For some reason, the hostile intent seems to have subsided, so we rushed to the shipyard near the port area where Mei and Wiska were supposed to be.
The Alein Tertius colony wasn't a colony that focuses on manufacturing and selling starships, but it does focus on selling modules for advanced starships that make use of the latest tech. As a result, its starship market was relatively active, and it was equipped with a fairly large shipyard.
Naturally, various dealers gathered in such places, so Mei and Wiska went over to look for new equipment that would meet our requirements.
"I wonder what that was?"
"I have no idea. It's not like I don't have a few guesses though."
"Didn't you say you were someone who had good moral character, Hiro-kun?"
"I do have good moral character. That's why those guys with bad moral characters tend to hate me."
At the very least, it shouldn't be guys with respectable dispositions. I wasn't exactly sure if it's pirates, delinquent nobles, or maybe even another unknown party. Well, Dr. Shouko's matters have now been settled, so even if we want to replace our ship equipment, we didn't really have to do that in the Alein Tertius colony. They might turn out to be a bit more expensive, but we could also get stuff with equal or better quality in the Windas system.
Well, there's the thing about it being close to the imperial capital though. If we get too close to the capital, I'm afraid that f*cking emperor would mess around with me again.
"In any case, we have to be vigilant. Judging from how intense that feeling of hostility was, I'm almost sure they'd try to pull something against us eventually."
"Hee? So you're able to tell that much?"
"Well, ever since my 'eye' was opened, I've become a little more sensitive to the feelings of other people around me. I wouldn't mind if it was just a bit of jealousy, but this is the first time I've felt such a strong feeling of hostility or murderous intent directed toward me. It kinda felt like the other party was dead set on tearing me a new one."
"Well, then there's still a chance that it was just your misconception, right, Hiro-kun? This was the first time you felt it after all."
"That's possible, but I'm probably right on the money this time."
I can't imagine that sense of hostility that felt like the other party would rip my throat out if given the slightest chance would be just my misconception. Well, it's true that nothing's been confirmed for now. After all, even if I did feel hostility, it was nothing more than my intuition working.
"Forgive me for being presumptuous, but I believe it is better not to let our guards down for the time being..."
"Right. I shouldn't overly worry about it, but it would be a disaster if an incident happens the moment I let my guard down."
Before long, we finally arrived at the port area. It was as dark as night like usual, but the area where the ship dealers were gathered was brightly lit. Well, the lights were artificial though. But still, the place was pretty bright.
"Mei and Wiska are... inside that dealership huh?"
Ahead of my gaze was a store that occupied a particularly large space among the many starship dealers in the area. In a colony where space was limited, store size was usually a good indicator of how well a business was doing. That's because the maintenance costs for such large stores were generally higher than average.
"Are you familiar with the reputation of this particular dealership, Doc?"
"Even if this is my home colony, I don't have info on stores I don't have any business frequenting... And besides, I'm kind of a shut-in type."
"I see."
I get that. I also never cared about the reputation of the local car dealers back on Earth. That's even if I regularly rode cars.
"Let us enter, My Lord."
"Alright."
Surprisingly, even if it was her first time encountering such a shop, Kugi didn't seem to shy away from it. Or rather, she was modestly proactive. Judging from the movements of her ears and tails, she seems to be enjoying herself quite a bit. I suppose you could call her a bundle of reserved curiosity.
"Hou."
"Hee. It's actually pretty impressive."
When we entered, we saw a counter staffed by people in front, a workshop on the left through a glass partition, and a showroom-like space on the right. The young man behind the counter already noticed us, so we decided to quickly head over.
"Welcome, dear customers."
"Mm. There should have been a maidroid and a dwarven woman who came to your shop earlier. Could you please guide us to them? They're my crew members."
"Understood. I will go ahead and check, so please wait a moment."
The man bowed slightly and immediately started operating the holo-terminal on the counter. Apparently, he was able to confirm right away, and he turned his attention back to us after a slight nod.
"I've confirmed their whereabouts. Your companions are negotiating with a person from our company in consultation room B, on the inner left wing of our showroom to our right. I shall guide you–"
"No, it's fine. Consultation room B huh? It's not like this shop's built like a maze, right?"
"Err, well, yes, it isn't."
"Then there's no need to bother with guiding us. Ah, but three more of our companions should be arriving here soon, so please accommodate them instead. They are a human, an elf, and a dwarf. All of them are women."
"Understood."
I raised my hand in response to the shop clerk manning the counter who bowed toward us and headed toward the back of the showroom along with Dr. Shouko and Kugi.
"Oh, they also have one of our latest models in stock huh?"
"Hm? Which is it...? Whoah. It's huge."
Dr. Shouko pointed toward a med pod that was on display. It was a simple but professional-looking device. The basic med pods installed inside the Krishna and Black Lotus were about the same size as a bed, but the med pod Dr. Shouko was pointing toward was easily more than three times bigger. But it didn't actually take up much space because it wasn't that wide but was tall instead, so maybe its size did make sense.
"Since it isn't wider than other models, they would only obstruct the view a bit when lined up inside a large space, but they can be installed in much the same way as other models. It's actually pretty popular you know?"
"But this thing's expensive, right?"
"Well, yes. It is."
Dr. Shouko shifted her gaze. Well, I didn't really mind buying it if she truly wanted the thing. It shouldn't be too expensive.
No, but aren't medical equipment usually quite expensive? But the market price situation of medical equipment in this dimension should be different from that of Earth's... After all, precision equipment is cheaper to manufacture here because of the existence of replicators.
"Let's include that item in the list then. We have more than enough budget anyway. Don't hesitate to tell me if there's any other equipment that interests you two."
"Yes, My Lord."
Kugi peering up at my face while wagging her tails was such a cute sight. If Dr. Shouko also had a cute tail, it would be... No, that can actually work. Yep. I really wanna try it out now. I'm really interested in what kind of expression she'll make when she puts on artificial animal ears and a tail in front of me.
Eh? There's a risk of being attacked but I'm acting all carefree? Well, I don't think the other party would launch an attack in the middle of a crowded city after all. Elma should be aware of that too, and she'd probably make it here safely even if she and the rest take a bit of a detour.
Even so, my head hurts when I think of what would possibly happen from here on out. I wonder what that was really all about. Sheesh.