I brought Lou—formerly Experimental Subject-chan—to Chronos.
It was for the walk I had promised her. I am a man of my word.
It seemed she had already become fast friends with One-oh-one. We set out together, accompanied by One-oh-one, Shiyun, and Tatiana. Even Zashiki-warashi-chan, who had recently built a shrine within the park, joined our procession.
Before I knew it, Lou had hit it off perfectly with Zashiki-warashi-chan and the rest of the Junior Group.
Though I called it a "yard," Chronos National Park was vast. Since Lou was heavy, we moved in a vehicle I drove—a golf cart-like thing with a cargo bed attached. I secured her container to the back and we set off, circling the park at a pace slightly slower than a bicycle.
"It’s starting to get chilly, sir!" One-oh-one, the Queen of the Zork, declared happily.
Lately, those three and the Fairy had been whispering together. It was unsettling. With that specific quartet involved, there was no telling what might happen.
We cruised along, taking in the natural scenery.
"Hey, Big Brother Leo. Aren't you going to ask what we’re up to?" Tatiana asked.
"...Hah. I’m too terrified to ask because I can’t even begin to guess the outcome."
"That’s why?!"
Seriously, it was terrifying. I felt like once I heard the details, it would be the end of my peaceful life.
Think about it: we had the Fairy, who could dismantle the Galactic Empire if she felt like it. Saint Tatiana, who could wipe Latarnia and Chronos off the map. One-oh-one, who could lay waste to countless nations. Shiyun, an Empress who could trigger a galactic collapse by dragging neighboring systems into ruin. And then there was Zashiki-warashi-chan, an actual god whose whims were entirely inscrutable.
The Junior Group—though they weren't really "juniors" anymore—along with Fairy and Zashiki-warashi-chan, were all walking Map Weapons. People underestimated them. These girls were capable of ending worlds. They were anomalies you didn't question if you wanted to keep your sanity.
"Well, I’m telling you anyway," Tatiana said.
"Stop! I don’t want to know!"
"Listen up. We’re building a body for Lou."
I said stop! Wait... Lou?
"Lou?"
Tatiana pointed at Lou. Inside the container, a tentacle shot up with a sharp snap.
"Lou."
"You gave her a name?"
"Yeah, we settled on Lou. Short for Luisa."
"Fairy, what about her Citizen Registration?" I asked.
"Already processed."
"Guardian?"
"That would be me," Fairy replied.
Well, she certainly was the most powerful guardian available.
"And the relationship?" I asked. Surely she didn't list herself as the mother.
"I registered her as my younger sister."
As expected, she'd made her family in the fullest sense. Just like Wifey, Fairy’s lineage was surprisingly big on bonds. And in this context, that "bond" usually traced back to me.
"The 'Tragic Imperial Princess Luna' that Wifey uses for propaganda now has a sister? That’s an absurdly powerful combo..."
"Don't sweat the small stuff," Fairy waved it off.
She had a point. I decided to stop worrying about the details. Or rather, I'd just dump the whole mess onto Shiyun. Shiyun would likely pass it to Raymond.
Raymond... I’m so sorry.
"So, what’s this plan about 'making a body'? I thought the mechanical attempts failed?"
They had apparently tried a mechanical prototype, but simulations showed it couldn't sustain a lifespan beyond ten years, so it was scrapped. Mechanical bodies just caused too much biological stress.
"But now we have Zork Technology," Tatiana explained.
Right. Our Empire’s somewhat eccentric medical field had leaped forward thanks to Zork tech. In the two years since the Zork War, we had developed techniques to Zork-ize humans to the point of perfectly regenerating limbs. Unlike nanomachine repair, which required lengthy physical therapy, Zork-based regeneration created a perfect replica. No rehab required. It could even treat several congenital conditions.
It was getting surreal. They could even fix Katori-sensei’s eyes, but she refused the surgery. She was actually scared of it. I get it, though—it was still experimental. Getting official authorization was a bureaucratic nightmare. Yet here they were, already pushing for full body reconstruction.
"Eternal life...?" I muttered.
"Technically, we can already do that by digitizing data," Fairy noted calmly.
True. Fairy was essentially immortal. If anything, she was the one who longed for aging and a natural death.
"There are just too many things you can't do without a physical body. Like eating Leo-kun's cooking."
"I guess that makes sense."
"However, I carry a lot of responsibility for the world. I figured I’d have my copy try it out first."
"Your copy... the one at Amada's?" I asked. The one acting as his personal secretary.
"Yes. It's about time Amada-kun settled down, after all."
"...R-Right."
I decided to abandon further thought. Good luck, Amada!
Once we returned to the palace, I looked over the plans. Since it involved bioethics, Shiyun and I reviewed the documents together. Even for the Galactic Empire, this was the absolute peak of over-technology. I could see a future hell where swarms of elderly people descended on the Empire desperate for immortality. Even without knowing the long-term effects, they'd come in droves.
"What do you think, Shiyun?"
"It is dangerous... yet undeniably attractive. So, what is the success rate?"
"I'll defer to Wifey on that... You okay with this?"
"Yeah," Shiyun replied. "I've finished the internal adjustments on our end. We won't frame it as 'immortality.' We'll authorize it as a 'Clone Alternative Measure.'"
I could see this causing massive problems down the line. But it was a technology we had to master—like dynamite, flight, or nuclear energy. If we didn't, someone else would. Specifically, the Zen God Race likely already possessed something similar.
Latarnia also agreed to frame it as medical technology. We could have done this in secret within the Empire, but we went out of our way to involve the others. It was a way of saying, "We're all accomplices now."
As the Locusts proved, the enemy's tech was still superior, even if we had counters. We couldn't afford to lose. While the Zen God Race was still hesitating, we needed to catch up. The other nations felt the same.
This body reconstruction was the opening move.
And so, the day of the experiment arrived.