223: No abnormalities detected

"There's air present. No anomalies in composition."

"No abnormalities found in the various software controlling the 'Carnival Viper.'"

From Seiryō Corporation to my greenhouse.

From my greenhouse to the 'Carnival Viper.'

Following the same path we came, we return to the 'Carnival Viper.'

However, thanks to the information exchange between Viridianila and Dr. Mizeon, it became certain that something was happening in the Vanilla Side system. Therefore, I'll go into the 'Carnival Viper' with Memokshi alone first to confirm that nothing is wrong.

"From what I could see, there's no issue with the mod."

"Checked the hardware, exterior, and logs. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary... wait, actually, there was something."

"What happened?"

Unfortunately, it seems something did occur...

Memoqui's expression wasn't one of alarm, but rather one of annoyance.

More like, a look of frustration at having to deal with something troublesome.

"From a security standpoint, there's no issue. Just a little scolding from the Great Mother, that's all."

"The Great Mother's mother, huh? Something like a software vulnerability, or that kind of thing?"

"Exactly. Sigh... only the Great Mother herself would know how to exploit that hole..."

It seems the Great Mother of mechanical intelligence has interfered.

Given the context, there must be the Great Mother's main body somewhere in the Vanilla Sid system, and when we tried to contact her through cyberspace, she wasn't there.

Meanwhile, we happened to find a security flaw that's generally harmless.

So she probably left a few complaints before departing.

"First, let's call Joaharis."

"Please do."

Now it's my turn to switch with Joaharis.

While staying close to Vilijanira, Joaharis moved around the entire area of the 'Carnival Viper,' utilizing the traits of the slime species to check for any strange objects that might have been installed.

"No abnormalities detected."

"Vee-sama. The software side is the same."

"No anomalies found on the mod side either."

"Looking through various logs, it seems no humans approached the ship at all. Then, it should be safe, I suppose."

Thus, safety confirmation complete.

Vilijanianira and Dr. Mizeon move inside the 'Carnival Viper.'

"This is the 'Carnival Viper.' As expected of Princess Vilijanianira's vessel. Even the smallest details are perfectly attended to."

"Dr. Mizeon. We're heading to prepare the rooms."

"Then, I'll show you the way."

The five maids in maid uniforms brought by Dr. Mizeon are all androids.

Four of them headed toward the room where Dr. Mizeon would stay, following Joharis's guidance.

"Vee-sama. There are no abnormalities with the ship, but since returning, interference has occasionally entered the 'Anisui Mirror.' This phenomenon did not occur at the Seiryō Colony, so the cause is likely within the Vanilla Side star system."

"I see. Please share this information with Dr. Mizeon as well. Since Dr. Mizeon is already handling a request related to that noise, it would be helpful."

"Understood. Then, Dr. Mizeon."

"Ah. Once the room is ready, I'd appreciate whatever information you can provide within your capacity. Regardless of the circumstances or suspicions, it's still a job—something that needs to be done."

In the meantime, while preparing the room, they discussed the matter at hand.

There really does seem to be something about the Vanilla Sid system.

But for the system that's the origin of 'Vanilla OS' to contain something that interferes with the 'Hetero Mirror'—which reacts to OSs other than 'Vanilla OS'... Now that I think about it, that's quite strange.

"Anyway, there are humans who need to eat... eight of them, plus me, that makes nine."

Well, I'll leave that matter to the experts.

What I need to focus on right now is what we'll eat from today onward, until we reach Imperial Planet Vanilla Sid.

Food is just a preference for me, so I could choose not to eat under certain circumstances, but that's not the case for Viridian, Joharis, Dr. Mizeon, and the maids.

We've stocked up sufficiently on water and supplies, and within the Vanilla Sid system, we can easily obtain more whenever needed, so even if consumption suddenly quadruples, it won't be a problem.

However, producing four times the amount will require correspondingly more effort.

Instant meals, microwave dishes, canned goods—these are all useful, but I can't just leave everything to the guests' discretion.

"First, let's prepare some bread and also get the salad ready..."

After some thought, I set out enough bread, meat, and salad to be sufficient, creating a simple yet decent meal.

Since I don't know how much each of the five maids will eat, it'll be best to just serve ourselves as much as we want.

"But thinking back to the beginning, it's quite touching that Satu actually eats proper meals now."

"Dr. Mizeon. Who exactly is this Satu?"

"It was around when she was about half a year old. She tried cooking on her own, just for fun, and ended up making a lump of charcoal... She ate it without issue, though..."

"Dr. Mizeon!? That was just about two weeks after she started cooking—she improved by then, you know!?"

Besides, for some reason, during dinner, Dr. Mizeon started talking about my past, and Viridiana seemed unusually interested, so I interrupted the conversation before it went further.

Honestly, I’d appreciate it if you’d spare me the embarrassment of airing my old secrets.

It’s not like I’m talking about a time when I didn’t understand concepts like high and low heat, or heating and denaturation.

"Oh, the Imperial Star Vanilla Sid leaves tomorrow morning."

"Then, let's ask various things while not interfering too much with Dr. Mizeon's work until then."

"Go ahead. I also have several things I'd like to ask Princess Vilijanila."

"There's an odd, uneasy feeling about this..."

"Princess Vee will have notes, so Satā-sama, please ask the maids to show you around the ship."

"「「We'll take good care of you, Satā-sama.」」"

I have no idea what they'll be discussing—only anxiety remains.

But since it was indeed my responsibility, I ended up guiding the maids around.