17 I Evolve Myself Even More

Author: Bishamon Mine
Raw: https://ncode.syosetu.com/n0664js/20/
Translator: Lilia v4
Editor: Yuriko AYA

❝If you jumped Suu-san you’d get counterkilled❞
❝Suu-tan strong-strong❞

“There are bodysuits like sentai cosplay too, but that area is taste. I have acquaintances who love them. The people in a clan called Galactic Heaven Squad all wear these.”
“Galactic heavenly body———?”
“And the shield can switch on and off too.”

Then maybe I’ll go with this choker type. When I wear a one-piece I don’t wear a belt, and a belt under a one-piece looks like a problem.

I imagined myself lifting my one-piece hem going “henshin!” while pressing the switch, and it was so dumb I snorted.
Ah, but I might want to see Yachimata-san do it, “dufu.”

Well armor is probably all the same, so whatever.

“Then the one called Voltage Transer (Black).”

I picked black because I like black, but later——I would come to regret that I shouldn’t have picked casually at this time. That I should have looked at the comments. That I should have wondered about Yachimata-san’s stifled laugh.

Voltage Transer (Black) = 100,000 merit points.

But one shield costing the same as Swallow-san, isn’t the price setting weird?
Swallow-san has a shield too though.
Converting to yen seems pointless? Or are small shields really that expensive.

“For now the remaining 750,000 points maybe into stat raises.”

There are various stat-ups. Easy to understand are muscle-strength raise, dexterity raise, and such.
Even so there are lots of types, and they’re fine.
I confirmed there are over 30 items.

There are ones that make you less likely to get sick, and ones that suppress oxygen and calorie consumption.
No wait, having calorie consumption lowered and getting chubby is a problem.

There’s brain enhancement too, ones that raise calculation ability and memory, and ones that raise pitch sense too.

Even so they’re all expensive.

On top of that, the more you up stats the more the needed points increase acceleratively.

For example with your raw physical ability as the baseline,

Raising 10% is 50,000–200,000 points.

At 20% it’s double that, 100,000–400,000 points.

30% is double again, that kind of feeling.

“Alice, what are these (L) (M) (S)? I can’t buy (M) and (S).”
“Stat-ups have a set number of times you can buy, and as you up them eventually you can’t buy (L). Then (M) unlocks, and at the end you can only buy (S).”
“The more you enhance, the weaker the effect gets, huh.”

Yachimata-san nodded “yes.”

“And the price stays raised. If you buy three (L) and it becomes 400,000, then when you move to (M), buying one (M) needs 800,000.”
“Stats aren’t something you can raise easily……”

I mutter what I want.

“For clearing, first spatial awareness. Muscle control (switching) seems related to dexterity so I might want this too. Then stamina so I can fight continuously. Oxygen-consumption decrease so I can take G too maybe——. For real life I want memory expansion and thought acceleration——studying would get easier.”

Yachimata-san asked looking curious.

“You don’t want reflex acceleration? Everyone wants it.”
“This expands normal reflexes, right? The average 0.25-second ones.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Somehow I don’t seem to need it.”
“Don’t need it?”

I search a reflex-measurement app on my phone and install it.

“Watch……”

I measure reflexes five times with the app.

“It’s called a primitive reflex, but I startle easy……”

I turn the results toward Alice——they’re on camera too.

“0.089”
“0.100”
“0.058”
“0.211”
“0.085”

❝Eh, almost all under 0.09!? ——Hah!?❞
❝Hey! Even 0.1 is a monster! The human limit is 0.1 seconds, beyond that brain signals don’t make it❞
❝Suu-tan, raw that’s that without ability-ups!?❞
❝A genuine monster!!❞
❝Are primitive reflexes different from normal reflexes?❞
❝When you’re startled or whatever, your body moves on its own❞
❝These numbers are what top sports pros put out in peak matches——if you did it at a track start you’d get a false-start call❞

“Wh-wh-what’s going on!?”

Yachimata-san took my phone and is staring.
I hurriedly catch the camera that almost fell.

❝The camera fell?❞
❝No, the catch was too fast❞
❝The screen stabilized in an instant, Suu-tan caught it?❞
❝For real her reflexes are weird!❞

I try explaining with knowledge I know.

“You know when you touch a hot kettle or get startled you sometimes react really fast. I jump at everything in daily life, so with a little practice this started coming out right away.”

❝Scaredy shade-type strong❞
❝Shade-type special ability huh❞

“Just, this seems bad for the body.”
“That’s right…… I can’t think being that jumpy is good for mind or body——after all raising normal reflexes would———”

If I enter the zone primitive reflexes get even faster, which would worry them more, so I’ll stay quiet for now.

“Ah, but wait…… among the stat-ups there’s also primitive-reflex acceleration.”
“There was!? ——Ah, but I think it’d be effective for people who can put out primitive reflexes normally…… normally it wouldn’t be usable……”
“Maybe I’ll buy it.”
“I’m worried about Suu-san’s body……”
“Is there a way to erase stat-ups?”
“There is——but it’s expensive, you know?”
“If there’s a way to erase them, maybe I’ll try buying.”

——Incidentally, later a girl swordsman I get to know will firmly warn me that if I use primitive reflexes I have to use them along martial ways or it’s dangerous.

But I don’t get it well now, so,

Spatial awareness (L) ×2 for 20% up = 150,000 points.

Muscle control (switching) (L) for 10% up = 100,000 points.

Oxygen-consumption decrease (L) for 10% up = 50,000 points.

Memory expansion (L) ×2 for 20% up = 300,000 points.

Primitive-reflex acceleration (L) ×2 for 20% up = 300,000 points.

I bought those.
I went a little over budget though.

Memory expansion, I…… despite being top of the class, my memory is a little weak so I really wanted memory expansion.
Incidentally I returned the camera to Yachimata-san.

“After that if you tap ship, it arrives right away.”

I do as Yachimata-san said.

Even so I thought delivery would take at least a day or more.
Ill-san’s voice rang in the cabin.

Ill-san in a delivery-person outfit appears in front of my face. Holding a small cardboard box.

“Master, a package has arrived from the Galactic Union.”

“Eh, already!?”

Looking, near the gangway there was a somehow heavily secured box.

Shaped like a duralumin case but somehow black and hard-looking.
Here a question floated about the arrived package.

“Hey, Ill-san. Does this mean Galactic Union people can easily enter my ship?”
“No, I temporarily released the 〈Transfer Rejection Shield〉.”

“I see. But I’d be scared if they tossed in a bomb about to explode instead of a package.”
“I am scared of Master’s ideas.”

Ill-san’s face is a little pale.

“M-monsters might come too!”
“That is indeed scary.”

Anyway take out the box cont——heavy, this box is ridiculously heavy……

When I finish taking everything out, the box vanished.

“Wh-what?”

Alice explains simply.

“It’s a transfer unit; the box finished its role and went back.”
“Super-science as always——was the heaviness that transfer unit?”
“Yes. Incidentally if you don’t return the box you get a contact, ‘return it already.’ If you ignore it it’s a fine, really high. Almost all FateLege debt is from transfer units.”
“That’s scary……”

Shaking, I check the box contents. There was a gun in a stylish wooden box wrapped in amazing-looking cushioning, and a choker in a sturdy box.
And tablets in a bottle——no way these tablets are……

“Alice, are these tablets maybe for stat-ups?”
“They are.”
“Unexpected drug soaking.”
“It’s fine, I haven’t heard of side effects——primitive-reflex acceleration seems like it would have side effects though…… there don’t seem to have been people who used it in the first place, primitive-reflex acceleration.”
“Selling stat-up drugs to other people?”
“Impossible, they basically only act on the person. Rarely there are apparently compatible people, but there’s no way to find compatible people so it doesn’t pay.”
“I see——”

You can’t waste things that get more and more expensive, and there’s almost no way to find compatible people.

“Also, when you want to erase a stat-raise effect——for 24 hours limited——you take a mix of tannin, lycopene, and DHA. Essential when you enter sports tournaments. Half a persimmon, half a tomato, and one saury have the same effect.”
“What an amazing food pairing……”
“I don’t mind food pairings, but normally people take it as a drink called Ability Canceller you can buy with Galactic credits. Here I fetched water.”
“Ah, thanks.”

I tossed the tablets in my mouth and crunched them while sucking water packed like an IV bag through a straw.

❝Suu-tan is the type who drinks medicine while chewing?❞
❝oh wildcat!❞

Was it weird…… even overseas onii-san is surprised.

“Th-this way it works faster I thought!”

❝I love you like that too❞
❝I like you as you are❞
❝Bringing out the flavor of the ingredients❞
❝HAHAHA!❞

The comments are so warm it’s like abnormal weather.
While I have luxurious worries like that,

“Ah, it might be working!”

I throw the water pack diagonally behind me and, without turning, try grabbing “here!”
The water pack settled in my hand splendidly.

“Somehow I feel like I can tell distance for things in vision and things that left vision too.”

❝So this makes it easier to grasp enemy positions huh❞
❝It becomes a 3D world?❞
❝Hawk Eye that thing?❞

Maybe if I combine this with field-of-view expansion I could do something amazing.
Or rather if you keep raising field-of-view expansion does it become like Byak○gan?

I might even be able to answer unreasonable requests like “Ka◯-yu, put an eye on your back too.”

“Want to try measuring reflexes a little?”

Alice asked so I nod.

“Ah, yeah.”

I take out the earlier reflex-measurement app and measure again.

“0.064”
“0.084”
“0.058”
“0.221”
“0.033”

❝Gyaaaaaaa!❞
❝Someone stop my wife from monsterizing!!❞
❝The youth’s departure from humanity won’t stop———❞
❝Measurement results for busy people❞

Ill-san in delivery-person form again.

“Master, a package has arrived from the Galactic Union.”
“Eh, again? ——Ah, Alice’s Hotarumaru Bringer?”
“Hotarumaru arrived!”

Alice heads for the box at a speed that might leave afterimages.

The box is huge——bigger than my height.

“Th-this box is heavy as expected.”
“Ill-san, weaken gravity a little.”
“Yes, My Master.”

Ill-san, now in butler clothes, floated softly.

“Ah, it got light. Thank you.”

Alice bounces well and comes this way like flying.
Then she pushes me onto the sofa, sits next to me, and put the box on both our laps.
Apparently “let’s look together.” Alice doing this kind of thing as natural is so sun-type.

“Then here we go~”

Alice operates the stream camera and moves it to an overhead angle so the box shows well.

“3, 2, 1——yes!”

What came out was a sword housed in a pure-white saya.
Below the tsuka there’s somehow a red fluffy tassel.

“Pretty.”

When I let out a voice of admiration.

“Actually the Hotarumaru this Hotarumaru Bringer is based on was recently restored. When they crowdfunded, fans of a game where Hotarumaru appears put in an amazing amount and they gathered five times the goal. I got so moved by that. Even if it’s lost, like the legend——it’s a mysterious sword that regenerates.”

While saying that Alice tries to draw the sword from the saya.

“How do you draw something this long……? For now I’ll support the saya.”
“If you draw it alone you have no choice but to hold the base of the blade.”

As Alice drew, what appeared was a blade like a blue night sky.

“Fuaa……”

Maybe because it models a legendary sword it’s too pretty and I sighed before I knew it.

When the tip came out of the saya I was supporting with a tok, the lightened saya was left in my hand.
While I remember a slight sense of loss, Alice tried to take jodan, noticed the ceiling is too low, and reset to chudan.

Even so the tsuka is long, and tsuka plus blade together is way longer than my height.
And I’m on the tall side for a woman.

If I carried it on my back, just leaning a little I’d scrape the ground.

“Ah, Ill-san, put gravity back.”
“Yes, My Master.”

Floating Ill-san returned to a standing posture.

When gravity went back, Alice slowly does a motion of cutting the do.

I recalled Tachibana-san in that one swing——swinging a sword that big in a place this narrow is like watching a magic trick.

Grains of green light like jade radiance flew and danced in midair.

❝Too pretty❞
❝Beautiful❞
❝This is artistic——nay, fantastical.❞

When Alice murmured “awaken, Hotarumaru,” the high-frequency function seemed to start and the blade looked slightly translucent.

The whole katana begins to shine bluish-white.
Truly like a blue night sky.
Around it green light dances, and that look is exactly fireflies.

“I made a good purchase……”

Alice turns off the high-frequency switch and comes back this way.

I pointed the koiguchi of the saya toward Alice.

“Thank you.”

Alice thanked me and housed Hotarumaru in the saya.

“Now, what shall we name this child——Hotaru-kun? Hotakyun? Hotaru-chan?”
“I think Hotarumaru is good……”

When Alice tied the white cord on the saya in front of her chest, the Hotarumaru Bringer settled on Alice’s back.

“Now, prep complete! Then today let’s form a party.”
“Ah, first time forming a party!”

I return yes to the party-formation request Alice sent.

“Then let’s head for the quest!”
“Yeah!”

Ah, right. I’ll use the cushioning that came in the bought package as a cushion.

I get the idea, take the cushioning from the product that just arrived, and go to the cockpit.

“Then I’ll go to my frame——Suu-san, what are you doing with cushioning?”
“Ah, this? ——Um, I heard if you put a cushion behind your butt it’s easier to take G so I’m doing that. The cushioning just now seemed just right.”

❝Heh, I didn’t know❞

“I-is that so? I want to try it too.”
“Then I’ll give you half this cushioning.”
“Really, thank you. I’ll try putting on a little G later.”
“Yeah yeah.”

And so we flew to Highlane.