Chapter 100: A Good Feeling
Although the [Supreme Throne] was destroyed, it could still be repaired.
"If we shrink the size and replace some parts, there will be quite a few usable components left over."
"Therefore, Aqua and I were thinking of installing these parts onto RyuZU. What do you think?"
Kobayashi and Aqua explained, one after the other.
RyuZU paused slightly after hearing this, asking with a puzzled look, "You want to install parts onto my body?"
"That's right. After all, this will be good for you, RyuZU." Seeing her slight resistance, he explained, "You are currently constructed from pure gears. Therefore, your body absolutely cannot withstand too severe or violent damage."
Unlike a Teigu, which can recover indefinitely as long as its core is not destroyed, if RyuZU were to be destroyed, she could not be repaired.
It was precisely for this reason that he had not dared to bring her along when he fought Esdeath. If she had been destroyed first by some accident, he would have truly cried his eyes out.
"Furthermore, your [Imaginary Switch] puts a huge strain on your gears. Without replacement parts, I was wondering if we could use mana to alleviate your burden. I'm sorry. It's all because I'm so useless that I've been pushing you so hard."
Speaking of this, Kobayashi looked very embarrassed.
In that other world, RyuZU had helped with the vast majority of things. It was because of her bug-level ability that he had been able to operate with such ease. But gears were gears, after all. No matter how hard the material, there would inevitably be wear and tear after use, especially when the [Imaginary Switch] was made of incredibly precise gears.
"...I am aware of how useless you are, Master Kobayashi. Therefore, you wish to strengthen my abilities, correct?"
RyuZU opened her mouth, and out came her sharp tongue.
Kobayashi clasped his hands together and pleaded, "Please don't be so blunt, I'm begging you."
Seeing her master like this, she had no reason to refuse.
"I understand. I agree."
"RyuZU..."
Kobayashi had thought it would take a lot of effort to persuade her. After all, she had always been proud of being an automaton created by "Y." Randomly modifying her would surely have aroused her resentment... he never thought she would agree as soon as he opened his mouth.
"No matter what, you are doing this for my own good, are you not, Master Kobayashi?"
RyuZU smiled slightly and said something rather cold and cruel, "And... an automaton that is no longer useful will be discarded. This is a principle that even a three-year-old child knows."
"I would never do that!"
Kobayashi immediately and loudly refuted.
Under her slightly dazed expression, he tightly grasped her hands and said, "No matter what happens, I will not discard you. This is what I promised you when we made our contract."
"...Master Kobayashi."
RyuZU turned her head, not daring to look at him, but her bright red ears said everything.
"Are you two finished yet? Can we start?" Aqua's voice came from the side, annoyed. "What is this? It's not like it's a life-or-death parting. And even if you die, I can just bring you back. Can you not be so melodramatic?"
In their lovey-dovey moment, they had completely forgotten there was another person there.
Kobayashi cleared his throat.
"...Ahem, let's begin."
With that, the three of them began to prepare.
"But there's one more problem we need to be careful of," Aqua said very seriously while fiddling with the parts. "We must be very careful not to touch any strange places."
"...What are you talking about? I wouldn't do that kind of thing."
"That's not what I mean!"
Aqua stomped her foot in frustration.
RyuZU's body was filled with too many precise gears. The slightest misstep could cause a chain reaction, making her entire body automatically disintegrate. Therefore, they had to rely on his [Perfector] for the fine operations.
"But the problem is, how do we accurately place the magic circuits in every part of RyuZU's body without touching the delicate gears."
[Magic Circuits]
This was something taken from the [Supreme Throne], a channel that allowed mana to flow. Thus, they called it a [Magic Circuit]. And for it to be fully activated, it had to cover the entire body. But RyuZU's gears were arranged too densely, and their intricate and complex layout made it impossible to see the whole picture.
"We don't have to worry about that. Because I have this."
A green eye pattern appeared on his forehead. "This is another Teigu. Its name is [Spectator], and it can see through any object... Hey, what's with that disgusted look? Let me state beforehand, I have absolutely never used it to look through you!"
"That's not it. Even if you did, all you would see is a blur," Aqua said, seemingly very confident in herself.
"...You're right. It's all a mosaic."
Kobayashi tested it and found that it was just as she said, the same as when he had peeked under her skirt before.
...Wait, did he just reveal something?
He shook his head and asked again, "Then what's with the disgusted look?"
Aqua said, disgusted, "Because it's too ugly. That eye makes me feel very uncomfortable. I really want to modify it."
With that, she leaned in.
Before he could react in time, she had drawn a few strokes on his forehead, re-drawing the pattern.
She nodded with satisfaction. "Mmm, that looks much more comfortable."
"...Hey, you idiot! What are you randomly changing? What if the Teigu stops working... you're kidding me, the effect actually got stronger."
He felt the Teigu and found that its effect was even stronger than before.
He was instantly speechless.
Why was she always useful in strange, random areas, but always useless when it came to important matters?
By the way, what did she change the pattern into?
Puzzled, he picked up a mirror. The pattern reflected in it was very familiar.
Axis_Order_Crest.JPG
Two diamonds were superimposed on each other, with an inexplicable diagonal line extending from the middle. On either side of the diamonds were more than a dozen 'x'-shaped arcs. The whole thing was water-blue and glowed with a strange light.
Was it good-looking?
Compared to the previous eye, it was very good-looking.
But the Axis Order was very unpopular in the world of Konosuba. This iconic crest would very likely cause him to be scorned wherever he went.
Even [Spectator] was sending him a feeling of grievance.
—There's no going back.
But Kobayashi didn't care about style and form. Useful and strong was what really mattered.
Aqua stuck her little nose in the air and said proudly, "Consider it a return gift from the goddess to her most pious believer. If it wasn't for you, Kobayashi, I wouldn't have used my divine power to help you modify it."
"Thank you, Aqua," he said with heartfelt gratitude.
With the enhanced [Spectator], the two of them were even more confident in modifying RyuZU.
He cracked his knuckles.
"The strain of using a Teigu at the same time is quite large. Let's hurry up."
After a bout of mad scientist-style modification.
When RyuZU woke up again, although she looked the same on the outside, her body had already been implanted with [Magic Circuits].
"How is it? Do you feel any discomfort?" he asked with concern.
RyuZU felt it out carefully, then shook her head. "There is nothing abnormal. The circuits have perfectly avoided every component. Your modification was a success, Master Kobayashi."
"That's great."
He relaxed. He let out a long breath, and a wave of dizziness washed over him. After 5 hours, he really couldn't take it anymore.
"Then, without further ado, let's hurry up and test if the circuits work," Aqua said excitedly.
"Is that okay, RyuZU?"
"Yes. I am ready at any time."
"You must tell me if you feel anything strange."
After giving his instructions, he closed his eyes and began to communicate with the [Magic Circuits] inside her body. Because a connection had been established with him, he could slowly inject mana from a distance.
"Ngh."
RyuZU let out a soft hum.
This scared him, and he hurriedly stopped, asking, "Are you alright? Is there any discomfort anywhere?"
"No."
She shook her head, her index finger and thumb touching. "I just felt Master Kobayashi's tiny little [something]. It feels... nice."
Don't say things that are so easy to misunderstand!
This was RyuZU's first time, so he naturally had to be careful. Once she got used to it, he wouldn't have to be so gentle.
With a slow push, the mana injection was a success.
"Well then, let's test your ability!"
—Imaginary Switch!
Her figure instantly disappeared and reappeared behind him, gently hugging his waist.
He asked with concern, "How is it? Is the strain large?"
"No. After being enveloped by the unknown power, the strain is almost gone. And the duration has been extended by 11.28 seconds. Your modification was a success, Master Kobayashi," she said, giving the exact numbers.
"But the problem is that the activation time is too slow."
If she used her gears, she could activate it in an instant. But with mana, it took 3 seconds to accumulate.
"It seems we still need to practice a lot more."
"Yes, Master Kobayashi."
A happy smile appeared on RyuZU's face, and he patted her head with gratification.
Only Aqua was left as an annoyed background board.
(End of Chapter)