Chapter 3: Happy Birthday, My Goddesses

"I'm here..."

So much for reaching it "by tomorrow"! It took me two whole days!!

I don't know what’s going on, but the Automatons were incredibly active out there. Is this some kind of ripple effect from the story being about to start? The Imperial Army is really being reckless.

I wonder if I’ll have enough time for the work I need to do.

I opened the door to the research facility, which was hidden away like a cave, and stood before a massive metal automatic door.

"Do you know PIN?"

"Birthday... 'Happy birthday, dear goddesses'."

This password is something you only get by completing a specific sub-quest. Usually, I’d just skip through the dialogue, but after reading some fan theories online, this scene really stuck with me.

"Welcome back, Dr. Fordbolt."

"Now then, I’ve come to claim the Fordbolt Legacy."

I passed through the decontamination and radiation scrubbing units and began searching for the weapon I was after. That said, it should be in a very obvious, prominent spot. I moved deeper into the facility, carefully stepping around the scattered remains of Phantasm Girls.

"...Found it."

Two spherical objects floated in a display case filled with mechanical-grade formalin. I brushed the dust off the metal plaque beneath them and read the engraved text aloud.

"Dr. Fordbolt’s Legacy: No. 4, 'Only Your Sky'."

In the late-game content, Nikolai—the mastermind of a sub-story who called himself the "Second Dr. F"—gouged out the eyes of a Phantasm Girl who worshipped him and replaced them with 'Only Your Sky'.

However, that experiment was destined to fail. Original Phantasm Girls rely on their memories from when they were human to sustain their psyche. OYS carves a massive amount of control circuitry into the brain’s memory banks; if there isn't enough space, it deletes existing memories to make room. Because of that, her precious memories were all overwritten and lost.

"As a result, she went berserk and had to be put down by the protagonist’s team... right?"

To use OYS, you need two things. First, a massive memory capacity. Second, a "heart" to control it.

You can't attach expansion memory to an Original, and mass-produced models don't have hearts.

"But wait... I’m standing right here, aren't I? A being that satisfies both conditions."

Now that I’d made up my mind, I just had to find some spare expansion memory within the lab, transplant it, and then head out to save the protagonists using OYS.

"By the way, I should be able to get a signal in here."

I plugged an expansion cord into my standard-issue headset to eavesdrop on the command center’s transmissions.

A crime? Don’t make it sound so dirty. This is a righteous wiretap. Justice Eavesdropping!

"Static—Report! Emergency report!! The 6th Phantasm Squad has engaged the anomalous Automaton mentioned in the briefings. The unit is almost entirely wiped out, except for the Original! Only one survivor!"

"...?! No way, that’s way too fast!"

What do I do?! I don’t have time to go hunting for expansion memory!

"Wait!"

The remains of the Phantasm Girls! I can pry open the back of their heads with my burner cutter and repurpose their brain memory as expansion modules!

Technically, it’s the actual brain of a Phantasm Girl. I have no idea what the side effects might be, but...

"I have to try!"

Please... let me make it in time!!