175: Modified Memokushi

"Apologies for the wait, Lady Vee, Lady Sata, Lord Johalis."

Memokushi returned just a little past the scheduled time.

By then, I, Virijianira, and Johalis were all enjoying stuffed dumplings.

Yeah, the pumpkin filling is delicious.

"I see... You've changed quite a bit, Memokushi."

"Yes, I've changed quite a bit."

"Changed...? Johariss, do you understand what exactly has changed about Memokushi?"

"I helped out, so I know quite a few things about the changes within. As for her appearance... I can't tell much with my eyes."

Now, back to Memokushi... From my perspective, she's still the same petite android girl in a maid outfit, just as she was when I last saw her.

Of course, her internal systems have likely been updated in various ways due to the revisions... but those changes probably aren't reflected in her appearance at all...

"Master Sata, I believe it's perfectly natural that Master Johalis doesn't notice the change in Memo's appearance. From a design standpoint, she hasn't actually changed at all. The only one who might notice the difference would be Lady Vee, and even Memo herself wouldn't realize it."

"I see."

"Yep, that's right."

"I have good eyesight."

It seemed that only Vilijani could notice Memoqsi's subtle changes in appearance.

That meant the changes must be on a microscopic level—perhaps even finer than millimeters?

Well, there's no point worrying about something you can't perceive, so I suppose I can stop fretting about it.

"Anyway, Memo. How about the modifications you set out to achieve?"

"Theoretically, there are no issues. The trial has gone smoothly. Now comes the practical application, Your Majesty."

Understood.

The机体 that entered Joharis moved to the back side of Memokushi.

Memokushi connected to Joharis'机体, carrying it on its back.

Then, Memokushi's eyes glowed...

"Activation of the 'Hetero Mirror' was successful. Presenting the results."

A holographic map of the Shibramiss star system appeared before us.

And near the sixth primal colony, there's a battleship under construction—'Jichikane to'—and nearby, a silhouette with a familiar shape is displayed.

"These are the current responses from the cosmic monsters within the Shibramiss star system. As you can see, Satā-sama's main body is located near the sixth primal colony."

"Could it be that Satā is currently moving his arm, creating a large ring?"

"Looks like it. Seems to be reflecting in real time."

Yeah, maybe it's actually my main body.

When I try moving my arm, my shadow shown in the hologram moves too—slightly delayed, but clearly responding.

It seems the 'Hetero Mirror' is working properly after all.

Besides, right now we're openly talking here in front of mechanical intelligences, but since they're mechanical intelligences, there's no risk of them spreading the information.

So, let's keep going.

"Best of all, it's working. What about the other functions? What should we do about them?"

"Let's test those as well, just to be safe. From my solo operation check, they seemed to be working fine."

Joharis's voice comes from near Memokshi's chest.

Hmm, well, structurally, that's just how it's supposed to be, I guess.

And while I'm having that thought, Memokshi and Joharis seem to be doing something quietly, unseen by the outside.

It's like their whole bodies are moving in a jerky, rhythmic motion.

Could this... in a way, be like Memokshi and Joharis merging together?

At any rate, their combat capabilities seem to be increasing.

From the looks of it, they're moving jerkily and rhythmically.

"By the way, the accuracy has dropped significantly, making it impossible to detect anything beyond the colony, no matter how hard you try. But even the memo alone can still use the 'Hetero Mirror'."

"Ah, so if there's a giant humanoid space monster like Megalynia hiding somewhere within the colony, that could come in handy."

"But if I'm that close, I could see exactly what room you're in and what you're doing there. So it's assumed I'm not nearby, right?"

It seemed Memokushi had somehow become quite skilled with the 'Hetero Mirror,' or at least capable of using it selectively—able to filter out noise and operate it effectively.

Still, whether it was really necessary to use it alone... that seemed rather doubtful.

If the enemy were a space monster, it'd be natural for me to step forward, but if that's not possible and Memokshi ends up going out instead, then being merged with Joharis would still be safer in combat terms.

Well, it's probably just a function worth remembering, at most.

"But merging... Hmm, could I make something like a powered suit?"

"Master Sata?"

"It looks like Sata's got something on his mind."

"Is a powered suit even meaningful for Sata...?"

"Well, I figured if I could make one, it might come in handy somehow."

Apparently, my muttering had slipped out.

Well, theoretically, it's possible.

Still, it's well beyond my expertise, and if possible, I'd want to verify one or two mods related to control by examining actual examples.

As for whether the armor made from my own biological tissue should be called a powered suit—let's set that aside for now.

"Ah? What's this?"

"Hmm?"

"For a moment just now..."

"Something happened, I think."

At that moment, the 'Hetero Mirror' currently in operation detected a reaction from a cosmic monster not of my making.

It lasted only an instant, and even the eyes of Viridiana couldn't pinpoint the exact location—but the reaction was unmistakable.

The signal originated from somewhere within the Fifth Primordial Colony.