Eddie’s wedding party was finally over.
Next, we were headed for outer space.
Wifey’s ship was currently undergoing major modifications, and our Exclusive Machines were slated for upgrades as well.
New Exclusive Machines were also being issued to the members who hadn’t had their own until now.
Kyoko-chan was practically bouncing off the walls with excitement.
That left only Kevin, Nina-san, and Kyoko-chan as the ones without machines—though Kevin and Nina-san weren't actually pilots. Then there were Tatiana, One-oh-one, and Shiyun, but they weren't qualified pilots yet either.
It seemed Shiyun was having her Exclusive Machine built back in the Taikyoku Nation, though.
As for Kevin and Nina-san, they were in charge of the Violence of Numbers, so there were no plans to give them specialized machines.
While our next assignment was being finalized, I was told I had to do another photobook shoot.
"What magazine is it this time-ssu?" I asked.
I made an overtly disgusted face at the war journalist. I wondered if it was going to be Saint Tatiana again, or Shiyun for an Overseas Imperial Family Photobook, or maybe even One-oh-one.
If it were the cooperative Shiyun or One-oh-one, it would be fine, but it was always a headache when Tatiana got in a bad mood.
"Here, one order of yakisoba."
I handed a plate of yakisoba to Wifey in the dining hall. I’d topped it with a fried egg.
This time, I hadn't gone for the festival stall flavor; I'd made it in the style of a Local Planet Roadside Station. The noodles were thick, topped with green laver and mackerel powder.
As a side, I’d whipped up a mysterious, family-restaurant-style soup.
"Umu. Lord Groom's yakisoba~♪"
Wifey carried her plate over to a table. I then took some of the Thick Fried Tofu Claire had brought from her farm-direct shop, sliced them in half, and stuffed the insides with a mixture of miso, chopped green onions, and shichimi spice.
Claire and the others grilled them to a crisp.
"Here, take these too."
"Umu. They look delicious."
Wifey carried those to her seat as well. It might have been my imagination, but she seemed to be skipping. She had her full 'foodie' face on.
Now, back to the war journalist.
"So, who are you planning to shoot?"
"As a journalist, I’d love to capture this scene right here, but I’ve been pressured from various quarters to provide photos that include the pilot of the Bloody Rabbit..."
"Riko-chi, what do you think?" I called out to my yakisoba assistant.
"Now you've even dropped the '-chan'! I’m just a mob character, so I’m resolutely refusing any photos!"
"So she says."
"Eeh?! But I'm really being hounded from all sides!"
"Who exactly is 'all sides'?! Besides, what kind of demand could there possibly be for photos of me?!"
"Well... when people think of the Bloody Rabbit, much like Vice-commander Eddie-san, you are considered the Strongest within the Scope of Common Sense Tactics. There is massive demand from the munitions industry, central and local military factions, and even the military hobbyist circles."
"Common sense...?" I tilted my head.
Riko-chi’s eyes turned into blank dots.
"The heavy infantry type is a core part of the Imperial Army's tactics," the journalist explained. "It's just that the tactical doctrines of the other pilots, starting with Leo-sama, are far too unconventional..."
"We can fight normally too... we only did it that way because standard methods were inefficient against the Zork."
"Normally, one cannot reorganize their entire tactical approach that easily."
"Oof. Well then, Riko-chi. Do you want to put out a photobook?"
"Absolutely not! I am a mob character!"
"There you have it. What about Usapyon?"
"I'm down for it~! I have to improve my kid's image!"
And so, the photo shoot began. Since the air on Eddie's planet was so clean the photos would likely turn out overexposed, we headed to one of Ren's worlds instead.
The Planet Mistral Main House.
Among the planets owned by the Duke Association, it was located relatively close to Planet Sanctuary. It was a world populated by the cat-eared and dog-eared people of the Beast Race.
Originally, despite being a Duke-type territory, management had been abandoned. It had dwindled into a Marginal Village inhabited only by the elderly. We had built a large Care Facility and a hospital near the spaceport and established a proper Beast Species Town some distance away.
There had been some initial pushback, but since almost all the nurses and caregivers were of the Beast Race themselves, the opposition eventually fell silent. The doctors, nurses, and pharmacists were all Beast Race.
There was no way the elites from prestigious families in the capital would bother traveling to a depopulated backwater planet, after all.
Fundamentally, the Beast Race were humans with slightly different nutritional requirements. There were no significant differences in IQ or academic ability. If anything, considering they descended from a hunting culture, their survival intelligence was arguably higher.
While they were prone to excitement due to their combat-oriented nature, they were strong and fast. They were often stereotyped as clumsy, but that was a complete fallacy—as evidenced by the fact that Ren had been a lead mechanic before becoming a sniper. Many worked in factories; the prejudice was groundless. There was no way a race that survived on hunting and gathering could be clumsy—they had to manufacture and maintain all their own tools.
The only real difference from the Normal Species was the extremely low number of ESP users among them. In many ways, they were an upgraded version of normal humans.
Despite their reputation, the Beast Race people here lived harmoniously without any crime.
We arrived at the spaceport.
"Thick Fried Tofu inventory, check! (I really like these.)"
"I’ll have more sent over later..." Claire said, looking exasperated.
But they really were delicious.
As we stepped outside the spaceport, a crowd of dog-eared and cat-eared citizens were there to welcome us.
"Long live the Emperor!"
"Great King! Long live the Great King!!!"
Ren’s expression soured visibly. Her face turned crimson as she looked down, trembling. She seemed mortified. She looked like she was seconds away from screaming, "Stop calling me Great King! Rawr rawr rawr!"
The Empress, however, put on an expression of pure, saintly benevolence.
"Now, now, give it up, Ren. One does not mind who the Great King is. Besides, even One actually disliked being called 'Emperor' the way Father was."
It was a strange sight—the Emperor acting as a mediator for one of her Lords.
"Your words... hit home..." Ren squeezed out the words, her face still bright red.
I couldn't do anything to help. In my case, being called 'Brigadier General' felt even more out of place than being called 'Grand Duke.' Sorry for being a pathetic fiancé who couldn't even offer a good follow-up!
We took a car to the Beast Species Town. The town was being built from scratch on land that had been cleared of ruins. Much of it was still under construction.
They had prioritized building communal housing for the construction workers, utility companies, and distribution warehouses. Those were already fully operational. In the district intended for the coexistence of a shopping mall and a traditional shopping street, a supermarket was already open... wait, that was one of our group's stores.
Until the permanent buildings were finished, restaurants were operating out of kitchen cars in the event spaces. Perhaps because no single business had established a monopoly yet, everyone seemed to be getting along, and the atmosphere was lively and vibrant. There was no sense of tension.
"As you can see, there is no need for 'pacification' on our end," Ren explained.
"What about agriculture?"
"Construction is underway in a different sector. Thanks to Claire-chan, the soil inspections proceeded smoothly."
Developing everything from zero took time. Even a paradise for the Beast Race faced many challenges. In that sense, the Kamishiro Main House had been given the easiest and most developed territory... I felt grateful.
"Now, about the shoot... Riko, are you really sure about this?"
Riko-chi had brought her full set of Heavy Infantry Equipment. It seemed she intended to be photographed in full armor so no one could see her face.
"I am a mob character, after all!"
"Ah, well, since not even your armored appearance has been made public... let's consider it a step forward."
Usapyon was scheduled to be delivered later via transport aircraft.
Alright, let’s get this shoot over with and go home.