Chapter 382: Lemonade.
"A... weapon?"
Dante’s eyes slowly widened as he finally came to understand what was happening, and when he saw that Finn was still refusing to look him in the face, he realized it was true.
After deciding to put their plans on hold, Dante had left the boy in Suzuka’s care. She was his mentor, so he expected them to spend that time polishing his skills and learning new things. To make sure he remains occupied, Dante gave him a little job to finish as well.
Said job involved one of the white androids Dante got during his last visit to the Pit. The boy was supposed to take it apart, figure out how it works, then put it back together. He was also supposed to work on remote controls for the thing so Volcan would be able to use the others more efficiently.
The boy said he had finished that ages ago, but from the looks of it, he had failed at a crucial part of the job. Instead of putting the clanker back together, he had used its parts to create a new shell for his AI friend.
[C’mon, sis! You didn’t have to spill the beans like that!]
Jake jumped with his stubby little feet, as if to banish the idea of him being a military weapon. Dante wasn’t tricked, however. Though he hadn’t fought the androids himself, he had watched how they moved as they chased Suzuka and her clanker girlfriend around.
On top of their destructive physical capabilities, they also had a variety of energy weapons, including lasers and energy blades. If the boy had truly constructed the capsule using parts he ripped from one of the androids, then it was undoubtedly far more dangerous than it looked.
"... I guess it’s my fault..." All of a sudden, Dante felt like he understood why the blue-haired girl looked so exhausted.
"No..." Suzuka shook her head. "I should have kept a closer eye on him."
"Don’t tell me made it right under your nose..."
"I caught him halfway through, but..."
[You couldn’t bring yourself to stop him, huh?] Jake said, plastering a smug emoticon on the spot that served as his face.
Suzuka didn’t say anything, turning away the moment Dante glanced her way. Eventually, she heaved a defeated sigh.
"I wanted to see how it would turn out."
There was a click in Dante’s mind, but just as it was about to turn into a snap, he managed to catch it. He had left the brat in her care so he could learn a few things, sure, but the main reason was so he would stay out of trouble. Turns out there is a different kind of trouble the boy could get into, and being the one to give him the tools, Dante realized that the responsibility fell on him.
"I should have seen this coming."
[You’re making a big deal out of this.] Said Jake. [You know what they say—when life gives you lemons, make some lemonade!]
"Except life didn’t ask for lemonade," Dante said.
[C’mon! Can’t you drop it already and admit how awesome I look? I mean, can you believe he created this in a little over two weeks?]
"I sure can’t." Crouching down, Dante stared at the yellow capsule then started pocking it. "So, you’re a clanker now?"
[Wha- screw you, meat bag! Who’re you calling a clanker!?]
"That’s... just rude," Suzuka said, her tired eyes filled with disgust as she looked down at Dante. "You better watch what you’re saying."
Dante noticed Finn glaring at him as well, so he tried to laugh it off. Once again, he was reminded that some people took their AI friends way too seriously.
"I’m joking, I’m joking." He said while pocking the yellow bot once more. "Anyway, what’s up with the design, anyway? Don’t tell me you plan on having him follow you around like this?"
Since he had included the weapons from the original android, Dante guessed that the boy planned to use it for protection, but if it was a bodyguard he wanted, the original design worked just fine.
Of course, since the clanker previously belonged to the Gear cult, some remodeling was in order. But reducing it to a meter-tall capsule didn’t sit right with Dante. That yellow bean didn’t look like it had any fighting capabilities.
"I guess he does stand out..." Finn muttered. "I thought giving him a round silhouette would make him look less threatening, so... you know..."
[Those bastards won’t know what hit them!] Jake exclaimed.
"That’s why you disguised him as a toy?" Dante asked.
[Who’re you calling a toy!!?]
Standing up, Dante regarded the boy with serious eyes.
"Anyway, he would attract way too much attention, especially if he keeps blabbering like this."
"Like you’re one to talk," Suzuka said. "I wouldn’t say red hair is very lowkey."
"Except there are plenty of red-haired people around," Dante said. "How many cute yellow robots do you see walking around the city these days?"
He didn’t really have to argue the point, with how obvious it was. Suzuka already got the idea, so she decided to keep her silence.
"We can’t afford to stand out while doing what we do." Dante looked down at the capsule-shaped robot. "I don’t really see how you plan on making this work."
"Actually, I planned on carrying him around like I usually do," Finn said, seemingly unbothered by the point Dante was trying to make.
"You mean..."
"Well..."
The boy looked away once more, and the guilty look returned to his face.
[C’mon, Finn!] Jake ran over to him. [Just show him!]
"A-alright. Just give me one minute!"
Turning back to the workbench, the boy pulled his goggles back on and went back to fiddling with his. He took a lot more than a minute, but neither Dante nor Suzuka said anything, allowing him to work in silence. Ten minutes later, he seemed to finish working on the palm-sized component. He sealed it in a small case then inserted it into a larger device, which he then put on his back.