Part 275: The Second One...

Facing the peculiar robot, the girls all furrowed their brows in deep thought.

"Still... what do we do about this?"

"I want to take it home!"

"You can't be serious. It's way too big."

"I'll try moving it."

"Can you even move it?"

"Probably."

Miharu had already noticed a knob-like feature on the robot's side, near the waist.

When twisted, the robot opened with a hiss of escaping air, revealing what appeared to be a cockpit.

Inside, it was spacious enough for a person to enter, and Miharu swiftly slid her body inside.

Immediately afterward, like a lover finally reuniting with their long-lost beloved, straps wrapped around her hands, feet, waist, and head.

"H-H-H-H-!?!"

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah. Just as expected."

She hadn’t said it out of bravado.

For some reason, she felt safe being inside this thing.

The operation seemed surprisingly simple. Essentially, you just moved the console as you normally would move your body. It was basically a large-sized mascot suit.

Suddenly, Rui snapped her fingers.

"I get it! This robot's designed for kids! That's why Reika was so confused trying to use it..."

This cockpit is definitely quite cramped.

It's barely possible for Migen to fit inside, so it seemed impossible for an adult to use.

"Ready? Can you move it?"

"Wait a second... Let me try standing up. Just a little bit further back."

With strength in both arms and abs, the robot groaned loudly as it began to move.

"I thought it would move more quietly... You're going to attract a zombie with that noise!"

"You should be able to handle something like that."

"That's not the point..."

I feel like I've turned into a giant.

Rui, already tiny to begin with, now feels like a baby mouse.

My arms.

My legs.

I fiddle slightly with the cape on my back, dance a little monkey dance.

There's almost no awkwardness in the movements.

It's no surprise—after all, it was made for children, so it's surprisingly intuitive to operate.

Yeah. I've got the general idea.

Can you handle fighting zombies?

I think I can make it.

As I hurriedly glanced around, a series of words appeared in white letters, covering the entire display screen.

Name: Azuki Miko

Job: "Imitation Warrior"

Weapon: "Yūki no Sentai"

Head: "Black Iron Helmet"

Body: "Black Iron Armor"

Arm: "Black Iron Gloves"

Ash: "Black Steel Boots"

Accessory: "Mantle of the Dead"

Status

Level: 1

HP: 21

MP: 7

Attack: 67

Defense: 22

Magic: 1

Agility: 27

Luck: 19

Um... I'm not entirely sure what this means in detail.

I appreciate that it's written in hiragana for easier reading—though, honestly, beauty is the type who gets dizzy just looking at numbers.

So she decided to ignore the large amount of information right in front of her.

"But this size, it doesn't seem like it could possibly fit through the hallway... I wonder how they even brought this here?"

At that moment—

The door to "Warehouse No. 44," which she had just securely locked, suddenly rattled and clattered, then crashed open violently.

"Hey! Anyone here?"

Migen and Rui both turned sharply toward the sound.

At this point, there's no more room for deception.

As a precaution, he grabbed the war mace that was leaning nearby.

And positioning Rui behind her,

Run away by yourself

After whispering,

Who!?

Shouting. From this spot, the other person's silhouette is hidden behind numerous storage racks.

"Who? You,...that's my line, you know."

The voice was unfamiliar.

In other words, the other person was most likely someone under Shizukawa Reika's control.

Glancing briefly at Rui.

She was trembling so hard her teeth were chattering. It seemed finding the group here was completely unforeseen.

Migaku let out a small sigh,

—There's no choice but to go through with it...

Making up her mind.

"You guys, that's right, you're thieves, aren't you? That's not good at all, you know? That kind of thing."

But when she saw the intruder's appearance, Miien was visibly shaken.

The figure that appeared was some kind of being resembling Nakkii Cat...

— The second Nakkii was noticeably smaller than the real one, with a face that looked fake and slightly eerie.

No matter how she tried to deny it, Rui's words came back to her.

Indeed, that Nakkii appeared to be a bit smaller in stature, just as she had said.

Its face was unchanged from the usual Nakkii, but compared to its small body, the proportions seemed off, making it appear quite eerie.

And then there was that tiger-striped cloak.

She had never seen Nakkii wearing such a thing in public.

"W-what are you!?"

"You'll see for yourself. — Nakkii Cat."

It can't be real.

Impossible.

As doubt crept in, information automatically began appearing on the monitor.

Name:??? ※Please verify the face

Job:???

Weapon: None

Head: Nakkii Mask

Body: Tiger Mantle

Arms: None

Legs: Sneakers

Accessory: The ring of prosperity

"Is 'unknown' just another way of saying 'I don't know'?"

— Those who notice the second Nakkii are said to suffer a terrifying fate...

Shivering down her spine, Misato realized she was almost entirely devoid of will to fight.