"Good morning... Eh, Commander, why do you only have one umbrella?"
As soon as Lin Lan stepped into the cafeteria, Roon's gentle voice called out from the kitchen.
But when Roon saw Lin Lan and Peter sharing an umbrella, her usual warm smile stiffened slightly.
"Don't mention it. My office didn't have an umbrella, so I had to share one with Peter to get here."
Lin Lan noticed Roon's change in expression and immediately explained.
"Akashi can explain."
Roon let out a relieved sigh at Lin Lan's candid response, then turned toward the cafeteria's dining area. She raised her voice, calling out:
"Akashi!"
Lin Lan followed Roon's gaze to see the small, green-haired profiteer sitting in a corner of the cafeteria, happily eating breakfast.
"Meow? Umbrellas are merchandise, meow! Of course, you need to pay for them!"
Hearing Roon's summons, Akashi twitched her cat ears, looked over at Lin Lan, and spoke with her characteristic business-like tone.
"Okay, you little profiteer. You even want me to pay for an umbrella? You..."
Lin Lan couldn't help but laugh at Akashi's response.
Just as he was about to march over to her and flick her on the head, he suddenly felt something grab the collar of his shirt.
It lifted him clear off the ground.
???
Lin Lan turned his head in shock.
A burly, muscular figure—sporting an adorably cute cat-like face—was staring down at him.
Then, with a massive paw, it stroked his hair firmly.
Lin Lan was utterly dumbfounded.
"What... is that? A... Muscle Manjuu?"
"Meow~"
The sound that came from the creature, despite its imposing physique, was a sweet and soft meow. Lin Lan couldn't help but shiver.
This absurd combination of an ultra-muscular body and a cute cat's head was too much for his brain to process.
"Akashi, stop fooling around and put the commander down."
Roon, who had been watching the spectacle with a smile, finally spoke up.
"Well, it seems this Muscle Manjuu's automatic defense system still needs fine-tuning," Akashi said as she fiddled with a remote control.
Under her control, the massive Muscle Manjuu obediently put Lin Lan back on the ground.
Lin Lan, still shaken, turned to stare at the mechanical creature.
His mind reeled as he remembered something: the Muscle Manjuu furniture collectible given to players for reaching two million fans in the game.
The resemblance was uncanny.
Peter, who had been observing from behind Lin Lan, chuckled softly.
"Akashi, I see your prank worked perfectly. The commander's reaction was priceless."
Lin Lan finally recalled that, before leaving for Orlan City, Akashi had been collaborating with Deutschland and Magdeburg to develop Orlan's robot systems.
He just hadn't expected them to produce this.
"If Deutschland had seen this, I'm sure she would've been rolling on the ground laughing," Roon teased as she handed steaming plates of jam bread and milk to the table.
"If she saw this, I'm sure the whole port would know about it within hours," Lin Lan muttered as he sat down for breakfast.
Just as he began to eat, Akashi's sly voice interrupted him:
"This robot has a recording function, meow. Commander, if you don't want Deutschland to know, you'll have to pay me..."
Before Akashi could finish, Lin Lan stood abruptly and strode toward her.
"Meow! Commander! Akashi was only joking! Don't be so mean! Don't pull my ears! Meow!!"
The little profiteer's wails echoed through the cafeteria.
…
After breakfast, Lin Lan, Peter, and Roon gathered around a table in the now-clean dining area.
Akashi, subdued and sitting on Lin Lan's lap, reluctantly answered his questions.
"So, Akashi, you've cracked Orlan's robot tech and started mass production?"
"Meow! Of course, meow! With Deutschland and my painstaking research, we've developed the first Muscle Manjuu meow."
Lin Lan gave Akashi a skeptical look. While he doubted Akashi contributed much actual effort, he was still impressed they had managed to create something so unique.
"So, Akashi, explain the functions of this Muscle Manjuu for us. Show us what it can do," Lin Lan said, curiosity piqued.
"Pay attention, meow!"
Akashi lazily reached into her sleeve and pulled out the remote control. She aimed it at the Muscle Manjuu and pressed a button.
"Meow!"
With a cheerful sound, the Muscle Manjuu struck a series of bodybuilding poses, showing off its finely sculpted mechanical "muscles."
"... Uh..."
Lin Lan's expression froze as the burly robot continued its bizarre display of flexing and posing.
"Oh no! I hit the wrong button, meow! Let me fix it!" Akashi hurriedly pressed another button.
"Meow~ Meow!"
This time, the Muscle Manjuu performed a flawless Thomas Flair on the ground, spinning with precision and style.
"Akashi, I never imagined your hobbies would be so... diverse."
Realizing she was in dangerous territory, Akashi quickly straightened her posture. Her expression turned serious.
"Commander, I'll stop joking. Let me show you the true capabilities of Muscle Manjuu."
With another button press, the Muscle Manjuu's eyes lit up. A three-dimensional holographic screen unfolded in the air.
"Now that's more like it," Lin Lan said, finally impressed.
But as the image became clear, Lin Lan froze.
The hologram displayed a black-haired girl with blue eyes wearing... very little. She hummed a tune as she selected an outfit from her wardrobe.
Deutschland.
The girl turned toward the screen, spotting Lin Lan and the others watching her.
Her face immediately shifted from shock to fury.
"Commander! You degenerate! Don't look!!"
Her shriek pierced the air, leaving Lin Lan reeling as the screen abruptly cut off.
"Commander," Peter said with a teasing smile, "I think you're in trouble."
Lin Lan's face darkened. He turned to Akashi, who was trying to sneak away unnoticed, and grabbed her by the hood.
"Akashi... You've really outdone yourself this time."
"Commander! It was an accident, meow! You believe me, right? Waaaaaah, meow!!"
Akashi's wails echoed through Minato Ward as Lin Lan prepared himself to face Deutsche's wrath.
_______
50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
_______
If any of you noticed an error, please point it out in comments!