Nikke, something’s seriously wrong with this evacuation point! Chapter 74 74: Objective Facts Can’t Be Ignored

Perhaps Rose's words had truly carried weight in Scarlet's heart, or perhaps she had simply beco slightly interested in a scene she had never witnessed before. Either way, the sword-wielding sisters, Scarlet and Rose, quietly watched Charon swing the iron sword again and again.

His posture and movents were flawed. No… even now, his form still couldn't really be called proper. The biggest issue was his rhythm.

At first, he had to stop and rest every few swings, and the duration of each break varied. But later on, his swing timing gradually stabilized. Although his attack speed was still slower than theirs, he was beginning to maintain a steady pace.

Three hours later, Charon had already reached the point where he could keep a consistent rhythm while swinging.

He hardly looked like soone who had only picked up a sword for the first ti today.

Completely imrsed in training, Charon never noticed that every movent he made was being carefully observed by two masters of close combat.

...

That night.

Lying on her bunk in the dormitory, Scarlet found herself unable to sleep.

Part of it was because tomorrow was the operation day. Whether this experintal close-combat squad could beco a force comparable to the Goddess Squad would depend entirely on tomorrow's results.

The fate and future of their Nikke unit rested on this mission.

As for that Ron guy… they'd see how many days he could last. At the very least, she had no intention of trusting a stranger so easily.

"Little Scarlet, are you still awake?" ca her sister's soft voice from the lower bunk. "We leave tomorrow, you know. If you don't sleep early, the operation won't go smoothly."

"…I know." Scarlet turned over.

Silence once again filled the room.

"Big Sis," Scarlet suddenly spoke.

"Hm? What is it?" Rose slightly lifted her head while keeping her eyes closed. "…If you're still nervous, do you want to co sleep with your sister?"

"I refuse."

Scarlet answered almost instantly.

"We might as well just go spar in the training yard until morning."

"Ah… whatever happened to the little Scarlet who used to cling to ? Your big sister is heartbroken."

"…Forget it. Sleep."

Apparently defeated by her sister's antics, Scarlet threw out those words before going quiet again.

After chuckling softly a few tis, Rose also closed her eyes peacefully, savoring this final calm night.

…Hm? Wait.

Rose suddenly opened her eyes.

Hadn't Scarlet been about to say sothing earlier?

But listening carefully now, the breathing from the top bunk had already beco steady and even.

…Forget it. Next ti.

...

Inside the transport truck headed toward the mission area, silence reigned.

For ten Nikkes, the space inside was more than sufficient. All equipnt had already been maintained and prepared for combat at any mont.

Scarlet sat motionless, staring straight ahead like a stone statue of a warrior.

Beside her, Rose was comparatively more lively. Her gaze lingered on Scarlet for a while before drifting toward another corner of the transport vehicle.

"Lieutenant, there's sothing I don't understand," she asked with a gentle smile.

"Go ahead."

Only then did Charon lift his eyes from his phone, looking at Rose with mild confusion.

At that mont, aside from Scarlet, almost all the close-combat Nikkes looked toward him. So eyes showed curiosity, so friendliness, but most still carried caution.

"You're supposed to be accompanying the commander, aren't you? So why are you riding with us instead?" Rose asked. "This really isn't the place for rear-line personnel like you."

There was nothing wrong with her question–it directly hit the key issue.

Logistics staff were all riding in the rear vehicles. For a fragile human to risk traveling together with them made absolutely no sense.

"That's where you're mistaken."

Charon put away his phone and spoke righteously.

"I'm an 'observer.' I have to monitor your bodies at all tis. If any issues arise during combat, I'm required to report them imdiately. Otherwise, supply won't send replacent parts. Got it?"

"But the battle hasn't even started yet," another close-combat Nikke suddenly interjected.

She was the one who seed friendliest toward him. After all, yesterday she had casually given Charon a few pointers, then ended up practicing sword swings with him for three hours.

Incidentally, she was also sitting closest to him this ti–though still two or three seats away.

"Oh, co on. Do you really not get it?"

Charon let out a deep sigh.

"First of all, you girls are strong. If we actually run into Raptures, my survival chances are obviously much higher staying with you than riding in the back truck."

She nodded, apparently accepting that logic.

"Second, even though you're Nikkes, there's no law saying humans can't build good relationships with Nikkes, right? As an 'observer,' getting along with you benefits both publicly and privately."

Rose narrowed her eyes slightly.

Privately?

"So that's your real reason for wanting to learn swordsmanship?" Scarlet suddenly spoke.

This ti, however, her gaze was sharp enough to pierce straight through him.

"No. That's separate."

Charon shook his head, raising a clenched fist. Determination appeared in his eyes.

"For certain reasons, I want to beco stronger. And given my current circumstances, learning swordsmanship is practically my only option."

Sothing in Scarlet's expression shifted.

Her eyes remained fixed on him for several seconds before she finally closed them again, seemingly accepting the answer for now.

"…Fine."

Everyone understood one thing:

If Charon had answered "yes," then from this point onward there would no longer be any possibility of an equal relationship between him and the close-combat squad.

Especially not with Scarlet.

"And there's one more reason," Charon added suddenly. "Though it's a bit vulgar, so maybe I shouldn't embarrass myself."

"Mmm? You can't stop halfway through," Rose teased. "We're not doing anything anyway, so why not tell us?"

Since the captain herself had spoken, the other Nikkes also looked at Charon curiously, wanting to hear what nonsense he was about to say.

"Alright, but after I say it, just treat it like nonsense and forget it, okay?"

Charon straightened his posture righteously, practically radiating heroic spirit.

"…Okay?" Rose blinked, clearly not expecting soone to speak to them like that.

"Well, basically…"

Charon coughed lightly.

"Compared to spending half the day stuck beside a sweaty fat guy, I'd obviously rather ride in a truck full of fragrant girls. Just the scenery alone is reason enough for to choose this."

The mont those words left his mouth, the entire truck fell silent again.

Even the friendliest Nikke instinctively scooted one seat farther away.

Scarlet and Rose wore entirely different expressions.

Rose clearly looked both amused and speechless, while Scarlet looked one second away from exploding. If Rose hadn't pressed down on her hand, she probably would've stood up and started giving Charon so "sweet words" imdiately.

"Hey, hey! I know you all have opinions," Charon protested indignantly, "but you can't ignore objective facts!"

"And besides, I'm not even trying to do anything. Is appreciating beauty really a cri?"

…Well, no.

At this point, Rose genuinely had no coback. All she could do was calm down her younger sister's warrior spirit.

Still, a strange feeling quietly surfaced in her heart.

Because ever since becoming Nikkes… no one had spoken to them like that anymore.