Chapter 41: Sometimes, choosing to run is important

"Komori!!"

"Eeek!?"

From a pitch-black “hole” with no visible bottom, a mechanical, all-too-familiar hand shot out. Just as I thought I was about to be grabbed, Aru-sama yanked hard on the back of my clothes from behind, pulling me out of harm’s way. In the same motion, she fired her sniper rifle straight into the hole. The explosion swallowed both the opening and the arm in a blast of fire.

"Are you okay, Amari!?"

"I-I’m… okay… I think… b-but that was… that was—!"

"Mission: executing. Directive: proceeding."

Sweeping aside the flames, a machine doll clad in steel armor emerged. It was my partner—my other half—something like a son to the me from the other world.

The “Cleaner.”

"The Cleaner!? …Wait, did it break out on its own to save Amari!? Incredible! That’s exactly like the kind of ‘partner’ you see in movies!"

"Ah—Aru-sama!!"

"Kyah!?"

Apparently misunderstanding the situation, Aru-sama pointed at the Cleaner, her eyes sparkling. At the same time, the exact opposite of what she’d just done happened—she was yanked forcefully back toward us—and a gunshot rang out. Smoke rose from the Cleaner’s left arm, which should have been gone. In its place was a brand-new arm, gripping a long rifle with mechanical precision.

To be precise, a Winchester M1873.

It was likely the same model as the one planted in my grave in the parallel world. This one, however, was made of a mysterious material, its surface shimmering with a cosmic, star-filled sheen.

"W-why!? Isn’t it on our side!?"

"It’s n-not…! That thing is the enemy! If my ‘memories’ are right, then without a doubt—!"

"…Hostile forces. Scan complete."

In that single instant, countless memories surged back. Everything became clear—what had happened in that world, what I had tried to do, and what I had ultimately left behind for that child.

How cruel and foolish I had been.

I wanted to jab a finger at my own corpse and curse it. Control it. Make it dependent. Then abandon it without warning. What are you, a toxic parent?

"Ogata Kanna, Black Suit, Igusa Haruka, Asagi Mutsuki, Onikata Kayoko, Rikuhachima Aru, Kaiser PMC Board Member, Kaiser PMC–manufactured Automata Type A, fourteen units. And… the false Sensei, as well as the replica counterfeit."

"Authenticate me! I’m Amari Komori! Your master!"

"Negative. This unit’s master is already deceased. Therefore, this unit has no master. No individual possesses command authority over this unit. A low-quality counterfeit is out of the question."

Snap.

A counterfeit?

You’ve got some nerve, you overgrown doll.

Sure, compared to your creator I might lack guts, combat skill, and just about everything else—but I’m not done evolving yet. Or maybe I’m just evolving down a different path. If that version of me became a blood-soaked, combat-specialized endpoint, then this one is a support-specialized model. Let’s make lots of friends and do our best together.

…Okay, I don’t actually have many friends. But the me over there was basically at zero too, making Aim lick her boots and calling it friendship. Zero and one are worlds apart.

Idiot.

"Issue command to control AI ‘Mastema.’ Revoke all access permissions other than this unit’s."

"Acknowledged. Executing command."

"See!? I told you! I didn’t do anything!"

"Shut up. Be quiet. For a bit."

I silenced the former director, who looked ready to lodge some kind of protest, and focused on the Cleaner’s movements. From its exchange with the control AI, it was clear the Cleaner held higher authority—and that it was also the one that had stripped away my access privileges.

"…Repeating directive. Fulfillment of Master Amari Komori’s long-cherished wish. Resetting the world to a blank state. Method: access Sanctum Tower and execute the system ‘Theseus’s Ark.’ …Unexpected damage detected. Severe damage to battleship Mastema. Access to Sanctum Tower—impossible."

"Altering the plan."

"G—!"

Everyone raised their guns at once as the Cleaner’s demeanor shifted. Completely unfazed, it placed a hand on Mastema’s control panel—and pierced straight through it.

"Command to Mastema. Transfer the system ‘Theseus’s Ark.’"

"Rr—zzzt… Acknowledged. Authentication complete. From ‘Mastema’ to ‘Cleaner,’ transfer of ‘Theseus’s Ark’ system commencing."

Something radiant flowed along the arm embedded in the panel, transferring directly into the Cleaner.

"…Plan revision. Replacing battleship Mastema, this unit will directly access Sanctum Tower and execute the system. …Error detected. Error detected. ‘Theseus’s Ark’ system is inoperable. Insufficient mystic energy. Initiating resupply actions."

"…Sensei…!"

"I know."

"Action objectives. Termination of the ‘replica’ and acquisition of the target’s mystic energy. Secondary: termination of the ‘false Sensei,’ a potential obstacle to the plan, and annihilation of hostile forces. And—"

"T-t-termination!? The replica means Amari, right!? That’s bad, isn’t it!?"

"…I figured it would come to this. If it’s going to target anything, of course it would be my mystic—something essentially identical to its original…"

"Why are you so calm about this!? E-everyone! Protect Amari!"

"…Wait, President. It’s still trying to say something."

"Huh?"

"—Top priority objective. Eliminate the greatest obstacle: Rikuhachima Aru."

"……"

"...W-w-w-what did you just saaay!?!?!?"

"Commencing action."

"Everyone, combat starts now!"

Leaving Aru-sama frozen in place, the whites of her eyes showing, the battle began.

"Target acquired. 【hostile gaze】. Commencing simultaneous suppression fire."

"Kyaaaaaaaa!?!?!?"

The scene shifted to a corridor inside the ship.

Despite the dramatic opening shots, the decision we ultimately made was a shameless retreat. Not combat—retreat. Against a single Cleaner, we had nineteen combatants, including fourteen PMC units. Even accounting for the four non-combatants—myself included—the difference in firepower should have been overwhelming. We truly believed we could suppress it quickly.

But—

"Chairman! We’ll support you!"

"W-wait! Don’t come any closer!!"

"—Initiating hack."

The moment the Cleaner raised its gun toward the ceiling, a faint crackle of static rippled through the air. The PMC soldiers who had rushed in to reinforce us froze for a split second—then turned their guns on us and opened fire.

Instantaneous hacking.

An absurdly advanced technique, one I couldn’t even replicate right now. In that moment, every PMC unit except the former director was converted to the enemy’s side.

The numbers flipped completely—from one versus nineteen to fifteen-plus-something versus five.

As if that weren’t enough, it deployed another impossible trick: Winchester-type drones identical to the one it wielded, materializing midair. I had no idea how that shape could even fly, much less what kind of material it was made from.

And, inevitably, Mastema’s guard units—built by the other world’s Komori—began to rise again. They were battered and missing parts, but their performance still surpassed PMC troops. A nightmare.

Those three factors—the endlessly replenishing enemy forces, the Cleaner’s overwhelming strength, and the Benedictus System operating beyond its previous limits, perhaps because its mystic had been stained black… No. More precisely, because the parallel world’s version of my halo rendered bullets completely ineffective—turned the situation into something utterly unwinnable.

Which left us with no choice but a miserable retreat battle—with zero tactical advantage.

"…Charge complete."

"—Dodge!"

"Uweh!?"

At Sensei’s signal, I ran while dodging pitch-black bullets fired from a Peacemaker-style revolver the Cleaner had somehow produced without me noticing. One hit from those would have been very bad.

"Die, die! Just die already!!"

"Even for me… this is too many…!"

"Aru-chan! This is getting pretty rough!"

"W-what do we do!? Sensei, what do we do!?"

"Sensei! Let’s head to the deck—the deck!"

"Kanna-chan!?"

Ogata Kanna—somehow having procured a small handheld terminal, probably from the bridge or somewhere nearby—shouted urgently at Sensei.

"I managed to contact Valkyrie personnel earlier using the bridge’s communications system! I thought it might be needed just in case… If we’re lucky, a rescue team might reach us before the ship crashes!"

"I see! A gamble… but once we reach the deck, then what?"

"They’ll be coming by helicopter! We’ll have them pick us up there!"

"While the ship is crashing!?"

"…We have to believe!!"

"…Hey, if that’s the case, wouldn’t it be better to use an escape pod or something? I’ve seen it in movies—this ship should have them too, right?"

"There’s no way the Cleaner and the control AI would allow that. Aru-sama, are you stupid?"

"Well… yeah, I guess… wait, stupid!?!?"

She wasn’t wrong—it was actually a great idea. If this were a game, I’d be spamming the chat with “Nice!” and “Too precious!” nonstop. For someone nicknamed a mad dog, that was an incredibly rational thought. Are you a genius or what?

"So, like… haaah! Haaah! I’m exhausted! I’m gonna die!"

"Hmph, how pathetic, Komori. You’ll make the name ‘Cleaner’ cry."

"Shut up, you fatass! You too—haaah! I can hear your joints creaking—haaah! Aren’t you way too heavy for this!?"

"Hang in there, Komori-chan! We should be… probably almost at the deck!"

"Please endure a little longer, Komori-san. There’s still so much I want to talk to you about."

"It must be nice for you, Sensei! Getting carried by Black Suit…! Isn’t it usually the other way around!? And why are you even being carried in the first place!?"

"Sensei has no stamina."

Trying to mask my exhaustion, I shouted over the nonstop gunfire, but it only made things worse. Didn’t you learn during long-distance runs that doing pointless things to distract yourself just drains you faster, idiot?

Ah—right. In this life, I skipped those…

…And naturally, the moment I thought that, disaster struck.

A sharp crack split the wall right beside me. In the very next instant, it exploded outward with a thunderous roar, and a massive body burst through, fist thrust forward.

"Intruders… eliminate…!!"

"Goliath!?"

Of course. There was no way the other me—who’d devised such a grand plan—would limit powerful assets like Goliath to just a single unit. If ordinary guardian robots were reactivating, then it only made sense that this Goliath would be operational too.

A simple miscalculation.

The assumption that a mini-boss like Goliath would only exist once, combined with the baseless belief that, with the control AI functioning properly, a massive weapon like Goliath wouldn’t do something as reckless as smashing through walls.

That combination led to this outcome.

But it seemed the enemy had miscalculated as well.

"—Guh?"

"Huh…?"

First, the ship hadn’t been properly maintained for years, leaving its structure dangerously fragile. Second, the corridor we were running through ran along the outermost edge of the ship.

"G-Goriiiiiii—"

"What kind of scream is that!?"

Carried by its own momentum, Goliath smashed through the opposite wall as well, tearing open a massive hole—then flew straight out of the battleship.

In other words, it went skydiving.

For a split second, I wanted to shout, What was that rust bucket even trying to do!?—but then I realized that, in its own way, even that idiot robot had managed to do its job.

"Komori-chan!!"

Air rushed out violently due to the pressure difference, and my body was lifted straight off the floor by the force.

"Ah."

I reached out, but it was too late. My floating hand grasped at nothing, slicing through empty air, and my body was flung outside—

Snap!

"…Eh?"

"I—made it!!"

Swaying black hair. Wolf ears snapping upright.

The hand of a “friend” who shouldn’t have been there gripped me tightly—and didn’t let go.