Chapter 46: Next Up, It’s a Robot!
Kazuma and the others devoted all their efforts to developing a new Powered Suit based on Nanomachines.
They would create a one-of-a-kind Powered Suit, equipped with unprecedented, unknown weaponry that fused magic and science.
Conventional models were rubber suit types aimed at Body Enhancement, onto which users would attach armaments to their liking.
This time, what Kazuma and the others developed was completely new: a Powered Suit using Nanomachines.
The finished product was right before Kazuma and the others’ eyes.
“Bangle-type, earring-type, belt-type…”
“Will you equip one?”
“It’ll be a hellish sight…”
“Indeed. So, what shall we do?”
“Right… Guess I’ll go call the three of them.”
Although it was complete, no one present could properly try it on.
For now, since the final step of user authentication hadn’t been performed, anyone could technically equip it. However, what the Nanomachines remembered was the design Eiji had drawn.
In other words, if Kazuma equipped it, it would undoubtedly cause an incident.
To be specific, he’d be arrested for public indecency.
He definitely wanted to avoid that, and besides, no one would be happy to see a naked man.
Kazuma, anticipating what would happen to him—likely getting beaten half to death—decided to call the three girls anyway.
Kazuma immediately contacted the three of them and told them he was coming to pick them up.
Alicia and Charlotte happened to be staying at Ivy, while Momoko was enjoying her vacation at home.
He couldn’t pick up Momoko immediately via Teleportation, but after she gave him her address, he transformed into the Crimson Knight and flew at high speed to get her.
“Long time no see, all three of you.”
“Really? I don’t think it’s been that long,” Alicia said.
“About two days, perhaps?” Charlotte added.
“……My vacation…” Momoko muttered.
“Anyway, the new Powered Suits are ready, so I want you to try them on,” Kazuma said.
So saying, Kazuma handed each of the three their respective Powered Suits.
“Earrings?” Alicia wondered.
“A belt?” Charlotte questioned.
“A bracelet?” Momoko asked.
Earrings for Alicia, a belt for Charlotte, and a bracelet for Momoko.
After handing them their respective Powered Suits, Kazuma began to explain.
“Go on, try equipping them.”
At Kazuma’s prompting, the three of them put the items on.
Alicia on her ears, Charlotte around her waist, and Momoko on her arm.
“Alright, say ‘Switch On’ to activate them. Go ahead.”
“””Switch On,””” they all said.
At their words, each Powered Suit reacted and emitted light.
With clanking mechanical sounds, Nanomachines enveloped their bodies, forming into mecha-like Powered Suits that fused the erotic and cute designs Eiji had drawn.
“Whoooa! Awesome!!! They’re so erotically cute!” Kazuma exclaimed.
“Huh. So this is what it’s like. It’s not a rubber suit, I see,” Alicia commented.
“W-w-wow! Look, everyone! Don’t I look like a ninja?” Charlotte chirped.
“Why is there a need to expose skin?” Alicia asked. “No, wait, if I look closely, it’s thin, but it’s protected by something like stockings, isn’t it?”
“Exactly,” Kazuma explained. “The parts that look like exposed skin are covered by super ultra-thin Nanomachines, so their defensive power is no different from the other parts.”
“Is that so,” Momoko replied flatly.
As if completely uninterested, Momoko gave a flat reply, yet somehow, she made the equipped armaments appear, even though she hadn’t been told how.
“Momoko-chan. That’s a Vulcan cannon, you know. Why are you pointing it this way?”
“Please read my mind.”
“Your killing intent is off the charts!”
“Yes, it is. I’ve been waiting for this moment. You may be an incorrigible idiot, Kazuma-san, but when it comes to making things like this, no one can surpass you. Thanks to that, I believe I can finally teach you a lesson.”
“Calm down, Momoko-chan! We’re humans, so let’s try talking before resorting to violence, okay?”
“Lock on. Fire!!!”
“Gyaaaaaaaah!!!”
It had been the right decision to choose a wide-open space just in case.
Momoko used the new Powered Suit she received from Kazuma, mercilessly employing its loaded weaponry in an attempt to eliminate her hateful boss.
Though impressed by Momoko’s ability to skillfully use the Powered Suit’s built-in weapons despite not having received any explanation yet, Kazuma dodged the auto-tracking missiles and other attacks.
“Amazing. It can do things like that too,” Alicia said, watching.
“Wow~, so this is the power of the new Powered Suits,” Charlotte exclaimed.
“From here on, I will take over the explanation,” a worker interjected.
While Kazuma was being chased around by Momoko, another worker explained their Powered Suits to Alicia and Charlotte.
“Basically, there’s no difference in performance. Their appearances differ, but their internals are mostly the same. However, Charlotte-san’s suit is equipped with an optical camouflage function.”
“Eh! Does that mean I can disappear?”
“That’s right. We heard you’re fond of ninjas, so we’ve included several such functions. You can also use things like clone techniques employing holograms.”
“You’ve done the absolute best work!” Charlotte beamed.
“W-Wait, does mine not have anything special?” Alicia asked.
Alicia, envious that only Charlotte’s suit had special specifications, pressed if hers didn’t have anything unique, but the answer she received was disappointing.
“Our apologies. Alicia-san, you already possess Telekinesis and Barriers, so we haven’t equipped your suit with functions to that extent.”
“I-Is that so… Was that Kazuma’s decision?”
“No, it was our judgment.”
“I see…”
“Perhaps there was something you wanted? If so, there’s still room for improvement, so if you tell us now, we can make changes.”
“No, it’s fine. More importantly, could you explain its performance features?”
“Understood.”
Alicia and Charlotte received a general explanation about the Powered Suits’ performance from the worker.
Unlike conventional Powered Suits, these offered an exceptional tenfold Body Enhancement, were loaded with new armaments, and boasted the highest firepower among all existing weaponry.
“So these horns on the head aren’t just for decoration; they read our brainwaves and provide the optimal equipment, I see,” Alicia noted.
“Yes. It covers a wide range, including long-range, short-range, and mid-range options.”
“In that case…”
Having heard the explanation, Alicia tried wishing for a melee weapon, and a blade shot out from her arm.
It looked like a straight sword, but its blade shone as if it were burning red.
“What’s this?”
“That’s a Flame Edge. It’s designed to cut with its heat. It can slice through an Ibinom’s hard carapace like butter.”
“That’s amazing…”
“Look, Alicia! Mine produced shuriken!” Charlotte called out.
Beside Alicia, who was amazed by the Flame Edge, Charlotte was playing by throwing shuriken.
As expected of a suit modeled after a ninja, hers had turned out to be quite interesting.
“Those are exploding shuriken,” the worker explained. “If they hit, they’ll detonate and blow the opponent to smithereens.”
“In that case, it’d be faster to just punch them directly, wouldn’t it?” Charlotte mused.
“……”
The worker was at a loss for words at Charlotte’s remark.
Charlotte tilted her head, wondering if she had said something strange, but she quickly went back to testing the Powered Suit’s capabilities.
While Alicia and Charlotte were testing their Powered Suits’ capabilities, Momoko, who had been engaged in a game of tag with Kazuma, was out of breath.
“Hah… hah… My stamina has definitely improved, and my physical abilities have skyrocketed, yet I can’t catch you at all…”
“Man, I didn’t think you’d be able to handle it this well, Momoko-chan. Did you practice or something?”
“Of course not… Well, I did run simulations, though. However, this Powered Suit is amazing. The design is vulgar, but its performance is undoubtedly the best in the world. The Faerie System from earlier was very convenient.”
“You were mercilessly firing from all directions, you know. If it hadn’t been me, I’d be riddled with holes by now.”
“The fact that you’re smiling, Kazuma-san… I sense madness. Anyway, is it complete now?”
“As a final step, we just need to set up biometric authentication and such so only the owner can use it, I guess.”
“Aren’t there any other anti-theft measures? As it is, it wouldn’t be strange if it got stolen, you know?”
Momoko deactivated the Powered Suit, returning it to its bangle form.
As she said, while no one but the owner could use it, it could still be stolen.
Momoko felt uneasy about whether there were any measures against that.
“It’s set up so it’ll come to your hand if you say a specific activation phrase,” Kazuma said.
“A specific activation phrase?”
“Yeah. We’ll set that up later too.”
“Can we decide on it ourselves?”
“If possible, please choose from this list.”
What Kazuma handed over was a list of phrases thought up by all the workers.
Of course, some were borrowed from Sunday morning transforming hero shows, while others were completely original.
“There’s no way I’m saying lines like these,” Momoko stated firmly.
“Thought so~” Kazuma sighed.
“This is a pain, so please just get it over with quickly.”
“Oka~y.”
After that, he gathered the three girls, called over the workers, and they proceeded to set up the biometric authentication, the activation and deactivation methods when equipped, and other such details, thus completing the new Powered Suits.
“With this, the new Powered Suits are complete! Good work, everyone!” Kazuma announced.
“””Thank you for your hard work!!!””” the workers and developers cheered.
The employees of Kurashige Industries, along with the government-contracted workers and developers, all bowed their heads in unison towards Kazuma.
The development of the new Powered Suits, which had seemed long yet felt short, thus came to an end.
“So, the Powered Suits are done, but next up, we’re going to build a robot as a specialized weapon against super-giant Ibinoms!” Kazuma declared.
“””Uoooooooooooh!!!””” the crowd roared.
The workers, who had been feeling a touch of loneliness, let out cries of joy upon hearing Kazuma’s welcome announcement.
After that, it was decided they would build robots using the technology cultivated from the new model Powered Suit.
Partway through, Seiichi and people from the TV station joined the project, and these were to become the robots for a new Nichi-Asa team hero series.
Five robots were built, and when the large robot formed by their transformation and combination was completed, it generated a great deal of excitement.
And so, Kazuma managed to wrap up all his work before the Christmas party.