I—I can't believe a woman is asking me to help her shop for a bra. But…
I glance at Mimi.
Even with her arms braced under her chest, trying to hold everything in place, it still moves with every tiny shift. And those small protrusions at the front…
I've been trying very hard not to think about it, but… yeah. She's definitely not wearing a bra.
Ugh… Guess I don't really have a choice.
I pull out my datapad and unlock the store so she can go in.
"I—I'll just wait out here while you… uh… do your thing," I tell her.
She nods and slips inside.
Thank the stars she didn't ask me to come along. That would've been unbearably awkward.
In the meantime, I could sort through my gear while I wait. Might as well lighten the load a bit.
I set my backpack down and open it.
Let's see… nail gun, spare air canisters, wrench, adhesive tape…
I could probably ditch some of this.
But what if I need it later?
…Okay, maybe the power module?
What are the odds I'll need that?
Then again… faulty grid, power fluctuation—
Ugh. Why am I like this?
I dig deeper, hoping something will stand out as unnecessary.
…
"What are you doing?" a voice asks.
I jump.
Oh. It's just Mimi.
"I'm—Um… Just—" I look at the still completely full backpack. "Nothing," I reluctantly admit. Because, apparently, I'm unable to let anything go.
"What about you? Did you, um… find what you needed?"
She shakes her head.
"No… the cups are too small. The biggest they have is only an E."
…E is too small?
I glance—briefly—at her chest.
Right.
"Yeah… At your size, E-cup would be small," I mutter.
Mimi immediately blushes.
Wait.
Did I say that out loud?
"I—I mean! D-did you try the fabricator?" I blurt out, way too fast.
"Fabricator?" Mimi asks, a bit curious.
"Y-yeah! It scans your body and makes a custom-fitted piece of clothing," I explain quickly. "Super easy to use, you just—"
Crap.
It needs an operator.
Which means…
Ugh. I have to go into the store, don't I? I really don't want to—but I also can't let someone that… top-heavy walk around without proper support.
…Fine.
"Let me show you," I say, heading into the store.
Just don't look at anything.
"So… you know how to use one of those fabric—things?" Mimi asks, walking beside me.
"Fabricator," I correct. "And yeah. I had to fix one a few days ago…" I pause. "At a different store," I quickly add.
I keep talking—probably more than necessary—about how I repaired the jammed unit. I doubt she cares, but it helps keep my mind off the fact that I'm standing in a lingerie shop.
"And here it is," I say, stopping in front of a fridge-sized machine with a touchscreen panel.
"…That?" Mimi asks, tilting her head.
"Yeah. Just step into the scanner," I say, gesturing to a small changing booth that doubles as a scanner. "No need to undress; it can get your measurements even with winter clothes on. And after that, you just select the style you want—"
"Um… could you make two sports bras?" she interrupts.
Two?
…Right. With that much weight to support, one wouldn't be enough.
"S-sure," I mutter, nodding.
I turn to activate the fabricator while Mimi steps into the changing room.
"I'm starting the scan," I tell her. "Just stay still for a second."
"Okay."
The scanner does its thing, displaying Mimi measurements—
Oh, space junk! I should not be seeing that—
Wait.
O-cup? That's… A, B, C—
Nope. Nope. Stop.
Abort that line of thought immediately.
But…
Her chest spans over a meter. No wonder she wants a breast reduction.
Arg! I'm doing it again. Just focus on the task at hand.
I quickly look away from the measurements and navigate the interface. "Create new item… bra… sportif style…" I have no idea how to pick women's clothing, so I just select two popular models at random.
The fabricator whirs, assembling the garments layer by layer. It takes about a minute.
Once done, I grab them and hand them over to Mimi.
"Here."
"Th-thanks," she says, quickly pulling the curtain closed.
I turn my back.
I can hear her undress. I try not to—but my brain betrays me anyway. Visualizing her struggling to fit those overgrown melons into the bras. She probably has to take it one at a time—
The curtain rustles again, and Mimi steps out, no longer holding her chest up with her arms.
The bras are doing the work now.
"It fits perfectly," she says, giving a small, testing hop.
I immediately look away—
Even with two sports bras layered over each other, her chest still shakes.
Not wildly like before, but there's still a noticeable, weighty bounce that's impossible to ignore.
At least now she can move without constantly bracing herself.
"Uh… I'm glad you like it," I say, rubbing the back of my neck. "I'll go ahead and pay for it."
"Pay?"
"Well, yeah. We can't just take it—that'd be stealing," I reply.
She gives me a confused look, but I'm already heading toward the counter, more than ready to leave this place.
The register's off—no surprise—but I power it back on, enter the items, and—
Ouch.
That's expensive.
Is this what top-heavy women have to deal with? Yeah… they have my sympathy.
I swipe my card. It stings a bit, but a good citizen has to pay.
"Maybe we should go check on Lilith?" I suggest it as I step out of the store. "She's been gone a while."
Mimi nods and follows after me, her arms relaxed at her sides now that she doesn't have to constantly support herself.
"I hope Lilith's feeling better," Mimi says.
Yeah… me too.
I reach the guard room first and push the door open.
It's pretty dark inside but I can see the shape of someone.
"Hey, Lilith, did you find the first aid kit?" I call out.
No response.
She just stands there, facing the wall.
Still upset?
"Uh… Lilith? You okay?" I ask more carefully.
She turns towards me—
Oh no!
Her eyes are red.
"Graa!" she snarls.
The same sound as the infected.
I slam the door shut.
Oh no. Oh no—
«Enemy. Eliminate!»
"What's wrong?" Mimi asks, rushing up behind me.
"Run!" I shout.
"What—"
BANG!
The door shakes violently as something slams into it from the other side.
«Deal with the threat!»
"RUN!"
This time, Mimi doesn't hesitate—she turns back and bolts. I follow right behind her just as—
CRASH!
The door bursts open.
Space junk, space junk, space junk!
She's infected? How? Why?
«Doesn't matter. Just kill it!»
She's right behind us.
Oh no… She's going to catch up!
«Fight!»
"Head for the employees' door!" I shout.
Mimi spots it—a plain door tucked between two shops, marked Employees Only—and sprints straight for it.
"Come on!" she calls, holding it open.
I dive through a second later, and together we slam it shut.
"W-was that Lilith?" Mimi asks, bracing against the door.
«No, it's an enemy!»
"Yeah—"
BANG!
The door shudders.
«Show that thing true fear!»
BANG!
Again.
"T-the door won't hold much longer!" Mimi says, panic creeping into her voice.
She's right. What do we do?
«Fight! Kill! Murder!»
I glance around.
We're in the stockroom, with all the inventory piled up on large shelves—
"Climb the shelves! "I tell her.
She looks back, sees the shelves, and nods.
We both rush to climb.
I hope the door holds long enough—
Crash!
Space junk!
Lilith bursts through and charges at us, but we've already climbed out of reach. She tries to reach for us but makes no attempt to climb.
So… they really can't climb. I'd hoped that was the case, considering they don't even remember how to open doors.
What a relief. We're safe.
"Graa!" Lilith snarls, swiping at the air again.
…Still terrifying, though.
«Drop a crate on her. Crush her!»
No. Just keep climbing.
We finally reach the top and collapse onto the flat surface, breathing hard.
"W-what happened to her? Why is she…" Mimi stammers.
"I—I don't know," I say.
But I do know. The bite.
And if she turned that easily… then this is worse than I thought.
«Get rid of the infected!»
«Kill anyone who's bitten!»
«Wipe them all out!»
Too much noise in my head.
My hand moves to my pocket. I pull out the bottle and twist it open, reaching for another blue pill—
Bang!
The entire shelf shudders as Lilith slams into it from below.
The bottle slips from my hand.
No—!
I lunge after it—
"Careful!" Mimi cries, grabbing me just before I topple over the edge.
She pulls me back, but the bottle is gone. It hits the floor below, bursting open, blue pills scattering everywhere.
No… no, no, no. I need those.
"Grrrhhh…"
Lilith steps forward, crushing the pills underfoot.
"Y—you're not going down there to grab that medication… will you?" Mimi asks, looking down where the bottle fell.
I look at Lilith—those bloodshot eyes still locked onto us.
«Kill it.»
"…No."
"W-will you be okay?"
Without the medication?
"I—I'll be okay." I reply.
I'm more worried for the people around me.
«Hahaha!»
Oh… this is really bad.
«This is great!»
No, no. Stay calm. Remember what the psychiatrist said. Be a good citizen.
Be… a… good… citizen.
You got this, Dax.
Bang!
The shelf jolts again and tilts slightly to one side.
"I—I don't think this thing's going to hold much longer," Mimi says.
She's right. We need to get out of here—fast. But how?
I look around…
"There!" I point toward an emergency exit in the ceiling.
Mimi spots it and nods.
Getting there won't be easy, but we start moving, crawling from one shelf to the next while Lilith tracks us from below.
By the stars, she's persistent.
«Get rid of the pursuer!»
"Are you holding up okay?" I ask Mimi, glancing back—and instantly wish I hadn't.
She's also on all fours, which gives me a perfect view of her downblouse.
That deep cleavage… It's like I'm staring into a black hole.
"Yeah, I—I'm okay." She replies, crawling forward.
The motion makes her chest sway.
I quickly snap my gaze forward again.
"W—we're almost there." I say it more to myself than anything.
I reach the roof hatch and force it open, then help Mimi up first.
It's a tight fit; her bust exceeds the opening, but she eventually manages to squeeze through.
I climb up right after her.