Chapter 12: A New Companion = A Convenient Means of Transportation ★

『This unit is a Consolidation War Machine. Individual designation: Tetoma Nesitea. Unit name: Kizuna. I request an answer to this unit's questions.』

"Um... me?"

『Affirmative. Individual designations Tierra and Rune are operating centered around you. Therefore, when inquiring about you three, this unit has determined that asking individual designation Kizuna is the optimal course of action. Is this unit's judgment incorrect?』

"No. That's exactly right. I'm following Kizuna. Kizuna is the leader of this party. You think so too, right, Rune?"

"Yeah. Kizuna is the leader."

『Confirmation of the recognition by individual designations Tierra and Rune. Returning to the initial conversation. Individual designation Kizuna. I request an answer to this unit's questions.』

"Okay. I'll answer as much as I can..."

『Acknowledged. Then, first. This unit wishes to inquire about the circumstances surrounding this facility.』

And so, something along those lines, Kizuna and Tetoma's conversation began.

Kizuna answered each question one by one, occasionally receiving additional information from me.

First, that this wasn't the world Tetoma originally came from.

That the ruins' system had gone berserk and turned the place into a monster house that attacked anyone who entered.

That we'd come here to stop it.

And so on, in that order.

『—Situation assessment complete. First, an apology. This unit misunderstood the situation and caused harm to you.』

After that, Tetoma began explaining its own circumstances.

First, that it was a sealed weapon, and the history behind these ruins.

Then it explained why it had attacked us.

While the other weapons steadily deteriorated, only Tetoma, which was exceptionally durable, remained.

Even so, it had quietly remained asleep, waiting for the day of destruction that would eventually come.

But then, one day, intruders began constantly entering the ruins.

In other words, it was all the various forms of life living on the mountain. Every living thing on the mountain had been flagged by the system as an intruder. No wonder it panicked.

Simply put, it was like trying to sleep peacefully while someone kept pressing your doorbell every second, nonstop, for an entire year. If you were human, you'd develop depression.

This situation continued for quite some time, yet there was no sign of it changing. Even so, a sealed entity wasn't supposed to leave its confinement and go check the situation outside.

Then, three people made it all the way into the sealed area at the deepest part of the ruins. Tetoma apparently judged us to be the cause of all the commotion and chose to attack.

However, after being defeated, it observed our conversations and actions and realized that something wasn't quite right.

So, it analyzed our language based on our conversation and was now asking us these questions.

『Regardless of the reason, it is a fact that this unit caused harm to you. This unit apologizes once again.』

"No, after hearing your circumstances, I think it was understandable... And Tierra and Rune, who were in even more danger than I was..."

"I forgive you. I'm not so narrow-minded as to hold a grudge over something like that."

"Rune too. Forgive you."

"...That's about how it is. The people of the Fortress City might feel differently, but we're not angry anymore."

『Acknowledged. Kizuna, Rune, Tierra... Then, this unit requests an answer to one more question.』

Now, this is where things get important. According to "that thing's" calculations, everything should apparently be fine, but I don't exactly trust it that much.

Besides, I don't remember the detailed conversations from back when I played WF anymore.

『Kizuna, Rune, Tierra. Why did you come here? Considering your non-uniform equipment and the contents of your conversations, you are not regular soldiers. Then why did you challenge this facility without regard for the danger? Would you be willing to provide an answer?』

I wonder where this conversation is going to go from here.

WHAT I NEED IS TO ADD TETOMA TO THE PARTY.

Whether we could get Tetoma's cooperation here was unbelievably important. Mainly because of the problem of how tired I am.

"...And that's basically it. We came here because we need to save the world from the threat of the "World Eater.""

Kizuna finished explaining our situation and our objective.

He explained that the threat known as the "World Eater" was closing in on "Chaos."

That the various beings across the world would need to cooperate to deal with it.

That we needed to meet the lord of the Fortress City in order to stop the war that was rapidly approaching.

And so on.

『...Save the world. Eliminate conflict.』

"Ahaha... Sounds pretty ridiculous, huh?"

『Indeed, it must be described as idealistic. The existence of a common enemy does not necessarily cause intelligent lifeforms to unite.』

"Yeah... I guess not."

『However. The data concerning this unit's creators. Those who once utilized this unit in an attempt to bring an end to an age of war. Your actions, statements, and psychology overlap with theirs.』

"Huh...?"

『The possibility is not zero. At the very least, this unit cannot declare something meaningless before it has been attempted. This unit concludes that such an undertaking is worth attempting.』

"...I see. Thank you, Tetoma."

『Kizuna, Rune, Tierra. May good fortune accompany you on your journey.』

Huhhh~? Wait, isn't the conversation going to end right here? That's bad! Really bad!?

The Consolidation War Machine Tetoma Nesitea. Put simply, this thing is a mobile base.

Tetoma can accumulate all kinds of things and combine them into a single unit. Apparently, the ancients used it to transport large quantities of weapons and supplies. That's precisely why they made its core exceptionally durable, so it wouldn't be destroyed and have its cargo stolen.

In WF, it serves as the protagonists' mobile base. It's basically one of those moving-castle-type things. Not nearly as huge as that one, though. At most, it's about the size of a large mansion.

But you can customize it quite freely. It has absolutely no effect on combat whatsoever, but you can get pretty obsessive about decorating it. There are always people who love that sort of thing, and pictures of ridiculously elaborate Tetomas used to get posted on social media. Some people recreated miniature moving castles, while others managed to recreate a Sky Castle that couldn't even fly.

If we can operate from this thing, we won't have to walk from one end of the world to the other anymore.

Without a means of transportation, my feet are going to die. Actually, more importantly, it would take way too long.

So do your best, protagonist! (I'm completely leaving this to you.)

"...What are you going to do?"

That's it! Good!

Keep the conversation going! Get us some wheels, for my sake!

『This unit will remain here and await its deterioration.』

"Why is that?"

『This unit is a dangerous weapon sealed for the sake of peace. This unit cannot leave the outside world and disturb the peace.』

"But this isn't the world you originally came from, and even now, this place is far from peaceful."

『………』

"You say you're a weapon that destroys peace, but you were originally created because you wished for peace, right? And because you actually achieved peace, you were sealed away."

『……Affirmative. This unit's purpose was to bring an end to warfare.』

"Besides, after talking with you, I don't think you're dangerous."

『………』

"I think it all depends on how you use your power. As long as you have the right purpose, a strong will, and companions who can set you straight, I'm sure you won't make a mistake."

『...Why do you care so much about this unit? Because you require this unit's power?』

"Of course that's part of it. But more than anything, it's because I thought you seemed lonely."

『...Lonely? This unit does not possess such an emotion...』

"But that's how I felt. I couldn't smile and leave you here. I'd regret it. So I'm inviting you to become our companion. What do you say?"

『......... Individual designation Kizuna, you are an even greater anomaly than this unit anticipated.』

"What!?"

I completely agree. Tetoma and I are really on the same wavelength!

Kizuna is like that, and Rune actually believes in him. I was starting to wonder, by about one micron, whether maybe I was the abnormal one.

Thank goodness, thank goodness. Kizuna is the abnormal one. I'm perfectly normal. The very definition of ordinary. Hooray.

『However, for that very reason, you may also be described as an existence that exceeds this unit's calculations. ...This unit concedes defeat. Kizuna, Rune, Tierra, would it be permissible for this unit to accompany you on your journey?』

"Of course. Tetoma, let's go together."

"I have no objections either."

"All right! Tetoma. Starting today, you're one of us!"

Yes! We got a convenient means of transportation! You're our ride from now on!

Good job, protagonist! I'll give you an extra-large serving of curry later!

—And so.

From a game perspective, the tutorial was over, and Kizuna's adventure began.

It was the beginning of a journey to save "Chaos."

And it also meant that the days of battle I would face were about to truly begin.

As far as I'm concerned, it's fair to call everything an enemy. The enemies, obviously, but also Kizuna, Rune, Tetoma, and all the implemented characters who will join us from here on out. They're all rivals in the popularity poll, and pieces to be used for my own purposes.

Because I can't return home unless I become Number One in the popularity poll of the gacha game.

My objective hasn't changed. To return to my original world, and to save my little sister.

This is absolutely not a battle to save the world.

It's a battle to gather the users' votes.

Original Author note:

With this, the main story of Chapter 2 comes to an end.

After inserting sections from the users' perspectives and discussion boards where they analyze the events, Chapter 3 will begin.

I hope you will continue to enjoy the work.

★ Introduction of Fan Art

"Freshly Ground Matcha" created the illustration titled "Tierra — Gacha Game Style."

【Illustration】

This is an illustration I previously received, drawn in the style of a gacha game's character portrait!

Amazing! It really looks like something from a gacha game!

Thank you very much!