Aiden's diet was very varied; he belonged to the type that ate anything that could be eaten, grains and cereals, poultry and livestock naturally went without saying, even things like centipedes, grasshoppers, bee pupae, and silkworm pupae, he wasn't picky about. He also wanted to try this kind of mutated beetle.
After packaging the meat he had cut off, Aiden carried it on his shoulder and headed toward the camp, thinking as he walked whether this thing would be better grilled or boiled.
Very quickly, he returned to the camp. After being inspected by the guarding androids, he entered the interior of the camp. Quite a few androids looked toward him and also saw the thing he was carrying. Vaguely, he could hear the androids whispering to each other.
"He can replenish energy through food, must be a new type of body, right?"
"Heard he's left over from a few previous descent operations."
"High-grade stuff, really rare."
"Still got abandoned, though. The androids in the base wouldn't waste resources for them."
"Sounds as pitiful as us."
"Who says not..."
Even in the apocalypse, gossiping is still a part of society, if you're not happy with it, don't play.
Ignoring the surrounding androids' gazes, Aiden entered the wooden house where A2 was. At this moment, the android girl was still lying quietly on the bed, but she had wrapped herself tightly in a cloak, leaving only her head exposed, looking a little cute.
"Didn't find any batteries, but there's a generator outside. If you have a port, you could go out and try charging, though the efficiency doesn't look great. When I left, it was those few people; when I came back, it was still those few." Aiden spoke of what he had seen while tossing the bundle of meat at his feet.
The meat from the beetle legs had no fishy smell; the blood had already been drained, so it didn't affect the room's air. Of course, the android girl wouldn't care, it was just that he cared.
"This meat was cut from a kind of mutated creature, should be edible. Anyway, it won't poison us. I'll grill some in a bit to try. Oh, and just now you said you could eat metal to repair your body, I also found some aluminum, gold, and silver. Want to try eating a little first?" As he spoke, Aiden pulled out some metal.
In his heart, A2-chan was no different from a ship girl, too bad he didn't have petroleum on him, otherwise he kinda wanted to see if the android girl could chew aluminum and drink oil.
But A2 didn't even look at the metal in his hand. Eating iron, chewing aluminum, mechanical repair, she had experienced all that too many times. Now, on the contrary, she was more interested in eating food.
"Let's eat some meat." A2 curled up and said, "You could also cook some soup, I heard liquid is easier to absorb."
Aiden looked at A2 with a sharp glance. The human-like behavior of the android girl surprised him a bit, but he didn't think much of it. In the game, the difference between androids and humans wasn't actually that big.
Somewhat disappointed, he put the metal away and ran another round outside, then brought back a small pot and some firewood.
Although most of the androids in this camp were old models, as a camp where trade could happen, nothing was strange to find. Not to mention a pot, Aiden had even seen an android selling women's underwear.
At the door of the wooden house, Aiden set up the pot and started a fire to cook soup. Then he used a knife to shave some sticks, skewered the meat on them, and placed them next to the fire to roast.
Naturally, his actions once again attracted the attention of androids, and whispers drifted into his ears.
"What do you think is the relationship between the two of them?"
"Isn't it obvious? Must be a couple."
"Heard that in a certain city, there was a wandering couple, could it be them?"
"Very possible."
"…"
Aiden didn't pay too much attention to the surrounding discussion, but he did have some impression of the wandering couple the androids mentioned. He had gone through that side quest briefly, but didn't know what happened afterward.
Luckily, the androids' interest in him was just that. Androids not only had complex personalities, but also a sense of shame similar to humans. When gathering to gossip, they would still care about the feelings of those being talked about.
Soon the food was ready. Aiden picked up a skewer of roast meat and took a bite. Even though he didn't add any seasoning, the taste was surprisingly decent.
He quickly ate two skewers. The last bit of space in his stomach was filled. Then he grabbed the remaining roast meat, hugged the pot of meat soup, and walked into the wooden house.
Inside the wooden house, there was only a bed, no other furniture. Aiden simply placed the pot of soup on the bed, after all, A2 was an android, she couldn't be scalded.
Taking out a spoon whittled from wood from his waist pouch and tossing it into the pot, Aiden said to A2, "Go ahead and eat."
But A2 didn't move, she just said, "When humans take care of a sick companion, they seem to feed them voluntarily, right?"
"You're just an android, not a human." Aiden said helplessly. Didn't this android girl hate humans? Why was she suddenly imitating humans in everything?
"But we are the same kind." The android girl said very seriously, "So you should feed me. And you've already taken care of me this long, one more time won't hurt, right?"
Aiden stared hard at A2 for a while, then nodded. "Alright!"
But in his heart, he was thinking that he must collect interest later, and double the amount, just like last night. He couldn't suffer a loss.
Thinking of this, Aiden became much happier. He scooped up some meat soup with the spoon, didn't bother blowing it cool, and directly brought it to A2's mouth.
A2 didn't care whether the soup was hot or cold anyway, it didn't matter to her. After taking a sip, she thoughtfully nodded.
'So this is what it feels like to be carefully cared for... how novel,' the android girl thought.
The pot of soup was quickly finished by A2, along with the few remaining skewers of roasted meat. But her stomach didn't bulge at all, as if all the food was instantly digested and absorbed, converted into energy.
Aiden curiously studied A2, recalling her naked body from the night before, his thoughts couldn't help but wander.
The construction of androids, what differences were there from humans? What humans had, did androids also have?
Of course, he was just thinking. To actually look, he'd need the android girl's consent. But now it seemed the android girl had developed a sense of shame, so that would be a difficult challenge.
The 'well-fed and well-drank' android girl lay back down again, still wrapping herself tightly in a cloak with only her head exposed. But at this moment, her cool expression looked a little adorably dumb, making Aiden want to laugh.
'Heh! Just a poor imitation of humans!'
With a sigh, Aiden went out for another walk. When he came back, he had a few rags in hand, which he spread out on the ground as a makeshift bed.
He actually wanted to sleep on A2's bed, but his sleeping habits were bad, he always liked to hug something. It wasn't serious before, but after having someone beside him every night for a while, it got worse. If he hugged A2, and she discovered he was human, the consequences could be unpredictable.
Besides, A2 hadn't invited him to sleep together.
Closing the drafty door, Aiden lay down on his "bed," thinking about the past two days since he arrived in this world. He realized he hadn't done anything, he'd just been taking care of someone.
Though the one being cared for was his favorite android, A2, he still felt something wasn't quite right.
'I should be the one being taken care of,' Aiden thought. He wasn't the type to enjoy being pampered, but ever since returning from the second world, he had always been the one cared for. And the ones caring for him had always been extremely beautiful women. Now that things had flipped, he couldn't quite get used to it.
Though the wooden house was simple, at least there was a floor. Lying on it didn't feel too uncomfortable, though not that comfortable either. For someone used to soft beds, the floor was still a bit hard.
'When I was in the army, even the beds had a mattress,' Aiden thought. He couldn't sleep, it was still too early, maybe not even ten o'clock yet.
At this time in the real world, he would usually either be playing games or doing some exercises he liked. Even in the slightly dull Final Fantasy-style world, there would at least be a TV to watch.
Since he really couldn't sleep, Aiden sat up, leaned against the wall, and stared blankly.
He really wanted to smoke. He had been holding back for several days. Although with his current physique the nicotine addiction was gone, mentally he still felt that when bored, he should light a cigarette to relieve his mood.
But since A2 was still in the room, he planned to go out and find a place with no people to smoke.
He called to POD Firepower, who had flown onto the bed at some unknown time. The little robot seemed reluctant to respond, its multifunctional eyes lit up briefly, then it just changed position and dimmed again.
The mechanic's assistant robot seemed to have a spiritual link with its master. It knew its master was calling it just to light a cigarette. With its level of intelligence, it naturally wasn't too willing.
Aiden got angry. This little guy was getting bold. He got up and went to the bed, ready to forcibly take the assistant robot out, but saw that A2 had opened her eyes and was looking at him.
"You're going out?" The android girl slightly raised her head to look at him. Her silvery-white hair, with a slight hint of pale yellow, slipped down both sides of her cheeks, revealing her entire coldly beautiful face.
Aiden had seen many beauties, so he didn't get dazed, but he had to admit, because of many years of battle, the android girl's face had some fine wear and small scars. Combined with that cold beauty, it gave him a jolt.
He had been in this world several days, but it was the first time he had clearly seen A2's face. The beauty mark under her lip sparkled like a gem under the light.
Withdrawing his admiring gaze, Aiden said, "Feeling a bit bored, can't sleep, want to go for a walk."
"Can't sleep? Bored?" The android girl was unfamiliar with those two terms. In her view, if you can't sleep, you just force a shutdown. And boredom… a forced shutdown wouldn't be boring.
As if pondering what those two words meant, A2 thought for a long while before saying, "Want me to go out for a walk with you? I remember humans used to do that."
Aiden's gaze dropped to her long, slender legs wrapped in torn stockings sticking out of the cloak. He asked, "You've recovered? Don't tell me when you say walk, you mean I have to carry you?"
"Simple movement is no problem, just better if you support me a bit." The android girl got off the bed as she spoke. Surprisingly, she was still wearing Aiden's cloak, then reached out a hand and pressed it on Aiden's shoulder.
"Help me a little."
Aiden hesitated for a moment, then pulled out his gloves, put them on, and grabbed A2's arm.
"Why do you always wear gloves?" A2 had always wanted to ask this. Every time Aiden touched her, he wore gloves. But when doing other things, he would take them off.
"When I traveled the East, I read some material. It said men and women should not touch each other casually. I'm a male android, and you're a female android, so if we touch with a layer of gloves in between, it doesn't count as intimate contact. It's etiquette." Aiden seriously spouted nonsense.
Although androids came with preloaded databases, the YoRHa A-type was a combat model, her database mostly dealt with fighting. So at Aiden's words, she showed an "I see" expression, "There's such a saying? Humans really are creatures who love making things difficult for themselves."
But then she saw Aiden trying to stifle a laugh and immediately realized, "You just lied, didn't you? You've also learned humanity's bad habits?"
'I am human after all...' Aiden shrugged. "Why I wear gloves... I can't tell you yet. You'll find out eventually. I just hope by then, you won't be shocked, or scared."
"Other than the first descent operation, I've never been scared again." A2 was quite experienced. Even after knowing some secrets and encountering strange enemies, she never panicked, naturally she was a bit scornful.
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