On the bed, Aiden and A2 lay side by side, but they weren't touching. There was at least enough space between them to fit another person.
This space was something Aiden had deliberately left. At that moment, he lay on the edge of the bed, one turn and he'd fall off.
After tossing and turning a few times, Aiden couldn't fall asleep.
It wasn't that he was worried about falling off in his sleep, but rather… the sleeping posture of the android girl beside him.
A2 was quietly lying on the bed. Her posture was quite interesting, not curled up, not lying on her side, but lying perfectly straight, both legs pressed together, hands folded over her abdomen.
She looked very elegant, but the chest that only rose and fell after a long while and the fair skin that almost seemed to glow in the night gave Aiden the feeling that he was sleeping beside a vampire noble girl.
However, that actually wasn't the main reason. The real reason was that, since androids weren't afraid of cold or heat, whether they covered themselves with a blanket or not didn't matter.
In the past, the android girl would sometimes use Aiden's cloak as a blanket. But earlier, when she seemed to get angry, she accidentally tore a hole in the cloak. To prevent the hole from getting bigger, she carefully folded the cloak and placed it under her head as a pillow.
Without the cloak as cover, and with A2 now imitating humans by sleeping undressed, she was only wearing a bra and underwear that couldn't even cover the base of her thighs. If Aiden looked carefully, he could basically see everything. In such a situation, of course he couldn't sleep.
He turned his head with difficulty to the other side, trying to calm himself down. But as a young man with raging hormones, calming down in this kind of situation, unless one was a saint or a monk, was impossible. He was neither, so he let out a small sigh and thought to himself, 'Tonight is going to be a sleepless night...'
In fact, it wasn't just him who couldn't sleep. A2 and Yakor couldn't sleep either.
However, one of these android girls had a brain like mush and didn't understand what the sudden emotions inside her were, while the other was thinking about where exactly Aiden had come from...
———
The night passed quickly, and before they knew it, it was the next day.
When Aiden, who had no idea when he fell asleep, woke up, he was shocked to find that he was actually hugging A2 like a body pillow. His hands, without missing a beat, were resting right on the softest part of the android girl.
As expected, this kind of thing still happened.
Aiden moved his somewhat stiff hands away, but inside he felt a bit regretful, he was wearing gloves, so he couldn't feel a thing. Even so, he could still feel the grandeur of what was in front of her chest.
'I wonder, compared to 2B, whose are bigger?' Aiden's thoughts wandered as he prepared to let go of A2 and get out of bed.
But just as he loosened his arms, A2 suddenly turned her head and stared at him with wide eyes. Her gaze was calm like a still lake, revealing no emotion.
"Good morning, A2." Aiden's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately greeted her, raising a hand to touch his face, thankfully, the face cloth was still there. He breathed a sigh of relief.
"Good morning, Aiden." A2 nodded, then got out of bed and began to get dressed.
As the parts of her body that were exposed got gradually covered by clothes, Aiden looked away, rubbed his slightly swollen eyes, and also got out of bed.
Coming out of the room, Aiden saw that Yakor was still asleep. She was curled up like a normal human girl, occasionally opening and closing her mouth slightly, muttering dream-like words.
This android girl was really unusual, she could even dream.
Suppressing his curiosity, Aiden didn't wake her up. He just stepped forward and tugged her skirt down to cover the exposed spring scenery. Just as he was about to head to the washroom, he suddenly heard Yakor mumble in her sleep, "Pervert..."
Aiden's mouth twitched. Was she dreaming about him?
Then he walked up next to Yakor and pulled on her cheeks hard in both directions.
With this, Yakor woke up. She opened her eyes slightly, looking dazedly at Aiden and mumbled unclearly, "What are you doing?"
"Waking you up." Aiden let go and turned to enter the bathroom.
"You've got issues!" Yakor shouted angrily. She jumped up from the sofa and rushed to grab Aiden, but he had already shut the bathroom door, so all she could do was kick the door hard.
After a simple wash-up and quick breakfast, the three of them went out.
Last night, Anemone had asked them to go find her. Although Aiden and Yakor weren't keen on moving, A2 insisted on going.
Ten minutes later, they saw Anemone waiting for them in front of some tents.
"Good morning, everyone!" From afar, Anemone waved and greeted them, but only Aiden responded.
A2 was just like that by nature, even if she was familiar with Anemone, she wouldn't respond. As for Yakor, she just didn't bother.
"Did you sleep well last night?" Anemone asked once they approached.
She had looked at the house last night and saw there was only one bed. Not knowing what the three were doing now, she asked with great curiosity.
"It was a hard night." Aiden replied honestly.
"Understandable." Anemone, worthy of being a resistance leader, showed an expression of understanding.
"Anemone, we can catch up later," A2 suddenly said. "There must be another reason you called us here, right?"
"Of course." Anemone nodded, then turned toward a tent.
"Please follow me."
After following Anemone into the tent, she closed the flap, and the outside noise immediately quieted.
"I originally called you here to ask for your help, but this morning I received news from the Bunker, so I thought I'd tell you together." As Anemone spoke, she pointed at the chairs in the center of the tent. "Please sit."
After the three sat down, A2 said, "If you've got something to say, say it quickly."
Anemone nodded and said, "I got word this morning, the Bunker is planning to send a new YoRHa squad in a few days to investigate the nearby factory ruins."
"Investigate what?" Aiden's heart stirred, 'Seems like NieR: Automata's main storyline is about to start.'
"Recently, a special type of machine lifeform has appeared there. It's called Marx's Giant Mechanical Arm. It's highly destructive, and the Bunker is worried that it might evolve further, so they want to send the YoRHa squad to investigate." Anemone explained.
"Yesterday I took a team to check it out too, but the terrain over there is very complicated, and there were lots of mechanical grunts. We had to retreat empty-handed."
"Later, when I saw Number Two had returned, I originally wanted to ask her to help us investigate together. I know her strength is much greater than ours, but…"
"But people from the Bunker also arrived, right?" Aiden said casually, this was what happened in the plot anyway.
"Mm." Anemone nodded again. "The Bunker asked us to send someone to cooperate. But since Number Two has some conflict with the Bunker, we don't need to trouble you anymore. Sorry to make you come for nothing."
'Conflict? It was probably more than that.' Aiden naturally knew what had happened between A2 and the Bunker. Calling it a "small conflict" was too mild. It was more like mutual hatred, they'd fight on sight.
But if Anemone knew there was a conflict between them, why did she still mention it? She could've just said nothing. Aiden found this strange.
Looking deeply at Anemone, Aiden felt she was definitely hiding something.
But in the game, Anemone was a good resistance leader and a good friend of A2. She wouldn't betray A2, most likely.
Just as Aiden was puzzled, A2 suddenly asked, "When is the Bunker planning the descent operation?"
"I'm not sure either. White didn't give me the exact time. But since I've been notified, it should be soon, probably within the next few days." Anemone replied.
The "White" she referred to was the Bunker's commander.
"In the next few days, huh. Good." A2's voice turned cold. "Anemone, when they arrive, make sure to let me know."
"What are you planning to do?" Anemone asked, pretending not to know.
"I want to meet my juniors," A2 said coldly. "Maybe I'll see a familiar face."
"But…" Anemone hesitated and said, "But if you go, you'll definitely fight them, right?"
'You knew and still told her?' Hearing that, Aiden couldn't help but complain inwardly.
"Don't worry. I know the limits." A2 dropped her icy expression and spoke calmly.
"Alright then. When they arrive, I'll let you know." Anemone nodded.
That topic ended there. The few of them chatted for a bit longer, but it was mostly Anemone and A2 talking. Aiden would chime in occasionally, while Yakor was a completely silent listener.
But since Anemone was the leader of the camp, she had a lot of responsibilities. Soon, one of her subordinates came to inform her she had work to do.
"Then we'll get going." Seeing that Anemone was about to get busy, A2 didn't stay longer and stood up to leave.
"Mm." Anemone nodded. As A2 was about to walk out, she suddenly remembered something and called out: "Before that happens, can you help us with a small task?"
"What task? Go ahead." A2 wouldn't refuse a request from an old friend.
"It's nothing big. It's just that people have been complaining recently, some say they lack materials for crafting equipment, others say they've seen machines nearby... In any case, it's a bunch of small chaotic things. But the camp's combat forces are all stretched thin right now, so I hope you can walk around the camp more and help anyone who needs it. Don't worry, they'll pay you." Anemone explained.
"Alright." A2 didn't say much, just nodded and walked out of the tent.
Yakor left second, but Aiden didn't follow. Instead, he walked quickly to Anemone, coldly asking, "What exactly are you planning? You just said there's a conflict between A2 and the Bunker, so why did you still tell her the Bunker's sending people? Aren't you afraid they'll really fight?"
"Worried about your girlfriend?" Anemone wasn't fazed by Aiden's tone and asked instead.
"What do you think?" Aiden asked in return.
"I think... you moved me quite a bit." Anemone's words stunned Aiden. Then she continued, "Ever since the Pearl Island descent operation, everyone who participated except me and Number Two died. Since then, Number Two's been trapped in guilt and hatred, guilt for surviving, hatred toward the Bunker for sending them to die."
"It was then that she was branded a deserter by the Bunker, hunted down, called a traitor of the YoRHa force. You know, Number Two used to be gentle. But after that battle, she changed completely, strong and cold."
"That's not a bad thing, but I don't want my friend to be consumed by hatred and guilt forever. So I wanted to use this opportunity to help ease her relationship with the Bunker."
"To be honest, I lied earlier. When I took the team out yesterday, I actually saw that giant mechanical arm. It's very powerful. I suspect even the YoRHa squad coming soon won't be its match. So I wanted Number Two to help them. Win or lose, maybe the Bunker will cancel the bounty on her."
After Anemone's long speech, Aiden sneered, "You think that's possible?"
"I don't know. But it doesn't matter." Anemone smiled and continued, "I wasn't sure if the plan would work anyway. But seeing you, makes me think even if it fails, it's fine."
"Why?" Aiden asked.
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