The individual with hostile intent seemed to have backed off, so we hurried to the shipyard near the port, where Mei and Wiska were. Arein Tertius didn’t focus much on ship manufacturing, but it produced and sold high-tech modules for such vessels. As a result, the shipbuilding industry also flourished, which resulted in Arein Tertius boasting a large shipyard. Such a shipyard naturally attracted ship dealers, and Mei and Wiska had decided to go there first to gather information on facilities that met our needs.
“How come someone’s targeting you?” Kugi asked.
“I have no idea. I suppose I have some guesses, though.”
“I thought your conduct as a mercenary was irreproachable?” Dr. Shouko teased me.
“It’s precisely because my conduct is irreproachable that reproachable people hate me.”
At the very least, whoever was targeting me wasn’t part of a reputable organization. But I didn’t know whether they were a space pirate, an unruly noble, or a member of some third category. Hmm…we’ve technically already done what we came here for. We don’t necessarily have to renovate the Black Lotus here. It might be a bit more expensive, but we could probably get comparable or even superior furnishings from the Wyndas System. Wyndas is a bit close to the capital, though—and if the honorable frigging emperor knew I was around again, there’s no telling what he’d decide to do.
“For now, keep your guard up,” I instructed. “I can tell that they’ll make a move at some point.”
“Oh? You can glean that much with your psionic powers?”
“Well, I’ve improved my powers to the extent that even Professor Kugi has given me her stamp of approval. I’m nowhere near as good at handling the finer points as she is, but in terms of raw power and psionic sensitivity, I’ve gotten pretty good.”
Since Dr. Shouko seemed quite interested in the topic, I gave her a lengthy explanation. Those “finer points” I’d mentioned were actually very important when it came to the second magic. If I were to try directly connecting to someone’s mind, as Kugi could, I’d probably end up destroying them.
“So it’s pretty much certain, then?”
“It’d be a good idea to operate under that assumption. You agree, right, Kugi?”
“Yes, my lord,” Kugi replied with a serious look. “That was clearly murderous intent directed at you.” I’d figured that already, and Kugi seemed to think the same thing.
While we conversed, we arrived at the port district. It was as dark as usual, but bright lights illuminated the area where ship dealers congregated. That lighting was more artificial than natural, but it was definitely pretty brilliant.
“Mei and the others…are visiting that dealer over there.”
After glancing around, I’d spotted them at a dealer that commanded a store that was especially large even among the other dealers present. Space was limited in colonies, so a store’s size was a good barometer for its success. After all, maintaining a larger establishment was more expensive.
“Know anything about that store?” I asked Dr. Shouko.
“I may be a local, but that doesn’t mean I know anything about shops I’ve never visited before. I’m kind of a shut-in, you know…?”
“I see.” That made sense. I used to ride a bike, but it wasn’t as if I’d known anything about local bicycle dealers where I lived.
“Let’s go in, my lord.”
“Okay.”
Surprisingly, Kugi wasn’t the type to shrink from entering a store for the first time. Although she behaved rather unobtrusively, she proactively explored new stores. Based on the movements of her ears and tails, she appeared to enjoy the experience. She was a bundle of curiosity with strong self-control.
“Wow.”
“Oh, impressive.”
Entering the store, we looked around. Directly in front of us was a staffed counter, to the left was a glassed-in workshop, and to the right was what looked like a showroom. The man standing behind the counter was looking over at us, so we headed toward him.
“Welcome, honored guests,” he said.
“Hey. Our companions—a Maidroid and a female dwarf—should’ve arrived here before us. Could you take us to them? They’re part of my crew.”
“Understood. Please wait while I confirm that.” The man offered a quick bow before operating the counter’s holo-terminal. Before long, he nodded and turned back to us. “I’ve received confirmation. Your companions are on the inner-left side of the showroom to the right, in Meeting Room B. They’re currently in the middle of a discussion with one of our dealers. I’ll take you…”
“No need. Meeting Room B? This place isn’t a maze or anything, is it?”
“Erm—well, no, it’s not.”
“Then we don’t need to trouble you. Oh—three more members of our group should be on their way here. A human, an elf, and a dwarf—all women. Let them know where we are.”
“Understood.”
I acknowledged the bowing clerk with a wave, then headed to the showroom with Dr. Shouko and Kugi.
“Oh—our newest model’s here too.”
“Hm? Let’s see… Whoa. It’s freaking huge.”
Dr. Shouko was pointing at a medical pod on display in the showroom. It was a full-fledged model, not a basic pod. The medical pods on Krishna and Black Lotus weren’t much bigger than beds; the model before us was roughly three times larger. Hmm…horizontally, it’s about the same size. It’s mainly bigger vertically. It wouldn’t take up much more space, so we might actually be able to fit one of these.
“Its length and width are about the same as those of the pods you have now, so although it would block visibility, installing it wouldn’t be too hard,” Dr. Shouko noted. “I highly recommend this model… Just saying.”
“It’s expensive, though, right?”
“Well, yeah.” Dr. Shouko glanced away.
Well, if she thinks we need this model, I don’t mind buying it. Even if it’s a bit costly, it can’t be that expensive. Actually, medical equipment’s supposed to be ridiculously pricy, isn’t it? Or maybe not. The prices of things in this universe don’t necessarily follow the same logic as on Earth. For example, precision equipment is pretty cheap, thanks to replicators.
“We can discuss it more later. We’ve got a hefty budget to work with, after all. And if anything catches your attention, Kugi, feel free to speak up.”
“Yes, my lord.”
I never get tired of how cute Kugi is when she looks up at me with her tails wagging. I’d really like to attach a cute tail to Dr. Shouko too, to see—well, I guess that’d be a bit… Actually, I can totally picture it. Not bad. I’m kind of into it. And I’m really curious as to how she’d present herself while wearing a tail and animal ears.
Hmm? I was supposed to be on guard right then against a potential enemy ambush? Well, we were in the middle of the city, and tons of people were there; I doubted we were in any danger at the moment. And since Elma had a good head on her shoulders, I was sure that she was on her way via a slightly longer, but safer, route. Thinking about the future was sure a headache, though. How was I supposed to resolve this issue…? Ugh.