CH 41

[As of this moment, I hereby authorize the establishment of the Special Operations Squad of the Security Organization in the name of Susanoo-sama and Director General of the Security Organization, Nihyo Hiruhi. At the same time, Akira Whiteice and two others shall be assigned to the Special Operations Squad of the Security Organization, and these three shall be commanded to commence their missions. From now on, you shall serve diligently in the name of Susanoo-sama.]

[[[Understood!]]]

Along with the words of the Director General of the Security Organization, Nihyo Hiruhi, the three members, namely myself, Tajika Toki-san, and Tajika Sora-san, have officially been appointed to operate as the Special Operations Squad of the Security Organization, and are gathering in front of the dormitory of the Special Operations Squad to carry out one of our main duties, which is to make patrols, with our equipment in place.

“Oh, sorry for keeping you waiting.”

“You’re really late. Seriously.”

The motorcycle Matsunami-san is pushing has undergone significant changes from the one I rode a week ago.

“My bad, my bad. But you can rest assured that I have fulfilled the requests as you requested.”

“Would you mind elaborating further?”

“Oh, no problem.”

The motorcycle in front of us is painted white and light blue, in contrast to the previous one, and is accompanied by an unusual box-like thing and a cylindrical object that extends from the box to the front and rear.

The component affixed to the right side of the motorcycle itself has received the most significant visual modification, though.

“For starters, I added a two-seater sidecar so that the three of you can work together, as per your request. Now the other two can ride, too.”

Two seats that resemble chairs are arranged in a vertical row in the center of the motorcycle, in addition to a number of other devices.

“I sincerely appreciate it.”

“It will be fun, Akira onee-sama.”

“Thanks. But how did you manage to achieve this in such a short period of time…”

When the three of us express our gratitude to Matsunami-san, a look of astonishment sweeps our faces as we marvel at his ability to create such a complicated product in such a little amount of time—just one week, to be exact.

“Well, thank you for your kind words, but things aren’t all in ideal condition. Control, acceleration, and deceleration have all become more challenging owing to the additional weight. Besides, there is no one who can move it except the princess as usual, so this is practically a test run. Therefore, if you hear any unusual noises or vibrations, stop operating it at once.”

“I get it. I will be attentive.”

Nevertheless, having an increased number of people on the vehicle is not necessarily a positive development, and Matsunami-san makes no attempt to conceal his dissatisfaction as he discloses the problems to us.

But well, as long as the issue is identified, it may be resolved, and there won’t be a problem.

“So, what’s this box over here?”

Having been enlightened about the sidecar, I point to a box-like object, which was not there formerly.

A cylindrical object that protrudes out of the box is connected to the power reactor by a structure that resembles a wire.

“That’s the cooling system.”

“Cooling system?”

“Ah…”

After Matsunami-san starts to introduce the cooling system, I realize what a mistake I have made.

I mean, Matsunami-san’s technology is really…

“During the last test run, a part of the car body froze. It appeared to be the consequence of part of the divine power that was directed towards the power reactor failing to transform into power and instead being directed into a physical phenomenon that most nearly mimics the qualities of that divine power. To put it bluntly, I wanted to improve the performance of acceleration and deceleration by increasing the conversion efficiency of the power reactor and at the same time solve the problem, but it was impossible with the materials I have on hand at the moment. As an alternative, for the princess, I made use of the unconverted divine power that is transformed into the cold air to concentrate the cold air in this box and modified it so that it can be released from this cylinder to assist in braking when released forward, and to support acceleration when released backward, and to be injected back and forth as needed. It goes without saying that by adjusting the emission’s intensity at a time, it may also be employed as a weapon against monsters. However, even with this method, the extra divine power is not all available, so I remain dissatisfied with it.”

[[…]]

“Hmm…”

[Mm-hmm…]

Even if it has been described to me, I still don’t grasp it thoroughly.

So let’s have Ys summarize it briefly.

“(Well, so what was he saying in essence?)”

[The cold air is contained in this box. In the box, cold air can be injected back and forth. By injecting cold air, you can do various things. I guess that’s about it.]

“(As expected of Ys. You’ve read and understood the manual.)”

[No, I hardly used any technical terms in the explanation just now.]

“(It can’t be helped if I don’t understand things that I fail to understand.)”

[You really are…]

Ys is truly incredible. She can simplify the explanation that was just given in three lines..

“A-At any rate, there’s no problem to use it, is there? If so, let’s go take a look around right away, shall we, Akira onee-sama?”

“Oh, hold on a second. There is still something I haven’t given you yet.”

“Huh?”

[[?]]

At this point, Sora-san, who apparently failed to comprehend the explanation as I did, tries to approach the sidecar, but Matsunami-san hands the three of us something that looks like a bag before that.

“What is this?”

“A motorcycle helmet and a piece of equipment developed as a prototype by the other Rooms of the R&D Team. I’ve selected the ones I deem best suited to the duties of the Special Operations Squad.”

“I see.”

“Uh-huh.”

“[Which one…]”

With Ys, who seems to be fascinated, perched on top of my head, I open the bag.

In the bag is a… helmet with cotton stuffing on the inside and a cross with strings attached?

[This is… made from that frog’s clay.]

“((Huh? Is that so?)”

[Oh, there is no doubt about it. Anyway, take it out.]

I take out the cross along with the helmet, which is the same shade as the bike.

Simultaneously, Toki-san takes out a small box that appears to contain something, and Sora-san pulls out what resembles a monocle together with the helmet.

The three of us have evidently been given different things.

“The hairpin is made of anchor material for the princess, and if you apply divine power to it, it will become huge and can be used as a sling bullet. For everyday use, it can be worn as a necklace or a hair clip.”

“I understand.”

“The other twin is given a new type of ointment and monocle that visually detects the presence of the ‘Maze’. Each one was created in accordance with the power of the God with whom you are under contract, apparently. Oh right, the ointment is highly flammable, so you have to pay attention to it. The monocle is made from the material of the master of the ‘Maze’ whom the princess defeated the other day.”

“Thank you.”

“Heh… Akira onee-sama killed it…”

Hmm. All three seem to be prototypes, but if used properly, they could prove to be instrumental in the execution of the mission. 

“So that’s everything I have to give you. Break a leg on your mission.”

“Yeah, I’ll make good use of what you gave me.”

“Fufu, fufufufufu… aita!?”

“Let’s go. Sora.”

We then put our helmets on as a group of three and climb onto our own motorcycle seats. With everyone on board, I infuse the motorcycle with the power of Ys and begin to ride towards the city of Japoterasu.

Now, let the Security Organization Special Operations Squad initiate its activities.