We were testing the combat suits.
I wasn't the only one; I’d dragged my friends along to be sacrifices as well.
"Don't give me that look! We already ran proper experiments in the Research Department!"
My heart let out a tiny whimper.
I’m definitely going to get hurt...
I donned the suit—something I still couldn't wrap my head around even after reading the spec sheet—and began running through the mountains while carrying a new Pulse Rifle and a full load of equipment.
It was a spring mountain, so it should have been easy going. Or so I thought.
For some reason, there was a carved Log just sitting there with "Kawagon Exclusive" written on it. Next to it was a whole row of Logs, each with a different name painted on.
I’d hoped the girls were exempt... but damn it, Rikochi and Ren were saddled with them too!
They looked like conifers. Some kind of cedar, maybe? They were quite large, and they even had handles attached.
"...I didn't see anything."
As I tried to slink away from my Log, a sharp smack landed on the back of my head. Huma-san was the one playing the straight man.
...It had finally become common knowledge that Huma-san was the only person I would actually listen to.
"Just what do you think you're ignoring?" He ground his fist into my temple.
"I was merely attempting to escape such a visual assault, sir!"
"Well, you're honest! Now test the muscle assist function!"
"Ugh..."
Reluctantly, I hoisted the Log onto my shoulder.
Oh... the muscle assist really was incredible.
"How is it?"
"I'm not an infantryman, so this is just an impression, but it feels very good."
"Why are you talking like this doesn't involve you?"
"Huh?"
"It's for when you can't get out of the cockpit and have to escape using your own physical strength."
"You guys pick up your Logs too! Stop messing around!" I barked at the other guys who were hesitating to shoulder their burdens.
"Ah, he betrayed us!"
"He just realized he's the one most likely to get stuck in a cockpit!"
Shut up! I was going to be a dad soon! For the sake of my own safety, I wouldn't have hesitated to sell my soul to a Diable!
And so, we went for a run while carrying the Logs.
"It's nice how little weight this puts on the knees."
Knees were important. Once they reached their limit, you were immobilized. You were also finished if your calves or thighs cramped up. The load on my entire lower body felt light; I felt as though I could run forever.
Then, one of the rowdy Idiot Boys tried to jump while still holding his Log. Even that wasn't a problem. It was truly impressive.
But... I was even more struck by Isono's behavior.
"Isono wasn't the first one to jump... No way..."
"Leo... I could say the exact same thing to you."
I felt an indescribable sense of growth in us. Was this how people became Taijin?
"Seriously, what are the leader of the Ninja Corps and the life of the party even talking about?"
"Shut up, Nakajima!"
Why did she always have to say the most unnecessary things? It wasn't like I was being a Space Kaiju and a Ninja because I wanted to!
We continued our run with the Logs in tow. Rikochi was in full armor, and she looked like she was struggling.
"Wheeze... wheeze... I haven't been moving because I was buried in my manuscript... My muscle strength hasn't dropped, but my cardio went down in a heartbeat... Guh!"
You... you actually skipped your basic training...
I’d told her so many times never to slack off. If you don't keep moving, you lose your breath immediately. How tragic.
Rikochi eventually reached the goal and collapsed to take a break.
"What do you guys think? The new combat suits."
"I can tell they're useful, but it feels like it'll take some time to get used to them," Eddy stated calmly.
Exactly. He hit the nail right on the head.
"They'd be great for regular infantry or marines, wouldn't they? The shield capacity seems massive, too."
"How about you, Rikochi? You doing okay?"
She was sprawled out on the ground in an X-shape. "I'll run properly... starting tomorrow..."
"That wasn't the kind of feedback I was looking for."
"I'm quitting midnight cup noodles."
"You were still eating those?!"
No wonder she couldn't run at top speed anymore. Melissa burst out laughing.
"The world is so unfair, considering she's still one of the strongest women around!" Melissa was kicking her legs in the air, clearly finding the whole thing hilarious.
Ren, wearing her Officer Academy Tracksuit, handed me a plastic bottle of tea. "I've gotten a bit rusty myself."
"Liar! Ren, you were way ahead in first place!" Melissa laughed even harder.
"Ah, Melissa! Why would you say that!"
They really did get along well. Ren was usually reluctant to participate in combat, but frankly, she was the strongest among the women. Even Helga-san, who wasn't a soldier, would probably rank near the top in terms of pure physical ability.
That was the sheer gap between us and the Beast Race. Honestly, they were a Superior Species. It was just that the range of their individual abilities was too wide. The high-tier ones left humans in the dust, while the low-tier ones might find it a bit tough even as manual workers in a Frontier Settlement.
On average, they were stronger than humans. Wifey, who had managed to reconcile with the representative of the Beast Race, really was a wise ruler. She’d integrated them right into the power structure. After all, if that problem had been left alone, we would have been wiped out eventually. Right now, the only reason we had the advantage was that there were still more of the Normal Species.
I felt like it would be for the best if we could all cooperate under the same framework of being the same race.
Anyway, now that I knew the new combat suits wouldn't kill us, I gave my approval. I figured they’d be deployed to the Galactic Empire first. It was a joint development with Chronos, after all.
Amazing, getting the latest equipment right off the bat. It felt as though they were moving to avoid getting caught up in my abilities from the very beginning. It was likely intentional.
Kyoko arrived on the scene. "How are the new combat suits?"
"I think they're great! They're amazing! Thank you!" I decided to praise her honestly.
"Are you issuing them to the Ninja Corps too?"
"Yes, we'll be equipping the Ninja Corps with Zork Optical Camouflage."
O-Oh. That was some truly incredible equipment.
"They did say it might be pointless in Your Majesty's case, since you sense things through killing intent and presence."
"Spoken like a true Space Kaiju."
"Shut up, Isono!"
Jeez, this bald guy! Always saying things he shouldn't.
"After some discussion, we concluded it should be fine as long as the opponent isn't Your Majesty."
"That's a horrible thing to say, as if I'm some kind of freak!"
"Not a freak, a Space Kaiju."
I wasn't even being treated like a human anymore. Why?!
"So, next is Kill Night-chan..."
"She's almost an entirely new machine now. However, her reputation as the 'strongest machine in the universe' is vital for morale."
In short, everyone’s spirits would be higher if I fought in Kill Night-chan rather than some brand-new model. And so, the machine was being systematically taken apart. It felt a bit rich coming from me, since I'd broken her so many times, but... I actually felt sorry for her.
I’d been piloting machines with freakish specs like the Linear Blazer until now. Out of all of them, she was the most normal one!
"Also, we are building an Exclusive Machine for Leonidas-san."
"Oh?"
"Since Leonidas-san is poor at shooting, it will be a Two-seater Type. It will have attachments on the shoulders for missiles or artillery batteries."
"Sounds good, doesn't it?"
"And regarding Uta-san..." It was rare for Kyoko to talk about actual people.
"Yes, yes?"
"There's been an inquiry from House Tachibana asking when the marriage to Leonidas-kun will take place..."
"...Let the people involved handle that!"
"From what I've heard, the groundwork has been laid with incredible speed! They even contacted us about it!"
Whoa... House Tachibana was something else.
At that, Melissa let out a hearty laugh. "Well, you know how Sis is. Our parents had completely given up on her ever getting married! It's like they're saying they're never letting him go now!"
It made me want to tell Leonidas-kun, who was practically a brother to me, "Just give up."