Kitty Killer Isn't Very Cold

Although Kal'tsit knew Warfarin could definitely keep herself in check... she was afraid Nana might twitch her hand and pull her gun, killing Warfarin on the spot... Warfarin knew that too, which was why she had taken it upon herself to "test" her.

Because she knew Kal'tsit could never do something like that... but Kal'tsit cared about appearances while she did not, so Warfarin had simply acted first and reported afterward.

PS3: Looks like it didn't reach ten thousand words after all... (sad)

The Mystery of the 2nd Medic: Comprehensive Physical Examination Test

As "Medic," the killer cat who had received some instruction in social conduct from her agent could not openly pass judgment on the head of the Medical Department... But if Nana were to give Warfarin a personal assessment...

"You... are pretty annoying..."

"Waaah~ Kal'tsit, she hates me~"

Kal'tsit did not even glance at Warfarin's clowning before smacking her away with one slap.

She had worried whether Medic would get along with the Sarkaz operators, but Kal'tsit had never asked anyone to test a newcomer's acceptance of Sarkaz.

Even taking ten thousand steps back, Warfarin had tried to seize someone's weapon in front of an assassin and agent. The fact that this disguised Sankta, with her halo and wings hidden, had not sent her racing away in a 4.5-wave streak only proved that the Medic Kal'tsit had recruited possessed considerable restraint.

While Warfarin draped herself over Kal'tsit's shoulder and made strange whining noises, Nana removed her Ship Affairs Department work gear. After placing the steel wool scrubber, wiped clean of Originium Dust, into a radiation-proof disposal bag marked for recycling, the killer cat stepped past Warfarin, who was making faces in the middle, and looked at Kal'tsit.

"...Next, we're going to the Engineering Department, right?"

"Looks like you've already figured out my daily itinerary."

"...Just a simple guess based on route planning..."

"That person showed me your mission records. In terms of tactical planning, few people I know can stand beside you... But that person..."

Shaking her head, the potted-plant-colored Feline narrowed her eyes. The green cat ears atop her head trembled with her steps, tracing a circle through the air.

"Never mind her... Let's get back to you, Medic... You should be mentally prepared for field operations."

"...Or rather, I'm more surprised that you had me assist with surgery, cook, clean the mast, and pick up packages from the mast..."

"Your weapon is a Laterano Gun..."

Watching this woman who was the same color as her potted plant ignore her complaint, the killer cat endured Warfarin trying to rub her head from beside her. The cat ears atop her head flattened completely like airplane wings.

"Yes..."

As she spoke, she viciously whipped the rear of a certain increasingly pushy Bloodfiend with her tail. On the surface, though, the killer cat still acted as though the other woman did not exist. Warfarin, however, excelled at shameless persistence... Kal'tsit looked back at their interaction for a few seconds, fell silent, then continued.

"There are several matters to address... First is the physical examination for your entry as an operator. Field personnel must also undergo combat capability testing... You may hand the medical report to me for separate storage, but as for the combat test... Firearms Arts... Whether it is a Columbia imitation Etch Round launcher or a genuine 'Laterano Gun,' Rhodes Island currently... no, likely for a long time to come, will be unable to support the routine training and mission consumption of Etch Round-type ammunition... In the upcoming test, I suggest you select some weapons already available at Rhodes Island as your standard equipment... This will also further conceal your identity."

"...That's fine. If it's only the weapon, it won't have much effect on my field capabilities."

After giving her new superior a concise answer, the three walked through an unfinished, drafty observation corridor and passed through the roaring power core... And so, Nana finally met the head of the Engineering Department: Closure, who had operated drones to carry off more than fifty meals while Nana was performing logistical maintenance duties.

But upon seeing the black-haired Bloodfiend engineer, who wore the same ethereal expression as Kal'tsit, Medic suddenly understood.

"So that's how it is... It seems the Sarkaz aren't merely scattered individuals on this ship or within this company. That's why you specifically had me pick up packages from the mast, Kal'tsit..."

"You have already proven your restraint. And having you meet Warfarin early was indeed something I deliberately arranged, since Closure is not as... combat-capable as Warfarin."

Combat-capable?

Medic glanced at the Bloodfiend behind her, who had begun targeting her tail because Nana had completely ignored her... She felt Kal'tsit's phrasing was difficult to evaluate.

Although Warfarin had indeed demonstrated the superhuman physical strength of those called "demons" to the killer cat, combat capability... To Medic, as long as something had a weakness and a vital point, so-called combat capability was probably only a point of reference.

Even a Bloodfiend would die if its head were shot through or its heart blown apart, right?

Before the killer cat could finish her analysis, Closure, who had previously been bent over operating something, raised her head. The black-haired girl with dead-fish eyes even had half a slice of pizza in her mouth. Yet when her dark-ringed eyes saw the black-haired cat before her, they immediately lit up.

"Oh, oh! Medic—!!"

"...Do all Bloodfiends like this kind of physical intimacy?"

Seeing the petite Feline extend a hand to reject her flying pounce, Closure glanced at Warfarin, who was being slapped across the ears by the killer cat's tail, then stopped in her tracks.

"No, I can read the room... Kal'tsit rarely lets you fool around like this. Looks like my dear senior has once again done something on her own that left everyone in an awkward position... I'm different, though~ I! Closure, dependable ship reliability engineer of Rhodes Island, great systems engineer and Rhodes Island SUPERVISOR, one of Kazdel's top hundred young people, advocate of open-source software, winner of multiple design awards, enthusiastic gamer, and lover of sound cards, carbonated water, and evening coffee... am a normal person~"

Seeing Closure wink at her, Warfarin stopped fooling around. She obediently withdrew her attention from the killer cat's unusually undecorated tail.

"...What normal person? What kind of normal person is a Bloodfiend who likes engine oil more than blood..."

"Normal compared to those 'normal' Bloodfiends, of course."

"...Hiss... Put that way, we really are pretty normal."

After casually relegating her hometown and her own race's "family" to the category of abnormal, Closure swallowed the cold pizza in a few bites and pitifully grasped Medic's hand.

"Anyway, I need to thank you first... Do you know how long it's been since I've eaten normal food? It was bad enough that Kal'tsit said I consume too much sugar and forced me to eat lettuce leaves with oil and vinegar dressing. But I really can't handle Ace's dark stew cuisine! That person is a weirdo who puts cheese in meat soup!"

"Ha... That really has been hard on you..."

After all, that was the kind of thing it was. Even just recalling the sight she had seen earlier, the killer cat was deeply grateful she would not have to taste it herself.

Holding the carbonated drink Closure had pressed into her hands, just as the killer cat was tentatively deciding that not all Bloodfiends were as annoying as Warfarin, Closure looked toward Kal'tsit.

"So, are we having Medic try Engineering Department work next? Hmm... There are no pending tasks related to ship affairs anymore... If we're talking about what the Engineering Department has to do now... Well, it's these."

Following Closure's gaze, the killer cat saw something related to her own field in this pharmaceutical company for the first time.

"Weapon maintenance...?"

"Well... Is a chainsaw a weapon or a tool, really? There's not much point arguing that... Your instinct is right. It is a weapon... Blaze's weapon."

Scratching the back of her head and turning her lustrous, glossy black hair—which reeked of engine oil—into a bird's nest, Closure looked close to collapse.

"She's been practicing Arts lately, saying she wants to apply heat-generating Arts in combat. But as an assault operator in E3 Squad, she already burns through equipment at an alarming rate. Now, her chainsaws, which serve as both weapons and casting units, break three at a time every day... I miss the Kazdel repair workshops so much..."

Closure sighed. She had wanted to tease them a little more, but under the gazes of two Bloodfiends and one possibly immortal Feline, the killer cat simply sat down in Closure's workshop and began troubleshooting and repairing the Arts units.

Aside from being unable to fabricate damaged parts by hand, the petite black-haired Feline expressionlessly and swiftly fixed the chainsaw malfunctions spread across the workbench. She even patched the cracks in a practice shield with injection molding while she was at it.

Looking at the practice shield Nana had repaired, Closure found not the slightest bubble inside the component after it had been hardened under ultraviolet light. She let out several amazed "wow"s.

"...All right—! I've decided, Medic, you're working in the Engineering Department!"

"No."

"Huh? You rejected that immediately?"

Tilting her head slightly in apology, the killer cat looked toward Kal'tsit, who had also freed up a hand to carve something.

"Whether it's the Engineering Department, Equipment Section, or even Ship Affairs Department... I can do those jobs... But... Setting aside the fact that I probably can't escape being a medical operator already, personally, I think there is only one position that can quickly resolve the current situation where it seems every department needs my help."

"...You want to join the Human Resources Department?"

"Or be called a liaison officer? Guaranteed by the ICA contract, I will ensure Rhodes Island's interests."

Seeing the black-haired little cat clearly no longer wanted to accompany her on an "inspection," while looking as though she only wanted to recruit people quickly to fill vacant positions, Kal'tsit showed a faint smile for once.

"They need you there as well... As a channel of communication between Rhodes Island and a certain Security Bureau, you already possess some of the qualities of a Columbia liaison officer... Did I mention that when Rhodes Island sails within Columbia, we will need your help to call for supplies...?"

"You didn't."

"That's fine. You know now... The agreement between that person and me also requires you personally to relay communications... She will probably be very much looking forward to you passing Rhodes Island's information on to Columbia..."

"That has nothing to do with me... So when can Human Resources Department recruitment begin...?"

Kal'tsit checked the time and thought for a moment before replying.

"Tomorrow. Today, we will finish the practical combat test..."

As Kal'tsit gestured for everyone to follow, Medic did her best to ignore the two Bloodfiends behind her quietly discussing the flexibility of her tail and exactly how soft cat ears were. The killer cat tried to focus on work.

"Although I understand this is part of the onboarding procedure, I think it is necessary to remind you. Unless it is a complete simulation of an entire scenario... my actual combat abilities and fighting style likely cannot be fully displayed in a test like this."

"...What we want to know is not... anything that detailed... In fact, I hope your onboarding will conceal the existence of... 'that string of numbers' as much as possible..."

"So, do I need to hold back?"

"There is... no need for that. In the future, you will carry out field missions with many operators... Before everyone becomes familiar with one another, the only information they can know about each other is what is in their files... You only need to display the actual strength you would have under those circumstances."

"...If you put it that way, I'm just an ordinary Feline... I don't have the kind of strength they do."

Nana glanced at the two Bloodfiends following behind them. Kal'tsit said nothing and simply led the way quietly to a temporary training ground. At their destination, Ace and his squad were already waiting in full gear.

Ace's aura as a battle-hardened veteran, shield and warhammer in hand, was obvious at a glance. Behind him, Blaze waved at the killer cat, while the others looked like they would be no easier to deal with.

Blaze's extended chainsaw in particular made Medic's expression sour... Facing an assault operator head-on... If such a situation arose in reality, and she was not allowed to use her Laterano Gun but had to fight anyway... that would probably be the day she died.

"Oh, oh~ Medic's test! Me, me~ As fellow Felines, let's get to know each other properly~"

"...Blaze, your turn comes later. Ace, Dobermann isn't here, so I'll leave her comprehensive physical examination test to you all... Medic, you know what can and cannot be used."

Nodding helplessly, the black-haired cat removed her shoulder bag.

The first thing Ace saw was the girl taking out two Laterano Guns from the bag and removing their magazines... Then, as though displaying an arsenal, Nana pulled a string of grenades from beneath her skirt, took two bottles marked highly toxic from her pockets, and finally produced a military tactical sword from inside her coat. Compared with her size, calling it a dagger would be less accurate than calling it a sword. Ace was utterly baffled, wondering how someone so small had managed to stuff so many things onto her body.

"Ha... Perhaps your operator codename shouldn't be 'Medic.' How about changing it to 'Arms Dealer'?"

"...These are only some small items my previous agent told me to bring when I came to Rhodes Island... In fact, I am better at sniping with large Laterano Guns and operating war machinery... I also have some knowledge of Arts. If you gave me a large casting unit, perhaps I could fight as a core caster as well... For the test, what should I use to attack?"

"Hmm, whatever feels natural to you? Of course, guns are off limits. Every bullet used is one less bullet left..."

Watching the killer cat's troubled expression in the field, Closure, who had used a drone to deliver a set of bows and crossbows, said with a smile.

"Then use this first... Whether light or heavy, they're mass-produced goods, but I selected the blueprints myself. They should be sufficient for most circumstances... How about we begin the test with Medic's strongest suit: 'sniping'?"

Seeing her junior become excited, Warfarin turned to Kal'tsit in confusion.

"Isn't she in our Medical Department?"

"...The Medical Department's test has already ended..."

"Ho... All right, if you say so."

In only a few exchanges, the terrain of the training ground began shifting under Closure's controller. Blocks of various shapes simulated the rises and dips of a battlefield, and the place soon became an indescribably complex terrain containing practically every conceivable element.

"All right~ Next, I'll use drones to transport targets around. There will be small targets known for agility, as well as large drone-mounted targets cast in alloy that need a heavy crossbow to penetrate... Since you will be using weapons we provide, and considering you are unfamiliar with them, you can come here to change them at any time if needed~"

The killer cat looked at Closure's mischievous smile. Though she did not know what bad idea the engineer had in mind, she still followed her own habits and selected the heavy crossbow with the most balanced ballistic performance and armor-piercing properties.

"Huh?~ When you said you were good at sniping, I thought you'd pick a siege crossbow... Well, can we begin?"

Testing the quick-cocking mechanism on the heavy crossbow in her hands, the black-haired cat nodded. Under Ace's command, everyone began clearing out the testing space.

"Then~ the objective is to destroy as many targets as possible. Drone swarm, deploy!"

A fierce buzzing filled the air. Closure always enjoyed the feeling of probing operators' limits during their comprehensive physical examination tests.

Because everyone had things they were better or worse at, Closure had designed this complex test to best reveal an operator's personal traits and responses in complicated circumstances.

Of course, the test was not simply meant to make things difficult... Many operators in Rhodes Island—or rather, Babel—could easily find their own advantageous range and leave what they were poor at to their teammates.

There were also all-rounders like Logos, who could directly overturn the entire testing ground with Arts. He was completely unreasonable... Closure was sure the killer cat before her also had secrets, but she should not be that kind of "monster."

So she was rather looking forward to seeing how the black-haired cat would pass her test, and how she would understand that this was not merely a test of accuracy or shooting skill...

But... Medic performed even better than she had imagined.

The vibration of the bowstring was nearly silent. Though she lay prone in the center of the field, operating a heavy crossbow that required major movements to cock, the cat herself barely moved at all... If she had been wearing camouflage gear, perhaps every target in the air would have been silently eliminated.

Ace and his E3 Squad, acting as the hypothetical enemies for the next stage, were meanwhile marveling at the person in the field's grasp of the overall situation.

"...Leaving aside the fundamentals of her shooting, the targets are being hit in beautiful strings... At the start, when the drones were more crowded, we can set aside those four- and five-target penetration shots... But even after the targets thinned out, she mostly maintained an efficient two targets per shot... Closure, are you going easy on her?"

"I'm not!"

After shouting her rebuttal, Closure watched the drones returning to "base" far too quickly. While wondering whether her flight algorithms needed improvement, the Bloodfiend engineer's competitive spirit stirred, and she activated the sniper operators' final test early.

It was a mandatory test used to confirm whether an operator could deal with danger at a sniping position... In terms of drones, that meant drones from all directions charging simultaneously into the sniping platform!

But Closure regretted it as soon as she did... Because she had activated it early, although Medic was efficiently eliminating targets, there were more than a dozen drones instead of the usual five remaining when the system activated. Among them were heavy eight-rotor models like Owl Dragon. The sniping platform clearly did not have enough room to evade their charge.

Just as Closure prepared to stop the drones and end this test that could endanger an operator, the previously motionless cat on the sniping platform suddenly leaped up... Closure did not see the heavy crossbow or its bolts in her hands. Instead, cold gleams flashed between her fingers.

The Feline girl danced through the air, a passionate aerial samba. Specks of cold light scattered with the movement of her body and arms, and the clanging sounds of targets being struck rang out in a chorus.

Ace had also noticed that the difficulty of this test seemed somewhat different from before... But he assumed it was a special arrangement from Kal'tsit and did not pay it much mind. After all, the girl on the platform handled it perfectly.

Though he resembled an iron tower in full gear, the man's smile was brilliant as he enthusiastically applauded the dance.

"That final volley of throws was a beautiful response... But... without using the heavy crossbow to fire them, can those really penetrate the targets?"

"No problem."

The girl's voice dragged the distracted Closure back to reality, and the Bloodfiend engineer hurriedly checked the results.

"...You actually... destroyed them all?! This is already senior—no, even among Senior Operators, only a few can accomplish this perfectly! You're amazing, Medic!! The drones didn't even report a single case of collateral damage! Are you a genius?!"

The killer cat used a smile to deal with Closure's embrace, her voice slightly shy.

"I... have some knowledge of Arts..."