[[ Clear ]]

Pulling myself up isn't working, so I'm stuck on the floor for the time being. Nine needs to recover before he lifts me again. He seems to notice the mild indignity of it, though, because he's already moving to help lift me up. It takes a great deal of effort on his part, and he's sweating profusely by the minute mark already, but we manage to get my body back in the chair before the five minute mark.

"Hahhhh..." He gasps, wiping sweat off his brow.

I sit in relative silence while Nine sits on the floor to recoup his strength.

"I'll say, I'm in better shape than I was in my previous life..." He mutters. "In my old world, if I had tried to do that, I would have passed out on the floor."

"What sort of shape were you in?"

"Pretty bad shape, honestly. I was a shut-in, so I didn't work on myself or diet like a normal person would. I hadn't gained significant weight, but I wasn't skinny like the twig I was in high school. I took martial arts in middle school and elementary but quit the first chance I got and didn't look back."

"Why did you quit?"

"I was lazy."

"You were lazy," I parrot back to him. He nods.

"I had no motivation to continue. I wasn't bad at it, but I had this fear of the tests you took to go to a new belt. So... I never went anywhere and the highest I got was blue belt before I quit. It probably would have been pretty good for me to have stayed, but I didn't, so that's that."

"Did you do anything physical in your daily life?"

"No. Just video games."

"... That explains a lot."

Nine's eyes are shut, his body splayed out on the floor rather unprofessionally. It's a very relaxed look for him, though, and the conversation dies there as a result. After a while of silence, I decide to speak up.

"When does Magnolia want to meet?"

"... About that," he mumbles. "She wants to meet today, or at least she did when I told her I sent my NIKKEs to the surface without me today. She wants to talk. But I still want to work on your therapy, so..."

"... No, you should go," I say in earnest. "We won't make any more progress today."

"We -- we won't?"

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"No. Maybe you should research before coming back to this."

"... I'm that amateurish, huh?"

"Not as bad as the person before you."

"I see..." Nine says, and he looks a bit embarrassed. I wave my hand to dispel his worries, but he seems a bit in his head either way.

"Commander, may I be dismissed?"

"Huh? Already?"

"... Yes," I say patiently. "You should get ready for your date. I'm sure a suit isn't dress code this time, so I'm also sure you can make it without me."

"... Alright," He says, pouting lightly. He sits up off the floor and picks himself up with a groan. He stretches a little bit, and rubs his face. "I'm honestly a little afraid of these women I'm in touch with, but if I have to do this for the sake of Purem, I might as well..."

"Magnolia doesn't seem all that bad," I say, as though to give a mark of approval. Nine seems to lighten up at that.

"She's not," he admits. "I can see why the guy before me liked her, even if he was boozed out of his mind. But I don't know what to expect, especially considering our first meeting was... Uh... Y'know."

"She might feel a deeper bond with you because of the first date going the way it did."

"R-really?"

"Ask her yourself," I say, and my wheelchair whirrs to life from its prior sleep mode. It's ready to move, so I waste no time and navigate to the exit, which opens automatically.

"C-Clear, wait--"

I halt my wheelchair and turn it halfway. "Yes, Commander?"

There's a puppy dog look on his face. It's almost like he's about to ask me to tag along. There's no way I'm allowing that, though. My face remains devoid of emotion as he struggles to come up with something to say.

"... N-nevermind."

"Understood, Commander."

I wheel out and head to the building's elevator. It's a slow process to get down, and I find myself idling a bit in the lobby.

The lobby of the building is pretty empty. There's a man and woman speaking in the corner, and they seem to be discussing a case they're working on, but other than them, I'm alone. I idle my wheelchair outside of the building and ruminate for a moment, thinking on the previous commander's persona. He was phoning the entire project in, truthfully.While that's not exactly a crime, I can't help but wonder how far Nine will take his commitment, because the effort he's put in on day one beats out the entire six months the old one put in before getting apparently erased.

I'm curious to know how he managed to come to this world. I vaguely recall stories like this in pop culture. We were dealing with an 'isekai' situation. If that was the case, though, did Nine manage to somehow die in his original world? If so, how? Surely the man's thought of this at least once. I can't imagine bringing it up in any appropriate way to him, though, so I dispel the thought.

I wheel myself away from the building.

The city is sprawling, and the people who pass by me give brief glances. In this age, there are still people who are disabled, of course, but it is remedied much more often than not. For NIKKEs, it's even less often seen with the array of replacement science at play. A lost limb isn't necessarily a deal-breaker anymore, and ailments like paralysis are easily treatable. As far as these people can imagine, though, I'm no NIKKE, so perhaps the sight is as average as any human male in a wheelchair is.

... I'm not human, though.

It's a difficult thought to have, and one that's apparently taboo for NIKKEs to think, despite the continuous reminder that we're only tools for humans to use in order to remain safe from alien lifeforms. I need to be careful thinking such a thing either way, though; I could have another Mind Switch if I really drive it home.

Speaking of home, I make it to my dorm.

Wheeling to my bed, I pull myself out of my chair and lay down. I don't turn on the TV -- there's no need.

I lay in silence.

I hope Nine's date goes well this time.

[[ CHAPTER 18 END ]]