“Well, I guess I’ll discuss it with Emotion.”
There’s also the matter of the Earth cultural data Emotion has preserved.
They’re allowed to use it for themselves, but it feels a bit wrong to consume it just between the two of them.
At this very moment, Kaito and Emotion assets are undoubtedly increasing. What should he do?
Closing my eyes, Kaito let out a small sigh.
“By the way, when will the update finish…?”
Kaito must have been more tired than he thought.
As soon as he closed his eyes, Kaito’s consciousness drifted into the darkness of sleep.
“Master. Master Kaito. Wake up. You’ve slept too long.”
“Mmm, it’s still fine, Emotion. Just two more hours.”
“Returning to gravity doesn’t mean you can indulge in laziness, Master Kaito. If you don’t wake up within five counts, I’ll have to resort to an electric shock. Ready? One.”
The body’s reflexes are a sad thing. As soon as the count started, Kaito upper body jolted up. Emotion’s electric shocks are painful.
Scratching his head, Kaito turned his gaze to the figure standing imposingly by the bed and answered with a groggy mind.
“Alright, Emotion. So, today’s schedule is…”
As Kaito answered, he suddenly realized. Imposingly standing?
Kaito felt a bit confused, realizing that the person he was answering wasn’t the familiar sphere but a human figure.
“Who are you?”
It felt so natural that Kaito assumed it was Emotion. it must be Emotion after the update, right? Kaito not the type to be slow on the uptake.
Blonde hair. A slender figure. A woman from Earth.
How absurd, Kaito thought, blinking his eyes. You were a machine, weren’t you?
“You know, don’t you? Master Kaito.”
“Emotion, right?”
“Yes. Based on Master Kaito’s preferences, I’ve constructed a form that should best match your tastes. How is it?”
Honestly, it’s exactly my type (a perfect strike).
Kaito could only answer in a whisper while covering his face with both hands.
Apparently, Kaito had slept for about a day and a half in Earth time. This was a necessary rest period for my modified body to stabilize, so it’s not unusual. If anything, the time between modification and entering this rest was too intense. Kaito still feel a bit sleep-deprived.
The problem is Emotion. Now in the form of a female android, the blonde beauty who startled Kaito when waking him up wasn’t a disguise either.
“With the budget we had, I constructed a body using ultra-fine biomimetic metal. I incorporated genetic information from Earth women acquired peacefully by the Federation during their investigations, so by altering the properties, I can do this.”
Watching Emotion effortlessly switch between a mechanical appearance and a human one, Kaito couldn’t help but hold his head. He knew she had a sense of humor, but to go this far after an update…
Even though Kaito’ve given up on Earthlings, his interest in the opposite sex hasn’t disappeared, nor have his preferences changed. With his heart racing at Emotion’s appearance, Kaito doubt he’ll be able to oppose her for a while.
Especially when she’s pointing at him in the form of an Earth woman tailored to his tastes.
“Now, my update is complete. Let’s move on to the next step.”
Next step? Instead of answering, Kaito stomach growled.
Come to think of it, since being retrieved on Zodgia, Kaito haven’t eaten anything. Emotion didn’t ask what the noise was.
Perhaps his body, having undergone modifications, is craving nutrients.
“I’d like to at least have a meal before the next step.”
Slowly, he got out of bed.
But then, Emotion shook her head.
“Meals are scheduled for the step after next. We’ve prepared some dishes that replicate Earth’s cuisine, so look forward to it. Master Kaito, there’s something you need to do before eating.”
“What is it? Arranging a ship?”
“No, it’s body cleansing. Your body modification plan involves a complete overhaul of your entire body during the hibernation period. As a result, harmful substances have been seeping out of your skin while you were asleep. A change of clothes has also been prepared, so please take care of that first.”
“Ah… I see. That makes sense. Thanks.”
Kaito was impressed by how thorough they were, even preparing a change of clothes for him. Come to think of it, he’d been wearing the prisoner outfit from the Goodbye Earth ship this whole time. Even during the body modification, he’d only taken off the airtight suit and kept the prisoner outfit on.
Body cleansing was a given, so Kaito decided to comply without protest. He was hungry, but it would be rude to head to a meal in an unclean state. He figured that was probably a universal courtesy, regardless of culture or civilization.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT gadgetizedpanda.net
After washing his entire body in the cleansing device, Kaito changed into the prepared clothes.
The clothes resembled Earth’s attire, but the texture of the material felt strangely different. It was like a clingy, smooth sensation. It was high-quality material, and it felt almost wasteful for it to be used in such a simple design.
The prisoner outfit and undergarments he had been wearing were all taken away. Since harmful substances had been seeping out of his skin, he assumed they had been disposed of.
“I didn’t have any attachment to them, so it’s fine.”
The comfort of the new clothes was on a completely different level. They were breathable and refreshing. The prisoner outfit had been primarily blue, and the new clothes also had a blue-based design.
Kaito didn’t have any particular preference, though.
“Alright, then.”
He put on everything that had been prepared. Running his hand through his now-dry hair, he stepped out of the washroom.
Emotion seemed to be standing there idly. But as soon as Kaito appeared, she spoke up, so she probably hadn’t just been zoning out.
“Feeling refreshed?”
“Yeah. How do I look in this outfit?”
“It suits you very well. …Though, I wouldn’t expect me to have an Earthling-like sense of aesthetics.”
“That’s fine. If you think it suits me, that’s good enough.”
After all, he was the only Earthling here. As long as Emotion didn’t think his outfit was weird, that was all that mattered.
The slight excitement from changing into new clothes quickly faded. Specifically, it was crushed by his growling stomach.
It was relentless.
“It seems the meal is ready. Shall we go?”
“Yeah. By the way, Emotion, can you eat?”
“Yes. In my human form, I can… but there’s no particular reason for me to eat.”
Emotion said that recharging was enough for her, but Kaito decided to invite her to the meal anyway. He believed that sometimes doing something without a purpose could add depth to one’s way of living.
“That’s the Federation’s technology for you. Perfect timing. Why don’t you try eating experimentally?”
“Ah. I don’t quite understand the concept of taste, though.”
“That’s exactly why you should try it. You don’t have to make supporting me your sole purpose in life. If you like it, maybe you could even make eating a hobby.”
“…I don’t have a reason to refuse.”
It wasn’t the most enthusiastic response, but Emotion accepted Kaito’s proposal.
The dining hall is this way, she said, her steps oddly light.
“It wouldn’t look good if I just stood around idly while Master Kaito ate. I’ll join you.”
Her excuse-like comment might have been her way of hiding her embarrassment.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT gadgetizedpanda.net
“Is this… curry?”
“It seems so.”
As Kaito and Emotion sat down, a mysterious technology made the food appear before them. A deep plate with rice and sauce. It was a very familiar dish. Curry rice.
Except the sauce was pink. Shocking pink.
Kaito quietly closed his eyes. ‘What should I do? I’ve lost my appetite. Just moments ago, my stomach had been growling fiercely, but now the overwhelming sense of discomfort was suppressing my hunger.’
Still, what kind of reference did the Federation citizens use to come up with this?
“What will you do? The nutritional value seems to be tailored for Earthlings. It’s harmless. I admit the color is unusual for curry rice, though. It’s harmless.”
Then why did you say “harmless” twice?
Kaito sighed and opened his eyes. Right, the Federation wasn’t serving him this food to mess with him. They had prepared it for his nutritional needs.
He couldn’t just not eat it. Steeling himself, he picked up the provided spoon.
He scooped up some of the sauce and rice-like substance, then took a determined bite.
The aroma and flavor spread. It wasn’t bad. In fact, it was delicious. But unfortunately, it didn’t taste like curry.
“I see, so this is curry. This must be the spiciness people talk about. I think I understand why it’s so universally loved.”
“No… that’s not it, Emotion. This is sweetness.”
“Sweetness?”
“Yeah. This isn’t spiciness.”
Overwhelmed by the indescribable taste, Kaito held his head with his left hand. What is this? This feeling of being betrayed on multiple levels. The flavor itself was delicious, which made it all the more frustrating.
He decided to finish it quickly. Calm down. Think of it not as curry with a strange color, but as cream stew with a strange color. Cream stew poured over rice. That way, the gap isn’t so wide.
Steeling himself, he took a second bite.
It’s manageable. If I think of it as cream stew, I can handle it. It’s a bit too sweet, though.
“…Phew.”
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