Chapter 17

Today is the release day of *The World of Otome Games is Tough for the Mob 10*!

Since it includes a new episode, even readers who have already read the web version should consider purchasing it.

The survey bonus is the usual "Marie Route."

In the modification dock of the Seventh Weapon Factory, Merea's armor had been stripped off.

Emma, watching from inside the building, was lifting her leg and bending her knee in a weightless state.

She touched the window with both hands and looked at Merea's exposed frame.

The internal mechanisms were rusted and oil-soaked, and a large amount of debris had come out.

The Seventh Factory engineers, who were observing the modifications, were discussing the situation with troubled expressions, staring at their tablet terminals.

"Is only the frame and armor usable?"

"The interior needs a complete overhaul."

"That will make balancing difficult. The frame structure is different from the current mainstream."

"There is some room inside, so it should be possible."

The ability to modify a space battleship on the spot was unbelievable to Emma.

(Is modification something you just do on a whim?)

It should be based on prior preparation, but the engineers were discussing how to combine the existing mechanisms without any concern.

Emma, standing a little away, couldn't understand the technical discussion and turned her face towards Merea.

"What kind of transformation will it undergo?"

Emma was a little excited to see how their mothership would change.

The giant space battleship looked like a toy inside the dock.

The process of combining parts was like modifying a plastic model.

(Ah, I could watch this forever.)

Percy approached Emma, who was looking happily at the scene.

"Lieutenant Rodman, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

Emma, who had come to meet Percy, saluted with her feet on the ground.

"No problem."

"That's good. Then, we'll move immediately. The preparations for Atalante are complete, and I want to finish the adjustments."

"Hai!"

Percy led Emma away from the scene.

◇

One of the hangars of the Seventh Weapon Factory.

The development team staff were busy moving around Atalante, which had cables connected to various parts.

Emma, who had changed into a pilot suit, entered the cockpit.

She sat in the seat with the hatch open, and Percy stood beside her.

"The joints have been reinforced. Since it now releases excess energy, it should be fine even in an overloaded state."

Due to the overloading caused by using the installed engine at full power, Atalante had a defect that could lead to self-destruction during combat.

Until this issue was resolved, Atalante would remain a failure.

Sealing the overloaded state would solve the problem, but it would eliminate Atalante's advantages.

It would end up as an expensive ace-dedicated machine with subpar performance.

This would not solve the problem.

Once all the cables were purged, Atalante started walking inside the hangar.

"It's easier to move now."

Emma, who had operated it, noticed that the handling had improved compared to the first time she had boarded.

Percy puffed out her chest.

"Of course. I analyzed your data and optimized it. Saying the handling has improved isn't really a compliment."

Despite saying it was obvious, Percy seemed pleased.

However—

(Huh?)

—Emma felt a momentary sense of discomfort.

She felt that Atalante's response was poor, but only for a moment.

Moreover, it was a very slight difference.

Other pilots might not have even noticed it.

(Must be a mistake.)

The test continued, and Emma cleared everything that could be done in the hangar.

Percy, satisfied with Atalante's performance, decided to move to the next stage immediately.

"Good. We'll test it in space tomorrow."

"Ah, yes."

Emma, who was concerned about the discomfort, gave a somewhat lackluster response.

Percy scolded her.

"Stay focused. Testing an experimental machine is a matter of life and death. A moment's lapse in attention can be fatal."

"I'll be careful."

Emma tightened her focus and concentrated on the test the next day.

(It's fine. There's no problem. The data shows there's no issue—surely it's fine.)

She tried to convince herself, but she still felt uneasy.

Emma called out to Percy, who was about to leave the cockpit.

"Um, when I moved it, just once, at the beginning, I felt a slight discomfort. Is there any problem?"

Percy, who turned around, sighed and checked the data.

"You should have mentioned it at the time."

"Sorry."

Despite the check by Percy and other staff, nothing was found.

It was treated as a mistake on Emma's part, but the test was postponed for a thorough inspection of the machine.

◇

When Emma got out of the cockpit, a woman in a white coat was looking up at Atalante from below.

She was not part of the development team, and Emma, feeling curious, called out to her, ready to draw her weapon if necessary.

"Who are you?"

The woman, with straight black hair cut to her shoulders, turned to face Emma.

She looked intelligent with glasses, but the atmosphere she exuded was different from the others.

Her eyes seemed to be looking at Emma but weren't really focused on her.

She smiled, but it was clearly forced.

She seemed to be a mediocre soldier in combat, and Emma, a knight, felt she could easily defeat her, but something about her made Emma uneasy.

(This person is scary. Lately, I've been meeting a lot of scary people.)

The woman tapped her nameplate on her white coat a few times.

It indicated her rank as a Technical Lieutenant and her position at the Seventh Weapon Factory.

"You're from the Seventh Weapon Factory?"

Hastily lowering her guard, Emma straightened her back.

"I'm Lieutenant Emma Rodman."

"Ah, you're the famous pilot?"

"Huh? Famous?"

Emma had no idea her reputation had spread.

The woman, introducing herself as Nias, took a lollipop from her pocket, unwrapped it, and put it in her mouth.

The stick sticking out of her mouth made it look like she was smoking.

"I heard you were a genius pilot."

"No, not really."

Emma, blushing and scratching her head, received a nod of agreement from Nias, who was smiling.

"Right. From what I can see, you're a pilot worthy of a failure."

"Wh-what?"

Emma couldn't understand what she had just been told.

Nias, who had lost her smile, looked up at Atalante while speaking.

"This machine is no good either. It's defective, so you should get off."

Getting off Atalante—this was equivalent to giving up the confidence Emma had just begun to grasp.

Clenching her fists and looking down, she spoke with determination, her voice echoing in the hangar.

"No! I will ride Atalante!"

Nias, slightly surprised, tilted her head curiously.

"Do you want to die?"

Shaking her head, Emma's hair swayed.

"I don't want to die. Besides, I won't break Atalante. I will definitely complete it."

Raising her head, Emma looked at Nias with determined eyes, but Nias was sneering.

"I can't understand."

As Emma and Nias were arguing, the development staff gathered around.

Percy, approaching with large strides, poked Nias in the chest with her finger.

"Only authorized personnel are allowed. How did you get in?"

"The security should have been tighter. But it's fine. There's nothing worth seeing on this machine."

Smiling, Nias turned and left.

The development staff, and Emma, glared at her retreating back with bitter expressions.

(I'll prove that Atalante is amazing.)

Emma, feeling frustrated, resolved to make the test a success.

◇

Three days later.

Atalante, which had been checked, was conducting tests in a space a little away from the asteroid Nia.

Molly, Larry, and Doug, who were on the transport ship, were watching the test.

They were in the break room.

They gathered in front of the large monitor because the third squad, to which they belonged, was part of the development team.

Bored with the test, Larry was playing a handheld game and complaining.

"Why did they bring us along? We don't even have a machine to ride. What are we supposed to do?"

Doug, watching the test, joined the conversation.

"The higher-ups don't care about the complaints of the lower ranks. It's easier to give orders on a squad level, even if it seems pointless."

Molly, drinking juice, agreed with Doug.

"Ah, that makes sense."

As the three were discussing their grievances with the higher-ups, an alarm sounded throughout the ship.

Doug, trained and experienced, immediately stood up to rush out.

But he quickly realized.

"Damn! We don't have any machines to ride."

Larry put his game down and checked the terminal to confirm the situation.

"No good. The crew of this ship is in chaos. I think the Seventh's defense team will arrive soon, so—"

However, Molly, covering her mouth with both hands, looked at the monitor.

"Emma!"

The monitor showed Atalante surrounded by mobile knights classified as small, less than fourteen meters tall.

The blue machines had no markings to indicate their affiliation and were of unknown origin.

*Everyone's idol, Seedling—*

*The World of Otome Games is Tough for the Mob 10* is now on sale! Enjoy the misunderstandings between Master and Anje!

*That was what I was going to say!*