Chapter 4: How Are You So Sure I'm a Spirit? (cont.)

"Excuse me, are you here to ask me out on a date too?"

The young man who had just been planning to visit an amusement park, aquarium, movie theater, and then a love hotel with Itsuka Shiori was not upset that some unexpected visitors had interrupted his plans. Instead, he politely greeted the mechanized troops floating in the air.

No, perhaps calling them mechanized troops was inaccurate. Equipped with tactical manifestation device combinations and surrounded by Territory fields, they were clearly just a group of remotely controlled robots.

"If so, I hope you can send some cuter girls over. Dating machines is just too weird. It makes me question DEM Company's taste."

Even while surrounded by a robot army equipped with all kinds of weapons, the young man remained perfectly calm.

In this world, only two companies possessed the ability to manufacture manifestation devices. One was Ratatoskr, which stood on Itsuka Shiori's side and could obviously be ruled out. That made the origins of these mechanical grunts quite clear.

DEM Company, Ratatoskr's rival, advocated actively exterminating Spirits. After someone had sent the Human Order Cannon into the sky, it had forcefully taken over AST's duties and deployed troops directly under its command.

"Won't you consider finding a batch of cute girls to talk with me?" the young man chuckled.

Unfortunately, this mechanical unit had clearly not received orders to find girls to accompany someone on a date. Under Itsuka Shiori's terrified gaze, the dark gun barrels rose one after another and aimed at their target.

"Click, click, click—"

The thunderous roar of specially reinforced Gatling guns swept across the empty land. Metal shell casings continuously fell from the air, striking the ground with crisp clatters as the scent of gunpowder spread.

"W-what is going on...?!"

Having never experienced bullets streaking