In my head, I compared Kevin and One-oh-one.\n\nA boyish type with thick eyebrows.\n\nA face so beautiful it was almost terrifying.\n\nAnd yet, he didn't even think of himself as a girl... or rather, Kevin was a guy.\n\nI'm sure I hadn't lost my integrity just yet.\n\nGet a grip! Pull it together, me!\n\nStill, Zork?\n\nA female-type Zork?\n\nBut for female types, there were also sultry, sex-appeal-oozing types like Alexia.\n\nI wondered what the deal was.\n\nAs I tilted my head in confusion, Wifey spoke up.\n\n"I don't understand this! What does it all mean?"\n\n"The woman we found in the ruins is a Zork from about six hundred years ago."\n\n"What?"\n\nI figured as much.\n\nIt didn't make any sense to her, did it?\n\n"Let's go together tomorrow. You can think of some questions in the meantime."\n\nIn situations like this, it was best to just dump everything onto Wifey.\n\nThe next day, I brought Wifey, Melissa, Ren, and Claire along. I also brought Tatiana, since she fell into the same mental age bracket.\n\nThe doctor looked troubled, saying, "In truth, I really should refuse this..."\n\nOf course, Wifey shut him down with a quick, "My apologies. We're counting on you," and that was the end of that.\n\nTatiana looked dissatisfied, grumbling, "Why do I have to be here?"\n\nI bribed her with snacks.\n\nBehold! The corruption of a soul!\n\nWhen we entered the hospital room, One-oh-one greeted me happily. "Major!"\n\nWhat was this? If Tatiana was a cat that refused to bond, this girl was a friendly puppy.\n\n"Is this an interrogation?!"\n\n"Yeah. I brought the next Emperor with me today."\n\n"I am Veronica, the next Emperor! A pleasure to meet you!"\n\n"Republic Experimental Subject Unit, Identification Number One-oh-one, reporting!"\n\n"Umu. Due to several recent failures, our nation intends to prioritize human rights. If you answer our questions honestly, I will ensure you are treated well. I swear it on my name."\n\n"Sir! So... what should I speak about?"\n\n"First, Zork. How did the Republic define Zork?"\n\n"A definition? I have heard they were counter-weapons developed to face a new weapon the Empire was working on."\n\nWith her homeland gone, she was quite talkative. I guess there was no point in staying loyal to a state that didn't exist anymore.\n\n"Ho, so my Empire did such a thing. Forgive me, but do you know what this new Imperial weapon was?"\n\n"I have heard it was something that converges possibilities to fix the future."\n\n"Convergence of possibilities?"\n\n"Sir! It was an artificial Esper designed to avoid subjectively unhappy futures—such as the death of comrades, the death of a lover, or the destruction of one's hometown—within possible limits. Within the Empire, the development code was Peace Warrior."\n\nEvery eye in the room—except for One-oh-one's—drilled into me.\n\nJester? Was it Jester?\n\n"The Republic viewed the Peace Warrior as a massive threat. If the specs were true, it would be impossible to win... By the way, Major, why are you drenched in sweat?"\n\n"D-don't worry about it..."\n\n"You look quite pale as well."\n\n"Ahahaha... I'm fine."\n\nCold sweat poured down my face.\n\nZork were created to counter the Jester? No, that didn't make sense. The timeline was wrong.\n\n"Fortunately, manufacturing the Peace Warrior proved difficult. The Republic succeeded in the test operation of the outer space exploration-type new weapon, Zork, first."\n\nSo Zork came first. Wait... so they couldn't beat the Zork, but then the Jester project finally succeeded and turned the tide?\n\n"What kind of weapon is the Zork?"\n\n"Sir! We are the outer space type. In other words, we are soldiers designed to fight in the vacuum of space with our bare bodies!"\n\n"...Huh? Bare bodies?"\n\n"According to the Military-Financial Engineering Analysis, the judgment was that a soldier's life was cheaper than the alternative!"\n\nThat was a predictably demonic conclusion.\n\n"...Lord Groom... what were our ancestors thinking?"\n\nIt seemed a disregard for human life was humanity's specialty.\n\n"It is not a lie! For instance, if I coat my arm in an exoskeleton..."\n\nOne-oh-one's arm began to be encased in armor. It looked nothing like Crab-chan, though. This looked far more functional.\n\n"...What a cruel thing. On behalf of the Empire, I apologize. You have my deepest regrets."\n\nWifey bowed her head. She was already at her limit.\n\nThe Empire had committed so many atrocities. Me, the Fairy, and even Wifey—we were all victims.\n\n"No! I was created to serve humanity!"\n\n"...Created?"\n\n"Sir! I am an Experimental Subject for the evolution of humanity! My roadmap is to be born for humanity and to die for humanity!"\n\nWifey suddenly hugged One-oh-one. Wait, Wifey was crying!\n\n"W-what are you doing?"\n\n"I've had enough! The Larval Fixation to satisfy lust! The miserable lives of those mothers! The cruel human experiments on Luna! The massacre of the Jesters like my Lord Groom! No one! No one is made happy by this! One-oh-one! You are a human being!"\n\nTo Wifey, this was probably unforgivable. Her own life had been torn apart by these schemes, after all.\n\n"U-um... I..."\n\nTatiana, who surprisingly had a strong motherly side, patted One-oh-one's head.\n\n"My hometown... where I used to live, it was a real dump. If you were born a girl, the only way to survive was selling your body. I hated that, so I joined the local army. I decided that for myself. I lived my life to the fullest and then I died. One-oh-one, you should decide for yourself, too."\n\n"I don't quite understand, sir."\n\nUp to this point, it was a moving story. However, we were Jesters. We were about to ruin it.\n\n"By the way... your boobs are huge, aren't they? How'd you get 'em like that?"\n\nTatiana suddenly blurted out something bordering on sexual harassment. It wasn't my fault, and yet every woman in the room glared at me. No, it's not me! I'm innocent!\n\n"We Zork are capable of crossbreeding with humans. To maintain the species, we are designed to appear close to the ideal form desired by the opposite sex. The thickness of the chest armor is likely a result of that."\n\n"Don't call it chest armor!"\n\n"I have heard that human males prefer thick chest armor!"\n\nAn indescribable sense of awkwardness filled the room. Then, our very own Claire spoke up, breaking the tension.\n\nGood job! You can punch Tatiana once for that!\n\n"Sorry to interrupt, but do you recognize these Zork we've been fighting?"\n\nClaire projected an image of Crab-chan.\n\n"What is that?"\n\n"That is the lifeform known as 'Zork' that we've been battling."\n\n"I do not know. At least, I have no memory of ever seeing such a thing."\n\n"Then what about this one?"\n\nThis time, she projected Alexia.\n\n"I know that one! It is a Type B! It is a different troop type from me; while I am outer space specialized, that one is for infiltration missions into enemy territory."\n\n"The female type was the original?!"\n\n"Sir! Our mission is to build up strength in outer space or enemy territory and prepare for the coming day!"\n\n"...Isn't that... basically the reason why Zork are lurking among us?"\n\n"By the way..."\n\nSquish, squish.\n\n"Why has this person... been burying her face in my chest armor for a while now?"\n\nTatiana had her face buried in One-oh-one's chest. She was actually kneading them. More specifically, her face was sandwiched between the twin peaks.\n\nTypical Jester. They don't read the room. Or rather, once they notice a depressing mood, they move to destroy it.\n\n"That's enough."\n\nI grabbed Tatiana by the scruff of her neck.\n\n"Tatiana, back in your box!"\n\n"Nooo! I wanna touch the boobs!"\n\n"Even if you're a toddler, it's still not okay."\n\nShe was a good person, but... why was she such a disappointment?"}