"Phew... is that about it? This thing's a bit heavier than I expected."
"...Hey now, are you for real? This is a prototype function, you know. To handle it this well... are you some kind of monster?"
Two figures stood in the testing area of the otherwise deserted workshop.
One was Yugo, who let out a deep sigh as he deactivated his Blaster. The other was Anhel, who watched him with an expression that was seventy percent shock and thirty percent sheer glee.
"Did you get the data you needed? Will it help with the New Function’s practical application?"
"Yeah, perfectly! It was a bigger haul than I ever imagined!"
Yugo emerged from the testing area with a stride that showed a rare hint of fatigue. When he asked his question, Anhel answered with palpable excitement.
Yugo smiled, seeing her more high-spirited than he had ever seen her before, but a sudden wave of dizziness hit him. He lurched forward, nearly collapsing.
"Whoa, there..."
"Yu-Yugo!? Are you okay!?"
"Sorry. It’s fine, nothing for you to worry that much about."
"Don't talk tough. Just lean on me for a second!"
Anhel caught the falling Yugo in a firm embrace, holding him steady even as he tried to pull away.
Being hugged was embarrassing enough on its own, but the distinct sensation of her ample chest pressing against him through her coveralls made Yugo feel incredibly awkward. He wanted her to let go as soon as possible, but Anhel clearly had no intention of doing so.
"...I'm sorry. I pushed you too hard. That function still needs a lot of work."
"Maybe so. But as a trump card for emergencies, it seems like it'll do the trick, right?"
"It’s still too dangerous. Honestly, I would have been happy if it stayed active for ten seconds. Because you showed Adaptability far beyond my expectations, I ended up dragging out the data collection... but the fact that it left you like this means it's still a long way from being ready for actual use."
Pat, pat... Anhel gently patted Yugo’s back as if she were soothing a child.
Yugo wished she would stop; being treated like a toddler while held in a hug only made his embarrassment worse. However, seeing her earlier excitement flip into regret, he found himself unable to say a word.
"Yugo... as an engineer, your life is in my hands. It’s unacceptable for me to get so caught up in making the Blaster stronger that I ignore the burden it places on you. Seeing how well you handled it made that awareness fly right out of my head. It’s my fault you’re in this state. I’m truly sorry."
"Don't sweat it. I got a little carried away myself. This New Function is seriously incredible. Once it’s finished, there's no doubt it’ll be a massive power-up."
"Yeah, I suppose. But we've still got a long road ahead of us... Now then, shall we end this 'apology hug'? Did you enjoy the feel of my breasts while you were at it?"
"I didn't need an apology in the first place. And I was way too nervous being hugged to even notice anything like that."
Having leaned on her for a few minutes, his stamina had recovered sufficiently.
Feeling the arms Anhel had wrapped around him loosen, Yugo stepped back and rolled his neck and shoulders to stretch.
His fatigue hadn't completely vanished, but he gave Anhel a look that said he was fine to move around. She offered a small smile in return and then began to speak as she analyzed the data from the recent exercise.
"...The performance increase is approximately two hundred percent of our projections, and the other functions are working perfectly. The problem is, as expected, the Time Limit... and the strain on your body."
"Hmm... I guess I’ll just have to train harder. I’ll get to the point where I can handwave the strain and the problems by just saying 'it's because I've been training!'"
"Don't be an idiot, it doesn't work like that. Didn't I just say it? As an engineer, I am the one entrusted with your life... While a little strain might be unavoidable, installing a function that assumes your body will be wrecked is out of the question. Now, how to adjust this...?"
Anhel began to ponder the adjustments for the New Function, her eyes fixed on the scrolling data.
Yugo looked back and forth between her profile and the strings of information he couldn't hope to understand. After a moment of silence, he spoke up.
"Hey, if I had to use this function right now, what's the maximum amount of time I could keep it up?"
"Huh? Why are you asking that?"
"No reason, just curious. I should probably know the limit for using it without collapsing, right?"
Anhel shot him a suspicious look out of the corner of her eye.
She stared him down for a few seconds before letting out a long sigh and answering in a low voice.
"...If you're using it in combat, and considering the strain on your body... five minutes. I'm warning you now: do not use it for a second longer."
"Five minutes... okay, five minutes. Got it."
"I'm telling you this as a hypothetical, okay? Under normal circumstances, you shouldn't be using this function at all. Don't start building your strategies around it! I’m only keeping it installed because I need to keep collecting data, but don't forget that I can strip this function out of the armor whenever I want."
"I know, I know. I'm not about to go against my Exclusive Engineer's orders. Anyway, I've worked up a sweat, so I'm gonna go hit the showers!"
"Ah!? Yugo! Do you really get what I'm saying!? Hey!"
"I get it, I get it! It's fine! I've learned the hard way that no one’s happy if I go running off with a Spirit of Self-Sacrifice! I won't do anything that'd make you cry, so don't worry!"
"Who’s going to cry, you moron! Stop saying whatever’s convenient for you!"
Anhel shouted at Yugo's retreating back as he hurried out of the workshop. She sat back down in her chair with a huff of indignation.
The heavy thump that echoed through the room wasn't just because of the size of her hips.
Wearing a troubled expression as she stared at the screen, she muttered to herself.
"It’s a dangerous function... but the problem is that it provides performance worth the risk, and the fact that he can actually handle it..."
It was supposed to have stayed at the level of a simple activation experiment. But because Yugo had adapted to the function so well, she had been forced to conclude that it was a viable weapon.
However, she couldn't allow him to keep using a function that forced such immense risk and burden upon the user.
She had designed this New Plan using a Flame Attribute Magic Crystal to compensate for the Blaster's lack of long-range attack methods... but for better or worse, the fact that it was more effective than anticipated was her biggest headache.
"How to adjust this... it's a real nightmare."
As a Magic Item Engineer, it was a challenge worth tackling, but knowing the life of someone who trusted her was on the line created an immense pressure.
Feeling a weight far greater than anything she had ever experienced, Anhel checked the data again, desperately racking her brain over the Blaster enhancement plan.