01-10 – Progress

01-10 – Progress

「As expected, it’s still difficult to make it take form……」

「Umu. In order for it to form, this one and this one are indispensable after all. Both materials are still being researched at present…… Hmmm.」

We changed school uniforms from winter ones to summer ones, and the summer days rolled by.  I then found myself meeting up with Prof. Akagi once more.

He and his colleagues proceeded with their research using the data I had handed over, but it seemed that they had hit a snag. 

After all, it was understandably difficult to apply technology that was five years more advanced than what we currently had. 

Even though B was crucial in order to manufacture A, B, which had to be produced using tech five years in the future, was still in the middle of being researched at present. 

I did predict this would happen, so I handed all the necessary research materials to the professor when I met up with him the first time.  If there’s anyone who had the ability to quickly advance the level of modern technology, it would be Prof. Akagi.  

But that didn’t mean that it was going to be an easy endeavor.  Even the professor seemed to be having trouble with it. 

「……I see. I understand. Let’s try that method then.」

「I’ll leave it to you, Professor.」

After obtaining answers to all the pertinent questions on his mind, Prof. Akagi took a sip of the iced coffee whose ice had already melted some time ago.

The professor furrowed his brows and shook his head, as the color of the drink inside the clear cup seemed to have mellowed quite a bit. 

It honestly felt a bit strange for me to be the one answering the professor’s technical questions instead of the other way around…… 

「About the high-performance mass-produced machine development plan. It looks like we’ll proceed with developing two high-performance models in advance.」

「Really? Thank you so much, Professor!」

Even though it hasn’t been a long time since the plan was first proposed, it seemed like the professor helped in speeding up the approval process.   It was really good news for me. 

「Umu. Well, of course, we’ll need to make prototypes first.  But when they heard I’d be pouring enough budget for making 30 standard units in order to make two prototypes, the faces of those fellas sure turned pale real quick, kakaka.」

By “those fellas”, he must be referring to the members of the United Nation’s military’s technical department who commissioned Prof. Akagi to develop a new mass-production machine. 

From their point of view, the budget that should have been enough to commission 30 new mass-produced machines would be focused on the development of two prototypes instead.  

However, the United Nations Forces, an incomparably huge organization, was still moved in the end, which shouldn’t have been an easy task.  

Even so, the fact that Prof. Akagi let me in on it was probably because he also felt a sense of crisis regarding Maj. Gen. Garland’s future betrayal. 

「Then, who would be serving as the pilot of the prototype machine?」

「I’ll be piloting it.」

When he heard my words, Prof. Akagi displayed a wry smile. 

「An immediate answer.  It looks like you’re very confident in your skills, but confidence isn’t all you have, right?」

「……I will definitely become a pilot worthy enough for that prototype.」

Even if they succeed in making a prototype machine stuffed with cutting-edge tech that’s five years more advanced, it would still be useless if the pilot sucked.

I also had a five-year head start due to all the pilot training I underwent in the Defense Institute in my first life.  The reason why I ended up learning Mobile Knight piloting skills was that a pilot license was required when applying for an MK mechanic license.  

Hence, the Institute also offered pilot training classes, and although they weren’t as in-depth, we also underwent MK combat training.

Most of those who took pilot training classes in the Institute majored in piloting though. 

The me from my first life couldn’t hope to pilot an MK at this point in time, but the me right now should be fine.  I think it’s a pretty big advantage. 

However, from the point of view of my junior-high classmates, I was the same as them and had no prior combat experience.  Though I still can’t hope to come close to Maj. Gen. Garland’s skills. 

That’s why I had to become a pilot suitable enough for a powerful cutting-edge machine in a few years time. 

And my enemy wasn’t just Maj. Gen. Garland. 

The “Heroine”, Capt. Dukauskaite also ended up betraying us, and we also needed to deal with the troops under their command. 

Huh? Speaking of which, wasn’t Capt. Dukauskaite also a student right now?

I’m sure she was pretty young for an officer…… Oh well.

Even if I somehow managed to scrape a win against Maj. Gen. Garland in single combat, I’ll still have to deal with the troops under him.  I guess I had quite a lot on my plate, huh?

「Umu. Leave the new machines to me and focus on honing your skills.  Well, I suppose I’ll be consulting with you again in the future during the development though.」

「Yes, of course. Thank you, Professor.」

「So, we’re going to proceed with the development of two prototype machines, but…… One would be piloted by you, Kota. But what about the other one? Will it be that childhood friend of yours? From what I’ve heard, she seems to be quite promising.」

「No, I would like her to pilot the Lilac just like in my first life.」

Rio definitely had what it takes to be an ace pilot. 

The odds of her getting assigned to pilot the Lilac should be way higher than mine, who only had decent piloting skills.

Although we also started developing two prototypes ourselves, the Dahlia that was piloted by Maj. Gen. Garland and the Lilac were certainly powerful machines.   I want to avoid them falling into the hands of the enemy as much as possible, so I want to obtain them as well. 

In other words, we needed another qualified pilot in our ranks. 

Well, it’s not like it’s that hard to find pilots if you don’t consider any other factors. 

For example, if you had enough money, you can choose to hire mercenaries. 

There were plenty of private military companies and vigilante groups that make a living by participating in conflicts and wars.  

They’d be more than happy to work for you as long as the price was right. 

However, in the end, the relationship of trust with allies gained this way can only be hinged on money. 

Of course, it was also possible to form a more genuine rapport with them the longer you fought together, but they definitely weren’t suitable as the pilot of our prototype machine. 

Prof. Akagi, who understood my line of thinking, inquired further. 

「Fumu. I take it that you already have someone else in mind.」

I nodded in response.

「Yes. My best friend.」

The face of a close friend I hadn’t met yet in this life came to mind. 

***

TL Notes:

Hello guys. SFBaka here. As mentioned previously, I am in urgent need of assistance for covering my diabetes meds and lab test this month. For more details about my current condition, please refer to the pinned post on the home page.

Any amount would be greatly appreciated, and you can rest assured that the money won’t be spent on something frivolous since I will be constantly posting screenshots of my med purchases and medical test results here on the site. I am really stressed out and want to avoid being forced to take regular insulin shots as much as possible because that will be too much of a financial burden for the current me to handle.

You can donate to me on my PayPal (linked here), and you can indicate if you want to be credited on the site or not. Every $20 will also be counted for bonus chapter releases of the WN of your choice (not including the LNT projects), and I will be keeping tabs on every donation made and listing them out accordingly on the pinned post. I will also be posting teasers of new series in a week or two, and you can select any of them for the bonus chapter release if you guys dig them more than the ones currently out. This is so the donations won’t be purely for charity, and for you guys to get some value out of helping me out.

Thank you, and sorry for the trouble. I hope that you guys always remain in good health.

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