The rear airlock opened with a soft hydraulic sigh—
as if the ship itself had taken a breath
and invited them in.
Blindy froze, staring at the entrance like it was the ghost of his dreams.
He had never seen tech like this up close in his life. Only in fantasies. And even then, usually drunk.
He stepped forward.
The light inside the airlock came alive, flickering with something that felt… almost alive.
And then a voice spoke.
Calm. Soft. Feminine. With a gentle Japanese accent.
Warm… and yet the kind that sends a chill down the spine of a man who lives in a garbage sector.
“Uh-oh… uh-oh… ᕙ[ ︡’︡益’︠]ง
Contamination detected.
Please remain calm.
DECONTAMINATION required.”
Blindy blinked.
“Uh… what?”
Thin laser lines swept across the floor and walls, scanning him from head to toe, like they were deciding what exactly needed to be washed off him.
For a moment, the system went silent—as if running a deeper analysis.
The voice again:
“Warning: [⌐■_■]
Organic residue detected.
Unknown fluids detected.
Actually… multiple fluids detected.”
Blindy exploded:
“HEY!”
Floor vents snapped open—
and the AIRLOCK ERUPTED into a cloud of white disinfectant vapor.
Chemical fog blasted upward.
Blindy screamed like he’d just been thrown into acid hell.
“AAAAA—WHAT THE ☒☒☒☒ IS THIS?!
ZEROOOOS! THEY ON ME! THEY ON ME!
THEY MELTIN’ ME—NO—NO—THEY FUSIN’ ME—
I’MA ‘BOUT TURNIN’ INTO SOMETHIN’—
HELP! HELP! HELP!”
Zeros stepped in behind him.
The lasers stopped instantly.
The vapor faded.
The light softened.
And the voice changed.
More respectful now.
“Welcome, Zerosu-sama. [￣^￣]ゞ
Status: clean.
Contamination level: acceptable.”
Zeros didn’t even move.
Blindy was running in circles, coughing like his lungs were about to come out.
“WHY—WHY YOU TREAT HIM LIKE A KING—
AND TRYNA KILL ME LIKE—LIKE GARBAGE?!WHAT IS THAT VOICE—WHAT IS THAT—
WHY IT SOUND SO CUTE—
AND STILL TRYNA—
TRYNA MURDER ME?!”
And then—
the voice laughed.
For real. Light. Bright. Almost playful.
Like a girl genuinely enjoying watching Blindy panic inside a cloud of disinfectant foam.
“Correction, [ ･ω･]☞ Buraindi-kun.
Decontamination is not lethal.
Pain is tolerable and temporary.
Cleanliness is important and permanent.”
Almost… teasing.
“Hajimemashite. Airi desu.
Yoroshiku onegaishimasu, Buraindi-kun.I am the onboard intelligence of Shiori-sensei’s vessel.
I would not wish to be impolite.
Gomen’nasai for not introducing myself sooner.”
Blindy, eyes red, wheezing:
“MAN—THIS SHIP JUST TRYNA KILL ME—
LIKE—FOR REAL—TRYNA—I WAS DYIN’—I WAS—
I WAS GOIN’—I SAW LIGHT—
NOT CLEAN LIGHT—
BAD LIGHT—”
He pointed upward with a shaking finger.
“HEY—HEY YOU! YOU UP THERE—
A—A VOICE—VOICE THINGY—!YOU—YOU COULD’VE WARNED ME—LIKE—FIRST—!
SAY SOMETHIN’—ANYTHIN’—!I—I HEAR CUTE VOICE—
I THINK—OKAY—SAFE—RIGHT—?BUT NO—
YOU TRYNA END ME—
LIKE—SWEET—AND—DEADLY—THAT—THAT’S MESSED UP—!
THAT’S—THAT’S NOT FAIR!”
Airi purred, almost satisfied.
“If I wanted to kill you, Buraindi-kun…
decontamination would look very different. [◕‿◕✿]”
And then Shiori’s voice came from deeper inside the ship:
“Airi-chan, that’s enough. Don’t torment them. Let them in.”
The vapor cleared.
The lasers retracted.
Blindy took a step forward, slipping slightly, soaked, coughing, his clothes faintly steaming.
“Decontamination complete. ＼[≧▽≦]／
Residual odor reduced by thirty-seven percent.
Further improvement unlikely.”
Blindy looked at himself.
At the vapor.
At Zeros.
Then back at himself.
“…I—I ALREADY HATE THIS SHIP.
LIKE—DEEP—PERSONAL—HATE.
THIS SHIP GOT—
GOT A PROBLEM WITH ME.”
Airi, same polite service tone:
“Emotion acknowledged. [｡･｀ω´･｡]
Buraindi-kun is still not clean.”
Blindy nearly choked on pure offense.
“NOT CLEAN—?!
I GOT BOILED—SPRAYED—LASERED—WHAT YOU WANT—
WHAT—PEEL MY SOUL TOO—?!”
Zeros ignored the entire meltdown and stepped forward.
Airi instantly shifted again—soft, respectful:
“Please proceed, Zerosu-sama. [≧◡≦] ♡”
The inner door slid open.
Warm, gentle light spilled into the corridor, like lamps being lit inside a small shrine.
Blindy stepped after Zeros…
—and froze.
The smell hit first.
Light incense. Herbal. Clean.
Not heavy luxury perfumes, not chemicals—
but a thin, delicate scent that wrapped around you
like a cup of hot tea after a cold day.
Then came the silence.
Thick.
Heavy.
Almost physical.
Not a single instrument beep.
No system hum.
No familiar grind of cables underfoot.
Nothing like a mercenary ship.
Blindy froze at the threshold, not daring to step further.
“…Damn it…” he lowered his voice.
“Smells nice… yeah—like—like… too nice.Ain’t no way this—this a bounty hunter’s ship…
It can’t be…Ships ain’t supposed to smell like—
like flowers… or—some fancy shit.”
Zeros just raised an eyebrow and walked in.