Fuyuki was called up by Blue and Kou, so he made his way to the hangar carrier of Metal Iris. It seemed Kou had something to discuss with him before he returned to his own base.

When Fuyuki arrived, he found the two already chatting inside the break room.

「I’m sorry for making you wait.」

「It’s nice to finally meet you, I guess?」

「Oh c’mon. We’re essentially comrades already. Let’s do away with all the stiff formalities, shall we?」

「Yeah, you’re right. I’m already comrades with you huh, Fuyuki-san.」

Kou smiled in acknowledgment.

Since they already fought together side by side, giving a formal greeting now would sound too uptight.

「You had something you want to ask me?」

「It’s about the knowledge you have from back when you were still in Japan. You said you used to work in sales, right, Fuyuki-san?」

「Yes. You wanna know about stuff regarding the sales business?」

「Yeah. For example, what are the essentials if you want to start your own business? I don’t have any relevant knowledge you see.」

「So you plan on starting a business eh?」

「Just as a front, I suppose.」

Blue had an idea about the reasoning behind Kou’s actions, but she didn’t ask him about it directly.

She decided to just quietly listen to the two’s discussion for future reference.

「Business sounds easy but is actually fairly difficult, isn’t it?」

「Yeah.」

Coming from a technical high school, Kou only worked part-time at a factory while he was still in the middle of his high school studies.

「There’s a simple and easy rule to success.」

「Oh?」

「People will frequent stores that sell what they want. See? Simple and easy, ain’t it?」

「Err.... That’s....」

Kou knew Fuyuki would elaborate on the idea next. He was just a bit taken aback.

「Yeah. I understand your confusion. There are a lot of factors to consider, actually. Supply and demand is one of them. The current trends are too. Pricing is also important, of course. So is the location of your store. Furthermore, the appeal of your products is also an important factor. The quality of the stock and clerks depends on the efforts of the establishment itself.」

「Right.」

「It’s also important to spend some effort in promoting your products so people would like and eventually want them. Various forms of advertising such as commercials are a means to achieve this. This is what you call marketing. For example, in Japan, the most coveted spots for TV commercials are those aired in Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka. They would allow the commercials to reach millions of people easily.」

「That’s why they don’t really air CMs in the countryside huh. They don’t even air anime shows in Shizuoka.」

「Ah, but that’s where cable TV comes in. The rural provinces generally just follow the trends after all.」

After talking this far, it was Fuyuki who asked a question next.

Blue’s brows were wrinkled because she couldn’t follow the two’s conversation.

「What do you really want to know, Kou?」

「I’m a bit confused about that myself, honestly. Err, alright then. What do you think the battlefields throughout the Nemesis system are absolutely in need of?」

「Weapons to fight the Stones, I believe.」

「Cheap ones?」

「The Silhouettes are plenty cheap as is you know. They’re also weapons boasting a high survival rate. Hm. Now that I think about it, that does seem a bit difficult to determine.」

「Yeah. Hey Blue. Do you have a weapon you really want to get your hands on?」

「I’d want a weapon that could launch attacks with impunity without any danger of being counterattacked.」

「A super long-range railgun huh.... But the Stones have that already, don’t they?」

「It would be nice to have a high-altitude bomber, but aerial crafts are basically sitting ducks to railguns. That’s why they have all practically disappeared from the battlefield.」

「A normal attack aircraft would be nice too, as long as they don’t get shot down easily, that is. That goes for transport aircraft as well.」

「Also, a fighter would be needed for aerial dogfights. It’s difficult.」

「Even if you attain air superiority over a large area, I think the benefits would just be minimal. That’s how it is in the Nemesis warfront, at least. After all, Defense Domes and Fortress Areas are protected by shelters. And there isn’t any existing power with an extensive territory anyway.」

「Fighting is interspersed between many different localized battlefields after all. There aren’t many scenarios where aircraft would prove effective, but they remain very expensive weapons, so they aren’t practical at all.」

「But thanks to high-dimensional projection armor, blasts that would normally down regular aircraft wouldn’t be able to cause much damage. Direct hits from missiles would likely possess enough firepower, but they’re expensive as well, so lots of mercenaries have a hard time securing them.」

Kou received a detailed explanation from the other two about how and why aircraft stopped being used on battlefields.

He’d heard about it before, but it looked like the development of anti-aircraft weapons technology impacted the cost-effectiveness of combat aircraft more than Kou first expected.

「As for drones.... They’d get their controls hacked, right?」

「That’s right. Self-judgment AI installed in missiles can be easily taken over by the Fennel OS. That’s why the ones being used nowadays are regular guided missiles. Some people have this ridiculous idea of aircraft piloted by Familiars being considered as unmanned, but I strongly disagree with that notion.」

「Of course.」

「Right. That’s only natural.」

The other two completely agreed with Fuyuki’s distaste.

「Let us move on to Silhouettes then. Ideally, you’d want cheap and high-performance Silhouettes. So what would be required for those to be made available? Cheap replacement and upgrade parts, correct?」

「Ones that can be used by existing Silhouette models?」

「That’s right. Basically, it’s a similar situation to 21st century Earth. For example, a certain large country’s tank units were upgraded by simply replacing their main gun turrets and armor materials with better ones. They were still using the same basic model, but the performance of their tanks improved quite a bit. In fact, the tanks were designed with this method in mind from the beginning. The same basic principle can be applied to Silhouettes as well.」

「But why? Wouldn’t developing a newer model be cheaper?」

「There are disarmament trends and the defense budget to consider. There’s also the approval from congress. In other words, you need to factor in politics as well. Getting approval for the development of a new model is quite a tall order. There weren’t just one or two projects that have been denied due to the massive costs involved. But you’d have a comparatively easier time getting approval for a budget if it’s just for improving existing units.」

「Silhouettes are certainly cheap, but it still costs a lot of money to add various things to upgrade them.」

「That’s right. If you’re working as a mercenary in this world, you’d always be hankering for cheaper replacement and upgrade parts. Unfortunately, I can’t say the upgrade parts available in the market today are very cost-effective.」

「I see.」

Fuyuki fixed his glasses and asked Kou another question.

「Kou-san, were you aware that there was an auction that provided new technology to the companies that could successfully bid for them recently?」

「I did hear about something like that.」

Kou tried to play it cool, but unfortunately, his expression was easy to read. Blue managed to maintain her poker face, but she chose to keep quiet. She was aware Kou just basically dug his own grave when he decided to ask for advice.

「Yes, about that auction.. I feel it’s a bit regrettable. There’s a slight disconnect between the goal of the person who provided the technology and the current market.」

「Oh, that sounds interesting. Can you tell me more about that?」

(Kou, you really need to learn how to act better, you dummy.)

Blue felt sorry as she watched Kou’s ill attempt at a neutral reaction. He basically spoke in a monotone and sounded very unnatural.

「I basically understand what the provider was aiming for. He wanted to strengthen the logistics network in the Nemesis warfront. However, I feel that his overall vision was quite lacking. Perhaps that’s because he focused too much on the perspective of Familiars.」

「What do you mean?」

「I’m referring to coordination with Silhouettes. He provided blueprints for aircraft that can transport even large hangar carriers, as well as various armored vehicles and transport vehicles. However, they lacked the perspective of working with Silhouettes. This was because the provider focused single-mindedly on the perspective of Familiars. I’m sure of this much, at least.」

「I-I see....」

「Familiars and Therianthropes can’t pilot Silhouettes after all. That’s why the technology provided only considered those who couldn’t operate and use Silhouettes.」

「I wouldn’t have noticed if you didn’t point it out.」

「I haven’t thought of it that far as well. As expected of you, Fuyuki.」

Kou mulled over Fuyuki’s points. It’s true that he might have started wanting to improve the logistics network with a strong underlying desire of protecting the Familiars and improving their situation. As long as they had to work with Silhouettes, he had to take them into consideration as well from now on.

「I heard they fetched quite high prices though.」

「That’s because they’re previously unpublished new technology after all. The companies wanted to secure them as soon as possible. They can perform further research earlier, and that would prove advantageous if the provider ever released new technology once again in the future. In other words, it’s like a prior investment.」

「What would have you done if it were you, Fuyuki-san?」

「First, I’d determine if I want to focus on Familiars working actively with Silhouettes or merely transporting them through the battlefield. Storm Hound can serve as a very nice reference since they are a Force composed mostly of Familiars. By improving the coordination ability between Silhouettes and armored vehicles, I believe the Familiars would find it easier to fight.」

「So you had to consider the coordination ability between Silhouettes and armored vehicles right from the start?」

「This was already envisioned when they started developing them to be combat-worthy in the first place. There are lots of ways they could work together. Magazine replacement, MCS retrieval, armor replacement, and the like. It is important to think one step ahead or even several steps. You don’t have to place a lot of consideration on the companies that would acquire the technology. Instead, you have to focus on the end-users – the Familiars and Therianthropes who would be using your products – and think of ways to better protect them without your vision being constrained.」

Kou finally realized the fact that the ones who would be using his products were indeed the Familiars and Therianthropes.

Kou was worried about his ideas and plans being vague.

Of course, the transferee-founded companies he provided the technology to were his customers as well. However, he remained vague about who exactly the ones the companies would be providing the products resulting from the technology he released. In other words, the end-users. He merely made sure the technology could be used by Familiars and considered nothing else.

He wanted to know what he should do to protect them better. Kou was finally clear about what he wanted to do.

Fuyuki really was quite sharp. He should have already noticed Kou’s secret. And Kou felt gratitude for all the detailed advice Fuyuki gave him.

Fuyuki laughed in a shy manner.

「Sorry for sounding so self-important.」

「No, it’s fine. You were a great help. I’m glad I talked to you. Can I consult with you again in the future? Maybe there would be something Jenny and I need your help with.」

「Gladly. Just give me a call and I’ll come running.」

「Thank you. I’ll be going then. Blue, Fuyuki, I’ll see you guys later.」

「Yes. I’ll be waiting for your call.」

「I’m looking forward to what joke you’ll pull on your next song request. You better make it good, Guy Who Got Fooled by the Cover.」

「Haha.」

Kou let out an embarrassed laugh and left the break room.

After confirming that Kou was gone, Blue turned to Fuyuki.

「Fuyuki, when did you realize it?」

「I’m sorry, but I have no idea what you’re talking about.」

Fuyuki’s smile never wavered as he walked away with a self-assured gait.