Episode 33: The Girls Indulge in a Strategy Game
“Alright, it’s study time.”
She clapped her hands together and said that. The five sisters, seated in their chairs, turned to face the Commander, each responding in their own way.
“Today, we’re doing a 2D strategy game. Though, I’m not exactly an expert myself,” she said.
“I will provide support as needed.”
“Thank you, ＜Ringo＞.”
A top-down view of the operational area, divided into squares, appeared on the large display in front of them.
“Onee-chan, what’s that?”
“Onee-chan, where is that?”
Utsugi, the third sister, and Erika, the fourth, immediately asked. While they didn’t have outstanding talent in academic studies, they were talkative and proactive. They were assessed as having high communication skills.
“This is the place we have to protect from now on. Telek Port City.”
“…This is Telek Port City.”
Akane, the eldest sister, stared intently at the map, looking intrigued.
“That’s right. It’s about 1,300km north of ＜The Tree＞. It’s our first base of operations.”
“Does that mean we’ll be going outside?”
It was Ichigo, the second sister, who asked for confirmation. She was the honor student type, earnestly and single-mindedly following her and ＜Ringo＞.
“Yes. We can visit once it’s reasonably safe. For the time being, it will be treated as an unmanned forward base.”
“…Are we going to build something?”
Olive, the fifth sister, was the one whose eyes lit up at the mention of a base. She had a strong interest in crafting. After being given a personal small printer, she had been endlessly repeating model design and output. She was impressed by how she never seemed to get bored.
“Yes, that’s right. It’s the only place where we can trade for Iron. That’s why I decided to secure it proactively.”
“…Iron, important…”
Olive was greedily absorbing knowledge related to crafting. She must have felt the hunger of ＜The Tree＞ firsthand. Her serious murmur made her laugh involuntarily.
“That’s right, Olive. Iron is important. So, let’s all have a strategy meeting to protect Telek Port City.”
“Immediately, I will begin with an explanation of the surrounding situation.”
As ＜Ringo＞ waved her hand, the map display changed to a diagonal overhead view from the south. In the foreground were the port, the town, and the forest. Beyond that were the plains and yellow icons.
“Groups related to the town, and those friendly to the town, are displayed with blue icons. Hostile groups are displayed with red icons. Groups that belong to neither are yellow.”
“Ah, there’s a yellow icon~”
“People who aren’t related~?”
The label ＜Refugee Group A＞ was displayed on the icon shown on the plains.
“Yes. These are the biggest challenge at the moment. A refugee group that fled from wars in other regions. The number is not that large, about 5,000 people, but they are all starving.”
“…Not being able to eat is bad.”
Akane, the quiet eldest sister, muttered. She was a book lover, with the mannerisms of a literary girl, but recently, she seemed to have discovered the joy of eating. A mysterious attribute of a gluttonous literary girl was developing.
“Yes, that’s right… The most concerning scenario right now is that they succumb to hunger, turn into a mob, and attack Telek Port City.”
“We also anticipate the possibility of forces from other regions flowing in, but there are no signs of them approaching at the moment. Therefore, the theme for today is what to do with this Refugee Group A.”
The future policy was discussed with the five first-generation Humanoid Machines (Androids). In reality, ＜Ringo＞ would make the decision while taking into account Commander (Eve)’s intentions, but this meeting was held to give the five sisters experience.
“If we leave them as they are, this Refugee Group A will turn into a mob in a few weeks. They seem to be okay now because they still have some of the food they brought with them.”
“Can’t these units procure food?”
She hummed and nodded at Ichigo’s question.
“Well, they brought a considerable amount of food with them, and they seem to be hunting in the forest. But at this rate, it will dwindle. This forest isn’t rich enough to feed that many people.”
“I see… Then, the only way to prevent them from turning into a mob is to supply them with food.”
Ichigo said that and tilted her head. She seemed to be thinking about where to procure the food.
“Utsugi, Erika. Do you have any ideas?”
“Eh~?”
“Us~?”
When she nominated the two of them, Utsugi and Erika looked at each other.
“If we leave them as they are, they’ll turn into hostile units, right?”
“Then, we should defeat them now.”
“Yeah.”
They often acted together. Perhaps because of that, their perception of others seemed to be roughly divided into two categories: the two of them and their family, and everyone else. Ichigo seemed to be thinking about helping the refugees, but Utsugi and Erika suggested Zistroiing them quickly.
“Will they give us something back if we give them food?”
“There’s no return. They won’t become combat units or production units, right?”
“That’s right. At the moment, there’s hardly any return for us even if we help them.”
“Then, we should definitely defeat them first!”
“Nip it in the bud!”
It was quite a radical opinion. However, considering the damage that ＜The Tree＞ would suffer, Zistroiing them first was the better proposal at this point.
“…If we Zistroi them, won’t we lose the trust of the residents of Telek Port City?”
It was Akane, the eldest sister, who interjected with an opposing opinion.
“There are many such examples. Killing those who are not enemies at the moment, just because they may become enemies in the future, does not leave a good impression.”
“…That’s right, Akane, you’re right… By the way, where did you get that knowledge from?”
“Written by Keeler Klaus, The Battle of Bellagger, Mercenary Series Volume 3. Such discussions were written in the descriptions in Chapters 4 and 5. Similar scenes appear in several other stories.”
“As always… But you’re not wrong, and it’s actually the same situation, isn’t it?”
“Yes, Ma’am. Similar scenes appear regarding the handling of refugees, including difficult decisions. Various conclusions are reached in the multiple stories that Akane has read.”
Hmm, she nodded.
“Akane, what do you think we should do?”
“…. I don’t know the right answer. But, assuming that we continue to associate with Telek Port City in the future. We should avoid worsening their impression of us. If possible, it would be better to help the refugees.”
“…Would that be worth the merit of ＜The Tree＞ contributing food? At worst, if we Zistroi even Telek Port City, there would be no future worries…”
She pondered Ichigo’s opinion, thinking, “I see.”
These five sisters. They have very little interaction with others. There is a clear distinction between themselves and other people. Therefore, they can immediately make ruthless decisions that only seek efficiency. However, even if that is the correct answer if only seeking the peace of ＜The Tree＞, it would be a somewhat lonely way of life with absolutely no humanity.
If possible, she wanted them to feel happiness with a broad perspective, rather than happiness in a closed world.
However, that was something that could be said about her as well. She didn’t have much interaction with others in the real world either, and well, she lived like a shut-in. However, considering that everyone lived a similar life in that world, it was a fact that it was an extremely common lifestyle.
“I want to get along with Telek Port City as much as possible, and associate with them for a long time. Let’s think a little more in that direction?”
The five sisters replied energetically to the Commander’s (Onee-sama’s) words.