Artist's commentary
Karindou 4 Koma Extra Story Pseudo Short Story [Ghostrick Live] 14
The sound called a memory to mind.
Although it was a memory jammed away in some corner of the mind, it had left a strong impression, and when he heard it, regardless of whether he wanted it or not, that buried memory was dug up.
...What if, something else made a sound similar to it? From just the sound, it could be any number of things, and even more so depending on the situation and circumstances. But among those countless memories, it matches the key parts of the memory that came to mind, so maybe it is possible?
At that moment, Ryuuto Carmine seemed somehow almost superhuman, a genius who studied the spiritual.
He, with thoughts obtained from the voices and forms from radios and various other recording materials, using sound and magnetism, detected spirits and other related things. By matching a certain frequency of the ghosts, and tuning the sound waves, it may be possible to call forth the memories of a ghost, was his theory. That experiment showed differences between subjects, and there were some successful results. Even for someone who couldn't interact with spirits, they could use this against harmful location bound spirits or evil spirits, and using their memory, dispel their grudge. This theoretical system could be the dawn of a new age of exorcism techniques. However, the test trials were from the huge version, and miniturization efforts to make it into a portable size were not successful, so right now, it was stuck at the installation-sized stage.
Also, he thought that it's possible that spirits affect magnetic things easily. Old VTR film and video tapes use magnetic things. It's confirmed that when watching a video on TV, spirits can appear, so he thought that magnetic things can absorb spirit bodies... That was the theory. So, he created a system where, using an place with artificially strong magnetic fields, spirit bodies can be trapped. Also, regarding spirit photos, according to him, "there are spirits who can materialize, and if their existence is strong enough, they can be seen by a camera, yea, yea". Though now, this theory doesn't seem to be true.
This experimental equipment was none other than the things which kept Ran trapped. It was the glass box with that was connected to the large amount of machinery.
Due to touching the Etranger copy, for some mysterious reason, her ability to materialize was sealed against her will, and she was shoved into the box while ghostly and sealed inside by the magnetic fields surrounding Ran's body. And though it wasn't like she couldn't move at all, she couldn't move as she wanted. On top of that, due to the sound waves around her, the memories of the moment of death of the former... Etranger original were constantly flashing before her. As she experienced those, the powerful and clear memories relentlessly assaulted Ran.
"...I, it hurts...! N, sto, don't...!"
A large human shadow approached. Restraining her desperate but meaningless struggles, she was forced inside the warm mass of its undeveloped part down there. She could hear the sounds of flesh rending from inside, it would be painful like having her body torn up. It was a torture like having her insides stirred by a heated metal rod, and no matter how much she cried out, no matter how much she begged, it unheededly continued.
As she was strongly shoved into its nether regions, her consciousness grew dim. As it were, if she had been able to lose consicousness, maybe it would have been better. Feeling a sharp pain in her right hand that was being gripped, Ran was forced back to consciousness, and saw the blade of a knife stained red, and the separated lower half of her body covered in blood, and noticed two small, rod-like somethings on her chest. Then, her eyes turned turned towards her bound hands. There was a numbing like pain in her right hand, but instead of it being there, it was gone. Once she understood that, Ran was assaulted by shock and horrible pain.
On her bare, exposed chest, were a ring finger and pinky finger, cut off at the base. They were slightly swaying in tune with the silouette's movements.
"Uaaa... I, hiii...! GYAAAAAAAAAaaaA!!!!!"
Once her right hand's fingers were gone, next was the left hand's fingers. Once her toes were all gone, the flesh from her thin thighs and ever so slight left chest were shreded, and both ears carved. Her right eye was gouged out, a large hand shoved into a vertical cut on her stomach, which cruelly and violently rubbed the sack of flesh that was once her womb.
"Geh! Sto, gah, pht, a, aah! Aaaayaaaaaa, n, o, sto, gah, ga, oomph! GyaAAAAAaaaaA!!"
It was a poor, pitiful quiet girl with a slightly meek feeling. That girl was struggling inside the box with slight movements, as her torn, well-made dress was ripped over her body, her eyes were open wide, as if they were about to fall out of their sockets. Her tears, runny nose and saliva were smeared all over her face, which was contorted in both pain and fear. It was truly otherworldly. Her screams and groans were sometimes high, sometimes low, as she foamed at the mouth. Maybe, if she had her whole body, her lower body would also be just as filthy.
As she struggled in pain, her violated body was cut up. That was how the young girl who had been assaulted by a warped sexual desire died. Even with this semi-reborn girl in front of them, the researchers didn't stop. The female staff among the research team felt uncomfortable about the black part around her nether regions, but focused on their work. Each and everyone one of the researchers had the color run out of their face as they tried to stay expressionless. With their goal in sight, they wanted to finish this research as quickly as possible, so they desperately tried to block out the screams of pain. As researchers, they had a thirst for knowledge, as people they had a guilty conscience, and with both of these feelings mixing together, they steeled themselves and tried to reach the end of their research.
But, they knew. That if, their conscience won out, and they said that the research should be stopped, the only thing that would end would be their life, not the research. Their own lives were far more important than the girl in pain in front of them. That's why they didn't stop working. If they stopped, that would be tantamount to rebellion, and all that would await them is death.
After a little while, the light on the machine connected by cords to the giant cylinder that E.S. was in turned from red to blue. On the other side, there were a bunch of cords attached to the box that Ran was in. The memories of the original's death were being forcibly recalled, and ignoring and bypassing the wavering sense of self, the directly copied grudge began to manifest itself on their face, and both E.S. and Ran's spiritual wavelengths became attuned and the bypass opened, allowing the energy transfer. In essence, Ran... the copy that had their existence split off from the original was now being absorbed by E.S.
"Emotional range of the copy, minus, pattern black. Attunement with E.S. confirmed, energy bypass unlocked."
"Oh, the preparation went faster than expected. Well, what's next, the master said to begin the experiment once the preparations were finished, even if he himself wasn't there, but... normally, he should be the one to give the command, but he's not the type that would care about that."
The old butler thought, without any sense of satisfaction on his expressionless face, and sighed. Without any strong emotion, he turned around towards the researchers.
"Ah, it should be fine. He'll be happy as long as he gets the results of the experiment... And so, please begin the experiment."
Hearing the directive, the researcher gave only the slightest of glances towards Ran, who was wide-eyed in agony. Putting his hand on the lever to activate the system, he started pulling the heavy lever down,
"...Lightning Ball!!""
Suddenly, out of the darkness, a flash of thunder came, and the researcher collapsed, burnt to a crisp, without knowing what happened.
"Wha...!"
In response to this unexpected development, the expressionless butler finally raised his eyebrows.
He heard the sound of a footstep, then another and another. Something, or someone was coming closer. Coming out of the dark, the first thing that appeared in the light was a kimono, which was out of place for here. The vivid blue dyed on the high class cloth was somehow freezing the surrounding atmosphere, like it was absolute zero.
"What are you doing..."
Everyone who was there heard the sound of the atmosphere grating.
"What are you doing to my sister, you peons!!"
Her voice rumbled, as lightning shot out from all over her body. The electricity dancing around her and crackling and damaging the floorboards looked too dangerous to touch. All sorts of devices were exploding, with the machines that got hit directly having their internal parts exploding, letting off smoke and a distinctive smell. The researchers, who were unprepared for her anger descending upon them, gave a late, fearful scream.
"Elza-kun, it's understandable that you're angry from seeing this, but please calm down... You'll get your sister caught in it it too."
"Shut up! You're the one behind all of this!"
"Yes, I was the origin, so I don't mind if you unleash your anger at me, but, the reason I'm stopping this, is for your sake. Right?"
In this situation, Ryuuto was the same as always. And while Elza was angry at him, she restrained herself and the electricity she had been generating. The old bulter was taken aback, and came over to Ryuuto, confused.
"Master! What is going on? I'm certain that she is the heiress of the Schtlehertz family..."
"We're going to put the experiment on hold for a while."
"On hold! We were on the verge of finishing it, why!?"
"The pelvis being used in the experiment belongs to Elza-kun's sister, basically, the one that's suffering is none other than Elza-kun's sister. Having lost her original personality, I thought that she would have been a vengeful spirit without a sense of self, so I had proceeded with the experiment, but... that wasn't the case, it has an owner, a family, so, it's only logical to return it, right? And so Elza-kun got angry, but we got plenty of data, and we should restart the experiment from a different angle, and this time, hopefully not to cause anyone trouble."
"That's..."
The old butler seemed shocked. Ryuuto, giving a strained smile towards Elza, who still looked like she was about to lash out, began to work the controls attached to the box to shut down the system.
However, he didn't finish.
Maybe, if things had been different, Elza could have forcibly stopped it. Though her heart was filled with anger, maybe it was a sense of relief, knowing that Ran would be saved and the investigation into her pelvis was complete. As Elza watched the two of them from behind, she was unable to defend against that deed.
The echo of the dry sound. And then the smell of gunpowder.
On the back of Ryuuto's white labcoat, a red stain started spreading. Looking back wide-eyed, no words came out of his wavering mouth, and he collapsed to the ground.
"Master, I'm afraid that holding the research would be quite troubling. Our goals require that this research be completed."
"What did you...!?"
"What? Just as it looks, I only fixed this useless master."
Elza couldn't believe her eyes. The old butler, still with his back to her, was gripping a pistol. This old butler, without any warning or hesitation, shot his own master.
On reflex, Elza readied Aeri-al. Looking back at her, the old butler's face that was expressionless, was now twisted with an evil smile that made anyone looking at it shiver in fear.
"A...Al...fre...d, it was you, you're the traitor... who sold out... grandfather...!"
"Who's that? ...Ah, Alfred. Yes, that was the name of this old man! It's been such a long time, you never called me by name, so I completely forgot it!"
Looking down at Ryuuto, who was gasping in pain, the old butler laughed, as his shape became distorted. His body swelled up like a fallen branch, and his skin and hair was absorbed into his body, showing his muscles fibers. He looked like a model of a human with uniform muscle fibers, but the living and moving eyes and muscles indicated that, without a doubt, he was alive.
"We've been waiting so long for this research to be completed. And then he says to stop it for such a stupid reason? To be a point where, with just a little more time, just a little more, and it would be complete, and instead we should start over? What about me? Once I return with the results of this research, I'll have status and reputation! The Lord Inventor, that foolish old man, was the same, destroying himself when he was nearly there! Is your family trying to make me look incompentent!? What a joke!"
As his annoyance erupted and he ranted on and on, the old butler's body turned into something that looked like mud, and it became a vague humanoid shape.
"I see... You're the one who murdered the hotel worker and impersonated him, and guided the attackers from the inside... You're no doppleganger, that form, you're a shapeshifter! ...You demon!"
She grimaced as she processed all of that. The very person who Ryuuto was trying to discover had been employed by them since his grandfather's time, and was a substitute for the person they were closest to!
"Ooh, I heard you were a mid-level mage, but you figured out what I was very quickly, so I'll praise your knowledge. But, my transformation is completely different from the shoddy mimicry of a doppleganer."
Saying that, he transformed again. His body grew many times larger, and leg and arm muscules grew from within. Then, in his large open mouth, fearsome, powerul and strong fangs and claws of death grew, and scales harder than steel covered his body.
With a thunderous roar, it was a mix between a giant lizard and a dinosaur, a mythical creature with a dark crimson body.
"A fire drake...!"
"It's necessary to know about your target, but with my transformation, not only can I reproduce its physical ability, but also its special abilities and biological attributes. Thus, I am now perfectly a fire drake. If you wish to stop the experiment, you must defeat me, Elza Schtlehertz. You were given the name of "lightning maestro", and lightning is your specialty, but you're no match for a fire dragon!"
"Even if you are a drake, as long as you stand in my way, I'll blow you away!"
With that remark, she focused magical energy through Aeri-al. With the help of the artificial magical stone implanted within Aeri-al, she did a fluid, speed-chanting spell.
However, the shapeshifter that transformed into a drake didn't move at all, and just looked at Elza.
"Oooh, that's quite a flashy attack, but you shouldn't do that, for your own sake. With the way it is now, if you force the system to shut down and destroy the equipment, she will lose her mind and be overcome by hatred again, and become an evil spirit. You want to save your sister without harming her, don't you?"
"Grr, damn!"
Just before it activated, the spell dissipated. Unfortunately, the shapeshifter was right, with the aqua tornado that she was about to invoke, the box that Ran was in would also be caught in it, and would be destroyed. Also, magic was effective against spiritual bodies. If she did that, Ran definitely would get hurt. On top of that, the destructive power of a wizard is greater by an order of magnitude.
(I certainly was surprised that there was a shapeshifter who could turn into a drake here... At least it's not a thunder drake or a high class dragon, though fire melts metal, going by the five elements. Plus I have to make sure Ran doesn't get hurt! At this point, I could use my anti-Seren high power barrier, but then I'd be the one who'd be in danger...!)
"It looks like you understand the position you're in. How useful a hostage can be... Hey, what are you standing around for, activate the system!"
With that roar, the researchers who were terrified from Elza's surprise attack and glare came back to their senses. Before she could tell them to stop, she heard the sound of the heavy activation level being pulled down.
Finally, the installation of E.S.'s grudge began.
"Hehe, will you be killed by me first, or will your sister be absorbed first... I'd like for you to see your sister's final moments before I kill you, so try not to die too quickly!"
(This is the worst situation for me, overpowering is out of the question, and I there's no time to delay... But, he's taking me lightly and thinking I'm a mid-level mage, so I can still take advantage of that! To take a wizard lightly, I'll teach his body, the depths of his soul, a lesson!!)
Funneling Elza's magical power, Aeri-al made a noise sounding like creaking metal.
(Ran... Be patient. Hold on for a little while...)
The actions that Col took to fool Giganov's eyes were planned in advance, and were very simple, and thus unexpected, and as a result, the battle was decided in a few moments.
Col stood, glaring at him, and without any pretense, simply threw the S&W in her left hand.
(She threw away a gun that she hadn't clipped out yet...?)
He moved his head, avoiding the attack aimed at his face. And then a pair of gloves came flying at him. Just like it was hiding Col, it blocked Giganov's vision.
(I thought she was planning something, but this is just a basic distraction. She has no plan, she's just desperate!)
He felt a violent killing intent coming from the direction of the gloves. Knocking the gloves away with his left hand, Giganov aimed his gun in front of him to where Col should be, but he didn't see Col, and didn't pull the trigger.
If she had moved into a blind spot, her presence should have moved with her. However, the killing intent coming from her was still coming from right in front of him.
(What's going on!?)
His mind froze for a moment. In that moment, the python that had been thrown with the gloves struck the barrel of Giganov's gun, and flew past him, over his shoulder.
In this instant, Col seized victory.
His instinct sounded a maximum alert. His soldier's intuition told him that the python that flew past him just now was her preferred weapon.
(Impossible...)
Flashback, the python that flew past his shoulder had an old fashioned wooden grip and a faded blue metal barrel.
(Impossible...!)
Spinning around to aim his gun behind him, Giganov realized that the killing intent was now behind him.
Col would be in the place where she had thrown her favorite gun, where the python would land.
Following the deflected python with his eyes, right in front of Giganov's eyes, was Col.
With the speed of a quick draw, Giganov aimed at Col, but it wasn't in time. Already, Col's wrist had turned into the python--- no, "Col was being formed from the grip", as the python, without a finger on its trigger, fired on its own.
Before he could get Col targeted in his sights, 2, 3 magnum bullets tore into his wrist. Immediately, he tried to grab the gigant with his left hand, but with a quick additional 2 shots, 3 fingers from his left hand were blown off. But still, he gripped the gigant with his remaining fingers... But the final shot destroyed his thumb, and the gigant fell from his hand.
"Guh!!"
It was very painful, but no actual damage was done, but if he couldn't hold the gigant, then his true body couldn't fire by itself. Giganov was unable to "do the same as Col."
(What... the!)
Unconsciously looking at the gigant, he saw that it was Col who was holding it.
"It was a big risk, but... checkmate, you damn ox."
Firing until the gigant emptied its clip, Giganov's body was hit by the extremely powerful shots, and his limbs vanished from his body.
I'll return you to your body, Col said as she placed the gigant on top of Giganov's stomach, and reloaded herself with her speed loader. Then, as she loaded her two favorite guns, the python emblem on the back of her hand shone with a grey light.
"...You, just like me, are the incarnation of a gun."
"Colt royal blue finish, the work of a master craftsman in a time where high accuracy was valued, the first produced model of the Colt Python. There are only a few in the world among gun collects, and it's prized?"
Col chatted, as she explained her full name. Giganov could only say, I see, and wryly smile. Every gun was calibrated not by a machine, but carefully done by a human, fine tuning the internal components, and then the black barrel was given a deep blue finish to enhance its beauty, it was a famous first run of a master craftsman with only a few in existence, and if it still in good condition, it was something that would be worth a lot of money. But Col had yet to meet another Colt royal blue finish like herself that had gained consciousness, neither a brother nor a sister.
However, there was a further reaon behind Giganov's wry smile. Col's manner of speech had returned to her gentle form. It was another sign that she was saying that he had definitely lost, that the battle was over, and this drove the point home.
"But still, you are quite an absurd gun! You have a surprisingly small recoil for such power, though it causes a lot of damage, appropriate for the caliber size. I wish just that part wasn't realistic."
"Hmph, with all you've done, I can't hold a gun, let alone stand, so you were quite merciless to me. But it was wonderful... The way you acted, it completely fooled me."
Now it was Col's turn to wryly smile.
"Using my true self as a decoy to draw attention, then becoming me... Honestly, when I'm by myself, even if you think that I would use myself, you wouldn't think of this. The little mistress outwitted me by thinking, and while at first glance, it looked reckless, it was actually a perfectly safe plan, so it worked."
By using herself as the decoy, she could safely escape. Ran's bold strategy that she showed during the odd game of tag led her to victory. The clumsy strategy that only a noivce would think of might be the thing that a veteran would never think of, and would be an unexpected move. A novice wouldn't use regular tactics, and could easily surpass a veteran's expectations. For Giganov, he knew that both Col and himself were gun users, and therefore for her to let go of her guns, and also to use herself so casually as a decoy never crossed his mind, and was unable to deal with it.
...And perhaps to support this, Col never said that she lost to Ran, though she felt that there was no need to explain that part. This is just a maybe, just to be sure.
"Oh man, not only did I lose to you, but I lost to that little girl too... Hmph, what a complete loss, a total loss without any regret. But still... At last, I have become reality. So, Bullet Squall, you can kill me. Take revenge for Grizzly."
"Reality... What do you mean?"
Hearing Col's question, Giganov losed his eyes and laughed.
"I was born as an object of fantasy... So I wanted to die as an object of reality."
He gave a big smile, like someone possessed.
"The motherland and the West were ferverent in their arms race. You know that it was a time of warmongering, yes? Due to nuclear deterrence, the cold war ironically fueled weapons developments in the name of peaceful applications, that were converted into the space race... But, there were times when the motherland planned to strengthen our military force to be even more powerful than the West. I was born as a result of this, nothing more than an idealized weapon that could never be reality."
"Never be reality?"
"Yes, think about it. A small handgun that could be held in one hand that could pierce an armored tank. Even with today's engineering, that is an impossibility, so do you think it would have been possible with the engineering back then? The plans to turn an impossible ideal into reality were drawn up counless time, then failed and discarded, over and over. But I was different, their deeply held delusions made me their ideals, and gave me an impossible amount of firepower that could not happen in reality. I was happy, they had sought and wished for me. But that era was already over, and it had become a war where there was no need for battles."
"The expansion of nuclear development, the beginning of the Cold War..."
"There were no more battles that should be fought. Even the anti-tank handgun, where my design originally came from, and did not have the power that was granted to me from their delusions, no longer had a place where it could be used in combat, so their report was swept under the rug, or possibly the results were falsified, and they were jailed and died there. The only thing that was left was an object born from fantasy. Just me."
"And that's why, in order to die in reality, you sought out battles?"
"Not quite, Bullet Squall. Since I was fantasy, I surpassed reality, so I wanted to be killed by reality which surpassed fantasy. It would be proof that I had existed in reality. And now, today, at last, you, reality, had defeated me, fantasy."
"...I understand what you wanted to say. If there was someone stronger than you, who could easily turn the tables on you, it would have to be someone with a special ability or a monster, someone who had a power distant from reality, or someone with an illusory motif born from fantasy. And among them, someone like Bear or I... Probably, all your previous opponents were like that too, without a special or unique ability, something that was close to reality. Only then would be killed have meaning.
"So you understood, Bullet Squall. Then, kill..."
"No, that is not necessary. This has been settled. I don't care about your circumstances or your feelings."
"Y, you, cold hearted person!?"
Reacting to that immediate response, Giganov tried to move his cheek as hard as he could.
"Oh, am I? Considering all that's happened, there's no reason why I would have to fulfill your wish. Ah, though right now, it would be exceedingly easy to kill you. I could melt each of your parts in sulfuric acid or throw you into a blast furnace and it would be the end. But, then I would be completing your goal. Why do I have to go out of my way to grant your wish, give you the proof of death and kill you? It would be nothing but a hassle for the one you're pushing your request on. If you can understand that, then think of a way that won't cause a problem for others. And if you can't, then I'll beat that big mouth of yours, and jam empty shell casings inside your head? Ah, you have a psuedo body, so it's probably empty.
"Mmmm..."
"In addition, unfortunately, I was a mercenary was a long time ago. Now, I'm a Sweeper. I acted like a mercenary to beat you, and now, as a member of the Sweepers, it's my duty to capture you alive. I cannot grant you the death you desire."
"Don't you hate me? I killed your precious comrade."
"Ah, I did hate you at first, and I was planning on killing you. But now, it's not hate... I guess it's something slightly different. Hearing your reasons and history, you've probably had a straight forward duel with everyone you've killed before, right? Having actually fought you, you have a soldier's honor, and not only did you not set any traps, but you could have brought help, but instead left it as a 1v1 fight. Even though you're helping a criminal organization, you oddly are focused on only one thing... You're not a completely evil person."
If he had been, Bear probably would have taken him with him as he died.
Once her head cooled off, it was easy to understand. It wasn't the direct cause of death, but the hit he took that was fatal hit the same place, his chest. The autopsy report mentioned his rib, but not his spine. So on that day, even though it was a surprise attack, Bear was not ambushed from behind, but was attacked from the front... Meaning he was facing his enemy when he was shot.
Being shot and then noticing the intruder would not lead to battle. Most likely, this man honestly and foolishly showed himself to him and challenged him to a fight, and he honestly and foolishly fought, and was shot. There was no sense of underhanded tactics, and looking at Giganov's behavior as a soldier, even without asking him, she felt it to be true. So, Bear... the man she had met on the battlefield and had told her how to live as a human, was a true soldier, and a true idiot.
"I don't know if you're evil by nature, or use underhanded tactics like ambushing or assassination. But as a result of fighting straight forwardly, I don't hold a grudge against you. I won, and have settled things as a mercenary. I will not kill you, for this is my personal... not really revenge, so, let's just say we're even now."
"...I finally met someone who surpasses me... An opponent who I had even earned the hatred of, and still you won't allow me death. Now I wish I had never told you about my reasons. Why did I tell you about something that is only my own affair, and does not concern you in anyway. If only I had stayed silent, you probably would have killed me. It was my mistake to let down my guard once I knew we were kindred."
"For better or worse, you are a pure soldier. In any case, you'll be detained by the Sweepers for a while, so why don't you try changing your death seeking ideas? You asked why you have consciousness, but you know, no one is born just so they can die. Living might be harder and scarier than fighting, and more troublesome and difficult than killing, but it is much more rewarding than simply looking for meaning in death. Instead of dying while still bound by a reason for being in the tiny world called the battlefield, you can try living and looking towards the outside world, and maybe, you'll find another way to live, and another way to prove you exist. In any case, you should try looking at the world, the world is... always right there."
Hearing that, Giganov slightly opened his eyes... and the next moment,
"Keh... Wahahahahaha!"
It was a hearty laugh, as though he found it funny from the bottom of his heart. If his arms hadn't been torn apart, he probably would have been gripping his sides with them. Col, upon hearing that laugh, became self conscious about saying something out of character, and had an angry expression, thinking he was laughing at her.
"What are you laughing at, do you want me to grind some rocks into your wounds and step on... wait, that wouldn't work on a psuedo body, that pisses me off."
"Nono, I'm laughing at myself, for having such a funny way of living. I have a consciousness, and had decided on how I should live my life. But, in the end, I stopped before I had established my own identity. How stupid of me... The world is full of irony."
He laughed at himself, for trying to judge Ran, who resisted the breaking of her own consciousness. He had never looked past the battlefield, and had never even thought to do so, so just as Col said, his reason for being was constrained. Compared to him, even she, a ghost with a consciousness who had mistakenly thought itself to be the original, and suffered when she found out the truth that she was a copy, had much more of an identity than him. If that wasn't irony, then what was.
"The world changes based on your point of view. From the perspective of a hard-headed guy like yourself, the world is full of irony. But if you think a little softer, then it would only be a black joke. If you do this, it will be a little easier to live. That's what I think."
Saying this, she thought about how Elza said something like "The world is made of peaches and apples". She never really understood what that meant, but it was more than enough to know there are differences in viewpoints. And the only thing in Giganov's view was the battlefield. Basically, it was like that.
When Col had first gained consciousness, she went on a rampage, knowing that her reason for being was a tool used to kill people. When she met Bear, he punched holes in that and made her see the non-forced world, and showed her the value of things aside from fighting and killing, which made her what she is today. And now, with her and this man, whether it might be considered too early or too late to make him see the outside world, it should only be a minor difference.
But... if he decides to live on, he might see the value of things outside of the battlefield, like herself, and be on their side. In that case, he could be a staunch ally.
Yesterday's enemy is today's friend. While it wasn't that simple, as someone involved, the idea annoyed her, but just like a human who changes their life around, he should be forgiven, accepted, live with his sins and atone. That is how the world that they all lived in worked.
"...All right, that look some time. Even if Pink is all right... I'm worried about the little mistress, so I better hurry. However... I can leave you alone, and I'm at a loss at how to deal with you."
With the conversation ending there, she changed the subject as she picked up the guns that were scattered around... Col was troubled about how she should deal with Giganov. He was unable to walk and be detained, and he was too heavy to carry. Also, in addition to not knowing how long it would take for his psuedo body to regenerate, considering he could possibly escape meant that leaving him there was out of the question. Even if she restrained him, she couldn't tie up his arms or legs that got blown off, and if he regenerated, his arms and legs would be completely free.
She went too far in blowing off his legs. It was due to her own actions too, and Col broke out into a cold sweat.
"In that case, it is simple. You should take me... the gigant itself with you. In any case, I would be your prisoner, so there would be no problem? And if there was something that your guns, or even yourself, were not effective against, you could use me and make a big difference in a battle, so I'm sure it would be useful for you."
"...That's true, even if, considering the recoil and my contender, it would be impossible to fire continuously, but your firepower would make up for it. I'd like to say that I'm happy that you'd let me use you... But, once I'm gone, your psuedo body will regenerate and escape, and then you can retrieve yourself later, right? Even though I won't kill you, it's not like I can believe everything you say."
"Since you've destroyed this body, if you take me with you, you need not worry. First of all, you were the one who talked about not looking at anything beyond the battlefield. With just my real body, I can't move or talk, and that, as you can imagine, would be extremely inconvenient."
"Wait, what do you mean by that..."
Before Col could finish speaking, Giganov closed his eyes. Then, Giganov's chest and stomach swelled up, and split apart.
"Chest Break---!?"
"Do I look like an Alien!?"
Responding to the boke that slipped out, she thought that he had a surprising sense of humor, just as the true body came out and surprised Col.
"This is my original, other body... I guess you could say, my other self. If this body is wounded, then my true self would also be wounded. The psuedo body could perform all sorts of combat abilities, and was created as an armor to protect my other body, my weak point. You could call it an over body. Also, it's appearance was convenient for fitting in on the battlefield."
The way of speaking was Giganov's, but the voice had a lisp, and also, was cute.
"You don't need to be on your guard. You can treat this body as my real body, and although I retain my combat abilities, it doesn't have anywhere near the strength of my psuedo body. If I tried to deceive or betray you, you could easily end it by pinning me down. When I had first created that body to carry my real body around, it became a form that could do nothing except carry me around, which I thought was odd, but... Uh, Bullet Squall? What's wrong?"
She had stopped. Col was completely frozen. If there had been sound effects to go with this, there would be sort of stupid "ding" sound. But it couldn't be helped.
She stopped, wondering who that naked little girl that came out from inside that ugly bearded guy was.
"Y, you're a girl!?"
"Hmm? A gun like myself has no gender... You're a gun transformed into a body, just like me, and you're a girl. Hmph, soldiers are taught to treat their gun like a woman, so this body is biologically a girl. And so, I'm a girl... I guess? What do you think, Bullet Squall?"
"Don't ask me. That's another value you'll have to reassess. Or rather, if you're doubting even that, it will destroy your identity."
"I, is that how it is? Sorry."
Although in both appearance and behavior, he was completely a guy, when she used tactics like exposing her underwear, it didn't throw him off any. She had simply thought that he was used to a woman's charm, but in reality, if he had the body of a girl, or rather, he wasn't even aware of his own gender... Giving that response with an oddly tired voice, Giganov (little girl) had a strange look on her face, and ran over to Col.
Of course, she couldn't bring a completely naked little girl around with her, so taking the sweat stained fatigues top off of the psuedo body, she dressed Giganov (little girl) in it. It kind of had a look that might appeal to people with a certain fetish, but there was too big of a difference between the second body and the psuedo body. It was an acceptable tradeoff.
She also grabbed the spare magazines for the gigant from his hip pouch. There were 3, so it had 15 shots left. The reloaded one into the spent gigant, so she now had 2 to spare. She would have plenty to spare as long as she used it as a last resort.
"However... you can't use yourself to fight, so it will be somewhat dangerous. Depending on how you choose, they might catch wind of what happened here, and if so, they will defnitely go after you as a traitor. But still, you can't force them back or defend yourself, so that's a problem."
"Is that so? They are quite an annoyance."
"Realize when something isn't someone else's problem. When this over, the truth will be covered up, and everyone, except for the higher ups at the Sweepers, will be told that "the anti-tank solider Giganov died". You might go into hiding somewhere for a while, but with that form, it would be unethical to just abandon you. Or maybe you would come to our place? In that case, you can reveal about your true form, and as long as we tell them that that information doesn't leave the mansion, anything about you won't get leaked to the outside. And the mistress, she doesn't expel anyone who is looking for their place in life, and would probably accept you."
"I... see, thank you. Naturally, it would be more comfortable to have those who know about me close by, and that would be a good warning. However, I don't care if you treat me as a prisoner. I had been planning on following you as one anyway. I am prepared for your subordinates to have hostility towards me. I don't think this will make up for it, but I will accept whatever punishment you can give me until you are satisfied."
"Oh really. In that case, I'll throw you to the maids, and even if they lick you all over your body, I better not hear any whining. Since you're going to be living on, you're going to have to learn that you'll be treated differently depending on your form, and I'll make sure your body learns that."
"Lick... W, what is, is that the punishment!? No, but, I, this strange feeling... Ehhh...?"
Giganov, felt an uneasiness that was unlike her soldier's intuition, that told her her chastity would be in danger. The way that she was actually roughly licked all over her body, and how, for the first time, was treated like how her other body looked, and how she sobbed and begged for forgiveness, is a story for another time.