Chapter 16

---

In the end, the information I handed over to Mr. Iketani was already known or was about to be made public, and I was told by Mr. Masa that it was fine to disclose it, and even to promote it.

That is, the reason I ended up on the battlefield was that the military wanted to gather data on the new and rare machine I was riding, and Mr. Masa wanted to sell his company's products to the military. Since I was the only test pilot available, I had no choice but to go to the battlefield.

I became a special warrant officer because, although I was the only test pilot, it was unacceptable to send a student to the battlefield, so a position was prepared for me.

The reason I was able to achieve such significant results, which surprised everyone around me, was due to the performance of the machine and the perfect preparation, and it was judged that my current combat capability was low.

Tests to improve my combat capability will be conducted from now on.

For these reasons, it is difficult for my classmates, who have been given standard or beast-type machines, to go to the battlefield.

Finally, I handed over the data on the 120mm gliding cannon's power, the effects of the incendiary rounds, and the monsters I had defeated.

It is unclear whether this information is worth 500,000, but according to Mr. Iketani, since his Sixth Division has few records of battles with large monsters and it takes time to get the latest information from the Second Division, this information alone is worth more than 500,000.

It might seem like I leaked information, but apparently, that's not the case.

Apparently, the Second Division also wants to make the information public, but they need to edit it into a proper report before distributing it to each division. However, they are too busy to do the editing, so the information hasn't been made public.

So, if the other party says it's okay to release the information as is, it's fine to do so. In fact, they even asked me to hand it over as soon as possible because it needs to be shared among the divisions as quickly as possible.

While I do have some reservations about taking money for this, if the Second Division wants to share information across factions and Mr. Masa wants to boast about the performance of the new machine his company made, and if Mr. Iketani is satisfied with the information, I have no complaints.

It turned out to be unexpected extra income. Well, if there are such side incomes, the battlefield isn't so bad. I hope to continue this in the future.

---

Now, with the warmth in my pocket from the token of appreciation I received from Mr. Iketani, it's after school.

Ever since Kyushu, even when I was at home, in the bath, eating with my sister, sleeping, attending classes, or handing over information to Mr. Iketani, I had been storing the machine in my magic crystal.

"Hey, you're here."

"Yes, nice to see you."

"Alright, bring it out quickly."

"Understood."

Once we entered the dedicated hangar, Mr. Masa and his subordinates, who had been waiting for me, started preparing immediately.

They are the people Mr. Masa trusts and are here to maintain the machine that has been updated in my magic crystal.

To give them work, I decided to bring out the machine as quickly as I was told.

"It was tough during sleep and practical training... but this was necessary."

As I said this, I took the machine out of the magic crystal and felt the weight that had been pressing down on me suddenly disappear.

"Foo↑ Feels so good."

I felt like the carrot in the World Martial Arts Tournament who had the weights removed.

"..."

"Alright, let's get to it. We'll give feedback on the updates and then go to the simulator. Hmm? What's wrong?"

The hangar suddenly became quiet as they looked at the machine I had taken out. I thought they would react more enthusiastically to the company's product that had achieved results in actual combat, but something seemed off.

Curious, I followed their gaze and saw, of course, my machine. However, something felt off.

It was like asking Santa for a Gundam model for Christmas and waking up to find an Elgarm model on my pillow.

(Hmm, what is this?)

"Something's different!"

As I felt a tingling sensation on my back, Mr. Masa, who had just rebooted, shouted loudly. What, it's different?

"Oh, I see!"

Only then did I realize what was off.

The original hybrid type was like a person riding on an animal, covered with armor, similar to something from a Yonghua or Ishikawa Ken work. However, the current machine is more like the ACs I'm familiar with.

Specifically, the legs have extended and become more mechanical—like a spider—and the upper body has become more robotic, less like a demon's body.

It should have been obvious at a glance, but why didn't I notice it?

That's because I had always imagined the machine to be like an AC from the beginning.

I had been training in a simulator, not with the actual machine, and the modifications had been ongoing, so I hadn't even seen the machine.

I only saw the machine when I stored it in the magic crystal after arriving in Kyushu. During combat, I only saw the enemy's silhouette, and when I looked at myself, it was mainly the front legs and the arms holding the weapons.

After returning, the machine was placed in a temporary hangar, checked for wear and tear, and immediately stored back in the magic crystal.

In other words, I never had the chance to carefully examine the completed hybrid type.

That's why I didn't feel any sense of wrongness when I took it out of the magic crystal. Well, if I'm told I don't understand my own machine, I have no excuse, but that's that.

"The issue isn't how it used to be, but how it is now."

"Yeah, but if it's too different from before, that's a problem."

"You're right."

I tried to brush it off, but it didn't work. Of course, it wouldn't.

For Mr. Masa, the hybrid type was a treasure that the company had invested in. If it suddenly changed in an unintended way, he would naturally be upset.

I was about to apologize for my flippant attitude, but I noticed something was off.

"But this is..."

"Could it be..."

"I see. If that's the case..."

"So, this machine is..."

"If that's the case, it should be even more..."

Mr. Masa and his subordinates, who had been silent a moment ago, were now staring at the machine, each expressing their thoughts.

"Um..."

"Huh? Oh, sorry. Let me explain the hypothesis. Listen."

"Ah, yes."

I understood that he didn't want an apology when he said "listen" instead of "do you want to listen?" and decided to listen to Mr. Masa.

You shouldn't defy a high-strung person. It's common sense.

"First, the changes in the machine are undoubtedly growth."

"Growth? I only stored it in the magic crystal for a few days, though?"

I know that storing the machine in the magic crystal can lead to two types of updates: optimization and growth. But could it change so much in just a few days?

"I understand your doubt, but if you think about it, this is a natural conclusion."

"What do you mean?"

Is there something I, a layman, don't understand?

"Do you remember the number of monsters you defeated the other day?"

Huh? The kill score? I just told Mr. Iketani, so I remember...

"Four large, six medium, and thirty-one small. Three medium and twenty-five small were heavily damaged. Right?"

I directly killed the large and medium ones, but I got some small ones with the incendiary rounds during the fight.

"Right. By the way, do you know the scores of those called aces?"

What's this sudden question? I'll answer because I think it's relevant.

"Um, about five large ones, right?"

In the old world wars, a pilot who shot down ten enemy planes was called an ace. It seems to have changed to five due to the balance of abilities, but considering the value of the machines and monsters, five medium ones don't seem right. So, five large ones should be the final answer.

"Sorry, but it's five medium ones."

"Huh?"

Can anyone do that? I was puzzled.

"Even if you make that face, you know that battles with monsters start with artillery and naval bombardment. If you defeat five damaged monsters, you don't become an ace. You only become an ace if you defeat five monsters alone."

"Ah, I see."

So, in normal cases, you don't meet the conditions to become an ace in the first stage.

If you defeat five monsters completely alone, it would happen in a battle that starts without artillery, like an encounter or a surprise attack, or in a battlefield where the artillery unit is absent and you are ordered to charge. If you can defeat five in such extreme conditions, you're definitely an ace.

"Let's get back to the topic. A machine that hunts five monsters is said to grow significantly. After all, it's like one person monopolizing the experience points that are usually divided among a hundred people. It would be a lie if it didn't grow."

"True."

If you monopolize the experience points that are usually shared, your level will definitely rise.

"A machine that grows in the magic crystal achieves optimization. For a standard type, it becomes closer to the pilot's body. You've heard of this, right?"

"Yes."

We learned this in class. The "half the weight" Mr. Masa mentioned earlier is also part of the optimization. Now that I think about it, I could sleep normally even with 35 kilograms on my back. It must have been getting lighter bit by bit since I got home.

"Turning to you, you handled everything from start to finish alone, from four large, six medium, and many small monsters. If you consider the amount of experience points you monopolized, it's not strange that this machine grew rapidly."

"..."

I understand that the machine grew more than expected. This form must be optimized for the maneuvers I imagined. That's fine. Besides, since it's made from strange materials like monster corpses and magic crystals, thinking too deeply is pointless.

What's important is how to use the machine in this new form. The immediate question is...

"Can you maintain it?"

Just because you have a car mechanic's license doesn't mean you can maintain a tank. The hybrid type was originally made by Mr. Masa and his team, but this is a completely different machine now.

It's like the AC, which is a 180-degree change from the legacy of Mihune. The question is whether Mr. Masa can maintain such an extraordinary machine.

"..."

What if he can't? Can I get another machine? My hesitation must have shown on my face, because Mr. Masa, who seemed to hesitate for a moment, suddenly shouted loudly.

"Don't underestimate us! It's not about whether we can or can't! We will do it! Even if the form has changed a little, this is our machine, our child! Who else can maintain it besides us? What do you think, guys?"

"Sure!"

Of course, the employees, who were asked by Mr. Masa, responded without hesitation, showing their determination to do it no matter what.

(With this attitude, it will probably be fine. It's impossible for a machine that has grown so much to be scrapped.)

While determination alone isn't everything, there are things that can't be done without it. Moreover, with such determination, they won't give up on maintenance and focus on the second prototype, saying, "This is impossible, so we'll focus on the second prototype."

After being tricked into going to Kyushu and being forced to experience combat, and enduring the past few days with the weight of the machine, I was confident that my efforts weren't in vain. I secretly let out a sigh of relief, hoping they wouldn't notice.

The machine has grown from a biological weapon like Mikae to a more AC-like weapon.

This will likely enhance the machine's unconventional maneuvers.

What will happen to the second prototype...

Thank you for reading.