Chapter 53: The VIP Customer

“Ugh…I’m feeling better now.”

The incident where I became a child due to the medicine, well…it felt like it ended with a light atmosphere of playing around, even though it’s a bit much to call it an incident.

After that incident, I had to go through quite a bit of trouble for a day.

I had to re-adjust to my body becoming bigger again…anyway, because of that, I had a lot of trouble for at least a day.

There were cases where I bumped my head…

And…when I saw that the burn marks on my arms and back had become significantly smaller and fainter when my body became bigger again…I was very surprised.

Nagisa said that this was the goal from the beginning…so I almost cried again at that moment…

Now I’ve finished adjusting, and the urgent work is practically over, so it’s time to take care of the personal matters that I’ve been putting off.

“Then…I’ll be going.”

“Ah! Sora-chan? Wait a moment~”

Just as I was about to leave for personal business after today’s work hours, Onee-chan stopped me.

“Yes…?!”

“Ehehe…”

A short and light kiss, is it called a bird kiss? A short, soft touch touches my lips and then moves away.

I’m used to this kind of thing by now…

“That…Onee-chan…”

“Huh~ Aren’t you used to this kind of thing by now~”

I was a little embarrassed here, where all the members of the Tea Party were gathered…it’s embarrassing even if I shouldn’t be embarrassed by now…

“Hmm…that…yes…”

“Fufu…isn’t it okay to not be embarrassed in front of us anymore?”

“Ah…Nagisa…”

Nagisa, who was next to me, saw this and slowly approached…ueeeeeeek!

“Ueeeeeee! Nagianiiiiiii!”

“You’ve shown that kind of appearance, and you’re still calling me -sama?”

Nagisa grabbed my cheek.

Of course, it didn’t end with just grabbing, it was pulled straight…the reason was, as she already said, the issue of honorifics…

“Ueee…then how should I call you…”

I could have resisted if I wanted to…but well, there’s no way I would resist.

I grab my slightly aching cheek and ask her the desired honorific.

Honestly, as long as it’s not an overtly embarrassing title, it’s fine…

“Then, Maste….”

“Ahaha☆ Nagi-chan?”

What did I just hear? I think I heard something I shouldn’t have heard.

Onee-chan was the same, her expression changed rapidly…and feeling this, Ju…Nagisa reorganized the title.

“Ahem…it’s a joke? Senpai is enough.”

I’m definitely not good at reading people.

Just a while ago, I didn’t properly notice the feelings that the three of them had for me.

But at least I could tell that what she just said wasn’t a joke.

“Ahem…”

“Ah, Seia?”

“Senpai is enough for me too.”

“…”

No, why are you all so obsessed with titles?!

No, well…I can understand wanting to be called by a special title by someone you like…well…yeah…it’s not particularly impossible, so I agree to everything.

When it was Onee-chan, I had a little more resistance, but…compared to then, has the relationship changed a lot?

There was no resistance, and there was no reason to refuse, so in the end, it was decided to call her Senpai, except in public places.

“By the way, Sora-chan, you’re leaving earlier than usual today? Is there something going on?”

“Ah, yes, actually…the weapon case I was using last time…was broken along with the gun…”

Yeah, I spent a lot of money to buy the Ivolys, I didn’t give it a name, but I even painted it, and I was quite attached to it, so it’s sad…but it was smashed to the point of being unrecoverable.

When Onee-chan and I stopped that red giant, when that giant turned pure white and used that unknown attack, the weapon case and even the Ivolys were completely broken…

if I had to say, the weapon case itself could be recovered…but the gunsmith uncle advised that it would be more beneficial to buy a new gun than to repair it because the core parts of the Ivolys were completely smashed.

There was also the possibility that the gunsmith uncle was trying to trick me with his sales pitch, but well? That possibility seems low.

Because I asked the gunsmith uncle in DU who I had commissioned to paint, that is, the one who helped me once during the Sukeban attack.

He even told me how to buy higher quality items when buying new guns, how to get a good value for money, and how to lower the price…

and he even told me where to get some attachments that weren’t handled in that store cheaply.

“Hmmm…you seemed to like it quite a bit…”

“Yes…it can’t be helped…actually, if it was the old me, it might be, but it doesn’t seem like a gun that suits me lately…”

Certainly, the old me used my wings as a shield to block all attacks from the front and fought with the firepower of the Ivolys.

But lately, maybe because of Onee-chan’s influence? I showed a stronger appearance in close combat…I was aware of it to some extent myself, so I was thinking about other guns.

“Kuh…sorry…Sora-chan…I’m not very knowledgeable about guns…”

“Haha…it can’t be helped. Still…I’m thinking of getting another one at the store…where I got the Evolys this time.”

Certainly, Mika-oneechan wasn’t the type to fight while paying attention to equipment.

Even her own gun, even if it had undergone modifications in the process, if it hadn’t, it would be a tremendous relic…anyway, the Lanchester is honestly a gun that would be in a museum if it were in the army of my previous life…

Even if you don’t know much about guns, your ability to handle guns is excellent, so it’s not a big problem, right?

Even in this Kivotos, where guns are close, it’s not strange, because even Korean men in the previous life rarely know properly about standard weapons such as K-2 or K2C1, except for some famous ones.

And even if she’s not very knowledgeable, if you take it to the standards of the previous life, wouldn’t she be quite knowledgeable about guns?

“Hmm, that weapon case…was it Millennium’s? It’s a bit far…maybe you’ll have to spend a day outside…”

“Wouldn’t it be better to assign a vehicle? Sora.”

“No…isn’t that using power too personally? And I drew a separate train ticket.”

“But I’m worried.”

Ugh…these seniors are very worried about me…the other two nodded as if they agreed with Onee-chan’s words and looked at me.

It’s hard to dismiss it as excessive worry, because I’ve collapsed in front of those three more than once or twice…

“It’s okay…I’ll be going…see you tomorrow?”

I leave behind the worries for me and head to Millennium.

“Heee…I’ve arrived…”

I’ve been to Millennium several times before, not only for the Evolys, but also for the case of the missing student council president, so I was quite familiar with the inside of the Millennium autonomous region.

Of course, thanks to Millennium’s technology, there were many means of transportation such as monorails, and if I had to say, it was an autonomous region that was developed not long ago,

so the structure was clean, making it easy to find my way.

The time itself is a bit late, dinner time, that’s because school itself started when it was time to go home.

I deliberately set the date on Friday, when the weekend is approaching, so there is no problem even if I return to Trinity a little late.

“Long time no see, Utaha-san?”

“Ah, long time no see, Trinity’s customer. You’re in plain clothes today?”

“Hmmm? What, is that the customer you were talking about?”

Shiraishi Utaha, the head of the Engineer Club, which has a particularly high level of technology among the clubs of Millennium, which has that high level of technology.

Yeah, my Ivolys and weapon case are items requested from the Engineer Club.

The Ivolys is a product that is sold separately, but the weapon case is made to order, so I offered a fairly high amount….

And next to her, a woman I’ve never seen before…she’s not a child? Anyway, a person I’ve never seen before was looking at me with fierce eyes.

Judging from her expression, it’s not like she’s glaring at me because she doesn’t like me, but just a person with that kind of impression.

“Yeah, that’s right. Just wait a little, Neru. It’s a reserved customer.”

“Aha~ So the customer is more important than a friend~”

“I’m sorry, but Neru, a Meister is…”

“Ugh! Stop! I know what you’re going to say, so hurry up and deal with it!”

The two seemed to be quite close, and a short conversation continued, and Utaha approached me.

However…I was a little embarrassed that the person called Neru kept her gaze fixed on me.

“So, customer? It’s the SRM Arms Model 1216.”

But that embarrassment didn’t last long.

A raw shotgun that hasn’t even been painted yet was placed on the table between Utaha and me.

Made to order, in that short time, a customer who ordered two made-to-order products was the first at least while Utaha was in the Engineer Club, so she gave me VIP treatment and gave me some attachments, so the burden was reduced a little.

I had to choose an option that would allow me to take advantage of my strength, close combat, without giving up firepower, so I chose a semi-automatic shotgun, and I wanted to maintain combat endurance, so I chose this gun.

It’s a little difficult to operate and heavy, but heavy wasn’t a problem for me, and the difficulty of operation was a problem that would gradually become familiar, so I liked it in terms of performance.

“As you know, the modification of the cylinder that was in the order could not be carried out.”

“Hmmm…it can’t be helped. It’s a pity, but I like it.”

Yeah, it’s a shotgun with a peculiar structure that connects four tubular magazines to make a magazine and rotates it like a revolver’s cylinder to change the magazine.

However, since the rotation is manual, the difficulty of use increases, so I put in a custom request to automatically rotate to the next magazine when the bullets in the tubular magazine are empty…

I heard from the beginning that it would be difficult, but she said she would try, and in the end, she succeeded in implementing it,

but the structure became complicated, causing frequent breakdowns, and in addition, in the end, the fact that you have to hold the magazine and shoulder the SRM caught my ankle, so I gave up.

“The painting…you said you wanted to do it while looking at it directly? There’s a promising junior named Hibiki who’s good at painting?

She’s better than me, so I told her in advance, and she’ll be waiting in the 1-A workshop. The location is over there, and Hibiki is wearing quite conspicuous clothes, so you’ll know as soon as you enter.”

“Ah, yes, thank you.”

I decided to set the painting direction to receive time separately because I wanted to design it while looking at it directly on site.

Utaha, who guided me, went back to chatting with the person called Neru, and started working on the gun in front of her.

Two MPXs connected by a chain…Akimbos are hard to use, so you must be good at technology.

Honestly, it’s obvious that she’s a strong person…but…what’s the Tabasco sauce bottle next to her…?

Anyway, when I entered the workshop, I certainly saw a student in very conspicuous clothes.

However, it wasn’t that she was conspicuous in a strange way, but she was so well dressed that it was obvious that she paid a lot of attention to fashion, so I felt it was a little amazing.

“Ah, the person senpai was talking about?”

“Yes, are you Hibiki?”

As I exchanged greetings…Yogoe MAX…there were a lot of empty cans, so was the workload considerable…?

“That…you must have been…busy…lately…?”

“Ah…yeah…because of my hobby…so shall we start right away…?”

Whether she’s an action-oriented person, she quickly took the gun, separated the magazine, and started taking out the tools needed for painting.

I had tried painting myself before, and the equipment that was taken out casually showed a huge difference compared to that time.

They all looked like high-quality and professional equipment, but seeing her handle them casually,

I realized again that the words I heard that Millennium’s Engineer Club is a place where only people with a certain degree of craftsmanship gather were not wrong.

“The basic base is…white, right…?”

“Ah, yes.”

“That…that…sorry…because we’re the same age, just speak comfortably…it’s awkward…yeah…”

“Ah…yeah, I understand…”

While chatting, the gun is covered with bright and clean white with skillful hand movements.

It was so precise and meticulous compared to when I tried it…and it was fast.

While I was dazed for a moment, the gun was completely covered in white.

“Now…tell me the color you want as a sub.”

“Um…wait a minute…is this color possible?”

I had a color that I had drawn in my head to some extent, but not completely, so I turned it on with my cell phone and showed it to her.

Hibiki seemed to think for a moment, and then quickly took out the paint, sprinkled it a little on the empty paper, and decided on the paint.

“How much do you want to paint?”

“I just want you to do the gun body and the rail.”

As soon as I finished speaking, the painting continued, and when the painting was finished, the SRM was completed with a white base and a slightly dark purple body.

However, if I was going to end it here, I would have done it myself.

I showed Hibiki the picture I took in advance…

“Hmm…Trinity’s logo…but…it’s thin and…precise, it’ll be difficult. Still, it’s a level that can be done enough if you take the time.”

“Ah, thank you…”

Hibiki took out other thin painting tools and continued painting.

While watching from the side, the appearance of concentrating on the work without saying anything was honestly nice to see.

I hope I look like that when I draw.

As Hibiki’s hand passes by, the golden paint leaves footprints and gradually forms a picture.

What is engraved is the symbol of the place where I stay, and the name of the place where I have stayed for a long time and accumulated memories.

That’s why it’s very similar to that of the most precious person.

Trinity’s logo is engraved on the end of the buttstock.

Trinity’s letters are engraved on the lower part of the body.

“Phew…is there anything else to engrave?”

“No, there isn’t. Thank you.”

The painting I wanted to do was completed in the color I liked the most.

I carefully put it in the dryer and spend time.

Since painting guns is a common occurrence, there is a dryer that quickly dries the paint.

However…it’s a bit expensive, so it’s hard to see unless it’s a gun shop, but the Engineer Club is making a certain amount of profit and the budget is high, so it seems that they bought it with some leeway.

Even if it’s a dryer, in the first place, I started working late, so when the painting was completely dry, the sky was already dark.

“Thank you, customer. Come again next time.”

“Yes, Utaha, I’m sorry for being late.”

“No, anyway, we have something to work on together until late today. Be careful when you go.”

“Yes, Hibiki, thank you for today.”

“Goodbye…”

Now, as I left Millennium with the farewell of the Engineer Club, which I had become quite close to…I saw a familiar vehicle, a familiar figure.

No, wait…maybe….

“Uh…Onee-chan?!”

“Wow! Sora-chan! You’re so late! I’ve been waiting!!”

Onee-chan…was waiting in Millennium, driving a separate vehicle.

Have you been waiting all this time? It must have been hard…did you bring a separate transport team? I thought, but the driver’s seat was empty.

That means…

“Onee-chan…did you drive here alone?!”

“Yeah! Why? Are you touched? Huh? Huh? Tell me~ Sora-chan~!”

I would have had to spend a long time on the train again…the train ticket is a bit of a waste…but honestly…I’m touched that you borrowed a vehicle from the transport department and drove here yourself…

“Huh…that gun painting…”

“Ah…Aaaah, I wanted to show it to you separately…I was caught…”

It’s a lie if I say I don’t have any thoughts…but the person I wanted to show it to first hasn’t changed…I was caught…so I throw away the regret and boast to Onee-chan as much as I want.

“Wow…yeah! I’m…sooo! Happy! Yeah!”

“Hehe…”

I wanted to spend more time…but time was late, so I got on the vehicle with regret.

The time in the vehicle that day must have been long, but the time with Onee-chan felt short.