On an ice satellite (16)
"Hyun-woo!"
As soon as I got off the cockpit, someone called out to me and hid behind me. It was Nadia, who playfully wagged her tail—a feature not common to most people.
"What's going on?"
"That woman keeps bragging!"
Nadia, feeling encouraged by the backup, shot a sharp glare and pointed towards the broker standing near the cargo bay door. The broker scoffed, arms crossed, as she watched Nadia hiding behind me.
It seemed that the broker had teased Nadia a bit while I was away.
"She kept saying things like Hyun-woo wouldn't be who he is today without her, and how important her existence is to him, all while mocking me...!"
"Well, it's not entirely false..."
"What."
"Did you hear that, Woof-woof?"
Nadia, frozen in shock, and the broker, who seemed inexplicably proud of herself. While what she said wasn't wrong, actually saying it made me feel quite odd.
I knew she was obsessed with credits, but not that she was this thick-skinned.
Patting Nadia on the shoulder to calm her down as she growled, I headed towards the crevasse. With the flashlight from the orbital vehicle turned on, a landscape appeared where the ice revealed its bluish core.
With snow particles clinging like sugar sprinkled on the surface and a vast expanse of ice, it could deceptively be called majestic.
However, it was night, and the floor had split, leaving an abyss so deep its bottom was indiscernible—more daunting than awe-inspiring. Moreover, I had grown tired of ice. My days of marveling at such scenes were long past.
"We need to cross this."
"... Hyun-woo, are you okay to go? Aren't you still in pain?"
Nadia, having exacted revenge by sticking out her tongue at the broker, softly touched my arm. She seemed discontent with the idea of me having to go, pouting about everyone constantly tasking me with things.
I generally didn't wish to step forward, but I had no choice. Only a few could move unharmed.
Everyone was injured, so I had to step up. Before answering, I slowly clenched and unclenched my fist.
The arm once pierced by a black spike had nearly healed as the biocells properly settled, and the muscles overworked while capturing the monster tram had significantly recovered. While not at 100%, I was about 70% of my usual self.
Judging from this, I could manage to cross the crevasse without much trouble.
"It's fine. The biocells are worth the price. I don't feel any pain now."
"That's a relief—or wait! The cells came from that woman, didn't they? Just wait, Hyun-woo. I'll make lots of money and buy you something better...!"
"Isn't staying uninjured the main thing? And why buy it for me? I could buy it myself."
What was that even supposed to mean? Anyone could think I was some pitiful person sponging off a friend's money. Actually, someone seemed to have taken it that way, as I caught a peculiar gaze from Eric.
"Were you that kind of person? I thought you were diligent...."
"No, it's not that."
"I didn't take you for one...."
"I said it's not like that. Anyway, is it okay for you to come along?"
When I gestured towards Celestia, Eric let out a heavy sigh, seemingly also displeased with the situation but resigned to it.
Just as he was about to say something, Celestia stepped forward.
"Don't worry, I won't be a burden."
I didn't think less of anyone, but if one essential figure had to be mentioned, it was Celestia. She was pretty much the only hope for everyone present here.
To leverage the reputation of Mysotis, Celestia's presence was indispensable.
Admittedly, as a person, I wished Celestia didn't get involved in any risky situations. Of course, contrary to my feelings, if something unexpected occurred, the ones at risk would be Nadia and me.
Celestia's suit and ours only shared the same category but were entirely different in performance.
"Who's worried about who? I can barely fend for myself."
"If you think that way, that's a relief. Gather what you need and follow. According to intel, there's a lift not far away that we can use to cross to the other side."
Considering it had long been abandoned and might not function properly, it would still be enough to serve as a bridge, Celestia finished saying as she turned and led the way.
Eric followed with another sigh, and I and Nadia joined after instructing Carry to stay put.
― Dumb duo. Be careful out there. Don't get stupidly injured again.
I chuckled at the broker's communication and simply replied that I understood before raising my eyes to the icy path. This wasn't a terrain accessible by the orbital vehicle.
Not due to the crevasse, but because countless inverted icicles had formed above.
These inverted icicles likely formed over a long period, possessing a toughness unlike ordinary ice that wouldn't easily break. Though logically unreasonable, people attributed it to blue crystal deposited underground.
Apparently, it alters the surrounding molecular structure with its immense energy. Though I didn't understand the scientific details, I knew one thing from experience.
Attempting to force an orbital vehicle through would inevitably trap it, thanks to the unyielding inverted icicles.
"Nadia, watch your step."
"Okay, you too, Hyun-woo."
We needed to walk more carefully than usual. The earthquake had weakened the ground.
Another earthquake could strike suddenly, or the ice floor could collapse without warning. We had to be careful if we didn't want to fall to our deaths.
Celestia glanced back, slowed down, and approached us.
"Can I ask you a question?"
Celestia's gaze landed on Nadia's wagging tail. We could immediately guess what her question would be.
Nadia nodded when I asked with my eyes if she would be okay with it.
"Are you curious if it's safe to keep my tail out in this environment?"
"... Yes. How did you know?"
"Many people have asked."
"Oh."
Celestia let out a small, embarrassed cough. I had assumed from her position as a company's head, with her stern demeanor, that she'd be particularly cold, yet she seemed very human, blood as warm as ours.
Many years had passed since beastmen were created under the motto of 'better'.
Their presence always drew attention. At first, people tried to integrate, but as pureblood supremacists became increasingly vicious, beastmen formed their territories, and outside such areas, they remained a minority.
Certain neutral areas like Earth reportedly had many beastmen, where their presence wasn't such a novelty, but having never seen it myself, I couldn't really say.
Suits are primarily designed based on a standard human model. While beastmen are human too, I refer to humans with no distinctive traits like myself.
Beastmen possessed traits like animal ears, tails, horns, or larger physiques which generally made standard suits unsuitable. Horns and tails especially so, like now.
Exposed to external environments meant she couldn't rely on the suit's protection. Specialized parts exist for space-environment suits, but they differ significantly from what we wore, making them largely irrelevant for us.
You could optionally add tail-exiting holes or something comparable for the suits.
"They say it's fine with their plush, fluffy fur."
Despite appearances, it wasn't regular fur. Designed to create better humans, beastmen had tails thinly coated with a substance produced in their bodies, which shielded against contamination.
So it was okay to expose it like this and still maintain cleanliness. That much I learned from Nadia.
"I see... Would it be impolite if I could touch—"
"Yes."
With restrained politeness, Nadia suddenly slapped away the reaching hand with her tail, issuing a firm refusal. Acting almost instinctively, she gasped slightly as she regained her composure.
Silence followed. To prevent misunderstandings, I felt I should step in and hastily explained.
"She strongly dislikes anyone touching it. Apologies on her behalf."
"... No, it's my fault for being careless."
Though Celestia said that, her gaze stayed fixed on Nadia's tail. Feeling burdened, the tail squirmed around to avoid it, and Celestia's gaze followed its movements.
'Aren't you used to seeing beastmen?'
I had never left this ice satellite, so apart from Nadia, I was unfamiliar with other beastmen, but running a company, Celestia would have interacted with many beyond Nadia. Her reaction felt unusually fascinated.
Failing to find a hiding place, the tail opted to conceal itself behind my hand. The fluffiness, soft touch.
"Only if we become friends—no, never mind, let's discuss this later. Right now, there are more urgent matters to attend to."
Celestia stepped back, unable to conceal her disappointment, allowing Nadia to breathe a sigh of relief, murmuring softly as Celestia receded.
"Hyun-woo, protect my precious tail."
"To an outsider, it would sound like someone threatened to make it into a scarf."
"... You don't think so?"
"No."
"Phew...."
Deliberately ignoring Eric as he shook his head, I soon arrived at the facility Celestia mentioned. But the view differed greatly from what she described.
A rust-ridden ladder turned sooty black, the metallic plates whined a ghastly creak in the wind, and huge circular pipes, heavily corroded, pierced through with numerous holes.
Below, an abyss gaped menacingly among the icy crevice.
"Hmm. It was actually an external connection pipe, not a lift. Was the information wrong?"
"No, Celestia. There was indeed a lift. The remnants are there."
Eric shone his flashlight into a section of the crevasse. There lay a heap of crumpled metal, unrecognizable from its original form.
Though it didn't resemble a lift, assuming the information was correct, it must have been one.
'Can we cross it?'
Regardless of the facility's durability, it was indeed connected to the other side. A crevasse about 15 meters wide. Neither too long nor too short.
'Scratch that.'
Seeing the powdery ice crumble and fall below, I swiftly revised my judgment. It was long. Very long.
While it narrowed upwards, making it uncrossable in a single leap remained dangerous.
While Eric prepared the strap, a legacy from the SSTC Caliburn, I tapped the ground gently. Fortunately, this spot felt quite solid. At least there was no worry about a sudden collapse.
"The ground won't suddenly give, but it's slippery, so watch your—"
"Ah!"
Before I could finish my caution about parts hardened by ice, Celestia slipped and landed on her rear with a thud.
Though it wasn't a hard fall, her reflexive grab for something to steady herself led to seizing what shouldn't have been seized.
Celestia inadvertently grasped Nadia's tail, pulling it tightly.
"... Huh?"
Caught off guard, Nadia's tail squeezed and tugged, stung through her nerves.
"Hiyaaaah-!"
Her piercing cry echoed, causing a minor avalanche atop the distant ice mountain, sending a wave of snow cascading down the slopes.
It was incredibly loud.
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=【ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌ )】
Could you even get unluckier?