General 106

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Chapter 106. The Flood Of Soft Skin

"I’m home~. Since there was a school concert today, I was specially allowed to come back temporarily, so here I am~."

Just like a daughter returning home after a grueling job, Mina collapses in the doorway of our house. She’s carrying several bouquets along with a travel suitcase.

"Why come straight to Yuu-sama and my love nest? Your house is nearby, isn’t it, you little girl?"

"I still feel a bit nostalgic for the usual banter with older women. I must be working too hard… I mean, judging by the shoes at the entrance, it looks like Hinoura-san and the Suo siblings are here too. What’s this? A school festival after-party? Let me join in!"

Mina enters the living room, raising her energy a bit.

"Little girl, you really can’t read the room, can you?"

"What’s with you, old lady? Was there trouble at the school festival? From what I saw from the stage, there didn’t seem to be any."

As she settles into the kotatsu, Mina casually reaches for a mandarin orange.

"It’s a bit related to military secrets. Right now, only those involved are discussing it in a separate room."

Suo-senpai answers, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. Sensing the heavy atmosphere, Mina stops peeling the mandarin and seems to pick up on something.

"I see…"

With a sad look, Mina gazes at the partially peeled mandarin.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

"Misuzu-chan’s ability is the creation of Homunculi. Is this understanding correct?"

"Yes. The limit is up to when my soul armor energy runs out."

Misuzu-chan sits on my bed, sipping cocoa from a mug as she answers my questions.

"Are the ones created copies or clones of you, Misuzu-chan?"

"Genetically, they are. The clones have the same physical abilities and memories, but the ability to create Homunculi is only with the original."

"Does maintaining the clones require energy?"

"No. They use the energy given during creation, so there’s no ongoing energy drain from me."

"Are the clones and memories shared?"

"Whether they are on or off is up to us."

"So, you believed right away that a kid like me was a major general?"

"The sea battle in Okinawa last summer and the recent interference assistance to space transfer users were important operations, so I remember them well. After all, it was a large-scale operation that consumed 100 units of clones in one go."

Misuzu answers several of my questions smoothly and clearly, even if the topics involve the upper limits of her soul armor ability or highly confidential military secrets.

Whether this is intentional or if Misuzu, as she appears, has a somewhat youthful aspect in her thinking, I couldn’t tell.

"The rack that Kamiya-senpai brought back during the rescue operation for Hayami-san had her inside."

Marin-chan, who has finally recovered from the state of 'brother-worship,' adds to what Misuzu-chan said.

"So, Marin-chan, who knew the contents ahead of time, ordered her big brother to deal with Misuzu after seeing her face."

"That was more of a request from a younger sister to an older brother, rather than a military order."

Although Marin-chan holds a much higher rank, she seems to prefer keeping it a personal request, avoiding any hierarchical implications with her beloved older brother. But, isn’t it scarier for the sister who requests a killing?

"It seems there was a unit where the self-destruct mechanism of the battery didn’t activate properly."

"And the battery was what they called in that country?"

"Yes. Since they were copies of each other, connecting them was easy, and I had a special constitution that allowed me to use multiple low-level soul armor abilities, so it was literally convenient."

"Treating humans like disposable fuel…"

The contrast between Misuzu’s nonchalant comment and Kotomi’s pale face, filled with disgust and anger, in a way represents the contrast between the Eastern Allied Nations and this country.

"However, I thought the Eastern Allied Nations were unusually aggressive towards Japan, but this is the backstory, huh?"

"Initially, it seems Japan’s military upper echelons assumed the Eastern Allied Nations were developing a scheme to train low-level soul armor users."

Either way, it was expected that such a method could only be achieved through a disregard for bioethics.

"Still, doesn’t that make Misuzu a savior goddess for the Eastern Allied Nations? It’s impressive you managed to escape."

"At first, the treatment was good. But as the war situation worsened, the production quotas kept getting stricter…"

Those who cut open the goose that lays golden eggs are laughed at by those around them for being foolish. Even children understand that they end up losing in the end. Yet, when people are cornered, they can become increasingly foolish, and the wrong choices start to look incredibly appealing.

"Gradually increasing quotas… It feels like a black company’s targets masquerading as quotas."

"That’s why I escaped before I couldn’t move anymore. I did take some risks, but I temporarily created clones and escaped among them."

"Impressive that you made it all the way to Japan."

"I was told that the lot sent to the special missile pilot line during clone generation would be sent there. Just randomly going outside would mean being used as a mere battery and discarded, so escaping would be pointless. Thanks for the cocoa."

Misuzu-chan sighs towards the ceiling.

"However, doesn’t that mean the Eastern Allied Nations are in an uproar?"

"I think so. For them, I am their last hope."

"You say it so openly."

"With lower technical ability, resource richness, and economic power compared to the great powers, the only chance a country has to make a comeback is soul armor ability, right? Just one lucky hit can turn the tide of the battle. In that sense, my country, which can barely feed its people but mindlessly absorbs and increases the population of surrounding countries, is lucky to have such a rescue system."

Misuzu-chan responds with a voice mixed with derision towards her country to my bitterly amused reaction.

"It’s suspicious that someone as important as you, a national figure, is here with us."

"Marin-chan?"

"The story is too perfect. Especially since the first discoverer was Kamiya-senpai, it’s only natural to sense some intentionality."

Marin-chan looks at Misuzu with an attitude that doesn’t hide her deep suspicion. It seems she has fully recovered from her state of 'brother-worship' and is now fully engaged in her usual black-hearted mode.

"Honestly, I was surprised too. I was shocked when I was suddenly pinned by the head and had my groin area shown so quickly."

"Misuzu! It’s a very accurate depiction of the situation in Japanese, but it’s misleading!"

"…What exactly are you doing, Kamiya-senpai?"

"Yuu, it’s actually a hobby of mine…"

"That’s not it! That was cervical spine protection, a proper first aid technique!"

As I desperately explain, while being subjected to Misuzu and Kotomi’s contemptuous and cold stares.

"Ahem! Setting aside the suspicion of Kamiya-senpai, let’s get back to the main topic. Anyway, we can’t trust this woman’s story."

Marin-chan forcibly redirects the conversation, grateful that the topic is changing, but it seems my own suspicions aren’t resolved…

"Naturally, the credibility of the enemy prisoner’s story is low. It’s your job to verify my story. In the military, of course."

"Ugh… First of all, the authenticity of the story will be examined later, but right now, there’s no guarantee that this woman in front of us is the original!"

For someone who deals in information, Marin-chan is caught off guard and hesitates before countering at the counter.

"What do you mean, Marin-chan?"

"The individual in front of us could be a clone rather than the original."

"Hmm…"

Indeed, Misuzu had said earlier that she left a clone with clone creation ability as a decoy when escaping from the Eastern Allied Nations. She had created several clones in the student council room earlier, which could also be a bluff.

"I understand. Then, let me show you proof that I am the original."

"…? Proof, how… Wait! Noooohhhh!!"

As Misuzu says that, the entire room, and even the house, quickly fills with a density of Misuzu that resembles a crowded train.

Of course, the clones are completely naked. If this spills out into the outside world, I would be socially finished!

"I get it! I get it! Misuzu is the real one! The real one!"

I can’t even tell where the original Misuzu is, but we continue to shout while being buried in soft skin.