“Unlike the written test we did before, the physical examination will be divided into different categories,” explained Miue, his eyes half focused on the paper on his hand, half peeking at the M group. “The first categories will be done indoors and the remaining ones will be done outdoors, for obvious reasons. You can go all out for all we care. We’ve made the necessary modifications to all weapons so they’d become nonlethal and Nakatani-san issued a general holiday to all soldiers and staff members just to play safe. Those that decided to stay at the base were warned about the physical examination so if they get hurt in any way or shape, it’s their own damn fault. Though that doesn’t mean you can use that as an excuse to cause any injuries. Are we clear?”

“Yes,” acknowledged the Ms, some with sluggish, bored voices, some with a certain amount of enthusiasm.

“Perfect,” acknowledged back Miue with a sharp nod of his head. “One last thing. I just want to make sure that you clearly remember what we told you guys before we did the written test. This is not the same shit you went through in the lab. We’re all idiots when it comes to scientific and medical reports so we need to get things down to a more physical sense if we want to understand them. We just want to see what you can do with our own eyes. Not because we want to use you as human weapons or to use you once again as human lab rats. But because we think you deserve to be fully acknowledged for your abilities and strengths, whether as former humans, whether as Mass Murder Machines. Got it?”

“Yes,” said the Ms, the sluggishness and boredom fading away considerably compared with their previous answer.

“Let’s get down to business then,” announced Miue, a knowing smirk on his features. He gestured to a nearby table, where several gun parts had been spread. “Mission number one! There are six handguns on that table. Build them and then shoot at one of the targets placed outside of that window over there.”

“This can hardly be called a ‘mission’,” snorted Azuma, confidently walking towards the table with the others Ms and readily starting on the handgun’s construction. In the matter of half a minute, the handgun had returned to its operational shape and a rubber bullet was shot towards the open window. “Are we perhaps being underestimated?”

“‘Doesn’t matter if we are,” said Mitaru, an excited expression on his face as he also finished building his handgun and shot against the open window. “This is a hundred times better than staying inside of that house doing nothing at all.”

“What’s the matter, M0?” inquired Eki as he approached the only super soldier that had remained motionless by the table. “Is there any problem?”

“I know of handguns and I understand how they work, but I’ve never used any so I don’t know how to build them,” answered M0, his eyes closely observing the dismantled mechanised weapon before him.

“Um… How exactly have you fought against other super soldiers up until now, then?” hesitantly asked Eki, one of his eyebrows slightly arched in incomprehension.

“My hands?” said M0, tilting his head to the left just a fraction as if he was wondering about the answer to that question himself.

“I see,” acknowledged Eki, his gaze remaining on the small super soldier nevertheless. After a couple of seconds spent in silence, he gave a gentle upturn to the corner of his lips and added, “I’ll inform Miue-san of this then. If you don’t know how to use weapons, it would be wrong of us to test you with them.”

“Okay,” shortly said M0, walking away from the table to a closer location to one of the room’s walls. He leaned his back on the wall and silently continued observing the other Ms shooting at the targets to their heart’s content.

“Don’t look so sad, M0,” whispered Iru, popping out next to M0 and readily wrapping his arms around his waist to comfort him. He softly kissed his pale cheek. “It’s for your own good. It’s for all of us, the humans included.”

“I can’t bring myself to see it the same way as you, then, Iru-kun,” sighed M0, leaning the side of his body against Iru despite his accusatory words. “I don’t understand the purpose of all of this secrecy. Making an exception out of me should raise more suspicions than divert them, especially when I’m compared with the rest of you. It also annoys me to be seen as less than the five of you. I hate it.”

“So it doesn’t feel good to receive special treatment from the humans after being abused and ignored by them for 18 years?” asked Iru, softly chuckling at the expressionless pout present in M0’s face.

“Maybe it brings a certain degree of satisfaction to you, Iru-kun, but as far as it concerns me, I feel that all of this ends up being a second lab to me,” said M0, gently pushing Iru away from him. “Only that you took the scientists’ paper this time. Please stop using me as an excuse to taunt the humans.”

“If you dislike it that much, then just do whatever you want,” pointed out Iru, shrugging his shoulders. He snorted. “Oh yes, I almost forgot. You haven’t found a loophole in my instructions yet so you can’t do whatever pleases you the most without going against them. It must be hard for you to be in this type of situation, my precious ‘Beatrice’.”

“...”

“Enough pouting for now,” said Iru, closing the distance between him and M0 once again and delivery a gentle peck to his head. “Take it easy and enjoy some more rest for the time being. Once we’re outside, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to prove that you’re no less of a super soldier when compared to any of us. Okay?”

“Does that mean I’m allowed to go all out on the outside tests?” inquired M0, craning his head slightly so he could peer at Iru from below. When he saw him momentarily freeze at his question, the corner of M0’s lips raised just half an inch. “Iru-kun, it’s easier to find loopholes in your instructions than you think. I’ll do as you say. I’ll take it easy and enjoy some rest while being made an outcast by you and a special case to the humans. But I’ll be claiming back my place once we’re outside. Whether you agree with it or not.”

“Do your best at changing my mind then,” whispered Iru, once again kissing M0’s cheek before he unglued himself from him and returned to the testing table.

But you already made a plan revolving around such events, why are you calling it ‘change my mind’?, inwardly grumbled M0, his expressionless pouting demeanour not parting from his features in the least.