20a - Influence x Repercussions

Warning: Implied sexual content.

“What do you think?”

“So this is the talk of the station.”

In a certain room.

In a place where the ceiling lights are chandeliers and the interior furnishings are decorated with works of art reminiscent of the Middle Ages, 7 women sit on sofas and chairs embroidered with delicate flower designs and share their opinions.

“That machine. It’s pure white, just pure and innocent.”

“It’s the transfer student’s dedicated unit, isn’t it?”

While 1 person operates the remote control, she changes the images on the large wall monitor decorated like a traditional picture frame, and the battle between giants begins to play.

It was a video of the battle between Virtus Flos and the 4 Centurias on the training ground.

“How does she manage to carry those outdated remote-guided weapons?”

The Ornatios activate, and one of the women was flabbergasted and grumbled as she picked up some sweets.

“In this day and age, if we have an advanced automatic interception system, it will be easy to deal with them.”

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“Hmph, in the first place, you could have shot them down manually.”

“Oh, do tell~!”

Laughter erupts.

Then, the video shows their chasing each other while hovering,

“Since it’s a lightweight unit, you’d think it would have had better acceleration, yes?”

“It’s made by a company I’ve never heard of.”

“Oh my, you’re such a good information gatherer yet you’ve never heard of them? Regardless…”

“It’s only natural that their technical capabilities are inferior to those of large companies like ours.”

The crowd goes wild.

Then, the monitor shows Virtus Flos activating the Radius Globes on both arms.

“A gauntlet that can switch between a firearm mode and a sword mode, is it?”

“I don’t understand the point of making it a gauntlet.”

“The aesthetics of it, I’d wager.”

“A bayonet would have been fine.”

“It’s little problem if you could already change weapons at high speeds.”

Each of the 7 people gave Virtus Flos a low evaluation as they pleased.

“I mean, why would you take out a custom unit when it has such a hard time fighting against training models?”

“It’s simply weak”

“Look at this. Its armor is garbage, isn’t it?”

“I suppose that’s all they managed, without the funds to get anything better.”

“These training machines run on such stiff automated controls, don’t they? It is for beginners.”

“That’s right. It’s so slow and sluggish.”

“Is this why Glawis’ daughter lost in this match-up?”

The atmosphere of the room changed with the words of 1 person sitting on a chair for one as she enjoyed fragrant tea.

“Hmph, I guess she grew up conceited after being told that she was a child prodigy.”

“But when you look at her first movements, it looks like she cut multiple programs and made it semi-manual control, don’t you think?”

“Hahaha, that doesn’t mean anything.”

“Yes. She was up against 4 units, wasn’t she?”

“Well, the control room was also occupied, isn’t it bad if you’re unarmed against 4 armed units?”

“What? Are you defending her?”

“Oh, absolutely not. I’m just saying it’s too heavy a load for morons.”

“No doubt about that.”

Hahaha! They laugh again.

“Suppose she’s out of the running to be our next ‘Queen’ candidate.”

“Little wonder about that. She’s never been in a real battle.”

“Hear, hear.”

“We have experienced that tension. Little reason we would lose to a virgin who’s only done simulations.”

“Great titles are earned not by family name, but by ability.”

“The seat of the next ‘Queen’ is suitable for a strong person like us.”

“To us ‘Glorious Seven.’”

“To us.”

In another room, where a large round table was set up in the center, 10 girls were having a conversation.

A hologram display was activated in front of each of them, and a video of the training ground was played.

“Oh, Iniuria… now you’ve really done it.”

“That’s why I was against her. That wild beast had no place here.”

“It can’t be helped. It’s an order from above.”

The moment Iniuria’s name appeared, everyone’s faces distorted in disgust.

“Didn’t you teach them what it meant to be the name at the very bottom of the lists?”

“I did, but to no avail.”

“I should have disciplined her instead of educating her.”

“Even if you say that now, there’s little point in it now.”

A grand sigh was exhaled, and they felt that the air had become slightly stagnant.

“Well then? What should we do now?”

“From the top, expulsion of Iniuria and her companions.”

“That’s all?”

“This turmoil has nothing to do with us. What they did was their decision. We will cancel the support of the company and leave the treatment to Schola Sanctus.”

“It’s like cutting off the lizard’s tail.”

“I think it’s better just to call them kids making mistakes.”

Everyone is dissatisfied.

“But they did a good job, too.”

“That’s right. Regina Glawis’ rating dropped at once.”

“Haha, that’s all I can appreciate. That’s all.”

When the hologram display showed Regina sitting down inside her matrix and crying, a dark smile appeared on each of them.

“Looking at her like this, she’s just a child.”

“Just this much will make her cry. She really is a child.”

“She’s proven that she’s not fit for the military.”

“I wish she would quit.”

“Not just Mixture—all of the galaxy had seen it, I’d be too embarrassed to go out in public.”

“If you keep crushing her like this, she won’t even have time to rot.”

They cursed out Regina once more and calmed down by drinking heavily.

“So, what with this thing?”

“It’s a custom unit brought in by a transfer student.”

“Tch. That we don’t have a custom unit after all our efforts…”

“Don’t be so angry. Do you want such a unit?”

Virtus Flos’ data analysis shows up, they start to snicker and laugh.

“… What is this, aren’t its specs too low?”

“The quality of the armor is too terrible.”

“The output is also lower than the mass-produced machines around here.”

“Even if you say it’s a custom unit, this one doesn’t compare to ours.”

“Even though she has a dedicated unit, we are superior.”

“After all, she just defeated the small fries.”

“If it becomes an eyesore, we can always crush it.”

“It’s not even a match to us Ten Great Powers.”

Armed warships advance in the vast sea of stars.

In the center of the fleet, in a room inside its flagship, an officer applauded and got so excited they stood.

“Hahahahaha…! I see I see! My alma mater is lively again today!”

“It’s a recorded video from a few days ago.”

“I’m in the mood when I’m in the mood,”

The decorated commander was hit by her lieutenant’s straight-man act! And she sat back down.

“Ah, well, it’s still going on till now, I feel so nostalgic,” the commander said.

“It’s ridiculous,” her lieutenant said.

“Did you say something?” the commander said, glaring at her adjutant.

“No, nothing,” the lieutenant said, her expression unchanged.

Exhaling heavily, the commander operates the video’s timeline.

It stopped right after the White Stella Corpus knelt down and released its matrix. The pilot of the white unit had just landed to rescue the pilot of the stalled unit.

“Aah… to find you in a place like this, My Sweet,” the commander said, rapt in fascination.

After the rescuing pilot took off her helmet and exposed her face, the scene was enlarged with special software used by the Military Intelligence Department.

A black-haired girl wearing old-fashioned glasses.

The commander brings her face closer to the holo-display as if she intends to lick it.

“Ah… there was a report that she took a lot of damage in the previous fortress capture, but it’s good to see her doing well,” the commander said.

“This is disgusting, can you stop?” the lieutenant said.

“What did you say?”

“Nothing.”

The commander continued to stare, but the lieutenant’s iron-skinned expression didn’t change at all.

Shaking her head to end the barren time, the commander stared at the display again.

“Fufufu, it’s great that her little sister seems to be doing well.”

“How do you know?”

“My Sweet is sortieing. Doesn’t that little girl love her big sister so much?”

“Ahh…….” the lieutenant said.

As if convinced by something, the commander closed her eyes.

Perhaps feeling better, the commander sat back in a highly cushioned chair and asked the lieutenant a question while putting a hand on her chin.

“Do you know why My Sweet went to my alma mater after that mission?”

“Yes, I do,” the lieutenant said. “For her lion-hearted bravery in the last fortress capture, Special Ensign Winkrum seemed to have lost all her equipment but her matrix, her unit was a total loss except for its black box, and it seemed she herself reported she was worn out after so much stress for so long, and because it was a good opportunity, that’s why we sent her to Schola Sanctus on vacation while she got used to that new machine, yes? A child of that age needs to enjoy her youth, too.”

“I wish to enjoy my youth, too!”

“You’re several decades too late.”

The commander chugged a thermo-mug of tea to refresh herself.

“Why wasn’t My Sweet incorporated into our unit?”

“You should stop repeating what you say in your sleep,” the lieutenant said. “Her participation in the operation really was a special case and our official records show she wasn’t part of it. She belongs to a private company. No matter how much you want her, her higher-ups won’t let her join the glorious First Fleet.”

The commander is instantly destroyed by the storm of verbal attacks.

“I know that… but I wish it wasn’t true…”

“You’re crying,” the lieutenant said.

She’s shocked to see the usually cool, competent, and beautiful Fleet Commander break down in tears.

“Alright! I’ll take leave and visit my alma mater!”

“I will not let you go! Put down that dubious mask and cape!”

“How rude to call it ‘dubious’! They’re tools of disguise with a long, venerated history!”

“If you go in that kind of outfit, the Military Police will take you away!”

The angry commander reluctantly put her tools back in the locker and lets out a deep breath.

“Goodness gracious, you don’t want me to leave, you’re being so selfish…”

“Where did that confidence come from…?”

“Fufu, so harsh. You’re so cute in bed,” the commander said, giving her a side glance.

“It doesn’t matter now, right?!” the lieutenant cried, bright red to her ears from getting hit on her weak spot.

“Oh my, oh my? What’s the matter?” the commander said, grinning at the payback for her indignant subordinate. “I suppose now’s the time to take out the 72 toys I have…”

“There’s more of them?! You’ve been ordering by mail again?!”

“Prepare yourself!”

And at that, the slapstick comedy continued until another subordinate entered the room.