"Yo, I'm Chel Haas. We'll be investigating together from now on, so nice to meet you. Oh, I brought some clothes. Do you need them?"
My proposal was accepted. A joint investigation with the human survey team 'Quantum' was finally going to take place, but before that...
One of the team members offered me something to wear. At first glance, I couldn't tell if they were a man or a woman, so I asked, and it turns out she is female. Her expression was smiling at the time, but was it just my imagination that I sensed a dangerous atmosphere for a split second?
Human faces are hard to distinguish, which is trouble. Everyone looks alike to me; they all seem to have the same face. It's easier to tell them apart by their physique, hair color, or voice quality.
And then there are the clothes. It hadn't crossed my mind at all until now, but I am stark naked. The other side hadn't mentioned it either, so I had completely forgotten. For someone like me who has never worn clothes since birth, these were the first 'human-like items' I had ever held.
"Wait a sec. I prepared water for washing over there, so wash that mud off first, okay?"
A polyethylene tank filled with clean water, a large tub, and even a towel to wipe my body had been prepared. I was told not to worry about using the water since they can extract and create it from seawater. I feel like this is a bit too kind. Or is this just the standard response?
Feeling like there might be an ulterior motive, I brought my nose close to the water in the tub and sniffed it. When I lightly licked it to check the taste, Chel laughed at me. I don't know what was funny, but there seems to be nothing wrong with the water.
As I was timidly washing my body, Chel reached out from behind. It didn't feel like an attack, but I dodged warily.
"I'll wash your back for you. Come on, turn around."
"No. I'll do it myself."
At a glance, it seems like an offer born of goodwill, but the opponent is a Nen user. You can never be too cautious.
"Don't hold back."
For some reason, she is stubbornly insistent. She keeps reaching out, so I can't wash my body slowly. However, although her grinning expression is suspicious, I don't feel any hostility.
I suppose I'll play along with her invitation once to see how she reacts. If she intends to use some ability, it's actually a good opportunity to confirm it at this timing. It's better than having it used in the confusion of battle while searching for the 'Return'.
There are types of Nen abilities that possess a target continuously without the opponent noticing the activation. In that case, I might not notice her activating the ability, but there is no problem. Since the possessing Nen would be clinging to my body, I just need to activate the Almeiza Machine right there.
Nen abilities where special effects like possession persist often cannot be nullified unless specific release conditions are met. However, there is a means to forcibly release this. It is a Nen ability called 'Exorcism'. It is an ability that nullifies an opponent's Nen, and its user is called an Exorcist.
I believe I can substitute the effect of this Exorcism with the power of the Almeiza Machine. This virus converts life energy into metal. Since the possessing Nen is formed by that user's aura (life energy), I should be able to nullify it by converting it into a completely different substance—crystals of the virus body.
Normally, 'Exorcism' comes with significant restrictions upon use. The Exorcist imposes a burden on themselves in some form depending on the size of the ability they are nullifying. That is the constraint required for Exorcism; one cannot simply 'remove' any ability without limit. One cannot nullify Nen that exceeds one's own processing capacity.
However, the Almeiza Machine has no such constraints. Since this is not a Nen ability, it is not bound by concepts like 'Constraint' and 'Vow'. Furthermore, once the erosion by the virus begins, it will not only affect the possessing Nen but will trace the source of that aura and kill the user as well. No matter how much distance they put between us, they cannot escape the virus's tracking.
For a possession-type Nen user, compatibility with this virus is the absolute worst. They might think they have the upper hand by putting a collar on me, but that leash is essentially a fuse. It will flush out the culprit in an instant and make them pay with their life without a moment's delay.
If there is one drawback, it is that it's difficult to remove Nen planted inside the body. It's not impossible if I try, but in that case, crystallized metal fragments would form inside Quinn's body. The surrounding cells would be damaged, and contamination by poison is also conceivable, so the probability of death is high.
But that doesn't matter. Quinn will die, but I can confirm the presence or absence of human hostility. Whatever the reason, if they launch an attack via Nen without my permission, I will take it as a clear declaration of war. I would have no choice but to change my strategy of taking a friendly stance.
If I simply decide that Quinn has 'died', the humans' vigilance might relax as well. If that happens, the attacks might become somewhat easier to deal with.
"..."
Chel's hand approaches Quinn's back. I won't run this time. While pretending to be focused on washing, I concentrate my nerves and probe for signs behind me. If there is any anomaly, I am ready to pull the trigger.
Come if you dare; I'll intercept you with the Almeiza Machine.
Her hands were placed on my abdomen, sandwiching both flanks. And then, the attack—
—is coming!
"Haa—ugh!"
Chel's fingers, wiggling frantically like the legs of an arthropod, strummed Quinn's flanks. I don't feel anything when I touch my own body, so why is it so ticklish when someone else touches me? A shiver runs through me at the unknown sensation.
Unable to withstand the fierce tickle attack, I shoved Chel away. I unintentionally put some force into it, but she took a clean breakfall and rolled on the ground.
"Dahahaha! What was that voice just now! That's hilarious!"
She is rolling around laughing, holding her stomach. What does this person want to do...?
"Aren't you scared?"
Before I knew it, I had voiced a frank question.
Just in case, I turned on the Almeiza Machine's functions, but there were no traces of an attack being received. Why can she take such a meaningless action as just tickling me in this situation?
If I were in her position, I would absolutely not do it. Or rather, I couldn't. The opponent is a Nen user with unknown abilities. Even having vigilance many times greater than the attention I'm directing at Chel wouldn't be enough.
Even if we say we are in a cooperative relationship, both sides should understand that it rests on a balance that could easily collapse with a slight change.
I am scared. Even in this current situation where I believe I have the upper hand, my vigilance does not relax in the slightest. An unknown Nen user is just that dangerous of an existence. That is precisely why I wanted to know her state of mind. Where exactly does that composure come from?
"Eh? Ah... scared or not scared, I feel like it's not really about that anymore."
Chel sits cross-legged and lets her gaze wander as if thinking a little.
"First off, we've been ordered from above to monitor you."
"Are you allowed to say that?"
"Allowed or not, you noticed, right? Well, it doesn't matter either way. It's not something worth hiding."
Even so, shouldn't she keep quiet about it as a matter of principle? I understand less and less.
"In addition to that surveillance, we have the mission to bring the 'Return' back to the ship. And honestly, these two missions are clearly way over capacity for the current Quantum to handle. I don't have the confidence to properly achieve even one of them."
For example, if I had approached them with the intent to harm, it would be difficult for them to stop it before actual damage occurred. From their perspective, I am equivalent to an inherent disease that has slipped into this unit. They have to overcome the difficult task of searching for the 'Return' while harboring someone who might be friend or foe.
"Just now, when I tried to tickle you... I intuited that if I made a suspicious move here, I'd be killed."
"..."
"Ah, it's not like bloodlust was leaking out or anything. How should I put it... it's hard to put into words, but maybe it's close to the sensation of being shot at by a gun?"
Intent to attack is accompanied by bloodlust. For example, when Nen users fight each other, the parties involved sense each other's bloodlust and can learn various information from it, such as the enemy's personality, ability, and condition.
However, one doesn't need to be a Nen user to kill a Nen user. Even a regular person, if armed, has enough power to manage to kill a single flesh-and-blood ability user.
"It's just my personal opinion, but the resolve put into it is different between having aura slammed directly at you versus being shot by a gun by some random soldier. Aim, and pull the trigger. Just that action is enough for a person to die. The process required to kill a person and the result aren't balanced. Maybe that's why it's 'good'."
The vigilance I was directing at Chel was, to her, nothing more than trivial bloodlust on the level of 'being shot by a gun'.
"You have it, don't you? 'Something' that can kill me as easily as pulling a trigger."
I don't answer anything. Chel grinned fearlessly, not particularly rushing for an answer. Why can she remain calm while realizing that much? Why does she approach so carelessly?
"Ah, were we talking about being scared or not? Of course I'm scared."
While saying that, Chel reaches out for Quinn's hair. She washes it as if untangling the clumps of hair hardened with mud.
"But I don't have the leeway to worry about what happens if you betray us. There's no end to it if I start doubting everything from one to ten. In that case, I have no choice but to trust, right?"
That applies to me as well. No matter how much calculating thought I pile up, a deal that perfectly satisfies both parties' interests will not be established. Here, neither law nor order to enforce contracts functions properly.
Because it is lawless, somewhere we must trust that both sides will keep their promises. If we cannot tolerate each other in a single thing, there is no path left but conflict. Even if there is doubt, a line must be drawn saying, "I can trust from here to here."
Inside me, that boundary line was truly ambiguous. Where do I draw the line of trust? It's vague, like trying to grasp a cloud. Unless I have telepathy, there's no way to know what others are thinking. On what basis should I trust?
Surely, that line is clear for her. That's why she interacts with me without fear. Perhaps that is a nature of humanity that I do not yet know.
"Of course, I don't intend to force you like, 'So trust us!' Whether you believe this talk or not is your freedom."
I couldn't say anything. The ratio of doubt to trust is wavering. I don't seem able to give an answer at this stage. I could have given a vague agreement saying I believed her, but I hesitated for some reason.
However, I did not reject her washing Quinn. I didn't drop my guard, but I decided to accept it.