Metal and the Steel Dragon Machine Workshop

(Sun Yao)

"We've arrived. Please stop here, thank you, driver."

After paying the fare, I got out of the taxi.

Werewolf... Mr. Liu was wearing my ill-fitting clothes, hunched over, and looked really bad, like a pervert. No wonder the usually talkative taxi driver from Skyreach City didn't dare to talk to us the whole way; he must have thought we were a strange group.

But this was a last resort; if he were to get on the bus wearing only shorts, the driver might refuse to take him or drive him to the police station.

Standing in front of Metal's small factory, Yezi sighed, rubbing her forehead. "You two go in first, I'll go take a look around... at least get this guy a decent-looking set of men's clothing."

"Aww!"

Is that a roar of gratitude?

It looks a bit like a dog.

"There are factories all around here, where are you going to buy clothes?"

"Idiot, factories need workers, workers need to eat, drink, and relieve themselves, and they also need clothes. There will definitely be stores there."

Yezi said this and walked away without looking back, and the Golden followed.

Before it left, it kept covering its dark nose with its paws, seemingly disliking the factory's "oil and steel" smell.

Bang bang--

Since I couldn't find the doorbell, I knocked on the factory's roller shutter door.

It wasn't very big, and it looked like a small auto repair shop. You could smell the metal and diesel fumes even through the door, which was quite in line with the impression Miss Metal's magic gave people.

However, I remember her Battle Dress was a Japanese JK uniform?

Wearing those clothes while working in here, it's hard not to get them dirty...

"Hey, over here!"

Just as I was thinking this, a woman in overalls peeked out from the side of the factory. Her hair was simply tied up, and her body and face were dirty. I had a feeling that she was hiding a wrench behind her.

She has a very ordinary appearance; a magical girl isn't necessarily a beauty before she transforms.

Like me, I'm not even a woman.

"Excuse me, are you Miss Metal? I'm sorry to bother you so late at night."

The woman in work clothes panicked and said, "Shh! Silly girl, don't call my name outside! You don't want to be exposed, and neither do I!"

"Oh? Oh, I'm sorry!"

It seems to be me, but I did indeed misspoke.

"Come this way, the main gate is usually closed, just walk to the side!"

Since people walk to the side.

In other words, what other large machines might be hidden inside Metal's small factory that need to exit through that roller shutter door?

The side alley is narrow and has one side against a wall. The location of this side door is indeed quite inconspicuous, but the interior space is larger than expected, even a bit cramped.

Miss Metal closed the door.

The factory was a bit stuffy, but one small room had air conditioning, a clean bed, and a simple wardrobe. This must be Metal's... bedroom?

"Phew, you're Ceruno, right?"

She took two cans of Coke from the refrigerator by the door and tossed them to us.

"You actually managed to turn pink hair completely black? Was that also your magic? Did you adjust the light transmission or something?"

Wow, that's amazing! You saw right through my hair.

"Yes, as expected of Miss Metal."

I unwrapped the bubble wrap around my long hair, restoring it to its original state.

"Forget the flattery. What do you want with this cross-dressing pervert you brought here?"

"Oh!"

Mr. Liu covered his face, feeling extremely ashamed, and let out a pitiful sob.

I explained to Miss Metal, "Actually, he's Monster from 'the Other Side,' but as you can see, he was originally human. He was just captured Past transformed into an 'Infiltration Weapon,' which is to say, a spy."

"So, what are you doing bringing a spy into my 'Steel Dragon Machine Workshop'?"

So this factory has such a cool name?

I replied, "'The Other Side's' brainwashing of him failed. He hasn't forgotten that he's human. Miss Miluno and I encountered 'the Hunter Witch's clone' in Hawaii before. That was a humanoid weapon sent to eliminate him. He fought alongside us, but that battle severely damaged his armor. I'd like to ask if you can see if you can repair it."

Mr. Liu nodded in agreement, and then took out his diary from his pocket and handed it to Miss Metal.

Wait, where did he hide this notebook before?

Metal flipped through the diary as he spoke, "That purge might have been a staged act to gain your trust. You said he was captured and taken to 'the Other Side'? Ceruno, the only outcome for an ordinary person crossing a wormhole is death; they simply cannot withstand the pressure of a wormhole... However, I am somewhat interested in the armor itself. Show it to me."

She pointed to the workbench outside.

The man unbuttoned his shirt, exposing the pyramidal Simulacrum Factor to the air, and then unleashed a torrent of his entire set of tattered armor.

"Your Simulacrum Factor... is different from other Monster; it's angular and very well-organized."

"Aww!"

Mr. Liu, like a schoolchild being praised, even smiled sheepishly and wiped his nose.

"You guys rest here for a bit, I'll go examine your armor... Whether it can be repaired or not, we'll have to see after I get there."

"Thank you for your help."

"Awoo!" Mr. Liu exclaimed.

"Ceruno."

Someone patted my cheek.

"Hmm..."

I don't know when, but I fell asleep in Metal's bed.

I sat up groggily, only to see Miss Metal, now a magical girl with short Metal hair, standing in front of me in her high school uniform Battle Dress, hands on her hips.

"You're awake? You were sleeping so soundly."

"I'm so sorry!"

I rubbed my face and apologized, trying to calm myself down.

"So... can the armor be repaired?"

"It's not a question of whether it can be repaired or not."

"Can't you handle it?"

"It's already fixed."

"... Huh? How long have I been asleep?"

"An hour isn't long, but don't underestimate my magic!"

When I left the air-conditioned lounge, I saw that the Werewolf Armor on the workbench was not only completely repaired, but even the parts that were not damaged before were reflecting a waxy sheen, looking very cool.

"Wow, this is really..."

Miss Metal exclaimed, "Brand new! Isn't the gleaming armor beautiful!"

"Ah? Hmm! Metal, it seems like his armor has some internal wiring. Have those been repaired?"

"The armor's Central Control System is actually the Simulacrum Factor on his chest; I can still fix the wiring."

It went even more smoothly than I expected.

"I thought Metal only knew how to forge knives, swords, and shields."

"Oh? I was really underestimated! Before you appeared, the Association also regarded me as the hope for scouting 'the Other Side'! I can create alloys that are almost unaffected by wormholes, and the materials used for wormhole detection drones are my masterpiece! Even if you appear, the materials for creating Wormhole Generator will still need to be provided by me."

"That's pretty impressive, isn't it?"

"However, the battles are all melee combat, and my magic is more suited to being a support witch..."

[Ahem! Alert! Phase Wormhole has been detected in C4 Area! Expected in five minutes--]

"... Hmm, is this Monster coming at a time like this?"

Miss Metal pursed her lips.

We left the workshop and looked up to find the location of the wormhole, only to discover it was in the factory area not far away.

"I'm sorry, Ceruno, I don't have enough magic left to sustain the battle. Could you please help me this time?"

"Of course! I'd be happy to oblige!"

How could I possibly refuse something like this?