Chapter 33: The Girls Engrossed in a Strategic Game
“Alright, it’s time for our lesson!”
With a clap of her hands, she announced this. The five sisters seated around the table turned to face their Commander, each responding in their own way.
“Today, we’ll be diving into a two-dimensional strategy game. Although, I must admit, I’m not an expert on it myself,” she said with a hint of uncertainty.
“I will provide support as needed,” came the prompt reply.
“Thank you, Ringo.”
On the large display in front of them, an overhead view of the operational area divided into grids appeared.
“Sister, what is that?”
“Sister, where is that?”
The third sister, Utsugi, and the fourth sister, Erika, immediately began to ask questions. While they may not excel in theoretical studies, they were both chatty and proactive, demonstrating high communication skills.
“This is the place we need to protect from now on: Port Town of Terek.”
“…So this is Port Town of Terek.”
The eldest sister, Akane, gazed intently at the map, her interest piqued.
“Yes. It’s located approximately 1,300 kilometers north of The Tree, our first base.”
“When you say ‘base,’ does that mean we will be going outside?”
The second sister, Ichigo, asked, her serious demeanor evident. She was the diligent type, always following closely behind her and Ringo.
“That’s right. Once we ensure a certain level of safety, we can visit. For now, it will be treated as an unmanned forward operating base.”
“…Are we going to build something?”
The mention of a base sparked excitement in the fifth sister, Olive. She had shown a keen interest in crafting. Ever since she was given a personal small printer, she had been endlessly designing and outputting models, a feat that left her in awe of her own perseverance.
“Yes, indeed. That place is the only location where we can trade for iron. So, we’ve decided to secure it actively.”
“…Iron is important…”
Olive, who eagerly absorbed knowledge about crafting, seemed to sense the hunger of The Tree. Her serious murmur made the others chuckle.
“That’s right, Olive. Iron is essential. So, let’s have a strategy meeting to discuss how we will protect Port Town of Terek.”
“To start, I will explain the surrounding situation.”
With a wave of Ringo’s hand, the map display shifted to a diagonal overhead view from the south. In the foreground, there was the port, the town, and the forest, with a plain beyond it marked by a yellow icon.
“Groups related to the town or friendly towards it will be shown with blue icons. Hostile groups will be marked with red icons, and those that belong to neither will be yellow.”
“Oh, there’s a yellow icon!”
“Are they unrelated people?”
The yellow icon in the plain was labeled as Refugee Group A.
“Yes. These are currently our biggest challenge. They are a group of refugees who fled from wars in other regions. While their numbers are around 5,000, they are all starving.”
“…Not being able to eat is not good.”
The quiet eldest sister, Akane, murmured. Known for her love of books and her literary tendencies, she seemed to have recently discovered the joys of food. A peculiar trait of a gluttonous literary girl was beginning to blossom.
“Yes, indeed… If they succumb to hunger and turn into a mob, that would be the most concerning scenario at the moment.”
“We also anticipate that forces from other regions may flow in, but for now, there are no signs of them approaching. So, today’s theme is how to deal with Refugee Group A.”
With the five first-generation humanoid machines (Androids) gathered, they began discussing their future course of action. In reality, it would be Ringo making the decisions while considering the Commander’s (Eve’s) intentions, but this meeting was held to give the five sisters some experience.
“If we leave them as they are, Refugee Group A will turn into a mob in a few weeks. For now, it seems they still have some food brought in, so they are fine for the moment.”
“Can these units procure food?”
In response to Ichigo’s question, Ringo nodded thoughtfully.
“Yes. There was a decent amount of food brought in, and it seems they are hunting in the forest. However, that won’t last long. The forest isn’t rich enough to sustain this many people.”
“I see… So, to prevent them from turning into a mob, we must supply them with food.”
Ichigo tilted her head, seemingly deep in thought about where to procure food.
“Utsugi, Erika. Do you have any ideas?”
“Eh~?”
“We?”
When she called on the two, Utsugi and Erika exchanged glances.
“If we leave them alone, they will turn into hostile units, right?”
“Then we should take them out while we can.”
“Wow.”
The two often acted together, leading to a perception of others being divided into them, family, and everyone else. While Ichigo seemed to be considering helping the refugees, Utsugi and Erika were quick to suggest extermination.
“If we give them food, will they return the favor?”
“There’s no return. They won’t become combat units or production units, right?”
“That’s true. For now, even if we help them, we won’t gain much in return.”
“Then we should take them out first!”
“Let’s cut off this worry!”
Their opinions were rather extreme. However, considering the potential damage to The Tree, exterminating them first seemed like the better proposal at this moment.
“…If we exterminate them, won’t we lose the trust of the residents of Port Town of Terek?”
The dissenting voice came from the eldest sister, Akane.
“There are many examples of this. If we kill those who are not enemies now just because they might become enemies in the future, we won’t gain a good impression.”
“…That’s true. Akane, you’re right. By the way, where did you acquire that knowledge?”
“From Killer Klaus’s work, The Battle of Belagger, Volume 3 of the Mercenary Series. The discussions in Chapters 4 and 5 describe such matters. Similar scenes appear in several other stories as well.”
“You’re as reliable as ever… But you’re not wrong, and it does seem to fit the situation, doesn’t it?”
“Yes, Ma’am. The treatment of refugees often involves difficult decisions, and similar scenes do arise. In the multiple stories Akane has read, various conclusions have been reached.”
Ringo nodded thoughtfully.
“Akane, what do you think we should do?”
“…I don’t know the right answer. However, assuming we want to maintain a relationship with Port Town of Terek, we should avoid creating a negative impression. If possible, I think it would be better to help the refugees.”
“…Would that balance with the benefits of The Tree supplying food? Worst case, if we exterminate them along with Port Town of Terek, we would have no further worries…”
Ichigo’s opinion made Ringo ponder.
These five sisters had very little interaction with others. There was a clear distinction between themselves and everyone else. This allowed them to make cold decisions focused solely on efficiency. However, while seeking the peace of The Tree might be correct, it also led to a rather lonely existence devoid of human warmth.
If possible, they should experience happiness not confined to a closed world, but one with a broader perspective.
That said, she herself had lived a similarly isolated life, having had little interaction with others in the real world, living almost like a recluse. However, considering that everyone in that world lived similarly, it was indeed a very typical lifestyle.
“I want to maintain a good relationship with Port Town of Terek for as long as possible. Let’s think a bit more in that direction, shall we?”
In response to the Commander’s words, the five sisters cheerfully replied.