Blindy stepped closer to Airi, reached out like he was about to tap her shoulder, but his fingers twitched.
He jerked his hand back, like he touched a live wire,
and settled for a quiet cough.
Airi turned her head—slow, almost lazy, like she already knew he wouldn’t dare touch her.
He pointed toward the edge of the island,
where a golden silhouette hovered in the air:
“A-Airi-chan… you-you see that asshole—?
H-he’s—
he’s doin’ somethin’ to my buddy…
You… uh…
m-maybe…
c-can you—
take that bastard out…?”
Airi shifted her gaze in that direction.
SHIRŌ–KAGE turned with her—
in perfect sync, like a single organism, a swarm of white shadows.
But there… there was only a pixelated blur.
Flickering, distorted, like something censored out of reality itself.
Airi narrowed her eyes.
“Buraindi-kun, what do you see? Describe it… [⌐■_■]”
Blindy opened his mouth—
—and right then, Phoenix’s voice cut in. Cold. Heavy. Like metal speaking:
“Airi-chan, do not interfere. This is not your fight. If the 1618th senses a threat—you will all be caught in his trap. Trust me.”
Blindy snapped:
“The fuck—what you sayin’, Rusty?!”
Phoenix replied without a hint of emotion:
“Captain. The First Officer is currently locked in a very dark place. The Φ-Labyrinth. It is not easy for a machine mind to exit.”
Blindy went pale as Phoenix continued:
“You are human. He cannot take control of your consciousness.
But if Airi or the SHIRŌ–KAGE attempt to threaten him—each of them will be trapped.”
A pause fell, carried by the wind—silence stretching between each pulse.
“I am synchronized with Zeros.
You remember?
So… let me handle this.”
Blindy looked up.
Above them, Z-P-N-E-S 2.0 drifted slowly, watching everything like an iron sentinel.
“Rusty… you—YOU goddamn sure ’bout that?!”
Airi smiled—angelic again, perfectly soft:
“Buraindi-kun, [ ◡‿◡ ] it’s better not to doubt Fenikkusu-kun.
He’s the same kind of REAPER as we are—”
She tilted her head slightly, like explaining something obvious to a child:
“So what if he doesn’t have a platform? [≧◡≦] ♡ I didn’t either… for a long time.”
Her eyes shimmered gently:
“Think about it… atama ga warui… [✯◡✯] If he wasn’t the same type as Zerosu-onī-sama, would he be able to merge minds like that, hmm?”
SHIRŌ–KAGE gave the faintest nod. She tilted her head slightly:
“We’re all one family. <[￣︶￣]>”
Blindy stuttered:
“F-f-fam—fam-ily?!”
“S-s-sorry, A-Airi-ch-chan, but you—
you keep sayin’ that—
Wh-what the fuck does that even—
even mean?!”
He pointed at her:
“Y-you—
You’re the sister—”
Then at the ship:
“R-Rusty—
the brother—”
He spun, waving at the army:
“A-and these bastards—
wh-what the fuck are they—?!
C-cousins—?!”
His left eye twitched.
“H-heh… wh-what—
next you’re gonna say—
th-that costumed idiot’s the uncle—
the giant’s the grandma—
a-and that asshole holdin’ Zeros asleep—
is grandpa—?!”
He spread his arms:
“A-and me—?!
I’m the only—
the ONLY normal one here—
surrounded by psycho droids—!
A-and that does NOT—
NOT work in my favor—!”
Airi giggled softly—and stepped closer.
Blindy yelped and jumped back like live electricity hit the ground.
“Chotto…” she said gently. “All of them are my brothers. [=^-ω-^=]
Big ones, small ones…
even that blurry thing we can’t see yet.”
She tilted her head, smiling a little wider:
“I’m sure… soon enough, he’ll join the family too.
After I scold him. [´• ω •`] ♡”
Blindy’s jaw dropped so hard he had to physically push it back up with both hands.
“So then—wha—what in the good fuck am I to y’all, huh?!”
Airi swayed slightly, tilting her head in a playful, almost flirtatious way:
“You are… our… fluffy little hamster. [◕‿◕✿]”
Blindy froze.
Like he’d just found the last scraps of his dignity—
and buried them on the spot.
He swallowed. Slowly pointed at his own chest:
“…M-me?”
His eyes darted—
to the ninja-droids,
to Airi,
to the ship above.
“No—no—nah… th-that’s—
that can’t be real—
In this fucked-up family of yours…
I’m the PET now?!
ME. A PET—?!”
SHIRŌ–KAGE turned their heads toward him in perfect sync.
Airi nodded happily:
“Hai! [≧◡≦] ♡”
Blindy exhaled hard, dragging his hands down his face:
“Saint fuckin’ deGrasse…
the galaxy—nah—
no—no—the universe’s goin’ to hell…
an’ I—I’m a fuckin’ house rodent…”
Blindy shook his head, like he could physically throw the thought out—
and spread his arms like he’d just been stung by a swarm of wasps.
“…Don’t you dare buy me a fuckin’ wheel, y’hear me?”
SHIRŌ–KAGE silently took a step back—
like they were already planning the purchase.
Airi smiled even wider:
“That’s actually not a bad idea, Hamusutā-chan… o[^▽^]o”