Short Break

Whoa...! This place is huge!

This could practically work as a training ground...

I can't believe there's a facility this huge underground.

Most likely. It was probably used as a supply base.

Though it's in poorer condition than the last time I was here.

Yeah. Still, we should be able to stay here for a while.

That is a relief. We can finally catch our breath.

Then does that mean Omega can eat something tasty here?

You should be able to handle that much on your own...

...Ugh.

Tch... Shut it. It's not like I can do anything about it.

Sounds good.

Alright! Down with Rosaria!

...Anyway, putting the food issue aside for now...

Why am I stuck teamed up with you?

Can't be helped. We drew lots, remember?

Huh? What's this red button?

Maybe the door opens if I push it?

Hey, wait—!

Aah?!

...I told you to wait!

You can't just randomly touch things here.

We're lucky it was just an alarm this time. One wrong move and you could have died.

Th-that was a close one! Then you should've warned me it was dangerous!

...Huh?

What is it?

I think I see someone over there!

What? You saw someone?

This is...

...As I thought. A dead body.

From the looks of it, they died quite a while ago.

I see. All alone, in a place like this...

They must've been so scared.

Don't pity them.

Based on what they're wearing, this one was a Replacer too.

So dying like this... was the result of their own choices.

...Did something happen between you and the Replacers?

Drop it. That's none of your business.

Ngh...!

I-it's because you keep being so snappy!

S-snappy?

Yeah! Snappy!

I don't think it's good to be so hostile all the time.

I-I mean, I'm sorry for messing up too, but...

Because of them, Narae was...

I lost my friend.

Your friend...?

Yeah. Not just once, but twice.

I barely managed to see one of them again... only to lose her before my eyes.

As for the other one...

At first, I was afraid of her. She was a copy of the friend I'd known.

But when I finally realized that she wasn't the same person...

She sacrificed herself to stop what the Replacers were planning.

They were trying to turn everyone in the world into monsters.

That's horrible...

They went on about creating a new humanity to survive the apocalypse...

But I don't care about their grand excuses.

I don't want to know why they did any of it.

I just... can't forgive them.

So that's what happened... You and Hilde had to go through all that...

It wasn't just the two of us fighting.

The Commander wasn't the only one. There were a lot of others too.

The Boss, the Vice President, Shiyoon, and the company staff...

Mercenaries, police officers... There were plenty of people fighting to stop the Replacers.

...But that's all in the past now.

We have no way back to the Normalside.

And I don't even know what happened to the Replacer King.

I-It's okay!

You never know. If we defeat that Rosaria girl, it might all work out.

It's no good giving up already!

...You make it sound so easy.

You saw how strong she was.

Yeah. I know she's absurdly strong.

But that doesn't mean we should just curl up and quit.

You, Hilde, and us... We all have somewhere we want to go back to.

...A place to return to, huh.

Ooh...!

Mister, look! It's a giant bullet!

Ugh... Everything in here seems to be dangerous.

This is troublesome. I suppose this container only stored ammunition as well.

I suppose they never intended to hold out here for long.

So the containers on this side are useless.

At this point, we can only hope the other group has better luck.

Mm? What about her?

...I see.

If that's the case, I believe it may be better not to tell you even if I knew.

Huh? How so?

I hate to admit it, but if he was involved, there must have been a reason for it.

He likely prepared for everything, even accounting for the possibility of you losing your memories.

I'd say that living without knowing your past isn't necessarily a bad thing.

But Omega still wants to know!

Omega's head hurts a lot when there's something she forgot and she still can't remember! You don't know how that feels!

You're quite mistaken.

There are times when I too live without the memories of my past.

Huh? You do?

That was the decision I made back then.

Some things are better left unknown.

...So confusing. Omega doesn't really get it.

It means you'll find the answer when the time comes.

That person you call [Daddy]...

Never mind. You'll meet him someday. That much I can promise.

Omega thinks she gets it now... Okay!

There you are! We were looking for you!

Good news! We found food!

Not a lot, though.

Really? Yay!!

Hard to say. But they do look better.

Let's head over and see.

Ooh...!

Look, Mister! Ham,eggs, and snacks too!

Oh, Omega knows what those are! They're called [energy bars]!

We can eat them as they are.

From a nutritional standpoint, eating them raw is more efficient.

Still, it's not every day we get actual ingredients.

Back at the hideout, I was sick of living on nothing but hardtack.

...Isn't hardtack a perfectly acceptable meal?

Then it's my turn to step up!

Leave it to me, Captain. I'm always honing my cooking skills.

I wanted to be prepared in case we had to camp somewhere during the [Journey].

Captain...! D-do you have that little faith in me?

O-Omega! What do you think?

Huh? Omega likes Asherah's cooking!

When Omega eats it, the database turns all red! It goes, "Emergency! Emergency!" and gets super noisy!

It gets really noisy, so Omega thinks it's fun!

Ngh... Even you...?!

Looks like we don't have much of a choice.

Step aside. I'll do the cooking.

Rookie, you know how to cook?

Seriously, Commander? Of course. I live alone, you know.

Is that so? Then how do you deal with sprouted potatoes?

...You can just eat them as is, can't you?

Typical of a generation raised on ready-made food.

Very well. You can stand back and watch too.

Wait, why?!

Ugh, still... leaving the cooking to the Captain feels a bit—

So she says, Captain.

Let me know if you have any errands to spare.

...Fine. Tell me if you need anything.

W-wait! Then I'll help too!

And Omega too!