There were two types of staff room prepared for the faculty of the Technology Class.
One room was the normal sort meant to be shared by the Technology Class Faculty.
The other type was meant for individual use for the purpose of research.
Presently, because of the school-wide examinations taking place, most of the teachers were gone, and the teachers that were left to watch the school were inside the first type of room.
But there was one teacher that cooped herself up all alone inside a room.
—That teacher was Natsumi Shirota.
She was a teacher from Earth infamous for doing things that didn’t befit a teacher.
She wasn’t in charge of any classes, so she didn’t give any lectures, but she did help out in classes when compensated properly.
She usually spent her days working on her own researches, but that’s basically a hobby of hers.
With her personality, it doesn’t take a genius to tell that she doesn’t plan on ever working properly, but despite that the school had no intention of letting her go. There were two main reasons for that.
One, is that in exchange for closing an eye to her failures to attend to her duties, the school has entrusted her with a different job.
The job of tuning and maintaining the exoskeletons of the security department, the guard robots, the drones used by the students, as well as the continuing development of some of those. However, that reason is nothing more than a front, an official reason, so to speak.
The real reason is even simpler.
Just like another teacher, she was also a scientist who discovered something that could prove problematic if made public.
Past the door with the name plate of Shirota Natsumi
was a dark room illuminated only by the monitor displays.
Shirota Natsumi was typing away on the virtual keyboard on the air.
A knock could be heard from the door, but she ignored it and focused on her business.
These rooms were outfitted with a doorbell, but she removed hers,
saying, “What if the sound from that thing cuts me off from my thoughts?”
Given how focused she was, however, it was dubious if she would even be capable of hearing the sound from her surroundings.
“I see you’re the same as ever, Dr. Shirota.”
Apparently, this visitor of hers knew that as well, and didn’t wait for her to respond before opening the door.
Shirota Natsumi might go out of her way to get rid of her room’s doorbell, but strangely enough, she couldn’t be bothered to lock her door.
The room was so dark that not even Shirota could see the person who entered, much less a third-party.
Given the sound of the voice, however, the visitor was probably a woman.
Of course, Shirota couldn’t be bothered to even glance at her visitor and just continued to type away.
The displays projected onto the air couldn’t be seen from the door, so the visitor had no idea what was taking so much of her attention.
Not that she was interested anyway. She merely found her attitude displeasing.
“…If you keep acting like this, you won’t even notice it before you’re dead.”
The visitor said after locking the door.
For a moment, she considered trying just that, but she was not one to act so rashly.
She took out a transparent case with an electronic chip inside from her bag.
“The new scanner from Lithrias Industry just as you ordered— Kyaa!”
“Fu fu, fumu, oh, like this, and like that.
Ah, as I thought, they have idiots and smart people there, huh.
Good, good, this one’s mine, so I can replace it and finis’ immediately!”
“…This woman.”
She was still explaining when Shirota suddenly jumped on her and took the chip away.
This was Shirota’s ‘compensation’, so of course, she was going to give it to her, but the way Shirota treated her was just too much. Not only did she ignore her, she even pushed her aside. Of course, she would get angry.
This Dr. Shirota’s behavior was so bad it made that rumored transfer student’s attitude look adorable in comparison.
“Dr. Shirota, I just want to remind you
that unless our contract is completed, we can’t hand you the mineral from the Padyuel needed for the manufacturing.”
But this wasn’t her first time dealing with her.
She knew that only something like that would be able to move Shirota.
Sure enough, the mad scientist finally turned to her.
Shirota couldn’t see her, but she remembered her voice.
Of course, she didn’t care how she looked.
“I already gave what you asked for.
So why don’t you hand it over already and make yourself scarce. Can’t you see I’m busy?”
Dr. Shirota looked at the visitor as though she were garbage and bluntly told her to get lost.
The visitor was used to her antics, but being treated like this still struck a nerve.
“It was just a reminder, Dr. Shirota.
And just to make sure, you will be staying on the sidelines this time, yes?”
It was remarkable how she was able to keep her composure.
“That again? Anyone ever told you you’re annoying?
Look, I don’t give a damn about you people.
Go blow things up wherever you want,
just don’t get in the way of my research.
“That’s harsh.
It’s true that we call ourselves the Gaen Volunteer Army under his excellency, the Major General, but we’re not fighting because we like it.
We have merely been forced to resort to violence to correct Garesto’s mistake and show that there’s no need to intermingle with another world.”
When the topic turned to their cause, the visitor became lost in her own world.
They selfishly concocted a plan and called that justice.
But so strong was this person’s belief in that justice that even in this dark room, the light of fanaticism could still be seen from her eyes. The scientist, Shirota, found that disgusting.
But a third-party would find them no different from each other.
“In the first place, it’s impossible. Just what is the administration thinking?
How could we possibly mingle with these vulgar barbarians who’ve slaughtered hundreds of millions of their own kind.
A society where people sing praise for freedom and equality, but in the end do nothing but squirm.
A world of ignorant people that demand rights despite having no power or responsibility and despite being incapable of fulfilling their own duties.
Truly, a foolish and worthless world!”
The darkness of the room continued to veil the visitor’s face, but it could not hide the disgust behind that voice.
This woman truly hated Earthlings from the bottom of her heart.
“Those fools! They should’ve known that if we handed these people our technology, they would ask for the materials needed to make them!
Even though our knowledge and photons are beyond the Earthlings!”
In the end, her hate bared its fangs even on the government of Garesto.
Her voice was calm until just a while ago, but now, it was blustering.
“Hmm, I’m an Earthling too, though. Is that a problem?”
The scientist didn’t actually want that answered. She merely asked to point out the contradiction in the visitor’s words.
Hence, her eyes had already returned to her displays and were no longer looking at the visitor.
Whether it was the pride of a people or the state of the world, neither had anything to do with her since neither could serve as a guinea pig.
“Surely not!
We Garestonians are always generous with brilliant people.
And you’ve shown how brilliant your mind is three months ago.
The fact that the government can’t acknowledge that shows just how incompetent they are!”
They can’t even acknowledge her abilities.
But her words just went one ear and out another as Shirota reminisced.
“I see, so it’s been that long already.
It’s still a mystery even now, why it was only him that was found later…”
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