’t you plan to claim Garatea as your own?]
I couldn’t help but make an awkward sound.
What in the world are you talking about?
[She clearly has feminine features. Everyone in the tribe calls you the Great Mother’s husband without hesitation, but clearly, you cannot sire children.]
[Look, Ridelberdy, that manner of speaking is quite disrespectful]
[But still, it feels wrong to silently endure her blatant admiration]
This guy sure has gotten full of himself since getting a wife…
Indeed, the day before yesterday, the honorable Chief Warrior of our Rustiagis clan married not one but three brides at once.
Due to his remarkable accomplishments of fighting against tens of thousands of enemies at the Valley of Death, temporarily commanding and defending an outpost successfully, and bringing back a couple of trophy-worthy skulls, he became an instant celebrity within the Tech Gob clan. Waves of marriage proposals flooded in, including one from our clan and two others from influential tribes.
Apparently, it’s a common practice among Tech Gobs. Due to the recent floods causing heavy casualties among the warriors who were protecting the tribe, the ratio of men-to-women in Tech Gob has dramatically shifted to 1:3, leaving a surplus of young women who were carefully preserved.
Historically, Tech Gobs have faced these situations multiple times and thus practice polygamy. With recognition from the Chief, based on family status or personal renown, a man can have up to four wives.
The reason he only married three was out of respect for the tribal chief, who remains unmarried. It’s considered quite disrespectful to marry ahead of him, so he modestly held back.
Though, a bit different from our culture, I must say it doesn’t make complete sense to me…
[Don’t underestimate me, Ridelberdy. I am a man of many loves. Can you guess how many women I’ve embraced in my arms?]
[Hmm? If you claim so much, it must be quite a bit, right?]
[More than I can count]
In virtual reality!
Though, here’s the thing: for beings like us, the urges of the flesh are rather mild typically. Most of those desires are usually fulfilled during the so-called “basic education period,” and our digitalized egos tend to convert the three basic desires into “fun, enjoyment, and interest,” making it difficult to grasp the nuances of romantic relationships. Both my parents had to overcome this to become mates and conceive me, but I’m still relatively young at two hundred and forty-five years, so I don’t fully understand it yet.
[How do you justify treating the woman nearest to you so poorly, Chief?]
[Ah, stop already, Chief Warrior. If you mention training with women, I’ll kick you]
[That’s scary. Who would want to be kicked by feet strong enough to snap a Myrmecoleo’s neck?]
The small-framed Tech Gob ran off, leaving me scratching my head in vain.
Well, what to do…
The love between mechanized humans and old humans, a topic often dramatized in operas, seems completely unclear when it personally concerns me.
What the right course of action is here is as mysterious as the occurrences on Terra 16th…
But there is one thing I understand perfectly well.
I should not consult Selene about this. Absolutely not…
【Planetary Exploration Log】 Similarly, Numerical Self-Intelligences undergo compulsory education to accumulate experience and often form partnerships with Mechanized Humans due to compatibility. Their bond, however, cannot be dismissed simply as love or affection due to its profound depth. After all, while cases of widowed individuals recovering after the death of a spouse are numerous among both Mechanized Humans and Numerical Self-Intelligences, cases of them committing suicide after the demise of a partner are alarmingly frequent.
The next update is scheduled for 18:00 on 2024/08/21.
