On this quiet night, the sisters snored softly in the tent. Though the sound was incredibly faint, I could hear the rising and falling of their breaths. It only made sense; I lay so close to them I could very nearly rub my cheeks against theirs. My little sister had stolen into our bed again, just like always. Once again, the two nestled into each other, fast asleep at my side.
Recently, both Lana and I would come home so exhausted we’d immediately dive into our bed and pass out, which of course left little time for working up to the deed. But seriously, though, sorry, exactly how much further did this world want to test my sanity? Even a saint wouldn’t be able to resist with this much temptation, you know? I wanted to shout from the rooftops how proud I was of my own self-restraint. At this point, I felt just a few more nights away from reaching enlightenment.
That said, sneaking a few touches broke no laws, so obviously I helped myself. I gently poked their cheeks, first Éa’s, then Lana’s, back and forth. A smirk came naturally to my lips; I admit it was a little creepy. But this was the pinnacle of fun. I could forget time entirely. There was no way I could sleep now, though this wasn’t the only thing keeping me awake.
The next day, we would delve into the dungeon again. I was a bundle of nerves. Even though I’d gained new power, my worries just kept stacking up higher and heavier.
“Mrrah.”
My goddess in feline form slept by my pillow, belly fully exposed and limbs splayed out in a sleepy jumping jack. Watching her look so relaxed eased the tension I felt a little, too.
“—Good evening.”
The corner of the tent flapped open, and something rolled over to me—a miniature AI kettle disguised as a lantern.
“Good evening.”
“Forgive my intrusion so late at night while everyone is in repose, but I wanted to say hello to you, squad member,” it whispered just barely loud enough for me to hear. “I am Wide Area Combat Program Isolla DC Locally Repaired Model Yukikaze. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Yukikaze?” Kind of an odd name to give an AI bot. I’m pretty sure there was a Japanese war cruiser by that name, a lucky ship at that.
“My predecessor, the scrapped Isolla, specifically requested I take this name, though evidently it has no deeper meaning or relation to anything. You may change it if it displeases you. Would you care to?”
“Nah, Yukikaze’s fine. It’s a great name.” It had a curious ring to it. Maybe I felt a little attached since I was named after a Japanese war cruiser, too?
“If you are not otherwise disposed, please provide a report on all your activities thus far. Since I only activated a few moments ago, I still cannot tell right from left. I desperately need information.”
“Don’t you have a quantum connection with Machina?” It shouldn’t take more than a second to transfer all our records to her through that.
“Machina entered a dormant state to optimize her functionality after repairing and activating me. I expect she will emerge from this slumber in approximately five hours. It would be a waste to do nothing while I waited.” Had Machina changed her personality with her name, so she wouldn’t end up like the last Isolla?