I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

Chapter 473

"…The production period is unknown… I guess that’s to be expected."

A few days had passed since Jin and Rain were introduced to my parents.

To briefly summarize what happened during that time: absolutely nothing of note occurred. If I had to stretch it, I could say that the Think Tank officially made contact with Icarus Dynamics, a subsidiary of Icarus International, and signed a ridiculously complicated contract that I couldn’t even begin to understand.

As for what would happen next... Well, since the contract had already been signed, regardless of what it said, the implementation would begin, and Icarus Dynamics would start examining the technology in detail. But I expected it would take quite some time to fully understand the technology.

Creating a humanoid that is as intricate as a human being, something that doesn't even exist in this world, was no small feat. I had asked them not to directly apply the technology used for Jin and Rain, considering the social implications, and that should be the case, but… who knows?

Just preparing the groundwork for this technology alone seemed like it would take a lot of time.

Swish.

"…I told you not to be sneaky from behind like that."

"When will we be able to go out together?"

"Probably in about six months."

"Ugh…!"

The arm that wrapped around my neck glowed a bright blue.

Of course, even with my eyes closed, I knew who it was. Among the beings currently performing what could be considered demonstrations in my home, only one person used such a human-like tone — Rain.

Someone might wonder why Rain was in my house, but I could only give a brief response — when I met them a few days ago, they had made a request to be allowed to come here to satisfy their data requirements. They wouldn’t be satisfied with just that.

The intellectual maturity and knowledge held by these two didn’t quite match. Plus, their curiosity, which had been hidden up until now, was reignited after they briefly visited my home during the Dagger Team's group vacation.

So, after two months… I had almost forgotten about it.

For children, they had managed to be patient for quite a long time.

"Really, will it take that long?"

"If it didn’t take that long, I wouldn’t have let you into my house. Please be patient. Every task requires time and proper procedures."

"Ugh…!"

"Rain, please don’t make Archetype uncomfortable anymore."

Of course, by this point, I knew very well that this was all just… nonsense.

After pushing Rain aside, Jin took her place, and now it was Jin’s arm around my neck. Rain tried to shout but gave up halfway and just grimaced, while I sighed and lifted Jin up, placing her gently on the sofa.

These troublesome kids. They might look like me, but their behavior was like that of young children. When their prototypes were completed, I couldn’t take them to places like large shopping malls. I could already imagine the trouble they’d cause.

In any case, there was another reason I had made this decision.

It was because of the trip.

Naturally, I couldn’t take them along to Hawaii for shooting practice, so I had to release some of their steam here. After I’d already greeted my parents, leaving them locked away for weeks again would not lead to anything good.

These overly inflated soda-like creatures…

"Master, when will the food arrive? I heard that Mala Tang makes your mouth burn, but what does that feel like?"

"You’ll find out when you try it. Though, it’s all going to end up in my stomach anyway."

"I hope I get to try as many different flavors of ice cream as possible."

"Alright, I got it."

Ding Dong!

As I dealt with the whining of these two, the doorbell rang.

Of course, it wasn’t the delivery person coming to the door. This was, after all, a luxury penthouse, and the sound was one indicating that the staff downstairs had received the delivery. By now, they were probably hearing from the delivery person about which apartment ordered and placing the food on the mini elevator.

About 30 seconds later, a different “ding” sound came, followed by a message that the delivery was complete. And so, Jin and Rain started their rock-paper-scissors match to decide who would go fetch it. The winner was quickly decided, and Rain hummed a tune as she headed down the hall.

Just next to the door was a small space, where the warm food and the ice cream for dessert were waiting.

With the sound of rustling plastic, Rain returned, looking at me with sparkling eyes. I let out a sigh that wasn’t quite a sigh and took a seat at the living room table.

After adjusting the Icarus Gear, I began the taste synchronization with the two. It was around lunchtime, and I had ordered enough for five people, so if there was too much, we could leave some for dinner. If the portion was just right, we’d finish it for lunch.

Since Jin liked sweet things more than spicy, she made a subtle face, but Rain looked excited. As soon as I opened the lid, the signature spicy scent wafted up, and Rain’s eyes widened as she asked what it was.

"…I really don’t get why people still like this."

"The smell is really strange. Do humans like this?"

"Surprisingly, yes."

And now, it was time to show Rain the unique taste she had never experienced.

I stirred the steaming Mala Tang, fished out the ingredients, and popped one into my mouth. The moment it touched my tongue, a peculiar and sharp sensation spread. I quickly glanced at the two — Rain’s eyes were wide open, and Jin had a confused look on her face.

Then the words came out.

"Ugh, this feels weird… It’s spicy! This is really interesting!"

"Well, I’m glad you like it. You kept asking me to order it, after all. Are you ready to keep going?"

"Archetype, I don’t think this kind of stimulating food is good. Please cancel the taste synchronization… cough, cough... Ahhh…"

Of course, that wasn’t happening.

I was hungry, and unlike last time when I didn’t throw a single chip into my mouth, my mouth and stomach had evolved enough to handle most things. In other words, this was a real meal, and Jin and Rain screamed every time I put something in my mouth.

In any case, the fire of the Mala Tang was more than enough to suppress the two humanoids, and I lay back on the sofa, feeling the satisfaction in my full stomach while the two of them lay half-conscious.

"Are you satisfied now?"

"Ugh, I can’t eat anymore…"

"Please… save me…"

Pop.

Now, it was time for Jin.

Four giant-size packs of nine flavors of ice cream. I opened them one by one, dug the spoon deep into each one, and took a bite. The sweetness and coolness flooded into my mouth, and the two, lying on the sofa, looked revitalized.

Jin hummed a tune of joy, and Rain opened her mouth, saying she felt alive. It made sense. As I mentioned, they were feeling the same sensations I was, and the cool relief from the spicy food was immediately processed through their logic circuits.

Now, feeling much more at ease, Jin and Rain went back to happily exploring the outside world, and then Jin spoke up.

"I heard you’re going to practice shooting in Hawaii, Archetype. What kind of firearms will you be using?"

"I think I’ll be able to shoot almost anything available there. However, firearm accessories will need to be purchased directly, and there will be parts that aren’t allowed to be taken outside the military... So it’s unlikely we’ll be able to shoot freely, like in a kill box or normal shooting."

"Is that so?"

Then, Jin suddenly threw something out.

"I understand that Archetype can travel across worlds at will. Then, wouldn’t it be possible to bring your personal firearms from the gun cabinet to shoot? Even without the MG338 and Mk.18…"

"...Huh?"

"...Did I say something inappropriate?"

"No."

Eureka.

I gestured for Jin to come closer, and when she timidly approached, I patted her head.

"Jin, you’re a genius."

"Ah, thank you very much…?"

Meanwhile, I didn’t notice what Rain was thinking as she observed the scene.

Of course, it was just another day.

‘…Master is up to something weird again.’

It was hard to say, but Archetype could sometimes be… strange.

Naturally, Rain didn’t say this out loud. She didn’t want to get a punch in the head.

The world was strange like this.

Around 10:30 PM, as the world darkened.

I had finished most of the preparations before my trip to Hawaii and quickly called Lauren, who was the cause of this situation. After a few beeps, a tourist-looking shark appeared on the screen.

Dressed in black sunglasses, a Hawaiian shirt and pants, and a straw hat, this looked like the perfect disguise for a delayed tourist. Of course, the disguise was excellent enough to confuse anyone about her real identity, so I said nothing about it.

Anyway, seeing her outfit made me curious about what she was up to, but Lauren spoke first.

Since the camera showed not just me, but Jin and Rain too, she seemed quite curious.

"I was going to answer properly, but seeing there are two mecha juniors at your house, I’d rather hear about that first. Did I miss any promises?"

"This is all your fault, Lauren."

"Well, it seems the situation is a bit more complicated than I thought."

At that, Lauren sent a signal.

It was encrypted content, meant to prevent eavesdropping and leaks, signaling that I should exclude Jin and Rain temporarily. This seemed to be very sensitive content.

Since the call was already encrypted through the Icarus Gear, I simply sent the signal back and showed my wristwatch, which she acknowledged before scanning the surroundings.

The bustling Honolulu International Airport was visible in the background, but the shark quickly conveyed important details mixed within a seemingly ordinary message.

One by one, the full story began to unravel.

"So that’s what happened. I was wondering why you suddenly started talking about humanoids."

"Well, Logan’s team is going to be involved, but before we get to an all-out war between the two countries… it’s a waste not to use the asset we have. So I thought it’d be better to prepare the younger ones first."

"I understand the gist of it. Now, I’ll need to explain why Jin and Rain are wandering around my house so freely."

I too spoke up.

I had received Lauren’s request not as a favor, but rather as an instruction to head to New York, meet Jin and Rain, and transfer Artemis’ tech data. They had asked me to take them around outside, and that's why I brought them here.

After that, everything flowed smoothly. Preparations to materialize them in this world were underway, but it would take time, so to satisfy their needs in the meantime, I had brought them here.

Lauren, after hearing this entire explanation, responded with laughter.

"Ha, haha! Now that’s something only the youngest would do. But well, if you’re their mother, I guess you have to deal with that."

"Lauren, you were there when Jin got neutralized, weren’t you?"

"Haha, now that I think about it, you’re right. Well, I’m glad everything is going smoothly. I won’t be able to meet the mecha juniors when they appear in reality, though."

"That’s unavoidable."

And now, it was my turn to ask the questions.

Specifically, why was she dressed like that and at the airport?

Her answer was simple.

"Well, after staying up for about four days, I finished all the physical ability recalibration requests Logan sent. So, I’m here in Hawaii to get a bit of a breather."

"...You finished quickly, but did you come here first?"

"Well, I needed to check the gun status with my firearms dealer. Also, I did some calculations, and to get two planes from drastically different time zones to land in Hawaii at the same time, you have to endure a bit of trouble."

"I see. So you came here first to avoid that trouble."

Lauren nodded.

Fortunately, my parents had left a few messages for times like this, and one of them was a code to use if there were delays or changes in the travel schedule.

I sent the code and added to the shark.

"If you go to the hotel listed in the instructions and show them this code, you can stay in any room you want. My parents personally sent it, so feel free to use it."

"Ah, from your parents? They’re amazing. When the youngest meets them again, be sure to tell them thanks for me."

"Of course."

The screen clicked off as Lauren left, and I sighed, muttering to myself.

"Hawaii."

I wondered what would happen there.

While I couldn’t say for sure, I had a feeling something fun was coming, especially after indirectly feeling the energy through Lauren.

I stood up from my chair and stretched lightly.

"Alright then…"

It was time to pack for real now.

The bag wasn’t that big, but the expectations inside it were anything but small.

The night before the departure, two days away.

"Hawaii. Remember our honeymoon was there?"

"Yeah. Brings back a lot of memories. But this time, we’ll be meeting your friends, Jin and Rain. I wonder how they’ll react."

"Our daughter sure does love surprises."

Meanwhile, more than 10,000 kilometers away, in Manhattan, New York.

Eugene’s parents, upon reading her message, smiled.

The late Chuseok family meal was set to take place in Hawaii.