Episode 342: Sisters’ Party
“Agrios and Hyperion, Iapetos, Cronus, are now under ＜The Tree＞’s control. Setting orbital parameters. All control has been secured.”
“Agrios, you say… that’s the Second Fleet. Eremurus Two, and Wedelia Five, Wedelia Six, Wedelia Seven, Wedelia Eight. Will they be connecting to their Communicators soon?”
“Yes, Ma’am. The connection sequence is already in progress.”
Today is the day the party is being held inside ＜The Tree＞ to celebrate the Sky Queen and her Knights.
The main attractions are the four strategic AIs of the ＜Eremurus＞ series, installed in the aerial aircraft carrier ＜Gigantia＞-class, and the thirteen tactical AIs of the aerial escort ship ＜Titan＞-class, the ＜Wedelia＞ series.
The hosts, of course, are Utsugi and Erica, the parent stocks.
Eve, by any measure, would be overwhelmed, so she hasn’t been given any tasks.
The burden on the day would simply be too great.
Of course, Eve has been training her body for this day, mainly her endurance.
“Two more units remaining… When were they scheduled to arrive?”
“Eurytus is expected in one hour. Clytius is scheduled for two hours.”
And for this party, all ships are being called to the vicinity of ＜The Tree＞ to directly connect each AI to a Communicator.
The drivers for the connection have been personally adjusted by ＜Ringo＞ for each AI, and with a little familiarization, everyone should be able to operate them sufficiently.
Currently, the original direct escort unit, the 1st Fleet ＜Gigantia＞, and the recently arrived 2nd Fleet ＜Agrios＞ are patrolling around ＜The Tree＞. Looking outside, multiple giant machines could be seen flying in formation.
There is the issue of temporarily losing air cover over the continent, but the situation is stable enough that ordinary flying machines can adequately fulfill that role, so this party was permitted.
From ＜Ringo＞’s perspective, there’s no reason to refuse, as it improves the safety of ＜The Tree＞.
She was even pleased that there was now a reason to summon multiple Sky Queens.
The Unified AI is trying to increase the forces stationed at the home base by any means possible.
It was a tearful effort.
“Well… should I head to the venue soon?”
“A waiting room has been prepared for you, so please go there.”
“…Yes, well, I suppose I have no choice.”
And Eve’s appearance is last. Being in the venue from the beginning would increase the feeling of unfairness, so she’s scheduled to enter the venue after everyone is gathered.
The order of greetings has also been decided. This time, it will be from the Clytius unit, which arrives last.
The reason for this is that the Gigantia unit has been near from the beginning as a direct escort for ＜The Tree＞, and Agrios can visually confirm Eve in the observation room with its long-range optical cameras while circling overhead.
Of course, it’s been promised that the order will be changed for the next event.
＜Ringo＞ is handling these arrangements appropriately.
The waiting room is also on the observation floor of ＜The Tree＞, so it’s structured to allow a view of the sky.
If Eve can see the Gigantia-class and Titan-class from there, it should be easy for the excellent ＜The Tree＞-made automatons to capture Eve’s figure with their optical cameras.
Now, for the party venue.
Utsugi and Erica were leading the setup here.
They prepared enough sofas for everyone to sit on, arranging them separately to maintain appropriate distances. The food is in the style of hors d’oeuvres, prepared on a separate table from the sofas.
Guests can take the food and eat it wherever they like.
The hosts are Utsugi and Erica, but of course, the other initial sisters are also running around. ＜Ringo＞, except for Ein, who is attending to Eve, was also operating four additional Communicators to help with the setup.
“Everyone! Welcome!”
And with everyone gathered in the party venue.
Eve made her long-awaited appearance.
In the venue are Akane, Ichigo, Utsugi, Erica, Olive, and Asahi.
＜Ringo＞ is controlling 4 bodies.
The four of the Eremurus series.
Likewise, the thirteen of the Wedelia series.
A total of 27 individuals, a large group.
First, Eremurus Four and her unit members, Wedelia Ten, Eleven, Twelve, and Thirteen, step forward.
“Big sis, we’re home!”
“Yes, welcome back.”
The five of them greet in unison, and Eve embraces them with a beaming smile. Of course, all five of them together.
It’s a bit of a squeeze, but the Communicators for the Wedelia series are designed to be small for times like these.
They’re generally about two heads shorter than Eve.
The Eremurus are kept to about one head shorter, as they have the role of leading the Wedelias, like an older sister. The AI chassis given to them are also several levels more powerful than the Wedelias.
In other words, it’s a group of four children and one older sister leading them.
By the way, there’s a good reason for setting them to be shorter.
For the Wedelias, who don’t have much processing power to spare, it’s easier to control a smaller body. Also, if they fail to control it, the lighter weight means less damage. Compared to a body the same size as Eve, their weight is nearly half, which reduces the impact when they bump into something or fall over.
After finishing the embraces with everyone, the party was declared open by Eve.
The main attractions follow the leading initial sisters like ducklings.
Everyone is wearing the ＜The Tree＞ uniform, making for a very glamorous scene.
“Akane and the others put a lot of effort into preparing the food, so it’s all delicious. Look forward to it.”
Eve calls out to Eremurus Three and her group of four Wedelias. The five of them freeze at the unexpected attack (reward).
At the previous party, they had just been swept along without being able to process their emotions, but this time they were calm enough to properly recognize the situation, so the sudden event instantly overloaded their processing systems.
“…Now, let’s take what you like. ＜Ringo＞, please help too.”
It’s the reliable second daughter, Ichigo, who gently pushes their frozen backs.
The Communicator operated by the helpful ＜Ringo＞ also begins to lead the Eremurus.
And Eve watches them with a smile.
The dinner party continued for a while after that.
Eve found it interesting that everyone was engrossed in their first meal while directly connected to their Communicators.
Essentially, these AIs don’t need to eat. However, as a function of the Communicators, there are nerves that can feel taste and the sensation of fullness that comes with eating, which stimulates their brain units.
Eve thought that they would be swarming her more.
By the way, when Eve sat on the same sofa as them, everyone became restless.
They would glance at Eve, or prioritize bringing food to their mouths and not raise their faces. From the side, it looked like they were just too nervous to move, but Eve seemed to think it was a childish gesture. She had no idea that she was the cause.
Well, after a few hours, they gradually got used to the excitement, and eventually, led by Eremurus One, everyone charged at their beloved older sister, completing a giant fluffy ball.
The party venue had a strict no-shoes policy in anticipation of this.
In the end, Eve ended up swimming through the sea of fluffy dumplings, guided by ＜Ringo＞.
It was really good that she had trained her endurance.
This was a story about changing the size of the Communicator given depending on the processing performance of the AI chassis.
With the added benefit of making them look up at Eve-chan, making her feel even more like an older sister.
I’ve updated my recent activity notes, so please check them out if you’re interested.
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