Editing HEAVY OBJECT:Volume12 Chapter 2 (section)

===Part 5===

“Well, that was a disaster…”

A voice entered the darkness.

It was inside a small single-story control room in the north side container yard. It was like an office carelessly built for a construction site. In there, someone was shivering and filling their cup noodles with water boiled on a portable stove. She was a soaking wet girl of about twelve. She had flowing blonde hair and cold eyes. She was surrounded by a sharp, completed aura never found in other girls her age. Shockingly, she was a mercenary.

She muttered under her breath with her hair wet.

“Since I was taking some time off, I came here thinking I could eat a ton of tasty lobster, but I certainly didn’t expect the entire boat to suddenly capsize!! An asteroid strike? Sure, the cook I used is a mole who sells us information, but have I really done anything worth being trapped in a ship that could begin sinking at any moment for two hours!?”

A large dark-skinned man answered her with exasperation in his voice.

“Shouldn’t you count yourself lucky you survived at all?”

“You’re the bodyguard I hired with my own money, so try to show a little more customer service. …And what is this getup!? I can’t move very well in dress and a wide-brimmed hat and could you at least choose something that’s more my style!?”

“Second Venice is a luxury resort island. Please understand that it’s hard to find anything your size that’s ''not'' meant for rich little girls.”

The girl complained, but the outfit suited her fine, white skin and long, flowing blonde hair quite well. The only flaw was a heart that enjoyed the smell of gunpowder and gun oil more than tea and roses.

“Complain all you want, but I can only assume you’re completely fine when you get that excited over some cup noodles.”

“Shut up. This is a Pavlovian response I’ve imprinted on myself. Whenever I want to force myself into a good mood, I go for some Island Nation cup noodles. By this point, just pouring in the boiling water is enough to fill my heart with happiness. It’s a battlefield luxury that helps me reflect on how hard it was to make it this far. When it comes to portable foods, the Island Nation can’t be beat. It makes me so glad I was born in the Capitalist Corporations.”

“That’s the problem with you. You need to learn how to spend money instead of just making it.”

“Are you sure you should be saying that? I’ll confiscate your share of the pork and your egg. So you put them in after letting the noodles cook?”

“Let’s not go crazy here!”

“Hey! What kind of bodyguard grabs at his client!? Buy your own food!!”

But as they argued, they were cut off by several gunshots in a row.

Ducking down or getting on the floor may have been the normal reactions, but the girl and the man did not seem to care.

The large dark-skinned man glanced at his military wristwatch.

“It’s time.”

“It’s hard to believe they can pull off this level of quality in only three minutes. Island Nation technology is frightening indeed. Oh, right. If you’re just going to throw out the cover, give it to me. Each month, you can paste five of them to a postcard and send it in for a present.”

“You’re using the expensive airmail for that!? And you’re sending them to the mysterious and mystical Island Nation!?”

“Are you stupid? I also have a chance of winning the special prize: 100 meals’ worth of cup noodles. That’s 100 authentic ‘Made in Island Nation’ meals on the battlefield. Now that’s a luxury worth killing for!”

After peeling off the cover, she checked on the egg she had dropped inside, stuck in a few pieces of pre-packaged pork, stirred it all around with a fork, and spun all the noodles around on the fork.

As a Westerner, she did not audibly slurp the noodles.

Even as they rapidly worked at their meal, they could hear gunshots here and there.

It did not sound like they had time to drink the soup, so the blonde girl sadly thought about the egg yolk that had broken earlier.

After shaking off her regret, the girl in a wide-brimmed hat and fancy dress held a hand out toward the large dark-skinned man.

“Hand me that rifle.”

“Mariydi, I’m supposed to be your bodyguard.”