CHAPTER 401: MODULAR BIONIC INTERFACE.

Hesitantly, Dante pointed a finger at the blue-haired Gearhead, squinting a little.

"You... don’t look too good..."

"You don’t say..." Suzuka deadpanned.

She wore work clothes that didn’t seem like they had been washed in days, her skin looked paler than usual, and her hair appeared as if a tornado had passed over it.

Dante could only wonder how she could arrive at such a state when she supposedly had complete control over her exterior appearance. She had always looked exhausted whenever he went to pick up Finn, but this time, the situation seemed worse.

"Did the brat do something again?"

"What makes you think he’s always the problem?"

The question came from the green-haired android who directed a not-so-intimidating glare at him. Returning the glare, Dante then turned to her owner with a question.

"What’s up with her?"

"Don’t mind her. She’s just being a little grumpy."

"Hmph!"

When the clanker whipped her head in the other direction, puffing her cheeks, Dante got the idea that there was a lot more to it than what the Gearhead said. Thankfully, he had no reason to care, so he turned his attention to the reason behind his visit.

"Alright, let me see it."

The eagerness in Dante’s voice matched that of a kid asking for his birthday present. That earned him an exasperated eye roll from the tired beauty as she turned around and walked to a workbench on the other side of the cubic room. Dante almost skipped as he followed after her, and just as he reached the workbench, the idea to raise his gaze and avoid looking at the final product just yet occurred to him.

"Well, this was a hassle to make." Said Suzuka. "I had to make some modifications to the design you gave me, and I couldn’t get some of the materials I initially planned on using, so I had to go with a different alloy for the frame."

Dante was about to open his mouth, but the Gearhead cut him off.

"Don’t worry. The specs should be better than the original design."

He felt a hint of relief that was instantly washed away by his overflowing excitement. Closing his eyes, Dante took a deep breath, braced himself, then looked down.

At the center of a chaotic mess of tools and parts, two arms rested side by side, both severed from the same metallic corpse. Despite their mechanical makeup, one would find it difficult to ignore the missing skin, the shriveled muscles, and the exposed bones.

The joints seemed to contain the most complex mechanism, with several adapter ports, sockets, and connection rails spread over the entire limb. The hands were more skeletal than the rest, with the fingers ending in sharp points with multi-pin data spikes. Though exposed, giving the air of an unfinished state, it didn’t detract from the beauty of the creation, which struck Dante’s breath the moment he laid eyes on it.

"It’s... gorgeous..."

Modular Bionic Interface, also known as Plug Limbs, Bare Frames, and Spine Rigs. It was a type of bionic prosthetics designed primarily for integration. Most of the time, it takes the form of a skeletal frame made from the sturdiest lightweight alloys, with minimal fiber cables and exposed neural conductors.

The intention was for it to be a bare chassis that serves as a platform for modular attachments as well as a drive for direct machine interfacing. MBIs weren’t designed to be used alone, which made them rather unpopular with most cyborgs.

It wasn’t that odd an outcome. After all, their main user base was engineers and machine operators who need direct mechanical control over external systems, as well as soldiers and pilots tasked with the use of heavy machinery such as tanks, fighter jets, but more importantly, power suits.

As he continued to stare at the implant in stunned silence, Suzuka seemed to observe his reaction for a while before shifting her gaze to it as well. Unlike him, a frown overtook her face as she gazed at the skeletal limbs.

[This is... incredible...] As stunned as he was, Dante’s reaction paled in comparison to that of his resident AI. [It’s... it’s an S grade...]

Hearing Volcan’s valuation as he stared at the majestic piece of technological marvel, Dante’s eyes widened even more, then they quickly narrowed, suddenly becoming serious. Turning to its creator, Dante held her gaze for a moment.

"I have changed my mind." He said. Just as the girl’s expression began to switch, he added in the same tone. "Let’s get married."

"... what?"

"WHAAAT!!?"

A loud scream shattered the atmosphere, filling the underground hideout. Before they could turn to look at its source, it suddenly appeared between them, shoving Dante away.

"You can’t have her!" Kizuna declared with flushed cheeks. "Suzuka is mine! You hear me!? Mine!!!"

The girl in question seemed as surprised as Dante was, and the two of them could only exchange a confused look. The green-haired android practically growled at Dante, holding her arms up by her sides as if to block him from getting past her. It took her a moment, but Suzuka finally understood what was happening and suddenly burst into laughter.

Dante’s confusion didn’t last, and soon enough, he was smiling as well. Now, it was the android’s turn to look confused.

"Kizuna, he’s joking," Said Suzuka. "He was joking, that’s all."

"Not really," Dante smirked. "Now that I saw what you can make, I wouldn’t mind marrying you at all."

Kizuna drew in a sharp breath.

"Stop teasing her already."

As if to stop her from pouncing on him, Suzuka grabbed her green-haired friend and pulled her closer. The latter turned around, and as if on reflex, she slid her arms around the former’s waist and wrapped her in a hug.

"It’s okay, no one is going to take your place."

Suzuka’s mood seemed to drastically improve a she patted the android’s green hair. Nuzzling against her chest, Kizuna then glanced over her shoulder. The second her gaze met Dante’s, her lips curved into a victorious, smug grin.