In the blink of an eye, more than six hours had passed since Kaname Chidori arrived to handle the installation.
The warship she was integrating with was not a two-hundred-meter-class submarine from her side, but an interstellar warship roughly five kilometers long. The difference was enormous.
It also needed to be coordinated with the systems on this side, making the workload far greater than anything back in her own world.
Once Chidori entered that working state, she truly seemed like a completely different person. She was no longer that slightly loud, careless, rough-around-the-edges girl.
Right now, she was every bit a high-IQ super researcher, pouring all of her attention into calibration.
Even 6O and the others, who were helping match the interfaces, could not keep up with her at times despite being androids who should have processed data faster than humans.
"All right. Work stops here for now."
Kain forcibly interrupted Chidori's work. Her condition was starting to look wrong.
If a Whispered listened for too long—if they kept drawing technology out from the depths of their mind—problems could occur.
"What are you doing? That adjustment is almost—"
"Rest!"
Kain cut Chidori off in a tone that brooked no argument. She froze for a moment, as if startled, and the slightly obsessed look in her eyes gradually faded.
In the blink of an eye, they were in the dining area.
"Don't send me back. I understand the λ-DRIVER system better than Tessa does. If you let her come over, she absolutely won't be able to adjust it properly."
After finishing her meal, Chidori keenly sensed that the man in front of her seemed to be planning something. She immediately slapped the table and stood up, speaking with firm resolve.
"I'm not lying. We both understand this system, but there are differences. Tessa understands the hardware better than I do, but when it comes to the software side and calibration, I'm stronger than she is."
After she said that, the two of them stared at each other for a while.
"I understand. But I need to add an insurance measure before I allow you to continue adjusting it."
"Insurance? What kind of insurance?"
"Next, I'll try to establish a mental connection with you. Put simply, I'll be using you to test a spell and read your thoughts."
"In other words, you'll know exactly what I'm thinking, right?"
Chidori's eyes widened. The main point she focused on was not that she would be a test subject, nor was she worried that a mistake with the spell might leave her stupid or something along those lines.
What she cared about more was that her thoughts would be seen through. To her, that was no different from being stripped bare and examined.
"Yes."
The mana in A2's world now seemed to be psychic energy in practice.
So Kain intended to use a spell he had obtained from Aerith's side, one meant for mental communication. It could also read the other person's thoughts.
Through that spell, he would confirm Chidori's mental state. Perhaps he could even help eliminate the hidden danger of mental collapse that Whispered might suffer from.
"Is it absolutely necessary?"
"It is."
"What if I refuse?"
After Chidori said that, the man across from her did not speak, but his eyes made his decision clear.
They glared at each other for a while.
"I-I get it. I'll agree. But you'd better not peek randomly at my thoughts. Also, some of my thoughts might be wrong, so you absolutely can't trust them. They're actually thoughts I deliberately made up to trick you."
"Oh? What thoughts?"
"Th-that is…"
Chidori stammered, her face faintly reddening.
"You mean Miss Kaname might be afraid he'll see that she likes the Commander, so she wants to say that's fake, right?"
The interjection made Chidori glare at someone. It was 6O again.
"Yes, exactly what she said. Those are actually thoughts I deliberately created so you'd get all smug and think I like you, just to make you feel narcissistic."
As Chidori said that, her face felt terribly hot. Under 6O's teasing smile, she looked increasingly guilty and could no longer meet Kain's gaze with full confidence.
"Understood."
His reply was so flat that Chidori felt annoyed.
What kind of reaction was that?
Damn it.
"Then what do I do?"
She raised her voice a little, sounding as if she had given up on herself.
"Hold this."
He handed her a jewel-like stone. It was likely materia from Miss Tifa's side.
"And then?"
He did not answer. There was a similar gem in his own hand. As it began to glow, geometric patterns seemed to surface within the jewel, and specks of light drifted out.
Hm?
Chidori felt as if something was trying to enter her mind.
"Don't resist. I'm trying to establish a mental connection with you."
"I know."
But how was she supposed not to resist?
Relax herself?
Ugh. It seemed she could use her will to loosen the membrane blocking it, allowing whatever was outside to come in.
Then… should she open it?
Once it entered, every thought she had might be seen clearly.
This was killing her.
Fine. Let it in.
The next second, she truly felt it enter.
And then?
There was no other sensation.
So did that mean he knew what she was thinking now?
Pervert. Lecher. Shameless jerk.
She cursed him inwardly, but he did not react at all.
Should she curse him harder?
After thinking it over, she decided against it.
In the blink of an eye, nearly another ten hours passed.
"All system interfaces have been coordinated. Next is testing."
Standing beside Chidori, Kain listened as she muttered to herself.
As for why a Whispered listening too deeply—drawing technology from the depths of their mind—could lead to a mental collapse, he more or less understood now.
To put it simply, it was like an earthen dam. When Chidori drew on the water inside, meaning the technical data, it was equivalent to digging out an artificial channel and letting the water flow through.
The deeper she went, the wider the channel became. The longer she listened, the more the rushing current would erode that opening.
When that happened, stopping would be too late. She would no longer be able to refill and block the channel, and her mind would be washed away.
Now, with his spirit stabilizing hers, that risk no longer existed. He had also helped reinforce the channel, making it more stable.
To put it more simply, he was supplying his own spirit to Chidori, strengthening her mind.
"Now, please have everyone leave. We're going to begin system calibration."
At Chidori's words, every android except the two of them withdrew.
The final test required direct neural synchronization with the λ-DRIVER system. All unnecessary equipment, loose clothing, and anything that might interfere with the interface were removed, and the two of them entered the core chamber's sealed sync unit under Chidori's instructions.
The λ-DRIVER system device at the center of the room opened. It looked like a hibernation pod.
Kain entered first. Chidori followed after him, taking the designated sync position while maintaining the mental connection between them.
As the hatch closed, the λ-DRIVER system began to activate. Chidori's lips moved as she murmured a string of technical terms, speaking quickly, almost like she was reciting an activation key.
"Follow me."
This time, the words were not spoken aloud. They came through their mental link.
In the next instant, Chidori led Kain into the electronic world.
(End of Chapter)
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