“I am the Demon King, the ruler of this world! I will etch my name into your corpses!”
With Maito-san’s cool declaration, our invasion of the temple began.
…But, you know.
I’m not really feeling tense.
Right now, I’m riding on a tactical universal space device that I created with my “Mechanical Warrior” skill.
So, the ground is a bit far away. The main camera is positioned similar to human eyes.
Since a lot of knights came out from the temple, I started off by firing beams at their feet to scorch the ground.
This should disrupt their formation and make it easier to move around.
Then, avoiding the area around Suzumoto because his movements are hard to predict, I focused on supporting Kadomi and Toriumi by firing beams. We managed to neutralize a large number of knights pretty quickly.
It was somewhat anticlimactic.
…The knights who came out after that seemed a bit stronger, and it looked like everyone was having a bit of a tough time.
I took down about three of them by aiming for their knees. Yeah, when it comes to this, aiming for the knees is the go-to strategy.
…But then, I ended up with nothing to do.
No one was targeting me, and if I carelessly tried to support my allies, I might end up hitting them instead.
While I was wondering what to do, I noticed the maid doll next to me looking at me.
This girl is “Tokoyo.”
Since she has black hair, I just went ahead and named her… well, I thought Maito-san had approved it.
“What’s wrong?”
When I poked Tokoyo, she seemed a bit happy.
It looks like she enjoys being poked.
The reason I brought her onto the tactical universal space device was to secure an escape route.
If Maito-san could borrow Tokoyo’s vision and teleport to us based on that, both Tokoyo and I could be rescued.
That’s why I borrowed Tokoyo, but…
…She seems to be having a lot of fun, really.
“Do you like this kind of thing?”
Thinking back, every time I modified the laser gun or something, she would come to my side to watch.
She might like robots and machinery.
So, I asked her that, and she nodded happily when I did.
I guess that’s a yes.
“It’s wonderful, isn’t it? The romance of it all.”
When I affirmed it, she nodded happily again.
…I glanced at the monitor, but the battle situation hadn’t changed much.
“Want me to teach you how to operate it?”
So, I suggested it as a way to pass the time.
Then, she got really, really happy.
Seeing her like that made me happy too.
“Well, you use this to control the unit. And this is for…”
As I explained each operation one by one, Tokoyo listened intently, nodding solemnly from time to time.
It felt great, as if I had found a comrade.
Everyone in our team likes this stuff, but they don’t love it as much as I do.
Yeah, I think what I’ve been missing has been fulfilled.
“All units, retreat! Return at once!”
Maito-san’s voice came from the communication bracelet. Yeah. It must be Hariu’s doing, definitely.
“It’s time to retreat. I’ll teach you more next time.”
So, I stopped and returned to where Maito-san was.
Tokoyo watched intently as I piloted the unit.
…Yeah, she’ll probably want to practice moving it herself soon. I hope we get some free time soon.
After that, I had to spend some time away from the unit.
I ended up having to infiltrate the temple… Ahhh, I don’t wanna. Why does President come up with these things?
It’s terrible. Terrible.
Because of that, I ended up surrounded by people, which I’m not great at, and I couldn’t touch any machinery.
…As I was feeling down, something fluffy patted my head.
When I looked up, Tokoyo was perched on my head. Maybe she was trying to cheer me up.
It’s strange, this maid doll.
Even though Maito-san was controlling her, it seems like she’s developed her own will at some point.
…Maybe it’s because of Maito-san’s excellent sewing skills?
***
Finally got back.
It might also be because the temple’s food wasn’t that tasty, but Maito-san’s cooking was incredibly delicious.
Maito-san is the same age as me… It’s amazing.
Yeah, I really respect that.
It feels strange sleeping in the lecture room after so long. A weird sensation.
At the temple, the basic arrangement was two strangers per room.
Ah, this is relaxing.
“Kadomi, it’s dangerous to sleep there. Hariu is around. You’ll get kicked.”
“…Ah, right.”
…It seems like we’re all feeling this sense of unfamiliarity after a while.
We captured the Chief Priest and made Priestess Ariane the new Chief Priest, among other things, but now this time has come again.
…Yeah. It’s been a while, tactical universal space device.
Maito-san is going to “share” with the Chief Priest to extract information, but in the meantime, we’re in combat readiness in case something happens.
…That was the plan.
“It’s been about 3 hours now.”
When I spoke to Tokoyo, who was with me, she looked back at me with a “yeah” expression.
“Ah, Katori, if you’re sleepy, go ahead and sleep. I’m going to sleep. Toriumi and President will stay awake.”
That’s when Suzumoto sent that communication.
Toriumi and President are the type of people who only need 3 hours of sleep, but Suzumoto and Kariya prefer to sleep for more than 6 hours.
“I’ll stay up a bit longer, but I might do something else. Is that okay?”
“Ah, should be fine. Then, goodnight.”
I received a casual reply, but if they say it’s okay, then it must be.
“…So, want to try operating it?”
After ending the communication, I looked at Tokoyo, who had a very… happy expression on her face.
“When you do that, it’s good to half-pull the left lever while doing so.”
After that, Tokoyo practiced operating the tactical universal space device for a while.
Yeah. Maybe because she had been watching me operate it, but she was quite good.
…Though, because she’s small, there are parts she can’t operate simultaneously, which seemed a bit difficult.
But she looked so happy that it seemed okay.
…Maybe I should make a device specially for Tokoyo.
A little while later, Tokoyo seemed satisfied, so we returned to observing Maito-san.
“It’s been a long time… I wonder if Maito-san is okay.”
Maito-san had been “sharing” for a long time now.
It’s been… about 7 hours.
I’m worried. Even if it seems like nothing’s happening, if Maito-san is in trouble, we can’t do anything.
It’s strange that Maito-san ends up in dangerous situations where we can’t reach her. Why is that?
I looked at Tokoyo with a worried expression, and she gave me a “worried” look back.
Then, after a bit, Maito-san finally moved.
She was talking to Toriumi… Ah, she looked this way.
Seeing that, Tokoyo operated the tactical universal space device to wave.
…And Maito-san, seemingly noticing, waved back.
“Maito-san probably doesn’t think that Tokoyo was the one operating it.”
Saying that, Tokoyo made a slightly proud and happy face.
After that, whenever we had some free time, Tokoyo wanted to ride the tactical universal space device, so I let her.
Since I added accessories to make it easier for Tokoyo to operate, she became good at it.
Yeah. Operating it myself is nice, but watching it move from the outside is also great.
…This world is a wonderful place. A treasure trove of romance, this world.
“Hey, Tokoyo.”
Since Tokoyo came out of the tactical universal space device, I shared my thoughts”
“When we return to our original world, what will you do, Tokoyo? Will you return with Maito-san?”
Tokoyo shook her head… Huh, she’s not going back.
I see, Tokoyo will stay in this world.
“I see. Then, when I go back, I’ll give this to you, Tokoyo.”
“This,” of course, refers to the tactical universal space device.
It’s a lump of romance, but it’s a bit too big to take back to our original world.
So, I made that suggestion, and then… Tokoyo made a very surprised face.
She looked like she was asking, “Really?” so I said it was okay again, and then she made a gesture like she was thinking before seriously grasping my hand.
…Well, it was more like placing her hand next to mine, because of the size difference.
Then, Tokoyo stepped back from my hand and saluted me cleanly.
I saluted back, and she had a proud, yet somewhat complex expression.
I’m sure the tactical universal space device would be happy to have Tokoyo as its operator.
Tokoyo is a mysterious doll.
A doll that seems to think for itself, has emotions, and understands romance. A mysterious doll that understands romance.
…I’m glad she can understand romance.
In this world, even after we return, the tactical universal space device will continue to roam.
Yeah. That feels really good.
“Don’t push yourself, but if possible, I’d be happy if you could keep it from becoming junk at least until I die.”
