Ch.308IF Side Story: From the Beginning (76)

I’ll forget if I don’t remind myself once more.

Strictly speaking, we’re not actually working right now. We’re gathered like a military standby unit, preparing for when the enemy strikes.

I’m not sure how this turned into something like a high school girls’ camping trip, but that’s what happened.

Fortunately, Cherry hasn’t forgotten the situation.

Well, even while we were playing around, Cherry was diligently doing her work.

…Actually, I’m not sure if our side was enjoying ourselves in our own way too.

I don’t know exactly how interested these Squeakeans are in engineering, but they don’t just seem good at engineering—they genuinely radiate a feeling of “loving” engineering.

“Their technological level is impressive,” Cherry said.

“In some ways, it’s just a matter of division. Actually, Noir Corporation simply chose the wrong people to generate energy, but theoretically, they’re more certain than we are. If they had chosen someone who perfectly matched that theoretical energy, they might have succeeded by now.”

“But they failed, right?” I asked.

“Doesn’t that mean the other side didn’t have anyone who could fulfill that role?”

“Yes… that’s true, but…”

Cherry tilted her head on the desk. At the same time, her large un-hamster-like ears and fluffy tail moved sideways together. She’s cute.

It feels a bit strange that she might actually be older than me, despite looking like an alien.

Actually, the term “alien” itself feels unfamiliar if I think about it. Usually, when we think of aliens, we imagine beings similar to us. Like Pang Pang.

“Does that mean we could succeed if we replaced them?”

“No, that’s not it. It’s not simply a matter of different energy sources, but there’s truly no one who can generate ‘this level’ of energy. And continuously at that… More importantly, what is the energy source?”

It’s such a strange story.

Even though the only difference is the type of emotion used, simply “thinking in reverse” isn’t enough to even imitate the technology. Magic-related engineering seems different from simple physical engineering, and the concept of reverse engineering doesn’t seem to apply.

“What if,” I said quietly, seeing the children deep in thought with serious expressions.

“What if we could identify that energy source… could we apply it to our research?”

“Hmm, I think we’d have to try it directly to know… but it would help. ‘Ideas’ can often be used elsewhere.”

I see.

Hayun looked at me. Not so much curious about what I was thinking—more like checking if I knew something.

It’s not because of Pang Pang, but simply Hayun overestimating me.

Hayun always had better grades. Her family situation is better, and her personality makes her much more popular with people.

Even with the magical girl business, I wasn’t a candidate from the beginning. I barely got in because Hayun mentioned my name to Cherry and actively recommended me.

I’ve always been the inadequate one struggling to keep up with Hayun, wanting to stand beside her, but she doesn’t know that. In Hayun’s eyes, I’m always someone who works hard to achieve results, steadily moving forward with a destination in mind.

I’ve been acting that way every day.

Even now, if I mention this idea, it would become another reason for Hayun to overestimate me.

Right now, I have my excuses. I want to save Pang Pang as quickly as possible.

I don’t know what Noir Corporation was doing with this generator, but if this energy could give us some power, I vaguely thought it might help find Pang Pang.

However.

“Cherry, can I ask you one thing?”

“Yes?”

Cherry looked up at me with round eyes at my question. Those black pupils with no visible whites would have been creepy on a human, but on someone like Cherry, they’re just cute.

“What does the Federation plan to do with the generator?”

“…”

Until now, no one had asked.

The biggest justification for the Federation’s contact with Earth was Earth itself—humans who weren’t developing properly and were choking themselves.

Even if we could build colonies in space and had terraforming technology, it would take a long time, and the number of people who could immediately relocate would be limited.

Moreover, those who build them would have to bear the costs, and since Earth has no special technology, everything would be outsourced. Naturally, maintenance would also be left to aliens without any core technology.

In the Federation’s view, Earth humans would soon become beings living in others’ colonies, exploited for life.

“Without the Federation’s protection,” that is.

That was what the Federation claimed. Of course, it’s just different wording—ultimately, it’s not much different from saying they want to make Earth their joint colony.

“Isn’t the amount of energy from the generator too much to be used solely for Earth?” I continued asking.

“What do you plan to use that energy for?”

“…”

Cherry stared at me quietly, then said:

“Yes, I understand. This must be important information for you.”

“There are various factions within the Federation. I do think there are those who essentially want to colonize Earth and extract only energy. They’re probably thinking of answers similar to what Noir Corporation is seeking. They might even be in collusion with them.”

The expressions of the other children became serious.

Jihye isn’t here. But I’m glad she isn’t. Rather than coming here to hear such serious talk, I’d prefer her to leave with only memories of having fun.

It’s a bit awkward to express it this way, but the beings I want to protect are best living without knowing anything—without even realizing they’re being protected. I can just do the hard work myself.

“But… I’d like you to believe this,” Cherry said, looking at me intently.

“If something emerges from Earth that can be sold directly to the outside, and if it’s something that only Earth humans can produce—surely Earth’s technology will become competitive. To strongly protect against others arbitrarily colonizing, allowing Earth humans to build their own ships and venture outward.”

“Building space-worthy ships on Earth?”

“It will certainly be very inefficient. Unlike those built on other planets, they’ll use much more energy to travel much shorter distances much more slowly. But, Jieun.”

Cherry’s voice was filled with conviction.

“Because of that, they’ll be ignored at first, and others won’t be suspicious.”

“…”

“And humanity’s potential is far greater than that. What does it matter if it’s inefficient? The energy you can produce is beyond that. When we try to move ships with the minimum amount of mana, Earth humans can theoretically navigate while expending massive amounts of energy. And you can continue to apply and develop that technology. Without depending on others.”

“So that’s your thinking?”

“Yes. The generator, at least the one I’m making, is for Earth humans. I can’t guarantee how long it will take.”

I fell into thought for a moment, then nodded.

“Alright.”

I can trust Cherry. I’ve known her for several years now.

If she really saw us as just batteries, Cherry couldn’t have been so dedicated to us during those years.

She’s always worked hard to ensure we receive maximum support.

“I’ve been thinking about the energy Noir Corporation uses.”

“You mean emotions?”

“Yes.”

Ju-a’s eyes widened.

Naturally, Ju-a, who’s good at this kind of thinking, was researching the Noir Corporation circuits we had secured. She tried various emotions, but all failed. That’s to be expected.

Noir Corporation was clever too.

At first, I thought it might be because it’s like in comics, where villains should use villain-like energy.

But think about it. They’re beings who hold onto hope, never giving up on that hope, and use it as their strength until the end of the battle.

What emotion would such beings absolutely never possess?

“Despair.”

The children fell silent at my words.

…Well, of course, it’s not just my own idea.

This was because I knew the content from seeing the original work in my past life.

“The complete opposite of the hope we possess. Noir Corporation’s combatants become very strong for a brief moment right after meeting us. If fighting with circuits, the circuit should keep running normally, right? Since the structure itself is almost similar.”

Ju-a nodded at my words.

“Then, it must run on a momentary emotion felt when seeing us.”

“…Then, what about fear?” Chaeyeon asked.

“If fear were the cause, power should continuously flow even when running away. But that’s not the case. Combatants weaken when they flee. As for courage… well, we’ve tried that too, since we heard Noir Corporation’s promotion.”

The company claimed the power of their circuit was “courage.”

Of course not. Villains wouldn’t use such power.

“So, it’s despair. Despair can’t continue once you give up.”

Despair is an emotion that cannot be sustained. You feel it for just one moment, and then you abandon hope and give up.

To continuously feel that emotion of despair… you must not give up. You need to know there’s no hope, yet continuously “only despair.”

Recognizing that the very faint hope visible in the distance will never reach you, yet simultaneously being unable to give up—who in the world could be like that?

“…”

For a moment, everything went quiet.

It doesn’t really matter if they don’t understand. I’m not expecting that much anyway—

But the reactions of the children and Cherry were a bit different from what I expected.

“My goodness.”

Cherry was murmuring while looking at the small generator placed on her desk, that is, next to her.